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Saldarelli, Langenberg, Peach end careers on high note

May 22

Not every group of seniors can say that they won the final game of their career. Too bad, for the graduating members of the women's lacrosse team, that it was only a makeup game after Tufts lost in the first round of the NESCAC playoffs. Falling to Amherst in the playoffs, the Jumbos - including seniors Kristin Saldarelli, Christie Langenberg, and Lauren Peach - played a makeup game at Babson, beating the Beavers handily, 15-5. The team would not have ended the season at .500 without the play of the uncharacteristically large nine-player freshman class. With two first-year and three sophomore starters, the 2004 Jumbos were certainly a young team. But it was the three seniors, all captains, who led the team to the first round of the NESCAC playoffs at Amherst. "Even though the season didn't end the way we wanted, we were able to end with a really good game against Amherst and we were able to end the season with a win," attack Saldarelli said. "Not many teams do and it's not something most seniors can say." Saldarelli has started every game since the beginning of her sophomore year, playing in a total of 50 contests. She led the team in assists in both the 2002 and 2004 seasons, with 14 and 11 respectively. Saldarelli had her highest scoring season as a sophomore, when she netted 18 goals, but this season she seemed to be a part of almost every offensive play. "She's not a very prolific scorer, but she's a very good passer," coach Carol Rappoli said. "She sees the field very well and is a very unselfish player. As a senior she had her best year." Defender Christie Langenberg missed one game this season, only the second match of her career in which she did not play. Langenberg led the team in ground balls in both her freshman and junior years, and picked up 39 for the Jumbos this spring. "[Langenberg] is a three-year starter, and as a freshman she was the first kid we brought in defensively," Rappoli said. "[She's] small in stature, but she's been a very tough defender for four years." Langenberg's favorite game as a Jumbo was this year's final home game against Colby. The Jumbos won that game 12-5 to stay in the playoff hunt. "Playing Colby this year we'd come off really tough losses," Langenberg said. "It was the last home game for me and the two other seniors ... Colby's kind of a big rival of ours. [Beating them] for our last game, it was an awesome feeling." Midfielder Lauren Peach is the only one of the three to have started all 55 games of her collegiate career. This year she had another outstanding season, picking up 53 groundballs, causing 38 turnovers, and scoring eight goals. Peach's intensity on the field is hard to match, and she is constantly in the middle of play - whether it be defending the Tufts goal or trying to score one for the team. "She has an incredible work ethic," Rappoli said of Peach. "This year she made a tremendous jump ... she made the All-NESCAC team and she's one of the key players able to carry us on her back during game situations." In a season that could have gone either way with the large freshman and sophomore contingent, Saldarelli, Langenberg, and Peach ended their careers on high notes. "This season was really different than any other season," Saldarelli said. "Half of our team were freshmen and we ended up having incredible team chemistry. Everyone was really supportive of everyone and everything."

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News

A more perfect union

May 22

In a Washington Post Op-Ed piece, Senators Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Jim Talent (R-Mo.) echoed the feelings of many who oppose gay marriage. Published last Monday - the same day such unions became legal in Massachusetts - the pair expressed outrage at the "activist judges" on the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) who "legislate from the bench" in defiance of the will of the people. While reasonable people can disagree about gay marriage, the senators' views on the role of our courts is dead wrong. The judicial system does not exist in this country to do what is popular. It exists to ensure that laws conform to the Constitution, interpret those laws, and apply them justly. The senators assert that the SJC decision was driven by an "aggressive political and legal strategy" on the part of the justices. This is simply not so. The basis for the justices' decision was simple - the gay marriage ban violates the Massachusetts Constitution. Barring gay marriage, wrote Justice Margaret Marshall, was deeply harmful to same sex couples "for no rational reason." The government failed to identify any "constitutionally adequate" reason to deny the benefits, protections, and obligations of civil marriage to gay couples. That Hatch or part of the public opposes gay marriage is of little consequence. Many have looked to civil unions as a way to confer the legal benefits of marriage without actually allowing gays to marry. But the court said such a "separate but equal" construction would treat gays as "second class citizens" - something the constitution explicitly forbids. Referring to the Brown v. Board of Education decision that struck down segregation in schools, the SJC vowed not to repeat the sins of the past. The high court did not "legalize" gay marriage; it struck down unconstitutional laws barring it. This strikes at the heart of the senators' argument that so-called activist judges are creating legislation. Indeed, the court acknowledged the "great deference" it owed the Legislature on such social and cultural issues. But ultimately this was a constitutional issue and the SJC was right to exercise its right to review the laws. President Bush and others have jumped on the bandwagon, accusing the "activist judges" on the SJC of being liberals hell bent on violating the opinion of the masses to advance their agenda. Yet six of the seven justices were appointed by Republicans - who typically oppose gay marriage. Ironically, it appears as though the senators are the ones who are out of touch with the will of the people. Senators Hatch and Talent claim that judges are taking away the rights of people to govern themselves. Yet opinion on the subject is divided; May polls found that 42 percent of the nation supports gay marriage. Ultimately, we should expect popular support for same sex marriage to rise. Last Monday homosexual couples began to marry and yet the earth failed to shake. For all the cultural and symbolic ramifications gay marriages bring, in the end the only people truly affected are those who enter into the them.

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News

"Faustus" chills, "Noises" thrills

May 22

In their ongoing quest to bring quality theater to the Medford campus, Tufts production groups upheld old traditions and invented new ones both on-stage and off-stage in 2003-04. In the fall, the drama department's rendition of "Doctor Faustus" thrilled audiences and English professors by staging Christopher Marlowe's original text in a modern nightclub. Black lipstick, spiked collars, and leather pants set the stage for senior Graham Outerbridge's rendition of the title character and the deal he makes with Mephistopheles, played by senior Christopher Tadros. This updated version of the traditional setting proved to be perfect for the Halloween season, leaving audiences with thrills and chills just in time for October 31. The dark decadence of "Faustus" was followed in the spring by the drama department's "A Piece of My Heart," a moving piece which followed the story of six women in Vietnam. Stunning performances by six talented actresses and well-planned staging brought the horrors of the Vietnam War straight to the Balch Arena Theater. The final department production of the year was Micheal Frayn's "Noises Off," an English sex farce that proves there is more to comedy than a fake British accent and a plate of sardines. The play about a play-within-a-play (try saying that ten times fast) captured the real drama of the theater that goes on behind-the-scenes and starred a superb cast that brought energy and enthusiasm to the hectic show. In Pen Paint and Pretzels' (3Ps) fall major, "Ring Round the Moon," senior Joshua Bauml played two roles as twin brothers. This romantic comedy used period costumes, fancy dance moves, and a few too many cases of mistaken identity to set the stage for an old-fashioned party that captured the spirit of the Roaring Twenties. The up-tempo comedy was worlds away from 3Ps' spring major, a controversial retelling of Christ's life called "Corpus Cristi." The play, directed by senior Jenn Jarecki, set all twelve of Christ's apostles as homosexual men living in a conservative Texas town, making the classic story relevant today when raging debates over gay rights and gay marriage dominate headlines. The production actively engaged the audience, using the energy of its talented cast to bring playgoers directly into the performance. Torn Ticket II's "Little Shop of Horrors," directed by senior Tali Paransky, both terrified and entertained theatergoers in the fall. The performance starred Alexander Sherman as downtrodden pet store owner Seymour Krelborn and Julia Arazi as his love interest and flower shop secretary Audrey. The actors in "Little Shop" proved to have a flair for both physical comedy and up-tempo show tunes, bringing the dark comedy to its hilariously deranged conclusion. "The Rocky Horror Show," directed by sophomore Jennifer Gerson, transported its audience to an alternate glam rock, sci-fi universe. Starring sophomores Greg Fujita and Julia Arazi as engaged couple Brad Majors and Janet Weiss and junior Mike La Fazia as Frank N. Furter, the performance left plenty of theater-goers singing its show tunes all the way home. The Bare Bodkin Theatre Company has made a name for itself with its emphasis on student-written works. These writers showcased their works during the fall semester's 10-minute festival and the spring one acts. Bare Bodkin also established its own new tradition with the start of the B.Y.O.B.B. (Bring Your Own Bare Bodkin) 24-hour theater festival. Participants spent a hectic 24 hours working to stitch together a play, then presented it before judges at the final competition. Bare Bodkin's fall major, "In the Blood," was directed by junior Marc Frost in collaboration with the Black Theater Company. The play was a modern-day retelling the story of "The Scarlet Letter," following the character of Hester Prynne through her trials as she raises five children by five different fathers. Productions this past semester were not just limited to traditional theater organizations. Tufts improv group Cheap Sox and mime troupe Hype! joined in the fun when they collaborated in the fall to produce "CheapHype," a combination of improvisation and mimicry that left audience members howling. Traveling Treasure Trunk, Tufts' children's theater company, continued to make children and undergraduates laugh. This year, even Hillel got in on the act, putting on its own show called "Beau Jest" in the spring that told the story of a young Jewish girl who seeks to marry outside her faith. The Black Theater Company revived itself to produced a night of sketch comedy in the spring, in addition to its collaboration with Bare Bodkin on "In the Blood." Performing "The Vagina Monologues" has also become something of an annual tradition. This year, senior Sarah Hecht directed the show, and it starred a variety of actresses from across campus. The show sold out all of its performances. Minors sponsored by all of the on-campus theater organizations were also abundant these last few months. From "Seven Blow Jobs" and "Debbie Does Dallas" to "South Park: The Musical" and "Two Rooms," these smaller productions tended toward the sexy and/or political, and provided a lot of fodder for on-campus debate.

