The men's squash team came into last weekend facing the daunting task of playing national powerhouse Trinity as well as two other competitive matches against Wesleyan and Hamilton.
Members of the 180-person "Introduction to Electrical Engineering" class tested the woof and tweet of their home-made loud speakers last night in Halligan Hall.
After a two-year hiatus, the Charlotte Bobcats brought basketball back to North Carolina. They were forecast to be the laughingstock of the league. Various NBA pundits jokingly predicted they would shatter the NBA record for most losses in a season (73, by the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers) and that they couldn't even compete with mediocre college teams, let alone NBA squads. Expectations were minimal for the franchise.
The world does not want me to be classy. I went to the North End for dinner; I even wore a skirt. But the bars near Fanuiel Hall would have none of it.
As the island of Cyprus came into view, the school group on the plane chanted louder and louder. Excited by the sight of their homeland approaching, they burst into nationalistic Greek songs. Overwhelmed by these youth, my anxiety grew as I felt the five-hour flight from Paris had taken me to a very foreign region of the world. I tried to keep as calm as possible as the man sitting across the aisle from me began to shift in his seat and sigh loudly. As the singing continued, the man behind me copied the others' movements, while randomly blurting out angry words in Turkish. In retrospect, the mixed energy on the plane was a good representation of the underlying political tension bubbling under the surface of our destination.
Amidst allegations that Tufts' Bias Intervention Program (BIP) has paid too little attention to racial bias incidents on campus, current BIP peer educators say new measures have paved the way to better communication with the Tufts community.
Sophomore Peter Maher was arraigned for assault and battery of a police officer in Somerville District Court Tuesday morning.
The last few weeks before winter break can certainly get dreary, but even with the traditional all-night study sessions and endless exams that will begin once classes conclude this week, there's still plenty of time to get out into the city to enjoy the fruits of the season.
I found Professor Ussama Makdisi's remarks in the Daily this past Friday ("Rice prof. traces roots of anti-American sentiment in Middle East to pro-Israel policy") disturbing and unfounded. He disseminates the same myths that despotic Arab regimes have been using for nearly 60 years to discredit the State of Israel. Such misleading rhetoric and oversimplification of the conflict are counterproductive to achieving peace in the region. To convey Israel as the sole reason for anti-American sentiments in the Arab world is false and ignores a wide array of issues including the rampant anti-Americanism propagated by authoritarian Arab governments. If Professor Makdisi truly supports Palestinian self-determination, he should advocate a two state solution rather than conveying deceptive rhetoric to disparage Israel. Tufts University should continue to seek productive discourse on this issue and not allow discussion to be monopolized by either side.
A sleek black sports car was stolen from President Bacow's parking lot this morning. Witnesses say the car was driven by campus revolutionary and bon-vivant Johnny College, who strangely enough was wearing a top hat covered in chains and singing "I Shall Be Released" in a loud, unruly voice that terrified the men on the scene and weakened the knees of all females present.
I am not sure exactly what I pictured as the Last Thing I might possibly run into in Ghana when I first came to the university in August, but the amorphous and previously ill-defined Least Likely Object arrived immediately and silently last week during a routine shuffle through the front doors of the drama studio, where I was stopped cold by the sight of a poster asking "Did you know that vaginas have brains?"
