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A people without arms: 55 years of Costa Rican demilitarization

November 30

Fifty-five years ago today, on Dec. 1, 1948, a ceremony took place in San Jos?©, Costa Rica that would change the future of my country forever. On that day, Jos?© Figueres Ferrer, president of the governing junta, stood up on one of the turrets of Fort Bellavista in San Jos?© and knocked down one of the walls with a sledgehammer. He then handed the keys of the fort to the Minister of Education and announced that the fort would hence become a National Museum. Figueres then proceeded to officially disband the tiny Costa Rican army and a few months later, under Article 12 of the new Constitution, Costa Rica became one of the first countries in the world to constitutionally abolish the existence of a standing army. At that time, Costa Rica was coming out of a short civil war in which Figueres led a force that fought the government's forces after it refused to recognize the election of the rival candidate. Figueres then installed a civilian junta to bring stability to the country, draft a new Constitution and pave the way toward a peaceful transition of power. Figueres' decision to abolish the military seems very perplexing when one considers the circumstances under which the decision was taken. Having just taken power through a violent struggle, it would have seemed more logical to strengthen the army to secure the new government's power. Not only was there domestic instability, but the new regime was also being threatened by the forces of Nicaraguan dictator Anastacio Somoza, a sworn enemy of Figueres and an ally of the government that Figueres had deposed. However, Figueres' decision was actually a work of political genius. The army had often interfered with political succession in Costa Rica. By eliminating the military, Figueres was removing a potential source of political instability. Figueres was also confident that Costa Rica was safe from external invasion since he had the backing of the US government. The US had been suspicious of the previous government's alliance with the Communist Party and was happy to see it replaced with a regime led by the resolutely anti-communist Figueres. Moreover, just three days after abolishing the army, Costa Rica signed the R?­o Treaty. This defensive alliance between the US and the Latin American nations promised mutual assistance under the framework of the Organization of American States if any member was threatened by external aggression. Figueres also believed that by eliminating Costa Rica's army, he would strengthen the nation's moral standing in the international community, as without a military there was no way the country could ever be accused of aggression. Figueres thus felt confident that Costa Rica would be safe from foreign invasion through its commitment to non-violence and international cooperation. His gamble paid off; on two occasions, one just weeks after the abolition of the army and the other in 1955, Costa Rican exiles launched invasions from Nicaragua and both times they were halted by US and OAS forces. The absence of a military has since been a defining feature of the Costa Rican national character. As our former president Oscar Arias said in his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, "Mine is a people without arms, whose children have never seen a combat plane, nor a tank, nor a battleship... our children walk with books under their arms rather than guns on their shoulders." Costa Ricans pride ourselves in the pacifist character of our foreign policy and in the fact that while so many of our sister Latin American nations have endured the scourge of military dictatorships, we have had a peaceful and democratic transition of power for more than half a century. Costa Rica's refusal to spend our scarce resources on building armies and fighting wars has also been an important reason why our standard of living comes close to that of the advanced industrialized democracies, with a life expectancy of 76 years (compared with the US's 77) and a literacy rate of 96% (compared with the US's 97%). Most importantly, the fact that we do not have a military makes us feel safe rather than insecure, for we know that so long as we remained unarmed, there is no reason or plausible justification for another country to attack us. Realists speak of anarchy and a state of perpetual war between nations, but my country's example demonstrates that it is indeed possible to renounce the use of violence and be safe without the need for armies. This idea of safety is possible by forfeiting the capacity of waging war is reinforced by the fact that both Haiti and our neighbor Panama have also abolished their military forces in the past decade. It is my hope that this move toward demilitarization can spread throughout Latin America, where so much misery has been caused by military rule and where money should be invested in social development rather than on weapons. It is also my hope that someday, this phenomenon can spread throughout the world, and other nations may join us in condemning violence and renouncing war forever. Just as Costa Rica is an oasis of peace and tranquility in a world where war and violence persist, each of us can be our own Costa Rica by providing an example of peace and non-violence to others. In a world where violence is so rampant, we can choose to become part of the solution by setting an example through peaceful coexistence, solidarity towards others, and a condemnation of all forms of violence. Through small but meaningful expressions of love and kindness, through forgiveness, tolerance and non-violence, we can build upon our hope and move our world forward toward a distant but powerful vision of a world without violence. By sowing seeds of peace and compassion, we as individuals can start a revolution of love and peace whereby we demonstrate that human beings can indeed coexist peacefully with one other. Today, as my country proudly celebrates 55 years of peace, I look upon it as I always have, as an inspiring and hopeful sign that war and violence are not preexistent and predetermined facets of the human condition and that peace is in fact possible. Mauricio Artinano is from Costa Rica. He is a sophomore majoring in International Relations.

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News

Does diversity decrease drinking?

November 30

The "Animal House" persona of the white male on college campuses often pegs this portion of student bodies as the heaviest binge drinkers -- frat parties and beer kegs the main staple of their very existence. Yet this stereotype has infrequently been backed up by any empirical data - until now. According to the results of a controversial Harvard School of Public Health study released last month, called "Watering down the drinks: The moderating effect of college demographics on alcohol use of high-risk groups," greater diversity on college campuses significantly reduces rates of binge drinking. The study defines binge drinking as consuming five or more drinks for men, and four or more drinks for women, in one sitting, at some point in the previous two weeks. The study concluded that the "binge drinking rates of white, male, and underage students were significantly lower in schools that had more minority, female, and older students." The research analyzed data from 114 predominantly white colleges included in the 1993, 1997, 1999, and 2001 College Alcohol Study Surveys. In an interview with Reuters, Henry Wechsler, the lead author of the study, explained the thinking behind his research. "If you have younger white males together to the exclusion of other groups, you're going to have fewer role models for lighter or non-drinking behavior," he said. "That may explain why fraternities have had such a high level of drinking problems." Wechsler explained that, according to his findings, at more diverse colleges there seem to be more "leisure activities" on campus, providing alternatives to "just partying and drinking." The study has been criticized greatly by many who believe that equating binge drinking with involvement in the Greek system is unfounded. But if a more diverse campus has less binge drinking, the question then becomes whether members of more diverse fraternities are likely to drink less. According to Todd Sullivan, the Tufts Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, many more minority students are joining Greek organizations today for two reasons. Firstly, there has been an explosive growth in the number of groups catering to specific minority groups and secondly, predominantly white fraternities have opened their doors in recent years "to recognize changing campus trends." "Even though no national Greek organization has had discriminatory membership practices on paper for about 50 years, the diversification of individual chapters has been more gradual," Sullivan said. "I believe that membership makeup is largely representative of the student population as a whole." In other words, as schools become more diverse, their fraternities do as well, and according to Wechsler, this creates an environment with less binge drinking. The Tufts University Alcohol Study, conducted in 2001 by Community Health Professors Edith Balbach and Charlene Galarneau, supports Wechsler's findings to some extent. Galarneau warns, however that the studies are very different, and thus difficult to compare. The Tufts Study found that White and Latino/Latina respondents drank more than the average Tufts student, while Asian-American, Indian-American, and African-American students drank less than the average. According to the Harvard study, the binge drinking rate among male students at a predominantly white school was approximately 54 percent. This number decreased ten percentage points at schools with increased racial diversity. The study also showed that whether or not a student was a binge drinker in high school, he or she was less likely to binge drink on college campuses with higher minority enrollment. "We have always known certain demographic groups drink less than others, and we wanted to explore what factors could affect college drinking patterns," Wechsler said. "I think some of the implications of the Harvard study's findings mimic or echo other studies from the past," Galarneau said. "On the face of it, [the findings] would seem to make intuitive sense because it's been found previously that different demographics are more or less likely to drink." Tufts Director of Drug and Alcohol Education, Margot Abels, agreed. "When looking at alcohol and drug prevention work it is very important to look at sub-populations of students from ethnic minorities to sexual orientation to gender to age, to see how different groups use," she said. "I think there are very different values that people bring to drinking, and some of those are based on group norms and community and environment and how people progress or live in this campus environment." The relationship between the racial composition of the campus and binge drinking was more substantial at smaller colleges and universities, such as Tufts where there are more opportunities for interaction between diverse groups of students. "It's not simply the numbers though," Wechsler said in a press release. "There is also the factor of residential patterns." Wechsler indicated that students who live in predominantly white fraternities, or other living spaces where they are primarily surrounded by white students, are more likely to drink heavily than those who are surrounded by people with disparate interests and lifestyles. "I think there would definitely be some validity in saying that to have a diversified campus where people bring different ideas and values to drinking could decrease [binge drinking]," Abels said. "This could really support us in doing much more targeted prevention efforts. I wouldn't do the same prevention with students in fraternities and students in the Africana Center because I think people come together to drink for different reasons." The study went further, however, than simply looking at the differences between ethnic groups. Female and older students have lower rates of binge drinking as well, Wechsler's study suggested. In a press release, Wechsler added that his study could affect college admissions. "In making decisions about admissions, colleges should recognize the many benefits of greater diversity on campus, including a possible decrease in problem drinking." Galarneau had a different interpretation of the importance of the study. "I doubt this will change the admissions process," she said. "But they do find some things that colleges should look at seriously such as encouraging older students to live on campus [because they were proven to binge drink less than younger students and would be a good influence]." "[The researchers] also look at fraternity and sorority housing related to binge drinking. Dissipating binge drinkers across campus instead of packing them together would probably be a good idea," Galarneau added. "There are so many benefits to having a diversified campus. I think what Tufts and other institutions already know, in terms of richness of perspective and life experience - it really benefits the campus to have us be as diverse as possible," Abels said. "This is just another piece of information that would certainly support efforts to increase diversity on campus." The study, however, has come under some scrutiny by other researchers. Many have attacked Wechsler's definition of binge drinking. Instead of simply counting the number of drinks one consumes, they suggest that the study should consider the individual's weight and the time period in which the alcohol is consumed. Wechsler has also been criticized for previous studies he has done in which he found that binge drinking could be curbed with media campaigns emphasizing "social norms": a strategy which attempts to prevent college students from misjudging and overestimating the drinking habits of their fellow students. Many researchers have proved this strategy to be highly ineffective.

