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Bare Bodkin to present its second 24 hour theater festival

March 3

Members of the classes of 2005, 2006, and 2007: despairing that there's no Pub Nights for you like there are for seniors? Well, don't fret, because at the Alumnae Lounge this Saturday night, you can B.Y.O.B... B. Bare Bodkin's "B.Y.O.B.B." (Bring Your Own Bare Bodkin) is the theater group's second biannual 24-hour theater festival. Starting at 8 p.m. on Friday, participants have 24 hours to write, block, rehearse, and perform a 22-minute play. On Saturday evening, exactly one day after the starting time, the exhausted and strung-out actors will present their work to the audience and panel of "celebrity" judges -- Tufts band The Residence, members of mime troupe HYPE, "fashion guru" Luke Brown, "Vagina Monologues" director Sarah Hecht, and "Corpus Christi" director Jennifer Jarecki. From the time that the actors/writers are divided into three random groups on Friday night, they have until noon on Saturday to draft a copy of their script. Teams can try to pull all-nighters, but that seems to usually fail; Bare Bodkin Executive Director Ashley Berman remembered that "last year, all of the groups took a few hours to sleep. When I called them early Saturday morning to check on progress, I definitely woke some people up." Rules state that each member of the team must be involved in both the writing and acting of the play, and that light cues are limited to lights up, lights down, and lights at half. Plays may have sound effects, but the performers must provide those themselves. All the groups have the same sparse set to work with -- some rehearsal blocks, chairs, and maybe a table. There are no restrictions on the plays' content, except that they all must start with the same line, which will be chosen from a box that has been collecting potential first lines since last week. If last semester's festival is any indication, this constraint on the plays' first line will not restrict the creativity of the performers. "Despite all beginning with the same lines, each play ends up being vastly different in genre," Berman said. There were three plays in last fall's festival: one was a historical comedy parody, one was a play about the writing of the play, and the last was a series of vignettes without any unifying plot. Groups even found a way to creatively attack the problem of the opening line of "Don't you dare provoke me. Don't you dare." The group wrote the line on poster board so that no one was required to actually say it. Another constraint, the play's 22-minute length, is not as easy to circumvent. If plays run over the time limit, they will simply be cut off. This seemingly arbitrary period of time will be familiar to television fans as the length of an average sitcom. The mix of high and low culture along with the combination of television and theater is a sly joke on the part of the festival's creators and an indication of Bare Bodkin's trademark cleverness. However, this is not just a showcase for the usual campus talents to show off their abilities; it's a competition, in which the winner takes home what Berman calls "an undisclosed prize." In addition to selecting an overall winner, the judges award several other offbeat prizes. Last semester's judges gave out "Best White Boy Rap" and "Best Southern Accent." Considering that the glory days of Saturday night programming like "Dr. Quinn" and "Early Edition" are long gone, it's hard to beat going to the Alumnae Lounge this Saturday to see three sitcom-length original works. "Bring Your Own Bare Bodkin" is this Saturday night at 8 PM in the Alumnae Lounge of Aidekman and is free.

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News

Historians cannot take Bible as true history

March 3

In a column published Tuesday ("The Bible: Myth or History") Jack Grimes offers a shortsighted defense of the Bible as an objective history. He makes his case by disputing the notion, articulated to him by his friend that "history is written by those in power." He argues -- rightfully so -- that Christians living and writing in the years following the death of Jesus had little "power" or "authority." Indeed, as he phrases it, "Back then, being a Christian didn't give one power to oppress other people, it got one killed." Grimes believes that the statement "history is written by those in power" is overly simplistic; equally simplistic, however, is his contention that those who lack power necessarily lack an agenda. By implying that only those with "power" or some type of governmental authority have an agenda, Grimes misses the point. Certainly, there are histories written by those lacking the type of power Grimes describes, but every history, and I mean every history, is biased. In this sense, it is more accurate to say that history is written by those with an agenda. Grimes argues that because early Christians lacked power, their only motive in writing the Bible was to "to change individual lives for the better." While I do not doubt that the Bible's authors strove to improve the lives of others, this does not automatically mean they had no "ulterior" motives. If anything, being out of power puts more pressure on individuals to articulate the reasons why they should be in power. Religion and politics can very rarely be separated, and the search for power is almost always a motive. The political history of the Catholic Church -- from the Crusades to the Holocaust -- makes this abundantly clear. If I have learned one thing in my four years studying history here at Tufts, it is that all authors -- even those who wrote the Bible -- have a cause to advance. This is the essence of the foundation seminar requirement for history majors. In the foundation seminar, students approach a single topic from a variety of perspectives, and we are taught to critique and interrogate every source we encounter. We also avoid the word "objective" because in the writing of history, attaining such a lofty goal is impossible. The toughest decision facing any historian is not what to include in his or her work, but what to exclude. Those who wrote the Bible faced exactly the same choice. Its authors made conscious decisions about what stories to tell and what stories to omit -- often "borrowing" from each other in a manner that today would be labeled plagiarism. They also clearly made decisions about how to "spin" their stories, occasionally to the point of contradiction. Those who subsequently translated the Bible faced similar editorial choices. (We can all agree that England's King James had a political agenda as well as the "power" to advance it, right?) The necessity of making these decisions is why most histories have prefaces, allowing the author to explain and justify why such choices were made. The problem is that the Bible has no preface. When discussing hermeneutics (a methodology for analyzing religious texts), University Chaplin David O'Leary frequently reminds his students that any given religious text was written at a particular place, at a particular time, by a particular person, with a particular agenda. That is, in order to understand a religious text from an historical perspective, one must contextualize it. Who wrote the text? At whom was the text targeted? What was the political environment within which the text was authored? These are all questions any historian must grapple with when analyzing a source. Asking these questions is especially important with the Bible because, as Father O'Leary will tell you, there are incredibly few non-religious sources that describe Jesus. And it is obvious that those who wrote the Bible had a vested interest in the success of Christianity. Simply put, in history, blind conformity is not a responsible option. As a Christian myself, I am not trying to discredit Christianity. As a foundational text that outlines a theology, the Bible is nearly unparalleled; as a history, the Bible must be interrogated. Those who approach the Bible solely from a religious perspective can take its stories on faith. Why? Because that is what faith is about-unconditional trust. Historians have no such luxury. To simply "trust" that the Bible is an objective history is naive at best, intellectually dishonest at worst. Adam Mueller is a senior majoring in history.

