TuftsDaily09.23.13

Sunny 63/46

THE TUFTS DAILY

TUFTSDAILY.COM

MOnday, September 23, 2013

VOLUME LXVI, NUMBER 12

Where You Read It First Est. 1980

Mail Services manages backup by

Alexa Horwitz

Daily Editorial Board

After a backlog of unprocessed mail, Tufts University Mail Services completed scanning the 14,154 packages they had received in the last month.

The volume of packages throughout the month was up three percent from last year, according to Support and Administrative Services Manager Sheila Chisholm. In order to accommodate the increase, Chisholm hired a second shift of students to help with the backup.

Mail Services operates with three full time employees — besides herself — four temporary employees and anywhere between six to eight students, she said.

“We understand that there have been complaints about students not receiving books on time, but we believe that with the help of the additional students everything will be back to normal soon,” Chisholm said.

She used the additional sorters to scan in the several hundreds of packages received each day.

“Without hiring more people in the last week to help, we began to fall behind, which resulted in people not getting their packages in a timely fash-

ion,” Chisholm said. “The second set of student workers was the solution to helping us catch up with all of our back orders.

They were a tremendous help in the off-hours.”

While Mail Services is typically open to students Monday through Saturday, Chisholm decided to open the office on Sundays while they were sorting out the backup.

“For the past two weeks, we have been opened seven days a week from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. because we wanted to manage the process more efficiently,” she said.

Sept. 22 marked the first Sunday of the semester that Mail Services was not open, Chisholm added.

“This indicates that we have successfully done everything within our power,” she said. “It’s an accomplishment.”

Mail Services also experienced additional problems with discrepancies between delivery services.

“The different delivery services vary in terms of their reliability,” Chisholm said. “Both FedEx and UPS have valid tracking information, but the United States Postal Service information is not as reliable.”

These differences in relisee MAIL SERVICES, page 2

Matt Schreiber for the Tufts Daily

Students gathered at the Greek Life barbecue last Friday after Kappa Alpha Theta granted bids to its first 77 members on Tuesday.

Kappa Alpha Theta welcomes 77 new members by

Elissa Ladwig

Daily Editorial Board

Seventy-seven women accepted bids to the new Tufts chapter of Kappa Alpha

Theta (Theta) sorority this past Tuesday.

Theta — which held its first chapter meeting last Sunday — became the fourth sorority on the Hill this fall after years

of discussion. By taking their bids, the students accepted an invitation to become new members of Theta at Tufts. see THETA, page 2

Early Twitter investor sheds light on startup entrepreneurship by

Melissa Mandelbaum Daily Editorial Board

Tufts Venture Fund (TVF) and the Tufts Entrepreneurs Society (TES) hosted Spark Capital Partner Bijan Sabet, an early investor in Twitter, Foursquare and Tumblr, for a discussion about entrepreneurship last Friday afternoon.

Associate Editor of the Harvard Business Review Walter Frick moderated the event, which is part of an ongoing speaker series at Tufts.

Spark Capital is a Boston-based venture capital firm that partners with entrepreneurs wishing to create “disruptive, world-changing companies,” according to its website. The company invests in market segments such as advertising and monetization.

Sabet, a general partner at Spark Capital since its inception in 2005, led the firm’s early investment in Twitter in 2008 and served on its board from 2008 to 2011.

“I first heard about Twitter as a user,” Sabet said. “I became completely infatuated with it.

I begged and then they let me invest in it.”

Twitter announced on Sept. 12 that the company filed an S-1 Form, which contains basic business and financial information regarding securities offers, in preparation to go public. If Spark Capital sells its stock, it expects to earn a profit, Sabet said.

Sabet said he invests in projects that have passionate entrepreneurs behind them.

“I want to understand why they’re building what they’re building, and if the answer is,

Tyler McCullough for the Tufts Daily

Spark Capital Partner Bijan Sabet discussed entrepreneurship and venture capitalism with Tufts students on Friday afternoon.

‘Hey, we see this opportunity to sell this company in a couple years, and Google will buy us,’ that tends not to get me very inspired,” he said. “But if I hear this idea has been keeping them up all night for the last six months or six years or something, and it’s really what they want to see in the world, that’s what tends to get me excited.”

Inside this issue

Passion for the product is essential for aspiring entrepreneurs, according to Sabet.

“I’m meeting too many people who are in love with the idea of starting a company, but not in love with the actual thing they’re building,” he said.

Sabet warned that the success rate for startups and venture capitalists is low.

“If you have this mindset that you’re going to do something audacious and you’re going to go for it, and there are many practical reasons why this is a bad idea,” Sabet said. “But if you’re going to do it anyway, you really have to convince yourself [that] it’s worth it, and it’s not for the financial worth. It’s because the idea is so captivating.”

Still, he explained that venture capitalism is not always necessary to have a successful company. With the right technique and mindset, small companies can compete with large ones, he said.

“The only reason why startups can beat big companies is they can stay focused and move faster,” he said. “They can’t outspend a big company [and] they can’t staff like a big company, so their big secret weapon is moving fast and being focused.”

Sabet believes there is momentum for new businesses in Boston as entrepreneurs are relocating to the center of the city and increasing communication and networking energy.

“I’m really psyched about what’s happening right now in this town,” Sabet said.

TVF and TES are planning future events to spark conversation among students interested in startups, according to President of TES James Downer.

“The goal is to unify all the cool people, the interesting people, who have ideas and are building things around Tufts,” he said.

Downer said the speaker series will continue with a presentation by Bluefin Labs founder Deb Roy and an Oct. 25 on-campus “hackathon.”

Today’s sections

Dexterity Global, founded by sophomore Sharad Vivek Sagar, stuns with international success.

‘The Mindy Project’ kicks off its second season with fresh comedy.

see FEATURES, page 3

see ARTS, page 5

News Features Arts & Living Editorial | Letters

1 3 5 8

Op-Ed Comics Classifieds Sports

9 10 11 Back

The Tufts Daily

2

News

Monday, September 23, 2013

Visiting the Hill this week MONDAY “Put Them Down: An Urban Gun Violence Awareness Event and Tribute to Trayvon Martin” Details: The Xi Tau chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority will host guest speakers from the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute (LDBPI) to discuss gun violence in urban communities.

Founder and Executive Director Clementina Cherry, as well as Director of Training and Education Rachel Fazzino will speak and hold a moment of peace for Trayvon Martin and other young victims of gun violence. Students are encouraged to wear hoodies and comfortable pants to the event.

When and Where: 7:13 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.; Mugar Hall, Room 231 Sponsor: Xi Tau Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority TUESDAY “Wave function of the Universe, Wheeler-DeWitt equation and inflation” Details: Alexander Kamenshchik from the University of Bologna will host a discussion on cosmology.

When and Where: 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Robinson Hall, Room 250 Sponsor: Joint Tufts/Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cosmology Seminar

THURSDAY “The Scratch Flat Chronicles” Details: John Hanson Mitchell, the author and editor of the Sanctuary Magazine of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, will speak about his book series “The Scratch Flat Chronicles.” Mitchell will discuss the natural and cultural changes that have taken place in the Scratch Flat over the last fifteen thousand years and examine possible futures for the area.

When and Where: 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.; Lincoln Filene Center Sponsors: Environmental Studies Program and Tufts Institute of the Environment

“President of Estonia Lecture at the Fletcher School” Details: Toomas Hendrik Ilves, president of the Republic of Estonia, will give a lecture on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, transatlantic relations, Europe and cyber security.

When and Where: 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Cabot ASEAN Auditorium Sponsors: The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy

—compiled by Daniel Bottino

Scouts excited to welcome charter members of Theta THETA

continued from page 1

Jenny Cook, one of two Theta representatives for Tufts, said she is excited that so many students are interested in the new organization.

“I was actually blown away by the number of people who came to our table and information sessions,” Cook told the Daily. “Coming to a very small school that is academically oriented, it can be difficult to generate the interest to join a Greek organization, especially for a school with such a small Greek community.”

Madison Cannon, Cook’s fellow Theta representative, said she believes many students were drawn to the opportunity to become charter members of a new sorority.

“One of the big things is probably that they will have the chance to be the first charter members of this sorority,” Cannon told the Daily. “They get to create their own group and make their own name on campus.”

Cook added that the introduction of Theta made it possible for women to be a part of a group that they felt they belonged in.

“Maybe [the new Theta members] have gone through recruitment in the past and didn’t find their niche,” she said. “This is their opportunity to really create their own identity but still be a part of the Greek community.”

Of the 77 students who accepted bids, a little more than 50 were sophomores and the rest were juniors and seniors, Cook said. Theta was not allowed to recruit freshmen at this time. Cook, however, could not release numbers about how many people signed up for a position at the sorority or about how many total bids were given out.

