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The Roots to headline Spring Fling

April 4

In an announcement made Saturday, the Concert Board revealed that hip hop act The Roots will headline this year's Spring Fling. Concert Board co-chairs Adam Drobnis and Jason Slomovitz announced the Spring Fling acts in Hotung Caf‚ after the Battle of the Bands on Saturday. Spring Fling will take place on Saturday, May 1. The Roots will be supported by punk band Less Than Jake and classic rap group Sugar Hill Gang. "We went back and forth a lot before settling on these acts," Drobnis said. "But we think this is going to be the biggest, best Spring Fling ever." Part of Concert Board's plan to make this the "best" Spring Fling ever is to change the setup and schedule of the day. This year's concert will see the addition of a second stage, which will be set on the flat area directly behind Gifford House. The main stage will be set up in the same location as previous years, at the bottom of the hill, on the Packard Avenue side of the President's Lawn. "We are trying to make Spring Fling a day-long music festival, rather than just a concert," Drobnis said. "We have two classes who have never had a Spring Fling, so it has to be big." "We actually received a lot of negative responses from bands this year," Drobnis said. "But we don't think this is settling, we want these changes to make it more memorable." Last year's Spring Fling, slated to feature Busta Rhymes and Reel Big Fish, was cancelled due to heavy rain. The contracts with the bands stipulated that they were to be paid even in the event of a cancelled concert and cost Concert Board $70,000. This year, however, Concert Board plans to purchase insurance for the event, although the price of that insurance is not yet known. "[There are] no firm numbers yet, but will fit within our budget," said Drobnis. In the event of rain, the concert cannot move inside because concerts are not permitted by Somerville in the Gantcher Center due to noise considerations. The Gantcher Center is the only location on campus big enough to hold the student body. According to Drobnis, the total fees spent on talent this year were $76,500, for The Roots, Less than Jake, Sugar Hill Gang, and the Speaks combined. This year's talent budget for the event was $64,500 in the Concert Board budget posted on the Allocations Board (ALBO) website, and Drobnis said Concert Board used buffer funding to cover the increase in costs. Concert Board was budgeted $91,025 total for the event, agent fees, production cost, rentals, advertising and hospitality. The side stage will be occupied throughout the day by rock band The Speaks. The Speaks are the winner of the D.C.-area Hard Rock Caf‚ Battle of the Bands and a national Hard Rock finalist. "The Speaks will be playing mostly covers in between sets, so that there's music throughout the whole day," said Drobnis. Tufts band theMark won Saturday's Battle of the Bands and the opportunity to open for the Spring Fling Acts as the first band to play at the event. "I am incredibly excited," said Jason Autore, bassist for theMark Jason Autore. "You can't even understand how happy I am right now." After theMark, Sugar Hill Gang will take the stage for approximately 30 to 45 minutes. Less Than Jake will play third for about an hour. The Roots will play a 90 minute set. The Speaks will entertain during each changeover on the side stage. Sugar Hill Gang had its first and most well-known hit in 1979 with "Rapper's Delight" and is considered one of the most influential early rap groups. Founded in Florida in 1992, Less Than Jake has been influential in the punk scene. The band's most recent album, "Anthem", was released last May. The Roots are a hip hop group most recently known for their single "The Seed 2.0." from their Grammy-nominated album "Phrenology". Spring Fling is a free event for all Tufts students. Tickets for non-Tufts students are $20 each.

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News

Gay marriage, revisited

April 4

Terrorism, racism, religion, and gay marriage make up a large portion of our newspaper headlines these days. In the debate of marriage there are so many viewpoints that I imagine many people opt to not even read the newest articles in our newspaper. I imagine this because some become bored reading the same dry arguments over and over again. The two ends of the marriage spectrum are made of people who either genuinely feel that gay couples have the unalienable right to marry, or that the nature of marriage as an institution does not allow for such a change. The beginning of Jack Grimes' column on March 16 looked promising because he promised not to "try to argue [his] own conviction" but simply help the opposing sides of the gay marriage issue "understand each other a little better." Unfortunately I was disappointed when I finished because of the discovery that I had indeed read the same article that every conservative talking head has used since the beginning of gay liberation. What was different about this article was that objectiveness was promised as one of the major themes; a promise that undid itself at the end. Mr. Grimes' method of equalizing was replacing the terms "liberal" and "conservative" (terms that can be confused and interrelated, especially in topics of sexuality) with the more diplomatic "ally" and "realist," respectively. In the paragraph devoted to "allies," the motives of such activists are fighting for the good of others by giving that malnourished group "whatever they most deeply want" in order to love them. This conclusion, about a seventh the length of the article, is short, sweet, and devoid of any mention of the moral values and convictions of those people who feel that gay and bisexual individuals deserve the right to marry. Mr. Grimes next examines the perspectives of the conservative, or "realist" not in a single paragraph, but he instead presents many points. The author wanted to immediately clear up any misconception that conservatives only like ideals because they are old and established: indeed they like them because they are "true." This buzzword that casually defines the rest of Grimes' points is never defined: in his contexts the reader generally takes it to mean "correct," but also generally "positive, good," or "conform[ing] to the nature of reality." He uses human rights as the prime example of the last definition. After happily plodding through the article at a friendly pace, Grimes removed the floor from under me and I plunged into a dark chasm of subjectivity. Being quite the acrophobic, I was not emotionally prepared for such a long fall into arguments that had been dismissed even by many "realists" in the past 10-15 years. Grimes stated as a fact that conservatives are opposed to gay marriage when "he discovers that gay marriage is indeed not true -- not conformable to the nature of reality." In what small pamphlet on objectivity did Grimes read that the statement of an opinion become working grounds for an objective discussion of opposing arguments? He claims that marriage is not human invention, but the inherent "design" that only intends for men to "be" with a woman, and vice-versa. Is Grimes really talking about a contractual institution that unites two people together as a single unit in the eyes of the law, or is he talking about gay sex? What Grimes cannot outwardly say due to squeamishness or some moral obligation is that he essentially cannot comprehend why a male would prefer to receive anal intercourse from another male, or any other sex practice that is not heterosexual (and probably missionary). Therefore, from this personal conclusion, he states that it must be wrong or "harmful" and realizing this makes him a "realist" and not "conservative sexual puritan." Jack Grimes' credibility as an objective author falls to pieces here. I tried throughout the article to suppress my knowledge that he writes every week a column on Christianity and its many facets, which end up being conservative in opinion. I believed originally that he would use his abilities as a debater and writer to show discrepancies in our views of liberals and conservatives. I thought that his conservative outlook probably would not make its way into the article. Instead, he outwardly states the opinions that a religious conservative Christian has about the nature of marriage. The arguments and similes he uses to try and prove his point are inherently based in the opinion that our fundamental institutions are backed and supported by the one and only God, who protects and guides humans to the path that is most "right" and most "true." His opinions are never supported by evidence or even detailed explanation of why gay unions are unnatural, or why Scandinavia and Norway (a country in Scandinavia) have been morally destroyed by gay marriage. The vague pronouns in his statements are a poor mask for his own views of a God that, among other things, created marriage for the benefit of everyone who was lucky enough to be born a normal heterosexual man or woman (the question of male/female marriage totally neglects the transgender community and the number of issues that stem from that point of view). They neglect and ignore the opinions of non-Christians from Atheists to Zoroastrians, the separation of Church and State in our government, and the scientific evidence of gay animals that raise young when given the opportunity. When Jack Grimes says "Realists believe that," or "gay marriage is not true," he is really saying "I believe that," and "I think that gay marriage is not true." I will admit that I myself am an atheist liberal who sees marriage as a civil institution that should not bar its applicants based on concepts that stem from religious belief. I also admit that I am personally invested in the gay marriage decision as a gay man. I will also admit that ad hominem comes into play in my article. The truth is that I wrote this viewpoint with the intent of attacking the argument and not the author, until I realized that the argument was the author. His views were disguised behind sheets of objectivity, those of a traditional man who can not bring himself to say what Amber Madison always can: that "since sex is...a significant part of marriage...and [since] gays don't have "real" sex...gays should not be able to have real marriages." Maybe Mr. Grimes should brush up on his basic male anatomy and learn about how when stimulated through the anus, the prostate gland (located at the base of the abdomen in front of the rectum) can elicit major orgasms in many men. Regardless, he at least knows that I and many others do not believe for one minute that his goals were ever objective in the creation of his article. Joseph Alexiou is a sophomore majoring in History

