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Lift moderate amounts of weight in moderate reps to build muscle

November 3

When I go to the gym, I always see really big guys bouncing huge amounts of weight off their chest a few times as they grunt loudly. Should I be trying to lift as much weight as possible in order to get big? Does grunting help?Jimmy Edgerton, Lil' Schniffa (from Revere) Getting big isn't about lifting a maximum amount of weight. Building strength and getting big are not identical goals. This isn't to say that if you are lifting in order to gain strength that you won't build mass, because you will (and vice versa). But if your main goal is to get bigger, lifting a maximal amount of weight a few times isn't going to be the best way to get there. In order to get big, you want to focus on a moderate repetition level (six to 12 reps per set) and try to lift as much weight as you can while still completing every single repetition with perfect form. This moderate repetition range allows you to break down the muscle tissue which will then grow back bigger and stronger. Keep your rest periods in the range of 45-60 seconds between sets, as this will allow you to replenish some energy (and not focus entirely on muscular endurance) but not enough that you feel completely rested before your next set. If you want to focus on bulk, also make sure you are hitting each muscle group with a variety of exercises and a number of sets. If your goal is just to get strong without necessarily putting on much weight, then your focus should be on lifting a maximal amount of weight between one and four times per set. Between sets, you should be resting at least two minutes per set and in some cases even more. This method of lifting allows your muscles to completely replenish ATP stores before the next set so that muscle fatigue and tissue breakdown isn't the issue. In this case, you are focusing on neuromuscular adaptations - the way your nervous system interfaces with your muscles. By keeping your rest periods high, your rep ranges low, and your resistance at a near-maximum, you will build maximal strength with minimal gains in size.Sir Fitness Expert, I have a friend who swears by protein shakes and one who thinks that they are only for meatheads. Are they only for competitive lifters or should everyone be using them?Lanky senior econ major, hair like Raef LaFrentz's, bench presses 225 Protein shakes are a great way to get high-quality protein in your body quickly after a workout. Since optimum muscle growth requires protein shortly after lifting, I tend to recommend protein shakes as an easy method of fueling your body when you really need it. Make sure to get some carbohydrates in your system with the protein in order for maximal protein absorption and use.One thing you should be careful of is going overboard with the protein. You don't need five protein shakes per day in order to build muscle. Current recommendations are not much more than two grams of protein per kilogram of body weight for very active people (this translates to a little under one gram of protein per pound). Consuming massive quantities of protein puts a huge strain on your kidneys, so just be careful that you don't overdo it.I've been working out consistently for a long time. I go to the gym for two hours a day, five days a week. Lately though, I haven't felt as though I am getting any bigger or stronger. What's the problem?Keith Breyer, God amongst mere mortals You could be dealing with two problems. The first is having your body adapt to your strength training program. The second is overtraining. After a few weeks, our bodies get used to the workout we are doing, so it becomes necessary to change something to give us an added stimulus to get in better shape. Try changing up some of the exercises you are doing as well as switching your rep ranges and tempo. For more information on how to adapt your program, go to the desk in the fitness center and ask for information about signing up for five free personal training sessions - no strings attached - and get a personalized weight training program specific to your own goals and fitness level. As far as the overtraining, just be aware that while working out consistently is good, working out excessively can lead to injury and lack of progress. It's important to keep in mind that the effects of strength training require the actual training as well as rest. If you don't give your body proper recovery time, it won't be able to build the new muscle that makes you bigger and stronger. Try a couple of weeks of working out for a reduced amount of time three or four times per week and see if this helps you get back on track.

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News

This Museum of Fine Arts exhibit asks you to go West, young man

November 3

In the early 19th century, the American West represented freedom and hope to those looking for a new life. It sparked the curiosity of explorers with its sense of mystery and opportunity, while its unusual land formations and unique population intrigued scientists and ethnologists. The physical grandeur of the land, along with the optimism and wonder infused in the landscape, inspired artists from across the country. "American West: Dust and Dreams" is an eclectic portrayal of the ways these artists of different backgrounds were awed by the same land, and how their expressions compare. The exhibit features nearly 100 pieces from over 70 artists, ranging from paintings and drawings to etchings, prints and photographs. The works, taken from parts of the MFA's collection that were completed west of the Mississippi River from 1820 to 2004, are organized primarily by region. The show includes scenes from Yosemite, Yellowstone National Park, southwest deserts, California beaches, Northwest timberlands, Hollywood and San Francisco. "American West" boasts works by famed American artists Diane Arbus, Georgia O'Keefe, Dorothea Lange, Albert Bierstadt, Edward Weston, Paul Strand, Thomas Moran and Ansel Adams. The first work on view is Paul Strand's "Ranchos de Taos Church." The photograph, taken in New Mexico, seems otherworldly with its strange geometric architecture. The building, admired by Strand for its "elegant simplicity," casts dark bands of shadow on its many faces, carving into it a kind of abstract, modern, Frank-Lloyd-Wright-like structure that is bold and smooth against the majestic sky. Strand was not alone in his veneration of the architecture of the West - this same church is the subject of another painting in the show. A striking photograph by Max Yavno, "The White House, CCanon de Chelly, Arizona" shows the sophisticated architecture of the Anasazi. It captures a moment of light on a white stone house built into an enormous mass of rock; the rock so entirely dwarfs the house that without the title, it might be overlooked. Near this photograph are two gelatin silver prints of people in nature: "Sanctuary" by Anne Brigman and "At the Old Well of Acoma." They both use a soft printing technique commonly used to romanticize the scene during this period. A large amount of the work in the exhibit was done by artists who traveled with others'7 expeditions, sponsored by the government, scientists, explorers or the military. It was the work of one these artists, Thomas Moran, that helped convince Congress to declare the Yellowstone region America's first national park through his stunning 1871 watercolors. These watercolors are documentary, done in fine detail and illustrational in style. Moran's works in particular are done in vivid colors and are almost surrealist with glassy mountains. Inventive and experimental, they're worthy of gracing a science fiction novel cover. Among these breathtaking mountain vistas are works by William Higgins, John Marin, Raymond Jonson, Gustave Baumann and Emil Bisttram, all from different times and backgrounds. Despite the different mediums, the works are amazingly close in style. These artists have rendered mountains on thick, textured paper as simplified, angular masses, crowded and sharp, with horizontal strokes of color for the clouds and ground. While the land of the West is primarily what attracted these artists, works concerning the people and their culture are another focus of the "American West" exhibit. In the first room, Dorothea Lange's 1927 "Hopi Indian" is a startling portrait which hangs across from George Catlin's 1844 drawing of "An Osage Warrior, an Iroquois, and a Pawnee Woman." "An Osage Warrior" comes from Catlin's "North American Indian Portfolio," a collection of paintings compiled for the federal government meant to educate Europeans. Their placement sets up a contrast between the modern, intimate photograph and removed, didactic drawing. The show ends with a kind of departure from nature, a switch to more modern characteristics of the American West. Edward Weston's "Twentieth Century Fox," a humorous photograph of a Western set, is a clever companion to Ansel Adams' "Ghost Town." "American West: Dust and Dreams" is an exhibit of great breadth. Historical and informative, the show allows viewers to jump from one time period to the next, making unexpected connections and comparisons, broadening their understanding of the region as a whole.

