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Duke increases sleep-in time for studentsDuke University recently announced that it will be eliminating the8 a.m. class block. The change is a result of the school's attemptto ease the burden from the shoulders of its sleep-deprivedstudents.
Princeton devises new strategy to battle grade inflation To fight against the 30-year trend of increasingly high grades in American universities, Princeton might begin rationing the number of A's that can be distributed during a semester. Princeton faculty will vote later this month on a system that will limit the A-, A, and A+ grades to no more than 35 percent of the school's total grades. A's have been awarded 46 percent of the time in the last several years at Princeton, and despite the administration urging faculty to crack down on grade inflation, those numbers have continued to rise. Grade inflation is a problem for many colleges. After being criticized several years ago for allowing 90 percent of its students to graduate with honors, Harvard cut back on its honor degrees. It has not, however, ordered faculty to lower or limit grades.TSU president defends actions After state auditors examined Tennessee State University (TSU) president James Hefner's recent expenditures, a few Super Bowl tickets have been causing an uproar. The auditors charge that Hefner used his position to obtain the tickets at the expense of the state school. The audit released last week by the state comptroller's office found that Aramark Corp. -- the school's food service company, headed by chairman and chief executive Joe Neubauer (E '63) -- had picked up Hefner's $200 tab to attend the 2001 Super Bowl in Tampa, Fla. Hefner tried to cover up the free tickets by saying he had reimbursed Aramark for the tickets, but then changed his story several times after being confronted. In the face of criticism, including calls for his resignation, Hefner denied the wrongdoing alleged by the state auditors. "For now, let me just say I deeply regret if anything I have done has cast this office or TSU in unflattering light," he said.Risqu poster campaign meets administrative acclaim at Bowdoin Students on Bowdoin's Brunswick, Maine campus awoke recently to more than just budding trees. Plastered all over campus were pictures of naked Bowdoin female students of all body types. Only their bodies were displayed, as the pictures had been shot from the neck down. This campaign -- the work of a Bowdoin women's group -- attempted to address body image issues with a technique sure to draw attention and dialogue. Dean of Student Affairs Craig Bradley said he supported the group's actions as an effective means to help students stop obsessing about their bodies, a position the school's administration strongly supports. Bowdoin is not the only school seeking to diminish an unhealthy perfectionist attitude that pervades its student body. Colleges across the country are devoting ever-increasing time and energy to ensure undergraduates' personal growth and emotional well-being. This ranges from everything including free counseling, massages, free distribution of New Age music and even dogs to cuddle with during exam period.-- Compiled by Patrick Gordon from the New York Times and CNN.com.
Departure of health director may cause problems for task forces Somerville Director of Health Jack Vondras will be leaving the city for a job in Gloucester next week. His resignation comes at a very inopportune time, as two recent high school suicides have made the endeavors by both the suicide and the OxyContin workgroups set up in February by Mayor Joe Curtatone even more salient. Vondras was leading both task forces. The groups have been holding public forums and generally attempting to raise awareness about OxyContin abuse and suicide in Somerville. Upon Vondras' departure, Karen Hacker of Somerville Teen Connection -- an adolescent health clinic located in Somerville High School -- will head the suicide task force. Vicente Sanabria of Somerville Cares About Prevention will take over leadership of the OxyContin group. Vondras is heartened by the increased community involvement around the issue. "I'm getting a lot of calls in my office of 'How can I help?'" he told The Somerville Journal. "We've got people asking questions -- the right questions."Somerville police arrest 'kingpin' of heroin sales Cops seized $250,000 worth of heroin in a bust earlier this month at the Somerville Ave. Burger King. They arrested Somerville resident Eric Delgado, who was charged with trafficking heroin and is being held on $100,000 bail. He was labeled a "source supplier" of heroin by the Somerville Police Department (SPD), and his arrest will "put a huge dent in the heroin sales in Somerville," SPD spokesman Paul Trant told The Somerville Journal. The investigation around Delgado began in March and culminated in the staged drug sale that allowed police to find and arrest him. Mayor Joe Curtatone called it a "big arrest." It also reflects well upon Curtatone's efforts to improve Somerville law enforcement. In March, he hired former Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger to evaluate the police department's management. Harshbarger was also asked to conduct a study specifically on SPD's treatment of the OxyContin and heroin problems in Somerville. "We are committed to doing whatever it takes to address the drug and suicide crisis among our young people," Curtatone said in a press release. "We will not shy away from it -- we'll address it head on with both improved treatment and counseling and beefed up law enforcement."Seemingly mild winter leaves Boston suburbs with huge debts Towns north of Boston are still feeling the effects of the December snowstorm that marked the advent of winter. "It was a mild winter, but that first storm cost us dearly," Domenic Fermano, city controller for Malden, told The Boston Globe. "It depleted our funds. Wiped them out. We've got a deficit of $122,700 for snow removal, and a deficit of $93,500 for sand and salt." Although this winter's total snowfall was below average, many towns are still finding themselves in debt. Many of them allocated minimal amounts of money to snow removal in order to keep money for other expenses. In fact, most municipalities keep these budgets constant year to year since the weather is so difficult to predict. While they seem to have been particularly hard-hit this year, some suburbs have applied for money from federal disaster funds in order to alleviate some of their problems. Even with this aid, however, many communities like Lynn, Salem and Malden expect to find themselves in debt.-- Compiled by Zosia Sztykowski from The Somerville Journal and The Boston Globe.
Despite the quickly falling snow, students gathered Tuesday evening in a mostly-full ASEAN Auditorium for a rescheduled discussion of increased law enforcement powers after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The U.S. Patriot Act, passed days after the attacks, was written to help enhance law enforcement investigations of potential terrorists in the United States. Tuesday night's event was sponsored by the Tufts American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Tufts Democrats and the Tufts Republicans. Former U.S. Assistant Attorney General for Legal Policy and U.S. Patriot Act author Viet Dinh, and Massachusetts ACLU Executive Director Carol Rose attempted to frame the act outside of partisan political thought that is becoming more popular as the U.S. presidential campaign revs up. While Tufts Republicans President Philipp Tsipman introduced Dinh, Tsipman said that the Patriot Act is "a civil liberties litmus test that separates the good guys from the bad." But during the speech, both panelists spoke against using an absolutist mentality when examining some of the country's most controversial new anti-terror laws. "It does not shock me that there is politics in this town," Dinh said, referring to the stigma attached to supporters and critics alike of the Patriot Act, which he said had become a "brand name" for individual viewpoints on civil liberties. Dinh stressed that it would be a "grave mistake" to view the Patriot Act as intended to balance security against liberty. "You provide security to preserve liberty," he said. Dinh said, however, that even the provisions of the Patriot Act would not be enough to prevent terrorism. "It will not provide us an iron-clad guarantee that there will not be any more terrorist attacks," he said. Dinh defended the most non-controversial portions of the act -- including updates to privacy law for new forms of communication -- and said that theses were "corrective nips and tucks" that "patched the holes" in pre-Sept.11 law enforcement legislation. Dinh said the Patriot Act aimed to determine "how do we give law enforcement the tools they need" while simultaneously realizing that "governmental authority can be misused and abused." Rose countered that post-Sept. 11 is the citizens of the United States' "moment to decide what kind of a people we are." She said the problems of the Patriot Act were due to the pressure for politicians to "do something, to do anything" after the terrorist attacks. Rose agreed with Dinh that anti-terrorist legislation should not be a "choice between liberty and security." Rose said, however, that the Patriot Act provided "false security" because it did not address the root causes of terrorism and it prevented good law enforcement. She blamed the Sept. 11 attacks not on a lack of intelligence but on a failure to recognize the warning signs from available intelligence. "It wasn't like we needed to get more information," she said. Unfortunately, according to Rose, the Patriot Act's aim was to gather more intelligence and in the process it brought about a "decline in judicial oversight and a decline in legislative branch oversight." At that point in the discussion, the American flag stationed behind the podium fell to the floor. "Exactly," Rose said. During the question and answer system, Dinh and Rose often found common ground on issues -- at times giving each other good natured pats on the back and joking about their presumed enmity. Tsipman chose questioners, whose queries often served as jumping-off points for debate between the panelists. Dinh and Rose agreed that the legislative branch should be more active in changing the Patriot Act rather than using it as a political tool in election years. "If you have real issues, put it on the agenda," Dinh said. "Put up or shut up." For much of the question period, however, Dinh and Rose argued over provisions of the Patriot Act that extended beyond terrorism, especially in the field of immigration. Dinh, himself an immigrant who came to America as a refugee from Vietnam in 1978, said that stricter enforcement of immigration laws was warranted. "Abide by our laws when you come to our country as a guest," he said. Rose said that there is a fundamental difference in saying that immigration laws are illiberal and working to change them, rather than not enforcing those laws. She said many immigrants who were "given bad counsel" 15 years ago and told that immigration laws were not strictly enforced were now shocked to be put in jail after the Patriot Act. Dinh dismissed the leaked "Patriot Act II" which he said was an internal Department of Justice document that "wouldn't pass the laugh test past me or my assistant." The "Patriot Act II" was a preliminary draft of ideas for enhancing the Patriot Act that contained many controversial provisions, such as giving the government power to deport any legal permanent resident and the ability to revoke citizenship of those suspected of terrorism. Dinh acknowledged that the federal government currently has many methods to follow a U.S. citizen's private life. He joked that after he started working for the Department of Justice, he "started using cash a lot more." The event was originally supposed to be held Monday evening, but needed to be moved due to scheduling problems.
