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The Setonian
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Jack Grimes | Is it true?

November 3

In the sixteenth century play Doctor Faustus -- which just closed this weekend -- audiences saw a man sell his soul for the kind of power that, oddly enough, we today consider commonplace. Faustus wanted to enjoy feasts of rich foods at a whim, control nature's elements, and know hidden facts about foreign subjects. And in the days before unlimited dining hall meal plans, air conditioning, and Google, it makes sense that a man would turn to supernatural forces to meet his desire for power. In the play, the devil gladly receives Faustus' soul and provides the requested spells and magic without second thought or further bargaining. The lesser devil Mephistopheles seems almost bored with Faustus' obsession over his newfound power, but most concerned that Faustus not take back his soul. In the devil's economy, the value of even god-like power is nearly nil compared to the market price of souls. But why? What would the devil want with someone's soul, anyway? The devil, as he has always been understood by Christians (and Jews and Muslims), is not a god. God, as the giver of existence to all things and the only truly independent being, cannot have a rival independent of him. If God is the creator, then everything else -- including the devil -- must be a creature. Some creatures are greater than others, though. Just as men and women are more complex and more capable creatures than rocks or squirrels or apes, so might there be creatures in creation greater than humans. These creatures are said to have no bodies but only minds, beings of pure intelligence and will that take up no material space. They are called "spirits" or "angels". The devil and all lesser devils are, in this sense, angels. Faustus believes that the immaterial existence of such creatures makes them controllable by human will. When Mephistopheles appears to him, he assumes his own "conjuring speeches" forced the devil there. Mephistopheles responds, "That was the cause, but yet only the immediate, not the ultimate cause. For when we hear one torture the name of God, abjure his scriptures, and his servant Christ, we fly in hope to get his glorious soul." But why are they so ravenously attracted? What is their motive? Faustus, as the deal for his soul approaches, himself asks, "Stay, Mephistopheles, and tell me, what good will my soul do thy lord [the devil]?" The lesser devil responds simply: "Enlarge his kingdom." The story behind the devil, Lucifer, is that he is an angel who has declared himself an enemy to God. His "kingdom" is the mass of lesser angels he took with him in rebellion against the kingdom led by God. It would be a mistake, I think, to look at these two warring kingdoms of God and of the devil as if they were like two political parties, like the Democrats and the Republicans (though an analogy is too often drawn by the candidates of each!). Political parties seek to "enlarge their kingdoms," but only for the purpose of getting votes, and thus remaining in office. But the devil has no reason to be popular, nor would an almighty God need to do well in the polls. If God created everything by his own power, then no created thing can add anything to his power, nor give him any service he could not already do himself. So why is the common picture that both sides are competing for our membership? God could easily enlarge his kingdom by force. If he created creatures, he can make them do whatever he wishes, as we might use tools for whatever we will. But if we are being asked to join God, then God must not be using force. Puppets are not asked for consent. Consent, by definition, cannot be forced. Someone can force you to do what they say, but they can never force you to submit to it. Someone submits when they make the free choice to willingly go along. You cannot, we all know, make somebody love you. So if God is giving people the choice to follow him, he must want beings united to him freely, in love. But if God is really all-good and seeks our good as well, why would anyone not choose him? Why did Lucifer rebel? I think the best explanation is the one seen in John Milton's Paradise Lost. There, Lucifer does not rebel because of any injustice on God's part. He rebels because he simply cannot stand that there is a God. He hates the fact that any being might actually be more important than himself. He, like Faustus, seeks to make himself the center of all the world. But in seeking to usurp the very God that gave him his existence, Lucifer saws off the branch he was sitting on and casts himself out of God's presence. It is very hard to be around someone you know is better than yourself when you wish you were the best of all. "It is better to reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven." It is also very hard to love someone if all you can think about is yourself. Since Lucifer is so stuck on his own self-importance, his motive for enlarging his kingdom cannot be like God's motive. It is the difference between wanting to love someone and wanting to own someone. The latter desire often masquerades as the former, but we can see the desire to dominate most clearly when we argue. Often we do not just want to reach the right conclusion; we want our opponent to reach our conclusion. We want others to talk like us, act like us, and think like us -- almost become extensions of us. Whereas God desires a family of distinct individuals, Lucifer seeks a corporation of homogenized slaves. C.S. Lewis sums up the difference through the words of a fictional devil: "We want cattle who can finally become food; He wants servants who can finally become sons." Mephistopheles tells Faustus that hell is wherever a devil may be, for hell is the misery of rejecting the love of God and being isolated from him. Lucifer would rather that all beings were miserable if he must be, and desires to force them to be his company. Faustus thinks his expert knowledge and skill wins the devil's attention, but Lucifer is drawn rather by the self-consumed pride Faustus loudly proclaims. As the scent of blood in the ocean draws the shark, the devils come to Faustus seeking prey.

The Setonian
News

No more questions, it's about stability

November 2

For the first five games of the season, the football team's offense featured a two-quarterback rotation with junior Jason Casey starting and sophomore Casey D'Annolfo taking snaps later in the game. However, after the 23-10 loss at Williams game, things changed. Casey finished that contest 8 for 21 for 131 yards and a late game interception, with D'Annolfo finishing 0-4 with two scrambles for three net yards. From then on, offensive coordinator Mike Daly believed the offensive unit as a whole needed consistency. Casey started and took every snap in the 24-17 overtime victory against Amherst, throwing for 227 yards and one touchdown. Last Saturday at Colby, Casey once again took every snap. In the Jumbos' 18-0 win against the White Mules, Casey was 11 for 20 for 111 yards. "It was not anything Casey D'Annolfo did negatively or wrong," Daly said. "We felt Jay Casey was going to give us [consistency]." Daly feels the offense needs consistency in the huddle and on the field, and having a single quarterback, in Casey, provides that. "Jay Casey has been our more consistent performer, that's the guy we chose to go with and has really sparked our offense," Daly said. Interceptions are generally not a part of Casey's stat-line, though he did throw two picks against Colby. As coach Bill Samko said after the Williams game, stats can be deceiving. While Casey did throw two interceptions, Daly said only one was his fault. "One of them was his fault, and the other the receiver ran the wrong pattern and brought an extra safety in," Daly said. "We aren't concerned about any of that stuff. He's playing his guts out and that's all we can ask." To go with the two interceptions, Casey did throw two touchdowns, both of which came inside of the ten yard line. What is especially difficult about touchdown passes inside the 10 yard line is that defenders don't have to cover as much ground and receivers can have a difficult time getting open. While Casey's touchdown passes were thrown to senior quad-captain Tim Mack and senior Matt Cerne, Casey's favorite target this season has been junior Kevin Holland. Holland caught six passes for 64 yards against Colby, always providing a tall target for Casey to hit. Holland has been coming on strong and since Casey has been the consensus starter, Holland has been getting the ball. He has been Tufts' leading receiver all season, but over the last two games he has had 13 receptions. The 13 receptions have gone for 185 yards receiving, a total of 54.7 percent of Casey's total passing yards. "Jay Casey has confidence in [Holland]," Daly said. "They really see each other." Splitting time While junior running back Steve Cincotta is still not 100 percent, according to Daly, "he looked pretty good on Saturday." Mack still received the brunt of handoffs and performed similarly to last week's game, which earned him NESCAC player of the week and the Golden Helmet. He gained 109 yards on 23 carries with one reception for ten yards and a touchdown. However, Cincotta rushed eight times in the second half for 40 yards, an average of five yards a carry. So after the quarterback controversy was solved, is there now a running back controversy? According to Daly, there isn't. "Timmy has really exploded as a guy who really makes stuff happen, makes people miss," Daly said. "Steve really got some good carries in the second half." The thunder and lightening combination of Mack's speed and Cincotta's inside toughness might make Tufts a two running back team for its last game at home against Middlebury. "A one-two punch is how we are looking at it," Daly said.