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News

Students agree: Boston's got no love for those under 21

November 3

Tufts students who are under 21 and looking for a night of bowling, pool or dancing in Boston are out of luck. For example, Jillian's - the Fenway-area entertainment megaplex that includes two full-service restaurants, professional billiards, an upscale bowling lounge and a dance floor - asks underage patrons to leave when the clock strikes 8 p.m. According to Megan Leo, a manager at Jillian's, this is done in order to maintain a certain adult atmosphere. "Sundays and Thursdays, it's 18-plus after 8 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays, it's 21-plus at all times," said Leo, adding that "anyone under 18 must always be accompanied by an adult." Many other venues that provide entertainment and activities for the young-adult crowd turn them away if they are under 21. Such places include bowling alleys, billiards halls and even restaurants - some of which close their doors on weekend nights to the under-21 crowd. King's Bowling and Billiards in Back Bay closes out the underage crowd at 6 p.m., and the Boston Billiard Club completely closes its doors to youngsters Thursday through Saturday - or any day when there is a Red Sox or Patriots game. Other popular activities such as "party buses" and cruise lines are off-limits to the underage crowd. For example, Carnival Cruise Lines is closed to those under 21 years of age unless an adult accompanies them on the ship. "It seems sort of weird that you have to be 21 to get into those places [when you can do those activities] without drinking," 18-year-old freshman Lucy Pollack said. "I don't really know what [Boston nightlife] is like." In a city that is known for its high number of colleges and universities (according to the Boston Redevelopment Authority, there are approximately 100,000 undergraduates in Boston, Cambridge, Somerville and Brookline), a large percentage of undergraduates are kept from enjoying much of what Boston has to offer due to their age - and are thus forced to remain in dorm rooms and on-campus parties for weekend activities. "I lost my [fake] ID the first week of school, so I haven't really ventured too far off campus on the weekends," Pollack said. According to Margot Abels, Director of Alcohol and Drug Prevention Services at Tufts, "for those people that would seek out a substance free environment - or might benefit from exposure to one - I think there are many options." "Finding them, getting to them, paying for them may be obstacles," she added. Discussion of drinking naturally brings up discussion of the legal drinking age, 21. The Massachusetts law that sets the age for the legal purchase and consumption of alcohol has been amended three times since 1933, when it was set at 21 after the repeal of prohibition. In 1973, the age was lowered to 18. It was raised to 20 in 1979, and has been set at 21 since a legal decision made in 1985. According to some students, legal entry into bars before age 21 might curb some of the social activities that center around binge drinking. "At college parties, the atmosphere is centered around serious binge drinking, while when you go to a bar there's an older atmosphere and you are on a budget, so you definitely can't drink as much," said 21-year-old senior Deepali Maheshwari. But Abels said that binge drinking is a larger problem that has no simple solution."I think the jury is still out on whether simply offering substance-free social options will reduce the problem of binge drinking," she said. "I think it's much more complicated in terms of why people choose to drink so heavily that they might put themselves in harm's way - and what cultural beliefs or norms support this kind of behavior and personal decision-making." "Choosing not to drink or to drink socially or moderately is very different than misusing alcohol," Abels said. Boston nightclubs have select under-21 nights, but most bars are extremely strict about keeping out those who are underage - and especially strict about keeping out those with fake IDs. This stringency is very different from what some students coming from other cities - and countries - are used to. Junior Francheska Sanchez, who has yet to turn 21 and is from Puerto Rico, agreed that it could be a culture shock for students who come to school in Boston. "Legally the drinking age is 18 in Puerto Rico," Sanchez said. "But culturally, people start drinking at home with their parents very young, by age 13, and you can get into clubs by age 16." "So when you come here it is a very big shock," Sanchez said. "Students are so desperate to drink because they have never had one in their lives, and for us [drinking] is normal." According to 21-year-old senior and New York native Ajaita Shah, "New York seems to be a city where there are more nightlife opportunities than Boston no matter what age you are. Not only is it harder to enter bars [in Boston when you are under 21], but even when it comes to [fake] IDs, they are a lot stricter." "It's different here than in New York City because there is nowhere in Boston to get a fake [ID] if you wanted one," said 21-year-old senior and New York native Maggie Lovett, who added that in New York there are "more than a few" places to buy fake IDs right off the streets. "And [in Boston], bouncers study IDs and know everything that could be fake about them," Lovett added. As a result, underage students with fake IDs are wary: "I'd say that about half of my friends have [fake] IDs and use them pretty regularly, but those who do have said that they're sometimes nervous about using them in certain places," Pollack said. "The main difference between here and there is that most of the time the owners or bouncers didn't really care that much in New York, but here since most of the patrons are students people are more aware and judge more," she added. Other students reported that Jumbos don't usually venture onto the Boston nighttime scene until they can legally drink. "Turning 21 really coincides with house parties and frat parties getting old, and it really forces you go to into the city," Maheshwari said. According to senior Catie Connolly, who has yet to turn 21, students only seem to realize what they were missing and venture out in Boston once they turn legal - or when all their friends are legal. "It didn't matter as a freshman or sophomore because everyone was under 21, and no one wanted to risk trying to get into bars in Boston," Connolly said. "But for the past few months, I have had to scramble to find someone's ID if I knew all of my friends were going into Boston," she added.

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News

Please, don't ask for beef chimichangas

November 3

When you think about Mexican food, you probably imagine what most Americans do: burritos, enchiladas or quesadillas. These dishes are not considered "true" Mexican food by the country's citizens, and one Somerville restaurant spent this past week trying to change the misconceptions. The National Fund for Culture and the Arts of the Mexican government invited 47 restaurants in the U.S. and Canada to promote real Mexican food. Tu y Yo - located in the Powderhouse Rotary - was one of the chosen restaurants. As part of the program, "Three-Nation Celebration of Mexican Gastronomy," the restaurant changed its menu daily. The program started last Sunday and runs through this Sunday, Nov. 6. Epi Guzman, who immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico 30 years ago, owns Tu y Yo and seven other Mexican restaurants in the Boston area, all of which are participating in the program. "You want cheap salsa, you can go somewhere else," he said, "This is real Mexican food." Spanish Professor Mark Hernandez, who specializes in Mexico, said the program was a good idea. "Many people don't know very much about Mexico," he said. "It is a large country with many states and languages, and there are a lot of differences in the regional cuisine." Freshman Eleanor Gonzales, who takes Spanish, liked the idea as well. "Having visited Mexico before and tasted real Mexican food, it's really completely different than what we eat over here," she said.

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News

Fear must not be a tool for political warfare

November 3

Fear rules American politics and history, and it has done so for the last 100 years, according to former Senate Foreign Relations Committee Special Counsel Jack Blum. Blum spoke Thursday evening in Pearson Hall as part of the Education in Public Inquiry and International Citizenship (EPIIC) program's INSPIRE Lecture Series. Blum and journalist Mort Rosenblum gave several speeches together and separately for EPIIC this week. "Fear is a motivator," Blum said in his speech, "The Politics of Fear in America." He said from the birth of the United States to today, fear has been used by politicians to make policy on issues ranging from immigration to nuclear weapons. During World War I, Americans lived in fear of German spies living in the U.S. This led to the fear of those who were of German descent, Blum said. People who were German wanted to change their last names and did not want to be associated with anything related to German culture. Politicians were quick to bring up the threat of anything German, and as a result were able to create a unified nation that agreed with policy decisions, Blum said. The politics of fear were also demonstrated during the Cold War with the fear of communism. Blum spoke about the "fear of the other." He mentioned a 1933 attempted coup against President Franklin Delano Roosevelt by business leaders opposed to the New Deal. The fear of the other also influenced the fear of speaking out, Blum said. People were afraid of being accused of being communist and called before Senator Joseph McCarthy's House Un-American Activities Committee. McCarthy's fellow Republicans, Blum said, did not stop his accusations because it was good for politics and created fear in the average American. Blum also talked about fear in the South before the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. There was a fear that African-Americans were going to take all the jobs and try to have relationships with white women, he said. In the 1960s, though, communism eclipsed race again as the thing to fear. Politicians framed the fear, Blum said, as one less of the ideology than as one of the nuclear capabilities of the Soviet Union. Lyndon Johnson's famous "Daisy" campaign commercial during the 1964 presidential election against Barry Goldwater increased Americans' fear of an unexpected nuclear attack. In the commercial, aired only once, a girl is shown picking flowers in a field. As she counts off the flowers' pedals, a nuclear bomb explodes on the field. A 2001 Atlantic Monthly article said the "Daisy" commercial was the most common reason voters gave for electing Johnson over Goldwater, who had boasted of launching nuclear attacks against the Soviet Union. Fear in America is now caused by terrorism, Blum said, and the fear that the country could be attacked at any time. Terrorism even had big role in the 2004 Presidential Election, in which both candidates, especially President George W. Bush's, emphasized safety from terrorism. The decades of fear did not address the "real problems" of society, though, Blum said. "If we remain in fear, there are life and death issues that cannot be talked about or addressed," he said. "We must stop driving American politics by fear, petty stuff. Real problems need to be addressed." Freshman Padden Murphy, a student in EPIIC, said he was impressed by Blum and Rosenblum. "Together they offer an incredible amount of insight on the topic," he said. This year's EPIIC theme is The Politics of Fear. Murphy said the programs addressed the topic well. "They are realists and recognize shortcomings," he said. "I like that they stressed the idea of politicians having the courage not to use fear politics." Freshman Janelle Barragan said she could apply the topics from her international relations course to the speech. "There are many parallels in what we've read and what he said tonight," she said. "[Stephen] Van Evera talks about fear in his essays, and it is interesting to see how the two overlap."