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News

Spring comedy show promises lots of laughs

March 3

Comedy may be the answer for college students faced with the oftentimes disappointing Tufts Thursday night. Students can opt for a much more exciting evening this Thursday, laughing at the talents of comedian Brian Regan for the Entertainment Board's Spring Comedy Show. The comedy show, a long-standing tradition in the Entertainment Board's annual event schedule, will be held in Cohen Auditorium at 9 p.m. and should run for about an hour and a half. Regan has never performed at Tufts before, but is an up-and-coming figure on the comedy scene. "He has done "Comedy Central Presents" specials, he's been on basically every stand-up show [on television], and he's headlined a lot of comedy clubs," junior Nicole Masone, Entertainment Board co-chair, said. "He has a very loyal fan base," said Regan's manager, Rory Rosegarten. "Once you see him, you've got to see him twice, you've got to see him five times. The material is always changing. His comedy is like a living, breathing thing." Regan's credits include Showtime specials, performing on "Late Night with Conan O'Brian" and David Letterman's "The Late Show", and acting as a frequent opener for Jerry Seinfeld. Regan's act will be introduced by John Capraruolo, another comedian suggested and backed by Regan's agency. Though Regan may not have reached the same heights of fame as last year's comedy performer, Tracy Morgan, his routine should satisfy any college student's comedic needs. Rosegarten described the comedian as someone that the audience can identify with. "Brian's approach to comedy is that he's an every-man, and that he's just trying to get through his life without looking like a stupid idiot," Rosegarten said. "That's really what it is. He looks at the mundane things of life that we all have to deal with in a way that is relatable to everyone." Students should expect a laid-back environment Thursday night and a good show to see with a group of friends or even with a date. "That's what comedy shows are all about," Masone said. "Thursday night is a good time to laugh. People are in the mood for comedy." The comedian selection process was described as extensive, with long looks at over a dozen comedians for price and schedule comparisons. "People usually think of people who are way out of our price range at first," Masone explained. "[Regan] is a little more than we have budgeted for, but we had some extra money left over from the fall." In choosing an act, once the board had narrowed their list down to three or four possible comedians, the group watched video clips of all the comedians to get a general sense of their styles and attitudes. "It was a general consensus of who would make the best show," Masone said. One of the reasons why we chose [Regan] was because he can appeal to everyone. It's not one particular kind of humor that only certain people might enjoy." The show is funded as part of the Entertainment Board's annual budget, and proceeds from ticket sales are recycled into the budget for next year's events. Students can still buy tickets at the Cohen Box Office for only five dollars, but should act fast. "We're expecting to sell out. We usually do for this event," Masone, said. The Entertainment Board's Spring Comedy Show will take place Thursday, March 5, at the Cohen Auditorium. Tickets are on sale at the Cohen Box Office for $5.

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News

Roids rampage

March 3

In the most shocking news of the year, an anonymous source revealed that Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield, and Jason Giambi have been using steroids. And in other shocking news, it was revealed that the sky is blue, and the sun will come up tomorrow. Gimme a break. Anybody who didn't see this steroids story coming from about 12 miles away should be repeatedly pummeled in the head with a Fungo bat. Jason Giambi sure as hell saw it coming. You think it's a coincidence that he just happened to report to spring training at about half his normal size? Of course baseball players are using steroids. Haven't we been through this before? Barry Bonds has no neck. That isn't normal. He used to have one. Now he doesn't. The man is huge, and his numbers are through the roof. Anybody who isn't even a little bit suspicious about this is being absurdly na‹ve. But just because it's not surprising that baseball players are using steroids, doesn't mean we shouldn't care, like a lot of writers would have you believe. The latest craze in column writing seems to be that we should just give up on steroids in baseball. That it doesn't really matter if players are juicing, because we just like the game for the entertainment value anyway. This is ridiculous. There was an entire Page 2 "Writer's Bloc" yesterday that asked the question, "If your team won, would you care if its best player took steroids?" And the overwhelming answer was no. No, it doesn't matter if players are cheating. No, it doesn't matter if players are destroying their bodies. Apparently entertainment value is what's really important in the world. If you get a kick out of watching it, who cares how many people get hurt? Well maybe instead of trying to get rid of steroids, we should encourage it. I mean, if our entertainment is what's important here, then wouldn't it make sense to have everybody using as many steroids as possible so we could watch them jack 750-foot homers? Maybe we should start encouraging brawls too. Everyone loves a good brawl. Heck, while we're at it, why don't we just bring back the Roman gladiators? We could build a replica of the Coliseum, bring in some lions, and watch some poor losers get torn to pieces. The Roman's loved it. Apparently it was entertaining. But we can't bring back the gladiators, because it's cruel. People get seriously hurt. They die. And in our civilized society, that's not acceptable. Well hey geniuses, guess what? When people take steroids they get seriously hurt. They can even die. I know that this is breaking news to everybody reading this, but it's true. Steroids can have devastating effects. And our society has decided that entertainment value is not everything. Some costs are just too high. Why do you think cockfighting and bullfighting are illegal? We decided that the entertainment value of watching animals die was not worth the cost to our human decency. Why should it be any different with humans? Of course there is an inherent risk involved in any sport, especially at the professional level. Athletes push their bodies to the breaking point, and frequently even beyond it. Does that mean we should ban sports altogether to avoid the risk of injury? I would hope not. But we shouldn't encourage athletes to take unnecessary risks. Risks we know for a fact have potentially deadly results. Steroids are not a necessary part of any sport. Baseball will still exist without steroids, and we'll still enjoy it just as much as we would if every player was juicing. But the question posed on Page 2 was, "If your team won, would you care if its best player took steroids?" I would like to say that the answer to that question is yes, but it's kind of hard to believe. If the Red Sox were to finally win the World Series, and the next day I found out that Manny Ramirez had been on steroids the whole time, I probably wouldn't enjoy the victory any less. And I suspect that would be the same for most fans. Several years down the road we may look at the victory as slightly tainted, but we wouldn't love it any less. But that doesn't mean we should continue to let it slide. And just because we're so used to the thought of everybody in the Major Leagues using illegal substances that it doesn't even surprise us when Barry Bonds is accused doesn't mean we should excuse everybody and chalk it up to the price of entertainment. If we were to simply accept steroids as a part of the game, we would be sacrificing a part of our civility and our decency. There are some costs that we just shouldn't pay for entertainment.

