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Treasury change allows groups to roll over their unbudgeted income

September 18

Student groups funded by the Tufts Community Union (TCU) no longer have to turnover any unbudgeted income -- money raised beyond the amount budgeted to them -- to the TCU at the end of the year. The rule was changed last spring, and renewed last Sunday at the signatory meeting. This change will encourage groups to raise more money on their own and be more self-reliant, according to TCU Treasurer Josh Belkin. "It's been a general complaint, 'why do we lose all of our money?'" Belkin said. "This new system keeps TCU financially healthy, but lets groups keep what they earn from their hard work." In the past, unbudgeted income that groups either raised or received from donations donated and was not spent during the year was given to the TCU and placed in the TCU's buffer fund. On average, between 20 and 30 thousand dollars were submitted. The ultimate goal of this rule change is to encourage groups to do more fundraising on their own and be less reliant on TCU money, allowing the Senate to fund additional groups. "Even though it is a small hit we're taking, hopefully in the long run it will be beneficial to the treasury," Belkin said. "It will give us more buying power in the future." The change came about due to a particularly good season for Hillel's a cappella group Shir Appeal. The group raised considerably more than it was budgeted, but then needed to spend the money or submit it to the buffer fund. Belkin said, "[Shir Appeal] now has this money for future years. Under the previous rule it would have been 'wow, that was great, now give us the money.' This isn't necessarily fair, and the new system creates fairness and incentives." Hillel does not plan to alter its programming for the year in any way, but Hillel Treasurer Max Leichman Snyder agreed that the change made was a good one. "It's great that we can save [the money] from year to year," he said. "It's money that we made and it's good that it can fund us." The Leonard Carmichael Society (LCS) does outside fundraising, but all its money is donated to charitable events. The budget for LCS is set for the current year, and while LCS "doesn't currently ask for donations, that may be an option in the future," said LCS President Lisa Fishlin. The TCU buffer fund serves three main purposes. Groups can apply for additional funds if they run through their budget before the end of the year. The fund also serves new groups that are founded after the budget has been passed in the spring; and it provides money for groups that want to make large purchases, such as computers. The buffer fund does not rely solely on the unbudgeted income of student groups -- most of the money comes from the student activities fee. Because this is the first year that groups will be able to rollover funds for themselves, it is not clear yet what the impact will be on TCU or how it will change groups' fund raising policies. Belkin is not concerned, however. "There is plenty of money in the surplus fund -- we're just letting groups keep what is theirs," he said.

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Dalai Lama speaks at Boston's Fleet Center

September 18

Tibet's14th Dalai Lama spoke to a crowd of over 14,000 at Boston's Fleet Center Sunday regarding "The Global Community and the Need for Universal Responsibility". His Holiness advocated tolerance and respect for a wide variety of traditions and religious faiths. He also used the forum to stress the importance of compassion and care for individuals. Despite his extensive and impressive credentials, including the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, His Holiness presented himself in a humble and modest fashion. Seated informally onstage in an armchair, Tufts freshman Peter Maher described the Dalai Lama as resembling "a little old grandfather sitting around telling stories". During the speech, his Holiness denied having any "magical powers" and stressed the fundamental equality of all human beings. "We are the same human being: physically, mentally, emotionally," he said. The Dalai Lama also said, "We pollute teachings of religion with negative emotions and attitudes. One tradition is not a solution, we need a variety of traditions, they all have the same potential to do good." His Holiness' tireless work to restore Tibetan autonomy after the Chinese forcefully assumed control in 1950 exemplifies his patience, nonviolence, and perseverance. He has made numerous appeals to the United Nations regarding the plight of his people as well as negotiating extensively with Chinese officials. He has also worked to develop a democratic Tibetan constitution, preserve Tibetan culture among refugees in India, and serve as an advocate for the human rights of Tibetans still in their native land. The presence and the strength of his appearance were tangible in the arena as the masses in the stands and balconies rose to greet him with applause. At the request of introductory speaker John Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., the whole audience rose, placed their palms together, and bowed to greet His Holiness in traditional Tibetan fashion. The Dalai Lama fielded questions about current world affairs following his speech. While discussing the immense damages of war, he also noted the positive change that a war can spearhead, citing the "civilization, democracy, and decency" that grew out of World War II. He said that it was too early to tell what the long-term implications of the war in Iraq would be, however. Regarding enemies, he said, when negative emotion against them arises, "remind yourself that the other is an individual who wants to overcome suffering and find contentment. We should try to bring the importance of dialogue as a means of conflict resolution [to children] from a very early stage, in the schools." He emphasized that nonviolence is not solely the absence of violence but also involves concern and compassion for others. Before the speech, dancers from the Tibetan Association of Boston and Nawang Khechog, a prominent Tibetan musician and composer, both performed. The address was sponsored by the Mind and Life Institute at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which has worked with His Holiness since 1987 to explore the interrelationships between Western Science and Eastern Bhuddism. Before the speech, he had spent two days in dialogue with prominent scientists at MIT discussing the nature of the mind. A wide variety of listeners attended the event, from Bhuddist monks to mothers with strollers to college kids in dreadlocks. The entrance was full of a colorful chaos of people distributing pamphlets on everything from presidential candidates to evangelical Christianity. The crowds and congestion in the ticket areas and T stop were, according to Maher, "worse than a Celtics game." "He has this incredible warmth about him," said senior Mike Pollack, "there's a lot to be gained from the Bhuddist perspective of interrelatedness. You just left feeling really hopeful and positive about things. In a time where people are letting their destructive emotions gain ground, this was really important to me."