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News

Weekender Interview | Getting inside Swofford's (jar)head

November 2

With "Jarhead" set to open in theaters Friday, Anthony Swofford, author of and main character in the novel upon which the film is based, talked to the Daily Wednesday to answer questions about the memoir's transition from literature to film. The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal (as Swofford) and Jamie Foxx, and is directed by "American Beauty's" Sam Mendes. The story chronicles Swofford's psychological journey before, during and after his time as a Marine the first Gulf War.Question: What did you think of the film?Anthony Swofford: I love the film; I think it's a really smart and artful adaptation of my work and also of my life. Sam's [the director's] filmmakerly poetics have been put to work on my own writerly poetics and my rendering of the story to really great effect, I think.Q: Do you feel like it ["Jarhead"] stayed true to what really happened?AS: Yeah, I really do. The most wrathful departure is structural. You know, my book is structured quite differently; there are four different narrative tiles - as I call them - that I work with throughout the book. And, for movie making reasons, they decided to focus on just the time at war, and that was the right decision...Q: So what did you think about the way the [main character, Swoff's] flashbacks were handled, because they were very brief.AS: I thought it was a pretty effective shorthand. There was a time when there was more of my past in the film and it probably gave a clearer view of why I joined the Marine Corps. But I do think they were effective.Q: Could you talk about the limitations of both literature and film [in] representing what is typically referred to as the 'war genre'?AS: You know, the bombs are never gonna go off in your hand when you're reading the book, and I don't know that there are - short of actually experiencing the thing - limitations, as long as the book is well written and the film is well made. All experience, when put into literature or film, is moved through a memory and then through the art. My art was the art of prose, and for Sam, it's filmmaking. And the most realistic rendering that can possibly be made is, I think, the goal.Q: What do you hope viewers will take away from the film or readers will take away from the novel?AS: Many things. You can't talk to every reader or every viewer. I think what the film offers is really vivid representation of how someone who fights in the military is made and how the desire for killing, the desire for warfare is complicated. And there are also long-term effects from that. And, also, we've all seen the lost legs, and the sucking chest wound, and the guy blinded by artillery fire, and I think what "Jarhead" does is it slows down and gets rid of that gruesome stuff and allows readers-slash-viewers to get inside the psychology of the man at war.Q: Could you talk a little more about the cultural resonance of the war in which you fought? With the history of your family, as with the rest of the men as well, what can be taught from generation to generation?AS: I didn't listen to the lesson that my father tried to teach me, which was to not join the military and to look at another option. My father saw, as most men who served in Vietnam saw, rather brutal and heinous things, and, wisely, he didn't want his son to see the same things. But I failed to listen to the lesson that could have taught to me. What I've done with "Jarhead" is to simply try and be honest about that version of me, and he's not always an attractive young man; it's sort of a brutal and unforgiving space which he inhabits. That's something that should be taught, but when my father tried to teach me that lesson, it fell on deaf ears.

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News

When the weather outside is frightful...

November 2

The impending winter months might be most horrifying to students living off-campus. For the juniors and seniors who can no longer take advantage of automatic dorm heating, the price of staying warm this winter is a cause for concern. As oil prices rise, there are several measures that students living off-campus can take to save on their energy bills. On Nov. 1, Anja Kollmuss, a project coordinator for the Tufts Institute for the Environment (TIE), led a seminar on the Tufts campus on saving money and energy as a tenant. She spoke with the Daily to provide the tips that appear in this article. Many of the simplest and most effective ways of saving energy are obvious. For instance, turning down the thermometer at night or when you are out of the house allows for substantial savings. According to Kollmuss, for every degree that you turn down, you'll save about two percent on your heating bill. Programmable thermostats are a good consideration. If you forget to turn down your thermostat, this device could really help you save energy and money. There are several other energy-saving strategies that are not so obvious: dusting your radiators and filters, for example, aids the transmission of heat so that you actually receive the amount that you're paying for. Because leaks are responsible for about one-third of the energy loss in an average home, insulation is perhaps the most important factor in using heat efficiently, Kollmuss said. Students can air-tighten their off-campus homes by covering windows in an inexpensive plastic that is available at any hardware store. "The process is quick and easy," said Tufts senior Daniela Mauro, who has air-tightened the windows of her off-campus house in anticipation of the winter cold. The plastic is thin and heat-shrinkable. After cutting a sheet to fit your window space, you can stick it onto the window using double-sided tape, and then you merely use a hair dryer to shrink the plastic so that it is taut. It's almost as if you are shrink-wrapping the window. "Rope caulk" can also be used to fill in gaps in the window. This material costs about $5 for 90 feet, and the putty is easy to press into window gaps. Kollmuss warned that electric space heaters are not a preferable alternative to oil heat. "Electricity is much more expensive than oil or gas," she said. "An electric heater only makes sense if you live in a large house that you don't want to heat, but instead you want to heat only one small space in that home." "In general, space heaters cost more and are a less environmental choice," Kollmuss added. "Natural gas is the most environmentally friendly choice." As Kollmuss discussed in her seminar, free energy audits are available to renters with oil or gas heat. Utility companies include the cost of these audits in energy bills, so they are a service you are already paid for and may as well take advantage of. Some utility companies help homeowners by offering subsidized efficient electrical appliances and even reimbursing up to 50 percent of the cost of insulating your home. There are also several measures students can take to save energy that are not directly related to heating mechanisms. For example, using energy-saving settings on refrigerators, dishwaters, washing machines and clothes dryers will help you to save money on your energy bill. Dusting refrigerator coils regularly and microwaving food instead of heating it on an electric stove are other small ways to save energy. Adding insulation to an electric water heater is a relatively inexpensive way to cut down on heating costs. Insulation can reduce standby heat losses by 25 to 45 percent, which saves between four and nine percent in water heating costs. If your water heater tank is warm to the touch, then it needs additional insulation. You can find pre-cut jackets or blankets for between $10 and $20, and you should choose one with an insulating value of at least R-8. Some utility companies sell these coverings at low prices, offer rebates or install them at no or low cost. More information for Mass. residents is available through 1-866-527-SAVE, and Kollmuss will lead another seminar on saving energy as a tenant today at 12 p.m. at the Posner Lecture Hall on Tufts' Boston campus. Details from the lecture can be found in flyer form at the TIEWebsite, http://www.tufts.edu/tie/tci/homeenergy.htm

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Volleyball | NESCAC title in near sight for Jumbos