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News

Treading water for Mystic results

May 22

Four years into its goal of making the Mystic River watershed fishable and swimmable by 2010, the Mystic Watershed Collaborative (MWC) is still struggling to develop a progress report. But participants said that the goal is too ambitious without more outside intervention. The MWC is a partnership between Tufts and the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA). The Collaborative conducts research, monitors river quality, holds programs to teach the community about the river, and arranges river clean-ups. "It's incredibly difficult to take highly polluted rivers and make them fishable and swimmable," said Molly Mead, the Lincoln-Filene professor at the University College. Because the project is relatively new, a lack of data and research on the river has prevented the MWC from tracking the progress of its goal. Mead called the goal "incredibly bold and ambitious." As more data is collected, MWC Director of Stewardship and Outreach Janet Kovner said, a progress report is "certainly something the Collaborative wants to take on." While clean-ups are helpful for the river, civil and environmental engineering professor John Durant said, the biggest progress has been made by the surrounding cities pressuring factories to not continue polluting the river. The most valuable work "can only be done by municipalities," he said. "Clean-ups are more of a symbolic action," said sophomore Chelsea Bardot, a University College Scholar and one of the three student representatives to the MWC steering committee. "What really makes a difference is the policy." Durant, a member of the MWC steering committee, said that boating is acceptable anytime on the river. Swimming is now safe in only one place and only during certain seasons, because rain water flows spread the sewage into other parts of the river. Durant said some areas are now close to fishable, but "the question is, do you want to eat the fish you catch there?" He said the MWC does not yet have the scientific capacity for the project. "It may not be that the whole river will be cleaned up to those standards in the timeframe," he said. Mead said the first step in achieving the goal is to "create an intense public will" to clean up the river by increasing public attention on the project. She said the MWC is 60 to 70 percent of the way to developing that public interest. Bardot is a member of Water Watch, a student organization run each year by a representative from the Massachusetts Students Public Interest Research Group. According to Bardot, over 100 Tufts students participated in the Mystic River clean-up this year, most of them through Water Watch. Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone said most of the damage to the Mystic River was done decades ago, and that environmental standards are now strictly enforced along the river. He said the development of the Assembly Square area was planned with the river in mind. "We are emphasizing cleaner, smart-growth type uses of the riverfront," he said. "The Mystic River is truly a hidden gem and a recreational asset," Curtatone said. "It doesn't get the attention it needs from the state." Many feel the MWC's job would be easier if the Mystic River were given the same level of consideration as the Charles River. "I'm not sure the Mystic has had the [same] amount of interest as the Charles," said Kathy Baskin, the project director of the Charles River Watershed Association. In 1995, as part of its effort to clean up the Boston Harbor, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set a goal to make the Charles River fishable and swimmable by 2005. A similar EPA investment does not exist for the Mystic River. The pollution of the Mystic River "could easily be corrected with the same level of investment" as the Charles River has seen, Durant said. "The Mystic hasn't seen the same level of funding as the Charles because the Charles has some pretty impressive advocates working on its behalf," said Bill Walsh-Rogalski, a lawyer in the EPA's regional administrator's office who works on special projects. Walsh-Rogalski said the Charles River's history as a recreational waterway and spillover benefits from the river's proximity to the Boston Harbor cleanup have made the Charles River more attractive for outside investment. University College Community Engagement Specialist Lisa Brukilacchio said EPA involvement would bring substantial resources to the clean-up of the Mystic River. "It's that level of effort and commitment and constant vigilance that it takes to clean up one of these rivers," she said. Brukilacchio said the Mystic River clean-up is in its early stages because of a lack of research and data. "The Charles has had research way ahead of [the Mystic River]," she said. Walsh-Rogalski said there is a chance of future EPA involvement in the Mystic River. "We are interested in working with other urban rivers," he said. "The Agency is hoping the work will get off the ground in the next few years." He would not comment on whether the initial EPA goal for the Charles River will be realized on schedule. Mead was enthusiastic about the level of student participation in the Mystic River project, but she said she would like to see a greater understanding of the project across the entire school. She recommended a trip to the watershed during freshman orientation as a way to make students more aware of the neighboring river. Durant said the MWC has more capacity for student involvement. "We can handle more," he said. "There is plenty for Tufts students to do." Bardot said Water Watch is "aching for members." Brukilacchio credited Tufts involvement in the Collaborative with influencing municipality intervention in the Alewife Brook section of the watershed. "What made the cities do something to stop the sewage were members of the Tufts faculty and students," she said.

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News

Get your groove on: Summer season brings acts to Boston

May 22

Summer is finally here and that means it's time to pull out the flip flops and head outside to enjoy the sunshine - and live music. The next few months will see hundreds of acts coming through Boston, and with so many names taking the stage, it's best to keep an eye on some of Beantown's most happening venues. The Tufts Daily has compiled a list of Boston area venues and some of their summer highlights.Tweeter Center The Boston Tweeter Center's outdoor amphitheater is located in Mansfield, Mass., and accommodates nearly 20,000 concert-goers. The Tweeter Center's capacity and budget give it access to some of the season's biggest acts. Among others, this year's headliners include The Who, Eric Clapton, Britney Spears, The Dave Matthews Band, KISS, Aerosmith, John Mayer and Norah Jones. Lollapolooza 2004 will feature String Cheese Incident and Modest Mouse, along with several other bands. Ozzfest 2004, WBCN River Rave, WKLB Country Saturday, Kiss Concert 2004, and SummerJam 2004 will also take place, featuring a variety of artists from The Offspring and Maroon5 to Jessica Simpson and Tim McGraw.The FleetBoston Pavilion The FleetBoston Pavilion is another open air amphitheater situated on the Boston waterfront. This summer's lineup spans various genres and will feature a variety of performers, including the Indigo Girls, The Village People, KC & the Sunshine Band, Ben Folds, Guster, Etta James, Lyle Lovett, and Jack Johnson.Landsdowne StreetLandsdowne Street is home to some of Boston's best clubs and small scale music venues. Among the area's most popular locations, both Axis and Avalon Ballroom will host several big and small-name bands this summer. Acts will include Hanson, Saves the Day, Smile Empty Soul and Rooney, among several others. The FNX & The Phoenix Best Music Polls 2004 festival, sponsored by The Boston Phoenix and Budweiser Beer, will be a good addition to the area's regular night spots on June 3. [see sidebox at right for ticketing information] The BMP 2004 will feature 17 bands that were selected from a consumer poll run through the Phoenix, and will include The Violent Femmes, The Presidents of the United States of America, Juliana Hatfield, The Rapture, The Von Bondies, The Stills, Stellastarr*, Elefant, Laguardia, Midtown, The Fire Theft, Just Jack, The Lot Six, Streetdogs, The Unseen, The Explosion, and Runner and the Thermodynamics.Davis Square For those looking for a more intimate and manageable sound, there's no reason to venture beyond our own backyard. Davis Square, dubbed one the fifteen hippest places to live by the Utne Reader, holds its own when it comes to entertainment and nightlife. Johnny D's is known for its Sunday jazz brunch, The Burren for its regular Irish music, and the Somerville Theater has hosted musical artists ranging from Tufts student bands like The Residence to big names like Bruce Springstein. The Joshua Tree, Underbones, the Abbey Lounge, and Tir na nog are also Somerville favorites. So whether you're looking for big name bands or laid back local acts, Boston's summer venues have something to offer every musical taste. Sitting in an open air bar in Davis Square or wrapped in a blanket on the lawn of one of the city's large amphitheaters is the perfect way to enjoy Boston's warm summer nights. With no papers to write, no responsibilities to fulfill, and no classes to attend ... you might as well go to a concert.Tickets for FNX and The Phoenix's BMP 2004 are $20 and can be purchased at http://www.nextticketing.com/bmp2004.html. This show is for ages 18 and up only.Tweeter Center:http://tweetercenter.com/boston(508) 339-2333FleetBoston Pavillion:http://www.fleetbostonpavilion.com(617) 728-1600Axis:

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News

News Briefs

May 22

Spring Fling uneventful, but Medford finds it too loud After being cancelled last year, the return of Spring Fling on May 1 was relatively peaceful. Dean of Students Bruce Reitman said the event was "probably the calmest, most well-behaved event that we've ever had." There were no arrests at the event, and there were only two students treated by medical services for alcohol poisoning. One of these students was not from the University. These numbers are down significantly from previous Spring Flings. Although the event was low on crime, there were numerous complaints from Medford residents about the noise from the concert. According to the Medford Transcript, the police received constant calls during the afternoon. Reitman said a high wind caused the sound to blow toward Medford Square. The concert volume was turned down 20 percent, but residents were still unhappy. The Transcript reports that the school will force bands to sign a contract to limit foul language in the future. The University has issued an apology to the city over the incident. Plans for residential college system scrapped The proposal to create a residential college system on campus - central to the recommendations of the Task Force on the Undergraduate Experience - has been abandoned because it is "unfeasible," according to Dean of Students Bruce Reitman. "With housing still in short supply it's not something you can lock people into," he said. A residential college system would have given incoming students a specific house or college to be afilliated with for his undergraduate career. The residential college system was the primary proposal of the Task Force, who said it would bring a sense of community to the campus. Many Ivy League schools already have a college system in place. The task force's report called for a college system but offered few details, instead proposed that it "be given serious consideration by the various constituencies of the Tufts community and developed further." One change that will happen is a new division of class deans. Deans are currently permanently assigned to a class, such as Freshmen Dean Jean Herbert. Under the new system, each dean will take one-quarter of an entering class, and will keep the same group of students for four years. Reitman said the system will be implemented in time for the Class of 2009, which will arrive in Fall 2005.- by Jon Schubin