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News

From Ballet to Broadway

April 4

Some of Tufts' most diversely talented dancers showed off their skills on Saturday night in Cohen Auditorium in Sarabande's annual spring show, "The Sixth Position." The dancers brought something different to the stage as compared to past Sarabande performances with much more swing and cabaret-style dances complementing the traditional Pointe, tap, and ballet for which the troupe is known. The show also featured such guest acts as Spirit of Color, Tufts Dance Collective, and the Tufts Association of South Asians. "I was very pleased overall with the show," sophomore producer Laura Manoogian said. "I was very excited to have so many different outside groups in addition to Sarabande. We had a lot more this semester than usual in our spring shows, and it was great to see other types of cultural dances" The performance started out with a traditional Pointe dance choreographed by freshmen Megan Duane and Erin Young to the upbeat music of "And We're Dancing" by PYT. The dancers got the crowd into the show with their talent, energy, and enthusiasm. The second dance, choreographed by sophomore Kaitlin Toner to the song "Swing Set," followed the same tone of the previous dance, with the participants dressed in suspenders and wife beaters. The dance epitomized the spirit of the show, with its old-fashion, Broadway feeling. "More people were interested in doing theatrical dances this show," Manoogian said. "It all depends on the choreographers because they get to pick the music and their dances, so our show revolves around who wants to choreograph and what type of dances they are interested in" The first non-Sarabande act to take the stage was the Tufts Dance Collective (TDC), which strutted its stuff to the song "Good Vibrations" by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. The dance, choreographed by seniors Dave Metz and Sandy Kunratanagarn, featured a little bit of everything: from break dancing to booty shaking to frog jumping. The performance provided a nice change from the more technical, traditionally styled dances of the host group. Sarabande took the stage again after TDC with a ballet dance to the music of Kansas, choreographed by senior secretary Elyssa Rosenberg. The dance featured the troupe's one male performer, sophomore Jeremy Sueker. Rounding out the first act were performances by Sarabande dancers and guest groups. The two guest acts were the Vietnamese Students Club, who gave the audience a glimpse of their culture, dancing to traditional Vietnamese music and wearing traditional costumes. Tufts' only breakdancing group, Turbo, rounded out the guest groups in the first act. After a brief intermission, senior Hailey Brewer, appearing in her final Sarabande performance, opened with a dance set to "Alone in Kyoto," from the soundtrack of "Lost in Translation." The technical precision of the dance brought the audience back into the show, and was a nice lead-in to the second act. The next dance, by the Filipino Culture Society, was performed to traditional, upbeat music but its dancers lacked the energy displayed by the other acts in the show. One dance in the second act, choreographed by Manoogian to "Toxic" by Britney Spears, stole the show. The dancers looked like they were having fun on stage. The song selection was just right for the moves displayed, combining both high energy steps with the technical ones for which the troupe is best known. TASA was up next with a Diya dance to "Water Girl" by Zakir Hussain and "Breathless" by Shankar Mahadevan. The dance, named after the candles called diyas used during the performance, made for an interesting contrast with the stage lights. Sarabande continued the performance with two dances, a ballet to "Schubert's Symphony in C Major," choreographed by Isadora Duncan and arranged by Rosenberg, and a Hula Dance to the Hawaiian music of "Puamana," choreographed by Kathy Haviland. Spirit of Color performed "Nasty," the most athletic dance of the night, set to music from Ludacris to Beenie Man to Kelis and Pharell. It's hard to tell whether the audience was more enthralled with the dancers' techno-like moves or the variety of the music selection. The show ended with a Sarabande dance to the song "He Lives in You" from the Lion King. The show marked the final performance for Sarabande's three seniors, Rosenberg, Brewer and president Lauren Rochelle. "It will be sad to see them go because all three brought so much to the group in the respective roles. Even though Hailey just joined this year, she's been a great choreographer and has brought a lot to the group.

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News

Online listing gives basketball team a scare

April 4

Despite a listing for a new head women's basketball coach on an internal Tufts human resources website, current coach Carla Berube will not be leaving the program, according to players on the team. The detailed listing on the website indicates that applicants would be required to start work on August 1, 2004. In addition, the website provides a job description of the position, to "plan, recruit, organize, and coach the women's basketball team." The listing goes on to state the required skills for being a coach at Tufts, "a bachelors degree (masters degree preferred); strong leadership skills; demonstrated expertise in basketball; demonstrated ability to effectively relate to student-athletes in a highly competitive academic environment; knowledge of NCAA and NESCAC rules and a willingness to abide by them." Berube was unavailable for comment because she was in New Orleans to watch her alma mater, the University of Connecticut, play in the NCAA women's basketball Final Four. But according to senior tri-captain Maritsa Christoudias and sophomore guard Julia Verplank, each of whom has been in contact with assistant coach Jackie Desmarais, Berube is not leaving. "The report is 100 percent false and Berube will be coming back in August," Christoudias said. Members of the team heard rumors about the advertisement, but according to Christoudias, they knew it wasn't true. "The girls called me and said 'do you know?" Christoudias said. "The rumor was that she was leaving. My first instinct was 'no she's not,' because she would have told us first and not forced us to find out this way. It just didn't make sense; it didn't fit with the kind of person that she is." The advertisement kept the women hesitant, however, because of the amount of detail in the listing. The listing says "basketball" numerous times and lays out requirements that applicants would need to fulfill, most of which are specific to the sport, leading some to question whether it was posted in error. According to Christoudias, Berube is working to straighten out the situation and have the ad removed from the website. "At first, it affected us, but not really me as much because I'm graduating, but it still affected us as a team," Christoudias said. "But now that that is over and we know she will be here, we're not really worrying about it anymore." The online listing came as a shock to the team, which has been in a rebuilding stage after the departure of former coach Janice Savitz in 2002. Berube has played a large part in the rebuilding process, and has been credited with much of the team's recent success. "I think if anything, it showed how much we still need her here because we're not done rebuilding and she's a big part of that," Christoudias said. "When we heard of that possibly not continuing, it scared us. But now that we know that it isn't true, we're over it and were going to keep building like we were before this mistake got out." Athletic Director Bill Gehling, Assistant AD Branwen King Smith, Desmarais, and the operators of the Human Resource Website could not be reached for comment yesterday.