November 2

All season, Tufts has found itself looking up to Colby in the regional and conference standings. If the Jumbos and White Mules can hold their seeds in this weekend's NESCAC Tournament, coach Cora Thompson's squad could find itself looking those Mules straight in the eyes with a conference championship on the line. The Jumbos enter this year's NESCAC Tournament with a 9-1 conference record and the number two seed in the tournament, trailing only Colby, whose spotless conference record propelled it to the number one seed. Only an early season head-to-head Mules victory separates the team in the standings. "We haven't seen Colby since that last encounter," freshman Maya Ripecky said of the Jumbos' 30-21, 30-25, 30-25 loss on Sept. 16. "We've been waiting the whole season to get another chance." For the Jumbos to even have a chance at playing Colby, they will have to go through two NESCAC opponents, starting with a date tonight with Amherst. The Jeffs enter the tournament as the seventh seed, but they are not a typical low seed. The Jeffs were one of five NESCAC teams to end the season at 6-4 in a tie for third place in the conference. The NESCAC applied a series of tie-breakers including head-to-head record, conference wins, record against the top four teams, record against the top eight and record against teams in rank order. None of these tiebreakers yielded a winner, so the NESCAC resorted to its final tiebreaker: a random drawing. The NESCAC drew names from a hat and when the lottery was completed, Amherst was left with the seventh seed and a match against Tufts. "Quite honestly, I think [the lottery] is ridiculous," coach Cora Thompson said. "For a tiebreaker they should go to point spread. There needs to be a better way. Points are being completely overlooked and I'm not sure why." According to Thompson, the NESCAC will look into using that as a tiebreaker after the season. The match will be a rematch of the Oct. 15 regular season match between the two. The Jumbos won that one by a 3-1 score to extend their win streak over Amherst to three matches. "We know it's definitely not going to be easy," Ripecky said. "They're a good team and last time they took us to four [games]. We just have to work hard, stay in control and play basic volleyball against them." Like the Jumbos, Amherst boasts a young roster, barely edging Tufts with five upperclassmen to Tufts' four. Both teams are led by freshman setters. The Jeffs have suffered some growing pains with freshman Sara Heller trying to fill the void left by graduated three-year All-NESCAC Team member Annie Hoeksma. The team has followed up its 23-7 record from last year by sinking to 17-10. On the other side, freshman setter Kaitlin O'Reilly has fueled the Tufts offense. She leads the NESCAC with 11.6 assists per game and was named NESCAC Player of the Week earlier in the season. O'Reilly will likely be setting the ball to junior Dana Fleisher on the outside. With junior Kelli Harrison out with a concussion, Thompson has been rotating her outside hitters, playing them by match-up. According to Thompson, Fleisher has always been successful against Amherst. In the team's previous matchup with the Jeffs, Fleisher replaced the newly injured Harrison and collected 18 kills and 19 digs to pace the Jumbos. Last year, Fleisher helped the Jumbos break a 12-game losing streak against the Jeffs, entering in the third game of the match with Tufts in a 0-2 hole and collecting nine kills to lead the Jumbos all the way back. If the Jumbos can eliminate the Jeffs from the tournament, as they did in last year's semifinals, they will move on to play the winner of Middlebury and Trinity, two teams who were included in the lottery with Amherst. In a quirk created by the lottery system, the third-seeded Panthers could be the underdog against the sixth-seeded Bantams. Trinity, at 16-10, holds a better record than the 15-11 Panthers. The Bantams beat the Panthers on Sept. 17 by a 3-1 score, but the two teams enter the tournament heading in opposite directions with the Panthers having won their final two conference matches and the Bantams having lost theirs. The Jumbos were one of the two teams to send the Bantams to defeat last weekend with a 3-0 win. Tufts also beat Middlebury during homecoming weekend, again 3-0. To get a chance to play either of these teams again, however, the Jumbos will have to beat Amherst. "If there's one thing I could emphasize though, it's that we must take it one game at a time," Thompson said. "The playoffs are very different than the regular season. Teams are fighting for their lives." If the Jumbos can send their first two opponents home, it could set them up for a NESCAC Championship match with Colby. The Mules, at 31-3, have not lost a NESCAC match this season and have been perched atop the New England standings most of the year. By winning out, the Mules earned the right to host the tournament. "We're O.K. with [losing home court advantage to Colby]," Thompson said. "We play very well on the road. Right now the team is fired up in terms of being NESCAC Champions. That's a realistic goal." Last time the two met on Colby's home floor, things did not go well for Tufts. Colby beat the Jumbos 3-0 to start off the NESCAC season with a win. "We went into the Colby match a little bit cocky," O'Reilly admitted. "We didn't think they'd be as good as they were. This time, we have to be a lot more cautious and a lot less overconfident." Last time, the squad was one week removed from knocking off Williams, winners of the last four NESCAC Championships. After that win, many of the Jumbos thought Williams' demise as a dynasty could open the door for a Tufts championship. Colby reminded them, however, that the title is up for grabs and they will have to work for it. The Mules boast five seniors on the roster and have one of the best players in the region in senior Cait Cleaver. "We've got nothing to lose," Thompson said. "Colby's the one with their back to the wall. They've got the perfect conference record. We can just stay loose out there." The Jumbos' composure, as well as their talent, gives them their best shot in the NESCAC Tournament and at an NCAA Div. III Championship Tournament bid in years. "Everyone is really excited," O'Reilly said. "Everyone knows this is it. It's all or nothing. There's no excuse not to play our best because if we don't, our season's over."

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News

Alito's all right

November 2

President Bush's second nominee to fill the seat vacated by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor - Judge Samuel Alito - has demonstrated consistent and rational opinions in education matters. Alito will have to endure harsh criticism and intensive character analysis before he can be elevated to the highest legal position in the U.S. He is clearly a conservative nominee, and will doubtless be grilled by liberals on abortion, gay rights and issues of congressional authority. Even though these issues will be much more scrutinized than his free speech support for universities, his lucid views on education are commendable. He has not only defended principles of our constitution, but he has also been an interpreter of the law, not an activist. The nominee brings with him an impressive 15 year record as a judge. One of his most important decisions was last fall when he voted to strike down an existing Pennsylvania law which prohibited school newspapers from accepting alcohol advertisements. This action was a significant step in defending the free speech rights. Not only was the law an attempt to prevent the paper from being paid for providing a legitimate service, but there is absolutely no evidence that alcohol advertisements increase student drinking. This decision also represents Alito's ability to distinguish between the petty and the important. Alcohol is not something many people want to be associated with defending, particularly Supreme Court nominees. The clear issue here is not the ostensible support of alcohol advertisement, but freedom of speech. (Tufts administrators should take heed: Alcohol is not a universal scapegoat.) Alito came down strongly in favor of free speech in 2001, again knocking down existing anti-harassment policy, noting that the concerns over protection of free speech outweighed any concerns that hate speech would disrupt the educational environment. The policy explicitly prohibited speech, conduct or writing which insult an individual based on race, religion, sexual orientation, and other personal characteristics. It took courage to revoke this policy. By having that courage Altio showed his dedication to the educational environment. Vast resources are spent by colleges in an attempt to maintain a perfectly diverse, sanitized atmosphere. Hate speech can sometimes be harmful, but universities are comprised of students who have reached a level of maturity appropriate to distinguish between various forms of speech, even if it might be considerable to some. Free speech has always been a violently disputed topic. Alito has shown through a consistent track record that he is a firm supporter. Doubters should beware of dismissing Alito as a conservative activist, as an examination of his educational record shows numerous wise rulings.

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News

Inside the NHL | Hurricanes storm ahead, surging to five game win streak

November 2

The Carolina Hurricanes have lunged to No. 6 in the ESPN power rankings after winning five straight games in the past week. If anyone thought that the Hurricanes would look worse than Rod Brind'Amour's nose this year, they were wrong. The 35-year old Rod Brind'Amour has proven to be a contributor this season despite his gnarly mug. The former Philadelphia Flyer has 13 points in 11 games centering the team's second line. The most awe-inspiring performance thus far for the Hurricanes has come from first line center Eric Staal. Staal has tallied a ridiculous 22 points in the Canes' 11 games, making him the league's leading scorer. And he turned 21 this past Saturday. For those of you keeping score at home, that makes him younger than roughly half of the Tufts campus. Staal has led Carolina to an 8-2-1 record, and within one game of the Eastern Conference lead. In the spirit of young players outperforming expectations, let us once again turn to our friend rookie sensation Sidney Crosby. Crosby tacked on an additional three assists this week, bringing his point total to 14. The Pittsburgh Penguins won their first game last Thursday 7-5 against the Atlanta Thrashers. Crosby had two assists in the victory. Pittsburgh beat the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night 4-3 in overtime, with Crosby picking up another assist. The Penguins are now 2-5-5 - which is an improvement - but still remain in the bottom portion of the league standings. Crosby is invigorating to watch, even on a losing team. The Penguins play the Boston Bruins on Saturday, so the game will be on NESN. Every building at Tufts gets this channel, so tune in before going out. The Penguins play the New York Rangers on Monday on OLN if you miss the Saturday action. The Detroit Red Wings are still dominating the NHL at 12-1-0. The Wings are the only team with 10 or more wins, and have won seven of their 13 games by three or more goals. Goalie Chris Osgood returned recently to form a formidable tandem with Manny Legace, so plan on seeing these types of scores continue. Detroit's offense is a laundry list of stars, including Henrik Zetterberg, Brendan Shanahan and the ever-popular Steve Yzerman. While the Red Wings are clearly the dominant team in the West, the Ottawa Senators have emerged as the top team in the East with an 8-2-0 record. Led by Daniel Alfredsson and Dany Heatley, the Senators are second in the Power Rankings to Detroit, and show no signs of slowing down. They suffered an unfortunate loss to the Flyers on Sunday, 5-3, but still stand atop the Eastern Conference. Philly had a rather long week, playing four games in six days. The Flyers ended up splitting the games, beating the Florida Panthers and Ottawa while losing to Carolina and the Montreal Canadians. They are currently 6-3-1 and are in second in the Atlantic Division. The big story in the City of Brotherly Love is Peter Forsberg, who scored his first goal on Thursday and a second on Friday. Those two goals, compounded with an astounding 17 assists, place him in a tie for second with Jaromir Jagr in total points behind Eric Staal. Simon Gagne, Forsberg's left wing, has 10 goals and seven assists this year, putting him second in goals and fourth in points. Goalie Robert Esche has shown a striking resemblance to Swiss cheese on several occasions, but has still managed a 4-2 record and a .889 GAA. Hockey is becoming more exciting each day. I watched a game last night for ten minutes, and saw four big hits, three sick moves, two breakaways and a penalty shot. The new league incites big plays and goal scoring, which makes the sport much more enjoyable to watch. If you are a hockey fan, spread the word. I've been doing it and have found people to be very receptive. The skepticism about the popularity of the NHL was shattered this week, as the league set an October attendance record. The new rules are working; fans are coming back in droves. Hockey has never been more exciting. Check out a game you can and see for yourself.