The Setonian
News

Curtatone banks on experience

November 2

Albion Street seems like a typical Somerville street -- single family homes sit next to duplexes and multiple rental units. When Joe Curtatone campaigned door-to-door, it became ground zero for the upcoming mayoral election. Candidate Joe Curtatone is knocking on each door on Albion Street on a dreary, dark Sunday, trying to reach out to every potential voter. "This is where elections are won and lost," Curtatone says. Before his victory in September's primary, Curtatone knocked every door in the city. Now, he is spending between four and eight hours a day visiting each home again. Ultimately the election may ride the opinions of people like Barbra Wilcox, a middle-aged woman who stared blankly while Curtatone talked about his platform. After a minute, she thanked him warmly for the visit. "Thank you very much, good night," and closed the door. In a race as close as Somerville's -- which both candidates characterized as a dead heat -- each door, each vote could make a difference. Albion Street is a perfect place to find new voters, as it voted heavily, along with the rest of Ward 4, for opponent Tony LaFuente in the primary. Curtatone knows the area as a lifetime resident of the town. He has served the last eight years as one of the city's alderman-at-large and runs a law firm on Bow Street. Although he has been adamant about being "born and raised" in Somerville, he has been forced to distance himself from the former administration. "I supported Dorothy Kelly Gay because I thought she would get the job done," Curtatone said. He said he withdrew his support because of the city's increasing crime rate, high taxes, and mismanagement. Curtatone declared his candidacy in July, the last candidate to enter the race. "This election is about change, but it is also about which one of us has experience and a detailed plan," Curtatone said at a debate last month, referring to LaFuente's status as a political newcomer. Curtatone has advocated for the implementation of "zero-based budgeting," a bi-weekly performance review for city offices. This process will "justify every dollar spent" and allow the city to move monies to the programs that need it. "Taxpayers cannot afford to have departments' budgets expanding each year by a flat percentage increase over last year's expenditures," Curtatone said. As mayor, Curtatone said he will fight the governor's office for more state aid. "How can we expect Tony LaFuente, who until two years ago was a Republican, to oppose [Governor] Romney?" Curtatone said. Another issue is that Somerville needs more revenue. With $16 million in state aid projected to be cut between this year and next, the city is facing a huge shortfall. Curtatone is banking on his support of immediate development of Assembly Square, the largest undeveloped commercial area in the city. "Assembly Square has the potential to be a new economic engine for Somerville and the region," Curtatone said. Throughout his campaign, Curtatone has quoted statistics that the average Somerville homeowner could save $1000 per year as part of the $5 million revenue from Assembly Square. Curtatone also wants to consolidate several city offices and institute a new "311" telephone system for non-emergency requests for emergency services. New York City successfully launched a similar program earlier this year. Throughout the election, Curtatone has emphasized his ties to the community. He is a coach at Somerville High School, and said his one-year old son will attend the city's public schools. "I'm invested in the community," Curtatone said. He noted the LaFuente's children attend private school and have only lived in Somerville the past two years. After upsetting Kelly Gay in the primary, Curtatone has been on the defensive from attacks from LaFuente. LaFuente has attacked Curtatone for be part of a "good old boy" gang with political officials, and for taking out a mortgage to finance his campaign. "[Joe]'s betting his whole life on this race," LaFuente said. It is a charge Curtatone does not deny. According to records from the city clerk's office, Curtatone has spent $118,282 on the race, including $30,000 out of his own pocket. He has taken out newspaper and television ads, and hired political consultants. Curtatone is still very positive about his chances of winning. "I feel very good, confident," he said. In addition to the door knocking, campaign volunteers have been calling potential voters and holding standouts throughout the city to spread his campaign message. "I have hands-on experience that my opponent cannot compete with," he said. "The voters want someone who doesn't need on-the-job training." Curtatone is not just relying on his experience to take the election. Each night until the election, he will be out on the streets of Somerville, trying to get vote after vote. His strategy is simple. "Face to face, one on one contact -- that's how we'll win."

The Setonian
News

Israel's on the mind

November 2

Providing a uniquely un-ideological point of view, Political Science professor Malik Mufti gave a lecture on US foreign policy toward Israel, last Wednesday. The lecture, which was given at Hillel and attended by about 50 people, focused on US interests in Israel. "My take [on the situation] privileges cold hard calculations of national interest over ideological or moral considerations," Mufti said. Hillel President senior Josh Pressman felt the lecture was timely, since foreign policy toward Israel is "not covered enough [in the media] because the focus is on Iraq." Mufti believes that the ongoing conflict is bad for American interests. America is invested in Israel because America wants a democracy in the region, which "could promote the forces of modernization," he said. Mufti stressed that the US does not care about ownership -- "who gets what town"-- or "fairness, as such." The continued conflict, he believes, is harming the American case in Iraq -- "[the conflict] is costing the US in a very real way." According to him, the easiest way to combat anti-American sentiment in the Arab world is to ensure a Palestinian state. Mufti first came to believe that there might be a solution to the conflict while serving in the Jordanian Army during the Lebanon War. Noticing that most of the demonstrations against Israeli atrocities were taking place in Israel, he saw "room for dialogue." Mufti emphasized that the conflict is "not some sort of intrinsic, built-in, atavistic hostility." "[Each side is] not driven to annihilate the other ... they might be happy if that happened, but it's not their practical objective," he said. In the end, according to Mufti, the conflict is about land. He criticized those who attempt to characterize the struggle as having "good and bad side." Specifically, Mufti condemned journalist David Brooks, who contends that the conflict is not a question of land or borders, but a struggle between Israeli liberalism and Palestinian illiberal nationalism. "It's true that Israel is liberal, but that's not why they're fighting," Mufti said. "It is about land -- with a deep religious, cultural, and historical value to each side." Mufti feels that the conflict is "eating away at decent feelings" on both sides. "[The Israeli government] is quasi-Fascist in some elements now - the struggle over land is corrosive of liberal values," he said. Mufti theorized that the conflict continues because "both sides believe there is more to gain by the continued application of force." He said that both the Israeli and Palestinian campaigns are characterized by a desire to make the other side feel that "it's not worth it." According to him the ultimate question will be, "who finally will be able to stomach it more? ... I'd put money on the Palestinians," he said. There is an "almost perfect set of factors to keep the conflict going," in Mufti's opinion, although the situation is "not so terrible that it cannot get a lot worse." He said that the violence could escalate considerably before either Ariel Sharon or Yasser Arafat decided that the struggle was not worth it. Mufti stressed that a majority of Israelis and Palestinians say they would accept the same borders. One audience member pointed out that a majority of Palestinians support suicide bombing, and asked whether this fact was incongruous with the fact that a majority of Palestinians would accept borders that are acceptable to most Israelis. Mufti believed that these facts are not incongruous. "[Palestinians] lived for 25 years under a humiliating occupation without violence ... now moral people blow themselves up to kill Israelis ... only when the suicide bombings started did Israel consider a retreat from the West Bank," he said. In Mufti's opinion the only feasible solution to the conflict is an American intervention to enforce the borders that were agreed upon -- and then abandoned -- at the Camp David talks. Some students questioned whether US intervention would lead to more anti-Americanism by Arabs. Mufti did not think so. "Palestinians know that US restraint on Israel is the only reason Israel is not more aggressive," he said. Junior Alexis Gerber, asked Mufti whether the US has a right to make such an intervention. Mufti explained that it is in the US's best interest to enforce a settlement. "I just don't see it in terms of rights," he said. Another student asked whether the United Nations would be a better choice for enforcing a settlement. "No. They can help, but why would Israel trust the UN?," Mufti said. "It must be the US because Israel would trust them." Students found the lecture informative. "It was wonderful ... I was very glad to finally have the opportunity to hear Mufti speak," Gerber said. "It was a balanced account, compared with the rhetoric people usually use."

