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Hockey | Icemen beat Amherst, Hamilton for rankings boost

February 13

After this past weekend, the Tufts hockey team learned that good things do come to those who wait. The Jumbos earned their first weekend sweep of NESCAC competition since joining the league in the 2001-2002 season. Home triumphs over Amherst and Hamilton gave Tufts a much-needed boost in the NESCAC standings and propelled the squad above .500, with a record of 11-10-1. In Saturday's win, two third period goals from sophomore forward John Murphy gave Tufts a 4-2 win over Hamilton as well as the aforementioned sweep. His first came early in the third on an assist from junior co-captain Ken Cleary and his second was on the empty net to seal the deal. Tufts had entered the game on an emotional high after Friday night's thrilling 4-3 win against Amherst. But the momentum from the previous night did not translate to early success against Hamilton. The Jumbos were outshot 11-6 and were down 1-0 after the first period. "We came out a little flat on Saturday," senior defenseman Sean Hayes said. "We were still a bit drained from the Amherst game. But we knew we would pick it up. With this team, once we score one goal, we just keep it rolling." The Jumbos second period was evidence of Hayes' claims. Junior forward Matt McCarthy's fifteenth score of the season came on the power play at 7:55 of the period, on an assist from senior Jason Boudrow. Just four minutes later, also on the power play, senior co-captain John Hurd notched his tenth tally of the year to give Tufts the lead. Hamilton would tie it up with a man-advantage goal of its own with just 21 seconds remaining in the period. But Murphy's two scores in the final frame would prove to be the difference. Freshman goaltender James Kalec had another stellar performance. He turned away 25 of the Continentals' 27 shots. And Hamilton's scoreless third period is a testament to Kalec's ability to bear down in crunch time. "He has been just awesome for us," Hayes said. "He allows us to stay in games, and not only that, but once we get up on teams, we have confidence that we can stay up on them." While the Hamilton win had its share of thrills, Friday night's matchup set the tone. It was an evenly-played contest and the game was decided by the slimmest of margins. Cleary, on assists from Murphy and freshman defenseman Joe Cappellano, scored the game winner with 1:12 left in the third. Outshot 11-7 in the final period, Kalec again worked his magic and allowed the Jumbos to stave off the Lord Jeffs. But the defense played a key role as well. "How we played in our own zone was real important," Hayes said. "We got the puck out when we needed to, and we didn't beat ourselves. We bent but we didn't break." Amherst scored all of its goals on the power play. The Jumbos only had the man-advantage twice compared with Amherst's seven, so a premium was placed on defense. But the offensive arsenal reared its head for the Jumbos at key times as well. Within the final three minutes of the first period, a pair of freshmen showed flashes of the Jumbos' quick strike capabilities. Cappellano netted his second of the year at 17:34. Moments later, standout forward Greg O'Connell notched his tenth of the season. He also had an assist on Cappellano's goal with fellow freshman Ross Gimbel. O'Connell was assisted by Gimbel and Boudrow, who is collecting assists at a break neck pace. His twenty assists are third in the NESCAC. This weekend also marked the final home games for seniors Hurd, Boudrow, Hayes, and Matt Kniaz. With the wins, Tufts is now ranked eighth in the NESCAC, despite a 4-2-1 record against league foes. Part of the discrepancy in league points is that the Jumbos have slipped up against other ECAC opponents, and those points are counted in the league standings. They are 7-9-1 in the NESCAC/ECAC. Despite its poor point total, the team all but assured itself a spot in postseason play. The Jumbos travel to Connecticut to take on Wesleyan and conference powerhouse Trinity next weekend. But regardless of where they end up, the hockey players are happy about where they are as a team. "What I've noticed this year is that we have a mentality, in every game, that we are as good as any team we play," Hayes said. "We have confidence, and I think that's what has helped us in these tight games."

News

Trustees discuss University with faculty and students

February 13

Following closed-door meetings on Saturday morning, the University's Board of Trustees met with students, faculty, and administrators for a formal lunch in Dowling Hall that afternoon. Over lunch, the attendees discussed a range of topics regarding Tufts, outlined with leading questions created by senior Chike Aguh, one of the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate's trustee representatives. One priority expressed was the enrichment of the intellectual atmosphere with increased thesis rates, which currently hovers around 20 percent. "This is unacceptably low for an institution that values its faculty-student interaction," University Provost Jamshed Bharucha said. Students also discussed how other non-thesis opportunities for valuable undergraduate research were not as visible as some would like. Sophomore TCU senator Jessica Feinberg said that, as a Psychology major, the undergraduate research opportunities she knew of were few and far between. "It's not highly publicized," she said. "I don't know how to get into research." Such programs are expanding and efforts are being made to encourage research during study abroad, Bharucha said. One such effort, highlighted by Dean of Undergraduate Education James Glaser, is the Tufts Summer Scholars program, which aims to increase the quality of intellectual involvement in the Tufts community. The program pairs students with professors to perform on-campus research projects in the summer. Last year, the program received approximately 100 proposals for 30 spots. "This year we've gotten 200 proposals, and we're not even close to the deadline," Glaser said. Housing for both undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty, also featured prominently in the discussion. "There is a panoply of recommendations from the Task Force on the Undergraduate Experience [on housing], and many of them are starting to happen," Glaser said. He said that Hill Hall was being newly designated as a freshman dorm for the 2005-2006 academic year. Glaser said that it is important for freshmen to be together for the first few months of the school year, for networking purposes. The construction of Sophia Gordon Hall was an important step in this process, he said, which would help ease the housing crunch for juniors and seniors. Junior TCU Senator John Valentine said, however, that off-campus housing would still remain a hassle for juniors. "We've got to find a way to determine a fair market rent around Tufts," he said. "It's ridiculous - the market is such a seller's market." Valentine suggested the development of a database that would keep track of information about landlords and their houses and allow students to compare prices and value. Housing is no picnic for faculty either, Physics Professor Hugh Gallagher said. He said that he was only able to make initial payments for a house from selling his house in Minnesota where the cost of living is far lower. For the average junior professor, "It's just not affordable," he said. Cultural differences, Trustee Ed Swan said, can also discourage minority professors from settling in the area. The issue of diversity of faculty, staff and students was discussed throughout the lunch. "Hospitality in Boston is a real problem for African-American professionals," Swan said. Keeping young alumni involved was another high priority, with emphasis on the tradition of giving back to the school in both monetary and other forms. Senior Matt Pohl said that as a soon-to-be alumnus, he would like to stay involved with the community, even with minimal monetary contributions. "I want to stay emotionally connected to my school," he said. "We want to attract younger alumni back with connections other than finances." The attendees also considered how to better the college experience in order to sustain alumni connections. History Professor Ina Baghdiantz-McCabe described how there is a "lack of access between faculty members and students." "I don't know about their problems or their lives," she said. Baghdiantz-McCabe said she wants to get to know her students personally and be able to help them, to an extent, on matters beyond the strictly academic.Daniel Lutz contributed to this article

News

Representatives of NGO discuss internal displacement in Colombia

February 13

Two members of the nongovernment organization (NGO) Refugees International discussed their research on Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs) in Colombia at a conference on forced migration at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy on Saturday. Over two million people are classified as IDPs in Colombia. Out of a population of 40 million, speaker Mamie Mutchler said, these numbers are "quite alarming." The root of the problem in Colombia, according to Mutchler and fellow speaker Andrea Lari, is the government's crusade against the guerilla group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which has been involved in narcotraffic and terror since its inception 40 years ago. In response, the Colombian government hired paramilitaries to counter the actions of the FARC. The result was that "civilians got caught in the crossfire of the guerillas and paramilitary," Mutchler said. "If you were a civilian in a rural area where you had a farm, one group could come in and accuse you of having given aid to the other group, single out a few of you and shoot you in front of the entire community," she said. "That starts a wave of displacement." The government's response has been "severe," but the government is not holding the paramilitary groups accountable for their atrocities against civilians. Rather than terming the struggle an armed conflict, the government has avoided this label as it holds too many limitations. Thus, international humanitarian law does not apply for them, Mutchler said. Colombian IDPs have been returning to their villages and restoring their former lives in a remarkable example of community coordination, Lari said. He described one community that approached the government with demands for certain safety measures and resources to rebuild their community. What is necessary now, he said, is a more coordinated international effort to address the displacement issues and to try to end the violence. The panel was one of five that addressed more general issues with regard to forced migration, including education, security, and the sustainability of the new ways of life of IDPs and refugees.- By Zosia Sztykowski