The women's swimming team claimed its second consecutive win Saturday, 139-124 over a tough Bowdoin team that boasts one of the top swimmers in the NESCAC, sophomore Katie Chapman. Tufts overcame Chapman and the other Polar Bear swimmers to pull away for the victory. The final score looked closer than it actually was, as the Jumbos had clinched the victory before Bowdoin added some points in the last few events. "Katie Chapman is an All-American and one of the best swimmers in the NESCAC, but our swimmers gave her tough races," coach Nancy Bigelow said. "In fact, in the last relay, she really had to come from behind and barely won." Besides swimming the final leg for the foursome that won the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:45.40), Chapman placed first in the 200 individual medley (2:14.51), the 100 free (55.19) and the 200 free (1:57.43). She did not win these easily, though. Senior quad-captain Erica Weitz gave her all she could handle in the 200 IM, finishing with a time of 2:15.94, just over a second off the pace. Senior quad-captain Suzi Ascoli and freshman Tia Bassano also challenged Chapman in the 100 and 200 freestyle, respectively, each placing second. "This was an excellent win," said Bigelow. "The girls tested themselves against the best and did very well, which is always a good sign." Individually, Tufts received some very strong performances. Freshman Bianca Spinosa continued to swim well with a first place finish in the 100 butterfly (1:00.53) and a second place finish in the 200 fly (2:17.54). She finished behind Weitz, who won with a time of 2:15.22. She also won the 500 free (5:26.74). The Jumbo's depth showed as the team got solid contributions from a number of other swimmers as well. Sophomore Jessica Bollinger won the 1000 free (11:21.06), freshman Allison Palomaki won the 100 breaststroke (1:09.06) and junior Katie Mims won the 50 free (25.88). "Katie has been sick, but she's been a trooper," said Bigelow. "Also, though Bianca is a sprinter, she has been swimming the 200 fly for us. I think she has gets faster every time she swims it." Several members of the team have had to battle through some illnesses lately, however they have not let this affect their performances. The season is also at the point when many of the swimmers have much on their plates. "The girls are just plugging along through it and trying to conquer their sicknesses," said Bigelow. "It is tough because the kids are exhausted, sick and trying to study at the same time as trying to participate in athletics. It's a lot to ask." The swimmers have appreciated that the coaches are aware of their situation. "It is really difficult to keep up with everything right now," said Weitz. "Coaches are pretty understanding, though. They know there's a lot going on." The practices are also beneficial for the swimmers. "It provides us with a good one and a half hour break from studying and everything else that's going on," Weitz commented. "A lot of things are stressful right now, but this gives us sort of an escape." Once again on Saturday the team was without any divers. Bowdoin, only had one diver of its own, however, so instead of a 32 point hole, Tufts was only down nine points to start. Bigelow believes that there is a chance freshman Carol Ventura may be ready to dive this weekend. In its final meet before winter break, the Jumbos will host Brandeis Saturday at Hamilton Pool. The meet, against a weaker opponent, should give Bigelow a chance to give other swimmers opportunities. "Brandeis just doesn't have the depth we do, but we still have to come ready to swim," she said. "Hopefully we can get some people swimming in events they haven't had the opportunity to swim in yet because of some closer meets." The team will try to end the first half of the season on a positive note. Weitz likes where the team stands at this point. "We are really coming together as a team now since we've had a few meets together," she said. "Everyone is stepping up and doing their part."
I am an athlete (a well-endowed one), and for that reason I am reluctant to run on Friday - I don't want to pull anything (wink wink). Any advice on how I can participate in the NQR safely? - Allison "Every Freshman's Fantasy" Love
I thought, in honor of Friday's Naked Quad Run ... excuse me, Nightime Quad Reception ... I would lay out for you the 10 women athletes I would most like to see run naked. Sorry, Marion Jones, but you are disqualified for obvious reasons. BALCO? No, silly, it's those dang teeth. OK, Number - wait, this isn't FHM? Oh, here I was thinking I was writing for a VH1 List Show and now I'm stuck writing a sports column. Alright, what do you want to hear? Ten male athletes you want to see run naked? Yeah, sorry, I can only think of one and his name is Warren Sapp. But that's neither here nor there. So down which avenue can I go and still hold your attention without your mind wandering into thoughts of hordes of folks shuffling around like cattle in West Hall as they inadvertently (or advertently in some cases) touch uglies? Where else then to the dream world of sports movie debating. But more specifically, pretend athlete debating. Alright, out with it. Who was the