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News

Trustee John Dowling passes on at 66

May 22

Alumnus and member of the Tufts Board of Trustees John Dowling (LA '59) passed away Tuesday, May 4 from a heart attack due to complications of melanoma. He was 66. "He had such a love affair with the school," Chair of the Trustee Administration and Finance Committee Erwin Heller said. "He was as much a fixture on the board [of Trustees] as Jumbo the elephant is to the school. It's hard to believe he won't be there." Trustees, peers, and friends knew of Dowling's battle with cancer, but did not anticipate his death so soon. "It's unusual to have a sitting trustee die," Trustee Secretary Linda Dixon said. "This was a shock." Dowling was a "big guy, with a big deep voice, and a big personality," Dixon said. He "couldn't stand double-talk" and was notorious for his piercing questions. According to Heller, Dowling was "extremely outgoing and extremely insightful at the same time. He shared his opinions willingly and made us confront arguments that we might not want to have thought about." "He never stopped asking questions 'til the day he died," Dixon said. "It was his modus operandi." According to his obituary in the New York Times, Dowling was the number one real estate broker and adviser in the United States at the height of his career in the 1970s and '80s. "He knew a lot of the wheelers and dealers," Dixon said. "He was a mover and a shaker." After graduating from New York University Law School, he spent 38 years at Cushman and Wakefield, one of the most prominent national companies in commercial real estate, working with well-known clients such as IBM, General Electric, Texaco, and MCI. In 1999, he started his own company, Dowling and Co. When nominating and selecting Dowling for the trustee position, Dixon said that Tufts - a university with "three campuses interested in development" - really needed Dowling's expertise as it looked to expand the scope of its facilities. Dowling worked on a variety of development projects at Tufts, the most prominent being the effort in the late 1990s to overhaul student services. The project resulted in Dowling Hall, a brand new building that brought together offices that were previously scattered around campus. When Dowling first joined the board, Dixon said, he wanted to make a substantial gift to Tufts but was unsure of what form he would like it to take. At the time, Career Services was also "in dire straits" due to lack of space and difficulty of coordination between two divided offices. With the construction of the Gantcher Sports and Convocation Center, Tufts also lost a large parking lot. An idea was devised to place a newly consolidated Student Services on the top floor of a new garage. The project "lacked a donor to make a lead gift to make the building possible," Dixon said. Dowling took on the project, pledging his financial support and utilizing his development and real estate expertise to assist in the design process. "Rather than just putting up something functional, he planned something functional, attractive, and with reasonably low maintenance costs," Heller said. Dowling also spent "untold hours," according to Heller, on plans for an office tower in the South Station area for the Boston campus that is still in progress. "He drove that project really himself," Heller said. Dowling also helped with the development and design of Sophia Gordon Hall, which has not yet received approval for construction from the City of Somerville. According to University Chaplain Rev. David O'Leary, Dowling was responsible for bringing Catholic Mass to Tufts in the 1950s. He supported a complete renovation of the Catholic Center. He was "very generous, very committed, very Catholic," O'Leary said. "He was always interested in the faith life of the students, he always thought that spirituality issues needed to be addressed." Dowling served as chairman and director of Tufts Development Corporation and was a member of the Board of Overseers for the School of Arts and Sciences. He was also involved in a number of social organizations outside of Tufts, serving as a member of the executive council for the Inner-City Scholarship Fund, a Knight of Malta, and as a trustee for St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan, where his funeral was held May 10. Dixon said the church was full of representatives from the 12 to 15 philanthropic organizations on which Dowling had made an impact. "It was quite a tribute," she said. Dixon said the Tufts trustees will need to find someone to fulfill Dowling's duties, but that the Board should be able to continue in their work without significant trouble. At the same time, this does not diminish the reality of the loss of a unique person. "John Dowling was one of a kind," Dixon said. "The Board will eventually fill his vacant position, but they will never replace him."

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News

Fall and Winter recap

May 22

FallFootball After starting the season 3-0 with convincing wins over Hamilton, Bates, and Bowdoin, coach Bill Samko's Jumbos dropped their next two games against NESCAC juggernauts Trinity and Williams. In an effort to avoid a repeat of 2002, when Tufts won its first three and dropped the final five games of the season, the team won a hard-fought game against Amherst in overtime on a three-yard touchdown run by the day's MVP, senior Tim Mack. The Jumbos rode the momentum from the win at home against the Jeffs into Waterville, Maine, that following Saturday and steamrolled the Colby Mules 18-0. Despite fantastic frontline defense against Middlebury QB Mike Keenan, the Jumbos couldn't pull off a win in the final game for the squad's 15 seniors, losing 10-6 to Middlebury and ending the season at an impressive 5-3, as one of only four teams in the conference with a winning record. Men's cross country From Nov. 1-15, things simply couldn't get any better for the men's cross country team. Over a three weekend stretch, the Jumbos delivered coach Connie Putnam his first NESCAC Championship, and followed that up by capturing the ECACs, and then claimed first place at the NCAA Div. III New England Championship. Tufts advanced to Nationals at Whitewater, Wis., where the squad finished a disappointing 11th in the country. But the mere fact that such a finish was disappointing shows the level of success it became accustomed to throughout the previous weeks. Junior Nate Brigham and freshman NESCAC Rookie of the Year Josh Kennedy led a strong stable of runners that was deeper than any other in the region, and they'll be back next year hungry for even more success.Men's soccer Despite an up and down season early on with losses to NESCAC rivals Amherst and Bowdoin, the men's soccer team, led by Brian Mikel, Mike Blea and a strong core of six other seniors, was able to steal fifth place in the conference at the end of the regular season with an important 2-1 victory over Colby. The Jumbos, however, were forced to play their first round matchup against Middlebury without starting goalie and junior quad captain Scott Conroy, who was nursing a concussion. The Jumbos ended up losing the game 1-0 on an early goal by the Panthers. Mikel graduates as Tufts all-time leading point-getter with 28, with Blea not far behind at 17 after being transformed from a sweeper to a center midfielder. The Jumbos finished the year with a 6-7-2 record, including a 4-4-1 mark in the conference.Volleyball The volleyball team persevered through tough injuries to senior tri-captains Lindsay Moses and Amy Cronin and came away with a 20-11 mark, including a 6-4 record in a tough NESCAC conference. The Jumbos' season ended on a tough note when they dropped a close match to the Amherst Lord Jeffs in the NESCAC quarterfinals by a score of 3-2. The two injuries forced coach Cora Thompson to tap into her bench, namely sophomore April Gerry and junior Rebecca Schaevitz, both who performed well throughout the season.Women's soccer The women's soccer season came to a close in the first round of the NESCAC playoffs against the Amherst Lord Jeffs on penalty kicks, after the two teams went 110 minutes without scoring a goal. Amherst freshman goalie Jeanette Crowell won the game for the Jeffs with saves on shots by Jumbo senior co-captain Abby Herzberg and junior leading scorer Jen Baldwin. The Jumbos had an up and down season overall, starting off 4-0, but going 4-5 against NESCAC opponents. Senior co-captain Jess Lovitz, who was the anchor for the defense all season, and senior Jess Trombly were named to the NESCAC and NEIWSA First Team, while Baldwin was named to the NESCAC and NEIWSA Third Team.Women's cross country The women's cross country team had a fairly successful season, winning the Jumbo Invitational and finishing in the top half of every meet except for NESCACs, where the squad finished a slightly-under-par seventh out of 11 schools. At the NCAA New England Championship, senior tri-captain Lauren Caputo finished 20th overall to qualify for nationals at Whitewater, Wis., breaking the Jumbos' four-year dry spell at Nationals. She represented the Jumbos well in the Midwest, finishing 71st overall with a time of 23:33.3, and was named to the All-NESCAC Second Team.WinterMen's basketball The men's basketball team's season consisted of a home team and an away team. At home, the Jumbos were 7-4, including impressive wins over UMass Dartmouth, Keene State, Middlebury, Connecticut College, and a very well-played loss at the buzzer to Bates. On the road however, the Jumbos were absolutely terrible, losing all ten games at opponents' gymnasiums while going 1-3 in games at neutral sites. Despite losing to both Bowdoin and Colby, teams the Jumbos should have overcome, they snuck their way into the playoffs with a 78-66 victory over Middlebury. The Jumbos were, however, quickly out-dueled by the Trinity Bantams in the first round to end the season.Men's indoor track There is no doubt that the men's indoor track and field team could have used some more short distance sprinters. But thanks to a large selection of excellent long distance runners, solid efforts in the field events and middle distance races, and a certain freshman who could jump a long way, the Jumbos did just fine in 2003-04. Freshman Fred Jones took Gantcher by storm over the winter. In his first collegiate meet, he won the long jump and the triple jump, setting a new school record in the latter. He capped the season by winning the triple jump at Div. III New Englands and All-New Englands (both times breaking his own school record), and earning All-American Status by finishing sixth in the nation in the triple. Men's swimming and diving The men's swimming and diving team outperformed almost all expectations during the regular season this year. The squad started off red hot, winning its first eight meets behind the strong swimming of sophomores Jon Godsey and Brett Baker, junior Mike Rochette, freshman Sloan Harris and others. After dropping its final meet to Williams, the squad bounced back and finished third at NESCACs, with the 4x200 meter relay squad of freshman Mike Kinsella, senior Nick Ghoussaini, junior Rich Halpert, and Baker earning a trip to Nationals. The squad swam to an impressive 15th place, earning All-American honorable mention status.Ice hockey The men's ice hockey team, after losing all-time leading scorer Mike Carceo to graduation, started the season off poorly but bounced back in the second half and got a second chance to make the playoffs. The Jumbos started their season at 4-10, and lost nine of their first 10 conference games. The team turned things around with a key weekend against Southern Maine and Salem State, tying Southern Maine and upsetting Salem State to put themselves back in the race for the final playoff spot. Losses in four out of the last six games, however, put the Jumbos out of playoff contention until the Wesleyan Cardinals were disqualified from the playoffs for disciplinary reasons. The Jumbos thus moved from the ninth to the eighth seed and got a chance to play Middlebury in the first round. The good fortune was short lived however, as Tufts fell to the Panthers 7-1 to end the season.Women's basketball The women's basketball team won 18 games this season, its most in a season since 1987, but it may very well be a loss that the 2003-04 Jumbos will be most remembered for. In what was billed as the biggest women's basketball game at Tufts in over a decade, the undefeated national number one Bowdoin Polar Bears stepped into Cousens Gymnasium on Feb. 6, and for 25 minutes the Jumbos gave them all they could handle. Tufts was within five points with 15 minutes before succumbing to Bowdoin's depth, but they had Cousens rocking on the cold winter night as students stood, cheered, and jeered, simulating a Div. I athletics atmosphere for a night. The women's season ended on a muted note, as they lost their first-round playoff game by 21 points to Williams, whom they had beaten just a week earlier by 22 points. But the season was full of highlights, including a 91-66 blowout win over Emmanuel, and a 47-46 victory over Wesleyan on junior forward Allison Love's buzzer-beater. Love and sophomore guard Jessica Powers both averaged 12.8 ppg and were named to the All-NESCAC Second Team.Women's indoor track The women's track and field team earned the right to call itself the second best Div. III team in New England in 2004 after vanquishing everyone but Williams at the Div. III New Englands at MIT. Following the squad's second place finish to Williams, the Jumbos finished 16th out of 31 teams at All-New Englands and 15th out of 39 teams at ECACs heading into Nationals. There, the women secured 23rd in the nation thanks to the efforts of senior captain Emily Bersin, sophomore Rachel Bloom, junior Sika Henry, and senior captain Jess Trombly. The 4x400 meter relay team, which had broken the school record and held the fastest time in the nation for much of the season, finished second in the country to Illinois Wesleyan. Women's swimming and diving The women's swimming and diving team had one of its most impressive seasons in recent history, when the Jumbos placed fourth at the NESCAC Championships after finishing off an impressive 7-2 regular season, with losses only to Connecticut College and Williams. Senior tri-captain Mika Sumiyoshi led the Jumbos all year, scoring almost ten percent of the team's points at NESCACs and winning every event she participated in over the course of the entire season with the exception of one.