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News

Better just to Let It Be

November 30

Let It Be was the last album the Beatles released as a group. Marred by internal conflicts, a change of producers, and substandard songs, the record was poorly received by critics and fans alike. It was a less than brilliant swansong for an otherwise brilliant band. (To be fair, Abbey Road, which was recorded after Let It Be but released before the much-maligned record, is the Beatles's true swansong and a more fitting one at that.) For decades, the blame for Let It Be's failure rested squarely on the shoulders of the album's producer, Phil Spector. Critics of the producer accused Spector of ruining the Beatles's songs with his distinctive "Wall of Sound" production style, for creating a sound that choked Let It Be in dense, sweeping orchestral overdubs. The anti-Spector camp has been led most vocally and vociferously by McCartney himself, who never forgave Spector for adding string arrangements to his ballad, "The Long and Winding Road." These detractors managed to turn the producer into the villain of the Beatles mythology, casting him as misguided outsider who dirtied the band's immaculate music. The newly released Let It Be...Naked is McCartney's attempt to set the record straight. By stripping the album of Spector's production work and replacing it with McCartney's mix, the goal of Naked is to wipe away whatever harm Spector had done to the record and finally release Let It Be the way it was meant to be heard, proving once and for all that Spector was incorrect and that, musically at least, the Beatles could do no wrong. Unfortunately for McCartney, Naked doesn't exactly achieve its goals. In fact, more than anything else, McCartney's version of Let It Be ends up proving that the former Beatles's allegations against Spector were false all along. Even with this new mix, better sound quality, and a new tracklist, listeners will immediately be able to tell that Spector's production isn't the only thing wrong with Let It Be. After comparing the two versions, most will be surprised how little of an effect Spector actually had on Let It Be in the long run. The overwhelming string and vocal arrangements indicative of Spector's "Wall of Sound" are really only present on four tracks: two McCartney songs, the aforementioned "Long and Winding Road," and "Let it Be," Harrison's "I Me Mine," and Lennon's "Across the Universe." Granted, these are the best songs on the album and Let It Be's success hinges on them, but the other tracks haven't really been improved upon or markedly changed for McCartney's version; the mix is simply clearer, louder. In fact, when it comes to the most radically changed songs on Let It Be...Naked -- the songs which actually had large parts altered or edited out -- listeners will be hard-pressed to say whether these improvements have made the songs better or worse. The stripped-down versions of "Across the Universe," "Let it Be," and "I Me Mine" aren't necessarily superior or inferior to the versions Spector recorded, but are simply different. The one and only song that benefits from the new mix is "The Long and Winding Road." Turns out McCartney was right about that one after all. Let It Be...Naked is ultimately a failure in its revisionism because the original album's errors aren't skin-deep; they cannot simply be erased from the mix. Let It Be might not be the most flattering portrait of the Beatles, but it is a Beatles album nonetheless, which puts it head and shoulders above most musical releases. What will end up being more embarrassing for Paul and his legacy is a slew of poorly executed remixes that seek to tweak their source material to some imagined state of perfection. When it comes to changing his past, McCartney should take the advice of his title song.

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News

Women all set for strong indoor campaign

November 30

Last season, despite being decimated by recurring illness and injuries, the women's indoor track and field team finished second in the New England Division III Championships, fifth in the ECAC's, 17th in the All New England Champs and sent representatives in two events to the NCAA Division III Nationals at DePauw, Indiana. And while many teams would be more than satisfied with those achievements, when the women open their 2003-04 winter campaign on Dec. 6 at Northeastern, the team is aiming even higher. "This would be the year to do it [all]," coach Kristen Morwick said. "We lose some significant seniors after this season, seniors who have been with me for four years and have come through full cycle. It's a key year if we can stay healthy." But while this year's seniors are a crucial part of what Morwick hopes will be a championship-caliber machine, they are supported by a deep, balanced squad. The Jumbos lost 17 seniors to graduation last year, but the team's depth will, according to Morwick, make for a relatively smooth, seamless transition. The current roster contains 64 athletes- 13 of them seniors, 11 juniors, 12 sophomores, and a large freshman base of 28. The biggest thing for the team, heading into the winter season, is to stay healthy. Last year's squad was dotted with holes due to injuries, but those holes are now filled by fresh faces and a revitalized, fully healthy group of returnees. "We shouldn't miss a beat. We should be even better this year," Morwick said. "The injured last year have filled in [the gaps]. Everyone's coming back stronger." Led by senior captains Lauren Caputo, Katie Higley, Jess Trombly and Emily Bersin, the women have a multi-faceted attack that could prove tough, on both the track and field. The sprinters are led by Higley and Trombly, who set school records in the 200 (25.75 seconds) and 400 (56.47) meter dashes last winter and went to nationals in both the 400 and with the 4x400 relay team. Trombly won a slew of other honors, including winning five events in the New England Div. III's, an unprecedented achievement by a Tufts athlete. Bersin and classmate Shushanna Mignott, along with sophomores Rachel Bloom and Katie Gadkowski, will also play important roles in the sprint events. Bloom, the team's freshman award winner last season, burst onto the scene and helped the 4x400 team reach nationals. She was also one of only four Jumbos to gain All New England Div. I, II, III and All ECAC honors, alongside Trombly, Bersin and junior sprinter Sika Henry. Freshmen Jessica Mactus, MacKenzie Rawcliffe, Kate Makai and Raquel Abrams could also be new contributors, while junior Katie Sheedy heads an able middle distance team, which also has a solid freshman presence. The distance group has also gained strength. Caputo, fresh off a 71st place finish in the cross country nationals in Indiana two weeks ago, leads the charge. Cross country teammates senior Lauren Dunn, junior Emily Pfeil and sophomore Rebecca Ades should also contribute, along with new talent in the form of freshmen Angela Lee and Jennifer Torpey, among others. "We have a much stronger distance team this year," Morwick said. "They're much improved, and the returners are a lot better." On the field, the Jumbos return with the majority of their throwing squad from last season. Seniors Gwen Campbell and Jessica Gauthier lead what Morwick regards as a very solid group of throwers, but that also has considerable untested talent amongst the underclassmen. "Some throwers in the senior class are going to be pretty strong," Morwick said. "It's a significant senior class, [but] I'm not really sure how the freshmen will pan out." Junior Katie Antle earned All ECAC honors last winter in shot put, and others, including classmate Jessica Colby, will also play valuable roles. The jumping events have gained depth too. Trombly led the team's long jumpers last winter with a 17'71/4" mark, while sophomores Molly Whittington (32'91/2") and Daniela Fairchild (32'81/4") topped the triple jump charts. Junior pentathlete Melissa Graveley was the team's top high jumper, and Gadkowski was the lone Tufts pole vaulter. The team will also receive a boost from the freshmen members and those returning from injury. With a healthy squad, the team is anticipating more national qualifications, and another possible top three finish in New England Div. III's, battling it out with powerhouses Williams and Wheaton. Tufts' relay foursomes could prove dangerous, not just in New England, but in nationals too if they qualify. The distance medley relay team could challenge for national qualification, along with the 4x400 team again. "Wheaton usually bags out because it thinks it's better than everyone else," Morwick said. "So we could place second if [it doesn't compete], and chase Williams." "As you get later in the season, you're looking for qualifiers for nationals, so you're not putting all our kids in every event trying to score points [for the team]," Morwick added. "Quite a few people should have a shot [at qualifying], more than last year."

