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Men's Crew | Jumbos edge out Tulane in photo-finish season-opener

April 6

This Saturday marked a successful start to the season for the Tufts' men's crew team. The race was close, with the Jumbos beating Tulane University by just under six seconds and bringing their record to 1-0 for the spring season. The conditions for the race were good, with a straight cross wind at the start and mostly flat water that allowed the rowers to race at their full potential. The final times were close, with Tulane falling slightly behind Tufts' 6:00.8 seconds and finishing in a time of 6:05.9. Through the course of the race, the two varsity eight-boats were neck-and-neck, but the Jumbos edged out Tulane as they neared the end. The Malden River provided good waters for the race, and as the team's practice venue, afforded the Jumbos some home-team advantage. The Jumbos gelled well, using the strengths of individual rowers to stride past Tulane. Sophomore Mike Abare commented on the chemistry and consistent talent down the roster. "Now we're a solid crew of 16 that's evenly split between two boats," Abare said. "So we're all in this together, with everyone having an equal part." Before the spring season began, the team held some concerns over its ability to bring together the talents of all the members to form a solid unit on the water, but if Saturday's race is any indication, they have nothing to worry about. The Jumbos successfully showed they can collaborate and row as a team, not just as eight individuals in the same boat. Additional pre-season concerns about rhythm also evaporated on Saturday as the rowers established a solid pace and earned the win. The long hours and early morning practices that the team maintained during the winter and over spring break paid off with the morale-boosting win. This weekend the team will race again at home, facing the University of New Hampshire, Bates College and Wesleyan University. The home advantage will allow the Jumbos to fine-tune their pace on the water and utilize the Malden River's good conditions to improve their rhythm. Coach Jay Britt expressed his continuing faith in the team, emphasizing that a high morale will be important to ensure a strong season. "I think the guys will continue to surprise themselves as well as the other people in our league when it comes to future races," he said. "And we're going to focus on each individual race as a separate challenge." The season-opening win will hopefully set a precedent for the rest of the team's races this year. Experience will be an advantage for the Jumbos, as the roster is filled with veterans from the fall season and last year. Their chemistry was strengthened through early-morning and late-night practices during the winter and double sessions during spring break. The Jumbos remain on the Malden until Apr. 23 when they will travel to Williams College to compete against Marist College, Bates and the Coast Guard Academy at Lake Onota in Pittsfield. They are looking ahead to the New England Championships at Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester on May 1. If they continue to row as they did on Saturday, the Jumbos should see some smooth sailing throughout the remainder of the spring season.

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News

Police Briefs

April 6

Laptop theft reported in Tisch Library On the night of Tuesday, Mar. 29, at approximately 10:25 p.m., a student studying in the Tisch Library reported a stolen laptop. The student said that he left his laptop in a backpack that he placed on a chair for three hours while he left the library. Upon his return, he discovered that the computer was missing from his backpack. Members of the Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) reported to the scene of the crime and recorded the details surrounding the incident. The estimated value of the laptop computer is about $2,000 dollars. At press time the TUPD said they did not have any suspects. TUPD Sergeant Richard McConaghy said he advises all students to make sure all valuables are never left unattended. "Tufts students should at no time leave their laptops unattended while in the library or other public building on the campus," he said. Fake decal discovered on student vehicle A member of the Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) observed a vehicle parked in the Jackson Lot with what appeared to be a fake decal on Wednesday, Mar. 30 at 12:15 a.m. According to the officer, the decal's outer edge colors were running together and the letters were not uniform. Police recorded the number of the decal and identified the student as a freshman. Several officers reported to the suspect's room to inform him of the officer's observations. Initially, the student claimed that the decal was not fake and the authorities brought the student to the car. While the student denied making the decal himself, he was informed that the fake was a violation of University rules and regulations imposed by the traffic department and that freshman students are not allowed to have vehicles on campus. Officials filed a report to the Dean of Students office. TUPD officials took the decal back to the traffic office in the University's Police Station, and informed the student that if the vehicle was seen on campus again it would receive a ticket or be towed. Lewis Hall students found with alcohol, intoxicated On the morning of Friday, Apr. 1, at 2:05 a.m., two Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) officers responded to a call about a disturbance in a Lewis Hall room. Upon arriving at the scene, the officers observed a male student standing outside the hallway holding alcoholic beverages. The student was asked to put the beverages aside and appeared to be heavily intoxicated. He admitted to consuming several cans of beer and was identified as being underage. The officers then heard loud music coming from the room behind the male student. They knocked on the door and a female resident answered. She also appeared to be intoxicated and was also identified as being underage. The officers observed several bottles of alcohol scattered around the room. Police confiscated the bottles and flushed the remaining contents. The two students were advised that a report would be filed and sent to the Dean of Students office.-- Compiled by Mark Pesavento

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News

Dollars and Sense | Should students still on the Hill invest in Street?