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News

Top doubles team thrived in fall despite inexperience together

March 3

In recent history, Tufts women's tennis has been better known for its strong singles than its doubles play. Over the past two seasons, however, that has not necessarily been the case. The Jumbos steamrolled their doubles opponents in the fall, amassing a combined 20-4 record, helping the team go 8-0 overall and earn the status of the nation's third best squad. The "Jen Squared" duo of junior Jen Lejb and freshman Jen Luten stepped up and assumed the role of number one, going 5-1 in the fall, with their lone record blemish coming in a tough match against the Middlebury Panthers. The 5-1 mark is particularly impressive because the two had no experience together prior to the fall season. "The team of Jen and Jen is very solid," coach Jim Watson said. "They're continuing to gel and get better and better, and I'm looking forward to good things for them." The number two team for the Jumbos will likely consist of senior captain Barclay Gang and junior Neda Pisheva. The duo has been playing together for the past two and a half years, and has accumulated a 16-8 record over that span. The pair went 2-2 in the fall, earning easy wins over Colby and Trinity, while falling to Middlebury and Bowdoin. "They've been sort of up and down recently," Watson said. "They blend very well together, but they have to continue to be more aggressive and move more at the net to cut off volleys. Once they realize that, they'll be very solid. They're both excellent off the ground, but at this level of doubles, you have to close the net off." While the first two slots are relatively cemented, the number three team is still up in the air. The top three candidates for the two spots are sophomores Becky Bram and Lisa Miller, and freshman Kylyn Deary. The sophomore tandem occupied the spot for the majority of the fall season, going 4-0 together, but Deary is also a talented doubles player, making Watson's decision more difficult. "Indirectly, Deary's paying her dues because someone has to sit out and Lisa and Becky didn't play doubles last year, but we're coming into the real meat of the schedule and I need to put all feelings aside and make a decision," Watson said. "One of them is probably going to hate me by the end of the season, but I have to do what is best for the team." A big part of doubles play, especially at the college level, is team chemistry. Two good singles players don't necessarily make an outstanding doubles team. Communication and understanding between partners are almost as important as sheer skill. This fact will play a large factor in Watson's decision. "It has a lot to do with chemistry," he said. "And this is what I'm still in the process of feeling out."

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News

Campus leaders debate when free speech is acceptable

March 3

A diverse group of campus political activists gathered in the Lewis Hall lounge last night to discuss the nuances of free speech on private college campuses. Resident Assistant and senior Emily Rhodes brought representatives from the Tufts Democrats, Tufts Republicans, the Womens' Union at Tufts (WUT), and the Tufts Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to discuss recent events that have affected free speech at the University. Administrators Yolanda King of Residential Life and Learning (ResLife) and Assistant Dean of Students Marisel Perez declined invitations to participate. Rhodes was prompted to discuss free speech after she found herself refusing to put up a poster in the dorm which she found personally offensive. "I realized it was censorship and I really shouldn't have done it," she said. The discussion began with each panelist presenting his or her viewpoint to the handful of students who attended. As the evening progressed, however, the panelists began to discuss issues with each other and the audience grew. "[During university], it's a unique situation because you have all these disparate groups confined to this hill," Tufts Democrats President Adam Blickstein said. Outside of a university setting, "these groups don't interact on a daily basis like we do at Tufts." Blickstein said that everyone at Tufts "is able to speak their mind. It's not hard to find an outlet." Tufts Republicans President Philipp Tsipman said that though speech at Tufts was "generally free," he is "not too happy" about what he perceives as a lack of free speech for religious students and the administration's reaction to the chalkings that promoted the recent production of "The Vagina Monologues," which he considered "the administration sponsoring pornographic and sexually explicit things." Tufts ACLU co-President Dan Grant said that free speech that is not hurtful should always be protected. "Though somebody might find [the chalkings] indecent, it's not offensive or threatening anyone." Tufts' WUT President and former Tufts Republicans President Rachel Hoff said that she'd like to see more clarification on the University's policy for postering and chalking. "When they erased the chalkings in front of Tisch, they should have clarified: 'These are our chalking policies.'" Hoff said that such events as the Sex on the Hill fair at the Mayer Campus Center and the sale of sex toys in the Houston Hall common room were offensive because she considers these areas to be public places. "It does affect me," Hoff said. "When I walk into the campus center and see gratuitous pornographic representations of the human body, it's degrading sex." Blickstein said that the University should take a hands-off approach to postering, chalking, and public display of "questionable" material. Tsipman argued that the University must adopt a "basic standard of decency," which he defined as a ban on sexually explicit and racist material. "Can we have a standard where there is free speech for everybody, but there are some things that everybody agrees are unacceptable?" he asked. One issue upon which all the panelists agreed was opposition to hate crimes, which they considered outside the realm of free speech. "It's the grey area where 90 percent of the collisions [of ideas] occur," Blickstein said.

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News

Hack prompts CompSci department to perform extra maintenance

March 3

Tufts' computer science math computer system was shut down for several days last week in the wake of a hacker attack. The hack, however, was "subtle" and did not affect operations, according to math Professor Bruce Boghosian. A system administrator recognized the break-in two weekends ago while beginning an upgrade to the operating system and investigating a problem with the math cluster's network. In a system of computers, a cluster is a group of servers and other resources that acts like a single system and enables high availability to users. There was no important student or faculty information loss because math clusters are not usually used for saving information. "We encourage people not to use the math cluster for archival storage; it is really a computer engine," Boghosian said. The cluster should be back up and running soon, according to Boghosian, and a clean installation will enable the department to implement a previously scheduled system upgrade. "The fix is already in place," Unix Systems Administrator John Orthoefer said. "We've forced all users to change their passwords so that any additional passwords [are not usable by the hackers]." The entire computer science system was down for a nearly a week, inconveniencing the work of both professors and students in the computer science department. "Accounts on the math cluster have been disabled since last weekend. We have had to use computer accounts that we maintain at different sites in order to continue our work," Boghosian said. "It has slowed us down somewhat." Projects and due dates for assignments were pushed back while the system was being fixed. General e-mail or other computer systems for Tufts students were not affected. "My group, the post-docs, and several graduate students were affected by this," Boghosian said. The attack is suspected to have originated from another university, and not from Tufts, according to computer science administrators. Orthoefer said that some users' dual accounts in both the computer science and mathematics department clusters helped facilitate the hack. "It appears insecure passwords for legitimate users were used to get into our system initially," Orthoefer said. Once inside, the perpetrators used a bug to gain administrative privileges. No monetary damage resulted from the hack. "The costs are largely intangible -- people, time, loss of project time in classes, time to get class-specific software configured," Orthoefer said. A computer science professor agreed that the loss of time was more than enough damage. "Managing the re-installation [of software] on many of our computers has given the department a great deal more work to do," said Margo Guertin, a lecturer in the computer science department.