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News

Hockey and basketball teams went 2-1 before break

November 30

As many Tufts students were packing their bags for the Thanksgiving holiday, three Jumbo teams remained in action last Tuesday. The women's basketball team and the hockey team both earned victories at home over Johnson and Wales and Southern New Hampshire University (SNH), respectively, while the men's basketball team fell to Springfield on the road. The hockey team won its first game of the season 4-2 over SNH at the Malden Forum. Tufts scored four goals in the second period to seal the win. Despite being out shot 48-32, the Jumbos netted their four goals in a flurry of offensive activity over 16 minutes and 28 seconds of play. The first goal came off of the stick of senior tri-captain Pat Byrne during a powerplay at 5:16 into the second frame. Junior, and fellow tri-captain Shawn Sullivan, along with sophomore John Van Pelt, assisted on the goal. Just 28 seconds later, junior John Hurd scored his fourth goal of the year to put Tufts ahead 2-0 with an assist from freshman John Murphy. However, the Jumbos would not maintain this comfortable lead for long. SNH junior Pat Doherty capitalized on a two man advantage with a goal 8:17 into the period. Still down one man on the SNH powerplay, the Jumbos brought their lead back up to two goals when sophomore Ken Cleary scored a shorthanded goal with the help of Gino Rotondi 43 seconds after Doherty scored for SNH. Byrne netted his second goal of the game to put the Jumbos on top 4-1 a few minutes later off assists by Sullivan and sophomore Adam Delaney-Winn. Senior goal Ben Crapser had 46 saves on the day, including 17 in the offensively chaotic second period. The win moved the Jumbos to 1-2 on the year while SNH lost its second straight and now stands at 3-2. Tufts will play its next game at home on Tuesday versus UMass Dartmouth. On the basketball court, the men's squad lost on the road at Springfield College, 79-66. Springfield sophomore forward Jim Mack had a dominating day scoring 19 points, 12 of them off of three point shots. Tufts junior guard Andrew Kakalamanos led the Jumbos with 13 points while freshman Brian Kumf added 12 points and six rebounds. Springfield maintained the lead throughout the game. The team was ahead 40-33 at the half time intermission and eventually lengthened that margin to 18 points (62-44) in the second frame. With 4:17 remaining, the Jumbos made a run and came within seven after a Kakalamanos three pointer. With the score at 69-62 and nearly three minutes left, it looked as though the Jumbos would have a shot at the victory. However, Springfield netted a free throw and then a basket to increase its lead to ten (72-62) and provide the final straw that broke the Jumbos' backs. Tufts and Springfield were evenly matched in rebounds and field goal percentage, but the Jumbos gave the ball up 28 times to Springfield's 19. Springfield also led the Jumbos 9-0 on fast break points. With the loss, Tufts fell to 1-2 on the year. The team could rise above the .500 mark this week depending on the results of last night's game versus Salem State and Tuesday's home match-up against MIT. The women's basketball team was more successful than the men on Tuesday with a 98-47 victory over Johnson and Wales in Cousen's Gym. Junior Allison Love led the rout with 20 points and nine boards. Also contributing to the Jumbos' huge margin of victory were sophomore Jessica Powers (17 points), senior tri-captain Maritsa Christoudias (ten points, eight rebounds), and sophomore Julia Verplank (11 points). Johnson and Wales drew first blood with an early basket, but Tufts extinguished any fire its opponents may have had with a 17-0 run. The game was all Tufts from there on out. The closest Johnson and Wales came to the Jumbos was 22 points when the score stood at 47-25 early in the second half. Tufts increased its huge lead to 50 points when freshman guard Taryn Miller-Stevens shot two free throws with just eight seconds remaining. The Tufts defense forced Johnson and Wales to 31 turnovers and a paltry 29 percent from the floor. Tufts also out-rebounded the Wildcats, 59-32. The win brought the Jumbos up to 2-1 on the year after the previous weekend's tournament in New Jersey. They will be back in action at home against Babson on Tuesday.

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News

Undergraduate students taking advantage of Fletcher offerings

November 30

Undergraduate interaction with the Fletcher school is increasing, with younger students taking graduate level courses and a new mentoring program between Fletcher students and women in the IR program. The number of undergraduates taking classes at Fletcher has set "no set pattern." But the figure is generally between ten and 15 students per semester, according to Fletcher's Registrar Manager Nora Moser. Fletcher cannot have a significant number of undergraduates in their classes as "there is no space," she said. Only upperclassmen may enroll, since they will be studying with students who are usually older and "whose experience is much more significant," Moser said. She stressed that the enrollment decision is up to the student and the faculty member. Students have to make a good case of their reasons for enrollment in a Fletcher course. The faculty member then accepts or rejects the proposal. Fletcher does not accept petition forms ahead of time, though the undergraduate School of Arts and Sciences (A&S) has pre-registration. Taking Fletcher classes as an undergraduate may or may not help when applying to Fletcher in the future. "It's one small factor of your application," Moser said. She speculated, however, that an undergraduate's performance could bear an influence on the admissions decision. Fletcher Professor Laurent Jacque, who has two undergraduate students in his class 'Foundations in Financial Accounting and Corporate Finance', said he does not "put constraints on their joining he course." Jacque said "They are doing fine, working very hard, and holding their own against graduates." Jacque is willing to admit undergraduate students again into his class in the future, but they must "be able to articulate clearly why they want to enroll in a graduate level class before I approve their petition," he said. Jay Meattle, an undergraduate senior in Jacque's class, said that the enrollment process is not very difficult. "It was actually really easy to get into, all that's required is the professor's signature, and as long as the professor agrees to have you sit in, it's fine." Meattle said that some of the benefits of taking a class at Fletcher are the interactions between graduate and undergraduate students. "In terms of classes there, the good thing is that since everyone is a grad student and everyone has two or three years work experience, it's a big advantage," he said. "At least 25 percent of the class has worked for a bank or have worked in the industry, and the kind of questions they come up with are really relevant and at a high level." Professor Ayesha Jalal, who holds a dual appointment at Fletcher and in the History Department in the School of Arts and Sciences, teaches 'Islam in the West' at Fletcher. Three to five undergraduate students are enrolled in the class. Jalal said her teaching appointment in the History department is one of the main reasons why undergraduates take interest in her Fletcher class. "They have either taken my classes or heard my name before," Jalal said. While Fletcher students make up the overwhelming majority in her class, Jalal accepts undergraduates based on their interest in the subject. Some of them have written "fairly good papers," she said. "They have to be seniors. Sometimes juniors, but they do have their own peril. It is a high-level course. It is catered to graduate students," Jalal said. She stressed that she does not compromise the level of the class for undergraduate students. Jalal sometimes accepts undergraduates into her Fletcher class if the class is not offered in the History Department. She often finds it hard to refuse an interested and qualified undergraduate student, though she has turned away "over a dozen" this semester. She will not begin accepting undergraduate students for her Fletcher class next semester, 'Contemporary South Asia,' until the semester begins. Some students are trying to bridge the gap between undergraduate and graduate education. Sybil Paukert and Dipali Mukhopadhyay started the Global Women Mentoring Program this year when they noticed there were a lot of women in the undergraduate International Relations (IR) program. "Global Women is looking at outreach opportunities, looking specifically for ways to help other women," Paukert said. Paukert recalled that when she was an undergraduate herself, she lacked a good understanding of career options in the IR field. "We have now experienced working in different jobs in international relations fields.We wanted to help the Tufts undergrads explore the career plans, to help them make an informed choice," Paukert said. According to their professional and regional interests, one Fletcher woman will be matched up with one undergraduate to facilitate the mentoring process. The pairs will meet at monthly meetings where presentations and talks will be given on Fletcher women's experiences. Mentors and undergrads are also encouraged to meet outside of the meetings to better acquaint themselves with each other. "I think that by getting to know each other on a personal level, this will reduce some of the animosity that has been going on," said Paukert. "I look forward to facilitating the interaction between Fletcher students and undergraduates." Global Women held their first meeting last Thursday, Nov. 20, with thirty to forty women present. Ermioni Sokou, a second-year Fletcher student and a participating mentor, said the undergraduates seemed "very interested" in the program. "The undergrads look up to Fletcher students. They know that people who come to Fletcher have a lot of experience," she said. Sokou decided to participate in the program out of good will. "I used to be an undergrad too," Sokou said. "I don't mind having undergrads in the Fletcher space. I think they are willing to learn."