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News

Maximize your starts, if you can

April 4

Hello again, baseball fans. Well, I'm sick, like most of you are I'm sure, of watching NBA and NHL highlights on Sportscenter every morning, so thank the heavens that baseball season is finally underway. Hopefully you've drafted your fantasy team and you may even have some trades on the table. Before any of those stats start piling up, I'm going to take this opportunity to talk about how to maximize your success in fantasy baseball. I'm talking about getting the most out of your starts. Your team may have the players with the best numbers at the end of the season, but if you haven't been starting them at the right times and in the appropriate moderation, it hardly matters. Let me explain. In rotisserie leagues, where teams accrue cumulative stats, there is a limit on the games played for each position. In typical leagues, a team will have 162 games to start at every offensive position. Ideally, you will have a start shortstop, for example, who can play all 162 games for you, but that's not likely to happen. Let's say that Derek Jeter gets struck by lightning in August after playing only 140 games for your team. You can still trade for, pick up, or use from your bench a player to maximize the remaining games. Players will get injured, things will change, and you have to stay on top of your team to be successful. Or let's say you have Miguel Tejada set to start against Curt Schilling in Baltimore (a pitchers' park) on Tuesday night. In the meantime, Tony Batista is on your bench, is on a hot streak, and is set to face off against Mike Maroth who has a 7.13 ERA for Detroit. Start Batista. What about if you've been playing Jimmy Rollins at shortstop while you're waiting for Nomar Garciaparra to get off the injured list? Be conservative, and save some of those games for Nomar. Another thing to be aware of: your catcher will not play 162 games. No catcher does. You will need a second catcher to keep pace with the passing games. But batters are easy. It's those pitchers that you'll really have to think about. Most leagues have pretty stringent limits on innings your team is allowed, so you have to use your starts wisely. You'll see a lot of starters come and go over the course of the season, and your success will be about discipline. My advice is to start only your top three pitchers regularly. You'll own more -- which is just as important -- but they'll be primarily for trade bait, or they'll pitch in favorable situations: in pitchers parks against bad teams, for instance. If you're lucky, your number four starter will blossom into a number two guy, and then you can trade someone to stock up your lineup or bullpen. Sometimes even your studs will be in situations where it would be smart to sit them. You've got Roy Halladay but he's facing Pedro on Tuesday. Don't be afraid to bench him. You'll have other opportunities. You'll find, about halfway through the season that the inexperienced fantasy player in your league will be way in the lead in wins and Ks, but has been starting Kerry Wood plus five mediocre starters every week and has few innings left. By August, those innings will be gone, and his pitching stats will halt with a high ERA and a poor win percentage. Meanwhile, you've been patiently working Mulder, Kevin Brown, and Bartolo Colon all season in only quality situations, and you're right on pace to finish your innings at the end of the season with high rankings in wins, ERA, Ks, and WHIP. You can even trade for Kerry Wood for cheap since he is worthless to his owner. If you've got a pitcher who you're not sure about -- a sleeper perhaps -- wait him out. Bench Byung Hyung Kim, for instance, for a few starts until he proves to be the sweet starter you were expecting. The point is, don't waste your innings frivolously on anything short of a sure thing. Good fantasy pitchers get you Ws without using up too many innings and have a consistently low ERA. This brings me to your non-starting pitchers. Closers use up fewer innings than starters, maybe averaging three or four fewer-than-two-inning appearances a week. Playing a lot of closers is a proven strategy to grab saves and conserve innings while not risking much in terms of ERA and WHIP. Great closers will get you Ks too. Another strategy that I've seen is for teams to use middle relievers. Though they rarely get wins or saves, these guys can saturate a few innings a week with strikeouts and reliably low ERA. If your starters aren't all getting it done, look to middle relievers to keep you competitive. Some MRs who should be sweet this year are Mike Timlin, Latroy Hawkins, Jeff Nelson, and Tom Gordon. So that's my spiel. It's all about conservation of greatness. Now I'll take the opportunity to field a question. Dear Freeman's Fantasy, Someone has just offered me Marcus Giles, Edgar Renteria, and Josh Beckett for Jeff Kent, Miguel Tejada, and my extra 3B Dmitri Young. Should I bite? Gooch Well, I e-mailed Gooch back to check out the rest of his team, and it turns out the kid has Bagwell, Morgan Ensberg, Reggie Sanders, Luis Gonzalez, and Jose Guillen -- all guys with likely 30+ homerun potentials. Oh yeah, plus Bonds. So it looks like he can afford to lose the HR differential of Kent and Tejada. But what Gooch doesn't have is steals, and Giles and Renteria would bring those on. On the other hand, Giles is relatively unproven, and though Kent and Tejada both had off seasons last year, let's remember that they also have both won MVP awards in the past three years. Good second-halves last year suggest that Jeff and Miguel could return to superstar form. The X-factor is Beckett, who is unproven but highly-touted based upon his post-season performance in 2003. Injuries have hampered him during the regular season, but he has potential for stardom. His ERA has always been pretty low, and I like his K/BB ratio. What this trade comes down to is that Gooch would be getting the stats that he needs -- steals and batting average -- while taking a loss in power, which Gooch has. Even though Kent and Tejada may be more valuable than Giles and Renteria overall, they are not more valuable for Gooch's team. Plus, he's getting a potential top starter for a bench player in Young. I say: go for it. A lot of guys won't give up good players because they are "too valuable," but if they are not the most valuable for you team, you don't need 'em. Okay, that's all for now. Write in your fantasy questions to elliot.freeman@tufts.edu. Happy baseball season.

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News

First annual Culture Fest packs campus center

April 4

Over a thousand students filed through the Mayer Campus Center this weekend to join a celebration of international food, music, and dance at the first annual Culture Festival. The Saturday festival, which has been in the works for most of the year, was originally planned to take place outdoors but was moved inside due to the threat of rain. The coordinators had enough food and t-shirts for over 700 people, but a crowd of an estimated 1,200 surpassed any estimates. "It's amazing," Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senator Cho Ling said. "There are so many people here." Programming Board co-chair Caroline Postel was also excited by the turn out. "I can honestly say that as co-chair of Programming Board, this is the best event I've ever programmed." "This is the biggest collaboration between all student groups on campus," Ling said. A committee of five students had been planning the event since October, but the idea for this event had been around for even longer. "I've been waiting for an event like this for three years," Director of the Office of Student Activities Jodie Nealley said "The biggest obstacle in this entire thing was getting all 23 groups interested to participate, but that's the success of it, too. TCU Senator Dave Baumwoll acknowledged that these clubs operate on busy schedules and have been very cautious about using their funds for the event in the past. Baumwoll said that the Senate's diversity fund helped support the event, and reduce the financial burden on the individual groups. This year, the clubs were given funding out of the University's diversity fund. Postel praised her fellow four organizers for their organization, planning, and motivation "There was a determination between the five of us. There was no way that we were going to not put on this event," she said. Baumwoll brought up the idea for the Culture Festival earlier in the fall and approached the other committee members, Ling and TCU Senator Rafi Goldberg, Postel, and Tufts University Spirit Coalition co-chair Sarita Parekh. "The Culture Festival is the kind of event that should bring together the entire Tufts community," Goldberg said. "We're hoping that students will enjoy spending part of the afternoon immersed in some of the many experiences that different cultures contribute to the Tufts campus." With 23 cultural organizations holding booths and various student performances which focused on cultural music and dancing, the event required teamwork. "It's a nice cooperation of the international population here," freshman Nicolle Kuritsky said. Senior Theofanis Exadaletylos agreed calling the event "the best example of diversity on campus." The event required cross-cultural cooperation, as well as offering a chance for clubs to gain recognition, generate good public relations, and hopefully gain a larger recruitment pool next year. "It is this type of event that we need for people to truly appreciate the amount of diversity on campus," said Ling. "I feel like the amount of diversity is underestimated sometimes." There was an educational component to the event as well. Each group was asked to contribute some information about them self in a booklet that would be put together and made available to students While the booklet was informative, many students chose to focus on the food that each group served. "It's good to try new things," freshman Drew Shimomura said. The food and the free t-shirts handed out were incentives for the student body, as was the lack of an admissions charge. "We're hoping to reach students who are less perceptive to cultural events," Ling said. "It seems like a good idea. I would come next year," said Shimomura. Sophomore Negar Razavi agreed. "This is awesome. They should do things like this more often, where all groups come together for one interest," she said.

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News

Battle of the Bands hits the mark

April 4

After beating out three other groups at Concert Board's annual Battle of the Bands Saturday, theMark won the coveted opening spot for this year's Spring Fling. The Tufts band, comprised of sophomores Paul Farris (vocals), and Alec Overstein (lead guitar), and juniors Jason Autore (bass), Droo Porter (rhythm guitar), and John Burlock (drums), will set the stage for Spring Fling's main acts Less Than Jake, the Sugarhill Gang, and the Roots. Bands were evaluated by a panel of five judges who, after listening to each group's 20 minute set, selected the winner based on a rubric that measured everything from stage presence and crowd response to originality and "appeal to Tufts community at large." Some judges, like returning senior Joe Jaffe, came into the Battle with a very specific idea of what the winner should look and sound like. "Whatever happened to face painting to get the crowd into it? And I'm not hearing enough metal -- too much Dave Matthews and not enough Metallica," Jaffe said. Although bereft of face paint, theMark brought enough power chords and manic energy to win over Jaffe and the crowd, which lead singer Paul Farris managed to coax to its feet for the first time that day. The highlight of theMark's set was a spot-on cover of the Darkness's "I Believe In a Thing Called Love," during which Farris jumped from the stage to top of the judges' table to sing. "Anybody who has the balls to hop on a table and scream at the judges deserves credit for that," Jaffe said. TheMark played its own material along with covers. The band was initially worried about the crowd's reaction to its self-described "hard rock thing." "We're heavier than most Tufts bands but the crowd was more into it than we thought," said Farris, referring to the crowd's decision to chant the band's name after the set. "That definitely was not planned," he added. As far as Spring Fling goes, theMark promises more of their energetic live set, as well as a few surprises: "We want to do a cover of a rap song maybe," said bassist Jason Autore. Performing along with theMark at the Battle of the Bands were the Giant Panda Gorilla Dub Squad, Bunk 9, and the Residence. The Residence, which was the first to hit the stage, began its set at noon, a time that the band's saxophonist, sophomore Anish Jain, found to be too early for a Saturday concert. "Twelve is a tough spot. It would be nice if the event was evening," Jain said. Nevertheless, the Residence managed to drag more fans from their beds than any other performer, a fact that Jain attributes to a lot self-promotion and an e-mail list. Along with two original songs, the Residence covered Men at Work's "Down Under" and Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes," the latter in a decidedly ska/punk style. Bunk 9 took the stage next and, despite some technical difficulties, had enough witty stage banter to keep their set smooth and back up songs with titles like "Kiss the Homeless." Singer/guitarist senior Ian Greenhouse and guitarist/keyboardist junior John Prensner saw the Battle of the Bands as an opportunity to "have a good time," as well as a chance to promote their upcoming EP and website -- bunk9.com. The Giant Panda Gorilla Dub Squad, which closed the Battle, stuck out amidst the more traditional rock bands. With a horn section accompanying a guitarist, bassist, and drummer, and a penchant to play what saxophonist/impromptu dancer senior Michael Rothenberg describes as "funky-ass root-rock reggae," the Dub Squad was one of the best surprises to come out of the Battle. Despite their loss, Rothenberg, who wore rose-tinted sunglasses and gold chains to the show, was nonetheless happy with the band's performance. "We [the band] laid it down with a lot of spirit and vibe. We love each other and our music is an expression of that," said Rothenberg.