The Setonian
News

Football shuts out Colby for second straight win

November 2

The football team earned its second straight victory over a tough NESCAC opponent with an 18-0 shutout of Colby College on Saturday. Junior quarterback Jason Casey threw two touchdown passes and senior Tim Mack ran for 91 yards to lead the Jumbos. The offense was overshadowed by a dominating performance by the Tufts' defense, which held Colby to just 189 total yards and forced 5 turnovers. Neither team scored in the first quarter, but Tufts made up for it in the second, scoring on an eight-yard touchdown pass from Casey to senior Matt Cerne. Senior Mark Tilki set up the score with a 57-yard punt return to the Colby 2-yard line. Later in the quarter, Tilki set up the other Jumbo touchdown with a 40-yard interception return. The pick was one of two for Tilki on the day. The interception led to a ten-yard scoring pass from Casey to Mack on fourth and goal. That touchdown gave Tufts a 12-0 lead, as the team was unable to convert the extra point on either of their two scores. Senior Marcellus Rolle kicked a 37-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter, to give the Jumbos a 15-0 halftime lead. Junior Donovan Brown set up the field goal with one of his two interceptions on the day. Tufts scored the only other points of the game late in the third quarter on Rolle's second field goal. The field goal, a 32-yarder, was Rolle's eighth on the season, putting him one away from tying the school's single season record. The Tufts defense shut down Colby's All-American running back Aaron Stepka, holding him to just 46 yards on 19 carries. Defensive coordinator John Walsh said the team went into the game focused on stopping the run. "It's the second straight week we faced an All-American tailback, and I thought we did a good job on him," Walsh said. "We mostly just played our defense, but we did put a couple more guys in the box at times. The main [thing] was just that everybody played well." Colby's lack of success in the running game put added pressure on quarterback Justin Smith, a freshman starting in his first game for the Mules. As a result Smith struggled, throwing three interceptions. "I think he's going to be a good quarterback, but we were able to put him in some situations that he didn't want to be in," Walsh said. "We put them in a lot of second and long, third and long situations. They had to pass a little bit more than they wanted to." Tufts was able to incorporate junior Steve Cincotta into the offense better than in the previous game against Amherst. Cincotta, who started out the season as the team's starting running back but was injured in the third game, gained 40 yards on eight carries. "[Mack's] been playing so well, that Steve being hurt hasn't hurt us that much," Tufts offensive coordinator Mike Daly said. "We want to get Steve a little more involved. I think they make a great 1-2 combination. It just makes us that much tougher to defend." Daly was also impressed by the play of Casey, who has taken every snap of the last two games after sharing the position with sophomore Casey D'Annolfo early in the season. "We made the decision to go with one guy because the offense had been a little bit inconsistent," Daly said. "Having just one guy back there has definitely made us more consistent, and it's made him play better too. Now he can get into the flow of the game and not have to worry about being taken out." The victory pushed the Jumbos' record to 5-2, while Colby dropped to 4-3. Tufts has a chance to stretch its winning streak to three straight games, which would be its second three game win streak of the season, next week at home against Middlebury. "We have had two straight good weeks, but we can't get too high," Walsh said. "We've just got to get ready to practice and move on to the next game."

The Setonian
News

Janet Finch's White Oleander is a poignant story of artistry and self-identification

November 2

Look beyond the cover of Janet Finch's novel White Oleander. When the novel was made into a feature film last year starring four picture-perfect blonds -- Ren?©e Zellweger, Michelle Fiefer, Robin Wright Penn, and Allison Lohman - the four starlets were digitally plastered onto the front cover. Ironically, such a cover suggests the very image of marred beauty that White Oleander elegantly portrays. In her debut book, Janet Finch has created real characters in real places. Astrid, the only child of single mother Ingrid, idolizes her mother, whose sharp beauty, and killer instincts, ultimately lead to a life in prison the result of love gone wrong. At the age of 12, Astrid finds herself lost in an indifferent world that doesn't track the progress of foster children and leaves her to duke it out on her own. The Hollywood commercialization of White Oleander is a cheap abstraction of the poetic brilliance of a novel that captures subtleties of life that emerge from a young girl's journey through the California foster care system. White Oleander is a book laced with domineering female characters, hard-poetic language, and a complex plot. It puts your average daytime soap opera to shame. Undertaking her own battles of trial and error with her placement in eight different foster homes, Astrid fights to stay afloat. The novel's critical themes of struggles with the past and formation of self are manifested through letters to Astrid that Ingrid writes from her prison cell. "The artist is the phoenix who burns to emerge" writes Ingrid --a metaphor that is sustained throughout the book. As both mother and daughter encounter their own struggles each finds solace in art -- one in words and the other in paintings. White Oleander is laced with universal themes, one of which -- the struggle of self-emergence in a conformist society-- is coupled with an adroit mastery of language and character development. Furthermore, the novel tactfully portrays the necessary function of art as an emotional outlet for these issues. This novel has reality at its base: Finch, a third generation Los Angeles resident, spent years crafting White Oleander during which time she interviewed multiple orphanage facilities, social workers, and foster care children. White Oleander deals with one of the major themes of our age: the construction of self. Sung through Finch's lucid descriptions of Ingrid's own struggles, the readers' past is also called into question. What does the past mean? Where does it lead? When does the past end and the future begin? Finch's novel poses questions not only within its protagonist's journey, but also through its seductive language. She draws the reader in, and extends her central questions to the reader as well. Finch picks the reader up immediately on page one and 390 pages later drops the reader off with a crash,- forcing him or her to deal with personal issues of self, past, and future. White Oleander is the antithesis of Hollywood. It is real. It is poetic. Its complex plot, well established characters, and universal themes, make it far more intricate than any film reel could ever reproduce. The plot itself is intriguing, but the way it is written -- underscoring the juxtaposition of Ingrid against her mother and the internal thoughts of Ingrid -- are what makes the book great. These subtleties of the written word are exactly what Hollywood will never be able to capture. The novel recognizes this problem through its character's own comments. "[Berlin] wasn't like America, where we scraped the earth clean, thinking we could start again every time," Ingrid reflects. "We hadn't learned yet, there was no such thing as an empty canvas." This novel challenges the reader's sense of self, something that Hollywood embellishments will never do it justice.

The Setonian
News

Tufts to comply with new NIH grant submission

November 2

The hundreds of large grant packets that Tufts submits annually to the National Institute of Health (NIH) may soon disappear with a new electronic submission system. More than 50,000 researchers split $13.5 billion in grant awards annually from the NIH, including many Tufts students and faculty. The NIH receives more than two million pieces of paper each year in the submission of these applications. The amount of paper used has led to a recent Congressional mandate directing all federal agencies to transfer to electronic systems. "Historically the NIH applications have been submitted on paper in large packages with many copies. The goal is to move this to electronic systems," said Peggy Newell, the Associate Provost for Reasearch. In response to this demand, The NIH has established a new branch called the Electronic Research Administration (eRA). The eRA's mission is to develop the paperless grant application system. Tufts must make its system compatible with the NIH. "Currently we are working on a new grant management system to interface with the federal government, and we are looking at various systems, but it takes a lot of time to put together such a new system. Unfortunately time is of the essence," Murphy said. Last year alone, Tufts submitted 390 applications to the NIH. According to Paul Murphy, Director of Research Administration, Tufts "plans on moving forward with the NIH's new procedures." Murphy believes that the new system will "increase ease, amount of awards, and cut down on the nuts and bolts of the current system." There is no timeline for completion of the project. Murphy personally hopes to have a totally operational system developed within three years, 18 to 24 months if the system is introduced modularly. The NIH is current examining several different ways to submit applications online. 14 test applications have been filed through several different test methods. Some development work will be subcontracted to outside companies. Once the system is fully operational, the NIH is not mandating electronic applications. Paper applications will continue to be accepted in order to prevent problems from applicants. "Anytime you implement a new system, learning that system can be inconvenient," Newell said. "Ultimately some people will find it much more convenient, and some will find it inconvenient." Other government agencies have already developed an electronic application. The National Science Foundation has begun use of its "Fastlane" program and Tufts faculty successfully used the program. The "NIH hasn't moved as swiftly as the NSF mostly because it's larger and there are more different kinds of applications." Newell said. Newell explained that the NIH continues to "move its deadline [for implementation] and many of the goal dates have passed." Gibb expects to gear up for full production next year.