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News

Greek life undergoes several changes

September 18

An effort by fraternities to create better relationships with the University has already begun with Todd Sullivan's recent appointment as the Director of Greek Life, and several Greek-friendly events hosted on campus. Sullivan's appointment will play an important role in the relationship between the Tufts' administration and the Greek system. According to Joe Bornstein, president of Alpha Epsilon Pi (AE Pi), having Sullivan as a "middle man" will enable communication and "possibly increase the productivity" of Greek life at Tufts. According to Sullivan, Director of Greek Life, there is a strong future for fraternities and sororities at Tufts if they are oriented toward the right goals. "There's a lot of potential to both limit the number of negative things that may have happened in the past but also to increase the positive events such as community service, giving back to the larger Tufts community, proving the worth to the frats and sororities, and focusing more on their founding principles and values." Problems arose during pledge week last semester, a time where new pledges are initiated into a fraternity to become full brothers. Two Zeta Psi pledges were injured during pledge week events, which lead to the suspension of Zeta Psi for the 2003-2004 academic year. Some fraternities are taking steps to eliminate any problems that new pledges might face. As far back as 1989 the national organization of Zeta Beta Tau (ZBT) outlawed pledging altogether. The pledge system was replaced with a "brotherhood program," according to ZBT President Dan Perez. The ZBT model stands that, "all brothers, even those that just joined and those who have been in for semesters, have to follow minimum brotherhood standards. Besides that, all brothers are considered equal," he said. Examples of brotherhood standards include following the tradition of the fraternity and knowing what the fraternity stands for. While the ZBT model is meant to increase unity throughout the house, other fraternities find that a more traditional emphasis on unity within a pledge class helps to create a close-knit community among members. "Our pledges learn what it means to become inseparable friends, as well as what these friendships can accomplish when everyone works together," AE Pi President Bornstein said. Bornstein explains that the pledging process at AE Pi gives pledges a "taste of the type of leadership skills necessary in any responsible position." Anything that could be considered hazing is "absolutely prohibited." Sullivan has wasted no time in setting up opportunities for Greek life to grow. Two weeks ago, he went on a retreat with fraternity and sorority leaders. "The Greek leadership retreat was a way to kick off the school year and have an open dialogue and do some goal setting with fraternity and sorority presidents," he said. Out of the retreat came a student-led initiative to foster a closer relationship between presidents and the Committee for Fraternities and Sororities (CFS) with informal meetings. "The purpose of that is so that the presidents as well as some administrators can get to know each other a little bit better in an informal setting and explain each of their roles clearly so that everyone understands what the mutual expectations are," Sullivan said. "I'm excited that first of all the students came up with the idea, and secondly, some of the administrators are very receptive." Sullivan sees the Greek system as being beneficial to the Tufts community in ways other than social life. "I think that social events will continue to happen, but it does not need to be the number one focus for the groups," he said. Along with the Inter-Greek Council, Sullivan also set up the upcoming Greek Block Party to be held before homecoming, and last Friday's "Meet the Greeks" barbecue at Fletcher field. Bornstein sees this as a good starting point. "The events the school is trying to set up to help us with rush efforts are terrific, however, my goal for the year is to try and integrate the Greek system into the whole Tufts community," he said. "The Greek system will hopefully be a supplement to everyone's college experience, not just those who have pledged their chapter." "Our focus is certainly on student safety and making sure that students coming into the Greek system are going to have a positive experience that is not going to put them in any sort of danger," Sullivan said. "So I think it's a two-fold process -- one is education for both members as new members, and secondly would be enforcement through both officers and other people who may report any problems." The educational component included the retreat, at which time goals and anti-hazing policies were discussed.

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Tufts study yields breakthrough for Arthritis patients

September 18

A recent study conducted by Tufts' Friedman School of Nutrition revealed new evidence indicating that the strengthening of muscles can decrease pain caused by arthritis. The study was conducted by Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy faculty members Dr. Ronenn Roubenoff and Dr. Miriam Nelson, in conjunction with the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts. Drs. Roubenoff and Nelson worked with participants suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee, the most common type and location of this disease. Dr. Roubenoff has been studying the correlation between muscles and arthritis since 1987, but this most recent study has exciting implications for thousands of sufferers. The study found an average pain reduction of 50 percent in participants who worked with small ankle weights or simply their own body weight three times a week in their own homes. This pain reduction is equal to that reported by users of drugs such as Aleve. Dr. Roubenoff said, "It is very heartening that you can now do this at home, at low cost, and even low effort." The study was based on the researchers' theory that "by strengthening the muscle, the joint will have a better shock absorber because it is the muscle that protects the joint from daily stress," explained Roubenoff. "The muscle tenses to prevent the bones from hitting at the kneecap." "It was an added pleasure to see that the exercises also resulted in improved range of motion in the joints. There was also a self-reported 50 percent improvement in the ability of the participants to complete everyday tasks as compared to the control group." The participants, all over the age over 50, were asked to partake in a series of high weight, low repetition exercises over a twelve week period, a technique that is "a totally different type of research than therapy, because in this method an intense amount of weight is used, basically a hard enough resistance so that by the seventh or eight repetition you can't do it well," said Roubenoff. In this way, "the muscle is strengthened by making it fail." The 42 volunteer participants came to the Friedman Center in downtown Boston where tests were administered on muscle strength. They were then shown the excercises during home visits by trainer Kristin Baker, who was completing her Ph.D. at Tufts at the time and is now employed at Boston University. She visited the participants' homes twice a week at the beginning of the study and asked them to keep logs of their excercises and progress. This process also "differs from studies done in the past because it worked on muscle strengthening without an aerobic focus," Roubenoff pointed out. These findings, along with a cumulative 20 years of studies done in collaboration with the Friedman School and Mayer Center, are published in the book, Strong Women and Men Beat Arthritis. This is the fourth in a series authored by Dr. Nelson and collaborators regarding the effects of exercise and nutrition on aging, especially in women. Dr. Newman's other books have awarded her national recognition, including appearances on ABC World News with Peter Jennings and the Oprah Winfrey Show. These findings may introduce an entirely new method for the management of arthritic pain. "It will certainly be helpful to self-motivating women and men suffering from this disease," said Dr. Roubenoff, "I think they'll find it encouraging that they can now contribute to their own well-being."

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Women's Week returns with panel on activism

September 17

In what coordinator Judy Neufeld called "a revival of the Women's Week tradition," professors, students and community members gathered in the Terrace Room of Paige Hall Monday night for a roundtable discussion on women and activism. The discussion was moderated by Denise Riebman, the director of Boston Cares, a non-profit, volunteer-recruiting organization. Almost a quarter of the approximately 30 students in attendance were men. Sociology professor Susan Ostrander, Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning professor Molly Mead, local artist Myrna Balk, and author and Tufts graduate Judith Nies joined senior political science majors Ariana Flores and David Wu and former Tufts Republicans president Rachel Hoff on the panel of the program, called 'Causing a Commotion.' Each panelist was asked how they defined activism, and why they perceived themselves as activists. The majority of panelists agreed they had become "accidental activists," a term used by Ostrander. She challenged the audience, asking how a person "could not be an activist" if they believe in a cause. Similarly, Hoff said that "it's difficult to be a conservative on a liberal campus and not be an activist." For Riebman, the decision to become an activist occurred after Sept. 11, 2001, when she "saw only middle-aged men making the decisions, and I realized that something needed to change." According to Nies, activism involves the creation of a public voice. "Activism is seeing an issue -- any issue -- that needs to be changed and tackling it," Wu, the only male member of the panel, added. The panelists agreed that activism does not necessarily have to be a mass movement. On the contrary, Balk said, activism can be "as simple as speaking up in an unfamiliar situation for what you believe in." Riebman also asked the panel why some people do not become activists and if women have become more or less active than in the past. People often avoid activism for the simple fact that they "fear that they will not be liked by the majority if they take an unpopular stance," Mead said. Flores pointed out that minority groups and illegal immigrants sometimes refrain from activism "because they are afraid of the consequences." Speaking of the discrepancies women face in the United States, Nies said that "only 200 women have served in the House of Representatives in the history of the nation" and that "the United States is ranked only the 40th nation in the world for women's rights." Ostrander mentioned that women at Tufts were "forced to wear skirts until the early 1960s." Many audience members asked the panelists about the future of feminist activism. One response was, "Getting more men involved in this endeavor...because true equality cannot work unless they're our partners." Other members of the panel mentioned pay equity and a decrease in violence against women. Throughout Women's Week, Tufts Republicans are trying to emphasize what they consider to be a neglected side of women's issues on campus - conservatism. According to Hoff, "with campus culture centering around aspects of the liberal agenda such as radical feminism and political correctness, conservatives often get sidelined." Women's Week ran continuously from the 1970s until 1998, and was restarted this year. Several speakers have been scheduled to attend, including State Senator Dianne Wilkerson and Susan Yanow, Executive Director of the Abortion Access Project, to discuss issues of health, balancing family and career, and domestic violence awareness. Workshops, roundtables, and benefit events are all planned for the week-long campaign.