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News

Singles ready to dominate

March 3

Tufts women's tennis enters its spring season with only two singles losses to its name. With a fall singles record of 46-2 in dual meets, the Jumbos displayed depth through all six positions. In those 48 singles matches, Tufts players combined to lose only 12 sets. Playing her six fall matches in the number one position, junior Jennifer Lejb outplayed the best competition opposing teams had to offer with a 6-0 record. In the team's most challenging match of the fall, at Middlebury on September 28, Lejb rebounded from being shut out in the first set with a 0-6, 6-3, 6-1 triumph. Tufts went on to win the match 5-4. Sophomore Becky Bram went 5-1 in the second position and filled in for Lejb once with a win at first singles. Bram displayed perseverance in a match against Bowdoin on Oct. 4, where she battled back from a slow start to a three-set victory, 4-6, 7-6, 7-5. Her one appearance at first singles came two days earlier and resulted in an easy 6-0, 6-1 victory at MIT in non-conference action. One of two Jumbos to play in all eight singles matches, freshman Jennifer Lutten opened her Tufts career with an 8-0 record playing in the first three singles positions. Lutten went the entire fall season without losing a set and promises to be a fixture of Tufts tennis for years to come. Her one appearance at first singles came at Wellesley where she handily won 6-0, 6-2. Senior captain Barclay Gang posted a 5-1 record in the fall, primarily playing fourth singles. She made one appearance at second singles, clawing back to secure a 2-6, 6-0, 6-1 victory in three sets at Wellesley. Gang hopes to make the spring of her final season at Tufts a memorable one. Rounding out Tufts' regular singles players are sophomore Lisa Miller and freshman Kylyn Deary. Both were undefeated in the fall, with Miller going 6-0 and Deary going 8-0. In fact, Miller played all six of her matches without losing a single set. Deary lost only one set in her eight wins, having to fight hard at fifth singles to lock up a 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 win in the Middlebury match. Although the Jumbos have enjoyed their success, they know there is never time to take it easy. "We can't relax on the court just because we might see our teammates doing well," Lejb said. "You have to have the attitude that every single match counts." Tufts' singles players will have to rise to the occasion this spring, as they will encounter some stiff competition. The Jumbos, ranked third nationally, will face number one Emory, number eight Williams, and number 11 Amherst. The team is especially excited for its meeting with Emory, which will make the trip from Georgia for a non-conference showdown on Friday, April 9. "We're so excited that Emory is coming up," Lejb said. "We love the challenge of playing against them, and we know we have great potential for success."

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News

Powerful quote should not be butchered

March 3

While I commend the Daily for attempting to tackle a serious topic in the recent editorial "First they came for the French fries...," I am disturbed to see a powerful saying butchered merely for a catchy headline. Martin Niemoeller, a Protestant German who strongly opposed the Nazis, wrote the famous saying: "First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a communist; Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a socialist; Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a trade unionist; Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a Jew; Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak out for me." Taking this evocative and powerful message and using it as a cute headline demeans and belittles the importance of the saying. The blatant disregard for its seriousness shows a lack of tact by the editorial staff and headline writers. I am happy to see the Daily addressing serious issues on its editorial page on a regular basis, which is something the paper did not do during my four years at Tufts. However, more caution and care should be put into writing headlines. Clever puns should be kept for the sports and arts sections, not the editorial page. Zachary Bromer LA '01

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News

Haiti trip cancelled

March 3

The current turmoil and bloodshed in war-torn Haiti is forcing a student group to change its spring break plans. The Institute for Global Leadership had scheduled a week-long fact-finding trip to rural villages in Haiti. The group planned to visit a local village and a medical clinic in a humanitarian capacity. The trip was formally cancelled late last week as Haitian rebel activity increased. According to Institute Associate Director Heather Barry, the office waited "as long as possible" to cancel the trip. The trip was postponed when the already volatile political situation escalated with violent clashes between rebels and supporters of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Astride left the island last Sunday, but fighting is continuing between rebel troops and Astride loyalists. Though Barry admitted she was "very skeptical once the violence started," that the trip could continue, the Institute waited just in case. "When we take risks they are very calculated risks. We would never risk the lives of our students," Institute Director Sherman Teichman said. Approximately 70 students picked up applications for the trip based on advertisements on campus, according to Teichman. At the time of cancellation, the Institute was considering 18 applicants in hopes of a final delegation of around six to ten students. The selection process was in the beginning stages of the interviews when the cancellation was announced. Teichman said the high number of applicants showed that "our perceived need [to aid Haiti] has resonated with the campus." Instead, the trip will now be rescheduled for when the political situation stabilizes, Teichman said. Barry said this could be as soon this summer. Teichman said a group will eventually go to Haiti, once the political climate is more favorable and less dangerous. Teichman said the purpose of the expedition was to find possibilities for an annual project that students could provide to the village. Leaders of the village were alerted of the trip and were preparing suggestions for possible services. The idea for the trip grew out of the Institute's relationship with doctor and anthropologist Paul Farmer. In 1987, Farmer founded the Partners for Health, which currently gives 1,000 patients daily free medical care. The group was planning to visit Farmer's clinic. Farmer was the recipient of the 2002 Dr. John Mayer Global Citizenship Award. The Institute had originally been looking to celebrate the bicentennial of Haiti's independence from France. An academic conference was considered until it was decided that on-the-ground action would be more useful for the country. "Rather than spend money on a symposium, we realized we would rather invest the money in a society that desperately needed it," Teichman said. The need for action was emphasized by the appearance of Ambassador James Dobbins at last weekend's EPIIC Symposium, the former U.S. special envoy to Haiti and currently director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center RAND Corporation.

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News

NHL teams stop being polite, start getting real

March 3

At 10:31 each Tuesday night, a general dreariness falls over my television. This moment marks a full week until the next new episode of "Real World, San Diego." I doubt if I can even make it through the rest of my week without the "Real World" to look forward to. In order to keep the show's spirit alive in my heart and in the hearts of my readers, I have decided to devote this week's NHL analysis to those now familiar seven strangers living together and having their lives taped. First of all, I should admit up front that this new season in San Diego has been disappointing overall. The characters and their weekly dramas have led to much head-scratching and anger on my part. This is especially frustrating because of the great promise associated with this season's geographical site, San Diego (acclaimed by many to be the nicest place to live in the world) and because of my love affair with last season's "Real World, Paris." For this reason, I have chosen to compare the entire Real World season thus far to the league's most under-achieving team, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Last season, the Ducks came one game short of winning the Stanley Cup, losing to the New Jersey Devils in game seven of the Finals. Their post-season success was, in large part, the result of outstanding goaltending by Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who led the team past the top-seeded Detroit Red Wings, formidable Dallas Stars, and less-intimidating Minnesota Wild. In this way, Giguere seems to have played a role similar to that of C.T. in last year's "Real World Paris." Without the obnoxious Bostonian, the show's storylines would have grown dull and ratings would have surely plummeted. This season, however, Giguere has been consistently mediocre, giving up an average of 2.64 goals per game and winning only 13 times thus far. Though the Ducks lost All-Star Paul Kariya during the off-season, they picked up the skilled Russian veteran Sergei Fedorov to fill the void. Expectations were high all around, as demonstrated by ESPN's pre-season prediction that Anaheim would finish fourth in the conference and, according to some specific analysts, win the Pacific Division. Currently, the Ducks are occupying the 11th spot in the Western Conference standings and are nine points out of the playoffs. In the Pacific Divison, they trail everyone except the lowly Phoenix Coyotes. With that said, the San Diego cast has shown some promise. The most redeeming member of the house is Brad from Chicago. His less-than-extensive vocabulary combined with a habitual drunken disregard for others makes for great television (and a few trips in the back of squad cars). Though presumably a Chicago Blackhawks' fan, I think the more accurate connection for Brad would be with the always exciting and dominating Red Wings. Leading the league in points with 85, the Red Wings have to be the favorite for hoisting the Cup in June. This week's acquisition of Robert Lang, the league's top point-getter, from the Washington Capitals will probably force the Wings' Western rivals (specifically the Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks) to react in kind. In the same way Brad leads his house-mates during a night on the town, the Wings have the power to dictate the rest of the league's actions. Other cast parallels include: Jamie, the quiet Asian girl who has yet to play a prominent role in any of the episodes, reminds me of the New York Islanders. Quietly, the Islanders are in position for a playoff berth in the East. Alexei Yashin, the team's one big name, has been out with an arm injury since Christmas. As a result, the squad has had to depend on a bunch of no-name players to stay competitive. So, like Jamie, the Isles have played a peripheral role in this season's major stories. Jacquese has been consistently entertaining with hilarious analysis of his fellow house-mates ("When a girl ax you to go to the bafroom, it's time to get down. Get your magic stick out. Abracadabra"). The unexpected success of this seemingly out-of-place cast member seems to correspond to the Calgary Flames. Not only does the Flames' roster include the best African-American player in the league (Jerome Iginla), but the team, predicted by many before the season to bring up the Western Conference's rear, has also mimicked Jacquese's cool and collected persona. Currently situated in the sixth spot in the Western Conference, the Flames have been beating good teams on a regular basis since goalie Miikka Kiprusoff joined the squad in November. The "Kipper" is leading the league in both goals against average at 1.55 and save percentage at 93.8 percent.