The Setonian
News

Dark before dinnertime, but bright before breakfast

November 2

It wasn't quite Christmas in October, but Saturday Oct. 23, with its "extra hour" thanks to Daylight Saving Time (DST), was nonetheless a gift to stressed and midterm-embroiled college students. "I was really happy about the extra hour," first-year graduate student Heather Knopsnyder said. Fellow graduate student Meg Sheldon concurred: "If you're a student, it's great -- you get an extra hour of sleep, and it's usually on a midterm weekend." Though grateful for the extra hour of sleep (or partying) it affords them every October, many Tufts students are unaware of the origins of and reasons for DST. Or, for that matter, the fact that the correct name for the time is Daylight Saving Time -- no "s." "I've never had any explanation," Sheldon said. "It seems to be a rather odd ritual, but harmless." Other students are confused about the reasoning behind DST. "I always wondered how [DST] scientifically made sense," said freshman Robyn Yano, a native of Hawaii, which does not observe DST. "According to my new mainland friends, 'some guy just realized we needed an extra hour of sleep.'" "My [friends] informed me... that DST had something to do with the amount of light in a day, although I am still confused about the whole thing," fellow Hawaiian and freshman Sara Tateishi said. "I don't know," freshman Lianna Shapiro said. "Maybe we do it to get more hours of sunlight?" Senior Brandon Kitchel offered a similar guess: "Aren't they trying to give us more daylight time?" All of these students -- except, perhaps, Yano's 'mainland friends' -- are partially correct. DST, which begins at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of April and ends at 2 a.m. on the last Sunday of October, serves a variety of purposes. Because it puts hours of daylight in sync with the hours when people are out and about, it saves energy: about one percent per day. It also prevents traffic injuries by increasing the overlap between prime driving hours and daylight ones. At one point, the U.S. Department of Transportation even asserted that DST reduced crime -- which occurs more often in darkness than in sunlight -- though those findings have been disputed. In addition to the United States, approximately 70 countries -- mostly European -- employ DST. To students like Yano and Tateishi, who come from areas in the world which do not employ DST -- including Hawaii and regions of Indiana and Arizona -- DST is both beneficial and detrimental. Sophomore Sophia Frankenberg, who grew up in the Dominican Republic, is "not a fan" of DST. "[The Dominican Republic] tried that -- it was such a disaster," Frankenberg said. "It lasted about a month, and it wasn't really getting darker later -- it's the Caribbean; the weather doesn't change! And then it was another disaster changing it back." Other students from areas without DST are more positive. "DST for Hawaii students is a great thing because it reduces the time difference... meaning that I don't have to wait as long to call and wake up my boyfriend at home," Yano said. "Little things like that make a huge difference." "It does make it easier to call home," Tateishi agreed. "Now, instead of it being six hours behind us, it is only five." Living in areas of the continental US that do not employ DST, however, can be difficult. "When I was a graduate student living in Indiana, the state officially did not recognize Daylight Saving Time, and so the county and city clocks remained on standard time," Physics Professor George Mumford said. "However, most of the people operated on so-called 'fast time,' [so] if you were invited to a party you had to be certain what the hostess meant by 7 p.m. Things can get quite confusing." Knopsnyder also "had friends from Indiana who would visit and be on a different time schedule -- weird." Associate Professor of Physics Bill Waller finds DST to be more than "weird:" he describes it as an "abomination." "It's another bastardization of solar-based timekeeping," Waller said. "If it ever comes up in my class, I usually rant and rave over how unastronomical it is." In astronomy, local noon is when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky. In Standard Time, noon comes very close -- "maybe off by a few minutes" -- to approximating local noon. During DST, however, local noon does not occur until one p.m., which can complicate things for those -- like Waller -- who tell time by looking at the sun's position in the sky. "I lived in Arizona and we didn't have [DST]," Waller said. "It was fine by me." Few students are as passionate as Waller in their DST-related convictions. Most, in fact, view DST as a mixed blessing. "The day it changes is nice because it goes on forever, but the days after it suck," Frankenberg said. Like Frankenberg, junior Alexei Wagner "[likes] the extra hour of sleep, but hates how it gets dark so early." Wagner does see the practical merits of DST, however: "I used to have a paper route, and [before the clocks were changed in fall] it was very dark in the morning," he said. Sophomore Shail Ghaey recounted a similar experience: before the clocks were set back an hour during her high school years, "the street lights would still be on while [she] was at the bus stop." "[DST] is a great concept: plenty of people are depressed because of a lack of sunlight," Kitchel said. Ironically, graduate student Dana LeWinter dislikes DST for the same reason Kitchel likes it: its implications regarding sunlight. "Especially as a college student, so much happens at night," LeWinter said. "And when it gets dark earlier, you just want to go to bed. It makes the winter dark and gross and depressing."

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Students react to Smith's suicide

November 2

The suicide of singer-songwriter Elliot Smith last month has left his largely college based cult following with an intense sense of loss. Although individual opinions are varied, his compelling and disturbing lyrics are what seem to have most affected his listeners. Rachel Olanoff, a freshman affirmed that "Elliot Smith's death, while not completely surprising, was devastating to a bunch of us. Many of the white boards on my floor had some kind of dedication to him ... although he wasn't popular on the mainstream level so to those who knew his music he was truly a legend." Smith may be next on the list for a misunderstood artist docudrama - the young artist battled with Hollywood's overwhelming atmosphere and society's inadequacies as a whole. Smith, who was 34 when he ended his life, channeled these grievances concerning love, life, and addiction into his music, simultaneously capturing his infatuation with the beauty of the world with a degree of utter splendor. "There's just something about his music that makes you feel sad and so happy to be alive at the same time," according to freshman Sarah Ballou. Her favorite Smith tune is "Say Yes," one of the many featured in Gus Van Sant's 1997 film Good Will Hunting. "I love ["Say Yes"] because it's about personal growth and how it can make your relationship with someone else even stronger," Ballou said. Other Smith fans like Junior Ben Hagopian found his addictions and self-loathing disturbing. "I think the most tragic part about the whole situation is how destructive Elliot Smith was. You can only take his music in doses, because he had a beef with almost every part of America including himself." For example, the line "the people you've been before that you don't want around anymore," from the song "Between the Bars" most likely alludes to his own volatile emotional state, according to Hagopian. Freshman Becky Hayes said "he'll be remembered as one of the great, underrated songwriters of our generation." His mellow acoustic guitar riffs and reflective lyrics evoke a positive response in some. In an attempt to heal his listening audience, but more importantly himself, his lyrics resonated with many. "It was amazing how such beautiful melodies combined with sharp perceptive lyrics could flow from someone, who as a person, seemed timid and unimpressively hermitlike. In a way his death was eerily poetic," Olanoff said. "Not to romanticize it but there is just something so tragically beautiful about stabbing yourself in the chest. Mirroring Kurt Cobain (a grunge-rocker who committed suicide in the early 90s) in both life and death, Smith's emphasis on anti-image paradoxically became his image. Smith suffered from a Cobain-esque desire for nonconformity, and strived to rebel against the demands that pop-culture placed on the artist. During 1998's Academy Awards ceremony, Smith performed his Oscar nominated song, "Miss Misery," wearing an old t-shirt as a sign of his personal rebellion against the superficial fashion standards of the event. His frustration with stardom was so great, it was almost as if he was drawn to failure and struggle, making comments like, "Hell is like really posh restaurants full of winners. I hate winners." Smith's torment was directly manifested into his lyrics, such as "drink up, baby, stay up all night/the things you could do, you won't but you might/the potential you'll be, that you'll never see."

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Miscommunication about missing tools from Crafts Center clarified

November 2

A police investigation into the disappearance of equipment from the Crafts Center in Lewis Hall concluded last week when it was discovered that the University told contractors to throw out the equipment this summer while making renovations to the building. At the end of August, the Center reported to the Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) that a table saw, belt sander, cordless power drill, sewing machine and several hand tools had been stolen. The Crafts Center estimated the equipment's value at more than $1,000. TUPD's investigation made little progress as the missing items were not reported until several weeks after they disappeared. But the investigation could have been avoided entirely if the Office of Operations had been told of the missing items. After reviewing the construction project details, for a summer renovation which was intended to improve the building's sprinkler system, Vice President of Operations John Roberto confirmed that items had been removed from the Crafts Center. He explained that the tools and equipment were cluttering the Crafts Center and violated several building codes, which would have prevented the violations prevented the contractor from obtaining approval from Medford building inspectors. "[The contractor] made decisions to dispose of stuff so that they could get an occupancy permit," Roberto said. "When the contractor was in [the Crafts Center], they were instructed to clean the place out. They tried to contact students involved with the Crafts Center, but were unable to do so." Andrew Sokol, a senior and the director of the Crafts Center said that no one he knew had received a message about the cleaning. The students involved in the Crafts Center only discovered the missing items when they returned to campus. Before the miscommunication was revealed, the construction company agreed to reimburse the Crafts Center for the missing equipment, but did not admit to stealing it. Roberto clarified that it would be his office, and not the construction company, that will reimburse the center $700 for the equipment. This figure did not meet the $1,000 value that the Crafts Center declared in August, but Sokol said it would replace most of the items lost. "We told him what we wanted and what we needed and that is what they offered us," he said. Sokol explained that fortunately, students had moved several other pieces of equipment from the Crafts Center to the Crafts House last spring in anticipation of the construction work. Located in the basement of Lewis Hall, the Crafts Center allows students to use University equipment to sew, sculpt, silk screen and build objects from wood. In the meantime, the Crafts Center has still been able to fulfill its role, but with less equipment and options than were previously available.