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News

Season highlighted by third place NESCAC finish

May 22

Often times, it takes a less than perfect situation to create the best story. For better or worse, that was certainly the case for the 2004 men's tennis team. Plagued by key injuries in the singles lineup, the season was marked by both underclassmen and Jumbo veterans filling the holes in the lineup to hold the team strong. Tufts' spring season was highlighted with a third-place performance in the NESCAC Tournament, the team's best showing in the event since 1996. The Jumbos were led by two of their three tri-captains with the other, junior Adam Yates, reduced to the role of assistant coach this spring due to a knee injury. The captains - junior Rifat Perahya and senior Jon Bram - set the pace for the team, as they advanced to the final of the first doubles flight, literally coming within inches of claiming the title. Their second-place finish, however, was enough to solidify third place for the Jumbos, as a win would not have affected the team's standing. The duo put together a record of 9-7 on the season, including the tournament performance. From the beginning of the year, Bram knew he and his partner would make a strong tandem. "I knew [Rifat and I would] be really tough together," the senior said. "We're both very intense on the court." Perahya pulled double duty at NESCACs, advancing to the semi-finals of the first singles bracket as well. The performances at singles and doubles earned him the distinction of being the only player in the conference to make the All-Conference Team for both singles and doubles, as he and Bram earned a spot for their team performance as well. Perahya's 8-7 singles record in the difficult NESCAC was enough to earn a trip to the NCAA Div. III Men's Tennis Championships. He made the trip to Lewiston, Maine, where NESCAC rival Bates hosts the event, last weekend, falling in the first round of the championship to Michael Thoeresz of Redlands College, 6-2, 6-7 (7), 6-1. While Perahya and Bram's veteran leadership led the way both on and off the court for Tufts, it was the depth provided by the team's underclassmen that allowed the team to amass a 7-6 record on the season. After an injury knocked sophomore Paul Roberts and his 4-0 third singles record out of the lineup, classmate Ben Alexander moved up in the lineup and posted a 9-6 mark on the season, including advancing to the semifinals of the NESCACs. Sophomore Jon Rubenstein, a NESCAC semi-finalist at fourth singles, put together a 7-8 record moving up in the lineup in 2004, including the team's most thrilling win of the regular season. With the score tied at 3-3 between Tufts and Bowdoin on a chilly Medford night in the early spring, Rubenstein gutted out a three-set victory over Bucky Jencks to clinch the match for the Jumbos. Although Bowdoin eventually avenged that loss in the postseason, the heart Rubenstein and his teammates displayed against the Polar Bears exemplified the team's stellar play in 2004. Coach Jim Watson, now in his 23rd season, does not underestimate the role the victory over Bowdoin played in the team's success in the second half of the season. "The turning point without a doubt was beating Bowdoin," Watson said. "That match set the tone. We hadn't beaten Bowdoin in five years." Two freshmen initially slated to not be in the singles lineup in 2004 more than filled in at fifth and sixth singles. Newcomer Sean McCooey posted several key wins to total an 8-5 mark, playing primarily in the fifth slot. In the sixth position, Corey Keller stepped in midseason and ran his record to 7-4 on the season, including a NESCAC semi-final appearance. The season began on a sour note before spring break, as Tufts lost not only the match, but its tri-captain as well, at the hands of Bates. In his only appearance of the season, Yates pulled out of his singles match during the Jumbos' 6-1 loss to the Bobcats. Despite having a depleted lineup from the start, the team quickly regrouped and ran off three straight wins. A four-match losing skid briefly slowed the team down, but Tufts again recovered, winning its four remaining regular season matches. While the NCAA Tournament loss to Bowdoin ended the season, the team certainly viewed its 2004 campaign as a success. The team only loses Bram to graduation this spring, and with the likely returns of Yates and Roberts along with incoming freshmen, the outlook for the future looks bright. "[The future] looks very promising," Watson said. "We have some new guys coming in, but you don't know how good they're going to be until you see them. I think we'll be very competitive."

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Vet students' dog park plans run aground in Grafton

May 22

Grafton residents who want a space to let their dogs run free will have to wait a little longer. The town recently rejected a proposal by the Grafton Dog Owners Group (DOG)-created by fourth-year veterinary student Ginger Browne Johnson-to use public money to help finance the park using funds from the Community Preservation Act (CPA). The proposal, which was for about $10,000, would have provided fencing for the yet to be constructed park. The CPA is a fund that is funded through an additional tax on residents, which is then matched by state funds. At a town meeting on May 10, the attending members of the town voted 86-66 not to approve the measure. DOG can reapply for CPA funding next year. Even though the vote was a setback, Johnson promised the group would redouble their efforts for the park. "Many humans still have an innate fear of dogs as wolves," she said. "It just comes out of fear and ignorance." At the vote, several members of the community brought concerns of liability the town may have for an incident at the facility. Johnson said the community would not be responsible for any action - as long as the town was not negligent in managing the facility. Grafton Selectmen Peter Adams said he voted against the proposal not because he opposed the park, but because he did not want to use town money to fund it. "We needed to put the money into affordable housing and not into a dog park," he said. The proposal was also hampered by the town's Finance Committee, which after a review recommended against the DOG proposal. Although the committee's actions are not binding, Johnson said the word carried "a lot of influence" with the community. The Finance Committee did not return calls for comment. The town is also still in the process of selecting a site for the park, which has not yet been approved by the Board of Selectmen. DOG has been in tentative discussions with the Land and Recreation committees. Two main sites are being considered. One is a capped landfill and another is a former gravel pit. Johnson said both sites were attractive, but she said the landfill site faced some concern because it was a former waste repository. The second location is a 50-acre site which is currently empty except for a town water pumping facility. The town has proposed creating an area that would include ball fields and recreational space for the location. Board of Selectmen Chairwoman Susan Mills, who voted in favor of DOG's proposal, said the proposal was promising. "The gravel site has a lot of things in its favor," she said. "The whole intent of that piece of property is a multi-use park, and the dog park would fit in with that." Although Johnson praised the location, she said the additional work required to create such a facility could cause further delays, possibly up to three years. For Johnson, the construction of a park would complete a mission she has carried her entire Tufts career. The dog park project began in 2000, when Johnson studied dog parks as part of the school's selective program. According to the Vet School's website, selectives are elective courses that devote one to two mornings or afternoons per week to a "professional or personal development endeavor." Students can select from a list of offered programs or can design one based around their own interests, as Johnson did. The program is one of several programs that the school offers to students in addition to a basic education in veterinary medicine. Vet School Public Relations Official Barbara Donato said the school did not have an official position on the dog park. "We aren't involved simply because it's a student project," she said. At the same time, Donato added that the school encouraged students to get involved in the community on these types of efforts. The school has recognized DOG as an official student organization through the SCAVMA, the student chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association. The group was able to use the SCAVMA's non-profit status to apply for grants. Tufts also lent the use of campus space for the group's annual fundraiser, Dog Daze. This year's event was held May 15 and featured a dog show in addition to cleanings and an appearance by a children's author. The group has currently raised $11,000, but needs approximately $20,000 to install the necessary equipment in the park. This year's fundraiser brought in over $3,000, a record amount. Johnson said the group had debated whether to apply for funding from the town. "We are trying to find all of our own funding and not take away from others but at the same time we are residents and pay taxes too, so I think we deserve to get some of our own funding," she said. At least one opponent of the CPA proposal said not using town resources would influence his support of the facility. "When they first came in front of us, all they wanted to use a piece of town owned land and that was very commendable to me," Adams said. Some town residents also expressed concerns about diverting town resources from people to animals. Johnson said no money would be taken away from people: rather the park would be a place for owners. As DOG has expanded, the leadership evolved into a six-person board. DOG is also in the process of becoming an independent organization and applying for its own non-profit status. The expanding focus reached the community. "Currently the town views DOG as not as a Tufts organization, but a town-wide organization," Mills said. "They are looking to create a park that any Grafton resident will be able to use and enjoy." Mills also praised the wider Tufts community in their relations with Grafton. "Our economical development commission works very well with Tufts University," Mills said. "They have a very good working relationship."