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Renowned computer scientist speaks at Tufts

September 17

Noted computer scientist Christos Papadimitriou discussed the relationship between computer science and economics and its impact on the Internet in a lecture this Monday. Economics Professor Yannis Ioannides, who coordinated the lecture, summarized the lecture as a "tour of the types of conceptual tools one uses to study the Internet." Papadimitriou, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley, is known for his innovative combination of computer science and social science in his study of the Internet. Papadimitriou argued that the Internet is the "first computational artifact that is mysterious," because it was not the outcome of scientific design. Instead, it was "developed from the interaction of individuals' behavior when armed with certain machines," explained Ioannides. Therefore, Papadimitriou argued that the direct involvement of humanity in the Internet's evolution necessitates an aspect of social science in the study of the Internet. Ioannides said that this interdisciplinary focus of the presentation was meant specifically to "draw students' attention away from the compartmentalization of knowledge and kindle their imaginations." Papadimitriou presented various models for the arrangement of the Internet and explained how each node, or company, connects to the others. These models vary with the cost for routing the company's messages and range from a "Mussolini Internet," with prescribed routes for each message, to "anarchy," or a complete absence of coordination, he said. Papadimitriou's work calls for the use of methods combining these principles of computer science and economics to explore the Internet, which he argues should, "like the universe and the cell, be understood by observation and falsifiable theories." Senior computer science major Sung Ahn appreciated that the lecture allowed him to "look at a more solid picture" of the Internet and computer science in general. "It gave us a taste of the real world and opened our eyes to something we're missing in our courses," Ahn said. Fellow senior Ben Grubin agreed. "Computer science neglects human aspects of behavior, not intentionally but because they're not quantifiable," he said. The Internet has become a "worldwide experiment" in how humans change the way machines interact, he added. Papadimitriou's resume stretches across international boundaries to the best technical schools in the world. Educated first in his native Greece at Athens Polytechnic and then at Princeton, he went on to teach at Harvard, MIT, Athens Polytechnic, and Stanford before going to Berkeley in 1996. He has published several textbooks, as well as over 200 papers on the subject of computer science. He is included among the country's top academics as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. Approximately 100 professors, graduate students, and undergraduates attended Papadimitriou's presentation in the Braker auditorium. Ioannides considers the lecture a great success. "My criteria for success is for a single student to say 'Wow! I want to study this further," he said. "And I think the lecture went superbly."

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Coral e-mail system down for six hours yesterday

September 17

A hardware failure early yesterday morning caused the coral e-mail server to be inaccessible. The outage initially seemed easily fixable, but upon further investigation the problem was more difficult to resolve, according to University officials. About 9:00 a.m. yesterday, the hardware which supports Coral crashed. The University Systems Group (USG) expected the outage to last an hour. USG re-evaluated the situation at 10:30 but was unable to determine when the system would be functional. Director of Information and Technology Infrastructure Lesley Tolman said that throughout the day USG attempted to reboot the system several times. "We were able to learn more about the problem though these attempts." Tolman said the University "corroborated with Sun Microsystems and came up with similar diagnoses." The University's service contract with Sun Microsystems includes technical support for these sorts of situations. Though the exact cause of the problem remains unknown, Tolman said that "a hardware failure is pretty definitive." To save time, the "offending parts were removed and replaced." The complete restoration of the system took over nine hours. By 2:15 p.m., however, many students were able to use their e-mail again. Doug Herrick, the associate director of data network operations, said that Sun Microsystems had to rush replacement hardware parts to the University in order to replace the failed parts. Though the announcement was posted on Info board, a support specialist said many students were still confused. The message that appears on the Coral homepage when a log in is attempted simply stated that the login has failed and that the user's password may be incorrect. The specialist noted that by 1:00 p.mm USG had already received 30 telephone calls and ten emails. Many students were concerned their accounts had expired. By 4:30 p.m. yesterday the system had successfully rebooted and was completely restored. On Sunday there was also a failure with the Webmail, however because it was early in the morning, few students were affected. Tolman believes this may have been related, though the extent was not as severe. The Coral e-mail server contains mostly student accounts. The only staff members on the server are recent graduates who work at the University. It is independent from the Granite server which manages faculty e-mail. Many students were inconvenienced by the problem. Sophomore Steve Hoghe said, "It's awful, I worked in Eaton for four hours on my problem set and then couldn't print it out at home because email wasn't working." Senior Brian Friedlich was also academically affected, though less seriously. "The professor was accommodating about the assignment, I can turn it in as soon as email starts working." Junior Jordan Edwards was relying on his e-mail to confirm appointments. "I was expecting several time-sensitive e-mails about meetings, I'm still not sure if I missed them, or if they even happened," he said.

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Senate elects Bier, Coletti and Kleinman as trustee reps

September 17

Members of the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate elected seniors Jill Bier, Joe Coletti and Daniel Kleinman as representatives to the Board of Trustees in a meeting on Sunday. The Board of Trustees is responsible for approving all major decisions associated with the University, including the annual budget. The trustee representatives will attend the three trustee meetings throughout the year, and each will make a final presentation explaining which student and university needs are most important. The Senate selected the students from a group of seven candidates. Senate Historian Jeff Katzin described the race as "competitive and close." The candidates limited their focus to several recurrent themes and only presented a few new ideas for future improvement. All stressed the need to improve alumni relations by finding new ways for alumni to stay connected to the University. Bier suggested that the Experimental College should encourage more local alumni to teach courses rather than recruiting outside professionals. Coletti plans to focus on enhancing the current peer leader system. Drawing on ideas from the Task Force's final report, Coletti has proposed a student advising system in which peer leaders would be created within each academic department. Students would help their classmates on issues such as making their schedule or eventually preparing a senior thesis. Now, peer leaders work with freshmen for only the first semester, helping them sign up for classes the first time and answering any questions freshmen may have. Although Kleinman did not articulate any issues upon which he will focus, he hopes to excel as a Trustee Representative by combining his financial knowledge with a desire to represent student needs. "I [will] try to enter this role with an open mind when addressing issues about the common good of all students," he said. "I believe I can represent the TCU well, taking a broader perspective on needed change and the future direction of the university." All three elected Trustee Representatives stressed how valuable their varied interests will be when representing a diverse student body. "The best representative is a person who has seen more than one side of Tufts," Bier said. "[She is] the person who has witnessed how it feels to be in a variety of different positions and can respond to all [of them]." Bier has filled a variety of roles during her time at Tufts, including that of TCU senator, member of Tufts Dance Collective (TDC) and Student Sexual Assault Response Assistant (SSARA) counselor. Coletti's connections to the University are similarly diverse, ranging from his participation on the men's varsity soccer team to membership in the Zeta Psi fraternity. As Business Director of the Daily, Dan Kleinman has had experience with financial affairs. The Senate assigned each representative to one of three committees based on his or her goals and background. Bier will serve on the Development Committee, Coletti will serve on the Academic Affairs Committee, and Kleinman will serve on the Administration and Finance Committee.