"Significant Others", a new improvisational comedy series premiering this month on Bravo Cable Network, places the viewer in a therapist's chair as it asks four couples, "What do you hope to get out of couples' counseling?" Their bitingly sarcastic responses set the tone for a series that promises a happy medium between overcooked reality television and blandly scripted sitcoms. "What bugs me is the total lack of consideration here," confesses Connie (Jane Edith Wilson), who has been married to Bill (Fred Goss) for fifteen years. He quickly replies, "That's funny because what bugs me is that you've pretty much crushed my will." The glory of the show is that its funniest interactions could never have been scripted because they wouldn't be amusing on paper. The improvisation, however, is genius. Their candid, laugh-out-loud quality is a major improvement over most of the current major network sitcoms. Instead of warm, fuzzy exchanges of love, there is brisk, witty banter that delights in its own dysfunction. The show quickly cuts back and forth as it listens in on couples' confessional-style therapy sessions and then trails the couples as they go about their days. However, as so often happens with improv, "Significant Others" fluctuates between the absolutely hilarious to the incredibly annoying. The humor of the characters' interactions is entirely dependent upon their given situation. Bill and Connie, who are experiencing a dull spell after many years of marriage, communicate through yellow post it notes placed on their refrigerator. Their relationship is summed up in the awkward kisses that Bill repeatedly plants on Connie's right eye, accompanied by her deadpan response: "That feels deeply intimate to me." Ethan (Herschel Bleefeld) and Eleanor (Faith Salie), who have been married for eighteen months and are expecting a baby, are usually annoying when not interacting with other characters. Ethan, an immature rock-star-wannabe is experiencing pre-baby anxiety and must be dragged along to the first gynecologist appointment. Ethan's perpetual childishness invokes constant outbursts from Eleanor such as, "'Pull my finger' is not the correct answer to 'Do you love me?'" As the actors develop these individual character quirks, their partners' reactions become much more amusing, translating into an even better range of improvisation. Although some of the couples on the show have great chemistry, both with the audience and one another, others are more irritating. Chelsea (Andrea Savage) and James (Brian Palermo), who have been married for three months after a short courtship, are incredibly grating in the first episode. Their plotline centers on Chelsea's confession that she has slept with about 200 men and has had "around ten soul mates." James' subsequent obsession with Chelsea's many partners gets old very quickly. Watching a couple scream at each other and make a scene in a public place is not funny, it's uncomfortable. Their second interaction is much more natural and humorous, as Chelsea and James focus on the realistic arguments that come with a new marriage. These arguments range from Chelsea's complaint that James always parks too close to another car on her side while leaving himself "four feet" every time, to his choice of male wording while talking to his friends. "That's how guys talk," James says, and Chelsea reminds him, "First of all, you're not a guy anymore, you're married." These interactions are the perfect example of why in improvisation, less is more. Marital caricatures are much funnier when they focus on the smaller shifts in getting used to one another than enormous and unbelievable plot lines. "Significant Others" shines when the actors allow themselves subtle episode themes. As the actors become more comfortable and knowledgeable in the characters they are scripting, the show can only get better. Let's hope that "Significant Others" sixth-month engagement decides to make a longer commitment for a match made in comedic heaven.
This past Valentine's Day, many students went on romantic dates or stayed in and cuddled with their partner. Unlike 20-year-old sophomore Alex Moreno, however, most did not receive a diamond ring. Though Moreno and her boyfriend, a 28-year-old from her hometown of Miami, had previously talked about getting married, Moreno was shocked by the proposal. So were her friends. Since getting engaged, Moreno has received many comments of the "What is she doing? She's so young!" variety. Their reactions are not surprising. According to Tufts Counseling Center supervising psychologist Julie Jampel, college engagements like Moreno's are not the norm. Today, most people get married after they graduate from college. According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the estimated median age of first marriages in 2002 for males is 26.9 years and for females 25.3 years. Moreno knows that she is young to be engaged. "If someone told me they were turning 20 and getting married, I would be in shock," Moreno said. So why did she say yes? "I feel like I've met the man of my life," Moreno said of her fianc. "Whether it's now, two years, or five years from now, I'm going to marry him." Junior Jessica Heaton, 21, also believes she has met her soul mate. This past December, Heaton's 22-year-old boyfriend of three years proposed. "I'm definitely in love with him," Heaton said. "I know there's no one else for me." Unlike Moreno, however, Heaton has the luxury of her fianc also attending Tufts -- a factor that Jampel believes to have a large impact on a serious college relationship's future success. "If both parties are here on campus, I wouldn't anticipate many difficulties other than maintaining a close relationship while struggling with school," Jampel said. "If they're not together on campus, there's just a lot of temptation in college. You're surrounded by many people your own age" To avoid any temptation, Moreno plans on transferring out of Tufts after this year to be with her fianc. While at Tufts, she tries to see him as much as she can, sometimes taking weekend trips down to Miami. Moreno's parents support her marriage plans. "When I first told them, they didn't believe me," Moreno said. "They were like 'Ya, nice joke.'" After the initial shock, Moreno's parents were accepting: they are pleased that Moreno still plans to finish school and attend law school at Columbia. "They know I'm not going to become a housewife right now so they're ok with it," Moreno said. Like Moreno, Heaton has not let her engagement derail her future schooling. She still plans on attending veterinary school but she wants her fianc to be along for the process. "I know [veterinary school] is going to be even more stressful than here [at Tufts]," Heaton said. "I want to live with him, be close with him, and if I end up going to a veterinary school that's not in Massachusetts, he would come with me and it would be a support." According to Jampel, the biggest stress associated with an engagement is the planning. "I remember from my own engagement that there's a lot of craziness," Jampel said. "It's not the being engaged while in college that's distracting -- it's the planning." Heaton agrees that planning a wedding is stresessful. "Sometimes I still think being engaged is kinda weird," Heaton said. "[I'm] going to classes and doing all this stuff, then my mom will call me and be like, 'Oh! I saw this really pretty dress' or 'We should check out this place for the reception.' It's hard to think about getting married then studying for an exam." To avoid hectic preparations, Heaton and her boyfriend have decided to wait until the summer after they graduate from Tufts to get married. "There's too much to do right now," Heaton said. "[My wedding] would be really hard to plan in school." All parties attempt to balance their social life with time spent with their fiancs -- which is very important, according to Jampel. Heaton still hangs out with her friends just as much as she did prior to her engagement. Her best friend at Tufts even recently started going out with her fianc's roommate. Moreno is using these last months to spend time with her friends as well. Before she became engaged, she felt depressed when her friends went out because she missed her boyfriend. Now, though, she's enjoying her social life: "I only have two more months left here, and I want to enjoy it to the max," Moreno said.
