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Women's Squash | Nationally ranked opponents drop Jumbos in landslides

' Less than one week after consecutive doubleheaders, the Tufts women's squash team took on No. 21 Wesleyan and No. 6 Stanford, seeking its first victory in 2010. But in the end, Tufts fell to both opponents, bringing its record down to 1-10 overall.In Sunday's matchup against Stanford, a traditional squash powerhouse, the Tufts squad knew it needed to be prepared to face one of the toughest opponents of the season. The Jumbos put forth a valiant effort, but they still were unable to notch a victory at any spot, falling 9-0 to the No. 6-ranked team. '[Stanford's] program is really good,' junior tri-captain Valerie Koo said. 'They were obviously a lot stronger than us, but we did what we could and played our hardest.'Although no Tufts player was successful in forcing a fourth game against her opponent, many stepped up their play against a very talented Stanford squad. Sophomore Alix Michael, for one, tallied 22 points in her loss to nationally-ranked No. 24 Kerrie Sample in the No. 2 slot, while Koo fell to freshman Pamela Chua, the 17th best player in the country. 'I think Alix played pretty well this afternoon,' Koo said. 'Her opponent was pretty tired from playing Harvard right before us, and she really capitalized and managed to get a lot of points against her.'During Friday's action against Wesleyan, only two Jumbos were successful in forcing a fifth game. Michael and classmate Mercedes Barba - playing at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, respectively - earned Tufts' two individual victories on the day, winning in five and four sets, respectively. Michael dominated her opponent in the fifth game 11-4, while Barba followed suit and pulled out an 11-8 victory in the final game.Unfortunately for Tufts, though, the power generated from the sophomore class was not enough to carry the team as it fell 7-2 to the Wesleyan. Aside from Michael and Barba, only Koo, who played at the No. 1 spot, did not get swept in three games, as the third-year took Casey Simchik into five sets, falling despite leading 2-0 early. But while they did not get the results they were looking for from the first match, the Jumbos felt that they started the weekend off on a good note.'I think overall we did pretty well,' Koo said. '[Wesleyan] is seeded pretty high, and they are slightly stronger, but it was a pretty good match for all of us.' With several of their toughest matches behind them, though, the Jumbos look forward to a big month in February, beginning with the NESCAC Championships at Trinity this weekend. Separating the squad and that pivotal match will be Tuesday's road matchup versus local rival Northeastern.

The White Ribbon' examines roots of Nazism

'The White Ribbon,' the new film from Austrian provocateur Michael Haneke, can best be described as chilling. The slow, austere aesthetic that pervades the film creates a palpable sense of dread, transforming everyday events as seemingly banal as children singing into moments of horror and suspense. 'The White Ribbon' examines the place of violence in Germany in the pre'minus;World War II years, before Hitler came to power, with finely crafted brushstrokes culminating in a painting that is simultaneously bleak and beautiful.The film follows the inhabitants of a small, isolated German village over the course of a few years, roughly from 1913 to 1914. The village's schoolteacher (Christian Friedel), provides the film's narration and warns that the story may not be entirely true, due to the distance of memory and the proliferation of rumor.What follows is an account of a group of people who experience a series of strange events: disturbing acts of violence that threaten to tear the community apart. Everyone in the village seems to be a suspect in the burning of a barn, the seemingly accidental death of a farm worker and two separate attacks on children.While it is tempting to read the film as a mystery - looking for clues, finding suspects and deducing whodunit - Haneke leaves just enough doubt as to who the actual perpetrator is to prevent a clear explanation. The relationships between the characters in the village take center stage, probing the power dynamics between baron and farmers, caretakers and the injured and, especially, parents and children. The children of 'The White Ribbon' are among the central protagonists (or possibly antagonists), and director Haneke reserves some of his most pointed commentary for them.Throughout the film, the children of the various villagers act as if they are hiding something from both their parents and the audience, and they seem to have an uncanny connection to the accidents that keep happening.One girl asks the schoolteacher if dreams can come true. When prompted further, she reveals that she has had a dream that another child in the village will be tortured, and, sure enough, her dream comes true. Did she really dream it first, or did she know something was going to happen from the other children? As the schoolteacher has already warned, the truth of these events is elusive and possibly unknowable.The film's title is a reference to a significant scene involving children, another hint that they are the main focus of the story. The village pastor, in order to punish two of his children, forces them to wear white armbands that serve to remind them of purity and innocence. The pure white of the ribbon stains the otherwise black wardrobes of the children, a direct marker of the cruel and damaging punishments dealt out by their father.Despite this apparent condemnation of strict parenting, the film does not portray the children as innocent victims. These children are possibly even more jealous, vengeful and power'minus;hungry than the adults in the village.The film views the children through a lens of distrust, and it is with the unpredictable nature of their actions that the movie gains its sense of dread and much of its power. In each scene in which the children are interacting with the adults or each other, there is a sense that the tensions created by the social class of their families and the stern reprimands of their parents may burst out of them with violent force at any time.Haneke has stated that the film is his examination of the roots of Nazism. While it certainly makes a well'minus;argued point that certain kinds of cultural institutions like strict religious values, authoritative parenting and resentment of authority figures can prime a society for accepting a totalitarian regime, Haneke's creation is also much more than that.The way in which the film uses formal technique, a mirror of the lifestyle of its characters, also makes a salient point about the ways in which all people interact with others. Each social interaction between people brings with it entire histories, both personal and cultural, and there is a myriad of ways in which violence and its consequences can come to saturate a community.

Northeastern cuts football amid cost concerns

Northeastern University in November discontinued its football program for cost reasons after an extensive two-year review of its athletics.Director of Northeastern Athletics Peter Roby made the original suggestion to cut the Division I-AA program after a review revealed that the university would have to invest several million dollars in the program to make it successful.The program had run for 74 seasons, the last six of which had been losing ones marked by meager attendance. Roby said in a Nov. 23 press conference - in which he outlined what was required to reach an acceptable 'level of excellence' - that this was not an investment the university was willing to make.'It is about money 'hellip; it's going to require multiples of millions of dollars going forward in order to do what's fair to help us to be successful,' Roby said. 'It became clear to me that that level of investment was not something that I was comfortable recommending.'The Athletics Review Panel, headed by Roby, made the final decision not to renew the program. The panel was made up of faculty, students, donors, alumni, trustees and administrators.Northeastern has stipulated that the university will continue to sponsor the athletic scholarships of current players who decide to complete their degrees at Northeastern.Junior running back John Griffin, one of the two Husky players to be named to New England's Subdivision All-Star Team and only the fifth Husky running back to record 1,000 yards rushing in a season, expressed his frustration with the decision.'I'm not too happy about it. I'm planning to transfer to another school to continue my football career,' Griffin told the Daily shortly after the announcement was made.Griffin has since joined the University of Massachusetts football team, along with two other teammates.For many' other players, however, the decision has not been as clear-cut.According to Griffin, while many students will transfer to other programs, others will see their football careers end because they do not have that option.'Most of them are trying to decide whether they want to go play football somewhere else or just go back to school and be a regular student,' Griffin said.Northeastern's decision to cut its football program may be indicative of a larger trend in small college football.Long Island's Hofstra University ended its football program less than two weeks after Northeastern announced its decision, citing program costs and lack of interest. Hofstra's decision makes it the second school in the NCAA's Division I-AA to discontinue its football program.Tufts' head football coach Bill Samko noted that Northeastern's decision to discontinue its football program was 'very disappointing.' He added that such a situation would not occur at Tufts because the nature of the programs at the respective schools differed greatly.'That level [of football] is the scholarship level 'hellip; and that's a different animal,' Samko said. 'Here, football or any athletic endeavor is for your educational experience, not necessarily your academic experience. At that level, they're spending a lot of money and trying to generate revenue, and that's not the case here.'The football program was the only Northeastern athletics program that was not renewed for another season.