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News

IM lovin it

November 24

About 450 days ago, I thought soccer was the European equivalent of four-square. About 450 days ago, I thought soccer was what kids who couldn't make the baseball team played. About 450 days ago, I thought soccer was about as far from being a sport as speed walking or trampolining. Damn, was I wrong. As much as I'd like to give the credit for my f??tbolucation to Mr. Posh Spice (er, David Beckham), those hot Nike commercials with the Brazilian team in the airport, or the US holy-cow-when-did-they-get-good success at the last World Cup, I owe my soccer spirit to good ol' Tufts athletics -- that's right, intramural soccer. My floor played together last fall in the freshman league as the Mad Cows (get it, Metcalf?). It was me and a few other lanky, uncoordinated Yanks on D, an Armenian, a Russian, a Chilean, and a Swiss striker, and a Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkey in goal. Needless to say, we rocked those other first-years like Dylan at Budokan. If you win the IM championship, you're supposed to get a t-shirt and a free dinner. We got the shirts a couple months later, but -- pssst -- we're still waiting on the food. Before I go on, let's get one thing straight -- I am terrible at soccer. The only goal I scored that whole season was a fluke one-timer in a 17-6 rout of a bunch of middle-school girls (read: Haskell) in our opening game. But I got into it. I started learning the lingo, like "nice header," "down on the pitch," and "sloppy back-pass." I even started following a pro team. My current roommate was the captain of our team, and because he's a huge Manchester United fan, I started pimpin' Keano, Giggs, and Van Nistelrooy too. Since it's tough to get a sense of the speed and grace of the beautiful game by just reading ESPN.com's SoccerNet and the BBC's Premiership page, we would go watch the games every weekend at the Irish Embassy pub near North Station. Where else can you see a bunch of drunken Irishmen in scarves hugging and cheering at 9:30 in the a.m.? All of these construction workers with accents thicker than kosher wine would come over from the Big Dig and get hammered at the ass-crack of dawn just to cheer Man U on to a 2-1 win on aggregate. Unfortunately, the Man had to shut down the Irish Embassy, so now we go to the Phoenix Landing in Central Square. For British soccer fans, the people there are about as dry as, well, kosher wine. Sure, the games are still great, and who wouldn't prefer a $13 grilled-cheese sandwich to an Irish breakfast and a swig of Guinness during halftime, but it's tough to get that same working-class team loyalty feeling in Cambridge. So when we came back to school this fall, I was more than psyched to lace up my Sambas and kick some intramural rear -- all school style. Our team had split into two, and let's just say I didn't end up in the more talented half. Our first game this season was a resounding success -- the other team didn't show up. We shouldn't have shown up for the next week's game, because be got blown away like the evil pit-woman in Army of Darkness

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News

Stupid people

November 24

Maybe I'm just a bad person, but its fun when stupid things happen to stupid people. Now, look, I don't have anything against stupid people, as long as they are well confined in a cage which is watched over by a large, armed man named "Bruno" at all times. If they are properly contained, they are harmless to others. However, until the government accepts my proposal for herding all the fools of society into New York and renaming it "Idiot Isle," we're stuck with them. Luckily, there are times that the Fates shine brightly upon us and the idiots out-idiotize themselves, striking a blow for genetics. Case in point: in Philadelphia, a man was recently chased by a horde of Catholic schoolgirls. Now, generally, most guys could think of worse fates, but this particular tale took a turn for the worse. Why? Turns out Rudy Susanto had a track record of exposing himself to the school and went for it one to many times. As many as 20 girls confronted him and, when Rudy tried to run, they caught up and started kicking and punching him. In fact, two local men helped to make sure Rudy wasn't going anywhere. "The girls came and started kicking him and punching him, so I wasn't going to stop them," neighbor Robert "Sour" Lemmons said. When asked why not, Lemmons declined to comment and then told his friend to put the video camera away. All in all, our boy Rudy got off easy. Not so for poor Emanuel Fleming of Illinois, who according to the Associated Press was rushed to the hospital with a phone booth attached to his hand. Yes, folks, Fleming was going for some change in the payphone slot and his hand became stuck. After several people tried to help him (and another several dozen stood around and laughed), Fleming used his free hand to call 911. After they arrived, the perplexed ambulance crew decided that the most logical thing to do was to cut the base of the telephone and take both Fleming and the phone to the hospital. Why they didn't, say, cut Fleming loose of the phone, I'm not quite sure. But what really interests me about this story is this: when he got to the hospital, doctors used "a wooden device and lubricant" to pry his finger out of the slot. Just proves that all the technology in the world will never replace the miracle of tongue depressors and K-Y Jelly. Let's move on to Moscow, where there is always something wacky going on. This month it was a vodka-drinking challenge, which ended with the winner dead and several of the runners-up hospitalized. The (ahem) "winner" drank 3 half-liter bottles of vodka in "30, maybe 40" minutes, according to Reuters, before collapsing and passing on at his home. Now I generally don't like to talk about death in this column -- it's SUCH a downer -- but in this case, it serves an important notice. So remember kids. Binge drinking is bad, especially if you suck at it. Another sad tale comes from Banjul, Gambia, where Reuters reported that a "28-year-old man accused of stealing a man's penis through sorcery was beaten to death." Apparently reports of magical penis snatchings are quite common in Banjul, and there is currently a widespread fear of penis-snatchery running rampant. According to police, the alleged victims claim that sorcerers touch them in order to make their genitals "shrink or disappear in order to extort cash in the promise of a cure." The irony, of course, was that there was no shrinking going on. The entire town just has really small penises. It should also be noted that the article didn't state what he was beaten to death with. As you can see, stupidity is not just a danger to the wielder, but a danger to all those around him or her. It is vital that we, as a society, come together and contain these stupid people into one central, easily guarded location. Aside from Harvard. They've already got more than they can handle. What? I had to get a cheap shot in SOMEWHERE!

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News

Culture option debate remains heated

November 24

Faculty are scheduled to vote this January to determine whether courses in Asian-American and Latino culture will fulfill the University's culture requirement. Faculty were supposed to vote on the issue at meetings last month and this month, but voting was postponed. Proponents of the change say that it is required out of fairness: currently, courses in Native American and African-American culture fulfill the option, while Asian-American and Latino courses do not. The culture option is part of the language-culture foundation requirement for all Liberal Arts undergraduates. After completing three semesters of a foreign language, students can complete another three foreign language courses or enroll in three culture classes focused on a non-Anglo culture. The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate passed a resolution last month in favor of counting Latino and Asian-American courses towards the culture requirement. But while the Senate has taken a stance, faculty, who will ultimately make the decision, remain divided on the issue. The Faculty Curriculum Committee is proposing that the University make its culture option "internally consistent and meet the stated criteria in the current Tufts bulletin," committee member and biology professor Frances Chew said. "As a member of the Curriculum Committee, I voted in favor of the proposal, and I support it." But Japanese Professor and former Dean of the Colleges Charles Inouye is adamantly opposed to the proposed changes to the University culture option. He said the Japanese department is also against the proposal. "There are a number of reasons why I think it's a bad idea," he said. "I'm for the study of these cultures, but I can't make the argument that the particular category they belong in is appropriate for the foreign culture option." Inouye explained that he is not a Japanese writer, but an American writer who happens to be of partial Japanese descent. "So for people to label me as foreign, I object to that," he said. Inouye objects to the culture requirement altogether and added that the University's emphasis on foreign language "has been a defining aspect of the Tufts community, and it needs to be strengthened rather than weakened." In the 1960s, faculty proposed that the University allow students -- particularly those who have trouble learning foreign languages -- to take non-language courses to fulfill that requirement. Options like Judaic studies, African-American studies, and Native-American studies were created for this purpose. "[These courses] aren't really foreign," Inouye said. "There's no language involved. If there is something about Judaic studies that is removed from American culture and related to the Hebrew language, then it counts. Courses on hip-hop in African-American culture should not count." According to Chew, the Curriculum Committee has discussed the proposal with representatives from the academic review board and the various language departments. Senior Cecilia Chen, an American Studies major, would like Asian-American and Latino courses to count towards the culture option. "I cannot speak for every person, but I can say this: the inclusion of Asian-American and [Latino] courses as part of the culture option is simply an issue of equality," Chen said. "The fact that [these courses] do not fulfill this requirement, while Native-American, African-American, Jewish-American, and deaf culture classes do, is an exclusionary and discriminatory policy." Inouye suggested an alternate solution that may address some of Chen's complaints. "People who do American Studies, especially ethnic studies, want to have this [proposal] validated, and I don't blame them," Inouye said. "What I propose is to take the world civilizations requirement and split it into Western and non-Western requirements, which would allow classes like Asian and Latin-American studies to count." Chew said the changes she advocates should be only the first step in curriculum change. "The present proposal does not address a larger issue which the faculty has dismissed for some time, but has yet to come unanswered -- which is, what should happen to the foreign language requirement and culture option, as well as other requirements for Tufts degrees," she said. Chew said that faculty who vote against the proposed changes would be supporting "the exclusion, discrimination, and disparate treatment" of Asian-American and Latino students, culture, and curriculum. If the proposal is passed in January, senior senator and supporter Noris Chavarria expected the changes to be reflected quickly. "Classes in Asian and Latin-American studies would start to count toward the culture option probably as soon as the voting has taken place and the academic review board has passed it," he said.