News

Women's Basketball | Ballers bound past Bantams on Friday

February 13

When there's only one option on the table, there's not a lot of room for discussion. And so when the only thing on the Jumbos' menu on Friday night was a win over Trinity, that's exactly what they delivered. In the game they had to win to keep their season alive, the Jumbos clearly exceeded expectations. They steamrolled the Bantams 76-53 in Hartford and, with Trinity's subsequent loss to Bates on Saturday, secured a bid to the NESCAC postseason tournament. Tufts did exactly what the matchup required, shooting fairly well from the floor, forcing turnovers, and converting on the offensive end. The Jumbos once again looked to senior co-captain Alison Love, who followed her 20-point performance last Tuesday in Tufts' win over Salve Regina with a double-double on Friday, knocking down 20 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Friday's game was the second leg of an outstanding three-game offensive showing from Love, as she three-peated the 20-plus mark in Saturday's win over Amherst with 22 points. Love's 36 minutes was the highest on the team in Friday's game as coach Carla Berube was reluctant to put the key to the Jumbos' offense on the bench. "Alison definitely just stepped up her game at the right time," Berube said. "She's getting the ball, taking good shots, and when she's open, she has the green light." Love's co-captain senior Erin Connolly agreed. "Alison was posting up strong, and the guards were getting her the ball," Connolly said. "She shot incredibly well, and if she didn't have it, she kicked it back out. She really played a solid inside-outside game." Joining Love in double digits was sophomore Valerie Krah, whose 17 points on 7-11 shooting included 13 points during the Jumbos' second-half offensive that blew the game open and smothered any momentum from the Bantams. Tufts jumped out to a 14-3 lead, spreading the scoring evenly among its starters early on and holding the Bantams to 6-27 shooting from the floor. Trinity briefly cut the deficit under 10, but two steals and eight quick points from the Jumbos set the halftime scoreboard at 37-23. As the Jumbos have seen all season, though, basketball is a game of runs, and so when the Bantams came out of the locker room with a win on their minds and momentum on the court, Tufts was ready. A quick 9-2 Trinity spurt brought the game within single digits and within reach of the Bantams, but the Jumbos quickly countered with a dozen unanswered points, capped by a back-to-back jumper and three-pointer from Krah. At that point, the margin stood at 23. The lead dipped briefly below 20 only once again, but another Krah three sparked 11 straight by the Jumbos with just under 10 minutes to play and sealed the game for Tufts. Heading into the weekend, the Tufts-Trinity matchup looked to be close, as the teams were ranked No. 8 and No. 7 respectively in NESCAC and were statistically very evenly matched. In order to win, the Jumbos needed to exploit their slim advantages and limit those of the Bantam's. They did just that by using a stifling defensive effort and a diverse offensive game. The Jumbos came in full defensive strength, applying a full-court press and forcing 22 turnovers, which they converted into 25 points on the other end. Nearly half of Tufts' points came from the paint, as Love's inside play was complemented by a Jumbo backcourt that was able to pass effectively, drive when necessary, and find the open man on offense. "It was a great defensive effort," Berube said. "We make it hard for them to get good shots, and we limited them to one shot, and that really helped us out." The on-court view was very similar. "Our defense was definitely the key to our offense," Connolly said. "We were able to create steals, push up the ball, and get some easy layups, and that really sparked us." With their subsequent 76-67 win over Amherst on Saturday, the Jumbos have jumped two slots in the league rankings and clinched a No. 7 berth for the postseason playoff tournament. This seed pits them against Bates, a team partially responsible for the Jumbos' recent climb in the standings as the Bobcats defeated both Amherst and Trinity this weekend. The Bobcats are currently ranked No. 2 in NESCAC, due to a mid-season loss to Bowdoin, but No. 1 nationally with 20-1 record. Although Bates looms large, the Jumbos are confident that their recent turnaround is not a fluke, but represents the type of play they were capable of producing all season. "We're playing our best basketball of the season right now," Connolly said. "And we're going to carry that through to next week."

News

Vet School develops more humane veal

February 13

The American veal market may be on its way to a revival in the near future as a result of a novel and humane way to raise cattle for veal, recently developed by the Tufts' School of Veterinary Medicine. Last spring, the Vet School won a $480,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in order for Dr. George Saperstein, professor of environment and population health, to investigate a more reliable way for dairy farmers to make money. Since milk prices were so low, Saperstein thought that it would be more economically efficient to feed the milk to the calves and humanely produce veal, rather than to sell the milk. Rather than constricting calves to a small cage - the traditional method of raising veal calves - a collection of professors and students led by Saperstein, have begun to allow veal calves to graze in an open field, and feed from live cows. The research leading up to the innovation in cattle-raising is the result of an effort to assist local dairy farmers. With the generally unpredictable milk prices dwindling this year, and a lack of other products to fall back on, many dairy farmers have been forced out of business. Saperstein said that the problem lies in the fact that many dairy companies "are one-product companies." The Vet School has an interest in making sure that local dairy farmers do not go bankrupt, since much of the research and field work done by the Vet School students take place on these farms. "We teach large animal medicine to students in the field using local dairy farms; they are similar to teaching hospitals," Saperstein said. An attempt to produce marketable veal in a more humane way had no precedent, but with so many dairy farmers going out of business, there were few other options. "We really didn't know if any of our experiments would work," Saperstein said, but he and his colleagues foresaw many advantages if the project was a success. According to Saperstein, it costs farmers almost the same amount to produce a pound of milk as they make from selling it. Milk, on its own, had lost nearly all profitability. "By selling veal, farmers should be able to double their net profit," Saperstein said. In addition, veal calves will be treated in a less-cruel way, and cows that used to make milk will now feed calves and will be able to work longer, before being sold as beef. The grazing of calves is also more a more efficient and environmentally-safe use for the land. After the research was completed, the question remained whether or not people would like the veal. The veal was sent to four local restaurants for testing and received favorable reviews. This different method of production will produce a somewhat different product. According to Saperstein, such methods should result in a slightly darker and different tasting meat, as well as give farmers a new source of income. "With this veal, the flavor is a little more pronounced and the color is a little darker, but it's delicious. It was very tender, and it has a very mild flavor," Steven Shipley, director of culinary relations at Johnson & Wales University, told the Worchester Telegram and Gazette. Since the 1950s, fewer and fewer people have eaten veal because of humanitarian concerns. "We expect this veal to appeal to a niche market of customers who used to eat veal but don't anymore," Saperstein said. As of yet, there has not been any organized opposition to Saperstein's work with veal. "Many people here on campus are appalled when they hear the term veal because they picture calves placed in very small crates that restrict movement," said Lara Weaver, assistant director of the Vet School's Teach and Research Resources Program. "I think once this project was explained they felt much better about it." The new type of veal will be the first of a series of food products to be marketed under the environmentally-friendly Azuluna logo. Working with marketing consultant Ted Kolata and the Boston-based company Cymbal Branding, Saperstein copyrighted the Azuluna logo for Tufts. If any business should want to market their products under the logo, the University would receive licensing payments. Saperstein hopes that the logo will eventually come to be associated with environmentally safe and humane practices. "Consumers will know that when they buy Azuluna products, they are directly supporting agriculture," he said. "Whether this method of raising dairy bull calves for veal will be readily accepted by farmers in the region remains to be seen," she said. A second project to be developed under the Azuluna label will involve a new type of egg. Using "Americauna" chickens - a mix of the Chilean Aracauna chicken with the average American egg laying chicken - Saperstein has been producing blue eggs with a creamier texture than normal eggs. Unlike the veal project, these eggs are more expensive to produce than regular eggs, and will therefore be priced higher. Saperstein is hoping that the veal's popularity will bring enough brand loyalty to Azuluna that the eggs can be successfully marketed to their own niche market of environmentally conscious consumers. "We are not competing with the eggs that sell for $1.25 a dozen," he said. "Our customers will be making a statement about their lifestyle by buying our 'premium designer' eggs." Saperstein does not expect any large scale production of the veal by farmers until this coming fall, with egg production hopefully beginning approximately six months later. Both items still need to attract companies that would sell them to local vendors. Saperstein said they are still in the test marketing phase. The next project in the works for Azuluna and Saperstein is free range pork. Sarika Prasad Cardoso, a master's student in the Agriculture, Food, and the Environment (AFE) program at Tufts' School of Nutrition Science and Policy, was involved in the early research stages of this project last semester. "This semester I'll be focusing more on the marketing issues, including how to gauge what the market is for alternatively-produced pork, who makes up that market, and what potential consumers are most concerned about," she said.

