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The Setonian
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Arts Briefs

February 24

Heat of 'Havana Nights' comes to Dewick Move over Diego Luna, Cuba is coming to campus. This Saturday, the Tufts' Association of Latin-American Students (ALAS) will host the ultimate 'experiencia cultural' of Latino celebration and entertainment. In its first year as sole director of the cultural phenomenon, ALAS has spared no effort in its plans to transform Dewick-MacPhie Dining Hall into a recreation of 1950s Havana. However, do not let the imported palm trees, coconut candles, and artificial night sky decorations fool you; "Havana Nights" is not just about celebrating Cuban culture, but more of an all-encompassing tribute to Latino ethnicities in general. The event begins at 9:30 p.m. with a culture show that features a broad spectrum of cultural exhibitions. Student groups will offer performances that range from big-band era Cuban dancehall music to vocal recitals, an Afro-Latino dance ensemble, guitarists, a novella parody skit and a Columbian dance troupe from an area high school. An intermission will follow the show with a traditional, Carnavale-inspired buffet meal, and at midnight, a dance party headed will seal the evening with three hours of multi-flavored musical entertainment. According to one of the many event coordinators, ALAS Executive Board member and Tufts senior Jeanette Luna, "Havana Nights" is all about establishing an outlet for Latino culture here on campus. "All of the other culture clubs had always had events like this," Luna comments. "We [ALAS] had never had anything that was truly ours, but now we do, too!" However, it is important to note that "Havana Nights" is not just for Latin-American students. Luna adds, "We want people - all kinds of people - to show up and get exposed something new. Like our ads say, it's all about immersing yourself in Latino culture." Admission is $7 and includes the show, dinner and dance fiesta. Tickets are available at the Campus Center information booth or at the door. A college ID is required for admittance. Tufts faculty gets 'All jazzed up' It's always difficult for students to picture their instructors having lives outside the classroom, but tomorrow night, members of the Music Department will prove that our professors here at Tufts don't become shut-ins on the weekends. Goddard Chapel will be positively hopping this Saturday with the groovy tunes of a collaborative jazz effort known as "All Jazzed Up ... (And Somewhere to Go!)" comprised of five members of Tufts' own Applied Music faculty. "All Jazzed Up's" musicians pride themselves on their individually diverse musical backgrounds, and it is just this type of variety that will create an exciting sound when blended together. Guitarist Jerry Bussiere is an acclaimed veteran of the modern dance scene, dabbling in a wide range of pop music, while bassist Fernando Huergo is a native Argentine who has toured in more than 16 countries on four continents and gained a wide range of musical experience. Saxophonist Stan Strickland has a long history of collaboration with such famed acts as jazz musician Webster Lewis, multi-instrumentalist Marty Ehrlich, and his own band, Legacy. Nando Michelin provides a dynamic backbone to the group with his Brazilian music-inspired approach to drumming that allows the drummer more room to play off of other band members and a greater space for improvisation. Diane Richardson rounds out the quintet with award-winning vocals that have earned her spots on television, tours with Top 40 bands, and teaching positions at several universities nationwide. The concert starts promptly at 8:00 p.m. and admission to the event is free. --compiled by Kelly Rizzetta

The Setonian
News

Berube solidifies position on the Hill

February 24

While most seasons end with a definitive buzzer and a cleaning out of lockers, for the women's basketball team a single question remains unanswered: what if?

The Setonian
News

Team focusing on individual times, marks

February 24

The women's track team will once again hit the road this weekend, this time journeying just across the Charles River for the All-New England Championships, a meet where Div. I, II and III competition duke it out to determine the best team in the region.

The Setonian
News

Championship quest continues

February 24

After defeating Colby 99-88 last weekend in the first round of the NESCAC Tournament at Cousens Gym, the men's basketball team is heading to Amherst to determine how much longer its season will continue.