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News

Popular bank's existence is Fleeting

November 24

The Bank of America Corporation, based in North Carolina, recently made a deal to buy out FleetBoston Financial Group, eliminating the last of the dominant Boston banks. This deal will erase the famous Fleet name, allowing Bank of America to take over in New England. Fleet's history dates back centuries to the late 1700s, when Boston banks financed the shipping and textile industries. Then known as the Massachusetts Bank, it became the first federally chartered bank in the United States. "This is a merger that makes a lot of sense, combining banks that operate in similar consumer sectors but in different geographic areas," Tufts Economics Professor George Norman told USA Today. The Fleet-Bank of America merger has great implications for the city of Boston, including the thousands of college students who currently live in the area and use Fleet accounts. Being a Fleet customer is currently extremely easy at the University: there are two Fleet ATM machines centrally positioned in the Mayer Campus Center. Students are constantly seen taking out twenties before running to catch the shuttle, grabbing a bite to eat from Hotung, or walking to class. "Having my bank's ATM in the Campus Center makes things so much easier," sophomore Jessica Schwartz said. Schwartz, who is from Florida, decided to open a Fleet account upon arriving at Tufts. (Fleet Bank has few branches outside of the Northeast.) For students like Schwartz who hail from Fleet-less regions, the Bank of America merger is beneficial. "I went to Australia last year and had to use my mom's Bank of America card," senior Joy Reines said. "To make a Fleet transaction over there would have cost me five dollars every time I used an ATM, but Bank of America has a sister bank 'down under' so there was conveniently no charge to use a Bank of America card." As Reines's experience illustrates, the Fleet-Bank of America merger could make bank transactions abroad and in other parts of the country (such as the Midwest and South, where Bank of America originated) hassle free and less expensive. "[The merger] will be a good thing for me," freshman and Fleet accountholder Casey Beck said. "We don't have Fleet in Florida, where I'm from. Thanks to the merger, I'll be able to take care of financial things even over breaks: I can just go to a local Bank of America branch, instead of having to call Fleet." According to an investment representative at the Somerville Fleet Bank, "for customers who have Fleet cards already, the transition should not affect them at all. The name will change but logically speaking, [their accounts] will just transfer to Bank of America -- it's just a small transition." The representative was not allowed to give any information about the specific logistics of the takeover by Bank of America: "The transition will begin sometime late next year, possibly around June, and all the information will be revealed around then," he said. Though students will be able to keep their Fleet student checking accounts, whether fees will change has not yet been decided. According to statements by Fleet officials, details on how Fleet's accounts will be restructured will not be announced until late 2004. Most students currently using Fleet maintain that they would be willing to keep their current account as long as the prices did not increase and the quality of service did not decline. "As long as they don't raise the prices or mess up my money, it's fine," sophomore and Fleet accountholder Liz Halperin said. For many New England residents, however, the takeover of Fleet goes beyond the worries of what will happen to their savings accounts and ATM cards. "Oh no!" sophomore Jackie Stone, who grew up near Boston, said. "As a sports fan, I'm upset: I don't want them to change 'the Fleet Center' to 'the Bank of America Center.'" According to the Boston Globe, many other Boston residents, including Boston College Historian Thomas O'Connor, are upset by the disappearance of a Boston institution. "I see this as one of a series of what I would regard as unfortunate movements of what had been essentially home-based and home-owned corporations now becoming either nationalized or internationalized," O'Connor told The Globe. Some view the merger's nationalized implications more positively, however: "This merger also has the potential to spur the next merger wave in the financial sector after a two to three year period of relative quiet," Norman told USA Today, adding that "there are several other super-regional banks that could now appear as attractive targets for major banks looking to further extend their reach." Patrice Taddonio contributed to this report. @keywords:

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News

Tufts re-accredited by the NEASC

November 24

After a detailed self-study and peer evaluation, Tufts received its re-accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). The purpose of accreditation is twofold, according Charles Cook, Director of NEASC's Commission on Higher Education. First, it serves to "give public insurance of institutional quality," and second, as a "self-reflective exercise" it is a guide for future improvement. According to Cook, Tufts received "as positive a reaction as possible". There was no real risk of not being accredited, according to President Larry Bacow. "Institutions of [Tufts'] quality are always re-accredited," he said. NEASC's strategy for accrediting colleges is based on a set of 11 standards, including Mission, Faculty, Physical Facilities, Student Services, Public Disclosure, and Financial Resources. The Commission's final report noted both the strengths and weaknesses of the University. The strengths include "Substantial expansion of libraries and endowment, goals for need-blind admissions, expansion of library systems, high levels of integrity and transparency." However, the report also revealed some concerns in terms of housing, advising and maintenance. The report said Tufts housing is "inadequate," and that the "faculty advising and relationship infrastructure is not completely in tune with new collaborative progressive mission." The report also noted a "backlog of maintenance costs." The institution seeking accreditation or re-accreditation must first prepare a paper addressing each of the standards, and must repeat the process every ten years. Tufts delayed its re-accreditation process for a year because President Bacow had just taken office in 2002 when the process was originally due. "[It] highlights the astonishing transformation of Tufts from a good New England college to a great university," Gittleman said. "It's a great documented history of where we've come from. The kids are only here four years; they just get snapshots of change. In the last 20 years, Tufts has seen nothing short of a miracle." The study is an instrument of self-diagnosis rather than of comparison to other institutions, said University Professor Sol Gittleman, who served as provost during two previous rounds of re-accreditation, in 1982 and 1992, and co-chaired the 2003 process. In preparing its report, Tufts drew together 11 committees to represent each of these standards. The committees were composed of 250-300 faculty, staff, and administrators from all areas of the University. Once the self-study had been completed, a committee made up of 12-15 representatives from other colleges and universities visited Tufts to perform its own assessment of the standards. James Wright, the president of Dartmouth College, led Tufts' assessment team. Dawn Terkla, the committee's other co-chair and Executive Director of Institutional Research, highlighted specific areas of Tufts' improvement over the past 10 years, including upgrading of physical facilities, a rise in academic standards and retention rates, and the addition of an undergraduate advising dean. Gittleman emphasized the role of transparency in the self-study. "You have to address all the issues that are out there," he said. Bacow said that overall the committee agreed with the study's self assessment and made only minor suggestions. According to Terkla, areas cited by the evaluating team as foci for further expansion included a master plan for space planning and a restructuring of faculty governance. In the past, Terkla said, "Tufts' reputation has lagged behind its greatness. [But now] people are beginning to recognize Tufts for what we really are." The Task Force on the Undergraduate Experience helped the course of the self-study. According to Bacow, "we use[d] the task force as a way of responding" to the requirements of re-accredidation. Bacow created the Task Force as a way to study the University, and the self-study for re-accredidation, though not directly related, did draw on some of the same information.