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News

Learning from Spain

April 4

I know that the elections in Spain might seem like old news to you. After all, they took place over two weeks ago and by now everyone is familiar with its results. However, it is worth our time to carefully analyze the significant implications of Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's victory. The U.S. public should also learn from Spain's courageous exercise in democracy and its intolerance of government manipulation. Before we go into the analysis, let us go over what happened in Spain. The first thing to know here is that Zapatero's victory was completely unexpected. All polls indicated that Jose Maria Aznar's handpicked successor, Mariano Rajoy, was well on his way to become Spain's next leader. By choosing Rajoy, the people of Spain were rewarding Aznar and his Partido Popular (PP) for a job well done. During eight years in power, Aznar's government revitalized the Spanish economy and made Spain a player in international politics. And while most people in Spain rejected Aznar's decision to back President Bush and send troops to Iraq, they did not consider this issue to be infuriating enough to vote the PP out of office. Aznar was a happy man; his legacy would be left untarnished and he would be able to retire comfortably into the private world. But then March 11 happened. Spain experienced its most devastating terrorist attack in history, abruptly altering the political landscape only three days before the election. The Spanish people were in shock. Unlike the United States before 9/11, Spain had long been acquainted with terrorism, but the scale of this act had no precedents. The Basque separatist group E.T.A. has a long and bloody history of terrorism in Spain, but their attacks paled in comparison to what happened that morning in Madrid. The explosion of the commuter train in Madrid's Atocha station just didn't seem to be E.T.A.'s style. Furthermore, the Basque terrorist organization neither issued a warning nor claimed responsibility for the attack, two staples of their modus operandi. It became increasingly clear that E.T.A. was not behind the death of those 200 people. If not E.T.A. then who was behind this sinister and cowardly act? Could it be that Al-Qaida or another Islamic terrorist group decided to hit Spain in reprisal for its involvement in the war against Iraq? Aznar and his Partido Popular panicked. If Al-Qaida were behind the attacks, would the electorate blame Aznar for the unnecessary loss of Spanish lives? After all, the Spain had no dog in that fight. Why get involved and be exposed to attacks like this one? Aznar thought that if the Spanish people found out that Al-Qaida was behind the train bombings, his party would lose the elections. So he and his government lied to the public and blamed the usual suspect for this atrocious act of terrorism. But the evidence pointing to Al-Qaida was overwhelming, and no government manipulation would be enough to keep the truth from reaching the public. By the time of the election, the Spanish people knew two things: Al-Qaida was responsible for the attack, and Aznar's government had lied about it. That mix of factors determined Zapatero's victory. Now, many people in the United States say that the Spanish people gave in to the terrorists. That Zapatero's victory is a victory for Osama bin Laden. They also say that the terrorists will now be emboldened and will benefit from a softer stance against them. All three accusations, apart from being base and insidious, are completely false. What we saw in Spain was a perfectly legitimate and courageous exercise in democracy. No people should ever tolerate manipulation and lies from public servants. Those public servants who engage in it should be punished at the ballots. Aznar was punished for lying to the Spanish people. Zapatero wants to pull Spanish troops out of Iraq. If he does, will that signify a victory for bin Laden? Hardly. It will be a victory for the Spanish people, who did not want this war in the first place. And finally, the biggest mistake of all is to say that by pulling out of Iraq Spain is abandoning the fight against terror. Nothing could be further from the truth. Zapatero is committed to fighting terror, and he has said so several times. He just doesn't think that invading Iraq was the best way to fight Al-Qaida. He is not alone in that judgment. In his testimony before the 9/11 commission here in the US, former White House counterterrorism chief Richard Clarke said: "by invading Iraq, the president of the United States has greatly undermined the war on terrorism." It is now clear that Bush was fixated on Iraq immediately after 9/11 and that he pressed his aides to look for connections between bin Laden and Hussein. No one came up with any links, so eventually the administration had to manufacture the notorious WMD lie. There are at least two things that the people of the United States have to learn from the people of Spain. One is that a country can be committed to fighting terrorism without occupying Iraq. The other one is that leaders should be accountable and lies should not be tolerated. Rodrigo De Haro is a senior majoring in International Relations. He can be reached at deharo@tuftsdaily.com.

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E-Men ninth in the nation

April 4

They may just be the best team you've never heard of. Ranked ninth in the nation with an overall record of 35-16, the Tufts self-proclaimed "E-Men" Ultimate Frisbee team is back in Medford after a blistering 11-2 spring break trip that brought it to Georgia, Florida and North Carolina before finally returning to the Hill. The Jumbos earned a second place finish in last week's prestigious Easterns invitational tournament held in Wilmington, North Carolina, falling only in the tournament championship game, 15-11, to nationally-ranked third UNC Chapel Hill. Tufts, the tournament's tenth seed out of 16 teams, knocked off North Carolina State, Cornell, U Penn, East Carolina, George Washington, and Ohio State on its path to the championship game. The victory over Ohio State in the semifinals was especially gratifying for the E-Men; the previous weekend, the Buckeyes were one of only two blemishes on Tufts' otherwise perfect vacation record, losing to them 12-5 at the Southerns tournament at Georgia Southern University. Tufts placed fifth out of 50 teams in that tournament, falling in the single-elimination quarterfinals. Ohio State went on to place second at Southerns, also losing in the title game to UNC Chapel Hill. "We know we're a good team, and as long as people have a positive attitude we know that we can hang with any team in the country," sophomore Evan Ream said. "After the loss to Ohio State [at Southerns], we knew that we just would have to step it up, work hard, and have fun." After the first weekend of play at Southerns, the E-Men traveled to Florida to get away from dreary weather in favor of the sun and sand in preparation for the subsequent Easterns tournament. As fate would have it, the squad would get its second crack at the Buckeyes less than a week later. "In Florida, we practiced and worked out, and played [Frisbee] on the beach, Ream continued. "When we played Ohio State again, we played together, we outran them, and we ended up dominating." Tufts dropped the Buckeyes 15-5 in the rematch. Senior handler Ariel Santos said that the hard work paid off. "When [Ohio State] beat us before, they were running harder than us. They wanted it more than we did," Santos said. "We went to Florida and we worked on running hard and beating our assignments, and that's what we did in the Easterns." Tufts was scheduled to play a weekend tournament at UMass Amherst that would have finished yesterday, but it was cancelled due to soggy field conditions. The E-Men are a recognized club team playing in the New England Region of the Ultimate Players Association, the blanket organization for college Frisbee teams. The team is currently ranked second in its division, behind Brown who holds a record of 32-11. Players agree that their own impressive play of late puts them in the same category with that of their southern rival, and expect that their latest victories will up the expectations and level of competition faced. "Clearly, Brown and ourselves are the top two teams in the region and people are going to be gunning for us," Santos said. "The fact that we did so well, people are going to say 'hey, we want to beat these guys.' We can't let ourselves get lackadaisical." Besides the physical training required for success, however, Ultimate also requires a certain financial commitment because colleges do not have varsity teams. Because the E-Men are members of a club sport, players must pay for the majority of trips and tournaments, including their recent spring break trip. On average, players each had to pay $250 for hotel accommodations and miscellaneous fees for their latest trip, which didn't include costs for food and gasoline for the student drivers, who had to use their own personal vehicles for travel. Tufts paid the entrance fees into tournaments for the E-Men. Looking ahead, the squad looks to continue its dominant season when it heads to Yale this weekend for Yale Cup, a competitive tournament featuring the dominant teams in New England. In two weekends, both the A and the B squads will be in action at Tufts' own Cousens Fields, when the E-Men will host sectionals, the first stop on the E-Men's run at nationals.