April 6

Maybe you went a little over your budget during spring break. Maybe you never paid off your credit card debt from the holiday season. Or maybe you're a senior who's starting to get anxious about having to pay off those student loans after graduation. There are many reasons why a college student may feel strapped for cash - in fact, according to a 2000 Harvard Law study, people younger than 25 became the fastest-growing group to file for bankruptcy in the late 1990s. Is investing the answer to the debt woes? Some would answer positively. According to a survey conducted by Student Monitor, a marketing firm that studies young adults, 23 percent of college students own savings bonds, 13 percent own individual stocks, 11 percent have bonds, and seven percent participate in mutual funds. The study showed that students are entering into these investments on their own: though they said savings bonds were mainly gifts from family members, 40 percent of students polled said they decided to buy stocks themselves, 42 percent entered mutual funds on their own, and 48 percent got into money market funds on their own. Not everyone believes college students should be investing, however. Economics Lecturer Christopher McHugh pointed out that there are two different schools of thought when it comes to this issue: one is "the pious, conservative approach - that people should save and save and save, diversify, and practice 'dollar-cost averaging,'" McHugh said. The second approach to this subject is "the iconoclastic - that there is no reason to save at a really young age, the future is not that poor, that people diversify too much, and that there is no 'magic of compounding,'" he said. Assistant Economics Professor Edward Kutsoati belongs to the first school of thought. "If you care about consumption when old, and I believe most students do, then it's always a good idea to start saving and investing early," he said. "By investing early, you also benefit from the power of compounding - you gain interest on your interest earnings." McHugh personally thinks the latter approach is better, however. "Of course, it depends on your preferences and your outlook on life, but I would say the answer for most college students is, 'No,'" he said. "It's too early to save. You probably don't have sufficient money to do it efficiently. The so-called 'magic of compounding' is not valid." McHugh mentions, however, that some students may have reason to invest. "If, for example, you knew that you would be married at age 24 and would need a house right then, and have absolutely no savings right now, you obviously have an immediate, acute need to save for the house down-payment," he said. Otherwise, McHugh advises waiting until "you can devote a few thousand dollars per year. This will probably be when you start your first real job - not a low-paying job between college and graduate school," he said. Though Kutsoati believes that it's good to get an early start, "[He] must also say that education is an investment, and the returns from investing a dollar into education may be higher than investing that dollar in a mutual fund or a stock. "The same goes for debt - if a $100 debt invested in education can make a big difference in your GPA to give you a good career, then you'll earn more than enough to pay off the accumulated interest charges on the $100 loan," Kutsoati said. "I think as a student, your studies are more important than day trading," Kutsoati added. "In any case, regardless of what you do, do the research first." Kutsoati cautions, however, that "getting a deeper knowledge takes time," and encourages interested students to take the Economics Department's financial economics class or the ExCollege's basics of investing class. For students who would like to invest but have minimal time to devote to researching, Kutsoati recommends index funds. "These are well-diversified funds that mimic the broad market - say, the S&P 500," he said. "They also have the advantage of low management fees, and tend to do well in the long run." McHugh said that index funds and mutual funds in general are pretty safe bets, even for students with little financial background. "You don't need to know much, if you start out with mutual funds," he said. "Pick a mutual fund with low costs and no load. It can be an index fund - tracking some piece of the market - or some general fund with a reasonable track record." Students can also customize their own mutual fund. "Pick five to 10 basically sound companies and buy their stocks," McHugh said. He warns, however, that students should not put all their eggs in one basket. "You don't want to make too concentrated a bet - don't buy all internet companies, or all telecom companies," he said. "I think the market is 'efficient;' prices of stocks are about right," McHugh added. "Therefore, if you stay away from fringe stocks, like penny stocks, you have lots of help in that everybody else is watching stocks for you." Kutsoati offered some tips for indicators students can watch themselves. "There are many things that you want to look for," he said. "For example, a firm's price/earnings [P/E] ratio is a useful guide. Loosely, this tells you how much you're paying now for each dollar you'll receive in future. "If the P/E ratio is very high, then you may be paying too much for the stock," he said. "In that case, find out if there's more to this firm - new discovery, new patent, etc." "For the long run, some simple rules may apply," Kutsoati said. "For example, since risky assets - stocks - outperform safe ones - bonds - in the long run, a good strategy is go long on stocks when you are young, and slowly move the portfolio into safe assets as you near retirement. "In addition, you may use a cost-averaging technique, whereby you buy the same dollar amount of your portfolio in each period, monthly or quarterly," he added. "This way you get a bit of both worlds: when price of the stock falls, you buy cheaply. When the price rises, your portfolio gains. "Finally, depending on where you end up a few years after graduation, you might want to consider real estate," Kutsoati said. "First, it may be better than renting. Secondly, some real markets - Boston, San Diego - have outperformed most stocks in the past several years."

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News

Cycling | Cyclists make a name for Tufts among competitors

April 6

Move over Lance Armstrong. The Tufts Cycling team is taking the east coast by storm. The team, which is comprised of 16 active racers and some 30 students who practice with them, started its season in the beginning of March and will continue to race through mid-May. The team has seen its enrollment increase to a record number of students this year, and the skill and experience level has risen with the numbers. "We are looking at more team success and our best year ever in terms of talent and people," co-captain Anna Kaltenboeck said. The Tufts Cycling team is a university club sport and one of over 50 schools from the East Coast participating in the ECCC, the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference. The conference showcases a diverse range of schools, ranging from large Div. I schools like UConn and Syracuse to smaller Div. III Bates and Babson. "We compete against all different levels," sophomore Katie Dunn said. "Some NESCAC schools, some Ivies, some Div. I programs - basically any East Coast school with a cycling team we compete against." Despite such stiff competition, Tufts has already made a name for itself. Two weekends ago, junior Olivia Jaras won the B division at the Princeton Orangle Criterium race, boosting her up to the A division and bringing some bragging rights to the Tufts team. "Seeing [Jaras] win was definitely a highlight for all of us so far this season," junior Jonathan Sonis said. For the men's cycling, there are four divisions - A, B, C and D - of competition, while for women, there are only A and B. The A divisions are often comprised of professional level cyclists and top Division competitors. Despite the team's success, the club sport flies mostly under the radar at Tufts. "Many people don't know about the team unless you have cycled before," said Sonis, who has worked at a bike shop for the past six years but only began racing competitively when he came to Tufts. "Since cycling is a sport that's not that popular, it was hard to find people to ride with. But now, it is great to have people who all are into the same thing." The team's co-captain Abe Gissen agreed. "This year the team has not only become more of a team but also a group of friends who work out and ride together," he said. But this relaxed atmosphere stops at the water's edge. Although cycling is a club sport where riders aren't required to attend all practices, most do. Typically there are two days of hard practice during the week and three recovery days, with races every weekend. When the weather permits, the team will go for morning rides twice a week. These excursions, generally around 30 miles, are replaced by spinning sessions in Gantcher Center in bad weather. While the team does not have an official coach, Dr. Michael Ross, a '91 Tufts alumnus, serves as its off-site training coach. Ross, a cycling enthusiast who runs a cycling training Web site, checks up on the team and gives input about training regimens. "We all are really serious about what we put into cycling," Dunn said. Dunn, a sophomore from Rochester, New York, just began riding last May and has fallen in love with the sport. "My parents have always been big into cycling and triathlons and I have always been into riding horses," said Dunn. "Last year was the first time in 13 years that I didn't own a horse, and I was looking for something to do, so I decided to join the cycling team. It was one of my best college decisions." Olivia Jaras, a junior cyclist called Dunn, "a monster cyclist," and hopes that she will move up to join her in the A division. In addition to being one of the top cyclists, Jaras is also the race coordinator for the team, which means she is responsible for booking races and making sure that everyone is ready and that everything runs smoothly. Jaras herself has been racing for four years and is part of the New England Triathlon Team development squad. When she came to Tufts she joined several different teams to keep up with her training, including the swim team, the cross-country team, and of course the cycling team. "[The cycling team] has such a family feeling to it," Jaras said. "Because it is a club sport, you don't have the pressure that you would on a varsity team. You put into it what you want." The team has competed in seven races so far, with one of the most important, the Boston Beanpot, coming up this weekend at Tufts. Known as a "criterium" race because it is the most technical, the race is a two-day event taking place this Saturday and Sunday, when the course will loop around Professors' Row. Dunn said criterium races are intense. "[They are] very fun and very fast, but has hard turns and a lot of people falling off their bikes," she said. Sweat, blood and high-speed racing? Sounds like a Tour de Tufts.