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Putnam named NESCAC Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year

November 2

If the men's cross country team winning its first NESCAC title was the cake, the icing on top came after the race when coach Connie Putnam was named the 2003 NESCAC Coach of the Year, according to senior co-captain Jon Rosen. The award is voted on by the other coaches in the league. "It was cool because after they announced that we won, they announced his award," Rosen said. Although the coaches voted after the race, the honor wasn't bestowed on Putnam merely on the basis of the Jumbos' victory. "For the women, the coach who won wasn't from the team that won," Rosen said. "So this is about the work he's done the whole year." Putnam deflected all praise that came his way. "The award doesn't matter to me at all," he said. "It really doesn't matter. What matters is what the kids accomplish; that's what it's about." Putnam chose to focus on the Jumbos' first ever NESCAC championship rather than the award. "All the hard work it took for them to finally break through and beat Williams; that's what I'm proud of," Putnam said. "The top five, everyone else who ran, all the other guys who have worked hard all season and cheered on Saturday, even the guys who design the website to help recruit. It's everyone's win." * by Ben Hoffman

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ZBT to sponsor fundraising concert

November 2

Laurence Juber, Grammy-award winning guitarist, and Tufts' own Nico Juber '04, will rock Barnum Hall room 008 this Tuesday, Nov. 4 to support the Leukemia-Lymphoma Society. The concert will be sponsored by the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. "We expect the event to be a fantastic night of music to help a great cause," senior ZBT brother Matt Levine said. "Both artists have a very good interaction with their audience so while we will hopefully be filling Barnum, the concert won't feel that big." Nico Juber is an experienced singer-songwriter and has performed regularly around campus in the time she has attended Tufts. Her work has been featured on the Jumbo Audio Project yearly. Juber describes her acoustic style as "folk-pop rock." She experimented with different instruments such as piano and flute before settling with guitar at age thirteen. Since Juber also enjoys singing she "naturally gravitated toward guitar." She took private lessons, however, because "it's hard to learn from your parents." At Tufts, she frequently plays shows at Oxfam Cafe and Brown & Brew. Juber enjoys the campus performances because she is able to "get to know all the other artists on campus." Her father, Laurence Juber, is an established musician, having played lead guitar for Paul McCartney's band Wings. Laurence is a versatile guitarist. While he doesn't sing, he does play solo guitar in such a style that it "sounds like there are five guitars playing at the same time," explained Nico. "Laurence is one of the best finger-style guitarists alive today," Levine said. "We are really just glad to be able to have this opportunity to bring these great artists to Tufts, especially when it can help raise money for charity." Juber is very positive about her father's skills. "He's probably one of the greatest guitarists in the world." She said that she has never seen anybody leave a one of his performances She went on to say that she has never seen anyone walk our of one of his performances unbaffled and without having enjoyed it. Juber expects the performance "will be a lot a fun," and plans to perform a couple of songs with her father. ZBT supports the cause for Leukemia and Lymphoma research because Juber is a Lymphoma survivor and, "the Leukemia and Lymphoma society has meant a lot to quite a few brothers in the house, and we really wanted to be able to give back to it," Levine said. ZBT's participation in last year's "Light the Night Walk" proved to be a positive experience, and so the ZBT brothers became moved to give back to the organization, according to Levine. Although Levine said that ZBT's efforts to provide entertainment and philanthropy are mostly driven by altruistic motives, the Tufts administration's request to the Greek system to become more involved in charity was also an influence. "ZBT, as a well respected member of that system, is trying to do just a little bit more than our usual standard," he said. ZBT's charity concert featuring Laurence Juber and his daughter, Tufts senior Nico Juber, will begin at 9:45 in Barnum 008. Tickets can be purchased beforehand and at the door for $5. For more information go to http://www.laurencejuber.com.

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LaFuente gathers opposition coalition

November 2

If candidate Tony LaFuente is victorious in Somerville's mayoral race, he will have turned the city's political machine on its head. He eliminated the incumbent mayor Dorothy Kelly Gay in September's primary, and on Tuesday he aims to eliminate another long-time city employee, alderman-at-large and mayoral candidate Joe Curtatone. LaFuente's rise has been facilitated by the toll of recent state budget cuts and a campaign aimed at a dispirited electorate used to seeing the same faces in local government. "We ran this campaign with normal people," LaFuente said, "who gave $10, $50, $100, but most of all their time." Throughout his campaign, LaFuente has touted his stance as an outsider to city politics. He has never served in any town office, although he is a member of the Chamber of Commerce and has been involved with several town committees. "If political experience brings us to the state we are in now -- with the city in fiscal and moral crisis -- then I don't want it," LaFuente said. Last Tuesday, over 100 supporters held a rally at the Somerville City Club to kickoff the final week of the campaign. Senior citizens, business owners, and school officials were in the crowd, but most city employees were not. The common theme among supporters in attendance was the need for change in city government. "I think we need some different leadership and he's man for the job," Chairman of the Democratic City Commission Ellen Clark said. "I think he's honest and a man of integrity." "We need to think outside of the box, and I don't think we are going to get that with Joe [Curtatone]," Somerville resident Clara Surpa said. Like many of LaFuente's campaign workers, Surpa is volunteering for her first political campaign. "You can't put your all your eggs in an Assembly Square basket," said Supra, referring to the stalled development project in Somerville's largest undeveloped commercial area. Curtatone has said he wants to solve the city's budget crisis by generating additional tax revenue through development of Assembly Square. LaFuente has advocated additional negotiations between the government and developers before construction. Instead, LaFuente has made improving education the centerpiece of his campaign. He has plastered large billboards in Davis Square and major intersections promising to "clean up our schools." He called the elimination of special education monies for private schools by Kelly Gay "terrible." At a debate last month, LaFuente attacked Curtatone and the Board of Aldermen for laying off teachers as part of a plan to close a budget gap. "We were the only community in the state to cut the reading specialists," he said. "What kind of priorities do we have?" If elected, LaFuente has promised to lower the high school's dropout rate and ensure full equipment and employment at all schools. However, LaFuente has given few specifics on whether he will raise additional revenue or divert monies from other parts of the city to protect schools. The city is projected to have an additional one to two million dollar shortfall in next year's budget. LaFuente seemed unconcerned. "We can take care of the budget. No problem," he said. He has advocated a non-combative relationship with Massachusetts' Republican Governor Mitt Romney. He blamed Somerville's receipt of the largest cut in state aid, $11 million last year, on sour relations with Romney. To solve the crisis, and other city problems, LaFuente has trumped his experience as founder and operator of Flagraphics, a local design company. "I'd rather go to City Hall being where I am, with a successful business with a time proven track record," than having served in city politics, LaFuente said. Going against the city government, LaFuente has run an aggressive campaign that has challenged city norms. His campaign was the first to break a long standing "gentlemen's agreement" against posting signs on city lawns, leading to an expensive turf war. At the Chamber of Commerce's debate last month, his attacks on Curtatone's credit rating and residency led to some gasps from audience members. His opposition has labeled him a turncoat for having a primary residence outside of Somerville and until recently being a registered Republican. The LaFuente campaign has been successful in circumventing most of this criticism. With an endorsement from the Somerville Journal LaFuente has convinced many that he is qualified to lead. His campaign has beaten the odds, starting with three percent name recognition among likely voters last December to nearly wining the September primary. In the final days before the election, he described his opponent's campaign as desperate. "Joe Curtatone and his friends aren't working as hard as they are because they don't like me," LaFuente said. "They just know that once I'm elected, life in the city will never be the same again." LaFuente told the crowd walking into a debate last week, "I walk in with a bunch of normal people. [Curtatone's] people go in dressed in dark suits and looking somber. They looked like they were at a funeral." "They were," a LaFuente supporter in the crowd yelled in response, typical of the way many of his supporters see this election. This exemplifies the candidate who often speaks of the "haves" and the "have nots," in the current administration and speaks to the coalition of minority voices he has gathered in an attempt to challenge the majority. "Look around," LaFuente told the crowd, "this is what we can achieve with normal people. You don't see alderman -- here are the people without representation."