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Andrew Bauld | You Can't Steal First

February 13

It was heralded as the grudge match of the offseason: Mientkiewicz vs. Millar. The Gold Glove Kid with the mediocre bat pitted against the Clubhouse Cowboy, who seemed poised at any moment in the season to make the next Buckner-esque folly at first base. Separate they were forgettable; but together, they formed one of the best tandems in baseball. Terry Francona honestly must have gotten his first good night's sleep when he realized he was getting Millar's bat for six innings and Mientkiewicz's superior glove to end on. But we all knew it couldn't last. Both are obviously starters, and last season was one of those miracle, once-in-a-lifetime years where guys like Pokey Reese and Dave Roberts are keeping the bench warm. That just doesn't happen every day. So someone had to go. It's like asking a parent to choose who their favorite child is. Little Doug, little Kevin, they were part of the family. But Papa Epstein made his choice, and the wily Texan, the prodigal son, remains in his red socks, while Mientkiewicz has been exiled to a Mets team that, while no longer sharing the same aroma when they went full blast for Mo Vaughn several years ago, still has the potential for disaster. Let's not think of it as losing a glove, but as gaining a bat. Millar is coming off a season where he batted .297, slugged .474, and had an on base percentage of .383, and besides slugging, all these stats were above his career averages of .292, .491, and .366, respectively. 74 RBI, 18 dingers, and 151 hits rounded off a productive season at the plate, and in a recent interview with Ian Browne of MLB.com, Millar claims he's in the best shape he's ever been in. On the flip side, it's difficult to accurately judge Mientkiewicz because of both his short time in Boston and his little actual plate appearances. Career wise Mientkiewicz's numbers, besides slugging, are just slightly off from Millar, with a .272 BA, a .404 SLG, and an OBP of .363, but he does own a Gold Glove and a .996 fielding percentage. The two sure didn't make it easy for themselves, forcing Theo to choose between a kleptomaniac who hijacked the ball that made the last out in the World Series, and a guy who has a better shot at checking into Betty Ford than he does of stealing second base. What it comes down to, what it always does, are the intangibles - the x-factor. Theo may subscribe to the bible of Bill James, but there's something to be said about a guy who livens up the clubhouse and inspires not one, but two different catch phrases. Players seemed to like both of them, but at the end of the day, you go with the guy who's still dancing at the end of the fight (and carrying the sports bottle full of JD). Why the hell should any of us even care about these two players? It's not like we're giving away a stalwart figurehead of the Red Sox (in case you've forgotten, we already did that, twice); and we're certainly not investing in the next Jimmie Foxx. It comes down to World Series mentality. Whenever a team wins it all, no fan wants to see their favorite players shuffled around and traded away; but for Red Sox fans, losing anyone of these guys who made the impossible dream an unforgettable reality is heartbreaking. As my buddy and I agreed after Gabe Kapler left for Japan, we would have offered every player on that team a hundred million dollar contract, every year for the rest of their careers, and not a penny more. We'll still have Curt Schilling and Johnny Damon, but Schilling's sound bytes will have lost some of their charge, and Damon's spiritual look probably won't resurrect itself this season. But I'm sure this new team will have its share of quirks and trends. How about when Trot Nixon strides to the plate or when Alan Embree comes out of the bullpen we play the banjo song from "Deliverance?" Or, maybe David Wells will go full blast into his bad boy persona and start wearing Buddy Holly glasses and force announcers to call him "Wild Thing." This year has the potential for excitement if I've ever seen one. In truth, however, it's a bigger dream to have the same team back together going after another World Series title, let alone actually repeating. So D-Wells will become our new D-Lowe; and we'll wait for SportsCenter highlights of Pedro's outing the night before, (well, we would if we had ESPN) until Matt Clement makes us forget about Nelson de la Rosa once and for all; and we'll come up with some new nonsense nicknames for 2005, 'cause you know Chris Berman is in his den right now coming up with some new gems for this season. But in the end we'll always remember the team that brought victory back to Boston, no matter how scattered they may get. And maybe we'll have a whole new group of idiots in 2005, forever remembered as the first Red Sox team in 87 years to win back-to-back World Series Championships.

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Arts Briefs

February 13

New and improved Oxfam Cafe re-opens its doors With new couches, a fresh coat of paint, and the promise of further renovations to come, Oxfam Caf?© opens this morning to the delight of vegetarians all over campus. The homey, crunchy-chic eatery, located in the basement of Miller Hall, boasts a diverse menu of light vegetarian and vegan fare at prices that are tailored to meet the needs of their student customers. But vegan vittles are not all Oxfam has to offer. Since its establishment almost 40 years ago, Oxfam has been an uphill mecca for coffee-house indie music. Oxfam's inappropriately titled Midnight Caf?© features live music from area performers beginning at 10:00 p.m. on Friday and showcases local legends like last semester's John Burlock and theMark. This semester, Oxfam adds Jazz Night to its entertainment lineup from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. on Thursday nights. One of Oxfam's own volunteers, Jeffrey Khoo, headlines this week. And what jazz caf?© would be complete without a humanitarian cause to advocate? Oxfam Caf?© is a non-profit organization staffed and run solely by Tufts students, and all of its proceeds are donated to the similarly dubbed Oxfam America, a Boston branch of the international aid organization. According to the Oxfam site and Advertising Manager Anna Feldman ('08), a fundraising event specifically geared toward tsunami relief is in the works for later this month. Oxfam is open Monday through Thursday 11:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and Midnight Caf?© on Fridays.A cappella groups team up in a concert for a causeThis Thursday, the Amalgamates, Beelzebubs and sQ! will band together to do their part in the fight against cancer with a joint effort known as "Rockin' for Research." Sponsored by the Leonard Carmichael Society, all proceeds from the concert will be donated directly to the Lance Armstrong Foundation to support cancer research. Over 33 million LiveStrong wristbands have been sold to benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation in its crusade against cancer. Despite the increased awareness and monetary resources the wristbands have raised, more funds are still needed to subsidize medical research for this disease. In the past year, nearly 1.4 million new cases of cancer were diagnosed in the United States alone, and over 500,000 fatalities were attributed to some form of cancer, making it one of the leading causes of death in this country. "Rockin' for Research" is scheduled to take place in Goddard Chapel from 9:00 to 10:30 p.m. A minimum donation of $5 is required for admission.The show must go onHow many musical acts could honestly say that their first concert was not only sold out but received with a standing ovation? Not the Beatles, not Jimi Hendrix, not even Elvis Presley could make such a claim. And yet that was the case for Innovata, a local brass quintet that has been making quite a name for itself ever since its stellar debut performance in Boston in 1999. This Friday, they grace the stage of Cohen Auditorium with a concert that is sure to be marked by ingenuity, skill and just a touch of sadness over the tragic loss of their trumpeter, Karen Antonio-Muenzinger, to a rare form of colon cancer at the end of last month. Selected from the upper echelon of classically-trained musicians, Innovata was founded in 1998 by tuba player and Tufts faculty member Michael Milnarik. He had a penchant for eclectic musical styles, performing jazz, music from the Renaissance, Dixieland, among others. His brainchild collaboration is no exception. Innovata's members come from musical backgrounds that are as diverse as they are critically acclaimed, and the collective sound they produce is consequently one of intense variation, inspired by genres from almost every major cultural and musical movement of the last five centuries. Innovata incorporates its love of heterogeneity into its interaction with its listeners, placing supreme importance on getting to know the separate histories of their diverse fanbase. The concert starts at 8:00 p.m. and admission to the event is free. --compiled by Kelly Rizzetta

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Eye on the Environment | Clear skies ahead -- or too little, too late?