better quarterback: Steamin' Willie Beamen ("Any Given Sunday") or Frank Cushman ("Jerry Maguire")? Let's talk about Cushman first. He is a 20-year-old super prospect (played by Jerry O'Connell of fat kid in 'Stand by Me' fame) out of Texas. We are led to believe that this boy can play, but in the only playing clip we see of this cat he looks like Steve Young. If Young were to throw righty. I've seen option quarterbacks with a better release, but it's a movie (one of which I am an unabashed fan - and yes, I know it's a chick flick) so we have to suspend our disbelief. I mean, San Diego and Denver are drooling over this kid (Surf or ski?), and our title character flips through radio stations like a school girl after he thinks he has Cush locked up as a client. So we must believe what we have not really seen. Gotta love movies. But there are some unanswered questions about Cush. Like, where did he go to school? Is he the real deal because he amassed some crazy amount of passing yards at Texas Tech like Kliff Kingsbury or BJ Symons? For all we know, he is straight out of high school. This is the same guy who played high school washup Trent McNeely ("Can't Hardly Wait" anyone?), so who knows. Cush also might have a little bit of a racist streak to him, something that doesn't fly in most walks of life and certainly would not go over well in the predominantly black NFL. What would his top receiver think were he to hear that Cush's father had given up on an agent because he was giving too much attention to "the black fella" (as he accuses Jerry of doing with Rod Tidwell)? Cush would be on thin ice early. And let's not forget the loyalty issues his father puts on display. "My word is stronger than oak" turned out to be a farce - does the apple fall not far from the tree? But Cush may be more intelligent than we give him credit for. If I'm not mistaken, he chooses to surf (San Diego) over ski (Denver). I would be willing to say that this is a decision Eli Manning should have made in this year's draft. But his choice consisted more of "surf or get chewed up and spit out by the entire NY/NJ region." Cush had the tougher decision and made the right one. He plays guitar and writes his own songs, such as the "Cushlash" piece, one of the sillier moments in movie history. And then we have Jamie Foxx's Beamen. While Cushman gets a bad case of "Cushlash" from seeing himself on "the big TV again" in Times Square, Beamen would complain that there isn't enough of him up there. While not quite a Michael Vick type, because he was not highly touted either coming out of college (or while in the league, for that matter) there certainly is a Willie Beamen Experience when he is in the game (It's not in the playbook, but it shouuuuld be ... love it) And he gains a Vick-esque appeal once he finally gets his chance, as evidenced by Met-Rx commercials (complete with his own rap) and Sports Illustrated covers. But this battle is not about glitz, though both provide a great deal. Who is the better field general ... that is the brass tacks argument. Willie changed plays in the huddle, basically handing himself the ball and drawing the ire of LL Cool J and Bill Bellamy's characters. Once you have '90s MTV veejays and bad UPN sitcom stars against you, who else do you turn to? And he puked on the field to boot. Hard to have faith in a puker. But Steamin' Beamen comes around in the end in the final climactic win, and he also scores major loyalty points. Following Al Pacino's coach D'Amato to Albuquerque is just a little cooler than the "Testaverde and Parcells Across America" tour. But couldn't he have gotten with Miss Pagniacci (Cameron Diaz)? Cush would have. The Tale of the Tape: Somewhere in the "Jerry Maguire" universe, Cush is a bust, on par with Ryan Leaf, Akili Smith and Tim Couch. Beamen has proven he can come through - he even won a playoff game. So it's not even a contest, right? Beamen will throw some costly picks, but I give him the nod. You know what? Keanu Reeves as Johnny Utah, former Ohio State QB, is better than either of them, bum knee and all. "Point Break." Wow, now that's a whole 'nother can of worms.
An article last week ("Tufts bucks trend of declining applications from abroad," 12/02) incorrectly identified Gretchen Inman's position. She is the. is the administrative director of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, not the director of administrations of the Fletcher School Due to this error, the article incorrectly stated which graduate school had a drop in international applications. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences experienced a drop of 200 international applications in 2004, not the Fletcher School. The Fletcher School had an 8 percent drop, with 47 fewer international applications in 2004 than 2003. Additionally, the article incorrectly stated that international students must receive approval from the federal government to take a leave of absence in order to be medically treated outside the United States. Students must receive approval for the leave and treatment from the Tufts International Center, who then informs the government through the SEVIS system.If you see an error in the Daily, e-mail daily@tuftsdaily.com.