Spring training has finally started, but instead of the usual questions being asked, such as "who's coming in out of shape?" and "when will Pedro arrive?" people are asking "who's on the juice?" The steroid talk is all over the place this spring, so much so that people might think they're watching President Bush's State of the Union speech instead of baseball. The investigation of Barry Bonds' trainer is what started the steroid talk all over again. Current players are starting to become more frank about the issue. Just listen to this gem from former San Francisco Giants reliever Turk Wendell: "I mean, what, because he's Barry Bonds, no one's going to say [he's on steroids]?... I mean, obviously he did it. [His trainer] admitted to giving steroids to baseball players. He just doesn't want to say his name. You don't have to. It's clear just seeing his body." Those 73 home-runs are starting to look a lot less impressive, especially given the fact that the San Francisco Chronicle reported recently that steroids had been given (though there was no proof they were ingested) to Bonds and the New York Yankees' Gary Sheffield and Jason Giambi. Not that this is all really surprising, it's just sad that it has had to come to this. The steroid testing system currently in place is an absolute joke. The first time players get caught they have to go to counseling. It's not until the fifth time using steroids that a player will be suspended for a year if caught. It's about time the Players Association stepped to the plate (pardon the pun) and took responsibility for the situation. A union is supposed to care for the health of its employees. Not only that, the system in place now just punishes the players who are honest. Instead of advocating a new testing program, the union is hiding behind right-to-privacy arguments. They should be more worried about the privacy of players under the current system because accusations are flying everywhere. Until changes occur, instead of examining things like whether Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer will be the next Johnny Bench, we'll be talking about the size of Barry Bonds' head, and that's a shame. Meanwhile, this is the first Inside the MLB to appear since the monumental Alex Rodriguez trade, which demands some attention. Of course it was a big trade -- anytime one of the top players in the game gets traded to New York it's huge. But let's not anoint the Yankees quite yet. Before the trade was made, the balance of power in the AL East was nearly split between the Yankees and Boston Red Sox, and whichever team stayed healthy over the course of the season was probably going to win. After the trade, one would have to give a very slight edge to the Yankees, but it's still going to come down to whichever team stays healthy. ARod is a phenomenal player, but his value is lessened somewhat by his move from shortstop to third base. (As an aside, wasn't Jeter supposed to be the ultimate team player? If he is, then why wouldn't he give up his position to Rodriguez, who is a vastly superior shortstop?). In addition, let's not forget the Yankees are giving up a solid hitter in Alfonso Soriano. ESPN's Rob Neyer looked at the home and road numbers from Soriano and Rodriguez and they show some surprising results. Rodriguez clearly benefited from playing in Arlington, Texas, a notorious hitter's park. Rodriguez had a 1.082 OPS (on base plus slugging percentage) at home and a .939 OPS on the road. Soriano, on the other hand, played in a fairly neutral park, and he posted a .771 OPS at home and a .889 OPS on the road. That's not to say the Yankees didn't make a great trade, but there's no reason for Red Sox fans to jump off a bridge. So let's just all sit back, appreciate the start of spring, and enjoy seeing what it's like to have Greg Maddux pitch for the Chicago Cubs, what happens when Pedro goes against the Yankees, and everything else that's wonderful about baseball. P.S. doesn't Brett Boone just have to be on 'roids?
Members of the Tufts Lawyers Association (TLA) came back to campus yesterday for the second annual Law Day on the Hill. "We wanted to bring lawyers together to network and give back to Tufts," TLA founder and President George Hirsch (LA '74) said. The day began with a series of panel discussions, which according to TLA Vice President William Labovitz (A '90) were attended by between 40 and 70 students. The keynote address was given by Jeffrey Kindler (LA '77), the senior vice-president and general counsel for Pfizer Inc. Kinder concentrated on diversity in the legal profession. Kindler was one of 470 business general counsels who signed a statement in support of increased diversity in the law profession. "We must become a more inclusive group," Kindler said, "and reach out to the best and brightest minds, embracing diversity." Kindler said diversity not only improved morale at companies but also made for good business. "A workplace that reflects the world at large gives us a keen competitive advantage," he said. Affirmative action is necessary to counter the effects of networking among similar groups and racism in law, Kindler said. "It's easy to hire a friend of a friend, or someone who looks or talks like you do." Kindler attended Harvard Law School after graduating from Tufts. He later worked as a clerk for Supreme Court Justice William Brennan and as general counsel for the McDonald's Corporation. "I was at McDonald's trying to raise the country's cholesterol for six years," Kindler quipped. "Now, I work for Pfizer, whose best-selling drug is [cholesterol reducer] Lipitor." Kindler said he first became interested in the legal profession in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, where lawyers "restored the public's faith in public institutions." The need for establishing trust is even greater now, Kindler said. "There does not seem to be an institution in our society that is not embroiled in a crisis." Never have so many institutions "lost so much trust so quickly," he said. "Maybe it's a good opportunity for lawyers." "With a law degree," Kindler said, "there are no limits to the way you can contribute to strengthening our public institutions." Kindler told students that lawyers are not excluded from the day-to-day operations of a business. Pfizer's legal department is "integrated into the core of our business." The Young Lawyers Panel, the first of the day and moderated by former Wall Street Journal Supreme Court correspondent Stephen Wermiel (LA '72), addressed the transitions between college, law school, and practicing law. "I wanted to supplement my liberal arts education with something more tangible," panelist Gina Beck (LA '97) said. Beck is currently a student at the Washington College of Law at American University. "People had always told me that a law degree would give me a sense of flexibility, and that I didn't have to practice if I didn't want to," panelist Joshua Fox (A '98) said. Fox graduated from Harvard Law School and is now a practicing attorney. The panel was followed by a mock law school class led by President Larry Bacow. According to Debra Curtis (LA '90), Bacow was "a lot nicer" than most law school professors. Suffolk Law School Dean of Admissions Gail Ellis and Boston University School of Law Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Joan Horgan then answered students' questions about choosing and being admitted to law schools. Alumni also gave their views on how graduating undergraduates should choose a law school. "[Reputation] was part of it," Fox said. "But I knew that I wanted to be in Boston, and I didn't want to be away from my mom or the Red Sox, so I chose Harvard." "Location is important because if you know that you want to practice in a certain area after law school, you are more likely to make contacts in that city, and it will be easier to [get a job]," panelist George Hirsch (LA '74) said. Curtis said the TLA's increased experience and communication from students resulted in an improved program this year. "A lot of the changes we made this year we took from feedback," she said. One of these improvements was the addition of a talk given by younger lawyers, who Curtis said established "good connections" with the students. "We had a real full room," he said. The TLA is beginning a program led by member Amy Brownstein to mentor students interested in the law. While Labovitz said the program is "just getting off the ground," much of the groundwork of matching up lawyers and students of similar interest took place at yesterday's event.