The Setonian
News

I'-opening event to rock Cohen

February 24

This past Monday, Yi-Hwa Hanna was anything but 'on vacation.' Hanna was not in her room, cramming in a few 11th-hour assignments that she'd saved for the last minute. She was not living it up with her friends, savoring the last precious hours of her three-day weekend. Instead, Hanna, toting a plastic bag containing her Hodgdon dinner, was crammed into Cohen Auditorium with a vast array of dancers and musicians, storytellers and fashion models that comprised the dress rehearsal for the International Club's Parade of Nations, being held tonight from 5-7 p.m. in Cohen. Hanna is one of several co-directors for the I-Club's multicultural extravaganza, and the task of coordinating such an eclectic production is far from easy. Tonight's show will feature performances from over a dozen other campus culture organizations and caps off International Week festivities that have included guest speakers, group presentations, and special menus at campus dining halls. "Parade of Nations isn't supposed to be about one organization, though," Hanna said. "We're not doing this only for members of the International Club or any of the other campus groups; this is for everybody, and we want everybody to enjoy it." Hanna continued, "It really bugs me when I hear people say that, 'I'm not going to go to this or that [event] because I'm American.' That's just silly, because whether you're foreign- or American-born it doesn't matter. International means everybody, and we really do want everyone here to take advantage of this." Hanna went on to point out TURBO's breakdancing as an example of an American culture component that his been worked into this year's show. The b-boys from TURBO will be joined onstage by acts like the Arab Students Association's "1001 Nights," a multi-ethnic dance collective known as Latin Infusion, and a fashion show that features traditionally and not-so-traditionally costumed models strutting down a runway to the tune of Michael Jackson's "Thriller." And yet, amidst this atmosphere of lavish glitz, the objective of Parade of Nations is refreshingly simple. According to Parade director and Tufts junior Samar Habayeb, "Parade of Nations is just about bringing acts from every culture onto one stage, for one night. We want to let the audience see all kinds of people doing their own thing - different things - but doing it together." "That's really the point," said Hanna. "When we [as a society] refer to internationalism, we're usually talking about war or politics or something like that. But with Parade of Nations, we want to let people know that, yeah, people from all different backgrounds can be together in one place and express their individuality, and that's okay. No conflicts, no tension; just being together and having a good time." However, this touching mantra isn't the only motive for the Parade; the International Club hopes to use the evening as a platform from which to further their tsunami relief efforts. During intermission, the I-Club, in partnership with the staff of La Contessa Bakery in Davis Square, will host a bake sale in the lobby of Cohen, all the proceeds from which will be donated directly to relief organizations that target Southeast Asian countries devastated by December's ravaging tsunami. "The I-Club is very involved with charity and community service projects," Hanna said. In addition to the Candlelight Vigil for tsunami victims last month, the International Club has sponsored or co-sponsored endeavors that range from large-scale UNICEF charity efforts to beginning a scholarship fund for foreign-born graduates In fact, part of the Parade of Nations ceremony will include the presentation of the Oliver Chapman Award for leadership and community service. Named in honor of a former Tufts student, the award is given to a Tufts senior who has contributed in some outstanding way to the international community. Under the direction of I-Club treasurer and Tufts junior Mauricio Arti?±ano, the International Club plans to expand its community service efforts with a project that hits somewhat closer to home. "As we all know," Hanna explains, "the Medford-Somerville community doesn't have the greatest relationship with Tufts. But we want them to get to know us better so that they can see that we want to work with them. We're lucky here at Tufts to have so many valuable educational resources, and we want to share that with them." In that vein, the International Club will launch the I-Club Medford School Project to promote a multicultural approach to education in area elementary schools. Through the project, members of the Tufts student body can sign up to prepare a lesson on the culture of a particular foreign nation. A list of these participants is then sent to the Medford grammar school teachers, who can call on the presenters as needed to supplement the existing classroom material with specialized cultural instruction. For right now, though, the Parade of Nations gets top priority on the I-Club's list. "We just want to get our message out there," Hanna concludes. "We want to get people involved in the international community, and hopefully Parade of Nations will inspire people to do that."