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How to look tough in the gym, without doing anything

April 4

Alright guys, everybody knows that if you want to be the big man on campus, you have to hit the gym. Really pump some iron. Push it to the max. That's what real men do. But there's a problem: you're feeling tired, or lazy, or weak, or whatever. If only there were some way you could look like you were working out with the top guns, but really just be bumming around with the guys. Well, now you can! Just follow these ten easy tips, guaranteed to bolster your tough-guy persona, and you won't even have to break a sweat. TIP ONE: Take excessively long breaks between sets. After you put down your weights, just sit there with an out-of-breath-but-still-determined look on your face. Check your watch every thirty seconds or so, so it looks like you're timing yourself. Get a rotation going with some friends; each additional person in your group can cut your workout time by up to 50 percent. TIP TWO: Make sure your weights are way heavier than you can lift with proper form. Always sacrifice form for weight. Nobody notices whether you're doing an exercise right, as long as they see a gigantic dumbbell moving up and down a couple of times. Grab an even bigger dumbbell to just leave at your feet whenever you sit down. TIP THREE: Be loud. When you drop your weights, make sure they land with a thud and bounce around. Clang weights onto the bar; get some resonance going. This gets the babes' attention and frightens away potential competitors. If you're with friends, take time in your rotation to just stand around and talk. Learn the names of some muscle groups (delts, quads, cloits), and practice using them in sentences: "These preacher curls really help hyperdeltonate my bicepular cloits." Emphasize key points by flexing. TIP FOUR: Take frequent trips to the water fountain. But don't just drink and come back -- work on your walkover technique. Always take the path that goes in front of the most girls on cardio machines (so they can "check you out"). As you pass, rub one of your arms like it was sore from so much liftin.' Flex. And don't forget that tough facial expression! TIP FIVE: Never lift legs. I mean, why bother? You can't flex your legs. TIP SIX: Wait in line as often as possible. If you're waiting for a machine, act all impatient, like, "This guy is slowing me down and not even lifting that much weight." Then, as soon as you get on the machine, increase the weight, put it up once or twice, and then sit around for a long time (see tips one and two). When you leave, reset the machine so that the weight was 50 lbs heavier than what you were lifting. For free-weights, spend some time looking around like the weight you needed is taken. Before you leave, throw some extra ones on the bar and pretend to lift it once (this is called "maxing"). Never re-rack. And if you do, make sure you rack the lighter weights behind the heavy ones, so it looks like you were lifting more. TIP SEVEN: Take up as much space as possible. Don't just sit at the bench, bring something -- a warm-up shirt, a pen and paper, a watch, anything -- and spread it out around you. Instead of re-racking weights, scatter them on the floor. This will keep bigger guys from standing too close to you (which would make you look smaller by comparison). Also, you can waste more time arranging all your stuff. This works even better if you're in a group. TIPS EIGHT -- TEN: Never, under any circumstances, should you: a) wear sleeves, b) use a spotter, or c) stretch. These are the notorious "Three S's" that must be avoided at all costs, because they will make you look like a wuss. Well, there you go! I'd write more, but my bicepular cloits are actin' up. Timothy E. Bassell is a sophomore with an undeclared major.

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Tufts professors take part in Safe Colleges Conference

April 4

Tufts played host to the seventh annual Safe Colleges Conference on Saturday, complete with a record turnout and a new agenda. The conference, the largest in New England, began in 1998 in a response to hate crimes and bias incidents occurring on college campuses. While one of the main focuses of the conference remains on exploring the emotional implications of being openly gay on a college campus, Safe Colleges has taken a subtle turn toward activism. "In the past, we haven't had a theme, and we don't now, but we are definitely trying to focus the entire community on activism," student conference coordinator John Francis said. "[The conference attendees] learn how to be activists through this, it's great for LGBT and allies to connect with each other and become involved," Tufts' Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) advisor Dona Yarbrough said. The keynote speaker was Barbara Smith, an acclaimed activist who works on coalition building with other oppressed groups. As an author of books covering race, gender, and sexuality, Smith's perspective on people of color within the LGBT community and racial tension was very important to have, Francis said. A significant percentage of the guest speakers and workshop organizers were from the Tufts community, including professors Neil Miller and Jonathan Strong from the English department and Robyn Sachs from the ExCollege. Featured workshops included "The Politics of Gay Issues in the Massachusetts Legislature" and "Creating a Strong Queer Organization on your Campus." Francis described the workshops as being highly interactive, which encouraged students to participate. "It's a fun place to learn and share ideas about what's going on at their school and attendees learn a lot from each other," he said. The conference was initially funded by the state department of Education of Massachusetts, as part of the Governor's commission for gay and lesbian youth. When the commission redirected its focus more to suicide prevention in 1999, the funding was pulled for this event, and Tufts stepped in. Currently, the Tufts Diversity Fund supports 75 percent of the funding necessary for the event, and the remaining 25 percent was raised by the 15 members of the planning committee. "We tried to recruit corporate funding, which was successful for the first time this year," Francis said. "We are trying to create relationships and continued support. Many of the attendees have never felt like they were so welcome before and now they realize that there is this community available. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive."

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Government may shift aid money away from Northeast colleges

April 1

A proposed revision to the 1965 Higher Education Act would produce a dramatic shift in the way the federal government doles out financial aid to colleges and universities. College lobbyists for southern and western schools, which have grown rapidly in recent decades, are pressuring the government to reformulate how the $1.7 billion in campus-based aid is distributed. The current formula dates to the 1970s and provides colleges the same share of funds whether or not they have more or fewer low-income students today. This formula is called the "base guarantee." All the money left over is distributed to all other campuses on what is called the "fair share basis." The changes would affect only campus-based aid, which includes Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOGs), Perkins Loans, and federal funding for work-study jobs. Other forms of federal aid, such as Pell Grants, award money directly to students, while campus-based aid is given directly to institutions. Because schools have sprung up throughout the country since the 1970s, and the financial aid needs of existing schools has changed in the past three decades, the proposal would likely drain federal aid money from the more established Northeastern schools. The American Council on Education (ACE) calculated that if the base guarantee were eliminated entirely, every New England state would lose funds. The Boston Globe reported last month that Massachusetts' 80 private institutions of higher learning received $80 million in campus-based aid for the 2002-03 academic year. The same article stated that some states with predicted soaring college enrollments for the next ten years -- such as Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada -- only received $24 million, $11.5 million and $4 million, respectively, to be shared among all their colleges and universities. Proposed legislation by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) would reduce the base guarantee by 20 percent each year until 2009. Congress is beginning stages of reviewing the 1965 act, which outlines the base guarantee formula. Tufts administrators said they are in support of the change, even though it means the school might lose funds. "I am all for approaching things in the most rational and fair way and things like these should be reviewed every so often because numbers and demographics do change over time and may therefore create inequities," Executive Administrative Dean Wayne Bouchard said. Tufts receives $600,000 in SEOGs for undergraduates, $100,000 in Perkins Loans, and $2 million in work-study funding, according to Financial Aid Director Patricia Reilly. These figures add up to $2.7 million in campus-based aid for Tufts, which comprise only a fraction of the total financial aid. Undergraduates alone received $55 million in aid in the 2002-03 academic year. The amount of federal aid Tufts receives is "actually on the low side for a lot of the schools that we compare ourselves to," Reilly said. "I guess I have to say that even if Tufts was going to lose substantial amounts of money, I would still support this move because it's the right thing to do," Bouchard said. "But I'm even happier to say that I support this and Tufts won't lose a lot of money." Another school that supports a revision of the base guarantee policy is Rice University, located in Houston. Rice did not charge tuition until 1968 which Rice Director of Financial Services Julia Benz said lead to school receiving "very minimal amounts of campus-based aid today." "The pressure is on now because tuition at all institutions of higher ed. are going up," Benz said. "There probably isn't enough money in the world to keep up with the rise [in the price] of education." Schools such as MIT, which already offer need-blind admissions and have billion-dollar endowments, will feel even less financial strain than Tufts if federal aid money is reallocated to the South and newer institutions. According to Cynthia Stanton, a communications officer at MIT's Student Financial Services office, the $4 million MIT receives in campus-based aid "is a fraction of the money spent by the institute on financial aid." Community colleges are also affected disproportionately by the base guarantee and favor changing the rules. Benz said that in the 1970s tuitions were so low the schools did not need federal aid. The situation has changed today. Financial aid official Shayne Madox, who works at Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, Ala., said though tuition is much lower than at many New England schools, their students are often from "the lowest-income groups." "In this particular area of Alabama -- and across much of the South -- we have so many low-income residents and the vicious cycle [of poverty] will just continue unless they can get an education," Madox said. "And that can't happen if we don't get more federal aid." For other Boston-area schools such as Northeastern University, however, the redistribution of campus-based aid would have a sizeable impact on overall financial aid capacity. The $7 million Northeastern receives in campus-based federal aid covers one-sixth of the student body and 40 percent of all students who receive some form of financial aid. Of the 24,000 students at Northeastern, more than 17,000 receive financial aid. Of this number, more than 6,650 students are granted campus-based aid. "It would be wrong to distribute what we already have across the nation, especially with a growing college population," said Seamus Harreys, Dean of Student Financial Services at Northeastern. "Though it would serve a broad swath of students, it would not be the best way to reassess the situation," he said. Harreys suggested Congress should increase the overall budget for campus-based aid, so no school would lose money. Whether the Bush administration would support increases in the aid budget is unclear. The administration has a mixed record on college grant issues. Last year the President's office released a proposal that would prevent as many as 84,000 students from receiving Pell Grants, but then abandoned it December. The White House's proposed budget for the fiscal year 2005 calls for no increase in SEOGs and work-study funds, as well as cuts in Perkins Loan program.