Tufts graduate and three-term State Rep. Scott Brown (LA '81) wants to help the Massachusetts Republican Party gain a foothold in the state government. "One thing I did was question authority," Brown said of his undergraduate years at Tufts. "I still do, that's what I am." Now, he's challenging the popular notion that Massachusetts is a Democratic Party stronghold. The Boston Herald has already thrown its support behind Brown. Even with the endorsement, however, he might have a tough fight ahead. The seventh-year state politician from Wrentham is running in a special election to replace Democratic Senator Cheryl Jacques of Needham. The openly gay Democrat resigned earlier this year in order to take a leadership position at the Human Rights Campaign, a gay advocacy group. Running against Brown in the Mar. 2 election is Democrat Angus McQuilken of Millis, who served as Jacques' chief of staff for 11 years. There is no love lost between Brown and Jacques. Two years ago, in comments to the Boston Globe which Brown now says are irrelevant, he said that the child that Jacques and her partner were having at the time was "not normal." Jacques is currently campaigning in support of McQuilken. But despite the heavy amount of press surrounding the gay marriage debate, both McQuilken -- who supported the recent Massachusetts Supreme Court gay marriage decision -- and Brown and said recently that there were more important issues in the district than gay marriage. "The important issues are education, health, and public safety," McQuilken told the Globe. Brown is confident that voters will be receptive to a candidate far more conservative than the senator he is vying to replace. "I have about 35 percent of the district already in my House district," he said. "There are almost more registered Republicans than Democrats. The whole district was almost more moderate than [Jacques] was." Republican Governor Mitt Romney has been campaigning for Brown and other Republicans running for Democratic seats in the state government. "I can't keep fighting the battle over reform without more reformers like Scott," the Globe quoted Romney telling a crowd outside Needham Town Hall. "I'm going to keep fighting for this man, for other people like him across the Commonwealth who want to bring change to Beacon Hill." Republicans are trying to win enough seats in the Senate to be able to allow Romney a gubernatorial veto. There are currently only six Republicans in the 40-member Senate. The Democrats need a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate in order to prevent the governor's veto. "It's a question of being able to sustain a veto," Brown said. "Once you have the ability to sustain a veto, you have proper checks and balances, of which there are none now. As a result, a lot of things are not good government. There's been absolutely no voter accountability up there." It is because of this needed gubernatorial veto that Romney has been stumping for Republican candidates across the state, going so far as to personally encourage promising candidates to run against Democratic challengers perceived as weak. Brown insists his run for Senate was a "natural progression" from his House seat. "[Romney] did not encourage me to run, but he's been 100 percent behind me," he said. Brown wants to frame the debate around the state's recent budget cuts in a new way. "You have to look at it a little differently: if we merged the Mass Turnpike and Mass Highway, we would've saved $220 million, and local aid wouldn't have to have been cut a penny." According to Brown, he would rather not support cuts to local aid, but until the Democrats streamline the state government, he would never support raising taxes to keep aid levels steady -- a sentiment shared by Romney. Brown said he was personally in "full support" of letting "gay and loving committed partners pass on benefits" and have hospital visitation rights. However, he thought it was more important for voters to have the final say on the issue. "I think that the bottom line is that the people are smart enough, intelligent enough, and mature enough to have a debate and ultimately vote on this issue," he said. During his time at Tufts, Brown was the captain of the men's basketball team, sang in Show Choir, played in the Jazz Band, and served in the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate. One of Brown's fellow TCU senators, Dan Winslow, is now Governor Romney's legal counsel. Brown was also in Zeta Psi. He laments the changes that have happened in the Greek system since his graduation but encourages personal responsibility. "I was a strong supporter of the Greek system then. Unfortunately, kids sometimes forget what it's like to be responsible," he said. At Tufts, Brown cited Sol Gittleman's Yiddish Literature class as one of his favorites because it taught him to think about a culture that was not his own. "It was very inspirational and enlightening," Brown said. Brown recalls fondly his years at Tufts -- he was even married in Goddard Chapel and had his wedding reception in Cabot, which he joked was the last held there, "because people were hanging off the balconies."
Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone established a task force last week to combat the rising OxyContin abuse problem in the city. Since the start of 2004, 14 Somerville residents have been hospitalized for drug overdoses, many of which have been attributed to abuse of the painkiller OxyContin. In a press release issued last Tuesday, Curtatone called this number a "call to arms." According to Curtatone spokesperson Lucy Warsh, the task force will urge more aggressive policing of dealers in the city, make counseling more accessible for abusers, and attempt to educate youth about the dangers of OxyContin abuse. "One of the main goals of the workgroup is to create more community awareness around the issue," she said. The task force held its first meeting on Feb. 9. Curtatone, other city officials, Somerville police officers, representatives from several community health groups like the Cambridge Health Alliance, and two community residents are among its 29 members. "There is a broad range of expertise represented," Warsh said. Director of the Alcohol and Drug Program at Tufts Health Services Margot Abels said she approves of the city's approach to OxyContin abuse. "It seems like they're trying to align themselves with what the research says, which emphasizes a multi-pronged approach," she said. Rather than focusing solely on the "judicial" aspect of hospitalization and detoxification of abusers, Somerville is "coupling [treatment] with community involvement," Abels said. The city seems, she added, to be "covering all its bases." The task force is seen by some to be partly a political move for a mayor already steeped in difficulties. "I think if you took polls around the city, everyone will know someone else who has been affected by OxyContin," Warsh said. "This can really only have a positive political impact for the mayor." Director of the Somerville Health Department Jack Vondras said the task force may prove to be a turning point in how the city treats other drug-related issues. "We have to try to collect data differently," he said. This may prevent future social problems from growing to the proportions of OxyContin abuse. However, state budget cuts may make funding this project difficult. Vondras said that with any new board, it is sometimes hard to decide from which part of the city budget the money should come. According to Vondras, the city is looking to "see how we can use our dollars better, and we will also try to get some advocacy from outside. That is absolutely crucial." Task force member Beth Frasier, the Director of CASPAR Youth Services -- a non-profit organization to help children and adolescents affected by drug and alcohol abuse -- said it is necessary to spend money on drug abuse prevention in order to ensure the health of the entire community. "Investing in creating an atmosphere in which young people can grow up to be healthy is imperative to creating a healthy community," she said. Frasier agreed with Warsh that although it is too early to tell where the task force is headed, it has massive potential. "The worst case scenario is we wouldn't solve any major problems," Warsh said. "But it would still be a step in the right direction." The OxyContin task force was created in conjunction with a task force on teen suicide, another problem in the city. Somerville's suicide attempt rate is almost twice the national average.