The Setonian
News

25th Anniversary | Student protests and sit-ins wane over course of Daily's lifespan

February 24

Tenure, divestment, racial issues and sexual orientation discrimination have been the major polarizing topics of the past 25 years at Tufts which the Daily has covered. Jumbos from Generations X and Y have held a variety of civil-disobedience events, including rallies on Professors Row and sit-ins at prominent campus buildings. In late April, 1983, when sociology professor Peter Dreier was denied tenure by the administration, over 400 students rallied in his defense. Although the Tenure and Promotions Committee recommended tenure for Dreier, President Jean Mayer exercised his veto power and denied Dreier tenure. On April 27, 250 students held a sit-in in Ballou Hall, hoping to change President Jean Mayer's mind; they were not successful. Tufts student Ian Kremer was the center of a campus controversy in 1987 when he submitted a false police report about an on-campus assault. Kremer, a known student activist, wrote an article for the Tufts Observer titled "Students Tolerate Bias and Racism," and then claimed he was attacked because of his writing. After a solidarity march on Professors Row by over 100 other Jumbos which resulted in further campus violence, the police discovered that Kremer had fabricated the story. Three years later, over 2,000 students gathered outside Ballou Hall amidst a sleet storm to protest a proposed drop in financial aid. At the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate sponsored rally, University Chaplain Scotty McLennan and history professor Gerald Gill supported the students and their efforts to help maintain Tufts' status as a diverse university. Students braved cold weather and skipped classes - then-Provost Sol Gittleman's German 188 course was missing 202 of its 345 enrollees - to listen to speeches on the subject. McLennan cited the history of Tufts as a "poor man's college" and Gill urged his fellow faculty members to donate some of their salary to help keep Tufts diverse. TCU President Billy Jacobson spoke to the large crowd from the steps of Ballou, saying, "We are simply asking the trustees to stick with that winning formula and guarantee sufficient aid for the next year and all subsequent years." As this year's seniors were graduating high school, approximately 20 Tufts students staged a sit-in at Bendetson Hall. The protestors, most of them members of the Tufts Students Against Discrimination (TSAD), demanded that the Administration clarify the language in its policy of allowing groups to discriminate. This arose out of a controversy involving the Tufts Christian Fellowship's decision to refuse a leadership position to an openly gay student. After discussions with administration officials including Dean of Students Bruce Reitman and then-President John DiBaggio, the sit-in ended after 35 hours of negotiations. Perhaps the most recent on-campus controversy was that following President Bush's decision to pursue a war in Iraq. A group composed of both students and professors, TCOWI, the Tufts Coalition Opposed to the War in Iraq, planned a walkout and teach-in to take place the day after the first attacks on Iraq. In the lead-up to the war, students and administrators discussed the financial ramifications should professors walk out on their classes. Math professor David Isles agreed to reimburse his students if class were cancelled because of the teach-in. With the attacks beginning during spring break, the rally was poorly attended. TCOWI still has a presence on campus, continuing to speak out against the Bush administration's foreign policy initiatives. When the Daily prints its 30th anniversary issue, what will be the galvanizing topic that brings the current Jumbos to hold rallies or sit-ins? Will it be the pursuit of academic freedom or the reinstitution of the draft? Perhaps there is a campus activist out there planning the next school-wide act of civil disobedience. As history shows, there will always be something to protest.