Graduate locally, act globally

While senior spring has been ramping up for many students with a flurry of job applications and grad school essays, many seniors have been hard at work for months searching for and applying to different programs abroad. After four years of Tufts' emphasis on globalism and giving back to the community, it seems natural to many students to pursue volunteering programs and fellowships abroad after graduation.But before signing off to teach English in South America for three years, potential applicants need to consider what they are looking for in their postgraduate adventures. Is a' three-year' commitment better than a' three-month one? Would their past experiences be more suited for a health-outreach program rather than a teaching one? Can they live without running water, or is that a deal breaker?Laura Doane,' the program director for advising and scholarships in the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Education, asks many of these questions as she advises students about potential opportunities that they can take advantage of after graduation.She explained that interested students should ideally start their search for programs early and have a thorough discussion of their objectives. 'You won't be successful in a program that doesn't align with your goals,' she said. 'So I ask 'Where do you see yourself in ten years? Why is this important to you?' My favorite clich'eacute; question is, 'What do your friends and family count on you for?'She added that students also need to consider their perceptions of expectations and what they 'should be doing.' Tufts encourages community service and giving back to others, but students need to make sure that volunteering is their personal goal before they jump into a program for a few months or longer.'Students feel like they're a bad person if their goals aren't aligned with other students',' Doane said. 'But if you don't feel like you're ready to live without electricity and running water, it doesn't mean you're a bad person or that you wouldn't change your mind in the future.'Patrick Roath' (LA '09) said he started exploring his post-graduate options the summer before senior year. He looked into a number of jobs and internships, and after a recommendation from an advisor, also applied for a Fulbright grant.An International Relations major with' experience teaching English as a foreign language, Roath settled on applying to a Fulbright English teaching program in Malaysia.' 'It was warm, far away and had an English teaching program. It seemed like a place that needed the help, and as a Muslim majority country, seemed a good place to go as a sort of U.S. ambassador,' Roath said.Roath was finally accepted into the program in April 2009 after beginning the application process in June 2008. He left for the program's orientation in Kuala Lumpur in early January 2010, a week after talking with the Daily.Although Roath felt that the Fulbright program was a great fit for him, he still expressed a few concerns before moving halfway around the world. 'I worry about things like dengue fever, malaria, those kinds of things. In less than a week I'm going to be over there, and it [will be] monsooning and 90 degrees,' he joked.'Still,' he added, 'I'll be in front of a classroom of high school students in rural Malaysia in about three weeks.'Arianna Rubin (LA '09)' took a bold step transitioning from her former off-campus house filled with Tufts friends to living in a mud hut on her own in Zambia with the Peace Corps.Rubin said she also applied for a number of different jobs during her senior year, and was a little intimidated by the Peace Corps' two year commitment.'However, the more I researched other job opportunities abroad, the more I realized that the two year commitment was actually the greatest benefit of Peace Corps because it allows volunteers to become fluent in a local language and to fully assimilate into rural and radically different communities,' she said in an e-mail to the Daily. 'Once I received my invitation package from Peace Corps offering me a position in Zambia's Community Health Improvement Project, I knew it was the right - albeit extremely daunting - next step for me to take.'Rubin now lives in a remote village of 100 people without electricity or running water, and has really appreciated being able to apply her Tufts education in a hands-on way' by working on' issues that are important to her, she said.'The biggest adjustment for me has been moving from the fast paced lifestyle of America, where I was in a number of clubs and attending classes, living in a house filled with my best friends in an exciting city like Boston, and was generally overcommitted with my time,' she' said. 'In the village, times moves slowly and meetings rarely start on time. People spend a lot of time just chatting together, getting from one place to another, and accomplishing the tasks of everyday life.' While this has been one of the most challenging adjustments for me to become used to, it has also been one of the most rewarding.'Doane, Roath and Rubin all recommended that students considering opportunities abroad test the waters by looking into different programs and going through the application process.'Many people find that they get a better understanding of what they want as they apply,' Doane said. 'Applications really are helpful in and of themselves.'Roath echoed similar sentiments. 'Students stand to lose nothing by putting themselves out there in front of the big opportunities, and the potential payoff is enormous,' he said. 'By forcing you to seriously consider your values, career and personal goals, the rigorous application process is also an avenue to build crucial skills. The interview and essay-writing process helped me to think about my post-grad goals and my undergraduate background.'

Strong cast and action scenes make 'Human Target' enjoyable

In the more carefree days of the '70s and '80s, when network TV was not yet being bludgeoned to death by the Internet, action series like 'Charlie's Angels' (1976'minus;1981) and 'The A'minus;Team' (1983'minus;1987) followed preternaturally skilled heroes who kept it lighthearted and always somehow saved the day. In the graphic'minus;novel inspired new series 'Human Target,' Fox spiritedly hearkens back to the good old days of comedic action.Mark Valley stars as Christopher Chance, a multi'minus;talented bodyguard'minus;for'minus;hire. In the first two episodes, Chance is required to shoot guns, engage in martial arts, fly a plane and speak Japanese; Valley does it all with an infectious sort of confidence and palatable charm. Valley's square jaw, blond hair, blue eyes and real'minus;life military background make him a perfect fit for Chance, and an even more ideal choice for a live'minus;action Captain America.Chance's team consists of Winston (Chi McBride) and Guerrero (Jackie Earle Haley), whose talents aren't entirely clear, presumably so the writers can shoehorn them in where they're needed. McBride, who has starred in shows ranging from 'Boston Public' (2000'minus;2004) to 'Pushing Daisies' (2007'minus;2009) and is always a welcome television presence, acts as the gruff and disdainful voice of reason. Though Guerrero is more soft'minus;spoken and upbeat than Rorschach of 'Watchmen' (2009), Haley's last major role, the former child actor adds an effective undercurrent of menace to his reformed criminal character.The show's concept is drawn from the eponymous comic book series, created by Len Wein and Carmine Infantino. Chance in the comics employed a complicated series of disguises so that he could go undercover as his client in order to protect them. The change made for the television adaptation - in which Chance merely protects his charge as an anonymous bystander, only stepping in when necessary - is understandable, especially considering the physically ideal lead the producers found in Valley.In the spirit of retro action series - a motif that even extends to the orchestral score and kicky opening credits - Chance is hired each episode by a new client who has been threatened and requires an unorthodox kind of protection. Chance's M.O. is to identify the threat and take him or her out by whatever means necessary.The action scenes in the first two episodes are intensified by their respective locations: a runaway train and a crashing airplane. In particular, the airborne climax of the second episode is heart'minus;pounding and fun, culminating in a fistfight between Chance and the plane's saboteur inside the wheel well of the plane, all while the plane is being flipped over and the landing gear door is open.Though 'Human Target' has yet to do more than allude to the back stories of its main characters, the show can be exciting enough to excuse its formulaic nature. It remains to be seen whether the adrenaline can stay high when the writers run out of thrilling set pieces and Chance inevitably has to stop an assassination attempt in a Starbucks.Still, there's a good deal of fun to be had in 'Human Target.' Each episode functions as a kind of whodunit, as Chance searches for the mysterious threat. The show is most definitely fluff, but at least it's quality fluff. That quality can be primarily attributed to Valley, McBride and Haley, all very talented actors with excellent chemistry. If the central trio can spend more time together, working as a team and engaging in quippy banter, then weak or drab A'minus;plots can mostly likely be forgiven.As in the recession of the late '70s, shows like 'Human Target' serve as an excellent diversion. They give insight into a world where some people - working unbeknownst to the rest of us - always possess the appropriate skills, make the right decisions and save the day with a roguish smirk on their faces.