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News

Traveling Lush | When homebound, there's nothing better than a small, quiet party

April 6

This weekend, I'm staying home. I will stay at home, pour myself a glass of wine, turn up the music ... and then open my doors to friends, friends' friends, neighbors and most likely quite a few strangers. Drinks and entertainment are the next obvious step, but I'm tired of the standard keg on the floor; ditto to the bottles of cheap mixers and even cheaper hard liquor lining the kitchen counter. Punches and other mixed drinks are delicious, assuming they're done properly, but do require pre-party prep time. However, if you're throwing this party with housemates, the preparation part can be tons of fun. When it comes to serving the masses, preparing big vats of various punches is the best idea next to having a keg. Mixing a punch hardly requires a chemistry degree: combine fruit juices and add as much or as little alcohol as you want. Taste. Top it off with more juice or seltzer water as necessary. There are some pointers that you may want to remember, though: 1. If you're not using fresh fruit juices, be sure to taste test for sweetness. Guests will avoid your drink like death if their front teeth fall out on their first sip. 2. If possible, freeze some of the punch before the party. Then as punch runs out, add the frozen punch to the bowl (tub/basin/whatever). This way, there's no need for extra ice and the punch doesn't end up at room temperature. 3. If freezing isn't a possibility, buy small-to-medium bags of ice. If the punch will be served from a big common basin, simply leave the entire bag of ice inside the basin, bag and all. The ice won't melt as quickly and dilute the punch. Make sure you rinse off the outside of the ice bag first though, please. All right, enough of the punch. Let's get down to some good ol' wiggly business. I am, of course, talking about Jell-o shots. These slippery goodies go quickly and you risk being mobbed once you bring them out of the freezer, but they're guaranteed to be an appreciated treat. Like the punch, Jell-o shots are easy to make. Buy several boxes of Jell-o (one box makes approximately 12 2oz. Dixie cup servings). Follow the instructions on the box, but substitute half of the water with alcohol. Vodka is a popular choice, but tequila and everclear work as well. You could increase the proportion of alcohol, but know that past the half-half stage, the less water used, the more you risk the Jell-o not coalescing properly. Pour the mix into Dixie cups, ice cube trays, or into a baking pan and freeze. If you use a baking pan, you can cut the Jell-o up into slices whatever sizes you want - which comes in handy when you don't know how many people to expect. Ok, so now I have punch and jigglers on the menu. What about entertainment? What else can I do to keep people occupied after they've put their names down on a list that is longer than the waitlist for a golf club membership? At a house party, unfortunately the answer is "not much." Most drinking games involve cards or dice or tricky physical manipulations of objects like cups that require a table surface. But where there's a will, there's a way. My favorite house-party games tend to be vocal games that involve tricky words, lots of messing up and, of course, laughter. These games need three things: at least five people, an area where you can hear each other shouting, and drinks. So grab a couch if you can, or a clean spot on the floor in an area away from the main party.Fuzzy Duck This is a great game after everyone has already had a few drinks and is a bit hyper and giddy. It is perfect to play as a party winds down. Set up: Sit in a circle. Play: The first person says to the person on the left, "Fuzzy duck." Play continues left until someone decides to say "does he" (or, "duzzy"). Then, play changes direction and the phrase is reversed. Now, people will say "Ducky fuzz" until someone once again pulls a "duzzy." Screw ups: Whoever screws up a phrase must drink. Watch for the obvious screw-ups involving profanity. Also drink if you're too overcome with laughter to continue.Ibble Dibble Set up: Get a marker or pen. Sit in a circle. Terminology: An IBBLE-DIBBLE is a player in the game. A DIBBLE-IBBLE is a mark on a player made with the marker/pen. Play: Assign each player a number 1, 2, 3, etc. Play starts with one player identifying him or herself and calling upon another player. Calls go like this: "This is Number One IBBLE-DIBBLE with Zero DIBBLE-IBBLES calling Number Four DIBBLE-IBBLE with Zero DIBBLE-IBBLES." Player number four then proceeds to call on someone else in the same pattern. Screw ups: If the caller pauses too long or calls someone by the wrong number, drink. Also, someone makes a mark on the caller's, hand, arm, face, wherever. The caller now has one DIBBLE-IBBLE. Play also stops whenever someone calls out the wrong number of DIBBLE-IBBLEs. The offending player must drink and gets another mark. Play on until numbers and dibble-ibble-bibbles mesh together and people run out of skin to mark. The best part of this game is that, come 3 a.m. you'll get to shoo people out into the streets with various marks on their bodies. But, remember, karma is tricky: they'll have to deal with doodles ?? la Garden State, but you'll have to clean up mystery puddles inside. Perhaps I'll end up going out after all ...

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News

Baseball | Leadoff homeruns spark Jumbos in 10-1 win

April 5

The fans that came out to see the Tufts baseball team square off against the Bates Bobcats Tuesday at Huskins Field were rewarded with not only nice weather, but another NESCAC East win for the Jumbos. Solid pitching, three solo home runs and an explosive seventh inning propelled the team to a 10-1 win to make their record 2-0 NESCAC, 7-5 overall.

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News

James Gerber | Through the Smokescreen

April 5

On March 31, Terri Schiavo passed away, following 15 years of life in a vegetative state. This was, in fact, a tragedy, though not because it was an "act of medical terrorism," as House majority leader Tom DeLay described it. This was a tragedy because the issue was never about Mrs. Schiavo; she was simply an innocent bystander to a political circus, one which the media shamefully covered with zestful glee. The battle over Terri Schiavo has been waged in various courts for over a decade now. The case is not unique for its substance; thousands of people are taken off life support ever year. This instance is special because of the role politicians played in the battle. For two weeks prior to her death, Republican Congressmen pursued every avenue they could in an attempt to reverse Judge Greer's decision, which allowed Michael Schiavo to authorize the removal of his wife's feeding tube. On March 18, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform issued five subpoenas: one for Michael Schiavo, three for the commanding physicians at the hospital and one for Terri Schiavo. That's right, Congress wanted to hear testimony from Mrs. Schiavo, despite her inability to respond to her surroundings. The Committee also moved to intervene in the trial, asking Judge Greer to stay his order requiring the removal of Schiavo's feeding tube, a request that the Judge quickly dismissed. The Committee responded by filing an emergency petition with the Florida Supreme Court, effectively seeking a reversal of Judge Greer's decision. This, too, was denied, and the Congressmen were forced to turn to the U.S Supreme Court, which, in turn, refused their claim. After being turned down by the highest court in the land, you'd think these Congressmen would accept defeat and save their fight for another day, right? Maybe, if only the GOP hadn't seen an opportunity to gain political ground. The Washington Post reported that a memo distributed to Republican senators by party leaders called the Schiavo case a "great political issue" and a "tough issue for Democrats." Acting on the suggestions of their advisors, Republicans called an emergency session of Congress and passed a bill that forced the matter to appear before federal courts. For the first time in his four-plus years as President, Bush interrupted a vacation on his Texas ranch and returned to Washington at 1:00 a.m. to sign Congress' bill. The rest of the legal story unfolded much like it did in the past; the case was dismissed by successive Federal Judges, all the way up to the Supreme Court (again). In the meantime, Republicans used the public forum of Congress to expound their views on the Schiavo matter. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a licensed physician, diagnosed Schiavo by videotape and proclaimed that she was not, in fact, in a vegetative state, as those on-site doctors believed. This is the same Bill Frist who once acknowledged his uncertainty on whether or not the HIV virus could be transmitted through sweat and tears. Other Republicans voiced similar opinions, calling this "judicial murder" and another instance of "judicial activism." Unfortunately for Republicans, their public and legislative support had an adverse affect on popular opinion. In a recent TIME Magazine poll, three-quarters of respondents, including 68 percent of Republicans, believed it was wrong for Congress to intervene in this matter; two-thirds said they did not believe in the politician's so-called principled motives. Members of the GOP seem to forget that, although the Religious Right might be the loudest section of their party, the majority of Republicans feel most strongly about long-established Conservative stances such as a smaller government. This manifests itself in a belief in fewer taxes and decreased government spending, but even more so, in less federal intervention into personal matters, such as the Terri Schiavo case. For years, conservatives have promoted State's rights. Recently, the Republican party, including the President, have done more to take away from State's rights than they have to increase them. The most obvious example is the national education system established by the No Child Left Behind Act, against which many states are now in open revolt. Bush also proposed the infamous Constitutional amendment on marriage, an issue that has traditionally been left to the states. In the Schiavo matter, Republicans made a state case into a federal one. What does this all mean? It appears that the traditional conservative belief system, which grounded its politics in the original intent of the Founding Fathers, has been superseded by the Religious Right. It is one thing for Democrats to fight against Republican beliefs in smaller government and less federal programs; that fight is important, true, but not unprecedented. The new and pressing fight, however, is against an emerging theocracy. As Tony Blair said recently, "I do not want to end up with an American style of politics with us all going out there beating our chest about our faith." According to recent polls, neither does the American public.James Gerber is a freshman who has not yet declared a major. He can be reached via e-mail at james.gerber@tufts.edu.