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News

Somerville police crackdown not stopping anytime soon

May 22

As Tufts students continue to be arrested by the Somerville Police Department (SPD) for open container and noise violations, an alderman who fought for the increased police presence said he is seeing no improvements in student behavior. Both off-campus students and local residents are annoyed, as Somerville aldermen claim that their residents are being disrupted and students feel especially targeted for punishment. Alderman of Ward 6, John Connolly, said students are not being targeted and that "the students are no different than anybody who is drinking in public." Ward 6 borders Tufts and covers the area near Bromfield Rd. and College Ave. Connolly said, "The last thing a cop wants to do is lock someone up; any arrest involves some amount of time, and it's not like the cops are looking for trouble." According to Connolly, this spring the number of arrested Tufts students has gone down in his ward. "This year there have not been a lot of complaints, other years we had three or four 'party houses.'" Ward 7 Alderman Bob Trane said that he has seen the opposite in his ward, where "this year seems to get steadily worse." Trane's ward covers the majority of the Somerville portion of the Tufts campus. He encouraged the SPD to increase its presence in the area surrounding the University. An additional Somerville police cruiser has been added to patrol the Tufts area over the weekend, Trane said, and this will not be diverting resources from the rest of the community. But Connolly was not as sure. "Obviously any time an officer responds to a call it ties up lots of resources," he said. According to Connoly, it takes up a significant amount of the officers' time because they generally end up at a house a number of times throughout the evening, and then they have to wait for the party to disperse. Alderman for Ward 4 in East Somerville Walter Pero said that breaking up parties is necessary, but a drain on the city's police forces. He said, "[house parties] are more of a nuisance [than crime] but they still have to respond. An officer may not then be able to respond to another call across the city." Director of Community Relations Barbara Rubel said that while residents appreciate the fact that there are more serious issues - such as drugs - for the city to deal with, they also want their peace and quiet. "If you asked any resident I'm sure they wouldn't hesitate to say that stopping drugs is more important [than off-campus parties], but the people whose lives are being disrupted deserve attention too." One student who was arrested for an open container violation feels that the city has been targeting students. While walking a friend home and carrying an open bottle, a Somerville police officer told the student to get rid of the beverage. "The cop said 'you can't have that,' and so I gave him the beer. Then he got out of the car and just cuffed me," said the student, who wished to remain anonymous. Rubel said that in most cases, "The people who dumped the alcohol out and threw out the can weren't arrested. The people who were arrested were not cooperative." Connolly agreed with Rubel and said that "Generally speaking, the officer will ask the student to empty the container out; if they get defensive or have had a few too many," that's when problems occur. After being held in custody for about three hours, the student was required to appear in court. "The judge laughed at my crime," the student said. "I was in a courtroom with people arrested for aggravated assault and other felonies, and I'm there for a misdemeanor." The student was highly critical of the SPD's attitude toward students. "The attitude of Somerville police is pretty demeaning," he said. "They are on power trips and they know they can walk through campus and arrest six people in 30 minutes." Another student who was arrested for open liquor violations felt the same way, saying "Somerville completely targeted me for this crime. I know what I did was illegal, but it's harmless. There needs to be a re-prioritization of the Somerville police force." Rubel disagrees with the student's interpretation of his crime and said that it is the community's responsibility to deal with problems such as these. "Yes, some of the people involved were Tufts students, but were they targeted?" Rubel said. "I don't think that's fair to say." Connolly said that, concerning off-campus house parties, this school year there was only one problem house that the city dealt with early in the year. "The first few warm nights we try to nip them in the bud." To deal with problem houses Connolly said, "Typically the first thing is to contact the landlord. Often absentee landlords don't know [what's happening on their property]." Connolly said that if the landlord is not managing the house well it is often easy to find code violations after a safety check. Pero suggested that the perceived increase in noise disturbances may also have adverse affects for the Tufts community. These problems "tend to lessen the respect of the general public towards Tufts." He added that neighbors don't "feel the advantages of a world class university, they see the problems." Trane said that offenses like noise violations "are not minor crimes, people have a right to quality of life." Trane suggested some sort of orientation program for people living off-campus, beyond the Good Neighbor Policy, which is already distributed. After a number of incidents with Sigma Phi Epsilon (Sig Ep) in October, Trane and Sig Ep President Jon Kluge met with administrators to work out the problems. Trane described Sig Ep as "over the top." Kluge said that the house has been making a number of efforts to calm their parties, including having sober brothers monitor the condition of the parties and ensure that everything is under control. Kluge said that once the "lines of communication were opened with neighbors, things went much better." He did, however, feel that "Trane targeted us because he wanted to set a precedent." Things have since calmed down, Kluge said. "Students do have a right to party, as long as they are respecting the neighbors." "The issue is just that people don't know how to be good neighbors," Connolly said.

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Inside Fitness: Summer fitness tips

May 22

It's summer time and I'm ready for the beach. I've been doing sit-ups for a few weeks now to get my six pack back. But I'm getting sick of doing the same thing over and over. Can you give me some ab-alicious exercises to gain some extra definition?- Julia Hoffman, '04 You look good enough already. But here are a few abdominal exercises to keep you quiet: 1. Medicine ball throws. For this exercise, grab a decline bench in the gym, a medicine ball, and a partner. Position your body so that your feet are in the footholds and your head is relaxing at the bottom of the bench. Have your partner hold the medicine ball and stand directly in front of your feet. Sit up all the way. At the top of the sit-up, have your partner toss you the ball. Hold the medicine ball and perform a sit-up. At the top of the next sit-up throw the ball back to your partner and have him or her immediately return the ball to you. Repeat for the desired number of reps. To increase the intensity of this exercise, try holding the medicine ball over your head or try performing each sit-up more slowly. 2. Leg lifts. This exercise is one of my personal favorites. Lie face-up on any flat surface. Put both of your legs straight out in front of you. Lift your legs so that they make a ninety degree angle with the ground. Slowly return your legs to the starting position, making sure that they don't touch the ground all the way. Repeat for the desired number of reps. To better balance yourself, try placing your arms out to your sides, at a ninety degree angle to your torso. If lying on the ground is too easy, grab a decline bench, place your hands where your feet would normally be, and adjust the angle of the bench to make the exercise more challenging. 3. Windshield wipers. Lie face-up on the ground with your legs pointing straight to the sky. Slowly lower your legs to one side, while keeping your legs straight at all times. Then return your legs to the starting position and lower them to the opposite side. If you're doing the exercise correctly, it looks like your legs are a pair of windshield wipers.I'm from Wisconsin and we don't have any gyms out there. But I want to stay active over the summer and keep in shape. What can I do? - Melanie Kwong, '07 The most important thing about keeping in shape is staying active. If treadmills and ellipticals haven't spread to Wisconsin yet, then make the best of what you have access to. Going for walks or bike rides, playing basketball or tennis, even working as a camp counselor chasing little kids around all day: these are all great ways to stay in shape if you don't have a gym membership or if you just want to be outside during the summer months. Just remember to be active! And bring me back some cheese.

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News

Team relinquishes NESCAC crown for first time

May 22

The entire 2004 softball season was one of ups and downs, and unfortunately for the Jumbos, it ended on a sour note. Tufts started off the season winning its first five games, but things soon came apart and the team dropped 10 in a row on spring break against some tough California teams. Yet the Jumbos managed to pick it up just in time to make the NESCAC playoffs, as they reeled off nine straight victories heading into the tournament. Unfortunately, the team couldn't extend the streak to 10, as Tufts was shut out in consecutive playoff games, 1-0 to Williams and then 2-0 to Middlebury. The squad finished the season with an even 16-16 mark. The NESCAC tournament losses were a bitter pill to swallow for the Jumbos, who had never before lost the tournament since it began in 2001. Still, they did draw a number of positives from the season. "Considering we had to overcome the fact that our coach was going to our biggest rival, we had to adjust to a new coach, and we lost our All-American catcher [in Lis Drake] we did a pretty good job," said senior second baseman and tri-captain, Deana Davidian. Even though the players were disappointed to finish without the NESCAC crown, the transfer of the coaching reigns to Cheryl Milligan went smoothly. Milligan's style represented a stark contrast to the Jumbos former coach, Kris Herman, who departed for Williams, but the team adjusted. "Coach Milligan did a great job," Davidian said. "Coach Herman was more vocal and fiery. She would yell at us when we did something wrong. Coach Milligan was quieter. That took some time to get used to, but overall people were very happy with her first year. She'll only get stronger with experience, too." Junior first baseman Katie Smith echoed Davidian's strong endorsement of Milligan. "The team really loved having her as coach this year," Smith said. "She did a really good job." Although the Jumbos did not take home the NESCAC trophy, a number of them were recognized for individual accomplishments. Smith was named NESCAC Player of the Year, giving the title to a Jumbo for the fourth time since the inception of the NESCAC in 2001. Smith led the conference in hitting, posting a .414 batting average. She was tied for second in home runs (4) and runs batted in (23), and was also an asset in the field, as she made only three errors all season. "I just wanted to play well this season," Smith said. "I didn't think too much about it." Smith was also named to the All-New England Intercollegiate Softball Coaches' Association and All-NESCAC first team, along with junior shortstop Courtney Bongiolatti and Davidian. Senior catcher Julie Fox was named to the All-NESCAC second team. "I felt I had a good season, so I was happy with the honor," Davidian said. "Last year I was on the All-NESCAC second team, so I did want to improve upon that but I was more concerned with team-oriented goals. To me, having a good season for the team and then me individually was most important and the awards were secondary." Davidian hit .365 and also led the conference in runs scored, while making only four errors all season. Bongiolatti supplied the power for the Jumbos this season, leading the conference with six home-runs while also posting a .346 batting average. Fox, in her first year as catcher, did not let the position change bother her at the plate, as she hit .340 with three home-runs. Despite these strong individual performances, the bats fell silent at the wrong time for the Jumbos, as they managed just five hits in the entire NESCAC tournament. "It's hard to say what our biggest weakness was this season because our defense really struggled at the beginning of the season but our offense killed us at the end," Davidian said. Smith also acknowledged some discontent with the way the season finished. "I don't think we were satisfied overall. We started out real well and then hit a slump, but I was proud of the way the team responded after the losing streak," Smith said. Regardless of the disappointment of the finish to the season, Davidian was also proud of her team for overcoming much adversity during the season. "Overcoming the transition of coaches and the fact that we had a 10 game losing streak in the heart of the season was big for us. To be able to come back from that and win a lot of NESCAC games to make it to the playoffs was important," Davidian said. The experience in overcoming key losses both on the field and off should come in handy for the 2005 squad, as they will be forced to play without graduating seniors Fox, Davidian, fellow tri-captain Maggie McClory and pitcher Pam Swidler. But there's little doubt next year's team will be right back up near the top of the league, doing its best to bring the NESCAC trophy back to Jumbotown.