The Good Negro' explores injustice in '60s Alabama

Birmingham, Ala.'s prejudiced politics of the 1960s and their personal repercussions are brought to life in Tracey Scott Wilson's 'The Good Negro,' currently on stage at the Boston Center for the Arts Plaza Theater. Company One's production under Summer L. Williams' direction is both violent and touching, as the characters risk what they consider most dear for what they believe in.While obviously based on the events surrounding the civil rights movement, the production's fictional plot has an essence of its own. 'The Good Negro' dodges the limitations of historical accuracy and recreates the violence and fear prevalent in Birmingham in 1962.The play also closely scrutinizes and fictionalizes the personal life and complicated relationships of the movement's leaders. Elements of the lives of Martin Luther King, Jr. and some of his fellow civil rights leaders such as Ralph Abernathy, Fred Shuttlesworth and Bayard Rustin are apparent in the show, but the lives of these men are edited and reorganized to create new, but equally powerful characters.The production opens with the shocking and brutal beating of Claudette Sullivan (Marvelyn Mcfarlane). Claudette breaks the law when she lets her four'minus;year'minus;old black daughter use the 'white only' restroom in a Birmingham store. It is a small, seemingly innocent act that unleashes all the cruelty associated with the Jim Crow era.At that point, the heart of the civil rights movement resides in Birmingham, led by the inspirational and respected James Lawrence (Jonathan L. Dent) and his close friend Henry Evans (Cliff Odle), a passionate individual and egomaniac. Lawrence and Evans decide to expose the violent and unreasonable treatment of Claudette and her daughter Shelley in order to fuel the movement, a decision that affects everyone involved personally and ends with undesirable consequences.Amid the rioting and chaos is the extremely organized and adorable Bill Rutherford (Cedric Lilly), who flew from Geneva to join the movement with Lawrence and Evans.Rutherford arrives in Birmingham with smiles and enthusiasm, only to find a disorganized campaign and worn'minus;out volunteers. Lilly is touching in his portrayal of the seemingly fragile, yet determined Rutherford. While often the subject of scorn from Evans, Rutherford becomes perhaps the most loved character in the performance. Of all the civil rights activists, Rutherford remains the most innocent, and is therefore a beacon of morality, that guides both Lawrence and the movement.But despite Rutherford's ideals, it is Claudette's husband, Pelzie (James Milord), who exhibits the most wisdom. Milord is surprising in his performance as he slowly develops Pelzie's character. Pelzie's initial gruff manner and bad grammar make him seem undesirable to the activists as an icon for the movement. After losing his job and facing much more adversity, Pelzie's pain and loss force him to experience and understand the worst of Jim Crow, segregation and the hate that upholds both practices.The work of the FBI and the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) parallels the progression of the civil rights movement as the two march forward to their inevitable clash. Scott's script beautifully matches fear with its source when Lawrence and Gary Thomas Rowe, Jr.(Greg Maraio), a KKK member and FBI informant, give overlapping speeches to their contrasting audiences. At this moment, both men are speaking for what they believe in, but with extremely different intentions; it is a scene that simultaneously reveals humankind's ability to love and hate.The set for the performance is simple, yet startlingly intimate. Wooden benches, FBI corkboards filled up with a collage of information on Lawrence's life and a spare chair here and there make up the few objects on the set, leaving it up to the actors to set their own stage and create their own environments. A movie screen in the background shows footage in black and white, helping to link the fictional storyline with the feel of a historical event.'The Good Negro' gives a humble and honest perspective of both sides of the movement, revealing faults and human weaknesses. The story is both heart'minus;wrenching and hopeful, and provides a glance at what the civil rights movement meant to those fighting for it.Company One's production of 'The Good Negro' is running until Feb. 6 at the Boston Center for the Arts Plaza Theater with performances every day except Monday and Tuesday.

Spoon's latest album lacks ambition

The appeal of a good, simple groove is so hard to pinpoint. Why is it that some bass lines are intolerable after two verses, while others stay fresh for minutes at a time? Knowing the difference between a phrase worth repeating and a dud is even more important for bands like Spoon, whose songwriting has always been grounded in extracting as much as possible from simplistic hooks and rhythms.Such an approach poses a great danger; when a small idea is repeated, exposed and stretched out over numerous bars, every little nuance becomes all the more audible. Albums like LCD Soundsystem's 'Sound of Silver' (2007) and Spoon's 'Kill the Moonlight' (2002) show how repetition can reveal the greatness in the simplest grooves. The magic of both of these albums was in the anticipation they built around every little phrase. Even though the same three'minus;note synth lick was coming back for another verse, it was just as exciting as the first time around.'Transference,' Spoon's latest release, proves how little this approach to music can yield when the hooks simply aren't catchy enough. Without the air'minus;tight pop phrasing that characterized earlier Spoon songs like 'The Way We Get By' (2002), the repetition that was previously so critical to Spoon's sound stopped doing them favors.Each repeat of the bass riff in 'I Saw the Light' only reinforces how meandering and directionless the song feels. The rhythm sections beat out the same meter for most of the song, leaving the listener unaffected after five and a half minutes of monotony.Instrumental breaks strewn throughout 'Transference' generally offer little respite from the stagnant verses and choruses that characterize the album.The band so thoroughly bombards the listener that when the distorted guitars in the bridge of 'The Mystery Zone' finally emerge from the robotic heave of the song's first three minutes, any change is more than welcome. Too bad the break only lasts for 15 seconds before it recedes back into the same ineffective theme.Even though 'Transference' disappoints in some critical areas, the high points of Spoon's songwriting and arranging come through clearly on a few tracks. The album's opener, 'Before Destruction,' effectively pairs the disparate sounds of a strangely recorded guitar with an organ. Unlike the other songs on the album, 'Before Destruction' has a sense of movement, as themes evolve and elements get added and taken away. At the song's end, the listener feels more affected than he or she will by any of the other tracks on the album.Other tracks, such as 'Who Makes Your Money,' show how Spoon can still use simple ideas in extremely effective ways. Rather than dragging out a single bass line or guitar riff throughout the duration of the song, Spoon alternates between guitar sequences, oozing synths and pseudo'minus;funk bass work that shows off the rhythm section. Obviously, this band is still more than capable of producing engaging work; they just need to modify their approach.In the end, 'Transference' shows a band that has lost its sense of adventure. Britt Daniels only breaks out of his songwriting comfort zone on a handful of tracks, and the result is a compilation that sounds like a timid counterpart to the group's earlier albums, such as 'Kill the Moonlight' and 'Gimme Fiction' (2005).The most frustrating parts of 'Transference' are the moments when the listener expects something beyond Spoon's usual song structure. While the band delivers on this promise on a few tracks, the majority of the album feels tired, lacking the momentum to keep itself moving toward a significant conclusion.