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News

TV Review | New Daly vehicle 'Eyes' lacks the vision to survive

April 5

For a show named after the body part, "Eyes" doesn't wisely look forward to the future.

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Portrait of the Artist | Reviving the art of 'dead white men'

April 5

Tufts junior and music major Andrew Wolinsky has a childhood biography seemingly ripe for wannabe status in the world of classical music: private cello studies since age eight, Manhattan School of Music preparatory division at 14, paid youth orchestra conductor by 18. For Wolinsky's peers, many of whom now study at conservatories across the country, this preparation is only the first of many steps to achieving the elusive fame and fortune that beckons from the classical music world. While many of these young hopefuls dream of futures in the New York Philharmonic, Wolinsky won't claim to have the prodigious talent required, but he continues to study, perform and teach music out of his matter-of-fact love for the art. Continually sharpening his ever-present lens for musical exploration (his own high standards) Wolinsky now shares his discriminating intellect for classical music with high school students as the volunteer conductor of the Strings Honors Program at Somerville High School. Last year, upon learning that the school's string program would be cut due to budget constraints, Wolinsky saw an opportunity to share his knowledge of the classical music tradition with students who would otherwise go without a music education. As the independent leader of the ensemble, Wolinsky is responsible for selecting the repertoire, running rehearsal and teaching students the stories behind the notes on the page. "You're not just playing music, you're talking about it and learning about it," he says. When the ensemble played selections from Handel's "Messiah" last semester, Wolinsky led class discussions on topics ranging from the fugue form of the piece to the fact that Handel wrote his masterwork in a mere three weeks. "It gives them a context," Wolinsky says. "Give them a little egg and they nurture it." While Wolinsky doesn't consider himself an ambassador for classical music in public education, he cites arts education as integral to students' intellectual development. "Learning how to read is probably more important than learning who Mozart is. But after a while, who are you going to read and write about?" Wolinsky says. "Art is probably the first source of inspiration. If you keep on cutting it out of people's lives, what are they going to reflect on?" Wolinsky has plenty to reflect on, yet he doesn't plan on a professional career despite his promising start. For someone who professes to have decorated his room entirely with pictures of famous classical composers -"dead white men," he notes -Wolinsky is practical about the realities of trying to make it as a classical musician. He states, "Even when I was 15, I knew I wasn't going to be a professional musician. I know I can never be that good." Despite his confidence in that adolescent realization, Wolinsky's start in music, by all appearances, would seem advantageous. At the age of 13, Wolinsky won his first competition, playing a Haydn trio for the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society's Young Musicians Competition. His trio went on to win that competition four more times, performing at Alice Tully Hall at New York's Lincoln Center. By his last two years of high school - Wolinsky's self-described "peak" - he was practicing three hours a day, sitting principal cello for the top orchestra at the Manhattan School of Music preparatory division, and independently conducting the pit orchestra of his high school's musical production. Yet even during his peak hours of practice and performance, Wolinsky maintains that he never harbored fantasies for a career as a classical musician. For many skilled young musicians who only begin to realize their potential in their late teenage years, the self-awareness required for making that career decision is untenable at best. How did Wolinsky know, at such a relatively young age, that he wouldn't - or "couldn't" - be a professional classical musician? "Well, you know, talking to Sarah Chang," Wolinsky says, speaking of the renowned violinist. "I can't say what it is. It's the way they play things, the way they sound. It's just different, and at a higher level than I will be able to do." "It doesn't mean that I can't love music," Wolinsky adds. Wolinsky has chosen his own path. He may never achieve the sought-after fame and fortune of his peers, but his musical exploration continues under the direction of an acute and exceptional musical intellect.

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Viewpoint | When Children Govern

April 5

The Right is crying again. It appears that the law has hurt Republicans' feelings, and now the customary self-righteous wailing has begun. Terri Schiavo had been in a persistent vegetative state (with a cerebral cortex which had liquefied into spinal fluid) for 15 years before her death on Thursday - although religious leaders, Republican politicians, anti-abortion activist doctors, television psychic John Edwards and Mel Gibson disagree. Following years of legal battles, Schiavo's feeding tube was removed. From that moment, a family tragedy became a moral values circus as right wing politicians, conservative Christians, and anti-abortion terrorists preached fire and brimstone against judges who would dare to uphold the law in the face of people holding cardboard signs and praying. On Palm Sunday, Congress, led by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, showed just how far removed the Republican Party is from rationality when it violated Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution and trampled the Tenth Amendment by granting the federal courts special jurisdiction to hear appeals of the Schiavo case. This act alone should unnerve those Americans who value the rule of law, but what happened over the next few days is truly horrifying. When the federal courts could find nothing wrong with the decisions made in the Florida courts, Republicans and other right-wing conservatives began to attack the judicial system, claiming that Mrs. Schiavo's right to due process of law was being denied, that the courts, so eager to see her die, were overstretching their authority, that the courts were not obeying Congress, and that the courts were out of step with the American public. All of these claims, originating as they do from a universe in which it is okay to kill healthy, whole people who do not want to die, but not okay to abort pregnancies or allow terminal patients to die with dignity, are predictably ridiculous. Terri Schiavo, or more accurately her parents, received more due process of law in a week than most people get in a lifetime. Congressmen and conservative commentators alike have complained that Congress somehow ordered the federal courts to grant a completely new hearing with the full original arguments of the parties presented, and that the courts ignored this order. But as anyone who has read the Constitution knows, Congress cannot order the judiciary to do anything. The federal courts reviewed Terri Schiavo's parents' appeal just as they would have reviewed any other appeal and found no fault with the original ruling and that no new evidence was likely to be effective in overturning the decision. Twenty-two judges, 13 of them Republicans, did their job, over and over, and yet it was not good enough, because some extremely obnoxious but apparently pious people did not agree with the decision. Because these people either could not or would not accept that our legal structure had not been formulated with their emotional idiosyncrasies in mind, they began attacking those who had accurately interpreted the law. "Just because there is a judge somewhere in the world who would give an estranged husband like that the time of day tells you how bad the court system is," Jerry Falwell eloquently put it, unwittingly undermining his own arguments in favor of the sanctity of marriage. Exhibiting absolutely no appreciation for the genius of a judiciary able to interpret law without the fear of popular reprisal, Dr. James Dobson, the man who saved the world from Spongebob Squarepants, had this to say about the judicial system: "They're totally out of control. And there is, you know, almost a feeling of futility when it comes to the courts handing down decisions that contradict the will of the people." He went on to cite, in addition to the Schiavo decisions, the Supreme Court's banning of the execution of minors as an instance of the judicial system's blindness to American values. He understandably did not mention that two-thirds of Americans supported the removal of Schiavo's feeding tube and that only the most morally upright one-quarter of Americans support executing kids. It is not only these moral patriarchs who condemned the judicial system. Senator Rick Santorum called the court's decision "unconscionable," and Tom DeLay seemed to deal with the guilt that he must feel from having taken his own father off life support in 1988 by going on a rampage against the courts. He referred to an "arrogant and out of control judiciary that thumbs its nose at the President and at Congress," and said that "the time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior." It appears that the eminently ethical Mr. DeLay would like Congress to be able make royal proclamations and mandate that judges rubber stamp them or risk some horrible fate, rather than adhere to Constitutional separation of powers and the 202 year old Marbury v. Madison principle of judicial review. Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas, in a comment that is either purposefully misleading or simply stupid, appeared to justify a recent courthouse slaughter by rapist Brian Nichols by saying that "there may be some connection between the perception in some quarters on some occasions where judges are making political decisions yet are unaccountable to the public, that it builds up and builds up to the point where some people engage in violence." Good, qualified judges nominated by both Republicans and Democrats upheld the Constitution in the Schiavo case, and were fiercely attacked by the Right. Because sensible people will never interpret the Constitution the way the Right would like, radical conservatives have determined that they must threaten judges, politically and apparently even with violence. And, as Republican Senators are now trying to do, they have determined to disregard Senate standing rules in order to push extremely radical judges into positions of power. If Democrats cannot stop this gross abuse of power, it will be the first step toward the creation of the Revolutionary Islamic Christian Republic of Iran America.Steven Ward is a junior majoring in international relations.