While students rushing for a position in a sorority are normally guaranteed a bid, Cook explained that this was not the case for Theta this fall.

“One of the reasons we could not guarantee a bid was because of the process of recruitment,” Cook said.

“Normally people who don’t meet certain standards are kind of removed

from the system before rush, but for our process we are just doing interviews, so people aren’t guaranteed bids.”

Rush for Theta will open again during the second week of classes next semester, Cook said, when the other sororities also begin their recruitment process. Cook said she hoped to reach a chapter total of 98, which would put the chapter in “good standing” according to Greek standards at Tufts.

Over the next few weeks, the charter members will learn the basics of Theta life at Tufts. “[Cook] and I will be walking them through the process of being a new member, so they will learn all the things a new member of Theta learns on any campus, if they are a charter member or a new member in general,” Cannon said.

Cannon added that the sorority will form committees and hold elections so that officers can be installed in early November.

Vanessa Zhang, one of the new members of Kappa Alpha Theta, said that the process of becoming a member happened very quickly.

“It was super, super quick,” Zhang, a sophomore, said. “We went to a meeting, and immediately after, signed up for an interview. The next day we knew if we were in or not.”

According to Zhang, the group now has six weeks to learn about Theta, bond with the other new members and make sure they are committed before initiation. Zhang said she is looking forward to the process.

“I am really, really excited about the future of Theta,” she said. “There are a ton of cool opportunities and possibilities for Theta on campus. I think this is a good opportunity to meet new people I would never get to meet.”

According to Cook, the Theta representatives’ work at Tufts has gone smoothly so far.

“We have just been so thankful to how welcoming not just the Greek community, but everyone in general has been in welcoming Theta to campus,” she said.

Ray-Man Ting for the Tufts Daily

Tufts University Mail Services finished managing a package backup on Sept. 20 after scanning the last of the 14,154 packages they had received in the last month into their processing system.

Mail Services opened on Sundays to manage package backup MAIL SERVICES

continued from page 1

ability have led to miscommunications, Chisholm said.

“For example, on Sept. 12, we did not receive certain packages from U.S. Postal Services, but when students would track their package online, they would find that it had ... been delivered,” she said.

Sophomore Sydney Griffith, who experienced delays in receiving her package, felt inconvenienced by the mix-up.

“I saw online that my package had arrived at Mail Services, so I was disappointed when I didn’t get an email notifying me,” Griffith said. “I had to wait a few days because they were so backed up.”

According to Chisholm, packages sometimes arrive without a student’s name or correct address.

“We set these packages that we can’t easily scan into our system off to the side, where we enter them using the tracking number,” she said. “This will a cause a delay between the time that we receive the

package and when the student actually has what they have ordered.”

Duplicate names have been another source of complication, Chisholm added.

“It’s hard when there are students with similar last names or similar spelling names,” she said. “Sometimes they get confused in our system, and this is only made harder when we are processing more orders during a busy period of time.”

This was the case for sophomore Jimena Sanchez, who said her French books were sent to another student with a similar name.

“The tracking code for the order told me that [my books] had arrived, but I never got an email from Mail Services telling me to come and pick it up,” Sanchez said.

“The kid who they gave the books to had to message me on Facebook and explain the situation. If he didn’t reach out to me, I would have had no idea. That’s just a sloppy mistake made by Mail Services, in my opinion.”

Police Briefs Catch that Pepsi spirit

Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) on Sept. 10 at 3:19 a.m. responded to a security alarm in the Mayer Campus Center. Officers arrived to investigate and found the building locked and secured. Officers noticed that the partitions usually blocking the cash area of the Commons Deli & Grill were pushed aside. A can of Pepsi had been opened. It is unclear if anything else was taken.

Bikers beware

At 11:45 a.m. on Sept. 10, a female student crossing College Avenue near Talbot Avenue was struck by a bicycle.

Her friend took her to Health Service.

The bicyclist, who was unaffiliated with Tufts, was sent to Lawrence Memorial Hospital with a shoulder injury.

Dropped the ball TUPD on Sept. 13 at 10:19 p.m. arrived at Zeta Psi in response to a fire alarm.

Brothers who were throwing a ball around hit the smoke detector and set off the alarm.

Laptop thieves

Police on Sept. 13 at 11:50 p.m. received a report of breaking and entering in Blakeley Hall. Using a knife, the intruder cut the first floor window screen and entered the building. The intruder later fled out the same window with the resident’s laptop, power cord and cell phone. Medford, Somerville and Massachusetts State police were notified. Detectives are still working on the case and communicating with various agencies.

TUPD on Sept. 15 at 1:27 a.m. received a call from a house on Emory Street. A

student had left her room at approximately 9 p.m. the evening before and returned to find her laptop missing. The window was unlocked and ajar, and the screen was cut.

Another female student called TUPD on Sept. 17 at 1 p.m. to report a missing laptop. The student had left her house on Fairmount Street with her housemate at 9 a.m. that morning, with the door left unlocked and the other housemate still asleep. There was no sign of a break in, and no other items were missing.

TUPD notified Medford police.

students fooling around.

Bumper car

A facility worker entered the Tufts police station at 5:30 a.m. on Sept.

19 to report finding the entire front bumper of a car on the second floor of Dowling Garage. TUPD contacted Enterprise Rent-A-Car, who responded that they were aware of the situation.

The vehicle had been brought back without its front bumper by the driver, who stated that he had been in an accident. TUPD was told it could keep the bumper.

False alarm

Officers on Sept. 15 at 3:35 p.m. responded to a call from Fairmount Street about a female who was potentially in trouble. Officers arrived on scene to investigate and found no problems. The neighbor had heard two

—compiled by Menghan Liu

Features

3

tuftsdaily.com

Student-founded Dexterity Global achieves international recognition

by Sabrina

McMillin

Daily Editorial Board

Hodgdon Hall is listed as the global headquarters of one of the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Most Innovative Social Enterprises for the Next Century.

Sophomore Sharad Vivek Sagar came to Tufts last year to study international relations and economics, with the added intention of expanding his company, Dexterity Global, Inc., as a Boston corporation.

The company was incorporated in Massachusetts this March, according to its Facebook page, which boasts over 17,000 “Likes.” Dexterity Global is a corporation that uses platforms on- and offline to educate and empower the next generation of innovators and leaders.

Dexterity Global’s Vice President of Communications Benjamin Hosking explained what the mission statement means.

“Dexterity Global is about education, empowerment and entrepreneurship, particularly in the developing world, but also in the developed world. It’s not really about targeting any specific subset of youth; it’s about every youth in the world, particularly in secondary schools but also in college as well,” Hosking, a sophomore, said. “The concept is to provide platforms in which anybody can succeed and achieve opportunities.”

The numbers alone are impressive; in the past five years, the company reports that it has reached out to over 100,000 young people and helped them grow as active citizens, entrepreneurs and leaders.

More recently, Sagar was invited by the Nobel family to attend Nobel Prize Week, and Dexterity Global will also showcase the company and its mission while attending the National Conference on Social Entrepreneurship 2013, the Intersection at Googleplex 2013 and the New York Global Young Leaders Summit 2013. The company is listed as a TED Million Dollar award winning concept.

The Tufts community is no stranger to entrepreneurial leadership. Many students and alumni have been involved in the creation of start-ups, projects and corporations that have expanded both nationally and globally, including eBay, American Apparel and Victoria’s Secret. Many of the university’s entrepreneurial students participate in a start-up project during their time here.

Sagar said that he initially created Dexterity Global in response to flaws in the Indian educational system, including badly integrated information technologies.

He said that most of the administrators and policy makers in charge of the public educational system did not even send their own children to public schools.

“They didn’t have faith in the very system they created,” Sagar said.

Rigorous survey research and publicity that involved interactions with the press in India enabled Dexterity Global to begin a major child rights project, fueled by the interest of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), according to Sagar. These actions prompted the United Nations branch to invite Sagar and other members of Dexterity Global to draft an action plan regarding schooling in Bihar, an east Indian state and original home to the company.

After this accomplishment, Sagar was particularly interested in addressing issues of child labor rights as well. Dexterity Global’s first project, called the Happy Meal Program, focused on aiding underprivileged child workers, according to Sagar.

Although the government had passed several reforms related to human rights, such as The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act of 2009, children were still working as laborers, even within their own homes, he said.

“We started working with slum kids, the ones who had no rights at all, in fact. They were working as vendors and whatnot,” Sagar said. “We started teaming up with restaurants and confectionery makers in the city and we were able to get meals

Photo courtesy of Sharad Vivek Sagar

Sharad Vivek Sagar, founder and CEO of Dexterity Global, was recently invited to attend Nobel Prize Week. sponsored for them.”

Success of their first project sparked several other three-month long projects.