The Setonian
News

Radio show is the left part of waking up

February 24

If "The Daily Show" is keeping you up too late at night and caffeine just isn't giving you enough of a jolt in the morning, you may want to tune in to "Morning Sedition" on Air America Radio. Airing every weekday morning, the program occupies the primetime slot on the new liberal talk radio station. Hosted by career comedian Marc Maron and New York radio personality Mark Riley, the show has seen a procession of high-profile guests, from Will Ferrell to Bill Clinton, since its debut on April 2nd of last year. Maron was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule for a phone interview with the Daily. However, while holding his cell in one hand, he was apparently pushing a shopping cart with the other, so his comments about the show were periodically interrupted by exclamations like, "Hey dude, what's that cheese I like? Allz-ass? Alsace-Muenster, that's it!" The Daily excuses Maron, considering he had been up since 2:30 that morning. Citing influences such as Richard Pryor, Woody Allen, the dearly departed Hunter S. Thompson and even "MAD Magazine," Maron boasts that he has always been "the smart-ass, the class clown, a disturber of the peace." He became a stand-up comic soon after graduating from Boston University in 1987 and has made his living in show business ever since, touring the late-night circuit with the likes of Conan and Letterman, yukking it up on his own HBO and Comedy Central specials, and turning his one-man, off-Broadway show, "Jerusalem Syndrome," into a book. "Morning Sedition" is Maron's first foray into radio, but with the help of co-host Riley, a radio veteran, he quickly became acclimated to the show's eclectic mix of hard news and humor. What sets "Morning Sedition" apart from most talk radio shows, Maron says, is "the way we move back and forth fairly seamlessly between news and guest spots, and humor and improvisation." Indeed, the show combines scripted comedic scenes with improvised conversations about the news of the day with live calls from listeners. Maron, always the provocateur, revels in the spontaneity of the interactions: "I like to get a reaction; I love making control freaks unravel." To the show's credit, its writing crew includes "The Daily Show" veterans and, interestingly enough, several Tufts alums. Producer Jonathan Larsen is both, having served as senior political producer for Jon Stewart's "fake news" show during the 2000 election debacle and, perhaps even more impressively, as editor-in-chief of The Tufts Daily during his time at Tufts. Of the "The Daily Show," Larsen said that the writers would take whatever was the funniest thing on the news that day or whatever made the best sound bite, be it Bush butchering his native language in a press conference or footage of a fistfight on the floor of the Taiwanese legislature. "The primary goal there was to be funny. The primary goal here [on 'Morning Sedition'] is to be smart and funny, to get at what's really important in the news today, at what concerned citizens should know about. There are plenty of shows on in the morning if you just want to laugh, but listening to us should be like hanging out with your interesting, informed, hysterical friend." Whether or not this goal has been accomplished still seems up in the air. As with most morning radio fare, the show's humor is, at times, frankly sophomoric and uninspired. Take, for instance, the movie trailer clip they created, complete with screaming and skin-slapping sound effects, in response to chairman of the Abu-Ghraib investigation panel James Schlesinger's comment that likened the conditions at the prison to those of college satire film "Animal House"; this kind of obvious gag that makes light of human suffering is simply unfunny. Yet there are also smart, subversive moments, like the "Planet Bush" segment where a correspondent reports on what conditions are like in the Commander-in-Chief's warped reality. Then there's "Rapture Watch" where a mock religious figure details what signs of the coming apocalypse have occurred in the past week. And, like "The Daily Show," the "Morning Sedition" crew has a talent for selecting and showcasing revealing sound bites that are so ludicrous in and of themselves that no snappy commentary is needed. And though promos quip that "Morning Sedition" is the show to turn to when "you want your news skewed so far to the left it's wearing a dress," Marc and Mark strive to be equal opportunity offenders, as indicated by recurring bits like the straight-from-the-Streisand-compound "Liberal Agenda" which pokes fun at self-satisfied liberal elites. Maron said, "Liberals are only slightly less annoying than conservatives - for different reasons, of course." With conservatives dominating the talk-radio airwaves, one hopes that this promising program will be able to excise its own annoying aspects and provide an articulate, entertaining, alternative view - of which open-minded listeners will be happy to say, "My, but that dress looks lovely on you!"