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News

Health Service is proud to be relevant in campus conversation about health

March 3

We would like to take the opportunity to respond to recent allegations that the Health Service co-sponsored the Sex Fair. It is true! We are proud of our involvement; and we would be happy to participate again should students decide to make it an annual event. Clinicians from the Health Service were present at the Sex Fair wearing pins that said "Ask Me," inviting students to discuss their needs and concerns with them. We also provided brochures on emergency contraception, sexually transmitted infections, correct use of condoms, services for sexual assault, and other relevant information. It is our duty to ensure that our health center works with students on the health issues of concern to them. Because we are housed within a university system, it is central to our mission to try to keep students as healthy as possible, since a student's ability to succeed and perform academically is often directly related to the health crises he or she may face at any given time. This does not mean that we simply give antibiotics for sore throats, and band-aids for cuts. It also means that students have to entrust us with personal information, and it is essential that they know that we are kind, compassionate, open and non-judgmental, in addition to being medically skilled and competent. Every single day, we treat students for eating disorders, sexual assault, trauma, depression, violence, and the agony of facing an unwanted pregnancy. Too often, our clinicians have to give students the news that they have contracted a sexually transmitted infection that they will have for the rest of their lives. Our work is serious business; and we take it very seriously. The intent of the Sex Fair was to educate and promote healthy sexuality for those who choose to be sexually active. Central to this goal is the concept that demystifying sex may lead to more healthy expressions -- e.g., a sexual experience in which alcohol is not an essential component; the ability to talk with a new partner about the need for a condom (e.g., "I've had herpes and wouldn't want you to get it."). We are simply baffled how this intent has been misconstrued as indecent. Despite the perception that information about safer sex is everywhere, 15 million people in the US contract a new sexually transmitted disease each year, many of these college students. Our Health Service addresses real, intimate, primary issues. We could certainly relegate ourselves to a marginal role on campus -- be a building students go to for Tylenol and ace bandages. Instead, we have a 93 percent utilization rate in the senior survey, the same as Computer Services and the Library. Our service is successful because we have done the hard work to reach out to students and let them know that we care about the issues challenging them on a daily basis. In the meantime, we would like to invite any student or student group to speak with either of us about their concerns. We have yet to hear from anyone who seems to be upset about our participation in the Sex Fair. Our doors are open and always have been. We would be more than happy to speak with anyone who might have ideas about health on our campus. And, we would prefer to be able to say that we understand how these students feel because they have spoken to us directly. We believe it is less than fair to attack people publicly before attempting to understand them and their position. Here is ours, and we welcome all comers. Michelle Bowdler is the Director of Health Service and Margaret Higham, M.D., is the Medical Director.

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News

Uggs!

March 3

I really do like those Uggs. They're all over the place -- almost as obnoxious as the trend of J-Lo glasses. But I don't care. They are awesome. I really like seeing people walking around in what are obviously comfortable shoes that are warm, and have a cool Eskimo-in-Medford thing going on. I've loved this recent shock of great warm weather, but I'll certainly miss the peculiarity of winter fashion. So before Reefs and cargo shorts take over, let's give the garment wonders of winter their due. And excuse me if I'm inching my way into fellow columnist Luke Brown's space -- but I sincerely feel that this is a piece of turf we can both claim. On the same line as the Uggs are those coats that girls wear in the cold that are practically sleeping bags with the bottoms cut off. I love those! Seriously -- just like the Uggs -- these things make sense. What do you do when it's cold out and you've got to survive? Get in a sleeping bag! So I think it's great that we've cut the crap and decided to just walk around in cut-off sleeping bags. Like a bizarre Daisy Duke of winter. Or something. I had always felt that the legs got neglected when it came to outerwear, and the walking sleeping bag is a great solution. Terrific. Of course with the winter looks that work, there are those that just make no sense. The pajama thing? What is that? Girl walks into lecture, sporting the baseball cap (which I'm fine with), and then the sweatpants, slippers, and sweatshirt. Hey! Newsflash! The sweatsuit thing is not actually warm! Come on - wind goes right through it. I will grant you that the winter really sucks the desire out of us to look good for the day, and you want to stay in the PJs, but those things are cold. Another piece of clothing that I don't think is doing much good is the tights-only on the bottom. Hey-yo! First of all, it that can't be warm. Secondly, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the tights-only look on the bottom is socially unacceptable. The tights provide visual detail that is ... too close for comfort. The viewers would appreciate at least some shorts on top. Is that too much to ask? Needless to say I don't think that these clothes explicitly designed for wearing inside really make sense in the disgusting-grey-snow and horribly-salted-road environment. While we're talking about the not-so-great part of winter clothing, let's just get to the real point: everyone looks horrendous in the winter time. Have you ever, during the summer, looked at a picture of an attractive person that was taken in the winter? Yips! That is a scary sight. Everyone is pale, hairier than usual, and generally a bit bigger. There should just be no photos taken in winter. I suppose that we're all in the same boat during these cold months, but looking back at that from the summer is a serious shocker. Speaking of the ugliness and specifically the hairiness, what's up with all the bearded and shaggy men who can't even get a haircut from November until March? When asked, they'll tell you, "It really keeps me warm. It just makes sense." Have you completely given up on getting any play this season? And furthermore, haven't we invented coats and hats for this purpose? Come on -- isn't this the tipping point separating us from our distant caveman cousins? We've got fleece for God's sake. Fleece! The greatest thing ever to hit the planet. Can't you just accept the fleece and wear it instead of wearing some disgusting jacket growing on your face?! Cold weather really isn't an excuse to let it all hang out and be a hairy caveman for four months. Just put on a hat already. And along with the bearded folk comes the flannel. You've got the bearded kid with the flannel shirt and then even wearing boots? Hey - I don't see the forest or the trees that you're cutting down, buddy. Isn't this just slightly out of place: kid with big bushy beard and work boots and a thick flannel shirt sitting in Philosophy class? I'll grant that it's cold outside. But that's outside! Again. We've got jackets, indoor heating, and a whole civilization working to keep us warm. The beard thing seems done. The hearty New England winter seems to bring out the best and worst of what we've got in the closet. (Why the hell is New England always "hearty" anyway?) Either way, luckily for us, it's almost done with. Soon enough we'll have the sailors with shades hanging off their necks all day and the girls wearing napkins they call "skirts." It'll be great. So hold on tight -- we're almost out of the freezer. Thank God.