One of these projects was a campaign for climate change mitigation. Dexterity Global encouraged students to set reasonable goals to reduce their carbon footprints, advocating for measures such as planting trees.

Sagar said that he then began to seriously consider upscaling the company’s operations. At the time, 12 to 13 students — all under the age of 15 — made up the business, but expansion called for a larger staff.

“We could not have gone out and planted a million trees. We could not have ensured that every single kid is in school all by ourselves,” Sagar said. “I personally feel that I could not go out and plant the million trees, but I could go out and tell people to tell 10 people each, ‘Okay, all of us are going to go out and plant 10 trees,’ and you, eventually, plant a million trees.”

As a result, Sagar said that he has most recently been working with a network of close to 177 people, seven of whom are on the board of advisors and 150 of whom are volunteers and coordinators. Since expanding, Dexterity Global began to specialize its operations involving a division of online and offline features.

Its programs are currently divided into three branches: DexChallenge, DexGlobe and DexSchool. All three highlight the importance of working relationships between peers in pursuing academic success.

DexChallenge is “a full day inter-school competition bringing high school students together to learn, compete, and grow,” according to the company’s website. The company details that DexChallenges are focused on both the arts and entrepreneurial leadership with a wide variety of competitions.

The events provide a lively space for students to achieve their potential in a fun and academic setting. These competitions are judged by relevant and accomplished individuals and are a part of the offline experience of Dexterity Global — they take place in person.

DexGlobe, the next branch of the company’s operations, is the company’s online platform with resources related to international scholarships, internships and other opportunities. It includes an application called LevelUp, where students can make posts about their achievements and win points. Once a student reaches Level 5 in the program, they are eligible to become partnered with programs that fit their interests, according to the website. Popular Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh, for example, teamed up with Dexterity Global in order to help advance the education of DexGlobe students interested in a career in sports.

This June, the company debuted DexSchool, the third of its three specialized programs. DexSchool is the com-

pany’s selective five-day program that was held at the Tarumitra Bio-Reserve in India this year. Dexterity Global had the attendees, also known as “Dexters,” go through an application process. According to the website, the debut of the program attracted “one of Newsweek’s’ Top 25 Under 25 Young Women of the World, the past two Regional Ambassadors of India to the [United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP)] TUNZA Eco-Generation, an international math Olympiad qualifier, and two Indian national Taekwondo Champions.”

The program, involving collaboration between entrepreneurial leaders and the Dexters, culminated in a presentation of the students’ ideas and innovations, according to Hosking.

“We wanted to give them the opportunity to create an idea of their own and take it with them further into their careers.

The mentors acted as someone who could facilitate that,” Hosking said. “Really, the goal is to bring together the most exceptional students from around the world in a school of entrepreneurship, leadership and public speaking.”

According to the Rockefeller Foundation’s website, Dexterity Global holds similar challenges in cities across India, called the Dexterity School Fest. The events bring high school and college students together to engage in debates, entrepreneurship and social impact challenges.

“Winners of the entrepreneurship challenges are provided mentoring and support from high-level innovators globally, including from government, the World Bank, and India’s network of Institutes for Technology,” the Rockefeller Foundation said. “Through this network, ‘Dexters”’receive leadership training, creating the next generation of entrepreneurs.”

The operations of the company involve funding from their recent success at the Tufts $100K Business Plan Competition, where Dexterity Global won second place.

Sagar hopes to expand in Boston, and Dexterity Global is now working with engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to develop an online platform to host weekly competitions and webinars, according to the Rockefeller Foundation.

The launch for this feature is expected mid2014 and is projected to attract 100,000 users. Looking forward, next for Sagar is to plan expansion throughout the U.S. “I would say that [Sharad has] infected me with passion. I’m suddenly really passionate about [Dexterity Global], and it’s really cool. One of the reasons why I joined — I’ve worked in business before [as] a manager at a store, and I worked internships and other positions, stuff like that — but none of them seemed to have the broad impact that working with Sharad and Dexterity Global would,” Hosking said.

“Sharad is very inspiring, but I also see it as not just about him and not just about India, but more about the world.”

Lex Erath | Sugar and Spice

Lecture classes

A

s our new freshmen are probably realizing (welcome, class of 2017!), no matter what your area of interest, there’s pretty much no way you can avoid taking at least one or two giant lecture classes if you want to major in anything. (BIO 13, anyone? EC 5?) While some students might prefer cozy seminars or animated debates, there are some definite advantages to taking a huge class. To name a few: 1. A safe place to sleep. Maybe your incredibly good-looking roommate (tough luck) sexiled you again last night, and you were forced to crash on the questionably stained floor of your common room. Not to worry! Come morning, simply install yourself in the last row of Cohen Auditorium and snooze away.

2. The high potential for entertainment value. In a class of 200 plus people, that’s 200 plus chances for today to be the day that someone just snaps and runs screaming out of the room that they’ll never understand translocation.

3. A built-in large audience for pranks, marriage proposals, etc. If you’re at all computer savvy, it’s possible to hack into a professor’s prepared slides and insert one with a prom invitation in the middle of an econ lecture. (I’m just saying, it’s happened.)

4. Someone to ask your questions for you. Although you’ve heard again and again that there’s no such thing as a stupid question, there are professors who, when asked something particularly dumb, will study the questioner and announce to the class, “I forgot there’s no IQ requirement to get into this class.” You can avoid this fate by holding in your questions until someone else asks for you. That way, you can snicker along with your friends as they make fun of the idiot while privately being relieved that someone finally explained what “demand” really is.

5. The perfect location for private conversations and international drug drops. A lecture class is the ideal cover, if you really think about it. No one will be paying attention to the hushed conversations or suspicious transactions occurring in the back row when there’s a test next Thursday.

6. The chance to meet exotic, exciting creatures (aka kids who aren’t in your major).

Sure, you have no idea why the mechanical engineer is in your Intro to Sociology class, but the more the merrier, right?

7. A convenient time and place for you to do all of your Internet chores. From online shopping and Facebook-stalking the hot kid you met last weekend, to paying your credit card bill and brainstorming Halloween costumes, your Tuesday morning lecture class offers the perfect chunk of time, already built into your day. The best part? Unlike in some smaller classes, in a large lecture almost everyone uses a laptop, so you’ll fit right in. The people in front of you might even think you’re being studious! Well, the ones who don’t know you, anyway.

8. No one will notice if you’re not there.

Feel like jetting off to Palm Springs for a week of R&R? As long as you’re not friends with your professor on Facebook, feel free to escape to the beach. Bonus points for spending the following week smugly watching everyone else online-stalk your insanely awesome vacation album.

So, there you go. The secret is officially out: Massive lecture classes are definitely the way to go. Freshmen, load up on intro classes, and don’t worry about graduation requirements — chances are, by the time that’s actually a concern, Tufts will have implemented a Jack of All Trades major that you’ll be just perfect for.

Lex Erath is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. She can be reached at Alexandra.Erath@tufts.edu.

4

The Tufts Daily

advertisement

Monday, September 23, 2013

Arts & Living

5

tuftsdaily.com

TV Review

‘The Mindy Project’ returns with fresh batch of humor

by Sabrina

Chishti

Contributing Writer

The funniest OB/GYN in the business is back and ready for another hilarious and heartfelt season. After

The Mindy Project Starring Mindy Kaling, Chris Messina, Ed Weeks

Airs Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. on Fox traveling with her minister boyfriend to construct a hospital in Haiti during the first season finale of “The Mindy Project” (2012-present), Mindy Lahiri, played by Mindy Kaling, is quickly sent back to New York to undergo a relatively minor gallbladder surgery. Sporting a rocking new pixie cut, she wakes up in a hospital bed with her nurse, Morgan (Ike Barinholtz), and fellow doctors Danny Castellano (Chris Messina) and Jeremy Reed (Ed Weeks) at her side.

Creative and original, the relatively new comedy brings back the quirky, off-color humor that Kaling is now so well known for. Previously a writer and actress for NBC’s “The Office” (20052013), Kaling has seen a major career boost with “The Mindy Project,” and the second season renewal indicates generally favorable reviews and solid — if not stellar — ratings. One of the biggest hurdles of a new comedic season is keeping the show’s humor true to its roots yet also managing to make

Greg Gayne / FOX via Fox Flash

Uptight Danny (Chris Messina) and quirky, ex-con nurse Morgan (Ike Barinholtz) greet Mindy upon her return from Haiti. it fresh. But the second season easily overcomes this obstacle right from the start. While the series is part cliche romance and part comedy mocking cliche romance, the heart of the show depicts the lives of the idiosyncratic people working in New York alongside Mindy, whose bubbly personality and pop-culture obsessions make her a huge hit on screen.

The first episode introduces Paul

Theater Review

Leotard, played by James Franco.