February 13

In 2002, President Bush proposed legislation to regulate three hazardous air pollutants: sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and mercury. Dubbed the Clear Skies Bill, this legislation did not gain sufficient support in Congress to get off the ground. Bush is now looking to implement some of the bill's provisions by issuing executive orders and establishing a mercury-emissions trading program. Under a cap-and-trade system, a certain number of pollution "permits" are distributed among polluting companies, and the corporations can then buy and sell these permits from one another. "Tradable permits allow newer firms that are able to reduce emissions at lower costs to sell pollution permits to other firms where it is more costly," Associate Economics Professor Jeffrey Zabel said. "Overall pollution reduction becomes less costly." The cap-and-trade approach is based on Title IV of the Clean Air Act, which, through instituting a cap-and-trade system, successfully reduced sulfur dioxide emissions and acid rain. Though such a system is one of the most successful market-based strategies for reducing pollution and pollution costs, it is not flawless. "If newer firms are located in one area and older firms in another, then there will be a geographic transfer of emissions," Zabel said. "This leads to an equity problem - people get upset when their community becomes a pollution target." The Clear Skies Bill divided power plants into two geographical groups to minimize this concern. Title IV of the Clean Air Act did not owe its success completely to the tradable permits provision. Trading permits were only one of several options to reduce the cost of pollution reduction - and, according to Zabel, they were not the legislation's most fundamental feature. "The most significant cost reduction under the legislation of Title IV should be attributed to the provision that allowed companies the flexibility to purchase coal from different locations," Zabel said. Prior to the Title IV, which was implemented in 1990, all electric utility companies were required to reduce emissions by using scrubbers to clean their smokestacks. Because scrubbers do an equally good job of cleaning the air emitted from the burning of dirty coal (which comes from the Midwest) and clean coal (which comes from the West), companies had no incentive to buy cleaner coal from the West. Title IV, however, gave companies more flexibility in choosing their methods for emissions reduction. As a result, power plants began to purchase cleaner coal rather than relying on scrubbers, and this transition accounted for the greatest cost reduction. "The key is to give flexibility in terms of reducing emissions; to find the least [costly] way of reducing emissions," Zabel said. During the debate over the Clear Skies Bill, Sen. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island explained that he would not vote for Clear Skies legislation because it did not regulate emissions of carbon dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas. According to Zabel, Chafee's reasoning is flawed. "This objection doesn't make much sense in such a narrow context," he said. "Clear Skies legislation targets emissions by power plants. Carbon dioxide reduction would have to happen on a broader scale, seeing how carbon dioxide emissions come from a variety of sources, one of the most prominent being automobiles." The Clear Skies bill aimed to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions by 73 percent - from the current level of 11 million tons to a cap of 4.5 million tons in 2010 and 3 million tons in 2018. The second goal was to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 67 percent - from the current level of 5 million tons to cap of 2.1 million tons in 2008 and 1.7million tons in 2018. The legislation also hoped to reduce mercury emissions by 69 percent - from current levels of 48 tons to a cap of 26 tons in 2010 and 15 tons in 2018. Clear Skies would have been the first federal legislation to regulate mercury emissions. The legislation targeted electricity-generating power plants as opposed to automobiles or other mobile sources of pollution. According to analysts, fossil fuel-burning power plants are responsible for 67 percent of the sulfur dioxide emissions, 25 percent of the nitrogen oxide emissions, and 37 percent of the mercury emissions in the U.S.

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Lying liars and social security

February 13

Mike Schrimpf's compelling fictional tale, "Embracing Social Security Reform"(Thursday, Feb. 3), about the benefits of President Bush's plan to privatize (or as I am sure he would prefer me to say, "personalize") Social Security, is a very fun read - and it will surely appeal to many fans of right-wing literature on this campus. However, in terms of its appeal to fans of reality, it comes up short. Schrimpf begins with a re-gendering of political terminology that would make Karl Rove proud. He contends that Democrats are unwilling to "think progressively outside the box" and that they have resorted to "spewing off a reactionary response to any change of the status quo." This is an amusing re-imagining of the roles of the liberal and conservative movements in this country. It is also ironic, because there is nothing progressive at all about privatization of Social Security. The way the system works now, 6.2 percent of a worker's paycheck, up to the first $90,000 he earns, is taken and deposited in the Social Security Trust Fund. His employer matches that amount in a separate payment into the Fund. This is where Schrimpf comes up with the specter of a 12.4 percent payroll tax, which sounds a lot scarier than 6.2 percent. In any case, this money is paid back to retirees as a percentage of their earnings after they reach retirement age. As the system stands, the average worker receives back from the government 42 percent of his total lifetime earnings. Since the benefits schedule is structured progressively, the lower income workers receive a higher percentage of their lifetime contribution to the trust fund than high income workers. This is a truly progressive system built by a true progressive, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Bush's privatization ploy is in no way progressive, but a scheme to eventually phase out the program entirely. This is evident because privatization simply does not address the solvency problems that Schrimpf touched upon in his rhetoric-filled conservative wet-dream. Schrimpf cites figures which have been widely used by supporters of the President's plan in a fear-mongering campaign akin to the weapons of mass destruction talk leading up to the Iraq War. He says that in 2018, the Social Security Trust Fund will begin to run a deficit. The President said in his State of the Union address that this deficit would, by 2042, bankrupt the trust fund. These dates are simply estimates, and worst-case estimates at that. Depending on birth-rate, death-rate, economic growth, immigration, and a slew of other factors, less dire estimates have placed the bankruptcy date as far down the road as the 2070s. And even when the trust fund is bankrupted, Social Security will still be able to pay out about 70 percent of scheduled benefits. Bush proposes to deal with this so-called "serious problem" by allowing people to put a certain percentage of their payroll tax into a "voluntary personal savings account" which would be invested in a combination of stocks and bonds. Indications are that Bush also plans to cut guaranteed benefits substantially, ostensibly improving the system's finances and its longevity. For instance, under the 2001 plan, average benefits paid by the government drop from 42 percent of lifetime earnings to 20 percent. Under this plan, if we assume worst-case scenario projections for the current system, someone born in 2000 would receive, on retirement $13,092 of a scheduled $26,400. This is not only half of the scheduled benefits, but 34 percent less than the system would be able to pay if left alone by the President. Because of this huge shortfall, the President's plan requires a healthy return from funds invested in private accounts. Most projections, including the one used by the Cato Institute, the conservative think tank that Schrimpf cites, assume that the private equity market will grow on average seven percent per year over the long-term, adjusted for inflation. This seems fair on first glance. Since 1929, the S&P 500's average real return has been 6.9 percent. However, on closer inspection, privatizers' assumption of such robust growth in the long term seems a bit optimistic. Because of factors like decreasing economic growth, many economists predict much lower growth in the long term than we have witnessed in historical patterns. Unless we can assume that the stock market will continue to perform at its historical average, then we cannot accept that privatization will save or even improve Social Security. Schrimpf argues, however, that privatizing will not only improve individual retirees' lives, but also improve the economy in general. This is also a lie. If the government diverts individuals' money into the stock market, two things will happen. First, it will have to find money from other sources to spend instead of the Social Security money. For every dollar of national savings that it injects into the economy, the government will have to take another dollar out of the national savings market in the form of Treasury Bonds, thus negating the effect of privatization on the supply of private capital. Second, in issuing these Treasury Bonds, the government will add trillions of dollars to its already record debt. This will further undermine the strength of the dollar and actually weaken our economy. Schrimpf seems genuinely concerned about the welfare of low-wage retirees. If this is truly the case, I suggest that he take up the cause of rolling back the regressive tax-cuts which have sapped our once huge surplus. With this revenue, we won't have to continue to under-fund or even cut programs which clothe, feed, treat, and educate the unfortunate in our country. In response to Schrimpf's assertion that Democrats refuse to think outside the box and pursue reactionary courses of action when faced with change, I point you to President Bush's refusal to consider any form of payroll tax increase as a response to the perceived Social Security insolvency crisis. This is the definition of reactionism. In 1983, there was a real Social Security crisis, with the program only months away from bankruptcy. A few years earlier, in his bid for a Congressional seat, President Bush advocated privatization of Social Security. He was defeated. The solution to the crisis came in the form of payroll tax increases large enough to save the system for almost 100 years. Now the "crisis" is even farther off, and Bush is again advocating privatization of Social Security. This is not a solution. The White House now admits, and the numbers prove, that privatization will do nothing to solve the long-term social security financing problem. Privatization, however, is not even the first step in improving the program. It is an extremely expensive first step in dismantling the program. Schrimpf advocates it as a building block of the ownership society. In order for Social Security to be a part of the private ownership society, it must cease to be a public government program. This fundamentally changes the meaning of Social Security. Social Security was envisioned and built as a safeguard against the dangers inherent in the market driven world. Our society is driven by return on risk. We understand that there must be losers in the economic game, and we accept the risk that we could lose because the reward for winning is so great. Social Security is just one of many ways our government guarantees that there is a baseline level of subsistence for all Americans, so that we can play the game without fear. Putting even a part of this promise into the private sector removes the guarantee and replaces it with the platinum dreams and gutwrenching nightmares of cutthroat capitalism.Steven M. Ward is a junior majoring in International Relations.