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News

The Soul Sessions' lets music speak for itself

March 3

Glance at the cover of Joss Stone's debut album "The Soul Sessions," and you'll know no more about the artist's identity than you did before. A microphone obscures her face, her eyes are closed. Now perhaps you're thinking "Marla Hooch," but make no mistake about it: the face of this 16-year-old singer from Devon, England is anything but disagreeable. In fact, based on looks alone, she could blend in easily with a crowd of Spears or Aguileras. So why the effort to keep the face of this hot Brit ambiguous? In a musical age that is all about image, Joss Stone and S-Curve Records have gone and done something that threw us all for a loop: They let the music speak for itself. Despite her considerable talent, Stone's effort to put her sound before her appearance may help to explain why Americans are just starting to hear the name of this soulful singer, even though "The Soul Sessions" was released in the U.S. nearly a year ago. She's young. She's British. And she's making a name for herself covering almost-forgotten soul classics of the '60s and '70s. Her repertoire includes songs made famous by legends such as the Isley Brothers, Joe Simon, and even Aretha Franklin, and the talented singer has also thrown in a re-worked version of "Fell in Love with a Girl" (re-titled "Fell in Love with a Boy"). With Stone's no-nonsense sound and a bassline that warrants multiple listenings in itself, this cover has left even The White Stripes speechless. At age fourteen, Joss Stone was discovered in England when she won a talent show by singing "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," and soon came to the U.S. with plans of writing and recording what was supposed to be her debut album. These plans were put on hold, however, when Stone met and signed with Steven Greenburg, president of independent label S-Curve Records, who pushed her career in a different direction. Impressed by the strength of Stone's vocal talents, Greenburg brought in a group of soul music's veteran musicians with the idea of recording only a few tracks, but the chemistry that resulted from combining Stone's natural propensity for soul music and the efforts of musical legends Betty Wright, Timmy Thomas, Willie "Little Beaver" Hale, and Latimore was too electric to stop there. With added appearances by contemporary R&B/hip-hop masters, ?uestlove (of The Roots) and Angie Stone (no relation), the group recorded what is now "The Soul Sessions" in only four days. The result was a collection of masterfully-reworked tunes that showcase Stone's natural vocal and ad-lib skills and leaves listeners wanting to hear more. The beauty of "The Soul Sessions" is that, though composed largely of covers, the album doesn't lean on the tracks' original versions. Listeners needn't have heard any of the classics to love this collection because Joss Stone is gutsy enough to redefine these songs and make them her own. On the other hand, fans more familiar with '60s and '70s soul will appreciate the authenticity of the sound, and thank Stone for not attempting (impossibly) to imitate Aretha Franklin. Versions of "The Chokin' Kind" and "Victim of a Foolish Heart" demonstrate Stone's refined sense of phrasing and improvisation. The balanced singer uses a voice that is powerful but never harsh. She won't let you forget her ability belt it out every now and then, but she never intimidates her listeners with showiness. If singing just one note is enough, she sings that note and leaves the other twelve for the Mariah and Christina wannabes. However, the album is not without its pop influences. As MTV audiences have shown, "The Soul Sessions" is not reserved for Al Green and Dorothy Moore nostalgics. Songs such as "Fell In Love With A Boy" and "I've Fallen In Love With You" indicate that Stone will be perfectly capable of successfully following in the footsteps of contemporary pop princesses if she so chooses. But we'll just have to wait for her second album, currently in the works alongside veteran songwriters Desmond Child and Nile Rodgers, to find out. So what can we expect from Stone originals? Well, word has it the new album will be a more contemporary one, with an R&B/hip-hop edge to it. But one thing's for sure: it'll have soul.

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News

An EPIIC waste of time

March 3

This leap-day weekend marked the umpteenth annual EPIIC symposium, and seated somewhere in the back row, to the left of a man wearing J.Lo Glo, was yours truly. This was less than pleasant, but the crux of this viewpoint rests not with the admiral or his taste in fragrance, nor with EPIIC as a course, but with the symposium in general. It stunk. Granted, panels are an inherently flawed form of discussion, but those I went to this year were so far below bad that they moved me to write this viewpoint in spite my own laziness. The panels failed on three fronts: the topics were never even remotely addressed, even tangentially; the panelists never listened to each other; and, if questions are any indication, the audience didn't listen either. Let's begin at the bottom with the questions. Here is a sample edited for space, universality, b.s., and to avoid putting you to sleep: "Hello Dr. So-and-So, I'm Mr. X and I'm a member of this year's EPIIC colloquium. What I think is wrong with the situation in blah is...as I saw in the documentary... Jamaicans spilling milk...but enough about how smart I am, how smart do you think I am?" I'm not joking (much). Most questions were either rhetorical or just general assertions; none of the askers seemed genuinely curious. And never, in all my years of education, have I seen so much ingratiation. Mr. X might as well have skipped the microphone and headed straight for Sherman's feet so that if you looked at them from far enough away you would not know where one ended and the other began. It reflected so poorly on the course (for which I have mixed respect), that I began to think EPIIC was a sick anthropologists joke where they put sixty grade-grubbers in a classroom just to see who can eat their way to the top. Even worse than the questions were the panelists. Here is an example from Friday's America and Economic Hegemony panel: Panelist A talked about Canada; Panelist B talked about transparency in business (he seemed to realize he was a complete idiot midway through his speech and stopped, but I must thank him for stopping); Panelist C talked about Enron and did not stop; Panelist D bla bla; and Panelist E clarified terms, albeit with humor. Never, in all their incoherent ramblings, did any of them come close to the thesis, and the only consensus was that old truism, "if you don't have anything to say, make fun of Canada and everything will be swell." And swell it turned out. The panelists' pride (an overrated sin, but sin nonetheless) prevented them from discussion, or even civility. One fake-slept, the others sat in pain when anyone else spoke, like brats or brats sitting on broken glass. Worse still, they brought speeches made for other events and referred to their web sites for further discussion. I take back calling them brats: these people were not even human. There is a Chinese proverb that reads, "Never trust something that blows its own horn, and trust it less if it's an acronym." Like that kid in junior high who insisted everyone call him Maverick, EPIIC deserves the most painful of swirlies. There is something so pompous about an event that is more concerned with its own documentation than with the content held within. It seemed like everyone in the audience had a camera of sorts and was not afraid to use it. At times, if one squinted, they could mistake the event for a less glamorous/much more boring Oscars (which is an award show for American movies put on by the MPAA). Further blurring the line was the constant giving and receiving of awards such that an award became more party-favor than honor. I call on next year's EPIIC students to try and breathe some life into their symposium and create an event that is less self-important and more interested in exploration and new understanding. Geoff Mansfield is a senior majoring in English with a minor in film studies.