Although Franco’s A-list status gave the premiere a glamorous feel, his character unfortunately adds an unnecessary over-the-top element of comedy.

Leotard is superficial and shallow, with most of his punch lines focused on his good looks or his position as a sex therapist. Hopefully, his character will see MINDY, page 6

Album Review

New Holy Ghost! album features pop hits by

David McConnell Contributing Writer

Holy Ghost!’s sophomore album, “Dynamics,” begins with “Okay,” a song that is definitely reminiscent of the Liz Lauren via Huntington Theater Company

Larry Yando, as the tiger Shere Khan, is not a frightening presence on stage.

Adaptation of ‘The Jungle Book’ excites audience by

Priya Dharampuriya Contributing Writer

The opening scene of Mary Zimmerman’s adaptation of “The Jungle Book” at Boston’s Huntington Theatre Company features a small boy in an armchair, by himself, reading. The lighting is soft and blue and the scene is quiet, except for the small chime of classical Indian instruments in the background. A tall figure, dressed in what appears to be Victorian-era clothes mixed with ornaments and peacock feathers, lights up the scene. The peacock takes the boy by the hand and leads him through a door.

From that point on, the show becomes an overwhelming visual and auditory experience. The set is green, intricate and impeccable, and the East India-inspired score is infused with jazz sounds, creating a musical combination that blends together almost perfectly. One could very easily be entertained for the duration of the show simply by watching the set and listening to the

Dynamics Holy Ghost!

DFA Records

songs. By the looks of the audience, many did.

“The Jungle Book” is Zimmerman’s adaptation of the beloved 1967 Disney film, which, in turn, was based on a collection of stories by Rudyard Kipling. It retains many aspects of the film, including a roughly identical plot and characters, and much of the original soundtrack. The story, set in an Indian jungle, tells the tale of a young orphan boy named Mowgli (Akash Chopra/ Roni Akurati) and his reluctant journey to the village from the jungle, where he grew up alongside his animal companions. The show is playful and gorgeous while also retaining a certain subtlety.

The plot itself begins almost lethargically when a pack of wolves finds infant Mowgli and concludes that they will raise him instead of eating him, defying the will of Shere Khan (Larry Yando), the tiger. The wolves sing and speak to him in melodramatic, forced Indian accents and argue awkwardly amongst themselves. For a time, the show feels synthetic against the

Brooklyn duo’s self-titled debut. Right from the start, the band, consisting of members Nick Millhiser and Alex Frankel, demonstrates the direction their new album is going to take by using prominent ’80s-esque drum sounds and melodies.

The second song on the album, “Dumb Disco Ideas,” was released a few weeks ago as the album’s first single. The bass in the song has a distinctively “funk” feel, a musical theme that was common on their previous album. It’s clear why the band chose “Dumb Disco Ideas” as their first single — it is by far their most original song, featuring various harmonies, a bit of auto-tuning and a gradual build-up that keeps the listener intrigued for over eight minutes.

Although it wasn’t released as a single, “Changing of the Guard” is easily the best song on “Dynamics.” The song’s upbeat tempo and chord structure are somewhat inconsistent with heavier lyrics, which focus on regret and obviously carry a significant meaning for the group.

see JUNGLE, page 6

see GHOST, page 6

Ryan Buell | This Week in Hip-Hop

Spotlight: Rapsody’s ‘She Got Game’

W

ith the rap world losing its collective mind over the leak of Drake’s highly anticipated “Nothing Was the Same,” I figured I would dial it back a bit this week and focus on a lesser known project. Originally released as a free mixtape back on Aug. 20, Rapsody’s critically acclaimed “She Got Game” recently got a facelift with a deluxe, for-purchase version. The deluxe version is DJ-free (meaning none of those obnoxious DJ Drama promotions) and swaps out a couple guest verses in favor of new verses from the aspiring emcee.

The deluxe version also comes with two new bonus tracks and two instrumentals from the original mixtape.

The Jamla-signed rapper makes huge strides on “She Got Game,” bringing impressive flows and even more impressive rhymes over beats from big name producers, including 9th Wonder and Khrysis. Rapsody has been on the rap scene for a little over five years now, and this is easily her most high-profile project. In addition to the aforementioned guest features, Rapsody brings Raekwon, Mac Miller, Ab-Soul, Jay Electronica and others to assist her on “She Got Game.” These noteworthy collaborations prove that she has made it big enough to attract the attention of some of hip-hop’s largest names.

Not one to beat around the bush, Rapsody brings it from the very opening track, “A Song about Nothing” — a track that, contrary to its name, weaves an introspective tale about trying to make it in the rap game. Rapsody takes the listener through her highs and lows with lines like “Currently I’m secluded with all my passion / Wonder if I’m slightly depressed from all the harassment.” The album only gets better from there. “Lonely Thoughts” features Chance the Rapper and Big KRIT over a mellow but moody instrumental and continues the theme of overcoming life’s lows to reach a better place. My personal favorite track, “Dark Knights,” is a song littered with Batman references and rhymes about the struggles of poverty and “reaching for better.” Over Eric Jones’ soulful, sample-driven production, Rapsody professes that while she may be striving to improve her financial situation, “money will never make” her. It’s a powerful track about misfortunes and ambition that defines what Rapsody is all about: making music for the love of music and never letting the struggles of life break you down.

On the next track, “My Song,” Rapsody insists that she “ain’t the next Ms. [Lauryn] Hill.” While she certainly distinguishes herself from the legendary female rapper, the comparison merits consideration. Rapsody, like Lauryn Hill, has broken into a traditionally male dominated industry and has done so without relying on gimmicks or commercialized sexuality, a la Nicki Minaj. Rather, she is making a name for herself based on her rhymes and her talent. However, what Rapsody is insinuating is that she shouldn’t be compared to Lauryn Hill simply because of her gender. It begs the interesting question of how females are labeled within the rap world.

She sheds herself of the derogatory “femcee” label, placing herself in the hip-hop conversation at large, a sentiment illustrated by the closing line of the song: “Pronounce my name R-A-P.” Rapsody is making the convincing case to view her — and others — simply as a rapper, rather than specifically as a female rapper. It’s a testament to her prowess as an emcee that she can make such an oft-ignored problem in hip-hop a crucial element of her music.

While the rest of the hip-hop world focuses on Drake’s “Nothing Was the Same,” I will be continuing to play “She Got Game” on repeat, digesting Rapsody’s deep lyricism and memorizing every turn of the masterful production.

I highly suggest everyone else take a listen to this impeccable piece of work — I promise you won’t regret it.

Ryan Buell is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. He can be reached at Ryan.Buell@tufts.edu.

The Tufts Daily

6

Arts & Living

Monday, September 23, 2013

‘Dynamics’ hearkens to past with vintage synth, shiny pop melodies GHOST

continued from page 5

“Dance a Little Closer” is another track that will remind audiences of the ’80s, except this one ends up sounding rather stale. In fact, the bridge is the only part that sounds original at all, and it almost feels as though it was written simply because it had to be. “Dance a Little Closer” loses the emotions that have been present on many Holy Ghost! songs in the past.

“It Must Be the Weather” demonstrates lead singer Millhiser’s vocal talent and creativity.

Despite sounding very “poppy,” the song features strong vocals, keyboard and beats, showcasing the duo’s impressive musical ability.

“1 For Edgar,” running a little over a minute long, is a calming number that breaks away from the rest of the album by using bells and long notes to lead fluidly into the next track. This tune sounds very similar, in a good way, to some of Empire of the Sun’s album “Walking on a Dream” (2008). The purpose of the piece seems to be to complement the subsequent “I Wanna Be Your Hand,” a poetic song that employs metaphors

throughout, further highlighting the band’s songwriting ability. The track incorporates acoustic guitar and even trumpet, giving it a completely different sound from the rest of the cheery, buoyant songs from the album.

“Bridge and Tunnel” brings the audience back to the style found at the beginning of the album with upbeat percussion, fast-paced electronic sounds and vocals influenced by sounds of the ’70s and ’80s.

Another song, “Don’t Look Down,” seems slightly unoriginal in terms of musical content.

The lyrics of the song, however, make it stand out. Even though the music isn’t anything new, it remains catchy enough to capture the listener’s attention.

“In the Red” is a bit slower sounding. It contains a few aspects, such as lengthy “wavering” electronic notes, that keep it from being just another pop song. But by the time the listener actually begins to enjoy the music, the song is over — at a length of just over two minutes, “In the Red” stops short before its full potential can be reached.

Finally, “Cheap Shots,” the album’s closer, starts out with

Courtesy elPadawan via Flickr Creative Commons

Lead singer Nick Millhiser showcases amazing vocal talent throughout Holy Ghost!’s sophomore album “Dynamics.” a sound that is very similar to some of alt/rock band Phoenix’s instrumentals, and then abruptly transforms into an upbeat song with classic chord structure. The vocals give the song a unique

edge and ensure that it doesn’t become too generic.