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News

Cole Liberator | Hot Peas and Butter

November 2

Wanted: Egotistical and gullible individual to manage a multi-million dollar entertainment company in a big market. Stubbornness, poor eye for talent, and short-sightedness a must. History of past failures a plus. This must have been the ad Knicks owner Jim Dolan posted when he was looking for a new general manager almost two years ago. Because the man chosen to pull the Knicks from the Scott Layden Dark Ages was not a whiz kid from Harvard or a GM with proven success over the years. The messiah, instead, came in the form of Isaiah Thomas. What, they couldn't pry Elgin Baylor from the Clippers? Now I know that Isiah-bashing has been done before. And I also understand that coddling Larry Brown from the Pistons, getting Nate Robinson from the Suns, and stealing Eddy Curry from the Bulls are three potentially great moves, provided that Curry's health is okay. Believe me, as a Knicks fan, I, more than anyone, want to pretend the last five years of professional basketball never happened. But I still can't help shaking the feeling that if Isiah Thomas is still the general manager, things are bound to go wrong. First off, how long will it take before Larry Brown and Isiah are at each others' throats? If Larry Brown was so difficult that Pistons general manager Joe Dumars, widely acknowledged as one of the nicest men in the world, couldn't stand him, then how will Isiah? Thomas has always had to be the center of attention everywhere he has gone, often at the downfall of those around him. Back in the '80s and early '90s, Thomas was a truly great competitor and one of the best point guards ever to lace them up. But as Michael Jordan can attest, success on the court does not necessarily translate to success in the business aspect of the game. Isiah single-handedly destroyed the CBA by attempting to buy out every team like some kind of megalomaniac. As in most of his ventures, Isiah's goal was self-notoriety instead of success. And he got it after the CBA went bankrupt, leaving Europe as the only option for the Sleepy Floyds and Donnie Marshall's of the world to go between their 10 day contracts. And don't even tell me the CBA didn't matter to the NBA. The Nets haven't been the same since Donnie Marshall and his towel waving left the bench. As far as team cheerleaders go, he makes Mark Madsen look like that senior girl still stuck on the Jayvee cheer squad. Sad. Then Isiah went the safe route, returning to Indiana with his tail between his legs. However as general manger he brought the chaos with him. This is a man who, while general manager of the Indiana Pacers, ran coach Larry Bird out of town. Forget the fact that Bird had guided the Pacers to the NBA finals. Isaiah kicked Larry Bird out of the state! Bird is the patron saint to the religion that is basketball in Indiana. French Lick, Indiana, Bird's hometown, is less of a "town" and more of a point of pilgrimage for many aspiring Jimmy Chitwoods every year. Can you imagine Hoosiers without Bird? And then after being himself pushed out of Indiana when the prodigal son returned, he gets picked up by the Knicks. I guess after the Knicks gave Isiah his third chance he was also feeling generous, because he gave pretty much every underachieving NBA player a flyer. First it was the big splash, acquiring Stephon Marbury. If Isiah had given a call to Jerry Colangelo or Rod Thorn he might have realized that Marbury and "winner" are not exactly synonyms. But it was the kind of headline-grabbing trade that he was looking for to prove he belonged. Then it was the trade of the "Great White Nope" for the worst No. 7 draft pick prior to Charlie Villanueva. That would be Keith Van Horn for Tim Thomas. Thomas's inconsistency has landed him on the bench of every stop he's made. Let's just say things didn't change in New York. And finally this summer, to cap things off, Isiah locked up Jerome James for four years. James is your typical "I'm only in the NBA because I am seven feet tall" type of player. He has infuriated every coach he has played under with his lackluster work ethic. But both of the last two bonehead moves could be swept under the table if Eddy Curry reaches his potential. In that move Isiah got rid of Tim Thomas by packaging him in the trade, and saved Knicks fans 82 cringes upon hearing, "and now, at center, at seven feet from Florida A&M, Jerome James." Curry had a breakout year in the 2004-2005 campaign and now finds himself in a division with a group of, at best, mediocre centers. If he can stay healthy, Curry has a good chance of putting up 20 points a game and becoming king of New York. But the "if" is huge. Last year, an irregular heartbeat forced him to sit out the end of the season and the playoffs. Although he got cleared to play by doctors prior to this year, heart problems and basketball have never gone hand in hand. If there is a problem, and hopefully it is only a minor one that prevents Curry from playing basketball, the blame should be placed on Isiah. Bulls GM John Paxson knew the risks of playing Curry and decided to pass, like most other GMs. You can't blame Eddy Curry. It was NBA or bust for him since he was 10 years old. I just hope for Curry's sake, and Isiah's for that matter, that Thomas wasn't, for once, looking to make a big splash without analyzing the long term problems. But no matter what happens, the greatest stage in the greatest city will again matter, which is always the way it should be.

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News

Hotel Rwanda tickets all gone before noon

November 2

All 800 tickets to hear Paul Rusesabagina, the man whose story was told in the film Hotel Rwanda, disappeared in under and hour and a half Wednesday. Tickets began being distributed at 10 a.m. for the Nov. 15 lecture in Cohen Auditorium. According to Joanne Barnett, the theatre manager at the Aidekman Arts Center, the tickets for seating in Cohen were gone by 11:15 a.m. Half an hour later, tickets for overflow seating in Jackson Gym were all claimed as well. "At 9 a.m., there were 20 people waiting for tickets," Barnett said. "The line was out the door at 10 am." Tickets were given on a first-come, first-serve basis at the Aidekman ticket booth. Tickets were free, but students were required to bring their Tufts ID card to claim one. Students could claim a second ticket if they brought another person's ID. Students were also allowed to call ahead and reserve tickets. "I had to wait in line forever," sophomore Rachel O' Donnell said. She arrived at Aidekman at 10:00 and got her ticket at 11:15. Rusesabagina's lecture will be the first in the Merrin Distinguished Lecture Series, presented by Tufts Hillel and made possible by a gift from Seth Merrin (LA '82), a member of the Board of Trustees. According to junior and Hillel intern Amanda Mendel, 800 seats were available in Cohen and Jackson combined. Of these seats, 200 were reserved for specific members of the Tufts community, including the students and community members who worked to bring Rusesabagina to campus. When tickets for Salman Rushdie's Sept. 27 speech were distributed, they were all passed out in about 30 minutes. Organizers opened up the Balch Arena Theater for a simulcast of the lecture, and these tickets became available about a week after the first batch was released. As manager of the Hotel Mille Collines, Rusesabagina sheltered over a thousand people during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. About 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu tribe members were killed.

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News

Are you man enough?