Drugs and drug-related crimes are an increasing problem in Massachusetts' Essex County, according to Sheriff Frank Cousins, Jr., who spoke at Tufts Wednesday night. Essex borders Middlesex County, where Tufts is located. Cousins' speech was entitled "Drugs, Crime, and the Death Penalty in Massachusetts." According to Cousins, 90 percent of the 1,600 criminals incarcerated in Essex County have drug or alcohol problems -- 70 percent of whom are in prison as a direct result of drug or alcohol offenses. In his speech, attended by about 25 students, he focused on the need for rehabilitating criminals. "I don't need an 18-year-old on a first offense in jail for possession of heroin," he said. "I need him in a community correction center getting an education and working." The Tufts Republicans were responsible for bringing Cousins to Tufts. "We brought Sheriff Cousins to campus because he is an example of a local Republican who has made politics work in an unpartisan state," Tufts Republicans Speaker Coordinator sophomore Kevin Johannsen said. Johannsen also pointed out that, as an African American, Cousins shows that "there is diversity in our party." Johannsen was pleased with the turnout. "I'd say it was a success," he said. Cousins cited heroin as a growing problem due to the drug's highly addictive nature and its inexpensive price tag. "I think that drugs are the number one public policy problem in the United States right now and drugs are worse than ever before in Essex County," Cousins said. "Drugs drive crime." Cousins said he has increased the use of Community Corrections Centers within the county. The three Essex County centers ensure "accountability for people on probation," he said. The centers are responsible for drug testing, education, work programs, and counseling for those on probation. Cousins is a supporter of "strict, long, hard sentences" for violent crime, "but those aren't the bulk of our crimes," he said. He cited the recent sentencing of serial killer Gary Sampson to death in Massachusetts as an example of someone who deserves the death penalty. He later clarified that "clearly [the death penalty] is not the cornerstone of why I'm in the criminal justice business." For nonviolent offenders, Cousins is a supporter of rehabilitation and efforts to help offenders function in society. "We try to educate them, get them a high school diploma, and try to help them reenter the community," he said. "I don't buy into [the idea] that someone coming out of a correctional facility can't work." During the question and answer session, topics included union and contract problems in the police force, same sex marriage, and gun control laws. "Massachusetts gun laws have done very, very little to reduce violent crime," Cousins said. Students responded to the event positively. "I thought he was very direct ... it was more about the issues than the party politic," senior Candace Gomez said. Graduate student Robert Chirwa found the speech "informative" and said, "It's nice to have access to a Republican state official." Cousins, who is from Newburyport, Mass., has been the Sheriff of Essex County since 1998. He served two terms as a state representative from 1992-1996. He was recently appointed to Governor Mitt Romney's Crime Commission and teaches at North Shore Community College. Cousins stressed the value of getting involved in local politics. "People think that the government is going to do everything for us ... Well, that's not going to happen." According to Cousins, education is the most important deterrent to crime. "We should be telling young people, 'Further your education,'" he said. "That's one of the things I don't hear enough today and that bothers me."
"The word itself makes some men uncomfortable," states Maude Lebowski in the Coen Brothers' 1998 hit, The Big Lebowski. "Vagina." The Dude replies, "Oh yeah?" "Yes. They don't like hearing it. And find it difficult to say," explains Maude. "Whereas, without batting an eye, a man will refer to his 'dick' or his 'rod' or his 'Johnson.'" Although the Lebowski's presentation may be a bit crude, it is exactly this fear and stigma associated with the female form that is tackled in Eve Ensler's acclaimed play, Vagina Monologues. The play, which has made a phenomenal impact on women's issues and theater since its unveiling in 1998, is set to open tonight in Cohen Auditorium and in colleges and theaters all around the country for its annual "V-Day" performance. The production is a compellation of monologues inspired by more than 200 interviews conducted by Ensler. The intent of the monologues is not only to tackle squeamish topics about vaginas, but is also aimed at putting an end to violence against women worldwide. Venues participating in V-Day -- a global movement to end violence against women and girls -- are asked to donate ten percent of money raised by the event to the organization's annual "Spotlight" cause, while the rest of the proceeds are given to a charity aimed at ending violence toward women of the organizer's choosing. Those involved in the project believes it serves as an artistic voice for many women who would have been otherwise forced to remain silent. The show's organizers feel the script offers a unifying intimacy among women with diverse ethnic, social, and geographical origins. "I wanted to convey a sense of comfort and intimacy throughout this play. I believe that The Vagina Monologues is about home," director Sarah Hecht said. "Every single monologue in the play refers to home either directly or in the abstract." For this production, Hecht took advantage of her artistic license and visually expressed her "home" theme by calling on inspiration from a work of art from the 70's called "The Dinner Party" by feminist artist Judy Chicago. The play's set imitates the piece's triangular table. On the table are place settings representing influential women throughout history, and each plate is an artistic representation of a vagina. "Chicago's work illustrates women from varying cultures, backgrounds, and centuries coming together to celebrate womanhood," Hecht explained. "Chicago said of her work, 'Men have 'The Last Supper,' women have dinner parties.'" Those involved in the V-Day organization believe that open discussion of the body is a means to go beyond just the physicality of what it means to be a woman. "This is a play about speaking through the body, not detaching from it," she said. "I tried to start with the physical connection, and move towards the words -- working from the inside out." This year's V-Day Spotlight charity focuses on the women of Juarez, Mexico, Tufts senior and Monologues producer Liz Shultz said. "In the past decade, over 300 women and girls have been killed or disappeared in Juarez, which is across the border from El Paso, Texas." Shultz expressed the gravity of the situation involving women in Juarez by explaining that "despite the fact that these murders have persisted over the past decade, there has not been significant progress in providing protection to the women of Juarez or in bringing the perpetrators to justice." With only ten percent of the show's proceeds going to women in Juarez, this year's Tufts production team -- which included Shultz, event organizer Zo Hastings, and Hecht -- was faced with the decision of which local charity would receive the remaining donations. The group finally decided on the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC), a local charity offering hotline crisis counseling, adolescent and family services, support groups, medical advocacy and legal advocacy to victims in the Boston area. The organizers chose this particular charity, which served over 8,500 women, men and adolescents last year, because of trouble within the organization. Severe cuts in funding have "caused many centers around Massachusetts to curb their services dramatically or to close down all together," Shultz said. And while charitable contributions constitute a significant portion of V-Day's impact, the Vagina Monologues has more to offer than monetary donations. The magnitude of these ideas -- whether communicated through words, the body, or both -- will be expressed both by the script's poignancy as well as its humor. The event's organizers hope to extend the play's discussion by hosting an open forum this coming Monday at 7:30 in Barnum 104. For the forum , they want to offer an outlet to safely exchange ideas. And we are all mature college students here, so there shouldn't be any giggling... well, maybe a little. Hehe, vagina.
While studying abroad requires difficult adjustments -- learning new languages, adjusting to new cuisines, and making new friends -- coming home is rarely any easier. Upon returning to the States, many students step into unfamiliar territory or "reverse culture shock." Senior Paul Kresser, who returned from Greece, found the transition difficult. "A lack of change at home was what made readjusting really hard," he said. "I had just experienced something incredible and came back to my home life where everything was predictable, and this was very hard to articulate -- what exactly had changed inside you -- to someone who hadn't ever left in the first place." The Tufts Office of Programs Abroad recognizes the stress that students may undergo as they reacquaint themselves with life in America as well as life at Tufts. In order to ease students into this readjustment process, the Study Abroad office holds academic advising sessions to troubleshoot any scheduling, credit transfer or registration concerns. A welcome back dinner and discussion is also held about a month after students return to Tufts. At this event, students are able to share stories and photographs from their various programs and experiences. A Counselor from the Counseling Center also attends the dinner in order to introduce students to the idea of reverse culture shock. "Everyone has experienced so much, and changed so much, that it's important to make that connection with others," Sheila Bayne, the Associate Dean of Study Abroad, said. "I noticed some conversations between students getting very deep and emotional." Junior Seth Keim attended this dinner after returning from Melbourne, Australia. "It was really nice to see a lot of new and familiar faces and to hear about everyone's semesters," Keim said. "It really helped to talk to friends who had also studied abroad because I was able to connect on some level with them, even if we weren't on the same program." Often upon their return, students can feel depressed and alienated from life on campus and their old friends. "When you come back from abroad you don't go back to who you were before you left," said Julie Jampel, Senior Staff Psychologist at the Counseling Center. "It involves a process of finding your place again, which sometimes can be extremely difficult." Senior Erica Hirsch agreed. "I never really did fully adjust to being back," she said. "I never wanted to remove myself from the experience, which I couldn't express properly to friends from home. I went from waking up to the skyline of Jerusalem to waking up in Somerville-it was not necessarily something I looked forward to." Hirsch feels so adamantly about her connection with Israel that she plans to move their after graduation. According to Jampel, the ability to surpass the possible feelings of depression, isolation and lack of motivation is something that comes with time. "Each person needs time to settle down," Jampel said. "You need to use your time as an opportunity to reevaluate what is important and what you want to be doing." According to many students, in order to conquer the restlessness of readjustment, it is helpful to get involved with extracurricular activities. "I had an easier adjustment than most because I came back to the swim team," senior Jamie Meyers said. "Returning to a sport was helpful because it threw me into a routine again." Another common reaction upon returning from abroad is a disappointment with American culture. "I began to question a lot of American values," said senior Melanie Yasner, who traveled to London last year. "I started to look at our role in the world very differently." "When I first got back, I just realized that the Greek culture excited and interested me a lot more than American culture," Kresser said. "I just liked it better over there-it was not as monotonous as [the U.S.]." Students and administration both agree that an integral part of making a smooth transition from abroad to Tufts is to make sure to remain familiar with the culture one leaves behind. "People seem to think that when you return from abroad, you leave your experience behind," Bayne said. "We encourage students to embrace their semesters or year abroad and make them parts of their lives here at Tufts.""I try to read The Economist-stay more up to date with the world," Yasner said. "I also try to stay in touch with my two roommates from London. I got very attached to my life there, so I do my best to integrate parts of my life in London to parts of my life at Tufts." Keim maintains a similar attitude. "I didn't realize how attached to the culture I had become," Keim.said "I wish I had more contact with Australians so I could keep in touch with them all the time. I know when Australian Rules Football season comes around I will be checking out the websites of Melbourne newspapers to keep up with the sport."