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Tufts students get professional with film 'Snafu'

February 13

Watch out for that artsy English major scribbling away in his sketchbook - he may just be plotting your death. Such is the premise of "Snafu," a mordantly comic short film currently in production by seniors Brett Weiner, George Rausch and Noah Yuan-Vogel. To be fair, Greg, the protagonist of the twenty-minute black comedy, isn't really motivated by homicidal mania; all he wants is some well-deserved admiration. So he devises elaborate hazards to befall his peers, planning to rescue them from imminent death and assure himself some heroic glory. Things, of course, don't go quite as planned. "Snafu" represents one of 18 distinct senior film projects undertaken this year, ranging in form from music videos and short experimental works to full-length comedic features and documentaries. All participating students have a background in film, be it from coursework at Tufts, classes at the Museum School, or experience with TUTV. Often, they arrive at their senior project from diverse routes. The "Snafu" team is no different; writer/director Weiner is a film studies minor, producer Rausch is a communications and media Studies minor, and cinematographer Yuan-Vogel has experience as a videographer, making a music video for Spirit of Color, as well as projects for other classes. But the "Snafu" team is distinguished by its commitment to a "near-professional production process," as documented on its Web site. The filmmakers hope to bring an unprecedented air of professionalism to the Tufts film tradition. By advertising on NewEnglandFilms.com, a site for local talent, the group demonstrated that they took the audition process seriously. The three seniors also trace their adventures and misadventures on a blog at http://cms194.blogspot.com. The blog not only fulfils the advanced filmmaking course's journal requirement, but also serves as a means to attract interested people to the project. "All sorts of people come out the woodwork to help you. It's really amazing all the interest it has sparked, especially since it's unpaid. People are waiting for the next low-budget blockbuster, the next 'Blair Witch' or 'Napoleon Dynamite,'" Weiner said. The blog will be particularly helpful in creating the film's all-original soundtrack. The team has already received samples from musicians across the country, though they want to make use of on-campus talent as well. Rausch feels that their film will particularly resonate with college students, as it deals with the ways it is possible to be surrounded by people and still feel alone. He explained that the characters' running use of cell phones, instant messenger, and the infamous Facebook intentionally play with modern student relationships. The film is about "the way people think they know each other, or try to find out about people through electronic media," Rausch said, "and the way that technology meant to enhance communication can leave people feeling even more isolated." The filmmaking course represents a new paradigm introduced this year, in which interested students pitch their film ideas to Howard Woolf, the associate director of the Experimental College and Director of Media Technology. If approved, they then sign up for the advanced filmmaking course, which affords students the resources of the Tufts Media Lab, including the Ex College's digital cameras, associated equipment, and the editing lab in Halligan Hall. The increase in the number of student projects over the past few years was made possible in part by the advent of digital video, which Woolf acclaims as "a revolution." He estimates that the new technology makes it possible to shoot a movie at 1/50th of the cost of conventional film. "It's truly bringing about the democratization of filmmaking," Woolf said. Digital technology has its faults though, including some difficulties with depth of field. The innovative Yuan-Vogel has created a 35 mm adaptor to fit the Ex College's digital cameras, which allows for manual focus and a greater level of control that he thinks will translate to a more finished final product. Challenged by limited equipment, a cast of unpaid actors, and a budget of approximately $1,000, the team is under pressure to have a rough cut finished by the April 15th deadline. As full-time college students, there is a lot of frantic weekend work going on, from scheduling casting sessions to staging shots at Cambridge's Mt. Auburn Cemetery (after all, there's an awful lot of dying in this dark comedy). The three filmmakers have predecessors to inspire them. Tufts alums have made their mark in the field by editing for MTV News, shooting documentaries in Africa for the United Nations, directing major Hollywood releases (Niels Mueller, director of "The Assassination of Richard Nixon"). The cohesive "Snafu" team's commitment to this level of professionalism will surely help them slay whatever challenges they encounter.

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Music Review | Dispatch-style rock meets Van Morrison

February 13

Nope, it's nothing new, innovative or surprising, but it's just a little more of what the world can always do with just a little more of: chilled-out contemporary rock with a folk influence. The self-titled album from Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers will be released tomorrow as the debut offering for Foundations Records, a new grassroots label through Universal. Think less "grassroots" and more "big label" however, if you are thinking about purchasing this CD. Sure, Stephen Kellogg and his band toured like maniacs in order to develop their now solid fan base, and in this way got to where they are through the old-fashioned, hard-working method of rigorous road time. But their music is very much a representation of good, pure American normality. Indeed, despite the lack of innovation on this CD, it is Kellogg's humble and heartfelt honesty that gives his songs a bit of charm. This band sounds very much like the special guests that appear on the record: Braddigan from Dispatch, Mike Daly from Whiskeytown, Rich Price and Rob James from the Clarks. The Sixers give off the impression of a more laid-back Dispatch, with the muscle of contemporary rock in the vein of Matchbox 20. They differ though, in that they lack the attitude of many such bands, and instead adhere to that classic folk-rock tradition heard in their predecessors, such as The Band and Van Morrison. Apologies if this is comparison overkill, but comparisons abound when listening to Stephen Kellogg. "Maria" could just as well be a Counting Crows song and Kellogg's unabashedly heartfelt lyrics seem to come directly from the pen of that guy from Train. Take "You've Changed," for example: "I wrote in on paper/and left it by the phone/coz I wanted you to find it when I was not at home," or those of "Maria": "Maria I would settle down/I need you desperately/coz you're up on a pedestal/sparks and electricity." Yup, there's many a hopelessly-in-love kind of song, not to mention several of the it-was-great-but-now-we're-moving-on kind of song and don't forget the I'm-so-sad-and-lonely-so-now-I'm-drinking kind of song. Straightforward, honest lyrics and rampant sentimentality characterize the music on this disc. Kellogg may be 28, but given the way he wears his heart on his sleeve, he could just as well still be in college - or primary school for that matter. It's all a bit cheesy, and sometimes the triteness gets the better of the music, like in "Such A Way," when Kellogg goes through stories of various girls he meets in California: "The girls in California/they all believe in love...She moves in such a way that people fall in love with her every day." Here, you get that feeling that you've heard this many, many times before. There are a few welcome diversions though, such as when Kellogg and his band take a quick dip into bad-boy blues rock. On the predictably-titled "Vegas," he writes: "There was comfort in the liquor, comfort in the bed/but now there ain't no way to ease this lonely in my head." To his credit, Kellogg is a good storyteller, and many of the songs come across as mini narratives. The Sixers provide good muscle behind his stories, but still the lyrics are more memorable than the tunes. "The guitar is more a means to an end, a way for me to get the story out. I'm a driven songwriter, not a driven musician," Kellogg said on his official Web site. So if hapless fans of similar styles need something to tide them over until the next Counting Crows or Dispatch release, or just something with a few chord changes that's upbeat to play during a long car ride, then they should give Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers a shot - but they shouldn't expect anything life-changing.Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers play with the Virginia Coalition with Matt Hertz at Boston's Paradise Rock Club on Thursday, February 17 at 8:00 p.m.