Baseball has a serious problem. And it is not that many of the game's stars are so obviously on steroids that they can't even fit into normal sized batting helmets. Nor is it that two of the baseball's figurehead players, Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi, have admitted to using performance enhancing drugs in front of a grand jury. No, the real problem facing Major League Baseball is that no one can, or seems to even be willing to try to, get steroids out of the game. In the NFL, if a player tests positive for illegal substances, he is automatically suspended for four games. That translates into an entire month of no play and no salary. On the second offense, the suspension moves to six games, and on the third strike, the player is out of the league for at least an entire season. Every week of the season six members of each team submit to random testing. Baseball, on the other hand, has an extremely lenient policy toward steroid use. To start, steroids weren't even technically banned from the game until September, 2002, when the new collective bargaining agreement came into effect. And it wasn't until this past season that mandatory random testing came into play. Currently, players are only tested once per season - from the beginning of March until the end of September. On the first positive test, the player is required to undergo a counseling and education session informing him of the dangers of his substance use, rather than receiving a suspension. It isn't until the fifth positive test that a player can even be considered for a season-long ban. Given that a player is only tested once a season, the chance of him being tested five times and found to be using illegal substances is remote. To date, no major league baseball player has ever been suspended for using steroids. This weak attempt at cracking down on steroid offenders is laughable when compared with the regulations against these athletes set up in other sports. In addition to the NFL, the NBA, NHL and IOC all have strict and unrelenting rules when it comes to performance enhancing drugs. In addition, baseball has yet to ban substances that other pro leagues and the IOC consider illegal, such as Human Growth Hormone, and only this season banned Androstenedione, the drug made famous by Mark McGwire in 1998. Baseball also fails to test for masking agents that can hide banned substances. What makes matters worse for baseball, and all the more frustrating for the sport's fans, is that it seems that both Commissioner Bud Selig and the player's union are ignoring the pressure to conform to the rules put forth by nearly every legitimate athletic organization. Major League Baseball's labor contract makes it very difficult for authorities to demand more stringent testing, and even more difficult for the league to hand out punishments to offenders. Rather than agreeing that steroid use is wrong and detrimental to the sport's reputation (as well as their own health), the players still stand firmly by their contract. Selig and the other men at the top are content to tip-toe around the issue as well so as not to induce yet another baseball labor dispute. In an attempt to push Selig and the players union into allowing tighter restrictions on steroids, U.S. Senator John McCain threatened to bring up Congressional legislation to override the stubborn labor contracts in 2005. Chances are, Congress won't mess with such legislation, but if people outside the baseball begin to add their two cents, then the problem will reach a new dimension. What many baseball players seem to fail to recognize in this era of juiced up sluggers is that eliminating steroids from their sport would make the game better. The NFL's players allow for diligent monitoring of their supplemental intakes because they feel that it levels the playing field rather than creating an arms race of who can get the best steroids. In addition, steroids are damaging to a player's health and can often shorten careers, rather than elongate them as seems the case with the San Francisco Giants' Barry Bonds. Jason Giambi of the New York Yankees is a prime example. His increase in injuries and decrease in production over the past few seasons as well as his current health problems, including a benign pituitary tumor, could all potentially be linked to his steroid use. Though the Bonds BALCO testimony leak has again brought the MLB's steroid issue into the media spotlight, the problem is far from being solved. Until baseball emulates its younger, but wiser, professional athletic counterparts, the steroid era will cast a discouraging shadow over the character of the game.