November 2

The process usually happens like this: I tell my friends that I am taking an Ex College on masculinity, and they chuckle. Why would I, a male, need to take a class on masculinity? After some uncomfortable humor, males and females alike suddenly have a lot to say. Heads nod in agreement when I present the ideas we have been reading and analyzing in class. Men share their own experiences, and women offer equally significant insights. Even brief conversations have shown me that the concept and expressions of masculinity profoundly influence both men and women. Why, you might ask, would I want to write an article addressed to other men in order to convince them of the importance of these issues? The process of involvement in gender issues for me began one year ago, when my school held its first "Gender Matters Day." Students from a feminism class set the program, and naturally, many males reacted defensively to the idea. Perhaps in light of the social stigma around feminism, we thought "gender" was less of a concern for men than for women. Throughout the course of the day's discussions, I found myself emerging with a newfound appreciation for the complexity of masculinity, femininity, and the gender issues which I now believe are essential for our generation to confront. So, what does "masculinity" really mean? This fundamental question hangs over every casual conversation on the topic, and indeed, over the mind of every adolescent male. I have learned that the popular conception of masculinity usually refers to "hegemonic masculinity." That is, the masculinity that dominates as the archetype against which all expressions of masculinity are measured. A much more accurate portrait of masculinity is that there are in fact multiple socially constructed "masculinities" that constantly collide and vie for the attention of developing males. By the time we reach adolescence, society has familiarized us with imagery of confident athletes, emotional "thinkers," and suave playboys. Whether male or female, one's masculinity is evaluated through characteristics such as physical strength, athletic prowess, fashion sense, relationship success (freshman translation: hookup frequency and quality) and other factors which are too numerous to mention but come easily to mind when we examine our idea of what makes man "man" and woman "woman." The first step toward understanding gender and masculinity is realizing that nearly everything we choose to do and say is marked by a mixture of masculine and/or feminine connotations. What to make, then, of men or women who make controversial choices on highly masculinized or femininized issues, such as a man who dresses extremely well (the concept of "metrosexuality") or a woman who loves to watch football? In what ways does society enforce certain behaviors and discourage others? American hegemonic masculinity may be a stringent "Abercrombie & Fitch" ideal (the tall, white, heterosexual, silent, anti-intellectual and well-muscled "breadwinner"), but the masculinity of real modern men is usually far from this unattainable and often undesirable ideal. Exclusivity is a necessary feature of hegemonic masculinity; a tool by which the majority maintains and exerts its power. It is this exclusivity that lies at the heart of men's suffering and stands in the way of our struggle to achieve our inner concepts of masculinity. Even those men who possess merely by birth a shot at the hegemonic ideal often feel confused by the systematic rejection of their "soft" aspects. Societal factors (movies and television especially) frequently encourage men to be stoic strongmen and heroically dominate the women they care about. Most importantly, as men become aware of the tangible existence of hegemonic masculinity in magazines, sports and advertising, they cannot help but question the dehumanizing commoditization of our strength, our compassion, our true masculinity. As men, it is clearly time to stand up for ourselves and halt trends towards oppressive masculine ideals. The perpetuation of hegemonic masculinity is a crime that all men participate in willingly (if at first, unconsciously) through our daily speech and actions among ourselves and with women. Therefore, it is only men that can create a new hegemonic masculinity, a masculinity that promotes positive attributes such strength (as opposed to aggression) and compassion (as opposed to politically correct bullshit side-stepping.) Society must make a variety of masculinities acceptable by raising a greater spectrum of masculine identities into mainstream culture. For every oil-drenched, muscle-pumped, gun-grabbing 50 Cent image, I want a Ben Stiller, a Donnie Darko, or a John Lennon. While it is true that "sex sells," it is ultimately consumers who choose what plays well and what is unacceptable. Personally, I am sick of conventional imagery rebuking and downplaying the positive masculine traits that my friends recognize and espouse in me. For a progressive example, consider Mark McGwire, the slugger whom upon breaking a MLB record for homeruns in a single season shed tears as he shared the moment with his young son. Clearly, positive role models and methods of value reinforcement through family, friends, and community are critical in forging a new masculinity. Men confident in their own masculinity would be less fearful of homosexuals and more accepting of men who choose less dominant masculine identities, such as those who enjoy cooking, choose not to play sports, or engage in introspective activities like reading, journaling, and poetry. Furthermore, when students are presented with positive role models (will any fraternity heed this call?), it will be easier for us to discredit and discourage the "college guy" stereotypes of drunken disrespect and mistreatment of women. To reiterate my ideology, when men raise our collective consciousness and tackle the issues of hegemonic masculinity, men will benefit through greater confidence and faith in their masculinity. Women will benefit from decreased sexual violence, greater respect and appreciation, and improved relationships with men. I am here to raise awareness of the plight of men and liberate those who haven't had the beautiful advantage of exposure to gender consciousness. Men and women both - think of your own fathers, brothers, and friends: What have they taught you about what it means to be a man? Men, what images do you attempt to identify with in music videos, cinema and literature? If what I say has resonated with you, share this article with a friend, or come see me at Houston 127. The Tufts Men's Activist Coalition (TMAC) has formed this year to take action on collegiate issues. Similar groups exist for the African-American and queer communities on campus. Last but not least, there are many women's groups on campus carrying on the struggle. Relations between the "two teams" of men and women do not have to be a zero-sum game: When men improve, everybody wins.Neil Metzler is a freshman who has not yet declared a major.

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News

Exhibit Review | New science exhibit is out of this world

November 2

Amidst three-hour labs, endless problem sets and stressful tests, it seems like science has lost some of the allure it once had. If you've ever found yourself spacing out in your bio class or doodling your way through a physics lecture, the Museum of Science's newest exhibit, "Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination," provides a much needed reminder that science can, in fact, be fun. More than four years in the making, the exhibit, which opened on Oct. 27, features a wide variety of interactive displays as well as authentic costumes, props and models used in all six "Star Wars" movies. Scattered throughout the museum are items that would sell for thousands on eBay: the costume Princess Leia wore in Episode IV, Darth Maul's famed two-sided light saber and Luke's landspeeder model and vehicle, to name a few. Inventively blending pop culture with education, the exhibit successfully adds new depth to the classic films. Feel like comparing your height with Chewie? Easy. (He was really, really tall, by the way.) Want to develop your own LEGO levitating car? You can do that, too. While it is easy to get swept up in the fun of seeing these legendary items, there is plenty there to learn. From a purely cinematic standpoint, all of the thought and preparation that went into the movie is on display for fans to appreciate. Featured throughout the exhibit are interviews with people who worked on the movies. You can learn about aspects of the film like the development of the Wookie species and the intricate thought process behind R2-D2's language. But the exhibit isn't just about "Star Wars." It also takes a detailed look at the science behind the movie and how applicable it is to our world. Throughout the two main sections, "Getting Around" and "Robots and People," there are displays and hands-on activities designed to educate. After marveling at C-3PO, you can look at modern-day robots, from toys to those that might prove to be more useful in our society. You also get a sense of the complexity inherent in creating these mechanical marvels as you try to make a robot walk a short distance. Links like this between the movie, real and future world are made throughout the exhibit, combining to provide a truly multidimensional experience. Outside of the basic exhibit, the influence of "Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination" can be felt all over the museum. In the atrium, a model of the Millennium Falcon cleverly disguises an interesting lesson in astronomy as an adventure through space worthy of Hans Solo. There are also related shows in the Charles Hayden Planetarium and the Mugar Omni Theater, as well as special presentations and lectures throughout the exhibit's run. Being surrounded by classic film artifacts and robots somehow makes a simple interactive demonstration about one's center of gravity more interesting than a typical classroom setting ever could. Andrew Wiseman, a Museum of Science employee for nine years, said he believes this is the best exhibit they have ever had. "Personally, it is the most exciting because of the happiness I've seen on people's faces, especially the kids," he said. How can people help but be happy when some of their favorite classics give them a chance to levitate on a cushion or play with robots? People of all generations can easily regress back to the age they were when they first saw "Star Wars," and discover it all over again in a whole new light. Between the displays and the activities, the movie paraphernalia and the science, there is something here for everyone. With such expert combinations, this exhibit unveils the magic of science all over again. "Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination" won't magically cure boring labs and lectures, but at the very least, maybe next time you find your attention drifting in lab, you'll be doodling Jedis.

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News

In and of "The School for Scandal"

By Benjamin Hilb | November 2

Editor's note:The following is an intentionally ironic and exaggerated review of the 2005 production of "A School for Scandal." The article's title is meant to show that in addition to being "of" or about the play, it is written in the school of the play; the reviewer acts ...