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Viewpoint | Silence Condones

April 5

The N-Word. "Gay" South Hall. "Asian Nation." Although these three phrases appear to have no commonalities, they have all been associated with bias incidents on the University Campus. When analyzing a bias incident, it is not important to look at whether or not there is a universal reaction to particular words or actions, but to determine whether the incident is capable of invoking a physiological response in an individual. Everyone experiences a bias incident differently. To dismiss an individual's reaction with an assumption that it is solely "personal" is in fact disregarding the entire incident. If there was a physiological response, such as your heart racing or your knees buckling, it indicates that the remark or action was more than just a "joke" or "playful banter." A physiological response to a bias incident may come as a result of many emotions, including fear, anger, anxiety, isolation, confusion and a desire to be invisible. More than generalizing about bias incidents on campus, we wish to speak about bias incidents against Asian Americans, which on the whole go unnoticed and under-reported. To examine incidents targeting Asian Americans it is necessary to put common misconceptions and stereotypes on the table. In general, Asian American women have been "fetishized." They are viewed as servile and docile in public but exotic in private. Asian American men are portrayed as desexualized - feminine and homosexual. Asian American students are typically considered "whiz kids" who only belong in the math or science fields, future engineers or doctors. When Asian American students try to step out of their "academic" sphere, questions arise and heads turn with the thought of "foreigner." This perception of Asian Americans as unwelcome outsiders is pervasive on the Tufts campus, most recently in athletics. When a group of students of Asian descent gathered for a basketball game in good fun, Chinese Americans were labeled as Japanese Samurai warriors, solely because of their race. Although this comment may appear to be "innocent," especially to an individual who is unaware, it is offensive to Asian American students here at Tufts. It may be a common perception that Samurai warriors are revered in Asian cultures, but in contemporary America, this carries a derogatory connotation because times have changed. The larger issue is that it implies racial lumping: the idea that all Asians are the same. The greatest challenge when facing a bias incident is how to react. At times, when confronted with a situation, your natural physiological response may affect your ability to respond in a respectful and empowering manner. This is due to the fact that physiological responses are unpredictable and uncontrollable. We propose that no matter how you are feeling, the worst scenarios are when you become paralyzed and silence yourself. The most important thing to do in a bias incident is to interrupt the incident by identifying what is offensive to you, no matter the criticisms that follow. This ripple makes the perpetrators step back and think about their actions, even if it is only for a split second. Due to your non-silent reaction, you are encouraging the perpetrators to rethink their actions in the future and change their perceptions entirely. People are always worried about how they will be perceived. We all fear criticism. But think about what silence does in a bias incident. Think about its implications and its consequences. Your lack of reaction conveys that you condone such behavior. It does not create a pause and it does not identify the situation as inappropriate. Not only would you walk away feeling alone, scared or angry, but you would leave the door open to another potential bias incident. Remember that your silence will not protect you, nor will it protect anyone else. Diana Chang is a freshman majoring in quantitative economics with a minor in entrepreneurial leadership. Linh Phan is a junior majoring in American studies and community health.

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Expert speaks on genocide

April 5

In a speech about the ongoing genocide in Sudan last night, John Prendergast, special adviser to the President of the International Crisis Group, said that while 300,000 people have already died, there is still time to stop the catastrophe. Prendergast has focused most of his 20 year career on conflict resolution and U.S. foreign policy in Africa. He served in the Clinton Administration, as the Director of African Affairs for the National Security Council from 1996-1999, and as the Special Advisor for the State Department from 1999-2001. During the last year, Prendergast said that over 300,000 people had died in the Sudanese region of Darfur, and approximately 2.5 million had been displaced. This prompted the U.S. government to officially categorize the crisis as "genocide" six months ago. Prendergast said that this was the "first time a government has called a genocide by rightful name while it's happening" and that this was an important step in the aid process. Prendergast returned from the region a few weeks ago with Paul Rusesabagina, the real-life hero who inspired the film "Hotel Rwanda," as well as actor Don Cheadle, who portrayed Rusesabagina. According to Prendergast, these two men were overcome by what they saw in the refugee camps in Chad, where, as Prendergast said, they "waded into a sea of shattered humanity." In outlining the current crisis, Prendergast examined the similarities between the Rwanda genocide of 1994 and Darfur today, both in terms of the crimes committed and the international response. In both crises, state governments mostly used militias to do their killing, targeted specific ethnic groups, and employed a policy of "divide and conquer" to spread hate and set communities against one another. In the case of Darfur, the Sudanese government has supported Arab militias known as the Janjaweed to do its killing. These Janjaweed have been ruthless in their attacks: raping, looting and killing in villages targeted for their Fur, Masilit, and Zaghawa ethnic majorities, Prendergast said. The Sudanese government's "divide and conquer" policy has been very effective in facilitating the violence, "[throwing] fuel on what might be a low-grade fire," Prendergast said. As hardliners on both sides have felt threatened by potential peace processes, they have sought to undermine them by committing further atrocities, he said. As the crisis worsened, a number of factors have helped keep the international community from stopping the violence today as in 1994, Prendergast said. In order to absolve themselves of responsibility, most countries have tended to portray matters as more complex than they actually are, he said. These countries will offer the excuse that the violence is simply a result of tribal feuding that has occurred for thousands of years. Meanwhile, Prendergast said that the efforts of international organizations such as the United Nations (U.N.) Security Council have been relatively futile. These groups fail to send any important message with their "robust threats" when they do not act, he said, and the Sudanese government knows this. According to Prendergast, part of the reason for the lack of action has been the involvement of the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council in deals with Sudan. Four out of five of these member nations sell arms to the Sudanese government and invest in the oil sector there. Most countries hope, Prendergast said, that the solution to the crisis will be a humanitarian one, but he said he believes it is impossible to "apply humanitarian band-aids over [such] gaping wounds" - only troops will help. While there are many similarities between the Rwanda and Darfur crises, two differences give Prendergast hope. For one, there is still time to respond today in Darfur. As gruesome the statistics are, the Rwanda genocide took place swiftly - killing 800,000 over 100 days - the genocide has been slower in Sudan. Nevertheless, the violence and refugee starvation is still rampant, and Prendergast said he believes we must act now. The other notable difference is the outpouring of support around the world for the victims of the Darfur genocide. The grassroots movements have not been in vain, as their work has pressured politicians to finally act, Prendergast said. This resulted in an important victory on March 28, when the U.N. Security Council decided it would refer the Darfur case to the International Criminal Court. More locally, the effect can be seen in Harvard University President Lawrence Summers' decision to divest all of Harvard's holdings in Sudanese related stocks and bonds. Prendergast said he feels "this will be used as precedent at every university ... and every pension fund" around the country and will help place more pressure on the Sudanese government. Prendergast proceeded to outline a three-pronged agenda in the coming year that he said he hoped would help end this crisis. First and most importantly, the 2,000-strong African-union military force must be aided if it is to protect refugees and targeted ethnic groups. Second, Sudanese leaders responsible for the genocide must be tried and held accountable for their actions in order to have peace in the future. Third, the international community must also begin the peace process in Sudan. Prendergast said he was appalled that during the past two years, no substantial effort had been made and no lead mediators have been put forward.