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Diversity Enhancement Essential

February 13

Changes made as a result of the University's Kaleidoscope Report, released last Spring, are essential to correct Tufts' poor retention of minority and women faculty. The report, which detailed retention rates for minorities and females far below their Caucasian male peers, prompted quite a bit of soul searching on the part of the administration. Recent steps taken by the University, including transitional housing for junior faculty and a trans-departmental mentoring program, are essential first steps towards establishing Tufts as a welcoming place for faculty of all colors and genders. Part of the problem, simply put, is one of resources. Many of the problems experienced by younger faculty of color and women have to do with housing or salary, and these issues require substantial investment on Tufts' part to solve. Some of the faculty studied in the Kaleidoscope report were hired over ten years ago, at a time when Tufts had far fewer resources to devote towards faculty retention. As a result, with a growing endowment Jumbo faculty and students should expect and demand that more resources be devoted towards programs targeting minorities and females for hiring and retention. A deeper problem is an institutional one, wherein historical racism and sexism in certain fields has made it very difficult for females and scholors of color to advance. One prominent example is in the School of Engineering (SOE), a study which has traditionally been viewed as a male province. This is a problem that will not be solved overnight: even today, the vast majority of undergraduates and their professors in the SOE are men. Aggressive work, however, by SOE Dean Linda Abriola has been specifically targeted at drawing more females and minorities towards the school. It is initiatives like hers that will ultimately prove successful in bringing diverse perspectives to departments throughout the University. A persistent demon, for minority faculty in particular, has been the view of Boston as a metropolitan area generally inhospitable to people of color. Although much of the punditry today would have Beantown branded as the heart of liberal America, the area does not seem as liberal to minorities. While students today gleefully point at the laughingstock of Alabama when talking about institutionalized racism, they rarely if ever discuss the substantial busing riots that took place some thirty years ago in the Hub. We on the Hill must devote extra effort to avoid the devil of complacency and instead be proactive in our efforts to make our own slice of Beantown a good place for all colors. In the end, what is good for retaining minority and female faculty is good for the University as a whole. Keeping scholars from a diverse range of backgrounds on campus will enhance the educational experience for all Jumbos on multiple levels. Perhaps most importantly, it will produce graduates who themselves are more sensitive to the needs and realities of all people - a Jumbo worldview, indeed.

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Jeff Volinski | Stop Whining!

February 13

"I am invincible," John Mayer sings during the bridge of his first hit single, "No Such Thing." Few other quotes capture the essence of this arrogant, hypocritical, sex-crazed sellout. For those of us that understand a thing or two about musicianship, it is easy to see that John Mayer is an excellent guitarist. Listening to his cover of Stevie Ray Vaughn's "Lenny" or Jimi Hendrix's "Wind Cries Mary" sends chills down my spine. Those chills turn to shivers of fear, however, when I see that my iTunes playlist is queuing up "Your Body is a Wonderland" as the next track. "Your Body is a Wonderland" joins any Phil Collins song to qualify as the only two creative works for which the author deserves capital punishment. Creators of John Mayer fan sites all over the world recognize the release of "Your Body is a Wonderland" as the exact second that he traded his soul to Satan for the swaggering mass of teenybopper college girls that he calls his fans. The lyrics to the song, which describe a possibly fictional erotic encounter with some sort of life form, reflect the idealized dream-world in which he exists. If John-o were a real man, he would change the lyrics so that they more accurately reflected the harsh realities facing your typical college-aged male. Something like this might be more appropriate (sung to the tune of "Your Body is a Wonderland"): PRECHORUS:"If you want cake, we'll bake it,Drinkin' your supersized, McShake,Take all your big pants, and buy bigger ones,Please don't roll on top of me ..." CHORUS (everyone sing along now!)"Your body is a bulbous mass,Your body is a bulbous mass, yeah." John Mayer's music accurately describes his intentions to use his musical ability solely to rake in cash and girls with no self-respect. Unfortunately, because of Carson Daly and other maggots of Satan, today's pop culture allows him to do this. How can the man that writes every other song about imaginary sexual adventures with women be mentally stable? After listening to this line from the vomit-inducing track, "Love Song for No One," I almost alerted the authorities: "I could have met you in a sandbox." John Mayer is now the only 27-year-old I know of that goes hunting for ass in sandboxes. Parents be warned - make sure that your local sandbox is outfitted with the John Mayer alarm system. This clever device encloses a singular TRL fan inside of a suspended cage. The alarm - a series of high-pitched, uncontrollable screams emitted from the face-area of the TRL fan - will sound any time Mr. Mayer approaches within a two-mile radius of your local sandbox. One song on the triple-platinum "Room for Squares" album that I actually looked forward to hearing was "My Stupid Mouth." Finally, it seemed, our friend John had discovered from what orifice his constant stream of BS was pouring out of. I nearly crapped my pants when I heard the line, "I'm never speaking up again, starting now." There were exactly six seconds of pure ecstasy. John had stopped singing, his band quieted down, birds landed on my shoulders, and a squirrel climbed on a nearby tree stump, staring bright-eyed and bushy-tailed into a ray of sunshine and happiness that pierced the clouds. Mr. Tumnus hopped gleefully by, playing the bamboo flute. Humans playing Tecmo Super Bowl were delighted to find that every player had transformed into Bo Jackson. Then something horrible happened. The words "one more thing ..." began to echo so loudly throughout the kingdom that the birds spontaneously combusted and plummeted to their fiery deaths. The friendly squirrel fell into a deep chasm and was torn apart by the ant-lion that inhabited the depths below. The offensive players that had transformed into Bo Jackson were retransformed into Mr. Tumnus, whose goat legs could not outrun any of the defenders. Apparently John Mayer had lied. The last song that I listened to was the mistake, "83," also featured on "Room for Squares." To my surprise, the beat of this song was the exact tempo that I was punching my face to at the time! I could spend hours describing the pain that I endured listening to "83," but one line in particular caught my attention: "I want to be Superman." Yes John, we know. Just replace the big S on your spandex suit with a big $ and things start to make more sense.Jeff Volinski is a senior majoring in mechanical engineering.

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Flowers on Valentines Day: What are you really paying for?

February 13

I sat down at my computer the other day to order flowers for my mom. It is Valentine's Day, and she deserves a little extra attention. I figured I would be a good daughter and send her a small bouquet. I am just a poor college student, but I figured I could find something within my price range. Right. Roses start at $40, without the delivery charge! I searched other sites online with nationwide delivery, and they were all even more expensive. The cheapest place I could find was Tufts Student Resources, but my mom does not live on campus. What is this world coming to? Does anyone besides me think that flowers are a little overrated? Call me unromantic, but $80 plus an $11 surcharge is a little ridiculous for a dozen red flowers that will wilt and die within a week. And by that time, they are slimy and disgusting, falling apart, and the water smells rank enough to remind you of gym class from middle school. And maybe it is just my own klutziness, but I just cannot arrange the darn things to stand up right in the plastic cup that serves as my vase, since the flowers are expensive enough that they do not come with one. I always manage to spill the water from the vase all over myself or the floor at some point. It was so romantic and thoughtful of you to send me flowers - now I look like I peed on myself. And for those of you who have seen "The Bachelor" with Chris O'Donnell (not one of the great movies of our time) or attended any classes that discuss feminism, you know that flowers are basically the vaginas of plants. That is awesome. Hey Mom, hope you enjoyed the flower vaginas I sent you. I know they will accent your dining room table beautifully. Don't get me wrong, I've seen the Vagina Monologues. Vaginas are great. They are beautiful (unless you ask Freud). It's just...a little weird to send them to your mother. The whole vagina thing makes a little more sense for one to send flowers to a love interest. At least roses have been sent in the name of love so many times that you know exactly what's on his mind when he sends them. It is a way of saying "Hey baby, I love you, and I'm willing to spend a ridiculous amount of money just so you know that." I guess it is easier than saying it out loud, but is that dent in his checkbook really necessary? Hallmark does it just as well for $1.89. I guess it's the symbolism of the gesture that keeps people paying astronomical prices for the thorny things. I will not lie, they are pretty, and they smell nice enough, but I would rather somebody just send me the $90 and tell me to spend it on myself. I mean, that is the equivalent of a decent meal for two out in the city, much more romantic than mere foliage. But that is my stomach talking. I want to make it clear that I'm not out to kill Valentines Day. I just think people pay too much for flowers, considering how impermanent, expensive, and symbolic of genitalia they are. I would not even get mad if my boyfriend sent me flowers this year (although after reading this I think he will know better). I would just smile at him, say thank you, and ask him what time we're going to Hooters tonight.Meg Simpson is a junior majoring in psychology.