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Men's cross country captures NESCAC's

November 2

The men's cross country team used a strong team effort to earn its first ever NESCAC Championship on Saturday at Middlebury. Tufts placed runners in the seventh through tenth spots and another in 14th to accumulate a score of 48 points. That was enough to hold off runner-up Williams (57), which placed runners first and second overall but couldn't match the Jumbos' balance and depth. Amherst (89), Colby (130), and Bates (135) were the only other league rivals to place within 100 points of the Jumbos. Tufts' top five runners, who finished only fifteen seconds apart, were all named All-NESCAC by virtue of finishing in the top fourteen. Freshman Josh Kennedy finished first on the team and seventh overall in 26:54, while junior Nate Brigham (26:57) was also able to sneak across the finish line in under 27 minutes. Sophomore Kyle Doran took ninth overall at 27:02, followed by junior Brian McNamara just two seconds back at 27:04, and sophomore Neil Orfield, who finished 14th overall with a time of 27:09. Sophomore Matt Fortin (27:24) and senior co-captain Peter Bromka (27:25) finished 21st and 23rd, respectively, while junior Mike Don, senior Pete Jurczynski, sophomore Matt Lacey, and freshmen Peter Orth and Daniel Jones also ran for the Jumbos. All 12 Tufts runners finished before any other team's seventh man did. "Because Williams had the top two it was a little nerve-racking while we were waiting for the scores to be posted," senior co-captain Jon Rosen said. "But our whole squad ran great, and we got the job done." Bowdoin had won the last two NESCAC Championships, while Williams had claimed the seven before that. The Jumbos finished second four times during that span and had never won in the race's 21 year existence. "We've been so close to Williams so many times and finished second so many times, even with great teams," coach Connie Putnam said. "I've had some sad rides home [from NESCAC's]. This was a pretty satisfying ride home." Tufts came in as the favorite this time, and the victory was its to claim. The Jumbos managed to do so, despite an off-performance by usual top gun Brigham. "It was kind of ugly for me personally," Brigham said. "But the team pulled together and it all worked out in the end." Tufts controlled the race at the start and found itself sitting on an early lead. However, when Williams' 1-2 runners Neal Holtschulte and Matt Winkler pulled ahead and Brigham was unable to run with them, Putnam was a little worried. "At first the team responded badly to Nate not making a move," he said. "The guys looked unsure of themselves up through 3.5 miles. But they pulled together, and I think Josh and Brian really helped Nate." Brigham agreed that his running mates helped him through a rough stretch just past the middle of the race. "I was moving backwards in the pack, and then Josh and [Brian] Mac passed me, and Mac said 'Nate, we're losing,'" Brigham said. "I was able to get up with them and run with them for awhile, and then I led Josh through the woods and then he surged ahead." The squad's surge over the last mile and a half secured the victory. "We were doing pretty well until we ran into a Jumbo," Williams coach Pete Farwell said. When asked if he was referring to a particular Jumbo, he said, "no, just their pack, running together. Our one and two guys ran great, but Tufts passed and broke up the rest of our guys. They have a great team and they are really deep." It was this depth that saved Tufts on a day when Brigham felt he didn't quite do what was expected of him. "I should have been further up front to break up Williams' 1-2 punch, but that's what a team is all about," Brigham said. "No one can compete with our depth, and every week different guys step up." "Even though it wasn't the prettiest race, it's kind of nice that we didn't do it with one individual running an amazing race," Putnam said. "We did it the hard way, as a team." "Nate's better than a lot of guys who beat him," McNamara added. "I know he wasn't 100 percent, but it's a testament to the rest of our pack that our top guy has an off day and we're still able to come away with a win."

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Proliferation of bias incidents on campus prompt issuance of early bias report

November 2

Prompted by the excessive amount of reported bias incidents on campus since the beginning of the fall, the Bias Intervention Program is issuing a bias report today instead of the usual report at the end of the academic school year in the spring. "We felt [these bias incidents] were serious events and we needed to inform the community now," said Associate Dean of Students and Bias Response Team member Marisel P?©rez. "We want to make sure people see the impact -- see the list. It should affect them more when they see a list of incidents." All thirteen bias incidents listed on the report, which appears as a full-page advertisement in today's Daily, were committed against the gay and Jewish communities at Tufts. The university's first reported bias incident occurred on the third day of classes. Nine of the reported incidents took place in residence halls. Six occurred in the freshmen-only Tilton Hall, one of which was committed by a resident of Haskell. One incident was reported in Carmichael and two were reported in South. "There were less attacks on the Jewish community last year but the queer community has always been targeted," Peer Educator Julia Karol, as senior, said. Tufts Transgender, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Collective (TTLGBC) director Dona Yarbrough agreed: "It's a constant -- over half of the reported incidents are about sexual orientation. The word 'fag' on a bathroom wall is so common it's unremarkable. Bias towards the queer community is still very acceptable -- they are acceptable to target." However Yarbrough was quick to point out that other incidents of bias exist even though they may not have been reported. "It's important to say that these are the incidents that are reported," she said. Yarbrough cited the example of students of color, who are often victims of bias that isn't as tangible as the reported incidents. Besides two incidents of graffiti in Tilton Hall, one of which included a swastika sprayed in shaving cream, the bias incidents against the Jewish community at the University took place during the holiday of Sukkot. "There was a serious connection of two incidents this year where for the first time in ten to 15 years, the Sukkahs were knocked down," said Rabbi Jeffrey Summit, Executive Director of the Hillel Foundation at Tufts. The Sukkahs, wooden hut-like structures used to commemorate the Jewish exodus from Egypt, were placed on the academic quad near the cannon and between Hillel and Wren Hall. Both Sukkahs had prominent signs identifying their purpose. "Two anonymous students observed three white males ripping down the Sukkah [near the cannon]. The witnesses did not know if they were students or not. One of the [perpetrators] shouted something negative or pejorative at the witnesses," Summit said. This first Sukkah was torn down on Oct. 12. Later that week, the Sukkah behind Hillel was discovered in a similar state. Though there were no witnesses this time, Summit said there was a boot mark on the structure. "It was clearly knocked down," he said. Members of the Bias Team agree with Summit's assessment. "The way [the second Sukkah came down and given the fact that the first one had eyewitnesses, we believe that that was enough [to confirm vandalism]," said P?©rez. "We could've made a mistake but if [the Sukkah] withstood a strong storm that week, then how could it have fallen otherwise?" Either way, police are still investigating the incident. "We don't know if [the perpetrators] were targeting Jews or if they were just vandalizing," Summit said. "But it's extremely important to be vigilant about these anti-Semitic incidents. Anti-Semitism is on the rise in the United States and we have to take these incidents very seriously. My sincere hope is that these anti-Semitic acts were not committed by any member of the Tufts community. Nevertheless, the incidents underscore how much work we have left to do." Tufts is unique among schools in reporting bias incidents. Peer Educator Judith Neufeld, a junior, said that it is hard to estimate the amount of bias at Tufts in comparison with other schools given that "most schools don't have a program like ours so we can't really know." "Schools for the most part publish outcomes of incidents and disciplinary measures, but very few publish bias incidents," P?©rez said. Karol said that the increase of reported incidents could be due to the increased perception of Bias Intervention on campus. "Maybe people are reporting [bias incidents] more because we've taught them to," said Karol. The Bias Prevention Program is made up of the Bias Response Team, the administrative response to incidents of bias and reporting to the Dean of Students office, and the Peer Educator Group, the undergraduate program established a year and a half ago that coordinates student response to the incidents. This past spring the Peer Educators held a 'Speak Out, Stop Hate' rally. The Peer Educators have also met with residents of South Hall, where a great number of the bias incidents last school year took place, talked at the two first-year dorms, and helped train Resident Assistants as to how to respond to reports of bias. "We're asked a lot, 'How are you going to catch the person [who committed the act of bias]?' We probably won't, but the focus is less on the perpetrator and more on the community," Karol said. "We want people to feel what others feel. Everyone needs to see the importance of words -- because they're not just words," P?©rez said. "This is work where everyone needs to be involved. We want people to know there's always something you can do, someone you can talk to." Neufeld stressed the Bias Intervention Program's credo: "It's never a joke and it's never funny. We need to respect one another."

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ADAM PULVER/WHAT'S GOING ON?