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News

ATM surcharges, class registration procedures receive feedback in campus survey

March 3

The TCU Senate released the results from its second round of survey questions last Monday. The Tufts Community Union (TCU) survey followed up on responses from the fall survey and sought feedback on changes already made from information the survey. "By and large, the responses we received were in line with expectations. If anything, I'd say I was impressed by the level of support for some of our anticipated responses," sophomore Senator and project co-chair Rafi Goldberg said. According to Goldberg, a top priority for the Senate will be to keep the shuttle to Boston going, as 90.4 percent of students said they would utilize it. The shuttle was proposed after the first semester's survey revealed frustration with the weekend social scene on campus. The original testing period of the shuttle was set to run through February, but the decision has since been made to extend service for the rest of the school year. The possibility of a new stop on the shuttle route at Government Center is also being considered. The largest number of respondents, 36.4 percent, named it as the most desired additional stop. Another issue which was brought up by the survey was ATM surcharges. Currently, Fleet (recently merged with Bank of America) and Citizens Bank ATMs are accessible within campus. But, "over a third [37.4 percent] of respondents say their primary checking account isn't through Fleet or Bank of America -- so that's a large chunk of students who have to pay to use the ATMs in the campus center," Goldberg said. Sophomore Senator Athena Bogis is leading an attempt to eliminate surcharges at the Fleet and Bank of America ATMs. Goldberg cited this as a "good example of a project that is being implemented as a result of the survey." Goldberg hopes the data from the survey obtained will be able to persuade the bank to change its policies. Respondents to the survey were also asked about the current class registration system at Tufts. Just over 30 percent of students felt that the add-drop system enhances the ability to try new classes, while an almost equal percentage of 29.1 percent felt it hindered that ability. Students were asked about a proposed "shopping period" for classes where students could sit in on classes before registering, found at Yale and Harvard. 55.9 percent of students said that they would favor this system over the current system of registration. A new initiative the senate has suggested and found support for through the survey is JumboShots -- a way to profile student life throughout campus. JumboShots would feature photos of student life in the campus center, dining halls, and on a website. Both current and historical pictures would be included, and the website could archive student submitted photos as well. Survey co-chairs Dave Baumwoll and Goldberg as well as Senator Chloe Snider are researching this project based on favorable student responses. Seventy two percent of students surveyed said they would like to view the photos on campus, and 66 percent said they would like to use a website to view the photos. The survey received 1,265 responses, which represents approximately 25 percent of the student body. "This represents an immense sample size that is likely to be accurate." Goldberg said. According to Goldberg, nearly equal numbers of freshman and sophomores responded (380, 390 respectively), while numbers for juniors and seniors were slightly lower (210, 284 respectively.) The last Senate survey for the year will arrive in students' e-mail inboxes during the next few weeks. The Senate is currently collecting question proposals from senators. Plans for the third survey will come from results from the previous two surveys, as well as more general assessments of the past year's projects, Goldberg said. In the interim, Goldberg said another survey will be released at the request of the [TCU] Treasury, which will focus on evaluating treasury procedures and the budgeting process for student group signatories.

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News

Search engines pervade students' lives -- and lexicons

March 3

Brush your teeth. Comb your hair. Google that obscure reference your French professor made in class yesterday. Make your bed. Yes, "Googling" -- or searching the web through the search engine Google.com has become a part of the average college student's vocabulary. Whether students use Google or other sites, online searching is something that many Tufts students do often -- sometimes on a daily basis. "I use Google or Yahoo probably 15 times a day," freshman Becky Hayes said. "Anytime there's something in a class that sparks my interest, or I want to clear up something I wasn't quite sure of, or if I want to go out to eat and I'm trying to think of a place to go, [I search the Internet]." Hayes is not alone in her use of online search engines on a daily basis. "I use Google everyday, all the time, for finding songs, or specific information for classes -- basically everything," sophomore Andrea Andrade said. Despite their heavy reliance on popular Internet search engines, many students are unaware that the 'magical' results generated by such sites are in fact the result of complex and varying information cataloguing systems. "Some search engines are automated; some are run by people -- they don't all work the same way," Tisch Reference and Instruction Librarian for Sciences Regina Raboin said. "Search engines all have their own rules for what part of web documents they search and, therefore, retrieve. Some search web titles, first paragraph, full text, domain only, and some will rate and rank sites." Even sites like Google and Yahoo -- which most students regard as largely interchangeable -- operate in dramatically different ways. According to Raboin, Google is a categorized as a "search only" search engine. Search only engines search the full text of web pages, as well as .pdf, .doc, .xls, and other Internet documents. Junior Angie Caldera-Siu is a fervent Google devotee. "I Google everything," she said. "It's the fastest and the easiest, and the way it's set up is really good. I find the other ones, like Yahoo, a little slower." Yahoo, unlike Google, is a "directory" search engine. "These search engines specialize in organizing and arranging web sites by subject or topic categories," Raboin said. "So when you search these engines, you are only searching what they have chosen to place in their directory." In Raboin's experience, directory search engines can be more effective than search only ones: "Most often, those sites [in their directory] are more reliable and up-to-date," she said. Some students, however, don't notice much of a difference. "If I can't find something on Yahoo, I do Google, but I usually get the same answers," Halperin said. Another type of search engine is the "meta search," which "searches across the indexes of other major search engines," Raboin said. Sophomore Daniela Mauro said she likes using meta search engines. "I use Dogpile [gotonet.com], because it searches all the other search engines, like Yahoo and Google," she said. "It brings up the first ten 'hits' from each one. So if a single search engine's not finding what you want, you can look at all [the engines'] hits." According to Raboin, meta search engines "feature category clustering, allowing you to further refine your searches." Category clustering is a mechanism for refining search results; other types of mechanisms, though, help to refine the actual searching process, making the results even more efficient. "Some search engines are more effective because they allow you to focus your search by limiting to year, domain, language, or document type," Raboin said. "This gives you more control over your searching." Though the search engine Andrade frequents, Google, does not offer such search mechanisms, she still feels that she wields a large degree of control over her searches. "I feel like the way that I search for things is very specific, so the sites that are gonna come up are what I'm looking for," she said. Even if a student's search is highly well-defined and specific, however, Raboin cautions that the results returned may not be reputable. "Students must be aware that anyone can put anything on the Web," Raboin said. One of Hayes' recent Internet searching experiences illustrates this problem. "Recently, we were talking about segregation in my School and Society class, so I went and looked up 'de facto' and 'de jure' segregation because I didn't know the difference between them," Hayes said. "I found this website with a list of terms and 'definitions' ... it was basically a white supremacist website, but I couldn't tell right away." In order to avoid such confusion over websites' legitimacy, sophomore Negar Razavi examines the URLs of her search results before clicking on them. "Usually, I'll look at the addresses of the websites themselves, and see which ones are.edu, .gov, or .org, and then try and pick out from those," she said. Other students employ similar strategies to ensure that the sites they're visiting through search engines are legitimate. "If I'm looking for peer-reviewed articles, I'll use Lexis-Nexis, but if I'm looking for data -- numbers, purely numbers -- I'll use Google," sophomore Priya Sharma said. "Because of the type of information I'm looking for, it's usually easy to figure out what's credible and what's not. I'll usually go to the CDC website, the U.N. website, things like that." Other students shy away from using popular search engines for scholarly purposes. "I rarely use Google for research, mostly for stuff like looking for a company's webpage or a library's webpage or something like that," sophomore Alison Isaacs said. "If I'm doing research for papers, I use the library's search engines, like LexisNexis and Expanded Academic ASAP," sophomore Liz Halperin said. "On Google and Yahoo, you always get those random sites that have nothing to do with what you're looking for." The Tisch Library website offers a number of web search tips and recommended search engines at www.library.tufts.edu