Ice Hockey | Tufts seeks to maintain playoff contention

Down but not out, the Tufts hockey team will try to put its recent struggles behind it as the Jumbos take on ECAC East foes Castleton and Skidmore this weekend in an attempt to climb out of the conference cellar.After dropping four of their last five games, including losses to NESCAC opponents Colby and Bowdoin last weekend, the Jumbos have fallen to 8'minus;7'minus;1 overall (4'minus;6'minus;1 NESCAC) and currently occupy the last NESCAC playoff berth ahead of Conn. College and Wesleyan. With just four weeks remaining on the regular season schedule, the Jumbos will be doing all they can to elevate their game and hold on to that spot, if not climb up a few rungs on the ladder.'The [NESCAC] race is so close, and every game in the NESCAC is winnable from first to 10th,' junior Zach Diaco said. 'Anyone can beat anyone else on any day. We felt like we earned our spot at the top of the standings earlier in the season, and we don't feel like we've fallen that far now.'The Jumbos' first shot at a turnaround comes with tonight's game against Castleton, the first of a four'minus;game home stand that Tufts hopes will reinvigorate its season.'We'll be ready to go come [tonight],' coach Brian Murphy said. 'We're rested and we're healthy and we're ready [for Castleton.]'So far this season, the Jumbos boast a 3'minus;2'minus;1 record on their home ice, including a season'minus;opening tie against powerhouse Middlebury. Tufts also has experience and confidence on its side, as the team already beat the Spartans 5'minus;2 to win the Rutland Herald Invitational in November.'We like to play at home,' Murphy said. 'It's a lot easier when you don't have to travel 'hellip; It was tough last weekend on the road. We like it here at the [Malden] Forum, and it's good when the fans can come out and support us.'The Jumbos will be looking to juniors Tom Derosa and Diaco for an offensive spark as they attempt to repeat the November victory. Derosa and Diaco lead the team so far this season with 17 and 15 points, respectively, as well as a team'minus;high seven goals apiece.Close behind is freshman Trevor John, who, despite his role on defense, is third on the team in both points (14) and goals (six).In the Jumbos' most recent victory, a 7'minus;1 romping of Suffolk on Jan. 19, Derosa notched a hat trick and an assist for a team'minus;leading four points, and John chipped in a goal and two assists. It will take consistent output from all three of these leaders for Tufts to improve on its recent results, and the contest with Castleton may prove the perfect opportunity to get things rolling.Saturday's meeting with Skidmore may prove a bit more challenging for the Jumbos, who have a losing streak against the Thoroughbreds that dates back to the 2002'minus;03 season. Fortunately for Tufts, Skidmore, who last year put together a 13'minus;10'minus;3 record and advanced to the ECAC East semifinals, seems to be having a rougher time this season and is currently just 7'minus;10.One thing the Jumbos won't be looking to change is the play of their special teams, which is performing as well as it ever has. Currently, the Jumbos claim the fourth'minus;best power play and second'minus;best penalty kill in the NESCAC. In their eight games since the start of 2010, the Jumbos have surrendered just three power'minus;play goals and never more than one in a single contest.'Our penalty kill and power play are playing great,' Murphy said. 'We just need to score more even'minus;strength goals, and we're going to bounce back.'The team's success with a man in the box can be attributed to strong defense, but there is no denying that outstanding goaltending has played its part as well. Sophomore starting goaltender Scott Barchard currently owns the best save percentage in the NESCAC at .942. Since taking over the starting position as a freshman last year, Barchard has had a strong hand in the majority of the Jumbos' wins and has been a steadying force when the team looks to be wavering.Getting two victories this weekend would be a major rallying point for the Jumbos, as they face back'minus;to'minus;back NESCAC matchups next weekend when they host Wesleyan and Trinity before hitting the road again. By gaining some confidence now with wins in these non'minus;NESCAC games, the Jumbos can build some momentum as they try to climb the NESCAC standings and advance to the postseason for the second consecutive year.'We feel that the hardest part of our schedule is behind us now, and nobody is losing any confidence,' Diaco said. 'We've been putting good games together, but just not a full 60 minutes ... We feel like we can beat anybody.'

Men's Track and Field | Freshmen victories highlight fourth-place finish

Youth was the theme last Saturday at the Wheaton Invitational for the men's track and field team, as the Jumbos came away with a fourth'minus;place finish among 10 teams, marked by individual victories by a pair of freshmen.First'minus;years Matt Rand and Curtis Yancy helped Tufts to 68 points in the overall standings, far behind NESCAC foe Williams, which took the overall standings with 123.5 points. Host Wheaton and Div. II Stonehill rang in second and third, respectively.Rand and classmate Kyle Marks gave Tufts an auspicious start, taking first and second in the day's first running event, the 5,000'minus;meter race. Rand crossed the line in 15:15.31, followed by Marks in 15:23.73. The next closest competitor, Conn. College junior Shawn Mulcahy, was nearly 11 seconds back of Marks.'The team had one of its most impressive meets that I've seen as a Tufts athlete, which is very unexpected for this early in the season,' junior Jeff Ragazzini said. 'The distance squads looked to be in great shape.'Yancy won the shot put with a throw of 13.88 meters, two'minus;tenths of a meter ahead of Williams' Rusty Cowher. Yancy also took third in the weight throw with a distance of 13.70 meters and was followed closely by junior teammate Alex Gresham, whose 13.64'minus;meter throw was good for fourth.'I was happy about [my performance] then, but I need to throw farther,' Yancy said. 'I am never really satisfied with how I throw ... I threw shot in high school, but I had not touched the weight until I came here, so I am still getting used to the weight.'It is not much different than high school,' Yancy continued, speaking about the transition to collegiate meets. 'It's just that I have never thrown indoors before, so that was different for me. I used to sit in the grass and kind of mediate before my throw, but I couldn't do that because I was inside.'The Jumbos' middle'minus;distance squad posted a strong performance in the 800'minus;meter run, with three athletes placing in the top six in a 43'minus;competitor field. Senior quad'minus;captain Billy Hale started fast out of the blocks and finished in 1:56.33 to finish as the runner'minus;up just two'minus;tenths of a second off the winning time. Senior classmates Jason Hanrahan and Scott Brinkman took fourth and sixth in the race, with times of 1:57.21 and 1:58.24, respectively.'There are a whole slew of guys who walked away from that meet with a lot of confidence in their fitness,' Ragazzini said. 'To name a few'hellip;[sophomore] Jeff Prescott ran a gutsy and aggressive [personal record] in the mile, [freshman] Dan Kirschner returned from injury to run a great 400['minus;meter race] in his collegiate track debut and first'minus;timers [sophomore] Tobie Reeuwijk and [freshman] Mike Blair both lowered their hurdle times closer to the New England qualifier.'Ragazzini's own performance added to the list of impressive races for the day, as the third'minus;year finished second in the mile, running a time of 4:20.31, three seconds off of Stonehill junior Daniel Pilz' first'minus;place mark.'I'm pleased with how I ran on Saturday,' Ragazzini said. 'Since the season has just started, 4:20 is a good indication that I still have a strong aerobic base from cross country, and that I'm ready for the real work that will get us prepped for the championship races in February and March.'The impressive marks posted at Wheaton, a meet nearly a month before the New England Div.'minus;III Championships, which will be held at Bates College on Feb. 19'minus;20, give a good indication of what is to come for the young Jumbos. 'I think a strong showing in mid'minus;January shows that we have all been diligent,' Ragazzini said. 'There was no slacking off in the fall or over the holidays. This team is focused.'Tufts will split up to compete in two meets this Saturday, with some of the squad attending the Terrier Classic at Boston University and the rest traveling to the Bowdoin Invitational before returning to the Gantcher Center on consecutive days to host the Tufts Pentathalon and the Tufts Invitational II.At least for the throwers, the upcoming meets could serve as a chance for the Jumbos to prove themselves.'As a throwing squad, we want to finally be a force in the NESCAC,' Yancy said. 'In the history of Tufts throwers, they have been pretty bad, and we want to change that this year and next year and start really bringing some points to the team in the field.'