The Setonian
News

Correction

February 24

An article on Wednesday, ("Shining light on a 'hidden gem," Feb. 23) mischaracterized the Slater Concourse.It has not been renamed the Tufts Community Gallery, but rather houses the Tufts Community Gallery. Also, the Remis Sculpture Court remains a sculpture court and has been used for a variety of events since 1991.

The Setonian
News

Tufts' artists are moving to a new on-line 'Village'

February 24

Thanks to the outgrowth of technology that supports the downloading of music and other media, Tufts musicians and filmmakers now have a new venue to showcase their creativity. As part of a 2004-2005 trial contract with Colorado-based Cdigix, Tufts University provides students with a free online platform to post and share music and films created by members of the Tufts community. This platform, called Cvillage, has been available since last November. The result of this contract is a free, dual-purpose service including Ctrax, which provides a venue for commercial music downloading, and Cvillage, where students can post their own original recordings and films to be shared with the Tufts community and over twenty other network universities. Cdigix, owned by Sea Blue Media, markets Cvillage as, "a medium for an exchange of ideas and content" that allows users to create a "local flavor." Cvillage generates that local flavor by operating through one or two paid Campus Managers who are students at the university they represent. The Campus Managers oversee content posting on their university's Cvillage site and act as a liaison between Cdigix and the campus community. Sophomore Allison Osborn has taken on the cause of Cvillage and Ctrax as the Tufts Campus Manager. Osborn's job is to market the services to the Tufts campus and take care of technical concerns regarding the usage of Cdigix on students' computers until another Campus Manager position is filled. In conjunction with Cdigix's national coordinator for campus managers, Osborn has been working since last November to create a marketing campaign specifically tailored to the Tufts community. While she describes the start of Cdigix at Tufts as "a little slow," She believes that unusually low usage among Tufts students is the result of an ill-timed launch and a lack of student awareness of the service. "Cdigix is a great service. There is no reason for any Tufts student not to use it, especially because it is free and legal," Osborn said. Describing herself as a "music junkie," Osborn said, "Music is my biggest passion." She guessed that she owns over 500 CDs, a collection that dates back to her childhood. A clinical psychology major with an English minor, Osborn has never imagined herself in a career relating to music. However, since her involvement with Cdigix, she said that she could perhaps see a career in some sort of music industry. "I'm loving this job," Osborn said, despite her self-professed lack of marketing experience. The value of Cvillage, according to Osborn, lies in its ability to allow artists to share with their own communities as well as with other university communities. "The music community at Tufts has pretty much stayed within its own boundaries. I'd like to see this expand to the general Tufts population," said Osborn. While only one Tufts artist has posted material on the Tufts Cvillage website, Osborn hopes that the upcoming marketing campaign will bring new musicians and filmmakers to Cvillage. She has been in contact with some Tufts musicians, but she says that giving artists a place to display their work is only the beginning of Cvillage's potential. "I think that Cvillage can help spread the music that Tufts students are creating, and foster a sense of unity not only among the musicians, but for those who want to appreciate the music as well," Osborn said. Most amateur musicians and filmmakers appreciate any low-cost arena where they can showcase their material. Sophomore Matt Raifman, who has recorded some of his own original music, said, "I would post; I can't imagine many artists that wouldn't want to post their music. Most musicians are primarily concerned with getting their music out there, distributed and heard." As for potential audiences of music or films on the Cvillage platform, most students agree that, especially given the free cost of the site, they would at least visit the site. Sophomore Libby Park said, "I am always interested in exploring how creativity is presenting itself, especially in forms of art. I would check out the Web site."

The Setonian
News

Red Bull cans become unlikely art

February 24

Who would have thought that Red Bull could give college kids more than just jitters and a good mixer for vodka? The beverage, however, was certainly profitable for the 31 finalists in the Red Bull Art of the Can Contest.

The Setonian
News

Team ready for All-New Englands

February 24

For some athletes on the men's track and field team, the season has ended, but for those who qualified for postseason meets, the most intense competition is still to come in the next few meets.

