In order to help students more easily share information, the Tufts Community Union (TCU) has proposed that events be listed on a student-run website displayed on computer monitors located throughout campus.
Along with a flourishing capital campaign raising money for the school, University President John DiBiaggio has been a visible presence on campus this year, attending a multitude of events of both small and large scale. He has appeared at Coming Out Day and attended the premiere of TUTV this year, and next semester he will also be teaching a course on leadership. Now in his eighth year at Tufts, DiBiaggio is not eligible for tenure, as are faculty members. "In this position there is no tenure, you are appointed on a year-to-year basis and you serve at the will of the trustees," he said. Before coming to Tufts, DiBiaggio was president of Michigan State University for seven years, and before that served in the University of Connecticut for six years. Although he has been at Tufts longer than either of his two previous presidencies, DiBiaggio has no plans for retirement. "I'm going to be here for several more years. I don't see that a chancellor position would be what I would do after this," referring to the role former president Jean Mayer assumed after he relinquished the presidency. "This will be the last presidency I'll serve. As long as the board wishes me to continue on, I will continue on, of course," DiBiaggio said. DiBiaggio is modest about his presence on campus, "It stays about equivalent from year to year. I've been so engaged in outside things, fund-raising and other activities," DiBiaggio said, "A lot of nights and a lot of weekends I am engaged, but whenever it is possible I try [to attend student events]." His decision to teach a class this semester is largely based on the flexibility the team-teaching concept allows. "I haven't felt it was fair to teach a class where I would miss a number of classes," DiBiaggio said. "This is team taught, so if I have to be out of town, I have confidence someone will be there. Until we got the leadership of the University College of Citizenship and Public Service, we didn't think [the class] was meaningful enough." DiBiaggio is very careful not to become intrusive, however, explaining that his recent visits to two dormitories for question-and-answers sessions with residents resulted from invitations from the students, rather than from his own suggestion. "It's not my style to be intrusive, if I am invited to certain events, I try to participate. I have been in several residence halls, but I was invited there," he said. Aside from taking a highly visible role at school functions, DiBiaggio meets with students privately at their request. "It's not unusual for me to see one or two students a day while I am here. Sometimes it is about an issue that they are concerned about or interested in, or sometimes they just want to talk," he said. "We have a rule here in my office that any student that comes or calls with a concern, we respect them. I don't think students forget that, I think they remember that kind of thing more than anything else. "I chuckle because I hear the guides say that I am accessible and they see me around walking my dogs, for me at least it is gratifying to hear that." DiBiaggio prides himself on being more accessible than many university presidents. This is the smallest school DiBiaggio has presided over, as the large state schools Connecticut and Michigan State dwarf Tufts. "Students who have transferred here are astonished, they say, 'where we were we never saw the president,'" DiBiaggio said. "I want to be in the middle of the campus, I want them to know that I'm living right here on the campus. It's a matter of student engagement and interest. "What I mean when I say student-centered, it doesn't just mean good teaching, you shouldn't have to go through an enormous bureaucracy to get something simple done," he said.
It's the same old story in the American League as the baseball enters its final stretch, with the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians once again poised to win their respective divisions.
The Association of Latino American Students (ALAS), formerly known as the Hispanic American Society, kicked off Latino Heritage Month with an upbeat Latin celebration. Following a reception and after-party held on Friday, Oct. 1, "Celebraci??n Latina" was held in Hotung Caf?© Monday morning.
In a slow start that lasted into the fourth quarter on Saturday, the Tufts football team displayed a weakness that may continue to haunt the Jumbos against top opponents. Unable to establish a running game, and thus control of the ball, Tufts was forced to play from behind, which resulted in four interceptions and a 13-7 loss to Trinity.