November 2

President Bacow has often commented on the affinity he has for my class, the Class of 2005, as we started our careers at Tufts together in Fall 2001. Now, the members of the Class of 2005 are upperclassmen. Our first two years of nonchalant acceptance are over, and it is time for us to make a serious impression on the University. The same holds true for President Bacow. For most of my time here, students have had very positive impressions of the President and his job as President. However, since the harsh email sent after Naked Quad Run last year, his stock amongst students has been falling. At the same time, the visibility President Bacow had at undergraduate student-focused functions has been waning. Bacow has not been active in creating and pursuing an agenda for change, leaving that to organs like the Task Force on Undergraduate Experience. Therefore, I have compiled five suggestions for President Bacow on ways he can step it up as an upperclassman, and perhaps regain the affinity students used to have for him. 1. Teach! -- Tufts is a school that prides itself on its entire faculty teaching, and teaching undergraduates. While President Bacow has served as a freshman adviser, has three graduate degrees from Harvard, has authored and co-authored four books, and holds appointments in five different departments in three schools, he has yet to teach a class at Tufts. Understandably, he has a lot on his plate, so perhaps he could co-teach a class a la his predecessor John DiBiaggio. While we're discussing teaching, I for one would love to take a class with Tufts' First Lady, Adele Fleet Bacow, herself an experienced, renowned urban planner. 2. Be paternal, but not overly so. -- President Bacow is in a unique position, in that he is close in age to many of our parents, and has children not far removed from college. That makes it easy for him to relate to us, and us to him. But while the University does act en loco parentis in some circumstances, a university president has to accept that he cannot control all aspects of student behavior. For example, Naked Quad Run will never be stopped. It can be reshaped and modified, but the basic premise of the event, naked drunk people running around campus, is not going to change. President Bacow's energies would be far more usefully directed at things like improving the safety of off-campus housing, keeping costs of attendance as low as possible, and streamlining bureaucratic procedures. Rather than serve as an authoritative figure, he should focus on being our advocate, particularly with the hostile communities that surround us. 3. Lighten up. -- Unfortunately, most of the time we hear from President Bacow is in relation to unpleasantries. It's great to see him in more relaxed, casual settings, like with his morning runs, the Boston Marathon training, and the annual Pancake Breakfast. But it would be better if we could see the President at more ordinary, pleasant occasions, unrelated to big donors, tragedy, or discipline. Perhaps showing us his mad skills at events like Fall Ball or the occasional Club Hotung? I personally think that we need to see the duo of Larry and Jamshed take the campus by storm on a weekly TUTV program reminiscent of the Odd Couple, but I don't think that's going to happen. 4. Remember it's not all about the Benjamins. -- Yes, Tufts does need to increase its endowment, a message that's been continuously drummed into our heads since matriculation. And, yes, Bacow was selected President partly based on his prospective ability to fundraise. However, the President is more than just CFO (Chief Financial Officer) of the University. He should aggressively represent the goals and ideals of the University, even if it is at the risk of annoying prospective donors (for example, in last year's case of the TUAA and Liz Monnin.) As we have all heard Alan Macdougal say, we are the alumni (and big donors) of tomorrow. Stick up for us now and make us feel this is our university, and you will see rewards in the future. The student body at Tufts is very different from that of 25 and 30 years ago. We are more diverse geographically, ethnically, and racially. We are less conservative in many ways. The President's job is to work with this Tufts, not cow tow to those clinging to the regional commuter liberal arts school of the past. 5. Take a stand, and make it often. -- The President is the voice of Tufts University. Students, faculty, and staff look to him to hear educated well-reasoned views on current hot topics. I'm not looking for a John Silber (the infamously outspoken tyrant and soon-to-be former Chancellor of BU), who silenced those on-campus who disagreed with him. However, I'd love to see President Bacow passionate about something besides drunken students and running. As an active leader and participant in discussions surrounding the issues he cares about, President Bacow will have more success in achieving his goals. Who is Larry Bacow besides a nice guy who runs? It's time for him to show us. Adam Pulver is a junior majoring in Political Science and Community Health. He can be reached at pulver@tuftsdaily.com.

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Seven Questions with Colin Stewart

October 29

A year ago tomorrow, this week's subject for Seven Questions dressed up as a baby for Halloween. Not only did he wear an adult diaper, but also he neglected to wear a shirt, thus exposing his man boobs. However, now Colin Stewart is cleaned up. He's back wearing a shirt and pants and is a co-host of Tufts University's only sports talk television show. Stewart is a Boston Globe correspondent, not to mention a senior at Tufts. While he doesn't play a sport, he knows a good amount about them. Stewart, along with Ethan Austin, and Elliott Wiley, Jr. is one of three hosts for the Best Damn Interruption Sports Show, which airs live Thursdays at 9 p.m. on TUTV, channel 23. I happened to catch up with Stewart after last week's sports show. I convinced him to help set up for another TUTV show, and we had some down time, so naturally seven questions followed. 1. What makes you qualified to be on a sports talk show? There are really a number of factors that come into play here. You have to take into account my good looks and boyish charm. Then there was my brief stint covering the women's squash team for the Daily two years back, where I quit after one article. I've also been transferring calls and getting coffee for editors in the Sports Department of The Boston Globe for three years -- so I've got that going for me, which is nice. 2. You have cut some pounds since last year. What have you been doing in the gym? Why Elliott, I didn't think you noticed. My secret is adhering to a strict diet of wheat thins, pepperoni calzones from Nick's, and Busch Light. I also like to walk around the gym pretending to work out for an hour and a half at least three times a week. 3. You and Ethan Austin seem to get into heated arguments about the Red Sox. How much does it mean to you to win an argument? Well the thing is that Ethan is always wrong, and so are you, so it really isn't very hard to win an argument on the show. It's really an amazing streak I have going so far, 21 years on this earth and I have never once been wrong. Put that in your pipe and smoke it. 4. What are the hardest and the easiest things about participating in a live TV show? I'd have to say the hardest thing is trying to understand what the hell Andy Katzenberg is saying and why. The easiest thing to do is insult Andy Katzenberg. 5. Do you think there is any way we can convince four girls to come on our show and dance in bikinis for an informative but entertaining halftime show? I can't think of anything remotely clever to say here. But I'd like to take this space to talk about Wade Boggs. Wade Boggs. Wade Boggs. Just say it, how weird is that? Wade Boggs, Wade Boggs, Wade Boggs, Wade Boggs. Dwayne Wade. 6. What is your favorite aspect of Tufts athletics? I'm really looking forward to seeing what the men's basketball team can do with the return of a healthy Phil Barlow at point and the dominating Craig Coupe in the middle --oh wait. They aren't playing this year, are they? Damn, this is awkward. Wade Boggs. 7. Why should people watch the Best Damn Interruption live on Thursday nights at 9 p.m. on TUTV channel 23? It's a funny take on sports from a couple of regular dudes. It really has something for everyone. For the fellas, we've got great sports commentary on all levels, from Tufts athletics to the pros. And the ladies, when they get bored of all the sports talk, can just fantasize about me the whole time. -- Elliott Wiley, Jr.

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Reflections on a thin people