The Setonian
News

25th Anniversary | Getting the word out: The Daily as forum for campus debate

February 24

With 4,000 copies coming out every weekday, the Daily gives students who would otherwise never get a chance to discuss issues with each other the ability to do just that. Both through its articles and through Viewpoints and letters to the editor the paper provides a space for discussion. But how it does so is often up for a great matter of discussion. "From the campus point of view, it's really useful to have a forum," said English lecturer Nan Levinson, who has taught journalism for over 15 years. Levinson added that she can think of "lots of instances" when just such a forum has been constructive to the campus community. "Events that happen can be very divisive - not that the Daily has healed things single-handedly, but in helping people to thrash it out, the Daily's doing something that's essential to democracy," she said. People ranging from Tufts Community Union (TCU) President David Baumwoll, a junior, to former editor-in-chief of the Primary Source Brandon Balkind, agree that working through the Daily is one of the most efficient ways to give information to a wide range of people. "I would like to see more people from outside submitting Viewpoints and all that," Baumwoll said. "I can't think of a better way to provide students with an opportunity to voice opinions." Discussion in the Daily also exposes people to a wider range of opinions than they would normally encounter in just their friendship groups, explained Peggy Barrett, director of the Women's Center. "The Daily is one of the main places that people hear from people they haven't heard from before," she said. The Viewpoints page especially is where contentious issues frequently arise. Viewpoints editor sophomore Paula Fortner said that frequently a controversial Viewpoint will spark intense debate on her pages, with people responding to the original Viewpoint and then subsequent ones. For example, she said, last year the topic of gay marriage was passionately discussed for over a month. Campus topics also receive more exposure than usual. Recently, Balkind wrote a Viewpoint about the Tufts Academic Freedom Project, of which he is the spokesman. The Viewpoint was "effective," in his opinion, as it served to create a more public awareness of the initiative, which has been debated in the TCU Senate since last spring. Beyond allowing members of the community to exchange views, opinions and issues, the Daily shed light on student reactions to campus ideas. "Many times there have been criticisms, a variety of Viewpoints on Senate initiatives," Baumwoll said. These, he added, are "definitely taken into consideration ... we're representing the student body and have to make sure information is accessible." Baumwoll pointed to the September 2004 Fall Ball as an instance in which responses voiced in the Daily had an effect on campus programming. A Viewpoint and column came out immediately after the event, criticizing the crowded entry-way and the "unresponsive nature of the staff." This January's Winter Bash, by contrast, had an entrance procedure that responded directly to those concerns. According to Baumwoll, "that was definitely helpful." Yet, there are also inherent difficulties in conducting discussions through the medium of a newspaper. Barrett emphasized the risk being taken by those who put their opinions in print to be read by the entire campus. The Daily "can also be a place where people just blast a group of individuals, without any checks on what they say," she warned. It is also frequently difficult to clearly explain a stance on a controversial issue to people unfamiliar with a point of view. "For the parties involved, it's sometimes hard to make sure that their responses are what they mean," Balkind said. Writing in a newspaper is "inherently limiting," in Barrett's view, since the view stated stays on the record permanently: frequently, a Viewpoint written by a freshman does not reflect that person's opinion as a senior. But at the same time, Barrett said, by forcing writers to clarify their ideas, submitting opinions to the Daily can also be "satisfying."

The Setonian
News

25th Anniversary | Is the Daily Tufts University's 'newspaper of record'?