This past Saturday, the men's volleyball team, this week's featured club sport, surprised even itself by winning the Eastern Nazarene Invitational. Of course, it wasn't surprising that no one took notice, as this team has gotten used to winning in virtual anonymity. The volleyball team went to the Eastern Nazarene Invitational without high expectations, as its best player, graduate student Silus Everett, sat out with an injury. Those low expectations were proved incorrect, however, when the Jumbos saved a match point against the Eastern Nazarene club team in the semi-finals, allowing them the opportunity to knock off the Eastern Nazarene alumni team in the finals. "We were really surprised to win this, but it's great," sophomore defensive specialist Matt Baron said. "Eastern Nazarene is our biggest rival, so that was really nice." The men's volleyball team got used to disposing of its rivals last year, when it finished first in the New England Collegiate Volleyball League (NECVL), one of the most prestigious leagues in the country, and qualified for nationals. The Jumbos did not stop their tear once they reached nationals either, whipping through foes across America on their way to a ninth place finish. "Outside of the sailing team, I think we were one of the most successful teams at the school," Baron said. Don't expect this team to stop winning either; despite its lack of recognition, many on the team feel this year's squad is superior to last year's, even though it lost co-captain and league MVP Jon Tsilimos. "He's at BC law school this year, so we'll play him," Baron said. "We definitely have that game circled on the calendar." To fill the void, the Jumbos have six new players, including Fletcher student Everett, who played five years ago at Tufts. "He's the best player on the team," Baron said of the new outside hitter. "He's an amazing hitter, he really pounds the ball." The Jumbos have also added four freshmen to the team, most notably Jeff Van der Veer, who stepped in for Everett at the Eastern Nazarene Invitational. Van der Veer, a two-time all-state player in Rhode Island, impressed teammates in his first college game. "He did a great job on Saturday," junior co-captain Adam Goldfarb said. "His passing was perfect, and he was destroying the other teams with the power of his kills." Everett and Van der Veer both fit in well with the rest of the starting six. Junior Charlie Beckman is one of the top setters in the NECVL and was an all-star in the league last year. "He's the best setter in the league in my opinion," Baron said. "Having someone like that is the equivalent to having a good point guard in basketball; like Magic Johnson, he makes everyone around him better." Joining the front line is co-captain and league all-star weak side hitter Dave Chang. Goldfarb and senior Ben Feinberg are the middle hitters, with Baron closing out the starters. "This team is better than last year," Goldfarb said. "I'm going to say it, I think we are winning Nationals this year." This goal is not too far-fetched, as this team's raw talent should outweigh its youth and relative lack of experience. "We're a young team, but many of the young guys are experienced," Goldfarb said, "plus, they've all picked up the plays really quickly." The young Jumbos are forced to play in one of the premier leagues in the country, and because they compete on the club level, graduate students are allowed to play. Boston College, Boston University, MIT, and Northeastern are the other powers in the NECVL, but they have been playing for second place for a while. Playing against tough competition, though, doesn't bother the Jumbos. "Last year, we faced a number of Division II and Division III varsity teams," Baron said. "But we beat them pretty easily." While the Jumbos have beaten varsity teams, it doesn't mean they are completely happy with their status as a club team, and the lack of recognition that comes with that status. Goldfarb, who is on a committee with club sports representatives, TCU Senators, administrators, and athletic department representatives to find a permanent solution to the financial struggles of club sports, is disappointed with the lack of respect his team receives. "We put in as much work as they do," the captain said. "The only difference is that we have to run the team, coach the team, provide transportation, and make a schedule." Transportation for the volleyball team takes on a whole new meaning, as the team has its eyes set on Nationals in Reno this year. Traveling, uniforms, and new equipment are part of the budget that runs to about $4,000 for the regular season, but jumps to an eye-popping $10,000 bill if the team goes to Nationals. The volleyball team received a $1,000 stipend from the NECVL and some money from the school to go to Nationals last year, and currently has a small surplus, which will be burnt up quickly. Despite the budget, the team has to work to support itself like every other team. "We could always use more money," Baron said. "But we don't shell out too much individually. We work at the women's games, doing lines, books, and the scoreboard, and we sell T-shirts." Despite being slightly more financially sound than some of the other club teams, it doesn't mean the volleyball team is happy taking a back seat to varsity squads. "It's definitely frustrating," Goldfarb said. "I understand that they are varsity sports, but they get priority over everything, like money and gym time, and we represent the school, too." Losing out in gym time is certainly unlucky for the team, as it holds practices from 9:30-11:30 p.m. It would take more than late nights to get these guys off the court. "I love being involved with a competitive sport and with a team," Baron said. "You get the camaraderie, friendships, travel, and team spirit." Of course, the Jumbos wouldn't mind if more people got into the sport as well. New rule changes - playing to 25 instead of 15 and scoring points on every serve - have been adopted to increase spectators. "We are really intense, fun to watch, and its easy to get into," Baron said, trying to rally support for the sport. "Plus, it's easy to get into a winner." Don't worry too much, though. This team will keep winning, as it has done in the past, without notice if it must.