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News

Class Council budget takes hit from forgeries, vandalism

November 24

The forged tickets and broken bus window at the Senior Pub Night on Nov. 13 will affect the prices of future Senior Class Council events, including Senior Week, and may strain the University's relationship with the bar involved. The Senior Class Council has a budgeted gross expenditure of $171,788. Its income from event ticket sales is budgeted at $134,300, leaving approximately $37,488 to be subsidized by the Tufts Community Union (TCU). Because of the broken bus window, the Council has already been forced to dip into its TCU subsidy in order to pay the $500 in damages. To make up the difference, future events, including Senior Week, will come at a higher price to students. TCU Treasurer Josh Belkin explained the dilemma. "They have already spent a portion of [the subsidy] unexpectedly. Seniors do not pay the real cost at Senior Week and now the amount of subsidies is less," he said. Senior Week, sponsored by the Senior Class Council the week after final exams in the spring semester, involves trips and other events for seniors prior to Commencement. It is typically the largest expense of the Class Council, and a lower budget would result in fewer or lower quality events during the week. According to Assistant Director of Student Activities Ed Cabellon, "more pub nights may not be financially possible if we want affordable Senior Week tickets." The first issue that arose at pub night, which was held at the Hong Kong Restaurant and Bar in Harvard Square, involved 60-80 falsified tickets. Cabellon said that door managers continued to let people in even after the problem was recognized. This led to an overcrowding of the bar and eventually officials at the Hong Kong became angry with the group, Cabellon said. The Hong Kong can accommodate 375 people, and Cabellon added that tickets were oversold. At 12:30 a.m., once everyone had entered the bar, an informal count revealed that there were between 60 and 80 forged tickets. The Hong Kong is part of a chain that Tufts frequents, and Cabellon said he is concerned about the school's reputation following the incidents. Class Council member Courtney Benson said that "many people who forged tickets have been determined already and appropriate action is being taken against them." According to Cabellon, the sophisticated ticket machine that was unavailable for the last pub night has since been fixed. Though many students have called for larger venues for future events, Cabellon said that this would come at a price. Many larger bars require a room rental fee, which can approach $10,000. Other smaller venues, however, only require a bar guarantee, where the sponsor guarantees the pub will make a certain amount, and if not, the organization covers the gap. This guarantee is generally around $5,000. In addition, many of the larger bars, such as Sophia's near Fenway Park, have expensive drinks, which caused many complaints at a previous pub night. After the Sophia's pub night earlier this semester, Cabellon said he advised the students to choose the Hong Kong for future events. He thought the Hong Kong might be better for students because there, "they would sacrifice the number of people for the cost of drinks." The second incident involved a student allegedly putting a fist or an arm through one of the windows in a Vocell company bus. Because of the incident the company is now asking for security deposits when the University requests to use the buses. Vocell is a company used by many student organizations for transportation to and from events off campus, and Cabellon was concerned how this would affect Tufts' image with respect to local businesses. However, Vocell CEO Paul Goodman said, "We absolutely love Tufts. This is an isolated incident that I haven't seen [before] in my 20-year relationship with the University." He added that the drivers continue to respect Tufts and that the incident will have no effect on continued business. Goodman said that typical protocol for an incident such as this is to fine the organization $500 because "the window was pretty mangled." The Senior Class Council has received the bill for the damages. Class Council member Caroline Postel said the perpetrator has not been determined, but "at this point we're just trying to move on from it."

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News

Before You Run

November 24

A decision is not really a decision unless it is made by the one doing the deciding. Decisions are often hijacked by one of at least two forces. Either an unruly mob sweeps someone up in a frenzied cloud to "just do it", or a cantankerous moralist browbeats someone into "doing the right thing" on their say-so alone. This column is an attempt to avoid both. As someone who attended the Naked Quad Run his freshman year, and lived in a West Hall quad his sophomore year, I have gotten to see the NQR inside and out, as it were -- though I have never actually run. But despite being a simple observer, perhaps I can still help those out there trying to decide on the perennial Tufts question, "Should I run the Run?" Everybody's got to make their own choice of course, so I am not going to tell anyone what to do. But everyone should know just what they would be getting themselves into. Here are a few observations that, while perhaps obvious, tend to be obscured in the run-up to the Run. You will be very, very cold. This is often underestimated. Our bulky clothes and puffy jackets deceive us as to how hard the frost can chomp down on bare flesh. You can test this yourself in the days ahead. Perhaps do a test run around the house after Thanksgiving, when the turkey has knocked everyone out. During the run, if you fall down or cut yourself (as several do) you will find the cold ground unforgiving and the night air just biting all the more. After the run, unless you have carried them with you, you may have to hunt around for your clothes. You will most likely lose at least one article of clothing. After a run, the basement of West looks more like the basement of Filene's. You will be photographed. There is just no doubt about this one. Someone will capture you on their digital camera. While you may be drunk, many of those watching you will be quite sober. And they will be armed and ready, as I was as a punk freshman, to get good shots. Do not let the run fool you into thinking you will be in perpetual motion, too fast to be seen. Corners can only be taken so quickly, and the larger crowds gather there to watch the slow-down. Nor does the run always go so smoothly. Traffic is traffic, and if someone gets backed up, everyone gets backed up. The mad-dash streak is at times reduced to an awkward crawl. And there you are, naked, strolling by minor acquaintances and grinning townies. Even if you are too quick for the naked eye, the unblinking camera can still catch your naked tush. Not only might you enter someone's "special collection", there is a chance you will make it to the public domain. A movie of the 1999 NQR was, three years ago, making the rounds of the file-sharing network on campus. Whether this movie or any others are still circulating, I do not know. But considering that digital cameras have only gotten cheaper and more popular since then, the chances are good. You will be buck-naked. Too obvious? Sometimes the most obvious is slowest to sink in. Who do you usually take off your clothes with? Most of the time we will not even think about it unless it is someone we trust. Even close roommates do not casually walk around naked at home. No, we usually carefully guard our nudity, because to be naked is to be vulnerable. Lovers understand this especially. They naturally go off to secluded places, just the two of them. In private they disrobe. Deep intimacy makes them feel safe enough to reveal their whole selves to each other. To be nude is to hide nothing, to hold nothing back. When you are naked with one other person in an intimate way, you are (even without realizing it) sending a powerful message. You are saying, "I want you to be so close to me that I will not allow any barrier between us; even if I have to be my most vulnerable, I want you to know that you are worth more to me than any possible humiliation." The vulnerability of nudity is what makes it such an awesome gift. This is, incidentally, why married couples can have such powerful sex lives. They do not need to hold any intimacy back, because they do not have to worry about being laughed at or cheated on or thrown away - there is no audition here. The permanently married can be vulnerable with reckless abandon. Because of this, to a husband and wife, their partner's naked body is a truly beautiful thing. But in the sticky, sweaty basement of West and among the teeming crowds outside, the naked human body is just -- a thing. What could be a precious gift to a lover becomes a public give-away, free for all. You do not get to choose who sees you naked. Either while tightly packed in the basement with 200 naked bodies or hopping around in front of 2000 clothed bodies, you can be sure that someone you know, someone you do not know, and someone you wish you did not know is going to get a good long look at you. There are other things about the run that could be noted, of course, that occur with varying frequency -- broken bones, gropings, fire alarm pulls, and the like. But the universal elements have been covered, hopefully well enough to provide runners with a decent informed consent. So, should you run the Run? The discerning reader can no doubt predict what my recommendation would be. For those still undecided I will leave one last thought. Given that this year the Administration is co-sponsoring a "Nighttime Quad Reception", it is quite likely a few Administrators will be present at the Run (perhaps on an NQR Trustee Observation Deck?) So before you run, ask yourself this question: Do I really want Dean Bruce Reitman to see my privies? Jack Grimes is a senior majoring in Philosophy and Political Science. He can be reached via e-mail at grimes@tuftsdaily.com. @keywords: @jump:see GRIMES, page ????