February 24

The term "newspaper of record" was first used by The New York Times in 1927 for a readers' contest that asked entrants to elaborate on the contest's title, "The Value of The New York Times Index and Files as a Newspaper of Record." Since then, the term has been expanded to mean any newspaper which meets a certain subjective level of quality. As the University's only newspaper and its first daily publication, the Tufts Daily set out on its 25th anniversary to see whether it qualifies as Tufts' newspaper of record. From those the Daily spoke with, the sense was that the Daily was never meant to be a newspaper of record; rather, it has been intended as a voice for the Tufts community that comes from the perspective of its students. Forty-four Tufts publications have existed at one time or another throughout the University's history, according to the Tufts University Archives, and the Daily's 25-year history pales in comparison to the Tufts Observer's 110-year one. But Anne Sauer (LA '91), the University's archivist and former student, does not believe that Tufts has ever really had an on-campus publication "of record." The closest that the school had, in her opinion, was the Tufts Weekly (which later became the Tufts Observer) in the first part of the 20th century. The Tufts Weekly, Sauer said, referred to itself as the school's newspaper of record for a time. The Daily's current editor-in-chief, Mark Evitt, disagrees. "Twenty-five years from now, if someone is looking to find out what happened at Tufts this spring, he isn't going to ask the administration or check Tufts E-News," Evitt said. "He's going to look at the archives of the daily paper." "On a day-to-day basis I don't think of the Daily as being a newspaper of record. I'm more concerned about just getting the paper out, period," Evitt said. "But because of the Daily's position as this campus' primary source of news it naturally falls into the 'newspaper of record' role. Were the Daily a once-a-week rather than a five-times-a-week publication, would it have a better claim to being the University's newspaper of record? According to Pete Sanborn (LA '99), the Daily's editor-in-chief for the 1998 spring and fall semesters, the Daily approaches its highest quality in its current form. "I've heard the arguments for reducing the Daily to a weekly paper - more in-depth coverage, fewer errors, more 'bang for the buck,'" said Sanborn, now Tufts' Assistant Director of Public Relations. "Despite their criticisms, I think most Tufts students would miss their daily dose of campus news - or at least the crosswords - if the paper published just one issue a week." The Daily's (or any other publication's) inability to serve as a journal of record may not be a bad thing. Daniel Okrent, the New York Times public editor, wrote last April that it was impossible and unwanted for a paper of any size to attempt to fit every piece of information into its pages. Okrent cited the sheer amount of banal facts in a Times article from the 1940s as evidence of the "deadening effect" attempting to serve as a newspaper of record can have. Sauer said that she uses back issues of the Daily and other publications to examine the school's trends. "The Daily is about undergraduate student life, and covers that," she said. Former Provost and University Professor Sol Gittleman said much the same, stating that he looks to the Daily to follow the student point of view of the University, but would not consider it a good "newspaper of record." History Professor Daniel Mulholland, however, feels that the Daily is closer to achieving the status of newspaper of record than other campus publications. "Like everyone, I'm appalled at the frequency, indeed regularity, of quoting people wrong, but usually the fault is pretty venial rather than mortal, as it is with the Primary Source," Mulholland said.

The Setonian
News

Symposium focuses on water resources

February 24

Attendees of the 20th annual Education for Public Inquiry and International Citizenship (EPIIC) Symposium, "Resources and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations," can be forgiven for taking shorter showers and not letting the tap run while brushing their teeth.