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CSL ruling made in favor of Starr appeal

May 22

The Committee on Student Life (CSL) threw out the results of the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Judiciary election this month, leaving the group unable to plan for the fall semester over the summer. Although the TCU Senate, the TCU Judiciary and the Elections Board (ELBO) have put more effort into communicating with the student body, campus politics were marred by student apathy and electoral controversy this year, much as in previous ones. On Wednesday, May 12, the CSL overturned the results from the Judiciary election. As a result, there will be new elections for Judiciary seats at the beginning of the 2004 fall semester. The CSL is a government body made up of both student and faculty members. The CSL decision came after sophomore Jordana Starr appealed the election results. Starr was disqualified from the Judiciary elections earlier this spring because she campaigned by sending e-mails to class lists without ELBO pre-approval. Starr sat on this year's TCU Judiciary board, and was running for reelection. The CSL ruled that due to flaws in ELBO's election rules, candidates for the Judiciary seats were at different levels of advantages. The rules listed only three forms of allowable campaign advertising, but according to Starr, ELBO had "unwritten rules." "They didn't tell all candidates the same thing," Starr said. "And ELBO is constitutionally bound to hold fair elections." In a statement following the appeal, CSL co-chair Barbara Grossman acknowledged "that the use of new technologies available to candidates, which could not be foreseen by the Elections Board, possibly provided an unfair advantage to some candidates." As a result of the decision, ELBO is required to rewrite a set of comprehensive rules for candidates this summer. They must be submitted to the CSL for approval by Aug. 1. According to the March 2003 ELBO bylaws, if a complaint is made against an election, "ELBO will hold the hearings, except when the complaint is made against ELBO, in which case the complaint will be forwarded on to the TCUJ." Starr's complaint involves both ELBO and the TCUJ, sending the issue to the CSL. Once the CSL approves the rules, ELBO can then hold new elections. "ELBO has considerable amount of work in front of them," Starr said. The ruling had an impact on the new Judiciary members, as their positions are now subject to a revote. Jake Resnicow, who was to be next year's Judiciary chair, had many plans for the summer. These included organizing the fall retreat, reviewing all hearings and decisions from last year, and giving temporary recognition of student groups at the very beginning of next term. "Because I am no longer chair or even a member of the [TCU Judiciary], I am completely unable to accomplish many of these important tasks," Resnicow said. Without a functioning Judiciary at the beginning of the fall semester, students may be more aware and more concerned with the student government's activities. This year's campus politics were marked by student apathy, which was a hotly discussed issue during the recent presidential elections. TCU presidential candidates Joe Mead and Dave Baumwoll argued over how to deal with student outreach. "Right now people don't know what Senate can do," Mead said. "The outreach this year failed." 2003-04 TCU President Chike Aguh, however, believes the TCU Senate took steps in the right direction. "The Senate in the past never made the effort [of outreach]," he said. "It was a success that we made the effort." Along with current TCU President Baumwoll, Aguh co-authored the TCU Senate Outreach Bylaws. According to many TCU senators, the bylaws have had both failures and successes. Aguh and Baumwoll created two categories of Outreach Bylaws. One type, the group bylaw, was not well received. Every student group was contacted to see if they wanted a senator to act as a 'point person' to represent them at meetings. The student groups, however, did not react as hoped. "We didn't have very good response from groups," Baumwoll said. The second type of outreach bylaw is the constituency bylaw. Such bylaws required senators to update their classes with public forums and e-mails. Aguh said that the best type of student outreach is through advertising the Senate's accomplishments. TCU Historian Andrew Caplan said that with no bad blood between the candidates, it's a possibility that voter turnout was low due to lack of interest. "Controversy breeds enthusiasm and interest," Caplan said. "While I'm not advocating controversy, I definitely think it gets more people to look into it [the elections]." Yet Aguh says that there's a limit to controversy's ability to attract votes. "Past elections have been mean-spirited, which further depressed voter turnout," he said. ELBO placed voting stations across campus and increased advertising from last year, yet the percentage of students who voted - 30 percent - dropped two points from last year. ELBO Chair Abby Lillianfeld said that last year the presidential election also had a referendum on which students voted. "People had opinions about the referendum. Whenever you have something with the presidential election you have higher turnout," she said. ELBO is considering making elections more than just one day long, but "not within the next three years," Lillianfeld said, as the current contract with Student Services is to hold elections between 9 a.m. and midnight. While the quality and progression of campaigns may help garner student attention, Lillianfeld believes that ultimately voter turnout is up to ELBO. "We had ads in the Daily, we had table tents, we sent out an e-mail to every student with instructions on how to vote," she said. "Next year we'll try to put more pamphlets in more places."

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Newson, Kacamburas lead young squad to successful year

May 22

As a young squad that entered the 2004 pre-season with little idea how even its starting lineup would look, Tufts baseball made an impressive run this spring, finishing at 18-14 and nearly qualifying for the NESCAC conference tournament. Much of that success - and the potential of next year's squad - can be credited to the five seniors graduating today, co-captains Adam Kacamburas and Randy Newsom, and Dave Frew, Nick Palange, and Drew Blewett. Head coach John Casey credited his seniors, especially the co-captains, with helping to shape the underclassmen and make this transition season a winning one as well. "I think it was a very difficult year, we were in transition of playing some of the younger guys, and it's a tough place for the older guys," Casey said. "I think Adam and Randy both did a great job with that." Paired with their leadership, Newsom and Kacamburas were also invaluable for the talent, work ethic and resulting success that they brought to the diamond during their Tufts careers. In four years on the mound, Newsom racked up impressive statistics that are among the best Tufts has ever seen. He is second all-time in career appearances at Tufts (48), third all-time in strikeouts (165), fourth all-time in innings pitched (209.1), and sixth all-time in winning percentage (.720). His career record is 18-7, with a 3.05 ERA. "His numbers speak for themselves. He was one [heck] of a pitcher," Kacamburas said. "It was not easy following up guys like Steve Lapham, Jon Lee, and Dave Martin, but Randall worked his [butt] off from the first day we were here on campus and it paid dividends." In his senior campaign, Newsom led the NESCAC in strikeouts with 57 and finished the year 6-1 for the Jumbos with a 3.10 ERA - earning him a nod onto the All-Conference First Team. Newsom, a native of Cincinnati, played in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League last summer, and has aspirations of entering the minor leagues. "Obviously Randy was one of our top pitchers and had a great season and did everything we asked," Casey said. "He's gone out on the mound and pitched well, and he's been seen by enough people, so we just wait to see and hopefully it will work out for him." Kacamburas, a third baseman from North Reading, Mass., boasts a .314 career batting average and a r?©sum?© that includes 46 RBI, 22 stolen bases, and 62 walks. He was named NESCAC Player of the Week last month following an impressive showing that included a crucial three-game sweep of conference foe Colby. In four games that week, Kacamburas hit .500 (7 for 14) with six runs scored, six RBI, and seven walks. Perhaps his most impressive career stat, though, is a cumulative .437 on-base percentage. "Adam's always found ways to get on base, and he's always found a way to help the team," Casey said. "I think he's made himself quite an effective ballplayer. He's had to work hard, but all the more to his credit that he's done that." Newsom praised Kacamburas as well, for his intensity, determination, and the example he set for the rest of the squad. "Adam is a competitor, he never once backed down," Newsom said. "He always came up big when we needed it, and he led by just being a savage on the field." According to Casey, the work ethic that Kacamburas has displayed and his success on the diamond were an integral part of his leadership style. "Adam was a tremendous leader for us this year. I thought he was outstanding in every way," Casey said. "[Kacamburas and Newsom] were very different but I think they complimented each other very well." "I think the young kids came in and were great for us, and I think Randy and Adam did a great job letting them know what our expectations were and really helping them out and taking them under their wings." According to captain-elect Bob Kenny, both Kacamburas and Newsom will be missed in the future, for the unique combination of baseball and leadership skills that each contributed to the team. "[Kacamburas] was probably the best leader on the team. He worked hard for it and led by example mostly, and he got the job done," Kenney said. "[Randy] was our number one pitcher and that's hard to replace. Their play will be missed, and they'll both be hard to replace."