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News

Trekkies':The frontier of bizarre

April 1

This is the fifth of a bi-weekly feature on movies: "In Case You Missed It the First Time." This week, it's the 1997 documentary, "Trekkies". How do you say "kill" in Klingon? Learn how, in the obscenely bizarre documentary "Trekkies," a 1997 feature film that takes a look at the world's most zealous fans. Hosted and narrated by Denise Crosby, (Tasha Yar from "Star Trek: The Next Generation"), "Trekkies" is a snarky and mean-spirited depiction of its titular subjects. Yet at the same time, the devoted followers of all things Trek are placed on a special pedestal, proud of their dorkiness, impenetrable to all teasing. This is a film that has become a cult classic, all about a group of people enamored of a cult classic itself. Director Robert Nygard splices interviews with both former and current cast members of the "Stark Trek" series with featurettes and segments on some of the more unique Trekkies. These are the true stars of the film. You've got Barbara Adams, your anonymous run-of-the-mill uniform-wearing, Vulcan-eared Trekkie. Anonymous, that is, until she gets called as a juror in the Clinton Whitewater hearings and chooses to wear her uniform in pride to the trials. Unfazed by the media attention and general ridicule heaped upon her, it's almost sad to watch Adams live her life in what seems to be a social vacuum. But when she asks her co-employees at Kinko's to refer to her as "Commander," its impossible to stifle your laughter. Then there's Gabriel K"erner, a 15-year-old computer genius with the social mannerisms of an eight-year-old. Anyone who went through high school knew a kid just like Gabriel. Clad with a blond mullet and born of a father who never got out of the '60s, Gabriel is the knight in the spacesuit who lifts "Trekkies" out of mediocrity and into greatness. While at first he seems like a teen without anything going for him, when he yanks out his desktop and shows his stunning computer graphics, you can't help but be in awe of what must be his future incarnation as "The Simpsons'" Comic Book Store Guy. Don't forget Denis Bourguignon, DDS, who, along with his Trekkie wife have redecorated their dentist's office by plastering each wall, toothbrush, and reclining chair in Star Trek paraphernalia. The jaw-dropping devotion these people have to a television series is simultaneously hilarious and depressing -- but then, that is pretty much the tone for the whole documentary. Yet the show is more than just a literal representation of "Freaks and Geeks." Nygard's unfettered access to "Star Trek" cast members old and new brings a relatively normal contrast to their bizarre fans. It's all relative, however, as cast member George Takei (Sulu on the original series) only has to open his mouth to prove that something's a little bit "off." Other interviewees, however, like Brent Spiner (Data from "The Next Generation") promote a more positive, ordinary image of the Star Trek world. On the flip side, there is Joyce Mason, head of the SpinerFems and possibly the scariest stalker ever caught on film. Then you have the confused cross-dresser who enjoys "filking": singing Star Trek folk songs. The final icing on the cake, though, must be those who claim to be Klingons. Quite frighteningly, these Trekkies who dress as the brutes of the world in fact teach kindergarten and enjoy miniature golfing. See? They're normal, just like us. While the above may have just consisted of a list of all the zany characters showcased in "Trekkies," it's only a snippet of the frightening and awe-inspiring world of Star Trek fanatics. The documentary is a never ending display of the bizarre people of our world, and one that should live long and prosper.

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News

Teams head to San Antonio for Saturday Match-ups

April 1

Despite the huge upsets in the second round of March Madness and everybody's horribly red inked bracket sheets, the Final Four has shaped up just like many imagined. The UConn Huskies and Duke Blue Devils were the preseason number one and two teams and will now meet in one of the national semi-finals. Another ACC team will be joining the Blue Devils in San Antonio, with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets facing the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Saturday's first semifinal. This was a statement by the ACC, affirming the notion that it is the strongest conference in college basketball by sending two teams to the Final Four. Oklahoma State vs. Georgia Tech In the night's first semifinal, Georgia Tech will bring its guard filled offense with Jarret Jack, B.J. Elder (who should be healthy), Ishmael Mohammed, Marvin Lewis, and Will Bynum. The Jackets usually run a three-guard offense with a combination of Anthony McHenry, Clarence Moore and Luke Schenscher on the inside. They are also very deep, playing eight guys 15 minutes or more a night. The outcome of this game will greatly rest on the condition of Elder's ankle. Georgia Tech better hope that its leading scorer can be a factor on the offensive end by Saturday night. Jarret Jack has been one of the outstanding players in this tournament and must continue that against the Cowboys. It will be interesting to watch the match up between Oklahoma State's John Lucas and Jack and this may be the key to the game. If anything, Tech should be frightened of Elder's fragile state and the toughness of this Cowboy team. By now you have probably seen the videos of Eddie Sutton's team practicing in full football pads and knocking the crap out of each other. If not, it's incredible. Shooters are hitting threes and then being sacked beyond the three-point line. And that doesn't even begin to describe what goes on inside the paint. The Yellow Jackets should be ready for a physical game. Oklahoma State is also a great shooting and slashing team with a big time low-post player in Ivan McFarlin. McFarlin isn't as tall as Tech's Schenscher, but he is much more solid and may be able to bump the Aussie around. Lucas, Tony Allen, and Daniel Bobik all shoot over 40 percent from behind the arc and will give the highly touted defense of Georgia Tech a true test. The Cowboys also have age and maturity on their side seeing as their top nine scorers are either juniors or seniors. But does that really matter one year after Carmelo Anthony carried his Syracuse team to a national title as a freshman? >UConn Huskies vs. Duke Blue Devils UConn looks to be the team to beat heading after beating its four previous opponents by 17 points or more. Yet, as easily as the Huskies have glided to the Final Four, their opponents have not been all that spectacular (Vermont Catamounts, DePaul Blue Demons, Vanderbilt Commodores, and the Alabama Crimson Tide). This is not to say that UConn should not be the favorite, but highlights that it hasn't had to endure the level of competition that the other three remaining teams have. Look for Emeka Okafor, who should be healthy by Saturday, to get the ball early down low. The Duke big men have been susceptible to foul trouble in the last few games, and there is no more dominant big man in the college game. Both Shelden Williams and Okafor are atop their conferences and the nation in blocks, so this will be an interesting game on the interior. Both teams have great outside shooters with J.J. Redick and Daniel Ewing for the Blue Devils and Ben Gordon and Rashad Anderson for the Huskies. If Duke's big men can contain Okafor, Gordon and Anderson will not receive as many open looks from the double-team kickouts. In order for Duke to win, Redick must find his stroke quicker from the start and Shavlik Randolph has to be a legitimate backup to Williams. Duke's depth may be a problem as long as they survive in the semis. The Blue Devils only go seven deep, with Nick Horvath getting some spot time as a fill-in big man from time to time. But at the same time, UConn really only goes seven deep as well, so this game may turn out to be a war of attrition. Most people are calling the Duke-UConn match-up the real national championship, with the almost foregone conclusion that the winner of this game will go on to win the final. While the Huskies and the Blue Devils appear to be the two best teams left standing, it's not who has the most talent, but who performs best on the national stage. Tune in Saturday and Monday nights to see our best college players on the biggest stage.