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Israeli Minister Sharansky talks on Middle East violence

September 17

Adressing the ongoing violence in the Middle East, Israeli Minister of Diaspora and Jerusalem Affairs Natan Sharansky spoke to an invite-only audience Tuesday at Hillel. In Israel, he said, "children bury their parents, and parents bury their children" everyday because of terrorist attacks. The chat, which was part of a six-day North American campus tour also focused on international views of Israeli policy. According to the minister, many foreign politicians and journalists claim that "war criminals head the state [of Israel]" and they have admonished Sharansky for speaking on human rights. He insisted that Israel "is always trying to champion human rights." Sharansky cited Israel's decision to conduct searches of the Jenin refugee camp in April 2002 on a house-to-house basis as an effort to minimize civilian casualties. He denied the United Nations' initial declaration of the event as a human tragedy and accused the UN of an anti-Israel bias led by an Arab-Muslim nation bloc. Born in the Ukraine in 1948, Sharansky later fought for Jews' emigration rights and was incarcerated in a Soviet prison camp. He was released several years later when his case generated international attention. He immediately made his way to Israel and became heavily involved in politics, working for immigrants' rights and heading the right-wing Russian immigrants' political effort. Hillel and Friends of Israel, who co-hosted the event, were only able to invite between 70 and 80 people due to "budgetary reasons and the nature of the speech," organizer Bonnie Rose Schulman said. Gary Hoffman, honorary consul of Pakistan, joined both students and professors from several departments. Hillel president Joshua Pressman called Sharansky "a hero to many and a stand-up to adversity." Sharansky was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1986 - an honor he shares with Winston Churchill, Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela. As Rabbi Jeffrey Summit said in his introduction, Sharansky "belongs to an exclusive club." Sharansky also highlighted the differences between the Israeli and Palestinian governments. He said that "war is always the last choice for democratic leaders - we are always making concessions." Under the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), he said, "in order to keep the people under control, [it] needs an enemy like Israel for them to hate more than [the dictator]." When asked what he thought of the idea of creating a greater Israel by joining the West Bank and Gaza, Sharansky responded, "Palestinians should have their own independent state and it should be a democracy. That means not going to prison for speaking your mind. [Today] no Palestinian can speak out against Arafat." Sharansky's comments on the rise of anti-Semitism and action against Arafat were concise. "What will be the fate of Arafat? Not our business. Though if it were America, [the UN] wouldn't think twice [of getting rid of Arafat]." He also said that "the US should be much more aggressive in promoting democracy" in Palestine. Another question referred to the new law that was passed stating that the children of Israelis who marry Palestinians cannot claim Israeli citizenship. Sharansky justified the law by citing what he called the problem of men who marry many wives and have many children with each. The law is a "financial consideration," he said, because too many of these people make "an industry out of social security." Prior to his visit to Tufts, Sharansky visited universities in Canada and was also scheduled to speak at other Boston-area schools such as Harvard, MIT, and Boston University before heading to Washington, DC and New York City.

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Cambridge and Somerville go smoke-free

September 16

On Oct. 1, Cambridge and Somerville are joining the growing number of smoke-free cities and towns in Greater Boston, banning smoking in all restaurants, bars, and public areas. Interest groups such as Coalition for a Healthy Future and Clean Air Works have campaigned for smoke-free workplaces, resulting in a city-wide ban in Boston, which took effect this summer. The smoke-free movement is focused on preventing workers from inhaling secondhand smoke, a class-A carcinogen that is mixture of both the chemicals released from a burning cigarette and the smoke exhaled by a smoker. Secondhand smoke has been proven to cause lung cancer, leukemia, asthma, and emphysema. For example, restaurant and bar employees face a 50 percent greater risk of lung cancer. During an eight hour shirt, a bartender is exposed to the equivalent of smoking 16 cigarettes. Employees have mixed feelings on the new regulations, balancing concern for their health and the well-being of the businesses they work for, which are often frequented by smokers. "As a non-smoker I can appreciate the new law, but I could see how some people might shorten their visits to bars," Kathy Doel said, a bartender at the Joshua Tree Grille in Davis Square. Though the restaurant industry voiced a concern that the new ban would harm business, Clean Air Works had the support of Boston Hotel & Restaurant Employees Union, Local 26. When there are disparities in smoking laws in nearby towns, smoke-free supporters recommend leveling the playing field. "Even [advocates] of the ban realize that if one city banned smoking and the neighboring city did not, that could create major losses for businesses within the banned city," said Dave Newman of Clean Air Works. "That is why Somerville and Cambridge decided to go it together." Joshua Tree Manager Rob Ames is confident that the new law is not a concern to business despite the complaints and threats of patron smokers. According to Doel, "The ban is being placed on the entire region; people don't have a choice to go somewhere else." Despite this confidence from the restaurant there are still patrons, such as Larry Dobie, who vow they will not return once Oct. 1 hits. "I wouldn't be here if I couldn't smoke," said Dobie, a local who frequents the bar. "After the first, I'll be suffering and staying at home." Ames' personal feelings on the matter were mixed. "I don't agree with it, and I don't disagree with it. People should have the right to choose. It's a great point of debate," he said. The smoke-free movement began in California in 1995. By 1998 the ban covered the entire state. Over the past three years more states have begun to take measures toward eradicating smoking in the workplace, including, Massachusetts, New York, Texas, Colorado, Florida, and Hawaii. According to Newman, public interest groups, and city officials have collectively taken steps towards preparing the cities for the huge change. The Health Department has visited all food venues and bars in both Somerville and Cambridge educating managers and employees on the changes and procedures. Each venue will be visited twice and have materials for notifying people that their business is completely smoke-free. Local newspapers featured ads in order to raise awareness. On the first day of going smoke-free, the organizations hope to hold a kick-off event at a bar near the Somerville-Cambridge border. Ames is unsure what changes the Joshua Tree may have to make. But he, like most restaurant and bar owners, said the Davis Square nightspot will comply with all regulations.