Denzel Washington and Jack Nicholson were in Los Angeles' Staples Center Sunday night. Oh, and some guys played basketball there too. Will Smith, Ashton Kutcher and Jay-Z got more airtime sitting courtside than Paul Pierce and Dirk Nowitzki did on the court at the NBA All-Star game, as TNT apparently decided that average Americans wanted to see the celebrities watching the game, not the NBA stars playing in it. Indeed, the All-Star festivities verified two things that we already knew about the NBA. First, the West, which prevailed 136-132, is better than the East. Second, the NBA's primary concern is in the business of entertainment, not basketball. After the Super Bowl debacle, the NBA wanted to make sure performances stayed PG at the All-Star game -- so they invited Christina "my middle name is most definitely not wholesome" Aguilera to sing the Star-Spangled Banner. Seriously, if there is anyone this side of the adult entertainment industry who could top Janet Jackson's little accident, it's Christina. To her credit, she stayed clean, but butchered the anthem. And if Jackson wasn't allowed to show her breasts on Super Bowl Sunday, why can Outkast sing "Drip drip drop there goes an orgasm, now you coming out the side of your face" on All-Star Sunday? That didn't stop the rap duo from being the real MVP of the weekend, even if Shaquille O'Neal was the one hoisting the trophy at the end of the night. Outkast was simply omnipresent on Sunday. The backbeat to their hit Hey Ya played in the background during player introductions (Kevin Garnett attempted a fairly unsuccessful dance, although nothing on par with Mark Madsen or Bill Belichick). They chilled with Paris Hilton in $7,000 seats. They performed live. They weren't the only ones, of course: Beyonce performed too, making her entrance from the ceiling on a giant ball and prompting the always entertaining commentator Charles Barkley to say: "I think gay people have a right to get married, that's their own business, but when you see Beyonce, why would you want to be gay?" If Barkley was the most entertaining media member, Craig Sager was the most annoying -- again. A year after ruining Peja Stojakovic's moment in the sun as three-point contest winner by reminding him that his Sacramento Kings could have beaten the Los Angeles Lakers in the previous year's playoffs if he had shot as well, Sager was at it again this weekend. This time, he tried to persuade Toronto Raptor Vince Carter to ask coach Rick Carlisle for more playing time (Carter almost bit). Sager also played a part in one of the most ridiculous (and most amusing) ploys in recent history when he gave an outlet for Ron Artest to campaign for a shoe contract. Sager did a courtside interview in which he showed Artest wearing two vastly different looking sneakers, one Nike and one Adidas. Artest complained that he didn't have a shoe contract but thought now that he is an All-Star it is time he deserves one, so he put out an open call to companies. Of course, Artest might need to be more than a year removed from those nine flagrant fouls and that domestic dispute which resulted in ordered counseling sessions before he gets that luscious shoe contract. Actually, never mind. This is America: the more violent and scandalous, the better it sells. Bring on the shoe commercial. Shaq already has his own shoe, and his 24 point, 11 rebound, nine dunk performance showed why. He led a dominant West squad, but the East led at halftime and managed to hang tough on the basis of a speed-up game, with Jason Kidd and Allen Iverson throwing up alley-oops to Vince Carter, Kenyon Martin, and Tracy McGrady. So the basketball, when it was actually being played between all those commercials, crowd scanning, and celebrity interviews, was pretty entertaining. The rest of the time? Let's just say Starr Jones getting proposed to by her boyfriend at the game was the last thing we wanted to see when we tuned in to watch Yao Ming shoot a turnaround jumper.
Most high school seniors cannot wait for the day that they can pack up their belongings, leave childhood behind and arrive at their new home for the next four years: college. Despite red tape from increasingly strict government regulations which make students' records harder to access, both Tufts administration and students alike try to keep parents in the loop. Tufts says that parents are offered the opportunity to attend campus tours, orientation programs and are welcomed to contact the Deans, professors, and counseling centers at any time. Despite the growth in parental participation in college life, both the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) have continued to spark debate between students, parents, and university officials. The HIPAA, created in 1996, makes students' health records confidential and requires students to sign a permission of release before their record can be released to their parents and University officials. Only insurance companies and authorized medical professionals may have access to those records. At the Tufts Counseling Center, parents with concerns or questions can receive consultation and education over the phone, staff psychologist John Rosario-Perez said. "Parents should be supportive and remain interested in their children's lives. Keeping communication open and encouraging your children is important," Rosario-Perez said. Although the Counseling Center at Tufts does not have any specific programs aimed at parents, several of the Center's staff members make themselves available to greet parents at the various culture houses during orientation. The students who visit the Center about parental problems tend to voice complaints about parents becoming too over-protective while they are away at college. "Most of the students who come to the Counseling Center are protective of their own privacy -- they're motivated and independent people. The most common cases are about general adolescence, because these are students who value their independence," Rosario-Perez said. Thanks to online campus newsletters, e-mails from Deans and professors, parents' weekends, and college counseling centers, parents have gained more access and insight to their children's college lives than ever before. According to the government's education website, FERPA states that, "generally, schools must have written permission from the parent or eligible student in order to release any information from a student's education record." Records, however, can be released without consent if the student is transferring, if it is needed for financial aid purposes, or if there is a matter of judicial concern. Elena Lozovsky, whose son Ilya is a sophomore at Tufts, is not a fan of the FERPA. She feels that she should have the right to access her son's records since she is the one who pays for her son's college education. Lozovsky said she has been satisfied with the amount of information she receives from the University that she considers important and relevant. Students have expressed mixed emotions regarding increased parental knowledge about their college lives. "[My parents] don't bother asking, because if I don't [complain], then I'm doing well. If I tell them about a grade, it's either because I did awesome or [badly]. So, they'll hear about it one way or the other," senior Aaron Weinstein said. Sophomore Nathan Papazian, son of Director of Administrative Computing Richard Papazian, said, "[my parents] don't ask, but I tell them if I do well." "I don't think it's a huge problem. As long as John isn't on severe academic probation, I have no reason to be concerned. Plus, I'm sure he would let me know if something was going badly," parent Janet Pettito said. Pettito's son Jon is a sophomore at Boston University At a school like Boston University, which has heightened security measurements and enforces more strict rules than suburban and rural campuses, parents are continually kept alert about crime, news, special guests, and program developments, Pettito said. "Back in the 1970s when I was in college, parents were never as interested or involved in what was happening around campus as they are today," she explained. "They basically told us 'have a good time, don't forget to write, and see you at Thanksgiving,'" She said that she receives the same updates as her son about changes to his program, letting her track his requirement needs and study abroad options. "It's exceedingly helpful," Pettito said.