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News

Jumbos drop first two at home

November 24

The hockey season got off to a bit of a rocky start for Tufts as it dropped two straight home games at Malden Forum. The Jumbos fell to the St. Michael's Purple Knights on Saturday, 6-4, and to the defending national champion Norwich Cadets on Friday night, 9-4. The squad's record now sits at 0-2. Last season, Tufts traveled to Vermont to take on these two proven programs, and the results were a little more in the Jumbos' favor. They beat St. Michael's 6-3 and took that momentum into Norwich where they battled mightily before falling 5-3. Saturday's loss to St. Michael's was Tufts' first in five match ups with the Purple Knights. The story of this one was the number of penalties each side incurred. There were 20 between them, and seven of the ten goals in the game were of either the power play or shorthanded variety. "We felt we were pretty evenly matched with St. Michael's," coach Brian Murphy said. "But talent alone doesn't win games." Junior forward John Hurd picked up where he left off last year as the Jumbos' leading goal scorer (along with junior and senior co-captains Shawn Sullivan and Pat Byrne with 12) as he had two goals, one on the first period and one in the second. He had also netted another one a day earlier. Sophomore forward Matt McCarthy and sophomore defenseman Jack Thompson also found the net in the game. On the defensive end of the ice, senior goaltender Ben Crapser turned away 29 of 35 shots and played the whole game -- something that couldn't be said Friday night when he got pulled in the second period in favor of sophomore Matt Ninneman. But Murphy does not leave the blame to the man between the pipes. "We gave up three tipped goals in front of our net to these guys, and that is something we had worked on in practice," he said. "Also, we were in the penalty box way too much. If we are on the penalty kill as much as we were, we can't blame the defense or the goalies." The penalties he referred to are the 25 that Tufts alone had in the two games. The Norwich game was more tightly contested than the 9-4 score indicates, as the Jumbos went into the first intermission down only 3-2 to a very talented and deep team. Jumbo goals were claimed by sophomore forwards Adam Delaney-Winn and Ken Cleary, as well as sophomore defenseman Pat Walsh and Hurd. Delaney-Winn's goal in the first period, assisted by Byrne, knotted the score at 2-2 with seven minutes to play. But five more unanswered goals by the Cadets in the second period thwarted any hope of a Jumbos comeback and sealed the fate of Crapser for the night. Crapser left after giving up seven goals on 21 shots. Ninneman came in and was a bit steadier, yielding only two goals on 20 shots. "Norwich is clearly a better team," Murphy said. "We feel we have a chance going into any game, but that is a tough one to win." On the whole, Murphy says the team still has a lot of things to work on and there is much to learn from this past weekend's games. "We played undisciplined in both games," he said. "The effort was there and our guys were working hard, but they were just playing a little bit out of control. But there is nothing to panic about. We know we can play better, and we need to play better." Tonight at 6:30 at Malden Forum the Jumbos face off with another non league opponent, this time the Southern New Hampshire Penmen. They are currently 3-1 in the ECAC Northeast division. @jump: see HOCKEY, page ??

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News

What does it take to see our President?

November 24

In 1800, a letter to the President would have most certainly guaranteed a personal reply from none other than John Adams himself. In 2003, mail rarely reaches the White House and instead is irradiated in some out-of-the-way suburban office park (and even then it sits for months). E-mail barely gets through unless you choose whether it is a "supporting comment," "differing opinion," or "general comment." American Democracy is a great thing. Remember when the White House was the People's House and Congress was open to all? Now these great democratic institutions have gone the way of their European counterparts: one can not even enter the European Parliament in Strasbourg to use the lavatory when Parliament is not in session, no less see a delegate. With optimism and faith in our government, I was somehow confident that I would be able to see President Bush on his trip to London, where I happen to be studying for the year. First, I phoned the US Embassy, where my call was bounced around, put on and off hold, and finally transferred to the press office. Not being a journalist, I was told to call back in a few weeks. Undeterred, I figured my chances would be much greater if I rang up the White House directly. Presumably, the White House staff would be accustomed to handling such requests from people interested in seeing the President on his travels. Someone must be able to help me out, right? I called the switchboard and was put through to scheduling. I was told flat out that the president's schedule is not released and that they could do nothing for me. But I am a constituent and I just want to hear a speech! How can Mr. Bush be President if he never sees a voter? Grudgingly, I was given the number of the Press Secretary's office -- the phone system was too complicated to transfer calls -- though it was that clear I am not a reporter. I was then redirected to the Press Office, and finally transferred to the Presidential Advance Office. Regardless of whom I spoke with, people seemed flustered at the thought of a non-reporter wanting to see the president. Clearly, it was an inconvenience to speak with an ordinary citizen. I developed a contact in the Presidential Advance Office, and called weekly to see if my request was making progress. I am not looking to protest, expecting private time, or even a handshake. I just wanted to see him speak in the flesh about something of substance (it is not hard to come up with a topic: Iraq, the economy, healthcare, corporate accountability...). Unfortunately, Mr. Bush will also never see "ordinary" Brits, aside from the vetted few invited to a scripted pub lunch. His advance office said that between 50 and 100 requests for tickets to see the President in London were received, but none of the requesters received one -- not even a few tickets were offered by lottery. This small number of requests is miniscule, relative to the 286 million Americans, yet no concerted effort is made to connect Mr. Bush to the people he represents, at least not the four million Americans overseas. The President proclaims his respect for protestors, yet he never sees them. Coming in to the airport, he was whisked off in a helicopter, high above and out of touch with the millions of Londoners below. White House Press Pool reports say that the hecklers are heard inside Buckingham Palace. While the palace may have started as a townhouse in 1837, it has more than 600 rooms today and I very much doubt the voices carried to Mr. Bush's royal suite. Mr. Bush misses out on so much beyond his isolated and controlled existence. For a man said to be so personable, he seems to avoid his constituents -- why can he not meet with a patriotic American citizen who wants to hear his President? If our last President could give a speech to 750,000 Africans under a brutal sun and work a rope-line, surely Mr. Bush could meet a Londoner or two, or maybe just an American studying abroad? After being in New Hampshire for the summer, I have seen how easy it is to meet presidential candidates. But now I have to ask: once the nominations are decided, do candidates stop being real people and just become talking heads that schlep from one television spectacle to the next? The President of the United States' actions are anything but irrelevant to the world, but does he see the effects of his presidency? George W. Bush does not read the nine newspapers that Eisenhower read daily, pay attention to polls, or meet his constituents -- so how is he representing me, or my fellow Americans? So perhaps I was na??ve to think I could see the President. Even after this experience, I still struggle with the enormity of my final conclusion. Could it really be that one simply cannot see a sitting President without being a carefully vetted partisan? And yes of course -- I too am partisan -- but first and foremost I am a patriot. I am an American citizen. And after all is said and done, he is still my president. Jonathan Kruesi is a junior majoring in Economics

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News

The ubiquitous question: What is a Bare Bodkin?

November 24

What is a bodkin? And more importantly: What is a bare bodkin? A bare bodkin is the head of a sewing needle and is also an allusion to Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Why is this information prudent to the Tufts' community? Such definitions are only the foundation of one of Tufts' newest theatrical organizations, The Bare Bodkin Theatre Company, which presented its 1st Annual Ten-Minute Play Festival Saturday night. The Bare Bodkin Theatre Company is devoted to providing an outlet for student playwrights and directors to perform their work on and off campus. The Company is a "found-space" theatre company which has to date performed everywhere from Barnum 008 to the basement of Houston Hall and most recently brought the Ten-Minute Play Festival to Hotung Caf?©. Student directors, writers, and actors came together at this special theatrical happening to perform scenes written by both students and established playwrights. From mimes to monologues, the Festival was a non-stop evening of creative expression. "I was very pleased to see the culmination of so many people involved in so many productions," Artistic Director Marc Frost said. "I was really happy with the size of the crowd [in the audience] and I think the night had a great flow and energy to it." Says performer Dave Adler, "I had a really good time....It was a [performing] experience I couldn't have had outside of Bodkin." So what can audiences expect next? "The evening demonstrated that if we're going to perform in Hotung, we need to choose louder plays," Frost said. Tufts audiences will definitely be listening. -- by Jennifer Gerson

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News

Glater discusses Supreme Court Ruling

November 24

Approximately thirty Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) students, faculty and their allies crowded the LGBT center last night to hear Associate Political Science Professor Marilyn Glater discuss the recent Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) ruling regarding homosexual marriage in Massachusetts. On Tuesday, Nov. 18, Massachusetts' highest court declared that it was unconstitutional for homosexuals to be denied the right to marriage based solely on their sexual preference. The landmark 4-3 ruling has sparked rabid debate among groups on and off campus. The LGBT Center scheduled Glater to speak in order to help clarify the specific details regarding the SJC's decision. Glater opened the discussion with a brief background regarding the legal process in Massachusetts. She noted that while the state has deemed a ban on homosexual marriage unconstitutional, a theoretical amendment to the federal constitution could overturn the decision. Glater said that the SJC's ruling does not explain what agenda the other two branches of government -- the executive and the legislative -- may wish to push. Because the legislative branch has 180 days to respond to the court's decision and agree upon a way to enforce it, its response is unclear as of now. The executive branch, however, has already announced its stance. Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has claimed that some ambiguous wording in the SJC's ruling would allow the state to accept homosexual civil unions -- but not extend full marriage rights. "I believe a civil-union type provision would be sufficient," he said Thursday. Glater discussed the consequences and possible implications of the court ruling. She said that the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) of 1996 could incite chaos should gay couples begin marrying in Massachusetts. The DOMA essentially asserts that individual states within the country do not have to follow or adhere to other states' rulings regarding marriage. Complications could arise should a married gay couple in Massachusetts decide to move elsewhere. She said that politicians -- on both the state and national level -- may try to amend constitutions in 2006 so that they explicitly define marriage solely as between a man and a woman. Should this definition of marriage be incorporated into the federal constitution, the Massachusetts ruling would technically become illegal and would be dropped. In her discussion, Glater described the possible chaos this could impose upon the country. She envisioned several scenarios, including a massive de-recognition of marriage certificates that would have been awarded until 2006. During the lengthy question and answer period, students and faculty addressed many of these issues, and sought to gain more clarification from Glater. Glater concluded the discussion by saying that "homosexual marriage is but one of a range of fairly recent human rights issues." She added that "all of these battles -- women's rights, racial equality, etc -- are built on each other. None of them are unrelated." Glater said it would be crucial for straight people to help further the cause of homosexual marriage, much the way men need to support women's rights. She said the key would be changing the language of the discourse surrounding homosexual issues. Glater believes that many people do not have personal contact with homosexuals, and that they don't necessarily have accurate knowledge of LGBT issues. As an example, Glater mentioned a recent study that showed that 42 percent of Americans believe that, contrary to scientific evidence, sexual orientation is a choice people consciously make.