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Spring Fling to be insured against cancellation

September 16

Tufts will now purchase insurance against loss for its annual Spring Fling concert. The policy change comes after forfeiting tens of thousands of dollars when Tufts was forced to cancel the concert last year. Concert Board and the Office of Student Activities decided jointly to cancel Spring Fling last April because of severe rain and wind conditions. Due to space constraints and agreements with Medford, the event could not be located indoors. Tufts lost about $70,000 on the two scheduled acts, whose contracts required payment even in the event of a cancellation according to the Office of Student Activities (OSA). Headliner Busta Rhymes took $50,000 of that sum, and the rest covered supporting act Real Big Fish and agents' fees. No insurance policy was taken out to protect against potential losses last year. Concert Board declined several requests to comment on the losses of last year's Spring Fling. Jordan Kolasinski, co-chair of Concert Board, also declined to comment on the reasons for the cancellation. "An insurance policy was never advised to us," OSA Assistant Director Ed Cabellon said. "Spring Fling has been going on for 35 years and it rained once. We didn't really think it would rain." Although Cabellon estimates that by canceling Spring Fling the university saved between $5,000 and $8,000 on production expenses for extra police and cleanup, costs for scheduling talent and stage and fence setup were unrecoverable. Cabellon did not give an exact figure for these unrecoverable costs, but they were significant. "Production alone can be close to our talent budget," Cabellon said. "Production expenses for a Spring Fling the size of last year's typically total $30,000 to $40,000," he said. "We also weren't budgeted for an insurance policy," he said. After last year's losses, however, Cabellon said that the cost of an insurance policy was built into the budget. The cost of Spring Fling comes from the $206 student activities fee that each student pays at the beginning of the year. The TCU Senate then disseminates the money to fund student groups. Spring Fling is the senate's largest allocation of funds. The last time that the concert was rained out, it was moved into the Cousens Gym, but that facility is no longer capable of accommodating the larger student body. Now, the only facility that can hold the entire student body is the Gantcher Center which cannot be used for concerts. Before Gantcher was built, Tufts made an agreement with the city of Medford explicitly promising that no concerts would be held at the new facility because of the noise that would leak out to neighboring residents. For Fall Ball to be held at Gantcher, neighboring residents first agreed to the dance and then the city of Medford approved it, according to Cabellon. "Fall Ball found a loophole in the agreement because they were not putting on a concert," said Cabellon. "That took a considerable amount of work from a number of people. To replicate those circumstances for the Spring Fling, since it is a true concert, would be very unlikely." According to Cabellon, even if the city approved moving the concert to Gantcher, it would "almost double" production costs, and would make Spring Fling unfeasible because of budget constraints. "We would have to set up soundproof draping and protect the flooring," he said. Setting up the sound, lights and stage in Gantcher would also be more difficult and more expensive. "I would love to see the concert in Gantcher, but knowing the administrative and political challenges, it is just too hard to do." This year's Spring Fling, despite requests for more funding from Concert Board, will have a talent budget of $64,500, which is close to last year's. Production costs bring the total expenses, before about $10,000 in ticket sales, to nearly $101,000. Spring Fling is a long-standing and well-attended tradition. According to OSA estimates, nearly all undergraduates attend the concert.

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News

TASA punished for buying alcohol

September 16

The Tufts Association of South Asians (TASA) was fined and the group's funding was restricted after the group admitted last night that it tried to use university funding to buy alcohol. A public hearing, the Allocations Board of the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate heard how TASA attempted to defraud the TCU Treasury and willfully submitted a reimbursement request for alcohol -- a violation of student activities policy -- after holding an event for seniors at Jillian's Boston bar on April 17. A week later, TASA signatories submitted the non-itemized receipts from the event and an application for reimbursement for $422.26, purportedly to cover the cost of using the facility, pool tables, and food. TASA Treasurer Suman Rao, who did not attend the event, paid for it with his personal credit card. Former TCU Treasurer Ben Lee ('03) called Jillian's last spring and received a fax of the itemized receipts and discovered that the bill included 16 alcoholic beverages worth $93. Lee then froze TASA's TCU account and notified the organization that there would be an investigation. Rao was reimbursed for the $329.26 that didn't cover alcohol. "Basically, we want to find out if they hid anything from us and if so, whether a signatory knew about it," said Lee's successor, TCU Treasurer Josh Belkin. The hearing was delayed until this semester because the Senate had already held its last meeting when this occurred last semester. TASA requested that the hearing be held last night because the group's account was still frozen. The hearing took place before the election of the new freshman ALBO members, so only Belkin and four ALBO members were in attendance at the hearing. TASA was placed on treasury probation two, which means that the group will have to hand in all forms in person and that those forms will receive extra scrutiny. Secondly, TASA will be ineligible for buffer funding and capital expenditures funding -- funding for new equipment purchases -- all year. Finally, they will be fined $93, the cost of the alcohol for which they sought reimbursement. The group's account has been unfrozen. TASA representatives at the hearing did not deny the group's guilt. "We come tonight in apology. We aren't denying any of the charges," Rao said. "It was, however, the mistake of two seniors last year." Rao asked that ALBO "scrutinize all of [TASA's] receipts this year. We want to get trust back." In a written statement to ALBO, former TASA president Kruti Dharia (LA '03) said: "We know that this was a mistake and it was an utter lapse in judgment...We ask that you do not punish the organization for events that went on the previous year." Rao told ALBO that TASA received the award for best student organization last year. Kavita Patel, TASA's current president, added that the group "[does] a lot of things for the entire student body, not just South Asian students, and any significant penalty could hinder our ability to do that." ALBO held closed deliberations for just under an hour and returned with a unanimous decision that TASA would be held responsible on both charges. Belkin said that the penalty decision was also unanimous. "I don't think it's particularly harsh," he said. "It's pretty standard punishment for treasury violations." "It's really about fairness. Every dollar they would have gotten for that alcohol is one less dollar that could have gone to the 135 other student groups." Patel said she believed the penalty imposed by ALBO was fair and she is confident that the organization can move beyond the incident. "The actions of previous TASA officers do not represent what TASA is as an organization," Patel said. "I look forward to making this one of TASA's best years." Belkin does not expect TASA to appeal.