It's junior year, and it seems like all your friends have left campus behind: your best friend is studying abroad in Paris. Your lab partner is documenting sea turtles in Baja, Mexico. Everyone else you know seems to be spending a semester in Australia. Though many students who remain on campus while their friends are abroad may feel like they're in the minority, only 40 percent of all Tufts students pursue coursework outside the country. "There is some pressure in college to take advantage of every opportunity out there, but for certain students, [studying abroad] is not for them," said Julie Jampel, a supervising psychologist at the Counseling Center. According to Foreign Study Advisor Sally O'Leary, some student decide not to study abroad for many reasons. "Apart from the fact that some have no interest in leaving the campus, there are a few reasons," she said. "Some play sports, some try to complete double degree programs, and others maintain rigorous schedules, such as those in the pre-med track." Despite such obligations, many students find it difficult to deal with life on campus in the absence of much of their social circles. "I certainly do have students tell me they're concerned about how their semester will go because friends will be gone," Health Services Medical Director Margaret Higham said. Jampel advises that those Jumbos feeling less than jubilant in the wake of their friends' departures contact the Counseling Center. "For anyone's who's really feeling a sense of loss, call and schedule an appointment," she said. "My sense is there certainly is fear and anxiety about how their social scene is going to change, along with their support system," Higham added. "But most students do find other ways to fill in those gaps." One way to "fill in the gaps" is to become more involved on campus. "While it was lonelier without some of my best friends, I took the MCAT and kept up with all my other extracurriculars," senior Neha Surana said. "So I was really busy -- it was almost better that they weren't here." Senior Margot Thistle took a similar route when many of her friends left to study abroad: "I had no interest in going abroad, but many of my friends did leave," she said. "So I ended up going out into Boston most weekends and visiting friends from home." Thistle also became more active in her sorority, Alpha Phi. Students who have not studied abroad may also feel excluded upon their friends' return. "When my friends came back, it was hard because I felt I had missed out on the experience when they reminisced together," said senior Susan Carle, who stayed at Tufts in order to take specific courses for her teaching requirement. "But on the upside, I was able to hang out with others that I might not have otherwise." "Everyone talks about their experiences in Chile or Spain, and I just talk about Medford/Somerville," senior David Frew said. For most students, however, the decision to stay at Tufts is not one to regret. "I didn't want to go abroad and put my life on hold for six months," junior Julie D'Andrea said. "I needed to keep a job here and I didn't think I knew enough Spanish yet. So instead, I moved into an apartment and was able to spend time with my new housemates." Senior Matt Keller said that his football and fraternity commitments were the reasons behind his decision to stay in Medford. "I played football, and in the spring off-season, it's a time when the juniors really step up and become team leaders," senior Matt Keller said. "It was a tough decision, but I was also the treasurer of Delta Upsilon so unfortunately, the opportunity to go abroad was outweighed by my priorities here at Tufts. Overall, I'm glad I stayed." Some students, however, are glad they stayed in Medford for other reasons. "Studying abroad in Spain, I would probably party too much," Frew said. "I think it's easier to practice moderation here rather than in that type of environment."
Few students have fond memories of the days of parental curfews and rules. After breaking free by living on campus -- a decidedly parent-free zone -- some students find returning home to such parental guidelines over college breaks frustrating "We see a number of students after Thanksgiving break, especially freshmen, because it can be a bit of an adjustment," said Dr. Luanne Grossman, Supervising Psychologist at the Counseling Center. "Students feel that they've changed; are more grown up," Grossman said. "It can be a big issue if they feel grown up, but don't feel that their parents recognize it. They don't want their parents to see them in the old ways, and may fear that they are returning to the old ways." Since first-year students have just spent a semester learning to live on their own, some feel entitled to more freedom at home as well. According to Grossman, students' new, more adult self-perception may become most apparent during the first Thanksgiving and winter breaks back home. One common area of conflict between returning students and their parents involves curfews. "At home, my curfew is 2 a.m. on weekends and 12 a.m. on weeknights," sophomore Thuy Le said. "It's early on weeknights because my parents don't like me coming in late and waking them up, since they have to get up early the next day for work." These curfews are a change from Le's schedule during the semester: "[The curfew] gets annoying when I want to stay out late," Le said. Even for those without curfews or time limits, living at home can seem restrictive. "I don't have a curfew anymore, but my parents stay up until I get home, and so aren't happy if I'm out late," sophomore James Fraser said. "And no matter what time it is, I have to tell someone where I'm going. I understand, but of course it's annoying because when I'm [at Tufts] I could stay out for days at a time without anyone knowing." Senior Nikhil Abraham remembers feeling similarly boxed in during his first year at college. "Returning home during freshman year was probably the most restrictive," Abraham said. "I had only been away for three months, and my parents wanted me to come back home at a certain time, and sleep and eat all at certain times." "During the summer months, my parents also wanted me to work," Abraham added. "So there were [also] expectations and different time schedules than what I was used to when I came back home." According to Dr. Julie Jampel, Senior Staff Psychologist at the Counseling Center, such discrepancies between parents' and students' schedules and expectations are common. "Parents tend to remember the kids who left high school," Jampel said. "That tends not to be the person that comes back. Once you have been away from somewhere, you are different. Different experiences shape people." Considering the situation from a parent's point of view can be helpful for students struggling to readapt to home life: students must take into account that they are not the only ones that have to adjust to changes during this time. "There is a pull on the parents' side, too," Grossman said. "They want you to grow up, but it's familiar to them to relate to you in the way they used to relate to you." To parents, abiding by curfews and other rules can demonstrate a grasp of responsibility, prompting them to think of their children more like adults. "The more I obey my parents' rules, the better they treat me in return," Le said. "I should respect my parents' rules because I am living in their house," she added. "I like my parents, and they have been real lenient in the past, so I just want to keep them happy." According to Grossman, the best way to cope with this issue is to talk about it. "You have to get to know each other again," she said. "Find a way to understand what your parents' concerns are, and also a way to voice what you want. In a calm moment, negotiate about it." Such discussion has been helpful to Le. "I don't really ask my parents for permission to do anything really, but I let them know my plans and they're generally ok with it," she said. "They trust me enough." For those students whose relationships with their parents over break do not benefit from discussion, there's good news: many find that adjusting gets easier as time progresses. "There has been a large difference between freshman and senior year," Abraham said. "My parents used to wait up for me to come back home, and they don't do that anymore. The expectations gradually lessened as the years have gone on." However, Abraham said that with this freedom comes responsibility. "As those restrictions lessened, I gained other responsibilities such as dropping off or picking up my siblings, and helping with some of the larger events during the holidays," he said. Whether their parents are immediately receptive or not, Grossman said, the best advice for all students is to let parents know how they feel. "The biggest problems come when you don't talk about it," she said.