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News

Jumbos start season 1-1

November 24

The women's basketball team opened its 2003-2004 season at the Montclair State (MSU) Tip-Off Tournament in Upper Montclair, NJ. The team went 1-1 on the weekend, blowing out Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham (FDU-Florham) 84-49 Saturday, but falling to host MSU 77-73 in the down-to-the-wire championship game the next day. Tufts trailed MSU 73-63 with ten minutes remaining in Sunday' final, but unlike many times last year, the Jumbos turned on instead of off under adversity and orchestrated a last ditch attempt at victory in the final minutes. The Jumbos were within four when junior Allison Love drained a field goal with less than one minute remaining. Freshman Valerie Krah, playing in just her second collegiate game, deadlocked the score at 73 with 33 seconds to go. "It was a great fight at the end of the game," coach Carla Berube said. "It was great to see we still had some fire in us. We turned up the defensive pressure and made it hard for them to get it over half court." However, the Red Hawks were not to go down without a fight. Freshman Stephanie Machin (who would later earn Tournament MVP honors after her 17 points and 7 rebounds in the championship game) launched a short jumper over the heads of the Tufts defenders to put MSU ahead 75-73 in the waning moments of the game. Tufts had a final opportunity to tie it up and send the game into overtime, but the jump shot fell short and a foul against the Jumbos was issued on the play. The Red Hawks scored the final two points just before the game-ending buzzer. Though the effort ended in Tufts' first loss of the season and a second-place finish in the tournament, the team received performances from several player that give the Jumbos reason to be optimistic. Verplank was named to the All-Tournament team with 13 points, five assists and five steals in the championship, as well as 12 points and six steals from Saturday's game. "Julia is playing very well," Berube said. "She came back in great shape and confident from last season. It's great to see her leading our team. She plays hard and is one of the defenders that really put a lot of pressure on the ball. She has great instincts." Love accounted for 11 of the Jumbos' 73 points against the Red Hawks and had 13 the previous day against FDU-Florham. Senior tri-captains Kate Gluckman and Erin Buckley contributed to the weekend's efforts as Buckley scored 11 points on Sunday, and Gluckman lead the Jumbo attack on Saturday with a team-high 14. Freshmen Valerie Krah and Danielle Vardaro each broke into college basketball with a bang. Krah finished with 12 points on Saturday and had a clutch performance against MSU by tying the game with under a minute left on Sunday. Vardaro had a team-high 12 rebounds in Saturday's game. "[Krah and Vardaro] both played well in their first college game," Berube said. "All of the freshmen did. Danielle is a tough, strong girl on the post and that's why she ended up with 12 rebounds in 14 minutes. Val is just a pure shooter and a great scorer." Tufts earned its first win of the season against FDU-Florham Saturday in the first round of the tournament. The Devils were trampled by the Jumbos early on as Tufts scored 20 points in the first eight minutes of play. On the run, Powers had five points while Verplank and Love each netted four. "We came out really strong," Berube said. "I liked the defensive intensity, the aggressiveness we played with. It was great to have all 12 active players getting a lot of time and we defiantly outplayed and outworked [FDU-Florham]." The Tufts run-and-gun defense lived up to its expectations in this game. The Jumbos forced the Devils to turn the ball over 36 times accounting for many of Tufts' 84 points. "[With] the pressure defense that we play, we got a lot of steals and didn't let them set up their offence many times," Berube said. The Jumbos will square off tonight versus Johnson and Wales in their first home game of the season, coming off last year's 72-41 thrashing of the Wildcats. Berube feels that despite last season's success, the team will have to do a few things better this time around. "They have some pretty good athletes that get up and down the floor," Berube said. "Last year we played to their tempo for a while and that can be a little helter skelter. This year we want to play our game. It will be great to play at home and leave for Thanksgiving 2-1 and feeling good."

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News

Preseason NIT Takes Over

November 24

Preseason tournaments are a way for coaches to get their young teams a taste of March Madness in the first month of the season. Unlike professional basketball, a NCAA head coach has to deal with losing many of his players every year to both the NBA draft and graduation. And while the incoming freshmen would normally be physically mature by most people's standards, many of them are physically underdeveloped compared to the college "veterans." These preseason tournaments, such as the Preseason NIT, the Maui Invitational, and the Great Alaska Shootout, help to get teams to bond and to create battle-tested players before the tough conference schedules begin in January. The Preseason NIT is the premier preseason tournament, holding its final at Madison Square Garden and features some of the first games of the college basketball season. UConn's Huskies

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Another thing you can't buy with a dollar

November 23

Starting in January 2004, the MBTA will implement a 25 percent increase in T fare, changing the rate from $1 to $1.25 per ride. This spike in prices will have implications for Tufts students (and their wallets), many of whom, dissatisfied with the quality of social life on campus, are increasingly traveling into Boston. According to officials, the MBTA is implementing the fare increase in order to maintain "current levels of service." The fare increase is the MBTA's latest attempt to deal with a struggling economy, a decrease in riders, and a rising debt. The increase comes at a time where Tufts students are more frequently venturing into Boston in search of parties. Though the University tries to offer students a variety of engaging activities as alternatives to the scaled-down fraternity scene, many students find the party scene at Tufts inadequate and often use the T to find "better" parties in Boston. "People go into Boston because nothing exciting happens here," sophomore Felipe De Brigard said. Freshman Racquel Davey agreed. "There are just more things to do off campus." Unsurprisingly, very few students are enthusiastic about the change: "You've got to pay that extra quarter, and it adds up," Davey said. But Davey, like many other students, has no choice: "I have no other form of transportation," he added. "I don't have enough money," De Brigard said. "But it's mandatory for me to take the T three times a week. I'll have to change the way I organize my expenses." Other Tufts students see the fare hike as more of an annoyance than anything else. "I'll just have to grab a quarter on the way out," freshman Adam Heller said. "But it's still not as bad as New York City." Even with the hike, Boston subway fares are some of the lowest in the country. In New York a one-way ride on the MTA costs $2. Students are also concerned about the increase in motor vehicle traffic that could result from a price increase in the T. An increase in vehicle use around the Boston area, they feel, could only add to the related problems of drunken driving, traffic, parking, and pollution. "Traffic in Boston is bad enough," senior Keara Conway said. "Now parking is going to get even worse." One group that is especially worried about an increase in T prices is environmentalists. They fear that the fare increase will add to the congestion in Boston's already overcrowded streets, worsening the city's environmental situation and adding pollution to the air. "I can't imagine that the Big Dig isn't causing major harm to the environment in Boston," Heller said. "Now this price increase will put even more people into cars." Environmental concerns aside, most students have no choice but to deal with the increase. Exceptions to that rule, however, are those students with cars. "The fare hike probably won't affect me and my friends," Conway said. "Most of us have cars." Through the fare increase, the MBTA is hoping to generate between 25 and 41 million dollars for the struggling transportation program. This increase comes three years after the MBTA was forced to limit spending under a state mandated annual budget. Before 2000, the MBTA had no spending limits, operating under a blank check system in which a bill was sent to the state at the end of every fiscal year to cover its expenses. In a town once famous for its fare increase protests, there has been little public debate on this year's fare hike. Many feel that other options - including comprehensive studies of possible alternatives and the negative effects this policy will have on riders and the environment -- should have been exhausted before enacting the fare increase. While raising fares seems to be an obvious answer to a rising debt problem, a fare hike might actually scare away riders, compounding the problem. In September, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney controversially overturned a state law barring fare hikes in any year with a four percent decrease in ridership. The price increase from $1 to $1.25 for the T and $.75 to $.90 for the bus is expected to go into effect January 1, 2004.

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