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Music Review | Bloc Party bucks the name trend

April 5

Music critics have an uncanny propensity to classify and compare artists according to their influences. Every review of a new band is less about the music and more about tracing the heritage of said band; unfortunately Bloc Party hasn't escaped this trend.

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TOP TEN | Problems that might prevent the Sox from a repeat this season

April 5

With the Red Sox reversing the curse and winning the World Series last year, many Sox fans are wondering whether this year's team can repeat. With a few new faces and an 0-2 start to the season, many fans are already questioning the chances of another championship. We at the Daily offer our reasons why a repeat may not be in the Sox' cards this year in our Top Ten ...10. Schilling has a long road to recovery.9. Damon will be spending most of his time regurgitating food into the mouths of birds living in his hair.8. David Wells will bring the curse back by wearing Babe Ruth's and Grady Little's number 3. And he's an alcoholic.7. Where's our Japanese robot? (ed note: we're on to you Matsui)6. Since Steinbrenner has run out of players to buy, he will probably sell his soul to the devil to get the title this year (if he hasn't already).5. Without Gabe Kapler's stunning good looks, the Sox can't distract players on the other team ... because he is so dreamy ...4. It's the Cubs turn this year.3. The whole team gets sick from the "dirty water."2. Without Pedro in the picture anymore, Boston's Latino love triangle is minus one. Can Edgar Renteria win the hearts of Ortiz and Manny?1. Since Millar's been hanging out with the Queer Eye posse, his rugged "Cowboy Up!" attitude has taken a backseat to his new metro-sexual, GQ lifestyle ... and it's freakin' us out.-By Tom Spera, Jessica Genninger and Tim Whelan

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Concerning the TCU Senate

April 5

I'm forced to agree with the Daily on the effectiveness of the TCU Senate ("Time for Real TCU Competition," April 5). Until I read the Daily's coverage yesterday, I didn't even know we had a Senate, and based on what I read I'm extremely disappointed. The Daily had some good suggestions. It sounds like it would be a good idea for the senate to, on occasion, look "to its constituencies," like perhaps mailing feedback surveys, soliciting ideas or opinions on a Website, or maybe even holding office hours.

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Brett Weiner | Force Perspective

April 5

A recent bout of procrastination led me to flipping on a movie channel around 1 a.m. The movie playing was "Tomb Raider," a 2001 summer movie based on a videogame of the same name. At first, I was mildly intrigued, but it was about the time that Angelina Jolie started beating up mysterious agents while on a bungee string system that what was left of my brain started leaking from my ears. But that loss of gray matter must have rattled something loose because I started thinking "Why are videogame movies so uniformly terrible?"

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Lack of Native American courses troubles some

April 5

While Tufts has long claimed to be a purveyor of culture and diversity, some members of the Tufts community are less than satisfied with the number of courses pertaining directly to Native American issues offered at the University. On Mar. 15, at the fifth annual Native American Speakers Series featuring Barry Dana, the former Chief of the Penobscot Nation, English Professor Elizabeth Ammons said that the University has a "lot of work to do" in terms of Native American Studies. "It is important to remind ourselves that Tufts graduates can graduate knowing nothing about Native America," Ammons said. According to Ammons, there are currently four courses available that are entirely devoted to Native American concerns and a fifth course will be added to the curriculum next year. Ammons herself teaches a course called "American Indian Writers." American Studies Professor Joan Lester teaches three courses on relevant topics including, "Native American Issues," "Native American Art: Beauty and Meaning," and a new course called "Museums and Native Americans: The Politics of Representation." According to the University's History Department's Web site, a course entitled "Native American History" is slated to be offered in Fall 2006. In addition to concerns regarding the number of courses offered, both Ammons and Lester said they are concerned with the lack of Native American perspectives on campus, considering that none of these available courses are taught by Native Americans. Dean of Undergraduate Education Jim Glaser expressed little alarm with regard to the lack of Native American courses, as well as an alleged discrepancy between existing classes and the ethnicities of those teaching them. "I don't see it as a big problem," Glaser said. "I haven't heard anyone complain about it." Glaser said that "resource limitations" hamper the University's ability offer "anything and everything." "There are certainly gaps in the curriculum," Glaser said. But, with regard to whether or not the University should offer more Native American courses, Glaser said, "I think if you talk to people who care most about it, that they would say 'yes.'" Lester, however, said she feels that Native American voices are imperative to her students' understandings of Native concerns. "I understand that I don't have the right to teach without Native voices," Lester said. "I don't speak for Native people. What I'm committed to is deconstructing the role that non-native people have played in the creation of an American history that excludes native perspectives, and looking at how native people continue to be marginalized today." In order to bridge the gap between her own non-Native heritage and the voices of those she studies and teaches, Lester said she found it necessary to invite Native speakers to her class and to provide reading material directly written by Natives. While Lester said she "would always love for there to be more [Native American classes]," she was quick to add that the progress that has been made within the last five years in terms of broadening the Native American voice on campus, has been slow but steady. Lester, who has been teaching at the University since 1986, said that only one course in the American studies department on American Indians - her own general instruction of Native issues - was available to students up until 2000. According to Lester, the then-chair of the American studies department was eager to accept proposals for her newest brainchild - a course on Native American arts. Dartmouth College and the University of Connecticut (UConn), however, offer their students the opportunity to major in Native American Studies (NAS). The Department of NAS at Dartmouth, led by Department Chair Collin Calloway, offers students approximately 15 to 20 courses pertaining wholly to Native American concerns. According to Calloway, it is estimated that 400 to 500 students enroll in these classes each year. In contrast, Lester said that about 50 to 70 students enroll in Native American classes annually at Tufts. In addition, the department of NAS Web site at Dartmouth lists several professors who themselves are Natives, including Professors Darren Ranco and Dale Turner. Other universities are following suit. According to the Yale Daily News, there is a movement at Yale University among both professors and students to start a program similar to the NAS at Dartmouth. Yale will also follow the lead of Harvard University, which has had a Native American Studies program since the 1970s. Tufts students interested in majoring in Native American Studies must settle for an American Studies major with a concentration in Native American topics. Freshman Kristen Dorsey, an American Studies major concentrating in Native American and Environmental Justice Studies, has studied under Lester since her first semester at Tufts. Dorsey said she will continue to do so even after she has exhausted her cluster requirement. "There are a few more courses I can take. Other than that I will have to choose independent study," Dorsey said. Still in her first year, Dorsey has already taken nearly half of the available courses for her concentration requirement. For the time being, Lester said she encourages all of her students to pursue an independent study tailored to their particular interests in the realm of Native American concerns. According to the University's 2004-2005 Fact Book, there are currently 21 undergraduates who identify themselves as Native Americans. Dorsey, who is herself part Chickasaw Choctow, said she would "definitely" like to see more courses on Native topics. She also said she would like to see Native professors teaching the courses. "For so long, people have tried to speak for Native people and they, for the most part, are totally wrong," Dorsey said. "[Lester] acknowledges this as she teaches us and brings Native voices into the classroom." Even students who are not affiliated with Native American Studies are eager to see more academic exposure for the culture. Sophomore Theresa Pecoraro, an International Relations and Community Health double major, said it is "embarrassing that a school that prides itself as being so culturally aware" fails to offer more courses on "Native people and Native America." "It's so necessary if we live in America to know about the history of this land because this country was not empty when we came here," Dorsey said. "There are so many beautiful values of the culture that everyone can benefit from knowing, but may never have the chance to."