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News

Jurzcynski's work ethic has led Jumbos all year

May 22

On the weekend of May 14, senior track tri-captain Pete Jurczynski found himself in an unlikely position. He was lining up for the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the ECACs at Williams with one last chance to qualify for the NCAA national championships, held at Millikin University in Illinois from May 27 to 29. In order to do so, Jurczynski needed to break his personal record of 9 minutes, 28.30 seconds by about five seconds. Five seconds is an eternity in a track event, and Jurczynski failed to qualify, finishing seventh with a time of 9:42.37, thus ending his collegiate career. But the fact that Jurczynski was even running with a shot at nationals would have seemed ludicrous four years ago, and if any members of the men's track and field team knows anything about improving, Jurczynski is the guy to do so. Jurczynski was raised in Schenectady, N.Y. and turned to track after getting cut from his eighth grade basketball team. When looking at colleges, the track program was a factor in Jurczynski's decision to attend Tufts. "Track was important in my decision to come here," Jurczynski recalled. "I was focused on academics, but I knew that I wanted to run, and that Tufts had the type of [track] program where even though I knew I couldn't make an immediate impact, I could by the end." The reason Jurczynski's impact could not be immediate was his high school caereer was very modest. "He had a mile personal record of just over five minutes," Tufts coach Connie Putnam said. "That sort of time usually will not be successful on the college level." And yet four years later, Peter had a chance to qualify for the national championships. Everyone who runs with Jurczynski attributes his success to his work ethic. "He's a junkyard dog," Putnam said. "He's not supposed to get it done, but he does, time after time." Fellow distance runner junior Nate Brigham echoed Putnam's sentiments. "Pete is one of the hardest workers on this team," Brigham said prior to ECACs. "That kid has been thinking 'steeplechase' since cross-country ended. All winter he worked on his hurdle form and his leg speed to give him a shot at qualifying for Nationals. Now he is closer than ever to reaching his goal." Jurczynski's hard work has been more than evident in his career here at Tufts. As a junior, Jurczynski won the steeplechase at the NESCAC championships in a time of 9:41.7, an experience that he describes as the most incredible memory in his four years here. At the same event this year, Jurczynski was unable to repeat his first place finish but still ran an excellent time, finishing in 9:39.08 and in second place. Jurczynski's best time came at this year's New England Championships, which included competitors from every regional Div. III school. Jurczynski finished seventh in the race, with a time of 9:28.30. "If you're talking about art, then that race was a masterpiece," Putnam said. "It's an example of what hard work can do, and it puts him well on the all-time steeplechase record list at Tufts." As a captain, Jurczynski's work ethic served as an example to the whole team. "I generally believe that the most important aspect to success in running is sheer talent," teammate and classmate Jon Rosen said. "But sometimes thinking of Pete makes me reconsider ... through sheer determination he has made himself into a close-to-national caliber steeplechaser." Jurczynski's main asset as a captain came through his ability to connect with his teammates. "I have a very open leadership style," Jurczynski said of his captaincy. "Track's one of those sports where it's good to get input from everyone, to work through discussion. Everyone's different, and everyone responds differently to different training methods, so it's valuable to have a personal relationship with the team. Fostering that atmosphere is what I tried to do." Jurczynski's efforts as a captain and veteran proved especially valuable this year, as a young team that boasted only five seniors looked to Jurczynski for an example of hard work and dedication. "He was a great captain," Putnam said. "He was great with some of the young guys as well as the top-notch competitors." Jurczynski looked back on his career here with pride. "It was so amazing seeing the program grow into what it is now over the last four years," Jurczynski said. "You never know your own potential. I don't have any regrets with my career, and I hope all the younger guys will be able to look back and say the same." After graduating from Tufts, Jurczynski will head to Stanford University to continue his study of mechanical engineering. He hopes to use the experience to one day pursue a career in sports science. Those who ran alongside Jurczynski in practice everyday know that he will keep working hard to improve in whatever he does. After all, if an average high school runner can fall just short of competing in collegiate nationals, who can doubt his chances for success in anything he does?

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News

None is the Number: Closure

May 22

Dear coach Watson, I'm sorry. Each week this year I chose a topic for my sports column. Once in awhile I interviewed somebody, but for the most part, I just wrote about whatever was going through my head. After about two hours at my computer, I would wind up with 800 words of at least mediocre sports comedy. But I never wrote about myself. As the year comes to a close, though, and I face the possibility that this may be my last sports column, I finally decided to write the column I've wanted to write this whole year. I wrote about climbing the highest point in Rhode Island with my friend. I wrote about the greatest female barrel-racer to ever enter a rodeo. I wrote about the World Beard and Mustache Championships. I wrote about my intramural soccer team. I wrote about the fastest 14-year-old girl in New England. Hell, I even wrote about my brother's high school marching band. But I never wrote about tennis. I thought that if I wrote a column about Venus and Serena Williams faking as many injuries as a Brazilian soccer player, I might be tempted to share some of my own memories of playing. And I didn't want to do that. But I owe you an apology. I visited Tufts during the fall of my senior year of high school. And just like at every other school I went to during that whirlwind Northeast road trip, I met with the tennis coaches - you and Coach Eng. My dad and I sat in Coach Eng's office for over an hour, asking the same meaningless questions we asked half-a-dozen other coaches that week. Stuff like where the kids on the team were from and where the team goes for its spring trip. We even walked around and looked at the indoor and outdoor courts. I told you I wanted to play tennis for Tufts. I told you I could make your tennis team better. I told you my strengths and weaknesses, and how going to Tufts could make my game more complete. So I ended up at Tufts the next fall. Each day during orientation, I went out and practiced with the kids on the team. The first few days I couldn't hit the ball deeper than the service line because I had played at low altitude a total of zero times in my life. I didn't know anybody on the team, and I didn't hang out with any of them after practice was over. I started to have less and less fun, and after a while, I just wanted to enjoy my first weeks at college rather than sweat them out on the court. By the time the fall tournament came around, I hadn't practiced in over a week, but I played anyway. I breezed through the first round, and in the second round, I finally got to play the one kid on the team I was getting to know in a match. Neither of us was in any kind of playing shape, but we both were out for blood. It was about eight billion degrees out there on that Parents' Weekend day, and it took every bit of my energy to gut out a close win. At that moment, I remembered how exciting and, yes, fun tennis and competing could be. But I knew well before then that this was my last hurrah. My dad is a teaching tennis professional, so I was raised more on forehands and backhands than on "Mr. Rogers" and "Sesame Street." I played a gajillion junior tournaments and four years of high school. But when I got home from playing, the tennis atmosphere was there too. By the time I got to Tufts, I was burned out. And I knew it. And I didn't tell you. So when I showed up to play my third-round match in that fall tournament, having not practiced since the previous round a week earlier, I just gave up. I threw the match. It's the only time in my life I haven't put all my effort into something, and I think about it and regret it every day. And I haven't picked up a tennis racket since then. I go home for breaks, and my dad asks me to go out and hit some with him. But for some reason, after all those years of kill drills and shoveling snow for hours just to get in a few minutes of serve practice, I just don't care anymore. I didn't think I'd ever write this column until I saw Jon Bram in the library the other day, and he asked me if I still played at all. I just shook my head and wondered how I could ever accept giving up on the one thing that had dominated my life since I could bat around balloons as a four-year-old at the Denver Tennis Club. You put your time and energy into me, and I gave you less than nothing in return. So I'm sorry. It's just not there. And I owe it to you to tell you that. Congratulations to all you graduates, and I hope you all can put your energy where your passion is.

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News

It's getting hot in here

May 22

This summer, there is something for everyone at the theaters. Sure, the usual onslaught of brainless sequels is on its way, alongside the explosive and moronic Jerry Bruckheimer and Will Smith action movies. But there is also a fascinating group of indie flicks and goofball comedies that are sure to do more than titillate the eyes. Geeks will have their comic book adaptations, parents will have their adult comedies, teenagers their favorite farces, and pretentious college students should enjoy the spate of unnecessarily artsy movies.The Rest of MayThe Day After Tomorrow (May 29) In what literally is the perfect storm, a combination of catastrophic meteorological events kills millions and submerges New York City in a deep freeze. This film focuses on the search by Jake Gyllenhaal ("October Sky") for his father (Dennis Quaid), amidst the frozen tundra formerly known as Manhattan. In other words, fifteen minutes of over-the-top digital effects followed by two hours of over-the-top acting. Soul Plane (May 28) In what was originally billed as an "urban version" of the screwball comedy "Airplane!" this film can only be a slim shadow of the Leslie Nielsen classic. Yet with Snoop Dogg as the titular aircraft's pilot and Tom Arnold as the unsuspecting white passenger on an airline geared toward black travelers, "Soul Plane" has a prayer at mirroring the enormous success of "Barbershop."JuneHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (June 4) Yup, it's time again for another "Harry Potter" film. There should be more buzz around this one, considering that it has a new director who is known for darker fare and that the third book was one of the best of the series. But it just seems like fans have gotten complacent, knowing that another "HP" is out and that more are on the way. It'll probably be good... but, well, been there, done that.Garfield (June 11) The trailers for this comics-page-to-silver-screen adaptation just looked god-awful. A CGI Garfield, voiced by Norm McDonald, harasses his human owner Jon Arbuckle, played by Breckin Meyer. It's a collection of failed sit-com actors. There is no possible way this movie cannot flop, which begs the question: "Was anyone really clamoring for a 'Garfield' movie?" The Stepford Wives (June 11) Here's a cast you can sink your teeth into: Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, Christopher Walken and Bette Midler all headline in this remake of the 1975 suburban mystery. While the production of the film was mired in cast changes and tiffs with director Frank Oz, the juicy plot about husbands replacing their wives with sexually subservient and "perfect" robot wives should be interesting in these politically correct times. The Terminal (June 18) The Stephen Spielberg heart-warming machine is in full force with this crowd-pleasing film, which stars the one-two punch of Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Inspired by one of those oddball Yahoo! News stories, "The Terminal" follows Victor Navorski after he is forced to live in a New York City airport terminal because his home country is in civil war, therefore invalidating his passport and preventing either a trip back home or out into the United States where he would be an illegal alien. Implausible, yes. But with this cast and crew, there's little room for anything but a smooth landing.Dodgeball: The True Underdog Story (June 18) From the brilliant mind responsible for last year's hilarious "Terry Tate" commercials comes a comedy based on everyone's favorite recess pastime. Ben Stiller stars as the owner of a behemoth fitness center seeking to bully out a local gym owned by Vince Vaughn. To settle their duel, the two agree to do battle on the professional dodgeball court. Expect the zaniness of "Zoolander" combined with the amusing antics from "Old School." Never has the red rubber ball seemed like so much fun. Spider-man 2 (June 30)The big-event movie of the summer brings back Tobey Maguire as the web-slinging superhero and Kirsten Dunst as his sweetheart, Mary Jane Watson. With Alfred Molina as villain Doctor Octopus, director Sam Raimi ("Evil Dead") has again comforted the comic book fanatic and casual film buff alike. This will be the biggest ticket of the summer, so don't miss out. Oh, and if it is anything like the first Spiderman flick, the sequel may actually be good.JulyBefore Sunset (July 2) And on the other end of the sequel spectrum is this offering, coming nine years after Richard Linklater's "Before Sunrise." Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke return in their roles as Celine and Jesse, respectively. Even though Linklater had recent success with "School of Rock," Hawke has to be wondering how he is stuck doing the same small films he was doing nine years ago. Men, watch out for this one, as the film screams "chick flick." Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (July 9) In what could be another utterly ridiculous summer comedy, "Anchorman" follows the story of Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) and his kooky clan of fellow newscasters. As the film is set in the '70s, expect countless cheesy nostalgia jokes and, well, the antics for which Will Ferrell has become famous. After "Old School" and "Elf," the former Saturday Night Live actor is on the comedic roll of a lifetime.Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (July 9)Last summer, "Spellbound" was the documentary of choice for movie-goers; this year, it is bound to be this eye-opening look at the famed heavy metal band. The film was the darling of the Sundance Film Festival as audiences got to see the band members fight bitterly over the production of their newest album, even going to filmed group therapy sessions.The Village (July 30) I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that this film is going to have a surprise ending. This time, director/screenwriter M. Night Shyamalan ("The Sixth Sense") brings his mastery of the camera and pen to a nineteenth century Pennsylvanian village. While the trailers have revealed little about the plot, other than that there are scary beast-like villains, it should prove to be the scariest of his four films.Garden State (July 30) Yet another Sundance hit, this indie flick was written and directed by "Scrubs" star Zach Braff. The script tackles a variety of issues, including death in the family, mental illness, and what happens when one returns home. With an impressive cast that includes Natalie Portman and Ian Holm, "Garden State" could become the surprise hit of the summer.