The Setonian
News

25th Anniversary | Daily doses of campus life and controversy

February 24

Though the Daily has been many things, it hasn't always been the lengthy and widely-read publication it is today. "It took a while for the Daily to really grab hold of campus," said Professor of History Daniel Mulholland, who has taught at Tufts since 1968. "Back then [in the early '80s], the Observer was the substantial weekly newspaper, and the Daily was a flimsy handout." Now, Mulholland observes, the roles have been reversed. "I look at the Daily and have been impressed by its improvement over the course of time," he said. Phil Primack (LA '70), now a freelance journalist, was the editor of the Observer during his tenure at Tufts. Primack, who taught last semester's Ex College course "Horse Race: The Press and the Presidential Election," said that "it's tough to sustain a daily newspaper in a campus community." "The Daily does a good job of highlighting the day's events, both on a campus and global level," Primack said, adding that "the role of a student-run newspaper to its community should be no different from the role of any newspaper to its community: to inform, to educate and occasionally, to entertain - preferably in a way that gives readers the information they need." To English Professor Carol Flynn, who has taught at Tufts for 19 years, one of the most valuable ways the Daily does that is by facilitating a connection between faculty members and campus life. "I think that [the Daily does] a very good job reporting news about the campus that, as a faculty member, I would never know anything about," Flynn said. "One of the things that's difficult for a lot of faculty members is a lack of connection to the University after we go home and [campus life] goes on, especially for those of us who live far away. I live in Jamaica Plain, and I'm usually not here [on campus] for lots of events." "I really value the paper for making connections between student life and the life of the mind - I like that," Flynn added. Pete Sanborn (LA '99), the Daily's editor-in-chief for the 1998 spring and fall semesters, appreciated what he learned working on the Daily. "I spent as much time in the Daily's offices as I spent in class," said Sanborn, who is now Tufts' Assistant Director of Public Relations. "It was part passion and part addiction, and it had a lot to do with why I loved being a student at Tufts." "After all," he added in his e-mail, "when you're working in a windowless office at 3 a.m., putting the finishing touches on the next day's issue, you better love what you're doing. "Publishing a daily newspaper is a huge responsibility, which is a double-edged sword," Sanborn continued. "In many respects, it was incredibly exciting to work for a campus organization that had such a central role in keeping students, faculty, staff, and alumni informed of the day-to-day business of the University. But it was a very demanding job that came with more than its fair share of pressure, criticism and second-guessing, much of it deserved." For Daily alums like Sanborn, the training the paper provided - though arduous - has been formative. "Both the good and bad decisions left lasting impressions on me and taught me a lot about the power of the press, and the precarious balance that student journalists must maintain when covering their classmates and professors," Sanborn said. "That's an incredibly valuable learning experience that can't be replaced by any journalism class, no matter how good the professor." "Though I have nothing concrete to back this up, I think Tufts is disproportionate in how many students go on to become good journalists," said English Lecturer Nan Levinson, who has taught journalism courses at Tufts for "15 or 16" years. "Among the things that I think are good, as a teacher of journalism, is that the Daily provides an excellent training ground for students." "The students involved [with the Daily] learn a lot from writing and putting out the paper," Levinson said. "They also become better news consumers - they think more critically and read more deeply." The Daily isn't just a valuable resource for those students interested in journalism. In the way "it builds community and encourages dialogue," as Sanborn says, the Daily has served the entire campus community. "When there were lots of discussions about fraternities and sororities a few years ago, the Daily was very good at reporting on that, and all the issues of both faculty and student opinions," Flynn said. "I think the Daily is good at getting a broad view of the differences of opinion on campus." "When there's controversy - and even when there's not - I love to read the letters to the editor," Levinson added. "That and the Viewpoints section are an opportunity for people to debate the issues that matter to them, and they're usually well-written: when what you're writing's in print, you're careful with words." Mulholland is also a fan of the Daily's Viewpoints and letters sections. "I've been miffed, but also appreciative of the fact, when I wished to write something, to have to go through the usual channels," he said. "[The Daily doesn't] seem to play favorites, which is a virtue." Mulholland also noted, however, that "the letters department has been pretty dead of late." "I do wish there was more college campus news and views," he added. "But maybe there simply isn't anything worth commenting on." "Sure, there are times when it's hard to fill the pages with solid news," Sanborn said. "But there are just as many times - if not more - when there just isn't enough space in the paper to cover everything."

The Setonian
News

Photojournalism on display

February 24

Photojournalist Antonin Kratochvil celebrated the national launch of his fifth book, "Vanishing" by speaking at Tufts on Wednesday. Kratochvil was joined at Remis Sculpture Court by writer and journalist Michael Persson and environment and development consultant Fred Pearce for a lecture and discussion.

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