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News

Renowned author, professor, and feminist speaks at Tufts

March 3

While papers currently headline the controversy caused by Mel Gibson's "Passion of the Christ," conflict amongst people of different religions is nothing new. Neither, however, are the similarities between different religions, according to Dr. Susannah Herschel, who spoke at to approximately 45 students on Tuesday in a lecture entitled, "Inter-Religious Dialogue in the 21st Century." "This is an important cultural moment [in history] for America between Jews and Christians," Heschel said. Heschel, the daughter of a Rabbi and a professor of Jewish history, feminism, and religion at Dartmouth College, discussed Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and how each affects the others. She stressed that it is important to talk about the different religious beliefs and experiences people have with their religions. According to Heschel, different people of the same religion can have different interpretations of that religion. A large part of this dispute is the difference between theology and history, she said. According to Heschel, there is "no such thing" as Judaism as an entity by itself. "Judaism has been studied in isolation. But it's inappropriate to write about Christian thought without recognizing the role that Judaism played," Heschel said. Keeping with the theme of inter-religious dialogue, Heschel also discussed Christianity and Jesus. According to Heschel, there are still people in the world who are shocked to discover that the faith of Jesus was Judaism. According to Heschel, Jews cling to the notion that "Jesus is a Jew." This makes many Jews feel secure in a world where anti-Semitism is still prevalent. "It can be a way of building a bridge [among other religions]," Heschel said. Heschel stressed that it is important for people of different faiths to come together. "It is important to talk about, not just the content of our beliefs, but we need to talk about how hard it is to be religious," she said. "We need people to help us in this struggle." In line with her discourse, Herschel brought up "The Passion" and asked students not to concentrate solely on the controversy. When considering whether "The Passion" is anti-Semitic or not "everyone should look into the deeper meaning of the movie and ask why it was created in the first place, instead of just focusing on the controversy that the movie was presenting," she said. Herschel finished her talk by asking the audience, "What is the purpose of inter-religious dialogue?" According to Heschel, it shouldn't be to flatter or refute one another, but to help one another and share insights. "The purpose of inter-religious dialogue is about the people, helping one another," she said. One student asked Heschel, as the conclusion of the lecture, if her talk would have been tailored differently if she was speaking with a different audience. Herschel's response was that her lecture would have been "the exact same" and that she enjoys lecturing to people of different religious backgrounds. "It's important to talk about Judaism to other people because it is helpful to me because it keeps me on the right track. It is a good thing to speak to different religions," she said. Students who were in attendance enjoyed listening to Heschel and her views. "I loved her lecture. She was empowering, inspiring, and honest," junior Molly Ritvo said. "I was particularly moved by her lovely balance of academic expertise on inter-religious issues as well as her personal narratives about facing opposition as a Jewish feminist. She was a pleasure to listen to." Students cited previous knowledge of Heschel's work as reason to come and listen to her speak. "As a woman and feminist, I have been touched by her books; it has been relevant to my own experiences," sophomore and event co-organizer Marion Phillips said. Heschel's lecture was sponsored by Tufts Hillel and co-sponsored by Judaic Studies, the Provost's Office, the President's Office, the History Dept., the University Chaplaincy, the Women's Center, and the Dean of Students Office.

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News

SLAM campaigns for janitors

March 2

Tufts activists gathered yesterday to try to drum up support for an upcoming on-campus rally for janitors' rights. Organizers of the Student Labor Action Movement (SLAM) encouraged passers-by on the Tisch Library patio to sign petitions and come to a protest on Friday. The custodial union is currently in negotiations with OneSource, which holds the contract for all Tufts services. Tufts' contract with the janitors is also up for extension. Among SLAM's demands of OneSource is giving part-time workers health benefits along with sick and personal days for all workers. Senior and SLAM member Ariana Flores (pictured) said the group was trying to expand awareness about issues facing the custodial staff. Yesterday, the group placed posters on the library steps that featured quotes from janitors describing problems they faced -- from lack of healthcare benefits or sick time. The group also held Janitor Appreciation Day, where students could sign cards expressing thanks toward each residence hall's janitor. Flores said the effort was designed to ensure the custodial staff was considered part of the larger University community. "Too often, our janitors are ignored," Flores said. Friday's rally will be on the library steps from 3-5 p.m. * Jon Schubin

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News

Unnamed

March 2

In her viewpoint "More than the ten Commandments?" in Tuesday's Daily, Lydia Claudio struck a chord that hasn't been hit in a while. The viewpoint cited homosexuality as a choice and posed the question: "Why then is it okay to flaunt homosexuality as some sort of prize lifestyle when it is one that is clearly and explicitly contrary not only to nature, but the very nature of God?" Could someone please tell this young gay man when he chose to be gay? Could you please tell me when I voluntarily chose to be subject to scorn and discrimination? Perhaps it was my happily married Midwestern parents that took me regularly to church that made me gay? It upsets me that people feel that I am not entitled to the more than 1,000 rights, responsibilities, benefits, and protections that come with civil marriage recognized at the federal level because I'm gay. It upsets me that people (including members of the government) don't understand the separation of church and state and thus, the difference between religious and civil marriage. What, I ask, makes you better than me when the founding documents of this country say otherwise? What gives you the right to judge? Remember: "For with the judgment you use, you will be judged... How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when the beam is in your own eye? You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you will see clearly enough to remove the speck from your brother's eye" (Matthew 7:1, 4-5). So here's the bottom line. Before you present an argument, look at all sides. You may soon realize that even your own side can contradict itself. After all, the Bible says "You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord" (Lev. 19:18). Mitch Lunn, A04 Biology & French

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