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Is new ARS system the end of hand-raising?

April 5

Universities across the country are offering timid students a lifeline by introducing audience response systems into large lecture classes. Similar to the "ask the audience" option on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?," the audience response system (ARS) - also known as the student or personal response system - allows professors to pose a question to the class and receive immediate feedback. The answers, submitted by the students using individual wireless keypads, are then tabulated and presented on PowerPoint for the class and professor to see. Columbia University's Center for Education Research and Evaluation website argues ARS "can substantially improve the effectiveness of learning and retention of concepts presented in lectures," and says that the anonymity of ARS allows professors to evaluate the level of understanding of their students without singling out those who are intimidated to raise their hands. Junior Ilan Behm, a double major in electrical and biomedical engineering, believes that this function of the system is important because it gives a voice to the many students who do not participate in class. "Especially at a school like this, students are sometimes overly conscious," he said. "Many have come from high schools where everything was very competitive. ARS would afford students the opportunity to 'raise their hands' without actually having to speak." Behm believes that the ARS would be most beneficial to first-year students who "don't know one another or where everyone is skill-wise. I think a lot of people have the same questions and misconceptions about the material, but don't know how to go about seeking an answer," he said. Junior Mete Atamel, the TA for an introductory computer science class, also believes that using ARS would benefit freshmen. "Some [students] are very shy, especially first-year students," he said. "So I can imagine a first-year student feeling intimidated to ask questions, especially in a big class." While Atamel sees the pros of introducing this new technology into the classroom, he also sees the cons. "There's no way for a student to stop the course and ask a question using this tool, so in that sense it's passive and not that helpful," he said. Computer Science Lecturer Bil Lewis, who teaches the class that Atamel TAs, has similar concerns. "Do I want student feedback? Yes," he said. "Do I think a technological artifice is the best way to achieve it? No." For Lewis, the anonymity of the system is not a benefit, but rather a disadvantage. "Students will become more involved in their class and their own lives if they're not anonymous," he said. In order to increase communication within his own class, Lewis organized short meetings with each student to find out what aspects of the material people were having difficulty with. But in many Tufts classes, meetings with the professor are not arranged for the student; he or she must it initiate interactions for him or herself. This is the case in freshman Susie Hammar's chemistry class. Hammar believes that her professor has a good pulse on the mastery level of his students, even without advanced technology like ARS, and she attributes his understanding of which topics the students find particularly difficult to his many years of teaching experience. Even with an experienced professor, students are sometimes still lost, and may not feel comfortable asking the professor to clarify. Hammar has noticed, however, that most students seem to feel comfortable asking the TA for help. "We have a very good TA that helps us and can speak on the same wavelength as us," she said. Behm recalls there being a similar situation in Engineering One and Two [EN1 and EN2], the introductory engineering courses. "In EN1 and EN2, the class doesn't grasp the material as quickly as the professor would like," Behm said. "I think that professors should have a gauge on where their class stands in terms of comprehension, and should set up an environment where no one feels ashamed to ask if they don't understand." According to Behm, making students feel comfortable should be every teacher's goal. But he points out that there is more than one way of doing so, because "every teacher has a different style." Hammar, too, thinks that ARS would work well in certain situations, but not others. "Some of the elder professors may not like the idea so much, as it would change their style of teaching," she said. So would Tufts students be happy if the University hooked up large lecture classes with ARS? We may need to ask the audience to find out: both Hammar and Behm believe that asking the professor or a TA for help in person is always the best solution, but they see the merit of ARS for the times when the faculty is unavailable or for immediate help during class time. "It is impossible in a huge lecture class, such as Physics 11 or Physics 12 - where you have upwards of 100 students in the class - for there to be private meetings between the student and teacher all the time," said Behm, who believes that the technology could in such cases be a time saver.

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Tufts strives for need-blind policy