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News

Senate begins to move on after year of conflict

September 16

Despite a year of tension and internal conflict, the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate appears ready to move on and start making changes according to its campaign promises from last year. "The main thing is just to get things done for the students," TCU Senate President Chike Aguh said. Aguh was nominated in one of the most controversial and confusing presidential elections the TCU Senate has ever seen. The list of presidential candidates, which originally consisted of Randy Newsom and Joe Mead, changed several times after Newsom rescinded his nomination. This unprecedented move sparked multiple re-nominations, raised questions of constitutionality, and changed the election date. The resulting confusion seemed to hinder the election process. "I don't think enough people knew about any of the candidates to feel like they [were] able to make a reasonable decision," senior Charline Han said last year. "I didn't even know the vote [had] happened already," added senior Jonathan Portny several days after last year's election. The low voter turnout further suggested that very few students were able to make strong, educated decisions about last year's candidates. Many senators expressed hope that this would be the year in which the Senate finally accomplishes its goal of forging a closer connection to the student body. "I have full faith that [we] will go even further beyond where other senates have gone," senior senator Newsom said. "This Senate truly wants to be inclusive and not the pompous and elitist administrative puppets I think people have seen in the past." Aguh has yet to undertake the projects upon which his platform was based, such as increasing the Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) safety network, enhancing the diversity component in the Freshman Orientation, or developing his program to give students credit for extracurricular activities, TC UNITED. However, Aguh has begun working on several projects he hopes will help close the gap between the TCU Senate and the students. He will begin by continuing several projects from last year. A major accomplishment of last year's Senate was the revision of the community representative system to provide the student body with more direct representation in the Senate. This "unprecedented compromise between members of the Tufts community" opened the representative system to any TCU recognized organization that petitions using standard procedure, which entails a 250-signature petition and a referendum at the next regularly scheduled presidential election, explained Sophomore Senator Rafi Goldberg in a Senate press release last year. The community representatives are important, says Aguh, because they "represent communities that feel neglected by the Senate and the University" but that are nonetheless deserving of representation. However, he admitted that not everyone is totally happy with the compromise. "[The community representative system] is going to be a hot topic," agreed sophomore Senator Dave Baumwoll who co-authored the Outreach Responsibilities Bylaw that created the new system. "It is going to be scrutinized because it is in the early stages." Baumwoll hopes to use Websurveyor, a software program that allows senators to collect student opinions and concerns via email and polls, to gauge student satisfaction with the changes. The Senate purchased the Websurveyor system last year and Baumwoll predicts that its initial poll will be conducted within three weeks and will most likely gauge opinion on issues including Greek life and curriculum. Aguh has also generated several new ideas about how to focus Senate attention on issues that directly affect the student body. Revitalizing the Greek system, which Aguh admits is in "pretty bad shape right now" is a central concern. Aguh is also committed to the "preservation of Tufts traditions," such as the Naked Quad Run. He hopes to foster new activities in which the entire student population can be involved, such as last Friday's Fall Ball. Aguh is optimistic that the free dance party, which he created and planned this summer, will become an important annual event. "Right now, I feel [the social scene] is being curbed by the administration and some non-student members of the Tufts community," Newsom said. "I plan on meeting with as many people as possible so we can figure out how to improve the Tufts social scene." The 2003-2004 TCU Senate has yet to officially meet, effectively making policy implementation impossible. As the year progresses, Aguh will have the chance to work with the body to implement or dismiss issues raised during his campaign. Last year the Senate was hindered by internal conflicts. In the fall semester, Senate Historian Allison Clarke motioned to impeach then-Vice President Andrew Potts. Then, in February, when TCU President Melissa Carson resigned, controversy erupted over how to replace her. The conflict was eventually resolved with Potts fulfilling the President's duties but not assuming the position itself. Despite this rocky history, many senators are optimistic that this year's Senate will be different. "That is in the past," said Joe Mead, Senate Vice President. "All of the senate is looking forward. Everyone is just concentrating on making this year the best it can be." Aguh agrees. "Petty grievances have no place here," he said. "The main thing is just to get things done for the students."

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News

Upgrade expands services, information on info boards

September 16

Tuftslife.com, in conjunction with the Tufts department of Public Relations, recently completed an upgrade enabling new features and allowing new content to be displayed on the info boards around the Medford/Somerville campus. The upgrade of the info board screen content created the "Tufts Today Network," the newest version of the info board service. It allowed for the integration of Tuftslife.com content with the University's existing computer infrastructure. This change was necessary to get the "automatic upgrades of the computing infrastructure by Tufts to better evolve the content displayed on the screens," said Pete Sanborn, Assistant Director of Public Relations. The Tuftslife.com public info board project began with a single screen in Dowling Hall. This location was shown to be "a viable communications channel," according to Sanborn. Over the past few years, Tuftslife.com has expanded its ability to reach students and faculty on campus by adding screens in the Dewick-MacPhie Dining Hall, the Tisch Library, the Campus Center and the Hall of Flags in the Fletcher school in addition to the original in Dowling, according to sophomore Rajit Kapur, of Tuftslife.com. For the new Tufts Today Network, "there are three primary types of content represented: announcements, news headlines, and emergency alerts," Sanborn said. During the week, the main section of the info board content rotates through news headlines of interest to the University community ranging from topics of international importance to items specific to Tufts. For example, information was recently included about the TCU Senate elections. Another important component of the Tufts Today Network is "the ability to easily customize the content on the go," according to Sanborn. Custom modules and categories can be set to show specific news events and to "address what the students are interested in, such as the TCU election announcement," said Sanborn. On Friday afternoons and weekends, the news content displayed changes to arts, food, music, and sports headlines pertinent to the Boston area, according to Sanborn. Also, content from Tuftslife.com is present on the info boards at all times, from campus announcements, which are shown as news briefs, to the daily event calendar, which scrolls along the bottom info board. As soon as an event has concluded, it can be automatically dropped from display. In addition, the added ease in customizing the content "allows emergency announcements pertinent to the Tufts community to be disseminated and displayed on the screens," said Sanborn. Looking ahead, Sanborn and Kapur cited several areas for expansion and changes related to the info board system. In conjunction with the Tufts Public Relations Department, Tuftslife.com plans to "increase the scope of its news delivery," by expanding the public info board program to all of the Tufts campuses, including Health Sciences in Boston and the Veterinary School in Grafton. According to Sanborn, this coincides with the administration's philosophy of linking the Tufts campuses together. At the other Tufts campuses, it is planned to have members of the Tufts Computing and Communication Services, called Front-Line Support Providers (FSPs) in charge of updating the boards since Tuftslife.com is a student organization central to the Medford/Somerville campus. Tuftslife.com also hopes to increase its presence by placing info boards in more locations on the Medford/Somerville campus. In addition, to make the info board project more helpful to students, the Public Relations department would like "to work with and get input from students about the scope and type of content displayed on the screens in the near future," said Sanborn.