Dr. Frederick Hartman's name will now be known from here to Uganda, and starting next week, Afghanistan too. The Mukukku Health Center in Uganda announced that their new maternity health wing will be named in honor of Hartman, a professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition. For nearly six years, Hartman devoted himself to the treatment and prevention of HIV in Africa, focusing on women and children affected by the virus, including the nearly 2 million AIDS-infected orphans. He has spent four years working in Uganda developing a program for the cause. Now Hartman will travel to Afghanistan and work on international health issues there. Hartman first traveled to Uganda four years ago -- a visit which led him to deem the nation "the most advanced in Africa" because of its response to the AIDS and HIV epidemic. Hartman said Uganda has been "very proactive in widespread treatment programs." At one point, nearly 28 percent of the Ugandan population was infected with HIV. This figure is now down to 11 percent. For these reasons Hartman says Uganda has served as a model for AIDS and HIV treatment programs. During a recent trip to a rural area in Uganda, Hartman said he was disturbed by the disparity between patients in his program and those in more rural areas. This realization has led him to fight "for a program for rural HIV positive pregnant women." Hartman's program will now also focus help in more rural areas and on the prevention of the transmission of AIDS from mothers to their children. The Mukukku Health Center was originally built through the support of Plan International, an international, child-focused development organization. At a recent board meeting, the board decided the new maternity wing would be named Hartmans' Wing in honor of Hartman and his wife, a nurse who has aided in his work. Hartmans' Wing will include an antenatal clinic, delivery room, maternity ward, laboratory and dedicated patient space for pre- and post-HIV testing and counseling. Dr. Beatrice Rogers, Academic Dean for the school, calls the honor "well-deserved" and said that Hartman "is a committed member of the faculty, and his class is one of our most popular and well-received... We have had public health physicians take it and say that they have learned a lot." Since beginning his work in Africa, Hartman has received donations totaling $1.2 million -- all used to treat the 600 patients in his program. He is currently looking for an additional $20 million to treat an extra 5,000 women. He is also considering support for a new learning center with dormitories. This proposed center would serve as a training center where both Tufts and international students alike could continue to learn about prevention and treatment of AIDS and HIV. Hartman plans to continue teaching his Primary Health Care class, despite his globe traveling. Hartman has spent nearly 30 years in international health care and is a physician trained in infectious diseases and epidemiology. He has been teaching classes in public health at the Friedman School of Nutrition since 1986.
Aside from helping students find internships, research opportunities, and jobs after graduation, Tufts Career Services has been improving its efforts to counsel and network with recent alumni "Over the last few years Tufts Career Services has seen an increasing demand from alumni for career assistance," said Director of Career Services, Jean Papalia. "Last year the staff of Career Services saw 380 alumni for individual appointments, an increase of 88 percent from two years prior." This increased demand is attributed mostly to the current job market, and "to media coverage about alumni seeking help from their alma maters," Papalia said. Although some positive economic reports have been published recently, the job market remains weak. Unemployment is at 5.8 percent in Massachusetts, while the National unemployment rate stands at six percent, or 8.8 million unemployed workers. In response, the Alumni Association and Career Services have taken action. Director of Alumni Relations Tim Brooks helps alumni looking for higher level employment opportunities. A new position of assistant director of Career Services was created this summer, with Leslie Warner filling the position. Warner's position was created by the Career Services committee of the Tufts University Alumni Association (TUAA), in conjunction with Tufts Career Services. With the hiring of Warner, the Tufts Alumni Career Services now offers a range of resources to help alumni in career transitions and, more generally, the management of their careers. "Warner brings more than ten years' experience designing and delivering career counseling services to a wide range of job seekers in many industries," Papalia said. "She fills a new position devoted exclusively to alumni career counseling." Warner is available to alumni for appointments, but in addition to these one-on-one career coaching sessions, Warner's job also includes expanding the Tufts Career Network, which is comprised of over 4,000 alumni who have volunteered to provide both students and alumni advice on career fields, job search, grad schools, relocation and more. Alumni with businesses can fill out a form alertering any job seeking alumni that the companies might be hiring. Brian McCarthy (LA '75) registered his Los Angeles law firm, Skadden Arps Slate Margher online. "I filled out an information sheet online last year," McCarthy said, "and have been happy to help out the alumni who have contacted me. I think it is a great system." Alumni Career Services is cosponsoring a speech on Dec 2 entitled "How to 'crack' a tough job market" for alumni and students having trouble finding a job. The speech will be cosponsored with the Association of Tufts Alumnae and Boston Tufts Alliance. This semester, Warner helped develop two networking and career programs specifically for alumni in Boston, and plans underway for similar spring programs in Boston, New York City, and Washington, DC. Warner hopes that her programs will expand the Tufts Career Network, and give help to the many alumni who are searching for a job or are undergoing a career transition.
If you're a Boston Red Sox fan, you might not recognize the team in 2004. There are numerous accounts of Red Sox officials listening to offers for Manny Ramirez and Nomar Garciaparra, among others. The World Series only finished less than a month ago, but the Red Sox along with numerous other teams are looking to overhaul their rosters for next spring. It's going to be a busy offseason with many clubs looking to move big name players with even bigger contracts such as Alex Rodriguez, Curt Schilling, and Richie Sexson. The New York Yankees will no doubt vie for some of those players in addition to various big-name free agents such as Bartolo Colon, Vladimir Guerrero, and Gary Sheffield. The Red Sox need to upgrade their pitching significantly if they are finally going to win it all. Free agents Keith Foulke and Kelvim Escobar have reportedly piqued Boston's interest. Unless the Sox can move Ramirez, it is unlikely they will be able to add a top-flight starter like Colon or Kevin Millwood. Originally, it was thought that Schilling might be a fit with the Red Sox. Boston is looking for pitching, and it was rumored Schilling was interested. Yet, he quickly dispelled those rumors when he said he had no interest in playing for Boston because he thought Fenway park wasn't a good stadium for a right-handed fly-ball pitcher. However, Schilling has expressed interest in pitching for the Yankess in the hitter's paradise that is Yankee Stadium. Sounds like Curt could use the benefit of a Tufts University education. There are rumors that A-Rod is possibly coming to Boston, but that will be hard to accomplish unless the Texas Rangers warm to the idea of taking on Ramirez's inflated contract. The good news for the Sox is they now have a shot at winning a World Series because they have removed "manager" Grady Little from the helm. Little was a mastermind when it came to keeping players happy, but his game calling ability was abysmal. Speaking of A-Rod, it's about time he finally got the MVP award. There have been all sorts of debates about what "valuable" means. ESPN columnist Rob Neyer points out that the instructions that are sent to MVP voters declare value to be equivalent to "strength of offense and defense." Well, A-Rod was a Gold Glover, and he also put up incredible offensive numbers -- that should be good enough. The idea that his monstrous salary should prevent him from winning the award does not make sense either. If the MVP was given out as some sort of measure of production per salary, you would have to give the award to Esteban Loaiza or Alfonso Soriano or someone like that, but that's just getting silly (they arguably weren't even the best players on their teams). The value associated with the MVP award is defined differently than the abstract concept of value, so the decision for AL MVP should have been pretty clear cut, and it was. The sad situation involving the cash-strapped, ownerless Montreal Expos has always been an embarrassment for baseball. But now the 'Spos have some competition. The Milwaukee Brewers have let it be known they are reducing the team's payroll next season to $30 million. At this rate, the Brewers ought to just take Alex Rodriguez's $25 million salary and then fill the rest of their roster with various buffoons dressed in sausage costumes. Look out for the Toronto Blue Jays next year. They have had a powerful offense for awhile, but now the pitching is starting to fall into place. Roy Halladay, Ted Lilly, and Pat Hentgen make for a respectable top end of the rotation. With a few small upgrades to their bullpen, the Jays could contend for the American League East title next season. Meanwhile, the steroid controversy has shown how dumb professional athletes can be. The system was originally set up so that no penalties would be levied on any player who tested positive for steroids in 2003. In addition, no penalties were to be assessed in 2004 unless over five percent of players tested positive in 2003. Players knew when the steroid tests were coming (spring training) and could have resumed their cycles right afterwards. Even though the whole plan was a farce, some players were still dumb enough to take them, and they somehow managed to break the five percent barrier. Despite the fact that penalties will actually be levied in 2004, they are far from harsh. The first time an individual tests positive, his name will remain anonymous and he will go to counseling. If an individual tests positive a second time, he may be suspended. The whole policy is so ridiculous that the head of the World Anti-Doping Agency called the testing scheme "a joke." At least they're setting a good example for little leaguers.