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News

Coming out safe at Tufts, not so elsewhere

November 2

When Claudia Acevedo entered the Rabb Room of the Lincoln Filene Center on Tuesday, she did not look like the stereotypical activist. Dressed casually in blue jeans and a white blouse and looking slightly embarrassed, she immediately apologized for her tardiness and expressed her appreciation for the small crowd that had gathered to hear her speak. A native of Guatemala, Acevedo joined the Tufts community to speak on the gender-based violence and homophobia that have become common within her home country: The past nine years have been a period of transition after a civil war that battered the Guatemalan people for 36 years, and violence remains a fact of life. According to Acevedo, "a culture of violence and terror" has developed in Guatemala that persists to this day. She said that violent crimes committed against women - and particularly women who identify themselves as lesbians - are, in fact, increasing, despite the official end of the civil conflict. "Last year, 590 women were assassinated," said Acevado, whose talk at Tufts was sponsored by the Association of Latin American Students, the Latino Center and the Arts, Sciences and Engineering Diversity Fund. "This year," she added, "there have been 580 deaths." The government, Acevado said, is quick to blame the violence on gangs, domestic abuse and prostitution related crimes, but Acevedo sees other explanations for the killings. "Fifteen to 20 percent of the victims are found in pairs," she said. "When the newspaper reports the killings, it says that the women may have been involved in an intimate relationship." In response to continuing prejudice against people of diverse sexual orientations, Acevedo founded a group called Lesbiradas in 1999. It is currently the only public lesbian organization in Guatemala. In 2004, Lesbiradas - along with other civil rights groups - launched a campaign to encourage the government to take action to protect all of its citizens from discrimination and violence, and to publicize the issue of diverse sexual orientations. "Guatemala is a society where sexuality is not talked about," Acevedo said. "We're trying to get the theme of sexuality on the table." Here at Tufts, the issue is more than on the table; it's in the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate. "I'm the community representative for the Queer Straight Alliance [QSA] to the TCU Senate," said sophomore Jonathan Fichman about his participation in the gay community at Tufts. "I'm basically a liaison between the Senate and QSA, so our interests and concerns are represented." QSA, formerly known as the Tufts Transgender, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Collective (TTLGBC), is the main LGBT student group on campus, according to Fichman. But QSA is not simply TTLGBC with a new and shorter acronym. "We reincorporated a political group called Emerge, and now QSA represents both," he said. "I think that the political and social purposes together work really well to represent a lot of LGBT issues on campus." Fichman said that by including a political group in QSA, he would like to see more straight students will begin to participate. "Straight people at Tufts are sometimes a little scared to get involved in LGBT stuff because they're not sure they belong," Fichman said. "That's a big reason why we reincorporated the political aspect. A lot of straight people might not be interested in coming to a gay party at the Rainbow House, but they're politically aware." QSA has recently worked to include gender identity and expression in the nondiscrimination policy at Tufts, which prohibits discrimination based on race, religion, sexual orientation and various other factors. A few weeks ago, Tufts' Board of Trustees approved the addition. "This means that a person who doesn't identify as male or female, or a person who was born male but identifies as female is protected," said sophomore Sean Locke, a co-coordinator of QSA, along with junior Gabriel Blanco and sophomore Elena Mead. "A general thing that we think needs to be done is more education of transgender issues not only within the LGBT community, but in the larger community at Tufts," Locke said. Blanco, who was born in Venezuela, has become very active in the gay community since coming to Tufts. As a co-coordinator of QSA, he is personally in charge of managing the group's budget and also assists in planning events. But when he visits family in Venezuela, he is well aware of the homophobia that persists in much of Latin America. "My entire family knows," Blanco said. "But I'm not wearing an 'Out and Proud' shirt in Venezuela because it's not accepted in that country. I don't have problems because I don't let myself have problems." Blanco, Locke and Fichman all agreed, however, that Tufts has generally been a welcoming place for its LGBT students. "I've heard of people not feeling comfortable, but I personally - and most of my friends - feel very comfortable being out on campus as gay men," Blanco said. "I think a lot of the reason we can say we're so comfortable at Tufts is because we have the really great staff, faculty and administrative backing." "Most recently on Coming Out Day, a lot of different representatives from different departments of the University came just to express their support," Fichman remembered. "That really communicates, and I really like that." While Fichman acknowledged that improvements can be made in the relationship between the straight and gay communities on campus, he was appreciative of the resources available and the progress that's been made. "Here at Tufts, at least we can have a dialogue," he said.

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Just how much candy can a Lego bulldozer really carry?

November 2

It is the Friday afternoon before Halloween, and the kids in Mimi Fong's fifth grade class are anxious to get their candy. To get it, though, they must build bulldozers out of Legos. With the supervision of two Tufts students, kids at the Josiah Quincy Elementary School in Boston are constructing motorized bulldozers with which they will scoop up as much candy as possible from a small pile on the floor. The students - juniors Joe Weidenbach and Nate Zamarripa - are part of the Student Teacher Outreach Mentorship Program (STOMP), run by Tufts' Center for Engineering Education Outreach. Started four years ago by Tufts alumna Merredith Portsmore (LA '98, G '99), STOMP sends students into area classrooms to run hands-on activities that teach basic principles of engineering. Some of these activities involve Legos and Lego Robotics. "Our mission is to get engineering into K-12," said Portsmore. "It's obviously really hard for these teachers to do these amazing hands-on activities with one teacher to 30 kids." In addition, to Josiah Quicy, STOMP sends students to between eight and 12 other elementary schools each year, including ones in Medford and Somerville. STOMP specifically wants to encourage young girls to get interested in engineering. Fong said that goal is certainly being accomplished. "There are always a handful of girls who are intimidated by building, and by the end of the program, they're not," she said. "I think that this program helps to move girls towards the sciences." Much of the Lego technology STOMP uses was developed by another of the center's educational outreach programs, the Robolab. STOMP's programs are not limited to Lego Robotics, though. "At a younger age, we teach 'What are sturdy structures?'" senior Kaitlyn Conroy, a senior and member of STOMP's student executive board, said. "Then we move into more advanced topics like gear ratios." STOMP activities also incorporate subjects other than engineering. One lesson plan ties social studies into science by explaining the engineering principles behind the pyramids of Egypt. Each STOMP team, usually made up of two Tufts students, designs their own classroom activities. At the weekly executive board meetings, members bounce ideas off of each other and discuss which activities work better than others. Weidenbach and Zamarripa came up with the bulldozer activity to bring some Halloween spirit into their classroom. They constructed a two-by-two foot square of blue electric tape on the tiled floor and scattered approximately fifty Jolly Ranchers inside the tape. The students got to keep as much candy as their bulldozer plowed from the square but had to forfeit one quarter of that loot if their machine fell apart while crossing the floor. The elementary school students worked in pairs of two to construct the bulldozers. "We're trying to make the plow as big as possible to scoop up the most candy," ten-year-old Dorothy Tran said as she worked on the bulldozer with her partner Betty Yu. "I think the hardest thing is the plow, because it always comes off after the test drive," Yu said. The most Jolly Ranchers collected by any one bulldozer was 40. Weidenbach and Zamarripa then helped the students analyze what made specific designs more successful than others. "[These students] designed their plow to maximize the square's potential," Weidenbach said of the group that won. He pointed out that the plow was created to be almost as long as the width of the square. According to the STOMP Web site, half of the Tufts students that travel to elementary schools must be female. These students must also take part in bi-monthly seminars that discuss teaching and classroom issues. The program is gaining momentum, as shown by the record number of applicants this fall. Sophomore and second year STOMP member Michelle Marques said the increase in interest forced STOMP to reject some applicants for the first time. "This year, for some reason, tons of people came to our first meeting," Marques said. "We work on a grant, so we don't have enough to pay everyone's salary." STOMP members typically work between four and eight hours a week and earn $10 an hour. Those involved with the program are trying to spread it to other schools. A few STOMP members went to the 2005 American Society for Engineering Education Conference, which took place in June in Portland, Ore., to share their experiences with other educators. "We've created...manuals explaining how you would [implement a similar program]," Conroy said. The executive board is also working with a high school teacher in New Hampshire who wants to start a high school equivalent of STOMP. He wants to send his students into elementary schools. Josiah Quincy, where Zamarripa and Weidenbach go every week, is located in Chinatown, near Tufts' Boston campus. "Our first commitment is to work with the Tufts community," Portsmore said. According to Fong, the students in her class eagerly anticipate the Friday Lego time. "They absolutely adore this program," she said. As 12:30 draws near on Fridays, Fong said, her students start to ask when the Legos are coming out. Yu, one of the fifth graders working on the bulldozer project, agreed that this is always a fun part of the week. "It makes you think a lot, use your brain a lot," she said.