Northeastern implements new four-year co-op program

Northeastern University's introduction of a new four'minus;year option to supplement its traditional five'minus;year cooperative education, or co'minus;op, program has been met with mixed reactions from the student body.The co'minus;op program allows students to enhance their learning experience by working full'minus;time in place of taking classes during certain academic semesters.Under the new four'minus;year program starting next fall, students will complete two full co'minus;op periods instead of the traditional three and will enroll in more online courses, according to Mike Armini, senior vice president of external affairs at Northeastern.Armini explained that the option was introduced in response to students who choose to graduate in four years and as a result only manage to complete at most one co'minus;op. He believes that the four'minus;year plan will allow all Northeastern students to benefit fully from its co'minus;op tradition.'As we saw more students interested in a four'minus;year degree, we took steps to make sure that if they were going to do that, it would be with two full co'minus;ops,' Armini told the Daily. 'To some extent, we are responding to student desire for flexibility, but doing it in a way to make sure co'minus;op is at the center of our educational model.'Students graduating in four years will take a number of online courses while on co'minus;op in order to squeeze in graduation requirements. 'We have a fairly significant online educational set of options,' Armini said. '[Courses] will have efficiencies that will give students more flexibility.'Discussions about starting a four'minus;year program have been ongoing over the past couple of years, and the possibility was formally studied in 2009, according to Armini.'We finally worked out the curricular details,' he said. 'We wanted freshman applying to know that this was an option when applying in the fall.'According to Armini, the administration believes the new option will soon supplant Northeastern's five'minus;year co'minus;op program as more students look to graduate in four years.Northeastern University President Joseph Aoun told the Boston Globe in a Dec. 9 article that the change will 'spread like wildfire.'The change has met with mixed responses from the Northeastern community.Liz McClanahan, a sophomore at Northeastern, said that the four'minus;year program would be a good option for students who need to fit in graduate school or who cannot afford the expenses of living in Boston for five years.'It's definitely a lot more work for students to choose [the four'minus;year] path but if they want to do it and can fit it in, it could be for them,' McClanahan, who is currently on the five'minus;year track, told the Daily.Other Northeastern students however, had reservations about the new four'minus;year option. Freshman Katherine Leib believes that the four'minus;year program is merely an attempt by university administrators to raise the school's standing in college rankings.'I think the only thing that's holding Northeastern back in the rankings is the fact that the four'minus;year graduation rate is very low because of the co'minus;op,' she said. 'They want to improve it by increasing our four'minus;year graduation rate.'Lieb also criticized the program's usage of extra online courses. 'It's totally impersonal,' she said. 'I know if I were to do online courses, I wouldn't put as much effort into it. My GPA would suffer from that.'Lieb explained that Northeastern's five'minus;year co'minus;op program is valuable because it offers students the opportunity to supplement course work with 18 months of full'minus;time, on'minus;the'minus;job experience.'You get to figure out if that is the career path you want to go in,' she said. 'You aren't just interning; you are an integral part of the company and you are doing legitimate work.'McClanahan, who will herself trade in one of her three co'minus;ops to study abroad, disagrees and believes that her two co'minus;op periods will provide enough experience.'Two co'minus;ops is still a lot, and much more than most other schools do,' she said. 'Co'minus;op has definitely reinforced that I love what I'm majoring in, and it makes me feel so much more confident in my choice.'In responding to criticism, Armini stressed that the four'minus;year option is an expansion of Northeastern's prided co'minus;op program because it ensures that students looking to graduate in four years can still benefit from the university's co'minus;op legacy.'I think the bottom line is that [the option] will ensure that students have a full co'minus;op experience,' Armini said. 'We are taking this step to make sure that everyone who graduates with a degree from Northeastern has at least two co'minus;op experiences. Co'minus;op is in our DNA here, and we always need to find ways to invest in it.'

Tufts men, women score mid-week wins

Sandwiched between two weekends of NESCAC play, the Tufts men's and women's basketball teams squared off against regional foes in non'minus;conference matchups Tuesday night. And heading into a crucial slate this weekend, both Jumbos squads emerged victorious.On the men's side, senior Dave Beyel poured in a game'minus;high 21 points on 8'minus;for'minus;9 shooting from the charity stripe and eight rebounds to lead Tufts to a 77'minus;67 win against Wheaton on the road. The Lyons, who on Saturday shocked then'minus;undefeated national No. 8 MIT, fell victim to the Jumbos' frontcourt.In addition to Beyel, senior tri'minus;captain Jon Pierce added 15 points, including nine from beyond the arc, while freshman Scott Anderson tacked on 16 points on 5'minus;for'minus;9 shooting from the field. Pierce and Anderson each had seven rebounds.As a team, the Jumbos shot 42.9 percent from the field, including 9'minus;for'minus;22 from three'minus;point range. Though Tufts got just nine bench points, 16 combined points from starters Alex Goldfarb and Dan Cook and 16 team offensive rebounds was enough to put the Lyons away.With 4:03 left in the first quarter, the Jumbos opened up a 14'minus;point lead and coasted to their largest offensive output since a 91'minus;79 win over Keene State on Dec. 3, 2009. After Saturday's NESCAC win against Bowdoin, Tufts (5'minus;12) took its fifth game this year and posted its second winning streak of the year heading into this weekend's games with Wesleyan and Conn. College.The women's basketball team took a 59'minus;49 victory at home against Emerson College, winning its fourth in a row and remaining undefeated at Cousens Gym on the year. The Jumbos opened up a 13'minus;point halftime lead and, despite losing the second half by three points, comfortably pushed their season record to 15'minus;2.Against the 8'minus;9 Lions, senior Julia Baily backed up her recent NESCAC Player of the Week honor, her second of the season, with 14 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore Tiffany Kornegay contributed a team'minus;high 16 points, while senior tri'minus;captain Vanessa Miller added seven points and five steals. Junior tri'minus;captain Colleen Hart continued her cold shooting, going just 1'minus;for'minus;12 from the field but ending up with three assists, directing the Jumbos' offense in 38 minutes on the floor.National No. 12 Tufts will next be in action this weekend when it hits the road to play Wesleyan and Conn. College, who are a combined 1'minus;7 in NESCAC play thus far.

BUILD in Guatemala lives up to its name

While many students use their breaks to catch up on sleep and enjoy the comforts of home, 13 members of Tufts' Building Understanding through International Learning and Development (BUILD) group spent part of last winter break conducting research in the rural Guatemalan community of Santa Anita la Union, a coffee cooperative in the Guatemalan highlands. BUILD, a division of Tufts' Institute for Global Leadership (IGL), is a student-led program through which participants learn valuable lessons about sustainable development and get to see the tangible effects of their dedication. Not only does BUILD conduct research and project trips to Guatemala, but next week from Feb. 4 to Feb. 6, they will host No-Alcanza: Voices from Guatemala's Enduring Search for Peace," an international forum. The event will feature speakers such as Francisco Villagran de Leon, the Guatemalan ambassador to the United States, Vanderbilt University professor and author of "Broccoli and Desire: Global Connections and Maya Struggles in Postwar Guatemala" Edward Fischer and five members of the Santa Anita la Union community. Those interested in attending can register through the BUILD page of the IGL Web site. "It's going to be incredible," sophomore Sasha deBeausset, BUILD's program co-director said. DeBeausset has a special connection with BUILD, as she is from Guatemala. "It's important for people who have never been Guatemala before and specifically this community to engage themselves in the community through research. They zoom in on their particular topics of interest and get to know the community through that. Based on the expressed interest of the community, we form different projects and programs to benefit the community for long-term sustainable development." Freshman Alfonso Enriquez, another student involved in the project, also felt a connection with the members of the Santa Anita la Union community. "I was born in Mexico and have always been interested in Latin America, and I've been able to come to this community, which is almost parallel to the one I was born in," Enriquez said. "I come from a rural background. It was nice to come to my roots with this new college perspective ... The experience was amazing." BUILD's recent trip "was more of a research oriented trip as opposed to a project oriented trip," freshman Cameron Yu said. According to Yu, last summer the group implemented an eco-tourism project and a computer center project, and also donated 20,000 plants to the community. In the mornings, the BUILD members on the trip split into two teams. One would help community members with their morning work, while the other filmed a documentary about members of the community, clips of which will be shown during the No-Alcanza forum. In the afternoons, BUILD members would work on their research projects. While on BUILD trips, the research that students conduct varies greatly. Some focus on Guatemalan government, while others might focus on the use of firewood in developing communities. BUILD members joined the group for a variety of reasons. "I came to Tufts with an outward global focus to see what I could do globally, because I know Tufts has a great international program, so BUILD kind of caught my eye and kind of fit more with me because I've been taking Spanish pretty much my entire life," Yu said. "I was really interested in sustainable development and Latin America in general," sophomore Molly Ferrill said. "I'd been to Peru and seen a lot of poverty there and I wondered what kind of things people can do to solve those issues, and BUILD has made me realize that that's a very complicated question. The more you learn about a community, the more you learn about the specific issues that they face." Part of the reason for the project's success, participants believe, is its limited scope. BUILD returns to the same community year after year to maximize its effect. "We really stress this: we're not trying to save the world. We've found a community whose had a very troubled past and a very troubled present, and we are trying to help them develop into a sustainable community to really make sure they have safe futures for themselves and their kids," Yu said. "I was excited that is was not just a research project, because research projects tend to be static in their structure and the reason that BUILD was so attractive to me was because they planned for it to be not only a research project but also to really carry out projects based on expressed needs of the community, so I think that was the most attractive thing," deBeausset said. "We've actually built a long-term relationship with this community." "I really like BUILD, because I feel it's different from a lot of service groups or trips, because we've been working with the same community for years now, and we have a really strong bond with the community, a really personal connection to them. So, we go there and we're like their friends and we're working with them, and so I think that's really ... a special connection to the community that's a little bit different from anything I've heard of before," Ferrill said. Ferrill has been on three BUILD trips during her time at Tufts. As for the future, BUILD hopes to expand its project to Nigeria. The pilot program will be this May. "Anyone who is interested in getting onboard either BUILD Guatemala ... or BUILD Nigeria starting this pilot program in BUILD Nigeria, just keep their ears open, because we're looking for new people," deBeausset said.