In the fastest race it has competed in thus far this season, the men's cross-country team had a few spectacular individual performances, but they had a disappointing team finish at the All New England Championship Race on Friday.
You may not know it, but there's a new face lurking around the music building at 20 Professors Row. The Music Department has finally hired a full-time director of choral activities. His name is James A. John, but he likes to be called Jim. Mr. John is an easy-going guy, but also has an air of enthusiasm and dedication that is contagious. Fresh from a stint at Nassau Community college as the director of Choral Activities for four years, he comes to Tufts with a great deal of experience and enthusiasm and with the goal of transforming the often ignored Tufts Chorale and Chamber Singers into a major presence on this campus.
Love and Shakespeare go together like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. They are inseparable, they overlap, they compliment each other perfectly. Often, it seems as if they are one and the same. And no where is this pairing between the great English bard and the unending search for love more obvious than in the master's sonnets.
The Tufts Community Union Judiciary (TCUJ) recognized the Tufts Friends of Spartacus Youth League on Monday, making official their status as an on-campus club and allowing them access to campus facilities for meetings and activities. The decision raised questions about the role of the Marxist group with low membership, which held a protest at the base of Memorial Steps yesterday that included only two Tufts students. The group's association with the national Spartacus Youth Organization has caused some students to become concerned that it may serve as the mouthpiece of a larger group.
The Africa and the New World (ANW) Interdisciplinary minor continues its biannual film festival today with the showing of A World Apart. This semester's festival focuses on Southern Africa and coincides with four courses on the region being taught as part of the ANW minor program.
The Educational Planning Committee (EPC) is set to slash and remodel Tufts' graduation requirements, culminating a six-year, comprehensive review of what it takes to earn the University's coveted undergraduate diploma.
Students at Tufts are given a wide variety of options for extracurricular activities on campus., and the city of Boston is enormous. If you can't find something to do on a Saturday night, you aren't looking. However, sometimes even a diverse campus and this great city can get tiresome, and you need to just get away. And with Thanksgiving and Winter Break coming up, students need to start making travel plans.
Frustration, disappointment, and bewilderment don't sufficiently express how I feel after my encounter with the Tufts Police.
What happens when every member of a team sets a career personal record in a single race? Just ask the men's cross country team, who notched a stellar second-place finish in the New England Championships on Saturday at UMass-Amherst, qualifying for the NCAA National Championship race this weekend.
Anyone who goes out to Zimman Field looking for Jon Troy just needs to find the football, because odds are, that is where he will be. Troy, now with the distinction of being the school's all-time leader in receiving yardage, has gained respect for giving it his all on the gridiron, which has allowed him to collect 1,876 yards in only 26 games.
As long as there has been institutionalized higher education, a constant battle has been waged over what that education should consist of. Professors and administrators have long debated the virtues of certain core curricula over others and have made relatively frequent changes in their composition over the years - often the result of changing global trends or new educational theories.
Have you ever wanted to commit a felony? You know, live on the edge for a little while? But you're afraid of the risks, right? Would you like to commit crimes without having to worry about all that bothersome "My parole hearing is next week. I just can't go to the Jumbos' football game today," nonsense?
While US News and World Report claims that Tufts' reputation is nothing to sing about, one campus group proved otherwise this past summer.