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News

I'll put $3 on a Miami flu outbreak

November 2

Share prices and corporate bond prices are often used in corporate finance as indicators of a firm's prospects. These days, however, the idea of markets is expanding beyond the financial world, as Web sites such as InTrade become hosts to prediction markets that let users bet on just about anything. In fact, some of the most popular markets on InTrade include one in which users predict whether or not a Palestinian state will be established by the end of the year, and one where traders bet on the date al-Qaeda leader Abu Mousab al-Zarqawi will be captured. Academic institutions are also harnessing similar market techniques to make predictions. University of Iowa researchers are working on a market to guess when the next flu outbreak will occur, while at the University of Miami, a Hurricane Futures Market is in the works. The logic employed is that prediction markets work because of information aggregation. Since the prediction markets operate with real cash, those who have come across information will have a monetary incentive to participate. The knowledge of such "insider traders" will then be distributed to the masses in the form of a fluctuating price. The price of each contract on InTrade's site ranges from zero to 100, and represents the percentage probability of an event's occurrence. For example, the ask price - or price at which a contract will be sold - in the Hillary Clinton market was 43.9 as of Tuesday. One year prior to the 2004 presidential elections, the contract predicting whether or not George W. Bush would be re-elected traded around 63. In other words, 2003 InTrade users believed there was a 63 percent chance Bush would not have to move out of the White House. Once the incumbent won the election, the price became 100 points. Contract holders who had purchased the stock at 63 received the difference between the closing price and the rate they paid, or 37 points. Each point is worth ten cents of real money. "Generally, I think following the crowd is the way to bet," said Economics Lecturer Christopher McHugh, who specializes in financial economics. "And people who have money on the line usually do better than experts on discerning trends and turning points." "Markets are not often 'as good as experts' at predicting - they are usually much better," McHugh added. "Any real economist likes the ideas of information, market forces, prices, etc. demonstrated in this line of research." "It's certainly true that people who choose to invest in the market will pay more attention to the new information as it comes out," Assistant Political Science Professor Deborah Schildkraut said. "They're likely to be political junkies in the first place, and now they'll also have money on the line. So in that sense they will be more 'sophisticated' than the average voter." Political Science Professor Kent Portney questioned the accuracy of such markets, however. "The idea of creating a wholly artificial market through the use of betting seems a stretch to me," Portney said. Though Portney said he believes "there is little doubt that true markets are great for setting prices, and economists have done enormous amounts of research to understand the characteristics of true - and effective - markets," he said. "Whether these pseudo-markets meet that standard is an empirical question." Portney admits that he has no expertise in such empirical debates, but his "expectation suggests that such markets would end up being poor predictors of the future just the way that Las Vegas does not do a particularly good job at the beginning of the football season in predicting who will win the Super Bowl." "If prediction is the goal, I would guess that these markets won't work very well," he said. "True prediction is tough in any case," McHugh said. "Most events in the future are pure guesses, and even collective wisdom doesn't add much." McHugh also finds flaws in the prediction market system: "Many of the claims of these prediction systems have to be checked," he said. In a recent Time magazine article, InTrade's communication director Mike Knesevitch pointed out that the contract on Saddam Hussein's capture unexpectedly rose from nine to 30 just two days before his capture. McHugh wondered if "perhaps the turn in the odds on the capture of Saddam Hussein was just a quirk, and maybe similar turns happened but were not reported by the people running the system." Furthermore, the ability of the markets to be predictors is complicated by the issue that "some of the situations described in the [Time] article are just for fun," McHugh said. "People want to bet on things with the betting as the end in itself." McHugh believes the stock market differs because there, "you have lots of people with lots on the line." Despite their flaws, certain markets may have some practical purposes because they allow people to hedge risk. "I do think that some of these prediction systems-slash-betting systems will become popular and will help people in the near future to hedge all kinds of events and situations, like employability, that they cannot hedge now," McHugh said.

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News

Writing novels, getting fit

November 2

Former Tufts professor and renowned Japanese author Haruki Murakami returned to campus Wednesday to speak about his new life as a writer. The event was set up as a sort of public interview, with Japanese Professor Hosea Hirata speaking with Murakami about his life. The two previously knew each other from time they spent together at Princeton University 15 years ago. Murakami spoke as if it were easy to become an author. "I went out and bought paper and pen and I wrote [my first novel]," Murakami said about his first book, "Hear the Wind Sing," published in 1979. "I didn't even try to write anything before." Hirata showed a slideshow presentation of Murakami's works and asked the author to elaborate on the works. One of the first things the audience learned is that the reserved Murakami believes the first step toward successful writing is proper physical fitness. "First train your body. Then, your writing style will follow," the author said, is a mantra by which he lives. Murakami has run the Boston Marathon six times and will run his 34th marathon this weekend. "I realized that I needed physical strength [to focus on writing for long periods] and that strength helped to develop my writing style," he said. Murakami said he had no experience as an author before the publication of his first novel, and that he just wanted to try writing. "I didn't know how to write in Japanese, so I had to develop my own personal style," he said. Although "Hear the Wind Sing" was published earlier and is now famous, Murakami said his first book as a full-time writer, "A Wild Sheep Chase," published ten years later in 1989, is what he considers his "beginning as a serious writer." Murakami discussed a common literary component of many of his novels, the doppelganger, where a character exists in multiple places at the same time. "Right now, I am talking to you at Tufts, but at the same time I might want to be [in another place]," Murakami said. One of his most famous works, "Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World," published in 1985, utilizes the doppelganger technique. When Hirata asked about Murakami's most famous novel, "Wind-up Bird Chronicle," which took three years to write and was published in three volumes in Japan due to its length, Murakami described his disjointed, on-and-off working style. "I wrote the first chapter of 'Chronicle,' then took a break to write ['South of the Border, West of the Sun,' published in 1990]," he said. Murakami decided later that the first chapter of "Chronicle" fit better with "South of the Border," so he began to write "Chronicle" again. "Wind-up Bird Chronicle" was originally intended to be a two volume piece. "After two volumes I thought it was complete," he said. "After three or four months I realized I had more to say, so I wrote the third volume." Murakami wrote the third volume in the United States, while he was teaching a class at Tufts. Hirata then selected a series of Murakami's humorous short stories, translated into English, to read aloud. One story involves a girl who carries a wrench with her so she can break the collarbones of men who drive Nissans. Another tells the tale of two people who used the voice of Julio Iglesias to defend themselves against a giant sea turtle. The program ended with a short question and answer session, which provided a forum for Murakami's wit. When asked about advice he could give to aspiring writers, Murakami kept it simple. "I never got any advice when I started writing," he said.

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News

Coach Feature | Collegiate star, coach, and professional player at age 26

November 2

Second-year field hockey coach Tina McDavitt gets right to the point. "When we lose, I'm not happy," she explained. "And the players know it. I keep my standards as well as my expectations high." Under McDavitt's tenure, winning has become more of a habit. Since signing on to coach the Jumbos two seasons ago, the field hockey team has compiled an 18-13 record and has made the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, which may not sound jaw-dropping, but represents a stark turnaround from the combined 12-30 record Tufts compiled over the three years prior to McDavitt's arrival. "There were so many one-goal losses [in the three years prior to 2004], and now it's good for them to see winning results," McDavitt continued. "After being 10-6 [in 2004], they came in this year saying 'Oh, we are good.'" McDavitt grew up in Walpole, Mass. where she began playing field hockey herself when she was ten. By high school, she was a three sport athlete, playing field hockey, basketball and softball. After graduating from Walpole High in 1996, McDavitt continued playing field hockey at Div. I Boston University, where she captained the 13th ranked Terriers in 1999 and helped them to an undefeated season her senior year. She was hired as an assistant coach at Holy Cross after graduation, and four years later she found her first head coaching job at Tufts at the age of just 26. "I heard about the Tufts job through the field hockey grapevine," McDavitt explained. "I found out through another coach who just told me the job was open, so I called [Athletic Director] Bill [Gehling] the next day. I was a local girl; I had both played and coached at the Div. I level, so I thought maybe I had a good chance." Her assumptions were correct as Gehling hired her to fill the position. "Tina had extensive playing experience, coaching experience, and she came with extremely high praise from people I trust very much," Gehling said. "I have some specific things I look for in a coach ... Ultimately I'm trying to give the student-athletes the best experience possible, and a great experience is often correlated with winning, but it's also about taking an interest [in the players] in a broader way. Tina does that." Despite her youth, McDavitt was straightforward when asked about her age during the application process. "I said to [Tufts], 'I know I'm only 26, but I know I want to be a head coach and I know I want this job.'" Coinciding with McDavitt's hiring was the unveiling of Tufts' new Bello Field, which stands behind baseball's Huskins Field and sports a turf surface and lights for night games. Aside from changing the style and speed of the game on turf compared to grass, McDavitt was frank when asked about Bello Field's impact on her decision to apply for, and accept, the job as Tufts' head coach. "I probably wouldn't have taken the job if they didn't have that field, if they didn't have turf," she said. "It's just the style of field hockey I'm used to playing, the style of field hockey that I'm used to coaching. And them building [Bello Field], that was my impression of Tufts when I got here. It sent me the message that they want to be competitive. Our field is awesome." McDavitt is purposeful, confident, and sharp. She has no qualms when answering questions about her young age and how she thinks that may play into critics' minds. Three years ago, she applied for the head coaching job at Lehigh University and was told she was overly qualified for the job, but lacked age. "I interviewed at Lehigh when I was 24, and they told me to come back in a few years because I would be great. And I thought, 'I would be good right now,'" McDavitt said. "I was confident in myself." Now comfortable in her role as a Tufts head coach, McDavitt also balances being an assistant for the crew team, acting as the head of sports publicity and teaching a class (she'll hold a weight-training class in the spring). Recognizing her other responsibilities, McDavitt still tries to find time for the 30 to 40 field hockey recruiting emails that arrive in her inbox each day, as well as view the handful of high school player videos that find their way to her office on a daily basis. "My goal every day is try to keep my inbox under 100 emails," McDavitt said. "That doesn't really happen. I don't think a lot of people realize the extent of the job. If you want your team to be good, you have to [put in the time], you have to recruit." McDavitt continues to play field hockey as well as coach, and was one of 12 players named by USA Field Hockey to its 2005-2006 National Indoor Team, after also competing on the 2004-2005 team. In addition, McDavitt has two younger sisters - one who recently graduated from Harvard, and the youngest who still plays field hockey in her senior year for the Crimson.

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