All My Sons' exposes cracks in the American dream

It all begins with a mother's nightmare and a burst of lightning.In the Huntington Theatre Company's production of Arthur Miller's 'All My Sons,' the storm that splits a tree in the middle of the night is a dramatic portent of truth's emergence in '40s Middle America. A family secret punctures a seemingly steady world, creating irrevocable familial rifts. Director David Esbjornson's interpretation revisits past events, rightfully reproducing the static tension and potential volatility of a post'minus;WWII America.On an August morning three and a half years after their son goes missing'minus;in'minus;action, the lives of Joe and Kate Keller (Will Lyman and Karen MacDonald) are uncomfortably shaken. The splitting of the tree in their front yard coincides with the arrival of Ann (Diane Davis), the former sweetheart of their missing son Larry.Despite Kate's resistance to accept that Larry is very probably dead, the rest of the family attempts to move on, particularly the Keller's other son, Chris (Lee Aaron Rosen). Chris wishes to marry Ann and had invited her in order to propose. The result of her visit is domestic tension and reluctance to open up old wounds of guilt and betrayal.The appearance of Ann's brother George (Michael Tisdale) comes at the play's climax. Tisdale portrays a believably torn individual who is desperately looking for a foundation of truth. Chris' steadfast convictions provide a desirable sense of balance for both George and Ann, but when Chris begins to doubt himself and his father, everything falls apart.Lyman and MacDonald both excel in their roles as parents who separately struggle with guilt and the loss of a son. Joe is nonchalant, with a surface of confidence and acceptance that is more fragile than it originally seems. Kate, who at first appears neurotic, begins to show her strength throughout the course of the play in a dramatic crescendo of motherly love. MacDonald's performance is heart'minus;wrenching and inspiring; she succeeds in personalizing her character's pain despite its widespread applicability to all mothers who have lost a child.Joe Keller stresses the importance of family above all else. The younger, more idealistic generation objects to this creed, but for Kate it rings true. Her emotions dominate her actions and morals. Kate Keller's strength stems from the same source as her despair: the love she has for her sons. She must find the strength to choose her living son over her dead one.The set for the production is appropriately nondescript, indicating that the Kellers' house is not unique. Joe Keller's financial success from the war granted him the American dream: lazy afternoons with the neighbors and a housekeeper for his wife.The Kellers' front porch on the side of the stage is a screen literally and metaphorically for the characters. A shadowed presence on the porch is a prelude to disaster or catastrophic events.A giant movie screen functions as the set's backdrop, which startlingly shows enlarged images of war and Kate's nightmares at the beginning of the play. The screen is blank for most of the remainder of the play, leaving a lingering feeling of dread in the viewer that something awful could pop back up at any moment.'All My Sons' is one of Miller's earlier plays, predating his more well'minus;known works 'Death of a Salesman,' written in 1949 and which won the Pulitzer Prize, and 'The Crucible' (1953). The dissolution of the American dream was a reoccurring theme for Miller, one that is perfectly brought to life on the stage in Esbjornson's direction of 'All My Sons.''All My Sons' is playing at the Boston University Theater until Feb. 7. Student rush tickets are available two hours before the performance for only $15.

Christian themes abound in 'Book of Eli'

Hollywood seems obsessed with the end of the world. 'The Book of Eli,' the latest post'minus;apocalyptic flick following in the footsteps of films like '2012' (2009), is designed specifically to alarm audiences with its tale of a dystopian future.Familiar Southwest scenery infused with CG destruction gives rise to the Hughes brothers' view of a world ravaged by a religious war 30 years past. The resulting 'hole in the sky' and scorching sun have destroyed civilization as humans know it, perverting both old and young into a new generation of illiterate, baseless people, most of whom wickedly bash heads to survive.Against this stark landscape battles Eli (Denzel Washington) as he travels west on barren roads with resolute conviction, but with no known destination. An enigmatic character, he possesses tender compassion, yet pervasive distrust and capabilities for brutal violence. Stumbling into a somewhat revived ghost town, Eli encounters its dictatorial leader, Carnegie (Gary Oldman), whose search for a weapon in book form consumes his sinister actions. When it's discovered that Eli carries this book, a King James Bible, the two characters enter into a bloody struggle over its possession.If the movie's deeply Christian subtexts aren't yet apparent, the film's end will knock viewers upside the head with a conclusion that has them pondering the significance for days to come. Some will find the second half of the movie to be pure Christian propaganda, with Eli as a clear Christ'minus;like savior defending the Word against evil. Others will see a perversion of Christianity at its worst, with Eli as a bloody crusader defending the Bible with a swift blade under miraculous circumstances.Both of these readings can be justified by the way that the Hughes brothers approach the film. Similar to Quentin Tarantino's 'Kill Bill' series (2003'minus;2004), the cinematography combines Western'minus;styled shots with comic book'minus;like dramatic imagery. The first battle scene, between Eli and a group of road hijackers, occurs in silhouette against the scalding white sky, the camera peering up from a low angle to watch the black shapes struggle and the black blood fly. Stylistic choices, such as the filming of this scene, leave the religious aura around Eli romanticized yet violent, allowing multiple interpretations of his actions.Though at times it veers into absurdity, the movie still keeps the audience engaged. As the plot progresses, Eli and Carnegie both develop into more archetypal characters, making the religious subtext as glaring as the sun above their heads. The smoldering friction between Oldman and Washington is clearly felt in the scenes in which guns aren't blazing.The story of two men fighting over religion only occasionally rises to the talents of these magnificent actors. Written by Gary Whitta, 'Book of Eli' takes a wrong turn with the introduction of Solara (Mila Kunis), the daughter of Carnegie's lover. Solara is first sent to seduce Eli, but then becomes his traveling companion. The miscast Kunis stands out against the rugged landscape with her bleached white teeth, clear skin and manicured eyebrows.The writers bring the audience back to reality with a few chuckles here and there, primarily from old cannibalistic couple Martha and George (Frances de la Tour and Michael Gambon). Eli and Solara stumble upon these two in their travels, and both actors play their characters with energy and humor.'The Book of Eli' provokes thoughtful debate about the religious themes in the film, but the old'minus;time Western vibe also brings in a rare mix of philosophy and pleasure.

Vampire Weekend evolves with 'Contra'