One Tufts senior and a Tufts alumnus were arrested at Hotung Caf?© on Friday night, but one suspect says the Somerville Police Department (SPD) apprehended the wrong revelers and witnesses agree the scene was confusing. According to records from the Somerville Police Department (SPD), senior Daniel Chase was arrested for disorderly conduct and David Mitchell (LA '03) was arrested for disorderly conduct and assault and battery of a police officer. Both are 22 years old. Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) performed the arrests, and SPD officers Amaral and Mansir responded to TUPD's request for assistance. Hotung Caf?© was hosting an after-party that evening for the Spirit of Color dance show. Dean of Students Bruce Reitman did not confirm the identities of the two suspects, but said both a student and non-student were involved. "If they are students, our office will take action - we'll consider what happened, ask the student to fill out a response to the complaint from the police department," Retiman said. Chase denies the charges against both him and Mitchell and said witnesses could prove they are not guilty. According to Chase, the police report said witnesses told police two men in blazers charged against the door of Hotung, causing the disturbance for which Chase and Mitchell were arrested. "From my mug shot you can see I'm not wearing a blazer, so you can see they arrested the wrong people," Chase said. "The judge said it's not a big deal, that I should talk to the district attorney. I don't think that there will be any [consequences]." Chase also denied that Mitchell was involved. "Oh no, definitely not," he said. "And I have a bunch of witnesses to back both of us." Chase provided The Daily with a copy of a witness report recorded by the TUPD. The witness, senior Yasmin Pena, told the TUPD she was working as a manager at Hotung when two males starting getting "increasingly hostile and belligerent" outside the caf?©'s doors. Last night, Pena told The Daily it was hard to evaluate the situation because it was "kind of like mayhem." She said several males were pushing the other Hotung managers. "I know that the person who pushed the other manager was not arrested that night," she said. Another Hotung manager, senior Rafael Luciano, agreed the scene "was kind of confusing. There was a group of four or five guys trying to force their way in and two of the guys got arrested." He said the male who was arrested was indeed the one who reached over the TUPD officer's shoulder to try and free his friend from the officer's grasp. Reitman said student groups are generally not held responsible for incidents that take place at events they sponsor. "In general, there is no automatic action taken against a group just because someone has done something foolish at an event they are sponsoring," he said. "If it was the host organization of the event that caused the problem, that's one thing," Reitman said. "If it was an individual's behavior that the host of the event had no ability to foresee and [the host organization] did not contribute to the problem, there would not be any action taken against the group."-Katie Clark, Sarah Dalglish and Zosia Sztykowski contributed to this article
Snow, freezing rain and other varieties of winter weather are upon us, and are here to stay until April. This makes waiting for a friend outside of their dorm even more unbearable than it usually is. Getting in and out of dorms would be easier and safer if all students' JumboFobs gave access to all University buildings. The technology for universal JumboFobs is already installed; the Fobs just have to be programmed to allow access to all dorms. It works, as TUPD officers already have universal access. It's not hard to do and the demand is there - 81 percent of the student body wants universal access, according to last year's Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate survey. "What about the dorm security?" naysayers may ask. "What about our fellow student-burglars who will use the access to commit theft and vandalism in other dorms with universal JumboFob access?" This argument is invalid, for if students want to enter a building, they only have to wait for someone to let them in. When has anyone ever refused to let a fellow student follow them into a dorm? Expanding JumboFob's entry abilities will only increase security for students. Letting students get into friends' dorms will not only improve the Tufts community, it will also make it safer. Students will no longer need to piggyback off others to enter dorms, making it easier to identify those from outside the Tufts community trying to enter residential halls. Other buildings could be outfitted with JumboFob technology to keep them open to students, but safe from intruders. For a school located in an urban environment with open access to the campus, Tufts has low security for its dorms. There are no security guards and IDs are never checked at any dorms, such as is the case at Columbia and UPenn; a person only needs to get in through a Tufts student's kindness or an ajar door to have free reign. At the very least, universal JumboFobs will allow every student to be a little more suspicious of anyone waiting outside a dorm, needing to be let in. Other schools have implemented similar systems with success. Dartmouth students can use their IDs to enter any dorm. Dartmouth, however, is located in a rural area with less chance of trespassers. However, Harvard freshmen are able to access all 18 freshmen dorms around Harvard Yard, even though it is located in a busy, urban area. It is nonsensical of Office of Residential Life and Learning Director Yolanda King to refuse to accept the Senate survey results, asking for "another more extensive survey." Surveys are based upon a select portion of a population - approximately 1,250 students responded to last year's survey, enough to at least start moving forward. An approval rating of 81 percent is a big enough majority to not quibble about sample sizes. King said she wants the Senate to draft up another survey, a request she made last March as well. Although King may believe that students can gain access "tailgating or using the phone" ("A universal fob system in the works," 5/09) in the meantime, we need to find a safer, more reliable option. Congratulations to the Senate for pushing on this issue. Let's draft the next survey as quickly as possible so that those who still hold doubts can be won over and universal dorm access can be made available as soon as possible.