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News

Psych Professor leaves Harvard for Tufts

September 15

In a decision announced yesterday by Tufts officials, well-known psychology professor Nalini Ambady will be leaving her position at Harvard University to join the Tufts psychology department. Provost Jamshed Bharucha said the acquisition of Ambady, a renowned professor in the field of nonverbal social psychology, is part of a greater plan. "Ambady's recruitment fits extremely well into [our] strategy to increase the strength of the social psychology department," he said. Bharucha explained that Ambady will be providing a senior leadership role in the department. He hopes she will be able to make connections to other aspects of psychology, particularly neuro-psychology. Ambady will be a full professor and will hold the Neubauer Fellowship for three years. This opportunity was one of Ambady's motivations for leaving Harvard, as she is particularly eager to work in the neuro-psychology field from Tufts. "I am very excited about the strong neuroscience and cognitive departments," she said. The changes going on in the Tufts psychology department, particularly the aggressive hiring practices, helped her make the decision to come. "President Bacow and Provost Bharucha are making a lot of key hires, and are active in terms of moving the University forward." Dean of Arts and Sciences Susan Ernst is excited about welcoming Ambady. "She is certainly on the forefront of her field and will be a wonderful addition to the department," she said. Ambady recently wrote a paper on Affective Neuroscience, or the neuroscience of emotion. The paper was published in the June 6 edition of Science

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News

Frats settle property, water debts with Somerville

September 15

The landlords of Theta Delta Chi, Delta Upsilon and Delta Tau Delta have all set up plans with the city of Somerville to pay overdue property taxes and water bills that were incurred over the summer. The property tax payments are part of a new, city-wide delinquent collection program and do not reflect the city targeting fraternities. "We're going through budget cuts and financial difficulty. Every dollar counts now more than it ever has," said Bill Doncaster, spokesman for Mayor Dorothy Kelly Gay. Outstanding water bills represent fees that the city has already paid to the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (MWRA), which assesses and charges each city's water usage. "When a water bill isn't paid to the city, the city has already paid out that money." Doncaster said. The new collection program was set up as an easy way for debtors to repay the city. "When we implemented [the new collection program], we were very clear with everyone that what we really wanted was for people to communicate and establish payment plans." Theta Delta Chi President Peter Markus disputes Somerville's charge that the fraternity has missed water payments. "Theta Delta Chi owes zero dollars in outstanding water bills," he said. Markus does not dispute the property tax issue, and the fraternity is on a payment plan with the city to resolve those debts. The payment agreement between Theta Delta Chi and Somerville is fairly simple. "The city agrees to payment plans of the following structure: half of your outstanding debt up front, and the other half paid off in equal monthly installments over the next 12 months," Markus said. Although the amounts of each of the fraternities' debts are large, Markus said, the numbers can be deceiving. "What people don't seem to understand about the water bills and taxes is that for a house of our size, the property taxes are about $15,000 per year, and about the same for water bills," Markus said. "If a house has an outstanding debt of $10,000, it does not mean they haven't paid in years, they have simply missed the last one or two payments," he continued. According to Delta Upsilon President Mike Ciacciarelli, DU's repayment plan has been completed. "The issue is basically resolved. We received a certificate of good standing from the city last week," he said. The problem does not always lie on the brothers however. According to Markus the utilities and taxes are the responsibilities of house management. "When a house owes money, it's not the brothers that are dropping the ball, it's the landlord," Markus said. "These debts are settled year after year, and there is no huge new problem with Tufts fraternities," Markus said. "Everyone is simply doing what they have always done."

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News

UCCPS becomes its own college

September 15

The University College of Citizenship and Public Service (University College) is beginning a major push to expand its role in the Tufts Community. Four new staff members will be hired, and the school is in the process of launching several new projects to increase involvement both on the Medford Campus and in the graduate schools. "The goal from the beginning was not only to emphasize education for active citizenship for undergraduates but to also involve graduate programs and students," Dean of the University College Rob Hollister said. Though most of this year's activities took place on the Medford Campus, Hollister says they are entering a stage of expansion. They will be extending their support to other Tufts' campuses. To reflect this, the University College will now report directly to the Provost, making it Tufts' eighth college. The school previously reported to the Dean of Arts & Sciences, Susan Ernst. Molly Stuzman, Executive Assistant to the Provost, said "the University College's mission is really university-wide, it's not solely in the school of Arts and Sciences. So it makes sense for the college to report to an official who is responsible for all eight schools." Lincoln-Filene Professor Molly Mead, who has been involved in the University College for several years agreed, "I think its make sense. If we want to be University-wide, we have to report to the provost." Mead, who was formerly Director of the Omidyar Scholars Program, will now serve as liaison to the faculty in all schools. She will supervise the faculty fellows program, which gives grant money for staff to do research in the areas of active citizenship. Other projects which Mead will be working on include the creation of a new certificate program in the Psychology Department on Ethics, Law, and Society. She will also help the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department create a "threaded curriculum," where students take several required courses at a facility in a local town. "The department has said if we teach these courses in a single community-based setting, we think we can improve the conditions in the community and have the students make new connections," she said. The new projects have been under development since the change in the University College's status was made in the early in the summer during meetings with administration officials. Hollister will now have a place on the Provost's Council, a body where the head of each school gathers several times a year. The school will also be guided by a newly created Board of Overseers, which will be lead by Trustee Alan Solomont. Hollister said the new board, which will have approximately thirty members, will include academics, alumni and faculty leaders in civic engagement from around the country. The Board of Overseers replaces the National Advisory Committee, which Hollister praised as having provided "invaluable support to the college and key external advice about program developments." The Board will continue these responsibilities, but will also be responsible for an annual review and evaluation of the college. The Board of Overseers will also assist the college in linking with the outside community. Hollister said the new board members, along with new outreach activities will help to create a "network of alumni" for current students to have at their disposal. The college will be hiring a "Community Engagement Specialist" and an "Alumni Coordinator" to expand its network of off-campus contacts. In addition, the Omidyar Scholars program has helped enforce these partnerships by increasingly having its students complete their community projects at places where the school has made a long-term commitment, including Chinatown and Somerville. The school will now be referred to in shorthand as the University College. The old abbreviation UCCPS, was changed, as Hollister said, because "we have found a lot of people that find the initials are not informative and confusing." The University College has been criticized in the past for having too broad of a mission and a limited role on campus. To counter this image, the college is sponsoring or co-sponsoring several high profile events this semester. A partnership with the political science department has brought former governor of New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen to co-teach a class entitled "Governing in a Partisan Environment," with Professor Ken Portney. The school is responsible for the Ex-College class, "Producing TV Programs for Social Change," taught by documnetary filmmaker Roberta Oster Sachs. Registration for the course exceeded available slots, and Sachs will teach the course again in the spring. In addition, the University College arranged for the Leonard Carmichael Society (LCS) to move downstairs from its headquarters in the Lincoln-Filene Center. The college provides program support to LCS for retreats and training, and Hollister said the partnership between the two organizations is "very important" to the college. Ultimately, Hollister said he measures success by how the University College contributes to the academic life at the school. The President will convene the second Student Forum on Volunteer Service in the Host Community in February. The main discussion at the first forum was on the dual challenges and rewards of community service at an academic institution. Hollister sees the University College as the embodiment of that goal at Tufts. "I think there's exciting momentum on the President's part and with faculty and students to elevate both parts of the equation at Tufts. We can raise both the quality and impact of volunteerism and its educational outcome on this campus."