April 5

The University has recently established its latest goal: ensure that every admissions decision is made without regard for a student's ability to pay. In his 2002 inaugural address, University President Lawrence Bacow said, "We need to ensure that Tufts remains accessible to all and not just the wealthy few. We want to admit students on a truly need-blind basis ..." Dean of Admissions Lee Coffin said that President Bacow's commitment to achieving need-blind admissions was one of the main objectives set out for him at the beginning of his tenure as Dean. This goal, however, is easier stated than accomplished. Providing enough endowment resources to provide solid financial aid is "a moving target," Coffin said. Tufts' financial aid comes from the interest on the University's endowment, an invested sum of money - currently estimated at $752 million - that generates revenue for the University. Financial aid allocations are an intricate balancing act of dynamic need, fluctuating costs, and many economic constraints. Tufts' policy is currently need-sensitive, which means that a student's ability to pay may be a factor in the admissions decision. Tufts' need-sensitivity, however, does not come into play for all students. "From year to year, the percentage of candidates affected by need-sensitive policy is a small group," Coffin said, "But it would be preferable if there was no group evaluated in this manner." Coffin said that all folders for applicants are initially read without regard for financial aid, at which point each of the files are ranked according to merit. Coffin said the top-ranked students will be accepted regardless of the financial commitment might require. "If someone is a really superb candidate, it's just a simple 'admit' decision, no matter what the financial need," he said. The "broad middle" group of applications are then discussed in committee meetings where admissions officers make the decisions on how they want the class to be composed. Once the financial aid budget is exhausted to provide for the fullest extent of socioeconomic diversity in the class, an applicant's ability to pay may be the deciding factor between two comparable applicants. "If we were need-blind that part would go away," Coffin said. Coffin said that some ask why Tufts should raise millions of dollars when the University is already setting records in terms of admissions without having a need-blind policy. Coffin said he believes the resulting cultural and socioeconomic diversity will enhance the class. Accordingly, the extent to which the University is need-blind in any given year depends on the budgeting and the resources available in light of present economic conditions. "When the economy goes south, dollars for aid vanish," said Harris Siegel, director of college counseling at Stuart Country Day School in Princeton, N.J. The economy "integrally" affects the process and resources available for financial aid. "When the economy is flying, it takes the pressure off," Coffin said. "Needs of families are reduced, donors are more inclined to support us, and we earn more interest from the endowment." For example, when the economy takes a turn for the worse, families' needs will increase and resources will be less. The skyrocketing cost of higher education also complicates the picture of fulfilling financial need for students. "Technology is expensive, as are repairs and upgrades for classrooms and dormitories in older buildings," Coffin said. Schools must also provide for faculty and staff salaries and benefits, which may be supremely difficult when the local cost of living and cost of healthcare are also increasing rapidly. While coping with all of these economic pressures for incoming students, Tufts must also continue to give aid for the continued need of current students. "This all conspires to create pressure on the budget side," Coffin said. The principal obstacle to need-blind status is, not surprisingly, additional money. Need-blind admissions is a major priority for the University's Board of Trustees in the next capital campaign. Barring a huge donation, Coffin said the process would likely be gradual transition as the endowment resources for financial aid expand over the next several years. "I suspect it will likely be very quiet transition to a fully need-blind policy," Coffin said. "One year, we'll just be able to go to [Bacow] and say, 'We've done it, we selected the class without considering a family's need. It's not as sexy of a storyline, but as more resources are generated it will gradually shift." "As costs rise and more families qualify for aid, additional resources will always be required. This is an ongoing commitment for the University," Coffin said. According to Heather McDonnell, director of financial aid at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, N.Y., need-blind admissions used to be a nearly universal practice. Financial aid decisions were considerably easier. "Originally all financial aid was done need-blind," she said. "There were just fewer financial aid students. It was relatively easy - you had a pot of money, and you just gave it to your 10 [financial aid] kids." Financial aid has since become tremendously more complex. In the early 1990s, Coffin said, a lagging economy and the rising cost of education first acquainted many schools with the economic pressures that drive financial aid today. Many schools forced to adopt a need-sensitive policy at this time. "Financial aid became part of the way they selected a class," Coffin said. "The dollars to be need-blind just weren't there." Presently, a need-sensitive policy is also a competitive disadvantage among institutions who vie for similar students. "The top schools with whom Tufts competes for accepted students are all need-blind," he said. According to Coffin, Tufts' top competitors are Brown, Penn, Yale, Harvard, and Georgetown. Brown is the most recent to become need-blind. All of the Ivy League schools are need-blind, as are some comparable schools in the New England Small College Athletic Conference - of which Tufts is a member - including Wesleyan and Amherst Colleges. "Princeton has been need-blind for as long as anyone here can remember," said Don Betterton, director of financial aid at Princeton. According to McDonnell, Tufts is a "deep-pocket school" when compared to comparable, yet smaller, colleges. "[At Sarah Lawrence], we have a very small endowment, so I look at every dollar that goes across my desk as a precious gem," McDonnell said. Although Tufts' endowment may lag behind its direct competitors, then, Tufts is still very competitive in terms of its resources and its applicant pool on the national level. Pressures in financing education fall not only on institutions, but on families as well. "From a [guidance] counselor's perspective, we have to get a feeling [each year] from colleges of how they are on [dispensable] aid" with respect to the economy, Siegel said. "We then steer them in the appropriate direction."

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Experts, witnesses discuss historic case of carcinogens in water

April 5

Past and present residents of Woburn, Mass. assembled in Barnum Hall last night to share their health experiences of living in the town after local companies dumped toxic chemicals into local water supplies, leading to a rise of leukemia cases. The serious chemical dumping is speculated to have begun in the mid-1960s and the first reports of residents becoming afflicted and dying from leukemia emerged in the 1970s. Moderated by civil and environmental engineering professor David Gute, the panel of speakers included former Woburn reverend Bruce Young, civil and environmental engineering professor John Durant and founding member of the Aberjona Study Coalition, Michael Raymond. "You can look at the past but it may still be pretty close to where you are now," Young said. Young received a great deal of attention for his role in setting up the 1986 civil suit against the targeted Woburn companies responsible for the toxic dumping. "It means so much to see young faces who are interested in what's happened in Woburn and what's happening now," he said. Young spoke of his experiences, which were included into author Jonathan Harr's book, "A Civil Action," published in 1995, and later made into a movie of the same name in 1998. "Read the book," he said. "It's like the Bible - the book is pretty good but the movies aren't so much." "Part of my responsibility as a parish priest is to minister to the people, to be there full time," Young said. He said that, along with leukemia victim Jimmy Anderson's mother Anne, he asked all cancer-affected Woburn families to meet and discuss their experiences. Young then mapped out the affected houses with pins. "When we got through it, the map told us a story," he said. "All the pins were around [Anderson's] house." "Woburn was blessed in taking gut feeling and turning it into something we could analyze," Young said. "We had a responsible local media and political response was very important ... We had people contact us from as far away as Israel - that's the power of the media." "There's copious personal, oral and professional data tied up in Woburn," Gute said. Along with Gute, Durant and Raymond also gave their accounts of the cleanup of cancer-causing chemicals dumped in the Woburn area, where toxins continue to infect the local water supply. Durant, who began researching Woburn as a graduate student in 1986, focused on the details and qualities of the local Aberjona Watershed on the Aberjona River - the local water supplier to Woburn and surrounding areas. "A lot of work has been done to investigate chemical contaminant problems," Durant said. "At the [Woburn] industrial sites, chemical manufacturing has been going on for a couple hundred years, going back to the Civil War." According to Durant, the watershed currently contains pollutants like ammonia. "There are some legacy problems that have not been addressed," he said. "Arsenic is tenfold higher than would be expected." Raymond said he is also working to better the watershed's quality, but not from the research side, as he represents a group of citizens from all towns that border the Aberjona Watershed. "The only thing the people that border the Aberjona River want to know is, 'Is it safe?'" Raymond said. "And in reviewing our comments, the [Environmental Protection Agency] is issuing a draft of remediation." The large audience, which included both Tufts students and residents from surrounding communities, posed several questions regarding local water quality, particularly the Mystic Watershed, which extends into both Medford and Somerville. Durant attempted to address the concerns. "The problem with Mystic Lake is not arsenic or ammonia, but it's sewage," he said. "I would swim there, but not after a rainstorm." The panel was sponsored by the University College of Citizenship and Public Service, the civil and environmental engineering department and Water Watch.

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