I remember shopping in Las Vegas last year with a girl friend, when a lip stick red gown caught our attention in the window of Valentino. We decided to go in and take a closer look. After all, what "Pretty Woman"-lover would pass up a chance to glance his signature design up close? But once inside, I was drawn unexpectedly to a jacket displayed toward the back of the boutique. "It's Chinchilla," said a salesman, clad in a $2,000 suit, who noticed me admiring it. "Here, try it on," he offered, sliding the jacket down the arms of the mannequin and up over mine. "It was made using only the bellies of chinchillas," the salesman continued. "That's why it's so soft." I should have been really impressed by that detail, but instead, I was a little nauseated to think that somewhere in Italy hundreds of little animals had been robbed of their bellies and then chucked in the trash. Don't get me wrong, I still loved the jacket, but there is no denying that the issue of fur, especially in fashion, has been raising the hair of animal rights activists for decades. In the early 1990s, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) stirred dialogue on the issue with the - now infamous - ad campaign, "I'd rather go naked than wear fur." The campaign featured a series of nude photographs of Cindy Crawford and fellow supermodels Tyra Banks, Christy Turlington, Amber Valletta, Niki Taylor and Claudia Schiffer. In addition to bearing it all for the cause, each of the supermodels signed a customized version of one of PETA's anti-fur petitions entitled, "Models of Compassion: fur-free models who know that beauty is more than skin deep." It was a milestone, indeed, for the budding non-profit organization PETA, but an especially notable moment in fashion. For once, it wasn't the clothing designers making a statement about social issues or their political views (as they so often do); it was the models. Finally, these gorgeous women were not just being puppets of the industry; they decided to use their beauty and fame to set a brave example for humanity and support something they believed in. Or not. This year, Cindy Crawford shocked fashionistas and friends of animals, alike, when she signed to be the new face of fur giant Blackgama. PETA, needless to say, was outraged when it heard the news and immediately made plans to launch a campaign against its former ally. "I know that when film and television careers don't pan out, a model can become desperate, but you're totally ruining your image by showing such a lack of integrity," PETA's Dan Matthews wrote in a letter to Crawford in August, reminding her of the petition she signed saying she'd never wear fur. "You have become a body without a heart or a head." Crawford now joins the ranks of former PETA models such as Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss who would apparently rather go naked than wear fur, unless a fur designer is offering a paying job. In addition to modeling for Blackgama, Crawford was seen on designer Roberto Cavalli's Milan catwalk this fall wearing a long fur coat. And as if Crawford doesn't look bad enough (reputation-wise, that is), her excuses for the sudden change of heart are utterly ridiculous. In the 1994 ads, Crawford had been featured wearing nothing but a fake fur hat by designer Todd Oldham. Now Crawford's spokeswoman, Annett Wolf, claims that the supermodel never endorsed PETA's anti-fur message, and that "all she did was a favor for Todd Oldham." How then does Crawford explain her signature on the PETA petition? "Cindy has never been associated with PETA," Wolf insisted in a New York Post interview. "When she is asked to model something, she does. That is her job. She has been really nice about the PETA ad, but it's just not her job." I am by no means an animal rights activist, but I must say, I am extremely disappointed in Cindy Crawford. And I completely disagree with her publicist. Wearing something someone asks her to wear used to be her job; but it certainly is not her job anymore. That is because Crawford is not just a model - she is a supermodel. She is part of a very select group of women (note the names above) who, unlike regular models, became bona fide celebrities and household names, loved and admired by men and women around the world. They brought fashion and beauty to the masses in a way never before seen by the industry and never since achieved by another group of models. And, as proof in the PETA ads, when these women take a stand, the world takes notice. Crawford should be ashamed of herself. At a point in her career when she has the luxury of picking and choosing her work carefully, she has made it clear that she champions money over message. That is her choice, but she should stop lying to the public and to herself. It's too late to cry "model."