Two years ago, Vampire Weekend released its self'minus;titled debut album to widespread critical acclaim and immediate commercial success. On Jan. 12, the New York City'minus;based quartet's sophomore effort 'Contra' hit shelves and iTunes libraries everywhere.With the arrival of this new album comes the reassuring discovery that one of the collegiate pop scene's most iconic newcomers might just be in this for the long haul. Boasting 10 brand'minus;new tracks of upbeat, academia'minus;tinged pop'minus;rock goodness, 'Contra' has plenty to offer for both fans seeking more of the same and those hoping for a fresh and evolved sound.Musically, the album represents a significant developmental step forward from its predecessor. 'Vampire Weekend' (2008) was an intriguing pastiche of South African pop rhythms and Viennese classical stylings, and much of that multicultural influence remains evident on 'Contra.'For example, the intricate'minus;but'minus;repetitive arrangement and vibrant guitar'minus;and'minus;kick'minus;drum breakdowns of 'Holiday' are particularly reminiscent of the band's first album. The opening track, 'Horchata,' evokes new images of Hindustani melody and drone before building progressively to a lush orchestral finale.At its core, the album remains true to the band's musical roots, but access to professional recording studios has left an indelible mark on the finished product. The slicker, more pop'minus;oriented production values are apparent from the opening bars of the album, and they mesh perfectly with the preppy, carefree vibe that the group's self'minus;produced debut captured so elegantly.Synthesizers take a more conspicuous role on this album. Songs like 'White Sky' and 'Taxi Cab' are driven by heavily processed percussive samples, while 'Diplomat's Son' is built almost entirely around a perpetual synthesizer passacaglia.Despite the burgeoning electropop elements, the album stays away from strict electronica, continuing to place mostly acoustic instruments at the forefront. The trademark strings and high harmonies are evident throughout; bandleader Ezra Koenig's virtuosic, fluttery guitar lines continue to dominate on songs like 'Cousins.'While a handful of the songs on 'Contra' clock in at less than two and a half minutes, the majority are full radio single length. 'Diplomat's Son,' at just shy of six minutes, is the band's longest track to date.Many of the shorter tracks successfully leave the listener craving more, but some of the longer ones - 'Diplomat's Son' especially - overstay their welcome. The breezy, simplistic, riff'minus;driven sound that Vampire Weekend has worked so hard to cultivate doesn't seem to lend itself very well to sustained, repetitive musings. Nevertheless, it's good to see the band exploring long'minus;form songwriting, and such experiments surely bode well for the continued evolution of the ensemble's sonic palette in the future.The pinnacle of the band's compositional experimentation comes in the album's closing track - the titular, albeit annoyingly spelled, 'I Think Ur A Contra.' Beginning with warbling, synthetic pads and twittering electric guitar, a delicate and eerie soundscape unfolds. One by one, further layers are injected into the mix, featuring piano, drum machine, hand drums, shakers, acoustic guitars and a string quartet in cyclical, prominent roles that wash over the listener like some primal, polyrhythmic eardrum massage. Koenig's vocals are fluid and dramatic, bringing to mind the work of Thom Yorke on Radiohead's 'OK Computer' (1997) or Ryan Adams on 'Love Is Hell' (2004).Above all, the album's greatest joy lies in the marvelous fact that none of the tracks sound alike. Even within the confines of the ultra'minus;distinctive Vampire Weekend sound, which has carried over so evidently from the band's first album to this one, each track has been infused with a unique sonic flavor.Every song is a treasure to explore in its own right, and none so much as the positively magical 'Giving Up The Gun.' As the opening electronic flourishes melt away to expose a thudding, bassy guitar vamp and high, ethereal chimes, it's suddenly the easiest thing in the world to simply close one's eyes, float away into the music and follow the current wherever it chooses to flow.

Men's Squash | Tufts downs Colby at weekend matchup

With the return of key players to their lineup at this weekend's Amherst Round Robin, the Jumbos offset tight competition throughout the ladder, splitting the four overall matches and scoring one of the team's biggest wins this season - a 6'minus;3 victory over conference foe Colby.'Colby was one of our toughest opponents last year, because they have beaten us by close margins,' senior co'minus;captain Zach Bradley said. 'No matter what happened, we couldn't get over the hump to beat them. This time we came out really strong and had big wins throughout the lineup.'Tufts benefited on Saturday from a Mules squad that graduated half of last year's roster, leaving a weakened unit ranked No. 21 in the nation, sitting just behind No. 19 Tufts.With the Mules struggling in the transition to a younger squad, Tufts senior co'minus;captain Max Dalury, sophomore Henry Miller and senior Scott Leighton swept their respective opponents in three sets. In the No. 9 match junior Andrew Kim pulled out a four'minus;set victory after trailing his opponent 11'minus;9 in the first set.Earlier on Saturday, the Tufts squad matched up against another NESCAC competitor, No. 17 Middlebury. Despite a commendable performance in which the Jumbos sent four matches into five sets, Tufts was ultimately outmatched in most positions. However, Kim managed to rally back from a 2'minus;1 deficit with close victories in the fourth and fifth sets for Tufts' sole victory in the 8'minus;1 loss.'We were hoping for a better result, but [Middlebury] outplayed us in a lot of spots,' Bradley said. 'It's unfortunate that none of them went our way. I think that if we were to play them again we could turn the tables 'hellip; It wasn't an 8'minus;1 loss to us so much as something that we should build upon in that we need to pull out wins in those close games.'In Sunday's matches against the 16th'minus;ranked Saint Lawrence Saints and No. 26 Hobart, the Jumbos rounded out the weekend by once again splitting their matches. In the 7'minus;2 victory over the Statesmen, the Jumbos picked up six of their eight victories in three'minus;set sweeps.Tufts' performance against the Saints, however, was hardly smooth sailing. In that match, the Jumbos lost six of their matches in straight sets. Junior Alex Gross, who recently returned from abroad, picked up the Jumbos' sole win in the No. 1 position in a three'minus;set victory.'It was nice to get a win at No. 1, but the rest of [Saint Lawrence's] lineup was pretty strong all the way through and they just took it to us in that match,' Bradley said.At a 4'minus;6 overall clip, the Jumbos now must put their stock in juniors returning from abroad, like Gross and Ben Rind, and put a greater focus on technically sound play in the weeks ahead. With a match against national No. 1 Trinity this weekend and NESCAC Championships on the horizon, the Tufts squad is gearing up for its toughest stretch of the season.'We want to go into this weekend strong, but we're also keeping an eye on NESCACs, which will affect where we place for Nationals,' Bradley said.

TCU Survey Results

Chuck' knows kung fu in thrilling new season

Many television shows attempt to stitch more than one genre into their patchwork quilt, but few manage to do so as seamlessly as Chuck." The spy-action-comedy-drama just began its unlikely third season on NBC. Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi) is a part-time IT guy and full-time nerd who accidentally opened an e-mail, downloaded governmental secrets into his brain and became the CIA's most valuable possession. His handlers are CIA agent Sarah Walker (the stunning and athletic Yvonne Strahovski) and the NSA's Colonel John Casey (nerd favorite Adam Baldwin), who spend the show using their spy expertise to keep the bumbling Chuck safe. Chuck maintains his cover life and day job on the Nerd Herd at the Buy More, alongside his even-nerdier best friend Morgan (Joshua Gomez) and oddballs Jeff (Scott Krinsky) and Lester (Vik Sahay). Like most shows that are difficult to define early on, "Chuck" spent its first two years with a small but dedicated audience. When renewal for a third season looked unlikely, an Internet fan campaign arose that went straight to the people who could make a difference. On April 27, 2009, the airdate of the second season finale, "Chuck" fans went to their local Subway restaurant to purchase a "five dollar foot-long" sandwich. The scheme worked perfectly; Subway, a major sponsor of "Chuck," subsidized much of the current season's budget for the struggling NBC and negotiated a deal for continued product placement into the show. It's easy to paint Chuck, with his lack of coordination, nerdy good looks and quick pop culture one-liners, as the Seth Cohen of espionage; the show is executive produced by "The O.C." (2003-2007) creator Josh Schwartz, who brought his eye for quirky romance and ear for indie pop with him. Schwartz's instincts are balanced by that of executive producer Chris Fedak, who handles the show's surprisingly deft spy elements and action set pieces. Though there's rarely a dull moment in Chuck's seemingly opposite worlds, the stakes for Chuck and his team have changed this season. Chuck unwittingly downloaded a new version of the government's intelligence computer, Intersect 2.0, which features a new physical component. Now Chuck occasionally "knows kung fu," along with a myriad of other random skills such as the ability to speak foreign languages fluently. This change gave the show a well-deserved reboot after a thoroughly entertaining second season. "Chuck" newcomers shouldn't fear jumping right in with these new episodes, since the Intersect 2.0 offers a whole new set of problems for the team. If Chuck is flustered or emotional -- a near-constant state for him -- his new powers glitch, leaving him defenseless. Chuck in fact has many reasons to be emotional. His will-they-or-won't-they romantic tension with Sarah, which began in season one, intensified in the season premiere when Chuck was forced to decide between a life with Sarah and a life as a real spy. Quiet, "we can't be together" conversations, scored by Schwartz's favorite soft rock, can grate against and distract from the deft spy sequences. And Levi, always a little too good-looking to be playing a hopeless geek, makes a surprisingly convincing super-spy when his powers work correctly, a new development that makes him stand out even more at the Buy More. The show spends some of the first few episodes exploring new ways to wedge Chuck back into the civilian world. One of the more successful experiments is the new integration of Chuck's affable and jockish brother-in-law Captain Awesome (Ryan McPartlin), who learned about Chuck's double life near the end of last season. The newest episodes see Captain Awesome inadvertently dragged into the spy world, where McPartlin's notable charm and comedic zeal help meld Chuck's two worlds. Joining McPartlin in the cast's square-jawed ranks is Brandon Routh ("Superman Returns," 2006), who was introduced in last week's episode as Agent Shaw, the morally dubious new leader of Operation Bartowski. Routh's inevitable function as the third prong of the constant Chuck-Sarah love triangle is tiresome. Thankfully, "Chuck" always treats its spy characters with tongue-in-cheek aplomb, presenting the espionage business as a revolving door of excessively attractive and incredibly skilled agents. There's no reason to think that Routh's Clark Kent wholesomeness will be misused. So far the fun and thrills of the spy world in season three have overshadowed the other dimensions of the show that made "Chuck" so appealing in the first place. The fourth episode, "Chuck vs. Operation Awesome," integrated Morgan, Lester and Jeff with a long-form parody of "Fight Club" (1999), but there weren't enough laughs to stand up against scenes of Chuck and a bumbling Awesome infiltrating a CIA office. Once the show establishes exactly what Chuck can and can't do with the new Intersect 2.0, he'll hopefully start to seem like a nerd again. "Chuck" needs its Everyman back so that the audience isn't alone in watching all the cool spy stuff with starry eyes.