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Theft plagues computer labs

April 1

The Eaton and Mugar Computer Labs have reported a surge in theft from Apple computer stations this semester. Information Technology Services Manager of Instructional Services Jeff Weiner said that though theft "has occurred on occasion since the opening of the lab," crime began increasing dramatically three weeks before Spring Break. $150 in equipment has gone missing each week in the form of one keyboard and two mice, compared with one or two stolen over the course of previous semesters. The Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) said the investigation was ongoing, and there were no suspects at the present time. The mice and keyboard are each valued at fifty dollars a piece. Lab administrators temporarily closed the affected machines until a replacement can be purchased. A sign on the placed the computer reads, "One of your fellow peers has stolen the mouse for this computer. Until they return it, this computer will not be useable." Increased security measures in the lab are being contemplated to prevent future thefts. Weinstein said that if the problem persists Tufts IDs may soon be required to obtain a mouse from the front desk, the same procedure for borrowing Zip drives. "We're also considering security cameras in the labs to prevent theft," Weiner said. Until a decision is made to implement new security policies, Eaton employees have been asked to be as vigilant as possible for suspicious behavior. "We've been told to try to be more aware, and as we walk around try to see if everything is alright, that everything is still there," sophomore employee Ilya Lozovsky said. Sophomore employee Amiti Wolt said policing the lab is not entirely up to the student employees. "It's understood that we can't humanly watch everyone at once," he said. "It's not really our responsibility." Senior employee Aaron Weinstein said users should police themselves. "It's a public lab, and people should respect the property," he said.

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Author condemns Iran's social repression

April 1

EDITORS' NOTE: The original version of this article incorrectly quoted Iranian author Azar Nafisi. She supports criticism of the Iranian government, not intervention. Also in the original article, Nafisi was incorrectly paraphrased. She said that the Iranian government's censorship turned books into absurdities, not the Muslim religion. Nafisi was also incorrectly paraphrased concerning the diversity of the Muslim world. She said each country in the Muslim world is as unique as each country in the Western world, not that the Muslim world is more diverse than specific Western countries. Also in the original article, the incorrect number of books Nafisi has published was given. She has published two books, not four. The online version of this article has since been corrected. Iranian author Azar Nafisi, who recently published the memoir "Reading Lolita in Tehran," addressed her views on the lack of freedom of expression and oppression in Iran at the ASEAN auditorium last night. Through personal ideas that relate to the four sections of her memoir, Nafisi told the audience of 90 that the freedom to read, to imagine, and to express are vital rights necessary in all societies including Iran. Nafisi, an ex-national of totalitarian Iran, said that imagination is considered obscene from the Iranian regime's perspective, and that the government seeks to repress it as much as possible. She noted that in order to attempt this repression, the Iranian regime uses all modes of censorship. The Iranian version of Shakespeare's Othello, for example, omits Othello's suicide on the grounds that "it would make the people too depressed ... [in this version,] Iago is killed for no reason," Nafisi said. She added that in Iranian children's books, "scarves are put on female chickens for fear that the male chickens would get too excited." The laughter from the audience these examples garnered was, according to Nafisi, proof that the government has reduced the books to absurdities from the Western perspective. According to Nafisi, such harsh censorship protocols are rooted in the massive changes and restrictions imposed at the beginning of the Iranian revolution. These are responsible for creating the negative regards some Westerners hold towards the Muslim world, Nafisi said. Nafisi said the Islamic world is seen as savage and hateful in Western eyes. "I was shocked by these [Western] images of 'The Muslim World'," she said. "I reject these beliefs." The different countries of the Muslim world, Nafisi argued, are as unique as different countries are in the West. To categorize all Muslim countries is to "reduce [nations] only to religion, and to the most extreme interpretation." Nafisi believes that such generalizations, especially in regards to women, condemn people to one stereotypical image. Through this manifested concept of the "The Muslim World," Nafisi believes that the West looks at the Middle East in a condescending manner. "To respect someone's culture is acceptable, but it is unacceptable to avoid criticizing during a dire time by justifying that 'it is their culture,'" she said. "How do you define their culture? Do you define it by female genital mutilation? By Osama Bin Laden? Equals give each other criticism and create a critical dialogue. But this has been cut because we seem to sweep it under the carpet and let the politicians do the talking... " The personal experiences in her book recount her life as a clandestine teacher in Iran, despite the extreme consequences both she and her pupils faced. "Readers are born free, and should remain free," Nafisi said, quoting author Vladmir Nabokov. The people of Iran, she believes, may not be born free, but show signs of defiance against government restrictions. "Some women walk the streets with some of their hair exposed and get severely punished," Nafisi said. "They return to the streets again and do it again." Despite the limits of available literature in Iran, Nafisi said that her students there "quote [their readings] more than students in America." Azar Nafisi is a former resident professor of at a university in Iran and currently teaches at Johns Hopkins Universitys' School of Advanced International Studies in Washington D.C. She has published two books, and her essays have appeared in such publications as The New York Times.

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Jumbos secure three NESCAC wins

April 1

While an athletic season is often regarded as a marathon rather than a sprint, the saying probably does not hold true for the Tufts men's tennis team. After stumbling in the season opener at Bates, the Jumbos quickly rebounded and ran off three consecutive victories in the NESCAC to bring their record to 3-1 both overall and in the conference. With four matches already behind it, Tufts is nearly halfway through a regular season squeezed into a four-week timeframe. In their most recent action, the Jumbos took to the road and handily defeated Connecticut College 7-0, handing the Camels their fourth consecutive loss to open the spring. In the match, sophomore Paul Roberts at fourth singles and freshman Sean McCooey at sixth singles each continued strong beginnings to their season and maintained undefeated records. The first doubles tandem of tri-captains Jon Bram and Rifat Perahya also hung on to their unblemished record. Junior tri-captain Adam Yates, who is currently out with a knee injury and might not return this season, is impressed with the play of his teammates, especially the underclassmen, in his absence. "[Due to the injury], everyone on the team from the second position on down has had to move up in the lineup," Yates said. "I'm happy with how everyone is playing, especially Sean McCooey and Paul Roberts." Despite Yates' physical absence on the court, coach Jim Watson views him as an extremely valuable member of the team. "The biggest disappointment of the season has been the absence of Adam on the court," Watson said. "But he loves the team and comes to all of the games and practices. He's like an assistant coach to me." On Monday, Tufts was victorious in its home-opener, this time securing a 6-1 result over Amherst, who fell to 2-3 with the loss. In the match it was Perahya who stood out, fighting back from a set down to win at first singles over the Jeffs' Josh Rilla (3-6, 6-1, 6-2). Perahya's singles record currently stands at 3-1. Also impressive against Amherst was Roberts, who needed three sets to close out Jeff Lawrence (6-2, 2-6, 6-4) at number four. The Jumbos secured their first win of the spring on Saturday with a 5-2 result over Wesleyan in Middletown. This time, it was sophomore Ben Alexander who needed to work through three sets to get the win over the Cardinals' Tallen Todorovich at third singles (3-6, 6-2, 2-6). Alexander's record now stands at 3-1. Wesleyan fell to 6-5 with the defeat. The injured Yates made his only appearance of the season in the opener at 15th-ranked Bates before spring break, where the Jumbos fell 6-1. After dropping the first set 0-6 and falling behind 0-1 in the second, it was clear that the injury was affecting him, and he retired from the match. Roberts was the sole Jumbo victor in the Bates match, defeating Michael Hoverman at fifth singles (6-4, 6-3). Watson felt that the timing of the match before spring break contributed to the team's rather flat showing at Bates. "We should never lose to them 6-1," Watson said. "They had already had their spring break and had played some good teams, so they were in better match shape." Still ahead for the Jumbos are back-to-back matches this weekend, as they travel to Middlebury to take on the fourth-ranked Panthers on Friday afternoon before returning home to take on second-ranked Williams on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. According to Watson, the squad will face its two toughest opponents this season in Middlebury and Williams. While it is certainly aware of the quality of its upcoming opponents, the team is optimistic for success. "We match-up well with Middlebury," Yates said. "Even though they're ranked higher than we are, we have the stronger team."