Some songs from “Dynamics” are fresh and exciting. Yet, others lack general originality but still have certain aspects that

James Franco’s character a flaw of season two premiere MINDY

continued from page 5

Beth Dubber / FOX via Fox Flash

Mindy butts heads with unoriginal new character Paul Leotard (James Franco) in the season premiere.

Zimmerman reworks Disney classic JUNGLE

continued from page 5

too-bright jungle backdrop and inauthentic Indian dancing.

After these first few minutes, however, we meet Bagheera (Usman Ally), a panther who shines as Mowgli’s guardian and protector. As they leave the wolf scene behind, these two develop a fun, entertaining chemistry that carries on for the rest of the show. By the time they reach the famous elephant scene with Colonel Hathi, the audience was laughing and paying rapt attention.

This scene definitely does not disappoint.

The elephants are depicted in military uniforms, marching to a ridiculous beat led by Colonel Hathi (Ed Kross). It is at this point that the show transforms into something truly wonderful. Mowgli’s back-and-forth with Hathi and the littlest elephant is delightful. The music, set and energy shine in this section, which fall second only to the scene when Mowgli encounters King Louie (Andre de Shields) and his band of monkeys. Louie’s attire — his dreadlocks, hubris and outrageous band of monkey henchmen — stays true to the spirit of the film and steals the spotlight away.

By contrast, the much-anticipated scenes with Baloo (Kevin Carloan), Mowgli’s lazy, ant-eating bear mentor, seem tired and slow. Perhaps this is because the two spend time alone on a stage that is usually quite crowded; maybe their interactions are too quiet compared to the lively, bustling elephant and monkey scenes. Regardless, Carloan plays Baloo very well. Musically, “Bear Necessities” is skillfully done, but it lacks the fun and vigor that one may expect from the film.

The anthropomorphism of the characters is both an advantage and a disadvantage for the show. While it certainly helps in the portrayal of Kaa the snake (Thomas Derrah) and King Louie, it seems awkward in Shere Khan, who, for the majority of the show, simply isn’t that scary. However, the presence of these anthropomorphized animals as dancers and musicians remains interesting to watch. Overall, the show is a glittery, colorful and wonderfully loud experience, albeit with some inconsistent pacing. The Boston show has already been extended once — for good reason — and officially ends Oct. 20. It’s cer tainly worth the trip out to the Huntington, for the young and young-at-heart alike.

develop as the episodes progress, but for now, his lack of likability is one of the only blemishes to the start of an otherwise promising season.

Dr. Leotard’s addition to the show not only brings forced comedy, but also increased conflict with Mindy.

When Mindy left for Haiti, Leotard replaced her in the practice. Now that she has returned, Mindy wants to settle comfortably into her old job, a scenario that is bound to spark competition between the two. Indeed, right from the start she and Leotard challenge each other when they both ask, “Where are you going to work?” Although Franco’s character seems uninspired and painfully dull, the work-related tension between the two is undeniable and leaves the possibility for a funny rivalry to bloom.

The central (and most amusing) plotline in “The Mindy Project” is Mindy’s love life. Haplessly unlucky with men and pining for a classic romantic relationship, Mindy finally gets engaged to her boyfriend, minister Casey Pearson (Anders Holm).

Friction is on the horizon, however, as their hastily planned wedding (featuring Mindy dressed in scrubs in

distinguish them from the rest of the tracks. Overall, “Dynamics,” despite being different from Holy Ghost!’s debut album, is still a strong example of the duo’s talent.

her apartment) ends with Casey postponing the ceremony and promising to have the beautiful wedding that Mindy always wanted. This moment reveals that Mindy’s personality has remained relatively unchanged — proving to viewers that her unique outlook on life and her lovable yet selfish demeanor is here to stay.

The episode also focuses on Mindy’s fellow OB/GYN, Danny Castellano, a surprisingly straight-laced man with relationship issues of his own. In addition to having trouble with his exwife, Danny has now also taken issue with Mindy’s engagement announcement, and it will be interesting to see how their relationship is affected by this turn of events. Danny’s increased screen time hopefully means an even more fleshed out character — the show would be wise to spend more time exploring the quirks and personalities of the other office workers.

Promising laughs and good entertainment, the new season of “The Mindy Project” is not to be missed.

Season two will bring new viewers and diehard “Mindy” fans alike an authentic, devastatingly hilarious and honest look into a workplace filled with sincere, relatable and amusing characters.

65th Annual Primetime Emmy Winners Check out some of the winners from TV’s biggest night:

Dunham, Laura Dern and Edie Falco to claim her fourth Emmy.

“Breaking Bad” wins Outstanding Drama Series Nominated for 13 Emmys this year, “Breaking Bad” (2008-present) won the top award of the night to uproarious applause.

During his acceptance speech, series creator Vince Gilligan said of the win, “I did not see this coming!” “Breaking Bad” airs its series finale next Sunday, Sept. 29 at 9 p.m.

Jeff Daniels takes home Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama “The Newsroom” (2012-present) actor beat out Bryan Cranston, star of the much talkedabout “Breaking Bad” and Jon Hamm, who has never won an Emmy for his acclaimed performance as Don Draper on “Mad Men” (2007-present).

Outstanding Comedy Series goes to “Modern Family” In a predictable turn of events, “Modern Family” (2009-present) won Best Comedy for the fourth time after getting shut out, somewhat surprisingly, in the acting categories.

Other big winners For the third time, “The Big Bang Theory” (2007-present) star Jim Parsons won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama went, for the second year in a row, to Claire Danes of “Homeland” (2011-present). “The Voice” picked up an Emmy for Outstanding Reality Series, while “The Colbert Report” (2005-present) won Outstanding Variety Series, ending a decade of domination by “The Daily Show” (1996-present) in the category.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus clinches Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy With this year’s win for her role as incompetent Vice President Selena Meyer on HBO’s critically lauded “Veep” (2012-present), comedy queen Julia Louis-Dreyfus now has another Emmy under her belt. She bested fellow comedy all-stars Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, as well as Lena

—by Lancy Downs

Monday, September 23, 2013

The Tufts Daily

advertisement

7

The Tufts Daily

8

THE TUFTS DAILY Hannah R. Fingerhut Editor-in-Chief

Editorial Jenna Buckle Melissa Wang Managing Editors Abigail Feldman Executive News Editor Daniel Gottfried News Editors Victoria Leistman Menghan Liu Melissa Mandelbaum Elizabeth McKay Annabelle Roberts Mahpari Sotoudeh Josh Weiner Sarah Zheng Daniel Bottino Assistant News Editors Alexa Horwitz Elissa Ladwig Hunter Ryan Denali Tietjen Shannon Vavra Executive Features Editor Lily Sieradzki Features Editors Charlotte Gilliland Emily Bartlett Vicky Rathsmill Caitlin McClure Assistant Features Editors 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

Editorial | Letters

Monday, September 23, 2013

Editorial

Mail Services shows impressive recovery It is very common for a huge volume of textbooks, supplies and other goods to cycle through Tufts University’s Mail Services at the beginning of the year. While the service sometimes becomes backed up and fails to notify students of packages that have already been delivered, more often than not, the system functions without a hitch, with several thousand packages flowing in monthly.

Given a three percent growth in the volume of packages delivered to campus so far this semester, as well as an expanding online ordering market through services like Amazon, a buildup of packages in the past month was expected. Mail Services should be applauded for their recent efforts in confronting this difficulty

and should continue to take steps to address the inevitable situation.

Mail Services recently picked up a new shift of student workers to handle the backlog during the beginning of the semester. In addition, the department has been opening its doors earlier and earlier, as well as having limited pickup on Sundays to help confront mountains of mail.

The department should not only retain the help of these students, but also increase the number of employees and students that are working there if this issue persists. All extra pairs of hands will help alleviate the bottlenecking of packages and allow employees to take a second look for misplaced or mislabeled packages. In the future, Mail Services should

operate for limited hours on Sundays whenever there is a large influx of mail, such as during the beginning of the semester or around the holidays. A new system of inventory management might also be a step in the right direction in terms of increasing the speed at which packages are processed and organized.

Additionally, although Mail Services does offer limited van service, another van and longer hours of operation would likely cut down on the accumulation of packages.

Students can also help the situation by refraining from visiting Mail Services until they’ve received the email notification that their package has arrived. Mail Services deals with a variety of mail carriers — such as FedEx, UPS and USPS — that

often have their own package tracking and notification systems. Students will periodically receive an email from the carrier or vendor saying that their package has been delivered. However, since it hasn’t yet been scanned into the Mail Services system, the student is unable to access the package. When students come searching for unprocessed packages, they add more work for the employees and potentially hold up the line for others.