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News

Frat campaign begins with Meet the Greeks barbeque

September 15

Members of the fraternities and sororities gathered on Fletcher Field on Saturday for the first annual Meet the Greeks barbecue, as part of a concerted effort by the administration to reintroduce the Greek system to the community as a group that "can have fun without alcohol," Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Todd Sullivan said. The University hopes to present Greek life as more wholesome and less exclusive, following several alcohol-related problems both over the summer and during the last months of last semester, including the one-year closure of the Zeta Psi house. Turnout for the barbecue was scant, despite the good weather, free hamburgers, loud music and impromptu football game. Although the actual turnout was less than anticipated, the administration and members of Greek organizations are optimistic that the new campaign will have an effect. "I will be working with students to make positive changes, such as a greater focus on community service and academics," Sullivan said. Sullivan also hopes to "[change] the culture of flagrant violations of Tufts policy," though he denied that this included any sort of "crackdown" on fraternities and sororities. He hopes to de-emphasize the alcohol tradition that fraternities and sororities have, a move which would ultimately "decrease the amount of judicial cases" involving those organizations, he said. "Students have, and will continue to have, a good time in the Greek system here at Tufts," Sullivan said. Part of Sullivan's job is to serve as an intermediary between the fraternity and sorority members and the administration. One sorority sister said that "[Sullivan's] addition to the Tufts community will be a change in the right direction. He will do a better job representing us to the administration." Others in the Greek system, however, are not sure the University is handling the alcohol issues in an appropriate manner. Jay Basu, a Tufts graduate and former fraternity member who was at the barbecue, said recent actions against the fraternities "make for a more hostile environment, where the administration pits itself against the students." Instead of disciplining fraternities and sororities, Basu said, "Tufts should create an on-campus bar for the over-21 crowd like MIT," an idea he thinks could reduce the amount of alcohol-related incidents in the Greek system. One current fraternity brother shared similar thoughts. "It's kind of scary to see what's going on recently with the Greek system here. It almost seems as if they are trying to slowly phase out the fraternities through harsh punishment." Along with the new Greek public relations campaign, the informal fall rush week for fraternities began yesterday. Sullivan said he will use the week to start working on another one of his goals, to "increase the number of members joining the Greek system -- but only those who want to join for the right reasons."

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News

Dining services undergoes many changes

September 14

This fall, Dining Services will extend the hours of operation for dining halls, and celebrate the opening of the newly refurbished No Name Caf?© in Mugar Hall. Carmichael and Dewick, the upper and lower campus dining facilities, will now remain open a half-hour longer than last year, to 7:30pm Friday and Saturday and until 8:00pm Sunday through Thursday. This change comes after a shift in the block schedule that effectively pushes classes and athletics later into the evening. Last year's survey conducted by Dining Services found that many students with late classes and commitments were unsatisfied with the original hours. There has been minimal financial concern with the extended hours. The new schedule had been carefully mapped out before the school year began, and there are to be no increases in dining costs Dining hall employees, especially the older employees, are still adapting to the change. They have often become accustomed to a specific routine over the years of working at Tufts. A common complaint is that the extended hours make their days that much longer for them. Dining Services now provides escort service to those employees who must now walk home after dark. The opening of the No Name Caf?© in Mugar Hall will expand students' eating options. Located on the upper campus, the No Name has replaced what was originally Trio's Caf?©. Over the summer, Trio's was gutted and completely refurbished. The No Name has new furniture and is equipped for wireless internet connections. The No Name will accept cash, Points Plus and Dining Dollars much like other ?  la carte eateries on campus, such as Brown and Brew and the Campus Center, The No Name will feature Starbucks coffee and espresso, Fresh?ns smoothies, Freschetta pizza, a variety of tossed-to-order salads and custom wraps. No Name will not be open on weekends or holidays. There may eventually be a contest where students can rename the No Name. A previous naming contest, where a student dubbed the popular campus coffee house Brown and Brew , proved quite successful. That winner received a mountain bike. According to Patti Klos, if another contest is held for the No Name, a prize of similar value would be awarded. Although the No Name opened for business on Wednesday, September 10th, the final interior touches to the caf?© and installation of the last pieces of furniture have not yet been completed. A grand opening will be scheduled sometime soon.

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News

Tufts sees change in alcohol policy

September 14

Changes to the university alcohol policy have given RAs less discretion but decreased punishment for alcohol-related medical emergencies. Resident Assistants (RAs) are now required to document every instance of underage drinking in dorms. Previously RAs had a degree of discretion in terms of "writing people up". Every incident is now recorded in an official report and filed at the Office of Residential Life and Learning (Res Life). Carrie Ann Ales of Res Life is in charge of keeping track of all the records. She typically holds the record until a second violation comes through. However, certain incidents may be directly forwarded to Veronica Carter in the Dean of Students Office. First-time alcohol violations will now only carry a warning. Previously there was a mandatory sentence of probation level one. The Dean of Students office has also relaxed the punishment for students who need Tufts Emergency Medical Service (TEMS), a change meant to encourage students to call for medical attention when needed. In the past, students who sought medical attention through TEMS would be put on probation. Many students avoided seeking medical attention because of the stigma attached to probation level one, Dean of Students Bruce Reitman said. According to Reitman, the alcohol policy has been "tweaked" in a way which effectively "notches disciplinary action down a level." First time offenders will now receive warnings, and second time offenders will get probation level one. First time offenders will receive a written warning sent by the Alcohol and Drug Educator, Margo Abels. The letter will describe possible future consequence and resources for students to find treatment. Students will also be required to go through an online alcohol education class. Last year roughly 100 students were put on probation level one as a result of alcohol violations, while only two to three students became repeat offenders. Enforcement protocol for the new policy has also raised controversy. Any time an RA catches a student with alcohol, RAs are now required to report the student through a write-up, removing the option to use their discretion. RAs are encouraged to call TEMS if they find a student 'passed out' or vomiting. A few RAs allege that this protocol will sour their relationship with residents. "Mandatory enforcement will put a lot of pressure on students and force alcohol behind more closed doors, leading to more binge drinking," RA Randy Newsom said. However, others note the positive aspects of the policy changes. "Some RAs worry that [the new policy] will reduce trust that residents have and will emphasize the rule enforcement portion of being an RA," said RA Emily Rhodes. "I think [the policy] is good because it intends to maintain consistency between all RAs. It removes personal discretion," she said. The administration argues that the change will eliminate student's confusion over the consequences and "inconsistencies in response," Reitman said. These changes bring Tufts more in line with other universities that only give warnings for a first offense. At M.I.T., for example, if a student is under 21 and in possession of alcohol but calls for medical help, the incident is treated as a medical matter, not a disciplinary one.

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