Jumbos' first weekend back hit by power outage and fire

Students' first weekend back on the Hill was an eventful one with a power outage on the main campus early Friday morning and a fire in Miller Hall early Saturday morning. An underground cable fault in the main power line providing service to the university caused the power to go out on most of the main Medford/Somerville campus at approximately 1 a.m. Friday morning, according to a National Grid spokesperson. National Grid workers were able to restore power back to the campus over three hours later at approximately 4:25 a.m. by switching the university over to a backup line while testing on the primary line continued, according to Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) Capt. Mark Keith. The cable fault has since been repaired and power was restored back to the main line as of 9 p.m. on Friday night according to Keith. The university sent out two notifications via SMS text message and e-mail informing students about the outage and the restoration of power. Keith said that TUPD received no reports of any major security issues taking place during the blackout. TUPD alerted the Office of Residential Life and Learning (ResLife) to the power outage and residential assistants (RAs) were deployed to man the front doors of dorms and to place battery-operated lights in stairways and hallways to provide lighting. The power outage was the third in two years to occur on the main campus. The previous two outages occurring in October of 2008 and 2009 lasted much longer with the power going out for 14 hours and close to a whole day respectively. The administration has been working to improve its response protocol following the first blackout when students expressed their concerns. Keith said the university's response to Friday's outage benefited from experience gained from previous blackouts. With each episode you get a little better at it because you learn from mistakes so unfortunately we are getting better at it," he said. Unlike last October's blackout when significant portions of Medford lost power, the outage mostly affected buildings on the main Tufts campus because the line affected was dedicated to the university. Some smaller wood frame houses on campus were also spared because a different grid services them. Less than 24 hours after power had been restored, residents of Miller Hall had to evacuate at approximately 3 a.m. Saturday morning when the fire alarm went off. TUPD and Medford fire investigators responded to the alarm and found heavy smoke coming out of a room on the first floor of Miller, according to Keith. Miller Hall resident Asad Badruddin confirmed the report. "When I was outside I saw smoke coming out of the window - ¦ they didn't tell us what was going on but it was pretty obvious there was a fire," Badruddin, a sophomore, said. Keith said the sprinklers in the affected room were activated and had mostly doused the fire by the time the responders arrived. He declined to comment on the cause of the fire until a final report had been released. "I know that Tufts' fire marshal along with Medford fire investigators were investigating it over the weekend," he said. "There is some speculation on the cause but until the fire report from the fire marshal is out, I don't want to say." Fire damage to the room was minor with most of the damage resulting from water from the sprinklers, according to Keith. Danielle Pike, a sophomore living on the first floor of Miller Hall, caught a glimpse of the damage in the affected room Sunday morning. "[The room resident's] personal belongings are outside of the room on the carpet in the hallway," she said. "There's nothing in the room, the drawers are taken out and on the floor, the walls are blackened by the smoke and there's ash on the walls." Sophomore Arielle McAloon, a Miller Hall resident, said that most residents were allowed back into the hall at approximately 4 a.m., an hour after the alarm first went off. The exception was residents on the first floor in the east wing of the hall where the affected room was, who were housed elsewhere for the rest of the night. "Everything was flooded and wet so they didn't sleep there. I think some of them slept with friends or in the common room," Badruddin said. Keith confirmed this and said that the university also found housing for residents who needed it. All residents were allowed back into the hall as of the following morning.

Women's Swimming and Diving | On Seniors' Day, Jumbos fall to non-conference foe MIT

The women's swimming team dropped its third straight meet in a 172.5'minus;125.5 loss to MIT at the Hamilton Pool, spoiling strong performances from sophomore swimmer Katie Russell and senior diver Lindsey Gardel on Seniors' Day.On the annual event day, held to honor the Jumbos' six fourth'minus;years, it was the second'minus;year Russell who emerged dominant in the distance events. Russell won the 1000'minus;yard freestyle event by five seconds with a time of 10:58.99. She followed it up with an impressive performance in the 500'minus;yard freestyle event, in which she beat out her nearest competitor -Tufts junior Megan Kono - by nearly three seconds.'Its great having the juniors back,' senior tri'minus;captain Joanna Drianne said, referring to third'minus;years like Kono who were abroad for the fall semester. 'They add a great leadership dynamic to the team, and they have been performing well considering that they just came back.'On the diving boards, Gardel was equally impressive, capturing both the 1'minus; and 3'minus;meter events with respective scores of 253.04 and 279.30 and helping Tufts notch crucial points toward the overall standings. The senior's final score in the 1'minus;meter event bested MIT's Elise Stave's by almost 13 points, while Gardel won the 3'minus;meter by nearly 18 points.The Jumbos also benefited from strong performances in the sprint and middle'minus;distance swimming events. In the 200'minus;yard breaststroke, two Jumbos were neck'minus;and'minus;neck for the length of the race, with freshman Lauren Quan ultimately out'minus;touching her teammate, sophomore Paulina Ziolek, by four hundredths of a second.In the backstroke events, sophomore Kelly Moriarty finished second in the 100'minus;yard race, six hundredths of a second behind MIT first'minus;year Kathryn Greskoff. The Jumbos also had a strong performance in the sprint events with sophomore Saheela Mehrotra placing second in the 50'minus;yard event and junior Maureen O'Neill finishing in third place.Sophomore Valerie Eacret finished in second place in the 100'minus;meter butterfly, a half'minus;second behind MIT junior Amy Jacobi, while classmate Courtney Adams finished in the runner'minus;up slot in the 200'minus;yard freestyle.The Jumbos, who last year went 8'minus;1 in dual meets, dropped to 2'minus;5 this season with the loss versus the Engineers. But far more important for Tufts than the win'minus;loss record will be the team's performance at February's NESCAC Championships. Separating the Jumbos and that meet, though, will be Saturday's home meet with Bates and Wheaton, the final match at Hamilton Pool of the year.'Next weekend will be another opportunity for us to show what we are made of, and I think it should be a great meet for everyone,' Drianne said. 'It will be another great opportunity to compete and have some great swims.'The experience of racing against MIT, though, should prove invaluable down the stretch.'MIT has a great program, [and] we were just coming off our training trip,' Drinane said. 'The focus for our season is performing well at NESCACs but we ... embraced the opportunity to swim against MIT, and would have liked to beat them, but it didn't work out in our favor.'