Mail Services should be commended for the steps they have taken to deal with their backlog problems this year. However, this is just a start for them. Hopefully, with student cooperation and a more flexible schedule, nextday delivery can soon really mean next-day delivery.

denise amisial

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 Drew Lewis

Executive Op-Ed Editor Op-Ed Editors

Cartoonists

Editorialists

Kyra Sturgill Executive Photo Editor Caroline Geiling Photo Editors John Hampson Lee Wan Jing Simone Backer Nick Pfosi Staff Photographers Zhuangchen Zhou Courtney Chiu Sofia Adams Alexander Kaufman Executive New Media Editor Oliver Porter Phuong Ta Jake Hellman New Media Editor 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

Executive Layout Editor Senior Layout Editor Layout Editors

Assistant Layout Editor

Jamie Hoagland Executive Copy Editors Julia Russell Emma Arnesty-Good Copy Editors Anna Haugen Adrienne Lange Drew Lewis Annaick Miller Vidya Srinivasan Marina Shtyrkov Hadley Gibson Assistant Copy Editors Patrick Schulman Rachel Salzberg Tori Porter Hamid Mansoor Executive Online Editor

BUSINESS Daphne Wu Executive Business Director Li Liang Receivables Manager P.O. Box 53018, Medford, MA 02155 617 627 3090 FAX 617 627 3910 daily@tuftsdaily.com

Letter to the Editor Dear Editor, As a senior in the dual degree program with the SMFA, I find the Sept. 19 article about the program horrifying. Our amazing little program gets so little recognition already, and the fact that the Daily decided to draw attention to it in such a negative fashion is both misleading and offensive. On the surface level, there are a number of rumor-based inaccuracies present, such as the cancellation of the dual degree program in favor of a BFA program. A BFA program already exists.

Every BFA student enrolled at SMFA takes most of their academics at Tufts, and graduates with a BFA from Tufts.

The way the accreditation of the SMFA will affect the dual degree program is yet unclear, and will not be applicable for several years.

Getting into the meat of the article, using a student that dropped the program highlights only the difficulties of

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.

being a dual degree student, and none of the benefits. There are dozens of people still happily dual degree-ing, why did only the dissatisfied party get a voice?

Referencing a young transfer student neglects the information available from people who’ve been in the program for years. Focusing on the administrative changes at the Museum School (which almost certainly will not affect most of the students currently in the program) is not an accurate way to represent the program. Every SMFA student, not just those in the dual degree, feels the effect of administrative changes. They are neither focused on us, nor are the changes our main focus as students. Additionally, though it is true that many people drop the program for financial reasons, quite a few do so because they feel they’ve already achieved what they want to in college, and feel no need to stick around for another year. There is no shame in being done.

The choice to condense the administrative changes and the dual degree program into one unfocused story was unwise and unfair. Keeping in mind that most people who drop the program do so just before graduating in their senior year, this article misses the core value of the dual degree program: we love art, and we love academics, and we’re willing to put in the effort to do both. Even the students who opt out of their fifth year take art-heavy course-loads. It is no secret that scheduling is difficult, and the workload is heavy, but we do it because we love it. We are not coerced or confused, we are passionate. I adore my program, my fellow students, my art and my academics. Don’t you dare dismiss the program that made it all possible.

Sincerely, Rachael Jackson Class of 2014

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.

Monday, September 23, 2013

The Tufts Daily

Op-Ed

9

Op-ed

The other side of the TFA story by

Benjamin Cohen

On Sept. 19, the Tufts Daily ran a laudatory article about Tufts’ place as a “top Teach for America (TFA) college,” trumpeting the school’s consistent role as a TFA corps contributor. As a Tufts alum (LA ’11), the celebratory article gave me pause. Tufts continues to stoke the heroic one-dimensional narrative of TFA as the cure-all to the problems of urban public education in the United States.

TFA is not a solution and Tufts should exercise caution when boasting about its relationship to a program that has had such mediocre results.

Certainly, some TFA corps members have a transformative experience. For these lucky few, TFA is revolutionary — both personally and for the young learners under their care. TFA’s mission is to lure energetic and passionate graduates of top-notch colleges and universities into public education; the organization claims that putting these graduates into

under-resourced classrooms is vital to urban schools. On the surface, the program appears to offer an antidote to the nation’s educational crisis, but in reality the program’s model, structure and impact leave much to be desired.

TFA places brand-new teachers in some of the most poorly performing districts in the country. I have nothing against this practice but rather condemn TFA for allowing these young teachers to flounder without proper professional development or support. Wendy Kopp’s organization pledges that its teachers are well-prepared and ready for the stark realities that they face. On the contrary, TFA’s institute is a crash course in lesson planning, behavioral management and pedagogy. It is a foolhardy assumption to believe that anyone can become a competent teacher with only five weeks of training in the summer prior to beginning his or her placement.

It is commonplace for TFA corps members to cycle out of teaching after their

two-year commitment is up. This rotating door continues to feed the achievement gap. Just at the moment when TFA teachers are beginning to get their sea legs as educators, the vast majority leaves to begin other “real” careers, exhausted and burnt out by the difficult task of learning on the job. TFA must replace their nowamateur teachers with a slew of rookies.

Over the last few months a number of TFA veterans have published harsh diatribes against their former employer.

These accounts condemn the organization for its lack of professional development and support, the antipathy it has fueled between corps members and established teachers and the basic claim that TFA hurts young students by placing rookie teachers in environments that require experts. TFA is a powerful corporation, but slowly voices are piercing through the silence to question the organization’s practices and philosophies.

It is a testament to Tufts that a program as competitive as TFA hires so many

graduates of this institution. With that said, Tufts would be well-served to take a vocal stand against TFA’s organizational practices. Tufts has the opportunity to be a leader amongst its peer schools in a progressive educational reform movement — to continue to push its undergraduates into teaching careers but into alternative programs that provide them with legitimate training and support (teacher residency, Masters in Education, etc.). I urge Tufts to see beyond the glitz and glamor of TFA statistics and instead craft a community-wide culture that continues to respect and highlight the teaching profession while pushing beyond the TFA paradigm.

Benjamin Cohen graduated in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in history and is currently pursuing a doctorate in the history of urban education at The University of Virginia. He can be reached at benjicohen7@gmail.com.

Op-ed

To think outside the Balch by

Avery Stern

When I arrived on campus three years ago, I hoped — and expected — that I had landed well. Here was a school where I could participate in theater, study environmental education and find exothermic men on winter days. And I was right. Mostly.

As I enter my senior year, I look back, and while I wouldn’t necessarily choose Tufts again, I’ve managed to find a satisfying niche ... despite the inevitable frustrations and the ups and downs.

I, and many of my peers, have found one of these moldy cherries in the Tufts Department of Drama and Dance and student theater, which we feel as a whole to be consistently, and increasingly, disheartening.

A good director, student or otherwise, should recognize that a liberal arts college like Tufts is a place for exploration.

But how can we foster an environment for experimentation when one of the most popular student groups slams its doors on unfamiliar faces?

Last week, an undergraduate production of Eurydice released their cast list to a group of anticipatory auditionees, all of whom had spent a grueling five hours of their Sunday reading sides for the show. Rumor is circulating that their weekend was nothing more than a formality, as many of the leading roles were decided, promised even, well before the first name hit the Aidekman call board.

I do not know whether these rumors are true, that the auditions were a premeditated sham. Personally, I doubt it was that sinister. But the results suggest a problem nevertheless. With few exceptions, the students chosen for this cast — like so many before — belong to an inner circle.

Perhaps this is merely because it is human nature to favor the familiar and the comfortable, the good-looking and the predictable. (I like lakes, but that doesn’t mean I’ll never venture into a reed-filled swamp for a juicy frog leg.) If the Tufts drama department and student theater is anything like me and my choice of swimming holes, they need to hoist on their big kid gators and wade into murkier, unexplored water.

Incest is so unbecoming.

This is not to say that the students who were cast don’t deserve their roles.

Many, maybe even all, are talented and hard-working. But the chosen few are too few and too often chosen.

A recent graduate put together a

VIA wikimedia commons

senior project for her American Studies major the spring of her senior year. It was an all-African American cast. She reached out to underclassmen in the Tufts community, and so many brave and talented students auditioned, that she expanded the cast to make room for five times as many actors as she had originally planned. That created five times as many opportunities for personal, theatrical exploration and growth.

The show was magnificent. The cast members are walking testimonials to how a play can have a positive impact on someone’s self-esteem. And even though the actors were inexperienced,

the show did not sacrifice talent for teaching.

Tufts is not a theater conservatory.

Our drama major requires no audition or previous background in the arts. So we need to stop “acting” as if the quality of the show depends on risk-free and predictable casting.