October 29

The "freshman fifteen" was enough of a blow to our egos and our waistlines; do we really have to repeat the experience during our junior year abroad? It seems that every time our horizons are widened, our belts are loosened. Is intellectual and personal growth always associated with a much more tangible fleshing out? Students studying in impoverished African countries (or England) may not have experienced this phenomenon, but Tufts-in-Paris is a little bit more challenging for the gourmets, much less the gourmands, of the world. Paris is, after all, the gastronomic mecca of the Western world -- the food is a step or two above typical dining hall fare. And for a people not known for dining between meals, the French have a well-developed array of snack foods. Take the cr??pe au Nutella -- a paper-thin pancake filled with a inch-thick layer of chocolate-hazelnut spread (when it's properly done). Either cr??pes are strictly tourist food or the French as a nation have outrageously high metabolisms. Though the French have begun to worry about obesity -- and the government has taken notice as well -- they remain slender as a whole, at least in comparison with Americans. Obesity levels here are one-third of those in the US; even the dogs are thinner. But things may be changing, as the Institute of Health and Medical Research recently declared childhood obesity an epidemic in France. And this spring, a half-dozen garment makers cooperated to run the National Sizing Campaign, which re-measured the "typical" French man and woman in an attempt to bring clothing sizes back into line with reality. Mostly paid for by the government, the Sizing Campaign found that the average French woman has gained 4.5 pounds and the average French man twice that over the past 30 years. This does not seem like much for a country where people put butter on their bread before they put on cheese -- indeed, where per capita butter consumption is more than four times that of the US. Where exactly does that 8.8 kilograms (19.4 pounds!) of butter consumed per capita go? These figures aside, the key to French slimness may be that -- brace yourselves, now -- the French consume fewer calories. It may be edifying to examine the Boston Globe's recent comparison of the Boston and Paris versions of the popular Zagat guide to restaurants. The Beantown guide had over 75 references to "heaping," "hefty," or "hungry man's portions," or other colorful descriptions of large servings. One Boston restaurant "might as well serve the food in a trough," the Globe quoted. Sounds appetizing. American visitors who reviewed Paris restaurants were more than a little disappointed, however. Here, the servings were variously described as "skimpy," "shrunken," or "disappointing by those not slated to appear on the cover of Vogue." But are these truly "portions for anorexics," or merely evidence of restraint and moderation? If these ideas seem somewhat alien to us, there is yet further proof that France is located in a parallel food universe. Last year, French McDonald's took out magazine ads warning consumers that it was "best not to eat there more than once a week," according to Greg Critser, author of Fatland: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World. Perhaps this moderation explains why svelte ness remains a French national characteristic, despite the richness of the cuisine. It surely isn't exercise that keeps the French thin: the concept of "going to the gym" is not exactly firmly ingrained in the culture here. "It just isn't convenient," explained one Tufts student's host mother, as if this weren't already the crux of the issue. Even going for a run is unfamiliar territory to the French: joggers must get used to the fact that passers-by will stare with looks of -- perplexity? -- pity? Female joggers are the source of even more curiosity -- there are the expected whistles every now and then, but the cries of "Quelle sportive!" are really something new. Even in the Jardin de Tuileries, one of Paris' biggest and most runner-friendly parks, there are hardly the before-work running crowds one would expect. Every now and then one does see the Paris firefighters taking a few laps and playing soccer with a charming boyish enthusiasm, but other runners are often wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the names of American universities. Whether the influx of American-style foods and eating habits will cause the same obesity crisis here as in the US is unclear. The proprietor of one of the few free-service candy-scooping shops in Paris looked surprised when I asked him if his clients were mostly non-French. "No, mostly French," he said. "?ca commence."

The Setonian
News

New Jersey, San Antonio should top respective conferences

October 29

Shaq and Kobe are already feuding, Chris Webber is injured, and Keith Van Horn is hearing the boos again. That's right; the NBA is back, coming live to Tufts on ABC and TNT (and on ESPN for everyone else in America). Inside the NBA is back too, with predictions on which teams will make the playoffs in each conference. Eastern Conference: 1) New Jersey: Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin, and Richard Jefferson are back, and that's enough to offset the fact that coach Byron Scott is too. 2) Detroit: LeBron James may be getting all the hype, but first names don't get any cooler than the number two pick in the draft, Pistons rookie Darko Milicic. 3) Indiana: Now that Larry Bird has fired pseudo-coach Isiah Thomas, anything is possible for the talented Pacers. 4) Orlando: If Tracy McGrady's back holds up, the Magic are set. 5) Philadelphia: New 76er Glenn Robinson (domestic assault and battery, illegal possession of a gun) joins Allen Iverson (14 felony and misdemeanor charges) to form a solid 1-2 rap sheet combo. If they can be as potent playing with each other on offense, Philly will be just fine. 5) New Orleans: Good, solid, boring team. 6) Chicago: The first time coach Bill Cartwright draws up a play to give the final shot to Jalen Rose, will Scottie Pippen refuse to reenter the game? 7) Boston: With Antoine Walker gone, the Celtics are looking for new candidates to miss five three-pointers a game. Seriously, they'll make the playoffs because Paul "sickest spin move in the league" Pierce will be the MVP of the East and because people don't realize the intangible contributions of Eric Williams, Walter McCarty, and Tony Battie. But when Pierce is being triple teamed, someone else is going to have to step up offensively. Could that person actually be Vin Baker? 8) Toronto: It's now or never for Vince Carter. Note: The Miami Heat can make the playoffs if Lamar Odom isn't suspended for marijuana use. But what are the odds of that happening? Western Conference: 1) San Antonio: Tim Duncan is still Tim Duncan, and Emanuel Ginobili and Speedy Claxton are only going to get better. 2) Los Angeles: Shaq: "As long as it's my team, then I'll voice my opinion. If you don't like it, then opt out." Kobe: "No more coming into camp fat and out of shape... no more blaming others for our team's failure, or blaming staff members for not overdramatizing your injuries so that you avoid blame for your lack of conditioning... if leaving the Lakers at the end of the season is what I decide, a major reason for that will be Shaq's childlike selfishness and jealousy." Good times, good times. But no matter where Kobe ends up after this season (LA, jail, elsewhere), the Lakers still have coach Phil Jackson at the helm to mediate the feud, plus four Hall of Famers on the court to guide them through the playoffs. However, when they win the championship, Karl Malone's ring will be nullified for selling out on team loyalty to go trophy hunting. 3) Dallas: Antoine Walker made a bad pass that led to a turnover 37 seconds into his Maverick career. With less than two minutes gone in the game, he had committed two fouls and thrown up a three pointer that completely missed the rim. Halfway through the first quarter, the Mavs -- the highest scoring team in the NBA last year -- had zero points. Coincidence? It will take this team awhile to mesh, but when they do, look out. 4) Minnesota: The key here is that Kevin Garnett is now surrounded by real teammates that actually belong in the NBA, like Sam Cassell, Latrell Sprewell, and Michael Olowokandi. This could this be the year the T-Wolves make it to the second round of the playoffs. 5) Sacramento: The Kings' window of opportunity has probably already closed on them. Vlade Divac and Webber will both miss the start of the season, probably hurting the squad's playoff seed. But if it means that they are more rested for the postseason, this team could have one last title run in them. 6) Phoenix: The classic sleeper, the Suns can beat anyone on any given night. But they're not quite ready to beat everyone on most nights. 7) Houston: Stevie Francis finally got his migraine problem solved, but now enigma Eddie Griffin is giving new coach Jeff Van Gundy headaches. The solution: just feed Yao Ming the rock. 8) Portland: A quick recap of the Blazers activities last season: fighting teammates, fighting other teams, fighting other teams' fans, spitting on opponents in games, and of course, drug arrests.

The Setonian
News

Critics are divided on the new Strokes' album, Room on Fire

October 29

With the 2001 release of Is This It and their follow-up album, Room on Fire, the Strokes are indeed on fire. But the band's career was built by emulating the sound and style of proto-punk bands like Television and the Velvet Underground with an icy, stale accuracy. Of course, everyone in rock steals from everyone else, so certainly the Strokes should not be faulted for this. After all, the entire genre was founded on the systematic raiding of blues songs by white teenagers. Yet, the Strokes' particular form of musical appropriation is different in that the band adds nothing remarkably new or interesting to their pirated material. In short, everything the Strokes have ever recorded has been played better and with more accuracy by bands who have long since broken up and had reunion tours. What's worse, the Strokes empty their predecessors' music of the energy and insistency it once held, sanding away the edges to make it more palatable for MTV2 airplay and Urban Outfitters' dressing rooms. Is This It might have showcased the band's pandering unoriginality in full force, but it also contained a glimmer of hope, a promise that manifested itself on stand-out tracks like "New York City Cops" (UK version only) and "Trying Your Luck." These songs presage a future for the Strokes where they could move beyond the past and, in the very least, write a somewhat original pop song with what they had learned from their idols. Room on Fire, sadly, does not live up to this promise. If anything, the Strokes lean even more heavily on the well-worn crutch of the 1970's underground music scene on their new album, this time spending money to make their album sound as if it was recorded on a shoestring budget. The band's attempts to update and diversify their sound are laughable: a synthesizer, some handclaps, and a drum machine on tracks like "12:51," "The End Has No End," and "The Way It Is" do little to hide what are otherwise standard Strokes songs. In fact, the album's biggest problem is how standard all the songs actually are. Everything on Room fades together into a vague murk after a listen or two. Even superior tracks like "Reptilia" and the aforementioned "12:51" become indistinguishable next to pedestrian songs like "You Talk Way Too Much" and "Automatic Stop." By pushing everything into the realm of the merely unexceptional, the album's ubiquity of chugging guitars and sore-throat howls obliterate any chance at a memorable song. Ironically, it's the Strokes' willingness to simply copy other bands that is hurting them the most. The deadpan vocal delivery and stiff guitar playing worked for the Velvet Underground and Television, but it does not succeed for the Strokes, as Room on Fire proves.

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