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News

New drop-in nonprofit office provides resources for Somerville's needy

April 1

Somerville's homeless and jobless now have access to a variety of social and financial services through a nonprofit office run by Tufts students at One Davis Square. Staffed entirely by volunteers, the office is open throughout the week to provide free assistance with job searches, resum‚ writing, tax form filing, and food stamp applications. "It's been absolutely amazing," volunteer Katherine Conway-Gaffney. "It's not flowery volunteer work. You're doing real live social work, and it's not the happy-go lucky campus life." The program is run by the National Student Partnership (NSP), an organization founded by two Yale University students in 1999 to focus on combating homelessness and unemployment. The Tufts chapter is also a subgroup of the Leonard Carmichael Society (LCS), the University's umbrella service organization. According to Cambridge NSP staff member Meg Newman, the organization helps "to link university students and the resources that they have with [people of] the local communities who might need assistance from anything to job searching to finding housing." The offices try to provide "anything they need to find personal success in their lives," she said. Three years ago marked the start of a program assistance location in Cambridge staffed by Harvard students. Last summer, one of the Cambridge office's advisory board members voiced his opinion about the need for similar services in Somerville. At that time, Newman approached two LCS members, current Tufts seniors Emily Rhodes and Neeraja Bhavaraju, about starting a program in Somerville through the university. Interested Tufts students worked in the Cambridge office during the fall semester to acquaint themselves with the program's operation. Since then, the Tufts students involved with the program have contributed two hours a week at the shelter, and also organized public benefits, fundraisers and outreach events in support of the program. "It's a huge commitment," Conway-Gaffney said, citing weekly meetings, office hours as well as independent projects and time spent meeting with clients outside the office. The Somerville office opened with an Open House on March 11, and the program was recently recognized officially by LCS. "I've been constantly amazed by the support from the Tufts administration and students," Newman said. Volunteers have found the work in the office rewarding, but said that it is no easy task. "The hard part is sitting there and listening to someone's story. You do everything you can to get a job for them, but you can't make jobs appear," Conway-Gaffney said. "It's so hard to see them frustrated, when they can't pay their bills." Complicated paperwork and beaurocratic regulations frustrate both students and clients. "[It's] a lot of red tape, clients need to go to many different offices to get forms and things," Sophomore Ayala Ron said, noting that often clients just miss qualifying for federal assistance or job positions. "It's even harder when you have a client that says, I don't have a place to sleep tonight, and you feel responsible for them," Ron said. "You will read statistics in a book [about homelessness], but you usually don't meet these people and don't get to experience their lives." There have been success stories, however. "My first client in Somerville office just got a job doing painting," Conway-Gaffney said. "He also got into a shelter which will get him off the streets. And he found an awesome culinary program next year to get a certificate for a job as a cook." Rhodes said that the program's goals include making more connections with East Somerville, a low-income area that is rarely frequented by Tufts students. The program will also seek to make more contacts with other social service providers in the area. "We're trying to give back to the community, which is important when you're in college," Ron said. "And also just to raise awareness for the problems that are out there, they aren't just in a book, it really happens." Fourteen different NSP offices are linked with universities and run by students throughout the country. NSP headquarters in Washington, D.C. helps to coordinate the nationwide program.

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News

What can we say?

April 1

In the past several months, several incidents have prompted discussion and debate on indecency and free speech -- especially in the media. CBS's decision to show the Grammy Awards with a tape delay, the FCC's choice to review broadcast standards regarding indecency, and Clear Channel's decision to fire Howard Stern as a result of its new "zero tolerance" policy -- all have brought this issue into the headlines. Many organizations, especially media groups, have their own guidelines and policies as to how best to regulate their content in terms of indecency. The media on the Tufts campus are no exception. WFMO, the Tufts radio station has guidelines which limits obscenity on the air. WMFO policies state that no DJ may curse or play songs with expletives in the lyrics during the day. "I don't feel like the rules about cursing inhibit my show, but I could see how it might be difficult for hip hop shows where there are more curses in the music that they play," said Claire Freierman, who DJs a daytime radio program. Others believe such regulations to be an attack on their right to free speech. "Tufts is known for its liberal, accepting atmosphere, and we are adult enough to discriminate between ill-mannered and provocative speech," freshman Benjamin Chynsky said. "There should not be restrictions on profanity on Tufts campus -- be it an advertising campaign, literary magazine, or drama performance." Others feel that these restrictions are necessary. "The Constitution protects people's right to speak up on behalf of an important cause; it does not guarantee their right to use crude language to attract attention," sophomore Rob Gordon said. While WMFO does regulate what the station plays, other campus groups do not follow the same policy. Cheap Sox, Tufts improvisational acting group, does not regulate its performance content. "We have the leeway to push the line a bit but we have the comedic and moral sense that crossing over the line too far might be unnecessary," Cheap Sox member and senior Allan Rice said. Like Cheap Sox, the drama department does not have any restrictions on the content of their productions. Professor Barbara Grossman, head of the drama department, said she is "a firm believer of one's First Amendment rights as a safeguard for freedom of expression." She believes this so strongly that she said she would question her position as member of the department if the Tufts policy were constraining. Grossman feels that controversial content can be good, as it can have the potential to spark discussion. "Art should be controversial, to make us pause, to think," she said. "I am grateful to work on a campus where there is trust and unrestricted freedom of expression," Grossman said, adding that she feels comfortable with the "atmosphere of trust at Tufts, between the departments, the faculty, and the students to use good judgment when creatively expressing themselves." Chalking -- a popular form of expression on campus -- is subjective to University regulation, however. The University Policy on Advertising and Publicity states that chalking may not have "profanity or explicit sexual material." The "Vagina Monologues" production ran into friction with the University in February over their chalkings. For groups such as Cheap Sox, who do not regulate the content of their shows, members realize that some of their content may be controversial. To give himself some general rules to go by, Rice said he likes "to think that my mother is out in the audience and I wouldn't want to offend her too much." This mentality, however, does not prevent the improv team from doing "scenes involving incest, making fun of religion, killing babies. I think it's okay to get close to the line -- dabble on the other side of the line even -- but it has to be done tastefully," Rice said. "But as performers for an audience it's important to respect that you don't offend them."

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News

Jumbos pull off a thriller in the rain

April 1

27 left in regulation, the Jumbos slowed things down to kill some time. Sophomore Mike O'Brien made a quick strike before dumping the ball off to Clarke who snuck a low dashing shot behind Warrior goaltender Chris Harinsky for the game winner. "Devin's a go-to guy for us," senior tri-captain Dave Richman said. "He's been in tight situations before, and has had two or three game-winning goals for us over his career. When the game's on the line, we can count on him." The weather played its part in hampering the game play; the players had to adjust their approach and style to the rainy conditions and muddy field. The Jumbos, however, may have benefited from the inclement weather. "We used the weather to our advantage," Richman said. "We're a blue-collar team used to practicing in poor conditions; it's a part of the game. We fought through the conditions and didn't let them stop us from achieving our goals on the field." The first half was a much different story, as Eastern Connecticut outplayed the Jumbos. Senior Andrew Handras scored two consecutive goals for the Warriors within the space of a minute to put the team ahead 6-3 in the second quarter. The Jumbos answered late in the second with two goals, but the Warriors were persistent and scored their seventh goal with just seconds left in the half. The second half saw a reversal of fortunes for the Brown and Blue, who came out strong, dominating possession and at one point outscoring Eastern Connecticut 5-0. Senior tri-captain Matt Malatesta, sophomore Bill Granger, and O'Brien, who recorded three goals, dominated the Jumbos offense in the second half. O'Brien's third goal put Tufts up with 13:36 left in the game, 8-7. However, the Warriors were relentless. Both teams traded off goals until the final three minutes where the game was deadlocked at 9-9. The Jumbos travel to Trinity tomorrow to battle their league rivals, the Bantams. Trinity sits fourth in the NESCAC at 4-2 overall, including a 2-1 conference record. The Bantams overcame Bates in their season's first game, 9-8 in double overtime. They also won a close game over the Connecticut College Camels 8-7, while dropping a tough 13-7 game to Amherst. Last season, the Jumbos routed the Bantams 8-5 at Zimman Field en route to their 6-3 season and a NESCAC championship game appearance.

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