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News

Gang finishes career with no regrets

May 22

A car accident. A hernia. Playing lower in the lineup. None of it fazed Barclay Gang. The senior psychology major from Miami came into the women's tennis program in the fall of 2000 as one of the hardest hitters coach Jim Watson says he has ever seen at the Div. III level and, despite the obstacles, leaves four years later with a career singles record of 52-21. After a stellar freshman season in which she compiled a 15-5 record playing mostly at the No. 3 spot, a car accident derailed most of Gang's sophomore year. Gang had shoulder surgery - a plate is still in her left shoulder - and didn't pick up a racket to play from June to January. "That was really hard because in the fall when I came back I would stop by practice everyday but I didn't get to go on the trips and I didn't get to know the new girls and they didn't get to know me," Gang said. "In the spring I had to play a challenge match against everyone, so I had to prove myself to everyone." But the hardest part, she said, was proving to herself that she could still play. "I had a lot less feel on my left side," Gang said. "I had to relearn everything because I had no muscle memory." "To be able to rebound from a personal tragedy like that and still contribute to the well-being of the team is amazing," coach Jim Watson said. After getting her feet wet again with a 3-5 record when she returned in the spring, Gang rebounded with a strong junior year, which she named as her favorite year. "Last year was the first year that I felt like we had a chance at really being one of the top teams in the country," Gang said. The play of then-seniors Katie Nordstrom and Iffy Saeed was a big part of why the Jumbos were one of the top teams in the country. But Gang's contributions were just as important, as she posted a stellar 20-3 singles record, primarily from the third spot. She also began to gel with doubles partner then-sophomore Neda Pisheva, as the two combined to sport a 21-9 record throughout the year. The pair won the 2003 Middlebury Invitational, while Gang also captured the A singles title, defeating sophomore teammate Becky Bram in the finals after two hard-fought tiebreaker wins in the quarterfinals and semi-finals. "Barclay's game has really evolved, in that she understood that you can't be all power," Watson said. "She learned to slice, her volleys improved. She used to be relatively uncomfortable at the net. "You can't just go for winners all the time, and she realized she had to temper her game a little more, and that ultimately helped her reach the incredibly high level of success that she did." "I definitely learned finesse a little bit," Gang said. Despite her improved game, Gang found herself playing a spot down in the rotation this year. It couldn't have bothered her less. "I think of the greatest things has been her ability to say, 'Hey, I'll play wherever you put me,'" Watson said. "She puts the team above herself, which is something that some don't, to be quite honest. She's beaten people above her but she said to me back in the fall, 'put me wherever you want for the well-being of the team.'" "Barclay was a great captain, but also a true leader and friend," freshman Jen Luten, who split time between one and two singles this season, said. "She definitely made me feel welcome on the team and made my freshman experience so easy to come in to." Gang set her example from the four spot, where she went 14-8 despite playing with a hernia. "That abdominal injury affected her serve because every time she reached up it was painful," Watson said. "She's gone through a lot but never used it as an excuse." "I love Tufts, and I love being an athlete at Tufts," Gang said. "I don't regret things, it's not my style."

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News

Know yourself

May 22

Philosophy, eh? What do you do with that? I'm still trying to figure out what it did with me. Of all my debts to Tufts, one of the largest is to her introducing me to Socrates. First semester freshman year, I met in Plato's dialogue an ugly old barefoot Greek, 24 centuries old, who had sharp wit, honesty, humility, and a burning passion for finding the truth: I fell in love. It wasn't long before I learned one of Socrates' few admonitions was "Know yourself," the first commandment supposedly from the god Apollo, received by the oracle at Delphi. It seems at first sight an odd thing to command. How can you not know yourself? No one has ever spent more time with you than you. If you don't know yourself, who can teach you? What do you do if the stranger is you? It seems absurd, yet aren't there those times when you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror, and just a moment or two, you really do wonder who that is? Do not strange questions come at night to haunt us? "Who am I? What am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going?" Perhaps we don't know ourselves all that well after all. I saw a billboard once that said, "Define yourself." I had to laugh, but not just at the irony of mass market advertising trying to tell me to be an individual. I laughed because those words reflect an entirely different view of the world than Socrates had. If we must "define ourselves," the assumption is that we are the masters of our own reality. We must impose order upon the chaos and create who we are from nothing. But, if we must "know ourselves," that implies there's already something there to be known. It means you've come into a world, a reality you have not made. You haven't even made yourself. You don't define, you must discover who you are and what it means to be a human being. When we do not try to discover, and just ignore the question, I think strange things happen. We start to say odd things, like "I don't let my religious beliefs affect my political decisions." I think Socrates would have been very interested in that statement. I think he might have asked the person who said it: "These political decisions, are these on matters concerning shoes or pastries? No. What do they concern? War, the family, property rights, crime, social problems. So these concern the highest human things, life and death, human nature, justice and the like? Yes. When making such decisions, you must choose the one option from the many? Yes. Do you choose the one according to good looks, or games of chance, or smell, or something like that? Of course not. Do you choose according to what your friend chooses, or what the polls say, or what you are told to choose? No. How do you choose the one option from the many? Because it is the better of them. By better do you mean more convenient or more agreeable, that is, better for you or someone else? No. So by better you mean what is better in truth, that is, of all the options the one that will really do what needs to be done? Yes. And you know what needs to be done by what is right, and aims for the good? Yes. So you make your decision and choose based on what you believe is true? Yes. And on what you believe is right and good? Yes. In matters of life and death, human nature, justice and the like? Yes. Now these religious beliefs, do they concern shoes or pastries? That's absurd. Do these beliefs concern God? Yes. And God's character? Yes. And what God has made? Yes. And what he has said? Yes. So these are beliefs about God, and his eternal attributes like justice, and the world he's made with its life and death and human nature, and what he has said about what is right and wrong and good and bad? Yes. Do you hold these religious beliefs because of their looks, or their taste, or because of flipping a coin? Of course not. Do you hold them because they are popular or because someone tells you to? Not at all. So you hold them because you think they are really true? Yes. And these beliefs concern life and death, human nature, justice, and what is right and good? Yes. Now didn't you say your political decisions concerned human nature, justice, and all those highest things? Yes. And didn't you say you made those decisions based on what you believe is true, right, and good concerning those things? Yes. And those beliefs you hold as truth, concerning those things and what is right and good, are your religious beliefs? Yes. But didn't you say you don't let your religious beliefs affect your political decisions? Yes. So you don't agree with yourself; either you don't really have any religious beliefs you think are true, or you don't make your political decisions based on what is true, right, and good." Of course, Socrates would have been funnier and wiser than that, but the idea is the same. When we don't know ourselves, we don't agree with ourselves. We are one person in public and another in private. We are two-faced. We lead a double life and don't know which we really are. So how do we know ourselves? Try this. Go to the library. Find the oldest book you can and hold it. I held a 400-year-old book on Irish land laws the other day. Now consider the fact that in its day that book was perfectly ordinary. It's only special now because thousands like it didn't make it. They went the way of their first readers, who are all long dead. Now consider the fact that everything you handle today, including this newspaper, is perfectly ordinary. But if this paper survives, in 300 years some kid will think it is special - for the sole reason that he's never heard of Tufts, and we are all long dead. Do you feel small? I think feeling small is the first step to knowing yourself. Being silent is the second. When was the last time you sat in silence for more than ten minutes? No music, no IM, no distractions. I think we are afraid of silence because we don't want to be small. If we are too silent, we might slow down enough to recognize that something much deeper, much larger, and much more ancient than us is slowly trying to tell us something. And that's scary. But I think it's worth a try. Maybe it will tell us who we are. Do I know myself? I'm not sure that I do. But I do know Someone knows me. And that is enough.

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