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Onward and Upward | These twin alums have "double-vision" in TV, film

February 13

Managing to balance a sport and the rigorous academics at Tufts is without a doubt a challenge. Managing three sports, however, might seem downright absurd. But Tufts alums - and twin sisters - Nancy Stern and Lisa Lax (LA '86) proved it was possible, and have since moved on to outstanding success in their production careers as well. Stern and Lax played lacrosse, tennis, and squash while studying at Tufts. In tennis, each was named All-New England, and in lacrosse both received the distinguished honor of being named All-American. They knew, however, that their love of sports would not translate into a professional sports career. "We asked ourselves, what can we do to stay in the sports business - how can we make [our love of sports] into a career?" Stern said. The answer came the summer after their junior year when the twins interned at WBZ in Boston with sportscasters Bob Lobel and Mike Dowling and "fell in love with sports TV," Stern said. "The best part of that internship was during the weekend broadcast," Lax said. "Mike Dowling would report on the Bruins and the Celtics and then he would add in 'the Tufts Jumbo laxers,' so we got our women's lacrosse scores on the news every weekend." The internship at WBZ, along with an internship at Channel 13, the PBS affiliate in New York, sealed the sisters' dedication to production. Stern found acclaim at ABC Sports, where she became the first woman ever to produce Tour de France coverage. While there, she produced the Emmy Award winning documentaries "A Passion to Play: Stories of Women in Sports" and "Athletes and Addiction: It's Not a Game." Following this success, Stern moved on to produce ABC daytime television. Lax, meanwhile, moved up the ranks at the competition, NBC Sports, to become the head of NBC's Olympic profile unit. She received 13 Emmy Awards while at NBC, including a Special Classification Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement for the 140 different profiles she produced and directed for the 1996 Olympic coverage. The sisters cite their team experiences at Tufts as crucial learning experiences. "I think that playing sports really did help us in terms of leadership and working as a team," Stern said. "A unit is very much like a team - from the production secretaries to the assistants to the producers," Lax agreed. "I felt like I was a coach in a way, with captains and teammates." Sports television, however, is not the sisters' only passion. "Telling true stories creatively has been our passion and what we're really interested in," Stern said. "There's nothing better than what happens in real life." Lax echoed her sister's sentiment. "I love telling stories and having the luxury of time to really get into story lines more deeply," she said. This is evident in the twins' most recent career choice: they have joined forces once again to form their own production company, Lookalike Productions. Their first film, a documentary entitled "Emmanuel's Gift" that's narrated by Oprah Winfrey, debuted two weeks ago to much critical acclaim at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. (See box.) According to the sisters, the world premiere was stressful, since they had put so much heart into the project. "It was nerve-wracking at first," Lax said, adding that "the positive buzz about the film made it easier." "Literally a week before the festival, an article came out in the Los Angeles Times where the artistic director of the festival said [the film] was the staffer's choice," Lax said. The two screenings for the show sold out; when the festival added two more due to demand, those sold out as well. Though the sisters enjoyed the praise, their real joy comes from being able to tell Emmanuel's story. Stern feels that there are few times a producer gets rewards from "participating in doing something for humanity." The switch from network television to feature film production was not all smooth sailing, however. "We were the executive producers and the couriers at the same time," Lax said. The big difference was no longer having the "luxury of a network behind you." But Lax was quick to note the many upsides as well. "You can go at whatever pace you choose - you have complete content control," she said. "There's something to be said for that too." The sisters, who employed four interns from Tufts while working on "Emmanuel's Gift," are familiar with the concept of working their way to the top. What advice do they have for students who want to follow in their footsteps? "Work really hard and don't give up - it's going to take a while," Lax said. "While you're making coffees and Xeroxes, just keep absorbing everything." "Anticipation is really important, too," Lax said. "Be really organized. Work hard, but do it with a smile, no matter what."

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James Gerber | Through the Smokescreen

February 13

Imagine. Sitting by the side of the road winding a tourniquet around your best friend's leg -- or what's left of it. Imagine rumbling past a sobbing mother, holding her child's lifeless body, lifeless because of your unit's ordered bombardment. Just imagine -- all you did was sign up for occasional weekends away from home with the hope of a college education. And now, even though you're just 18, you feel older then your parents and can't remember why in the world a college education mattered. Fortunately, for us, it's just a fantasy. But for thousands of Americans serving in Iraq, it's real. They are actually fighting in a war that I, like many of them, have been opposed to from the start. After attending the recent "Iraq Veterans Speak Out" event, however, I realized that simply being against the war is not enough. The soldiers in Iraq are just like us; they are our peers. They are young adults and their lives are being lost in a war they do not believe in. For them, protesting the war could lead to dishonorable discharge, loss of a college education and even jail. That responsibility falls on us, people lucky enough to be able to afford a college education without enlisting. Many of the young people serving in Iraq were not so lucky. They were looking for a way to pay for college when the Army Reserves or the National Guard, came knocking. It is a very enticing package. Commit to one weekend a month and the government will pay for your education. That was enough to convince Kimberly Dougherty, the main speaker at the event, to join the Colorado National Guard. She told us how she was shocked when she learned that her unit was being reassigned to Kuwait. None of the National Guard recruiters mentioned anything about a war, let alone going overseas to fight it. "Stay home and serve your country" was their motto. These 18- and 19-year-olds were deceived, plain and simple. Dougherty told stories of escorting Halliburton fuel trucks into Iraq. Her unit's main job was to protect broken down fuel trucks from looting by Iraqis, Iraqis who are regularly forced to wait for hours to get gas for their cars. Often, she would receive instructions to destroy the unused fuel and leave. There were many more stories, but eventually, Joseph Ramsey, a graduate student who runs the Tufts Coalition to Oppose War in Iraq (TCOWI), took the podium and spoke. He was passionate in his opposition to the war and what we could do to stop it. He was so incredibly heartfelt in his plea, that I felt guilty for not doing more. Our parents enacted great change through civil protest. Huge rallies spurred on the civil rights movement, and constant protests to the Vietnam War put great pressure on the government and, eventually, helped bring the troops home. Could the Iraq War be our generation's Vietnam? Maybe, maybe not. True, so far, it pales in comparison to the death toll of that decade-long engagement -- but that does not mean that today's war is insignificant. The troops in Iraq may not have been drafted, but they are not professional soldiers either; they are people like us, just out of high school, looking for a brighter future. These are our peers who are dying each and every day, and the responsibility falls on us to be their voice, to bring them home. I know it is hard to think of these things. It is much easier to just go on with our lives as safely sheltered students at a great college -- to be against the war in our minds, but not in our actions. Oftentimes I will forget that we are even at war; I get so caught up in the daily happenings of my own life. It takes a rude awakening, such as a friend whose brother was just killed in action, or an eyewitness account from a Kimberly Dougherty, to remind us that we are at war. But I encourage any of you who can to join TCOWI, to attend the upcoming anti-war rally in Boston on Saturday, March 19, to do something. The great movements of this nation's history did not arise out of thin air. They had to start somewhere. What better place than here? What better time than now?James Gerber is a freshman who has not yet declared a major

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China symposium covers relationship between China and Taiwan

February 13

Experts on the dynamic between Taiwan and China spoke of the existing tensions between the two countries as well as possible routes toward its alleviation in a symposium entitled "Hong Kong and Taiwan: Barometers of Change?" The symposium panel, which took place yesterday at 1 p.m. in Braker Hall, allowed participants to explore the possibility of democratization in China and its repercussions in the international arena, particularly with regards to its uneasy relationship with Taiwan. The speakers included Robert Weller, Professor of Anthropology at Boston University and author of "Alternate Civilities: Democracy and Culture in China and Taiwan," and Hurst Hannum, Professor of International Law at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Among those in attendance were several West Point cadets, many of whom posed questions to the speakers. The event was organized by Tufts Institute for Leadership and International Perspective (TILIP) and was part of the 2004-05 Jo Ann Bendetson TILIP International Symposium Program.-- Compiled by Mark Pesavento

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University responds to controversial results of diversity report