It does not. Quite the opposite. We are missing out on so much untapped talent. Less experienced players, if cast alongside seasoned actors, would bring a fresh, exciting synergy to the stage.

It’s like a kick to the groin to repeatedly walk high-hoped into the Aidekman lobby just to scan a list of

familiar names, none as familiar as their own. Which is why we need to start finding a place, or better yet, making a place where students feel that it is worth taking a chance; finding the courage to step up and try out without near-guaranteed rejection.

All else aside, congratulations to the cast of Eurydice for what’s sure to be a wet week of contemporary art. P.S. I hear there’s an underwater theme.

Avery Stern is a senior majoring in English.

She can be reached at Avery.Stern@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

Comics

Monday, September 23, 2013

Doonesbury

Crossword

by

Garry Trudeau

Non Sequitur

Tuesday’s Solution

Married to the Sea

www.marriedtothesea.com

SUDOKU Level: Getting your outfit to match the color of your new iPhone 5C.

Late Night at the Daily

Friday’s Solution

Chelsea: “Sorry, I just walked into the Daily, and I’m already being harrassed.”

Want more late-night laughs?

Follow us on Twitter at @LateNiteAtDaily

Please recycle this Daily.

by

Wiley

The Tufts Daily

Monday, September 23, 2013 Wanted

Services

Housing

11

Sports -

-

-

$$ SPERM DONORS WANTED $$ 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 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.

Jumbos drop third game of weekend to Roger Williams

Jordan Bean | Sacked

Volleyball

continued from back

The fourth set, too, was a close contest for Tufts. Led by sophomore setter Kyra Baum’s two kills and nine assists on offense, the Jumbos took a 25-19 win to even the match at two sets apiece.

The Jumbos jumped out to an early lead in the fifth set but were unable to fend off the Hawks, who came roaring back to win 15-7 and take the match. It was just the third time Roger Williams has gone to five sets in a match, the other times coming against Wellesley and Connecticut College.

“It was frustrating losing the last game to Roger Williams because we were so close,” junior Rebecca Rubin said. “They are an extremely talented team, and being neckin-neck with them enforces the fact that our team has a lot of potential.”

Indeed, the Jumbos proved their mettle by nearly upsetting the region’s top team.

Though they ultimately came up short, there’s plenty they can take away in the form of valuable experience.

“While it’s always better to win, we learned a lot in the Roger Williams game,” Ahrens said. “[Tufts volleyball] loves playing great competition, and we are only looking at the outcome as an opportunity to better our game.”

With no games scheduled this week the Jumbos will have plenty of time for improvement. They resume play with a doubleheader on Saturday versus Conn.

College and UMass Boston.

Christie Wu for the Tufts Daily

Tufts volleyball brought home its first two NESCAC victories over the weekend. Despite falling to non-conference opponent Roger Williams in five sets, the Jumbos are ranked sixth in New England for Div. III volleyball.

Jumbos deal Judges first loss of season SOCCER

continued from back

more chances at net.

“I felt like we had a good approach, we were really 11 deep on the field, everyone defended well, we closed their spaces quickly and then we felt we had an advantage in wide areas,” fourth-year head coach Josh Shapiro said. “I felt like we did a really good job attacking [down] the flank, getting dangerous balls in and taking those two early goals which was really a product of good defending turning into good offensive plays and then quality finishing at the other end for us.”

One of those early goals came off a set piece in the 21st minute. Junior forward Gus Santos laced a free kick from just outside the 18-yard box that curved inside the right post and past the outstretched glove of Brandeis junior keeper Joe Graffy.

Santos, who had been held without a goal coming into Saturday’s game, finally broke through with his skillful finesse shot.

Tufts remained aggressive and tallied another goal just six minutes later.

Brandeis was threatening on the Jumbos’ half of the field when Tufts cleared the ball and looked to counter. Sophomore midfielder Connor Brown pushed the ball upfield into open space, and with the Judges’ defense on its heels, Brown played a through-ball that split two defenders and found junior tri-captain Maxime Hoppenot. With only the keeper to beat, Hoppenot laced a liner into the back of the net for his fourth goal in just five games this season.

“I thought play up front was outstanding,” Shapiro said. “Connor Brown got a start upfront and handled his role really well. The depth up front did a really good job, I was very happy with the play of the strikers.”

As good as the offense was, it was the Jumbo’s backline that shined brightest once again, denying Brandeis any real scoring chances. Freshman goalkeeper Scott Greenwood continued his remarkable rook-

ie run with another three saves en route to his fourth shutout in just five games. In all, the Jumbos’ backline has allowed just one goal in the season’s first five games.

“Having let up the fewest goals in the NESCAC thus far, I couldn’t be more impressed,” Blumenthal said. “I have a lot of confidence in our defense to keep the ball out of the net each game.”

With a victory in what was the Jumbo’s biggest test of the year so far, Tufts will now take the show on the road to face a Plymouth State squad that is coming off a rough 5-0 loss to Keene State. Tufts will look to take care of business Tuesday before heading to Amherst on Saturday to take on the Lord Jeffs.

“Both the offense and defense are playing well and connecting,” Blumenthal said. “When we’re on our game I think we can compete with most teams. The defense makes it a lot easier for us on the offensive end, so hopefully we can keep scoring to take the pressure off them.”

Huge first half lifts Wesleyan in opener FOOTBALL

continued from back

and it catches up to you.”

The remainder of the first half followed a similar pattern, with Tufts struggling to move the ball and Wesleyan taking advantage. The Cardinals scored three more touchdowns, the last of which was set up by senior Jake Bussani’s interception. At halftime, the score was 45-7.

Missed assignments by the Jumbos helped Wesleyan rack up 484 yards of offense in the first half alone, including 215 on the ground. Senior tri-captain linebacker Sean Harrington noted that four Cardinals touchdowns were the result of Tufts’ critical errors.

Overall, the game underscored the potential downside of the Jumbos’ nohuddle offense and aggressive defense.

“As a program, that’s what we’ve decided is going to be our mindset and focus,” Civetti said. “Obviously, when it’s on offense and you go three-and-out, it’s easily highlighted. It’s part of the deal.”

The Cardinals’ backups entered the game in the third quarter and stayed in the rest of the way. They added one more touchdown in the fourth to complete a string of 52 unanswered points, and Tufts earned a safety to finish the scoring.

Drew finished with 120 yards on 20 carries, while Gibson reached 155 yards on just eight attempts.

“Those are two great backs we faced, and they’re gonna make their plays,” Meade said. “But we let them make way too many of them.”

Junior quarterback Jesse Warren was also stellar for Wesleyan, completing 13 of 17 passes for 215 yards and three touchdowns.

For Tufts, Doll was just 14 of 34 after the first drive and hit 10 different receivers in the game. Freshman quarterback Liam O’Neil played one series late in the game and went 1-for-2.

The brightest spots for Tufts came from several freshmen on offense. On top of

Berey’s four catches, first-year running back Chance Brady looked great, gaining 78 yards on seven carries. Mike Rando seemed comfortable returning kicks, averaging 21.6 yards on eight chances.

Freshman Willie Holmquist solidified his role as the starting punter by pinning Wesleyan inside the 20 three times and averaging over 40 net yards.

“We’ve found some guys that are able to play at the college level, guys that I think we’ll be able to continue to rely on,” Civetti said.

While the 43-point loss was disheartening, the coach and his three captains each expressed the same sentiment: A loss is a loss.

“We continue to get closer to where we need to be,” Civetti said. “The score just isn’t indicative of that.”

“There’s seven more games,” Harrington added. “I don’t think we’re pressing the panic button.”

The Jumbos are 0-1. They visit Bates on Saturday.

I

The debate goes on

t’s often said that there are two sides to every story. Last Wednesday in my fellow columnist Aaron Leibowitz’s ‘The Fan,’ he presented a strong case in favor of paying college athletes. After reading it, I rethought why I felt the way I did and wanted to put that into writing to present my side to the story.

I believe there is a misconception between money saved and money given. At a university like Stanford, the estimated cost of attendance is slightly above $60,000. For a football player that is eligible to redshirt for a year and stays until graduation, the player will attend the school for five years.

A simple math operation leads us to conclude that there’s approximately $300,000 that did not have to come out of the student’s pocket. Was he given money? No, but it’s a cost that did not have to be paid because of his football talents.

Additionally, players at major football programs are given meals, snacks, nutritionists, trainers, medical experts and more. None of these are available in this manner to the general student body.

For every Andrew Luck and Johnny Manziel that generates millions of dollars of revenue for the university, there’s the backup left guard who is also on a full scholarship and needs to be paid for. This player costs the same amount of money to the university but, unlike the star quarterback, is not making the school money.

A common argument made is that the athletic departments report millions of dollars in revenue every year. The key word in this argument is revenue. To someone who says this, my answer is yes, it does generate a lot of revenue. As an aspiring economics major, though, the key number to look at is profit.

A recent study by USA Today indicates that of the 228 Div. I programs in the country, a mere 23 were able to break even in their expenses for the athletic department as a whole. Additionally, 16 of those 23 schools “received some type of subsidy,” according to this report.

Football is only one of many sports at a university. It has to pick up slack for all the other programs that are most likely hemorrhaging money and costing much more than they make. For every major football program, there’s a crew or fencing team that is relying on them for funding for their coaches, equipment, scholarships and other costs of the program.

Another important thing to note is the idea of Title IX in regards to this predicament. If you pay a football player, do you also have to pay the gymnast? Do you pay the female swimmer along with the star quarterback? Do you give them the same amount of money?

The myth is that the athletic departments are greedy corporations hoarding money from the athletes. The reality is that the universities provide a platform for which the athletes are able to showcase their talents.

The school is assuming the risks and expenses for these athletes.

In exchange for their performance on the field, athletes are given free tuition, worldclass trainers, food and meals, tutors and other amenities not available to the average student. Now I agree that a player should be able to go out and get a pizza on a Friday night without the fear of taking money and being suspended, but it’s important to note the situation as a whole.

Football players generate revenue for schools, but this does not necessarily translate into profit for an athletic department.

Whether players should be paid a full stipend is not my decision to make, but I think we’re all in agreement that the system is inefficient as is and changes should be made to fix it.

Until a full solution is reached, NCAA — you’re sacked!

Jordan Bean is a sophomore who has yet to declare a major. He can be reached at Jordan.Bean@tufts.edu.

Sports

12

tuftsdaily.com

Football

Jumbos lose big under the lights at Wesleyan by

Aaron Leibowitz

Daily Editorial Board

There were two clear takeaways from the NESCAC’s firstever night game at Wesleyan on

FOOTBALL (0-1 Overall, 0-1 NESCAC) at Middletown, Conn., Saturday Tufts 7 0 0 2 — 9 Wesleyan 17 28 0 7 — 52 Saturday. One: The Cardinals’ offense is deadly. Two: Tufts has a long way to go.

After the first drive of the game, the Jumbos led 7-0. They lost 52-9.

“I expect more out of this program,” head coach Jay Civetti said Sunday.

The teams set a league record for total yards with 888, surpassing the previous record of 671 set

by Tufts and Amherst in 2010.

Wesleyan accounted for 592 of those yards.

Civetti acknowledged that while his team is young, the performance on Saturday was not acceptable.

“The guys on the field have to execute,” he said. “I think it’s great that, as a team, those expectations are real. I think we’ve got some good talent. But last night wasn’t good enough.”

Five thousand-plus fans watched the game from the bleachers and grassy hills surrounding Andrus Field, located

Oliver Porter / The Tufts Daily

After striking first with a touchdown, Tufts gave up 52 straight points to Wesleyan on Saturday. The Jumbos must address problems on both sides of the ball before they head to Lewiston, Maine next weekend to take on Bates. at the heart of campus with brick buildings hugging the stadium on all sides. A single light fixture was turned on 45 minutes before the 6 p.m. kickoff and stayed on

throughout the game.

The Jumbos’ opening drive was like clockwork. Junior Jack Doll was 8-of-8 passing, including four completions to fresh-

Men’s Soccer

man Ben Berey, and he fired a seven-yard strike to junior tight end Xavier Frey for a touchdown less than three minutes into the first quarter. Ten plays. 77 yards.

Tufts wins first two NESCAC games of season

Tufts volleyball improved its record to 9-4 by winning two out of three games this weekend. The Jumbos started their by

Tyler Maher

VOLLEYBALL (9-4 Overall, 2-0 NESCAC) at Cousens Gymnasium, Saturday Roger Williams 25 21 25 19 15 — 3 Tufts 22 25 15 25 7 — 2 at Cousens Gymnasium, Saturday Kyra Sturgill / The Tufts Daily

Junior Gus Santos netted his first goal of the year Saturday against Brandeis on a free kick in the 21st minute.

Zachey Kliger

Daily Editorial Board

The men’s soccer team defeated Brandeis 2-0 Saturday at Kraft Field, improving to 4-1 for the year while handing the 12th-

MEN’S SOCCER (4-1 Overall, 2-1 NESCAC) at Kraft Field, Saturday

0 2

0 0

— —

0 2

ranked team in the nation their first loss.

The Jumbos knew they would have their hands full with an undefeated Brandeis squad that is considered one of the best

Wesleyan Tufts

21 21 22 — 0 25 25 25 — 3

at Cousens Gymnasium, Friday

Tufts shuts out No. 12 Brandeis in 2-0 win Brandeis Tufts

see FOOTBALL, page 11

Women’s Volleyball

Daily Editorial Board

by

7-0 Jumbos.

The defense followed with a goal-line stand to limit the Cardinals to a field goal, but then the Jumbos unraveled. After Tufts went three-and-out in under a minute, Wesleyan marched 59 yards in nine plays to take a 10-7 lead. Junior LaDarius Drew gained just six yards on five carries, including a one-yard touchdown run, but that was the last time the Jumbos would slow the Cardinals’ rushing attack.

Offensively, the Jumbos were unable to recapture their rhythm, and they went three-and-out again. This time, Wesleyan needed just four plays to find the end zone and take a 17-7 lead.

After a third consecutive short possession for Tufts, Cardinals junior Kyle Gibson — the second half of Wesleyan’s two-headed tailback monster — broke free and sprinted 85 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown.

Suddenly, Wesleyan had pulled away, 24-7.

Gibson broke multiple tackles on his touchdown run, which became a common theme as the game went along.

“Missed tackles killed us,” junior tri-captain linebacker Tommy Meade, who had eight tackles and 2.5 for loss, said. “It was outside zones all day, inside zones — everything we practiced. We just weren’t wrapping up, we weren’t finishing plays,

Trinity Tufts

in New England. Fueled by their stinging overtime loss to Wesleyan last week, the Jumbos came out firing.

“Brandeis was a great team, and with their high rank and playing in front of our home crowd, it was easy to get up for the game and play with high energy,” senior tri-captain forward Scott Blumenthal said.

“That being said, it’s only one win, and we still have a lot to prove, so [we] can’t get too ahead of ourselves or too overly confident.”

Tufts controlled the time of possession from the start, keeping the ball on the opponent’s half of the field for much of the contest. The Jumbos outshot the Judges 17-7, and generated more set pieces and see SOCCER, page 11

22 20 20 — 25 25 25 —

0 3

NESCAC campaign at Cousens Gymnasium with wins against Trinity on Friday night and Wesleyan on Saturday. They fell to visiting Roger Williams in the final game of the weekend, taking New England’s topranked team to five sets.

The Jumbos came out strong in Friday’s game against Trinity, immediately establishing their presence in the NESCAC with a sweep of the Bantams. All three sets were closely contested, with Tufts edging out Trinity by 13 points total.

The first set was tied at 22 before the Bantams lost control of the set by committing two ill-timed errors. Tufts won 25-22, then took the second set 25-20. The Jumbos fell behind early in the third set but recovered to score six straight points at the end and finish off the sweep with another 25-20 win.

First-year outside hitter Mary Maccabee

posted a team-high 11 kills, while fellow freshman middle hitter Elizabeth Ahrens had four blocks. Sophomore libero Carolina Berger led the Jumbos in digs with 12.

The Jumbos followed up their sweep of Trinity by taking down Wesleyan in a similar manner in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader. Once again, the three sets were closely contested with Tufts outscoring the Cardinals by just 11 points. Tufts took the first two sets by the same score, 25-21, but the third set was even closer.

Wesleyan went up 16-11, only to watch the Jumbos go on a 10-1 run on service from Berger and junior tri-captain Jessica Ingrum. The comeback was capped with a 25-22 win for the set and the match. Junior hitter Hayley Hopper had eight kills, three aces and 12 points for Tufts.

The Jumbos were flying high after coming out on top in six consecutive sets.

Ahrens attributed the team’s success in tight spots to their concentration and poise under pressure.

“Wesleyan and Trinity were both great games and they were some great competition,” Ahrens said. “But staying composed and keeping the team focused on our game was the most important tool in winning those matches.”

Tufts needed every ounce of mental strength it could muster against Roger Williams in Saturday’s second game. The Hawks boasted a 15-0 record coming into the match against the Jumbos.

The two teams traded wins throughout the seesaw affair, with Roger Williams winning the first, third and fifth set. In the second set, there were six ties before Tufts took a 25-21 victory on six kills from junior outside hitter Hayley Hopper. She would go on to lead both the Jumbos and the match with 16 kills total.

see VOLLEYBALL, page 11