February 13

In the wake of the results of the University's Kaleidoscope Report, which cast a grim light on the University's ability to retain minority and female faculty, the administration is devising new ways to address the problems raised. The Report was commissioned by the Schools of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering from the outside consulting firm the Kaleidoscope Group in 2002, and was released to the public in Spring 2004. Results showed that the retention rate for Caucasian male faculty was 70 percent, whereas the rate for African-American female faculty was zero percent. Women and minority retention rates in faculty were lower than 50 percent across the board. Among the complaints of faculty interviewed were the difficulty of finding reasonably priced housing, low salaries, difficulty in achieving tenure, and a general lack of support from senior faculty. Faculty of color especially emphasized this lack of support and, also, a low understanding and appreciation of diversity among the faculty. "The same issues that affect all faculty affect women and minorities," Professor of Economics David Garman said, who is on the Executive Committee of Arts and Sciences and on the Equal Educational Opportunity Committee. "It just seems to hit them harder." Furthermore, minority faculty reported a feeling of pressure from the added responsibility of having to informally mentor minority students. The University has already made progress in certain areas. Last year, it converted the Hillside School in Medford into transitional housing for junior faculty. Tufts has also instituted new policies for tenure in both schools, including a research semester for tenure-track faculty and an option for tenure-track female faculty to delay their tenure decision for a year if they have children. In addition, a new faculty mentoring program has been established in Arts and Sciences this year under the auspices of Dean of Arts and Sciences Susan Ernst and Dean of Academic Affairs for Arts and Sciences Kevin Dunn, who called the program "one of our most important responses to the Kaleidoscope Group report." The program pairs a junior faculty member with a senior colleague in another department. This is the key to the program according to Dunn, because "while departmental mentoring is essential, junior faculty also needs to be able to confide in someone who will not be voting on their tenure case down the line." Although the program is for all junior faculty, Dunn believes that it will be especially important for minority faculty, according to studies that show that these groups are less likely to receive good mentoring without a formal framework. In the School of Engineering (SOE), where the loss of female faculty was "severe" according to the report, several moves have been initiated specifically to reach out to female and minority faculty. According to Dean of the School of Engineering Linda Abriola, four of seven new faculty members are women, and two are minority men. In addition, two women in the SOE received research awards this year, which will allow them to take time off next year to pursue their fields of study. "The point is," Abriola said, "we're not only recruiting the best faculty, we're doing everything we can to be supportive as they develop their careers at Tufts." According to Abriola, faculty from both schools are now collaborating to develop an "umbrella organization to support the recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups, both women and people of color, in math, science, and engineering." This group will provide support not only to faculty but also to undergraduate and graduate students. Tufts has already offered several faculty workshops specifically addressing the more deeply-rooted problem of acceptance of diversity for the faculty as a whole. Director of Affirmative Action Yves-Rose SaintDic, who has participated in these workshops, made it clear that "doing diversity work is not as hard as getting to the moon - it's harder." There are certain qualities of the University that are conducive to such work. SaintDic emphasized the importance of a commitment from leadership, in which area "we have been very lucky," she said. "One mistake is that [administrators] think diversity is a one-shot deal," she said. "They have one day of diversity training and think that takes care of the problem, but it's more of a process." Dunn said that the issue at Tufts is indeed mostly a matter of more support, as the problems brought up in the Report are rampant in schools everywhere. Not only do women often face time management issues while juggling a career and a family, but also "certain fields have also been traditionally the domain of men," he said. "We need to re-double our efforts to make sure that we recruit and support women in those disciplines," he said. As for minorities, Dunn said they "face a low-grade institutional racism at almost every turn, and we cannot work hard enough to push back against that." Garman said that the most important step now is to focus on the present. The Kaleidoscope Report is now "out of date," he said. "What we need to do now is keep working on the issues identified in it in part," Garman said, "but we also need to start communicating better with assistant professors and untenured faculty who are at Tufts now and asking them what kind of support they need." While Tufts may have lost a significant amount of minority faculty in the past, "I see this as being good news," Dunn said. "It is, in the long run, much more important that those faculty be valued in their professions as a whole than that Tufts hold them," he said. "It's our job just to keep trying to recruit more faculty of color." One issue that sets Tufts apart from other universities, says Garman, is money. Because Tufts has a small endowment relative to other academically strong institutions, he said, "we're trying to compete with these schools for the best faculty but we don't have the resources to support the faculty when they get here." In the 2004 Report, African-American men held a retention rate of 40 percent; Asian-American women, 50 percent; Asian-American men, 40 percent; Hispanic men, 25 percent; Hispanic women, 50 percent; and Caucasian women, 42 percent. All studied faculty were hired between the academic years 1990-1991 and 1995-1996.

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Music Review | Boston Philharmonic series provides tutorial with concert

February 13

Bringing music to the common man, the Boston Philharmonic's "Bose Discovery Series" entertains and educates every would-be symphony enthusiast. Maestro and music teacher extraordinaire, British-born conductor Benjamin Zander leads the ensemble with charm and enthusiasm. As part of each Thursday night concert program, Zander navigates the audience through the complexities and subtleties of well-known musical works. His energy and knowledge about classical music permeates his speaking style, and he transforms even the least musically-inclined individuals into avid music appreciators. But don't expect to be babied or talked down to; this weekend's program didn't feature well-known pieces such as Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf" or Tchaikovsky's "The 1812 Overture." Instead, Zander chose the immensely complicated and difficult "Symphony No. 8 in C minor," by 19th century composer Anton Bruckner. Harvard's beautiful Sanders Theater played host to the Thursday night's performance. The theater is an intimate but cramped space complete with puritanical wooden benches with which the pious Bruckner would have sympathized. This relatively small hall is a rare space for a full-sized symphony orchestra, and its sound resonates forcefully and clearly. The venue works well for Zander's musical lectures as well. Zander warned the audience that Bruckner would not be easy to understand, stating that even his musicians took a while to like and respect the composer's work. In fact, choosing Bruckner was a daring pick, as this weekend's concerts were only the third in a total of four seasonal programs. BPO audience members consist of a mix of regular subscribers and inner-city school students brought in through the "Music Without Boundaries" program. Zander's advanced taste in music is a boon for those who wish to cultivate their own appreciation. Why be lectured on an easy piece when one of the best music teachers around will lead novices in understanding more difficult works of music? After all, it is the most complex symphonies that often offer the most rewarding experiences: no pain, no gain. Zander cited one critic of Bruckner's day who called his eighth symphony the "anti-musical rantings of a half-wit." In contrast, the conductor explained the work in terms of the composer's deep Catholic faith. The Eighth is a search for calm in a world of turmoil - a tortuous journey of extraordinary beauty that can be thought of in terms of the composer's very personal spiritual experience. To take listeners on this journey, Bruckner utilizes different tonalities, or musical keys, to the fullest. The concert program explaining this reads like something out of a tonal theory class. The first movement changes especially rapidly from B-flat minor to C minor, and is interrupted by a fortissimo. And if this seems difficult to understand, Zander assisted audience members by having the orchestra play appropriate excerpts in order to provide somewhat of an anchor for a composition that is characteristically devoid of structure. That's not to say that Bruckner wrote no musically memorable lines. In fact, the symphony opens with a rhythm straight out of Beethoven's Ninth, which is reused in diverse variations throughout, and the ending of the first movement has been described as an unmistakable "death watch," signifying a transition from depression to rejection. In addition, the second Adagio movement is well known as the best slow movement he ever wrote. But to pick out specific lines from Bruckner is to deny his Eighth symphony much of its beauty. Written to be experienced as a complete spiritual journey, the opus works best when one listens to the complicated tonal structure along with these memorable lines. This is the kind of masterpiece that only gets better with more study and more experience. In the words of Zander, "If you are bored, then you don't really take the journey, and it's our fault."

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Athletes of the Week

February 13

John Murphy, Hockey Murphy led the Jumbos to two big victories over the weekend against Amherst and Hamilton, earning five points. The sophomore forward had a huge third period to help the Jumbos sink Hamilton College on Saturday, scoring two goals in the final period to give the Jumbos the victory. He scored one with 1:36 left to break the 2-2 tie and then added another goal with 11 seconds left, this time with an open net, to seal the victory. Murphy has made a habit of being involved in big plays as he helped the Jumbos break a 3-3 tie on Friday against Amherst with a crucial assist. 18:48 into the third period, Murphy was able to find forward Ken Cleary to give the Jumbos the 4-3 victory. Murphy, who had five goals and six assists last season, has upped his scoring total to seven this season while again adding six assists.Allison Love, Women's Basketball Love led the charge as the Jumbos won their final three games to secure the seventh seed in the NESCAC tournament. The leading scorer last season for Tufts, Love paced all scorers in all three games, dropping in 20 in a 65-60 win over Salve Regina, 20 in a 76-53 win over Trinity, and 22 in a 76-67 win over Amherst. The senior co-captain not only posted high scoring totals but had great all around performances to help Tufts climb two spots in the NESCAC standings in the final weekend. Love has been red hot shooting the ball, going 27 of 45 from the floor in the last three games. She also contributed nine rebounds against Salve Regina and 10 against Trinity. The forward is third on the team with 11.6 points per game. She is also tied for the team lead with 5.6 rebounds per game.