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Tufts campus welcomes pre-frosh

April 17

Gillian McCafferty is a typical 17-year-old visitor to Tufts. A motivated, successful high school student, she is choosing from a number of highly selective schools which have offered her admission. McCafferty is one of 3,700 accepted students who must decide where to attend Tufts by May 1. As students are weighing their options, many of them make a crucial visit to the Medford campus. "I think I decided the second I stepped on campus," McCafferty said. She is also entertaining offers of acceptance between Northwestern, Boston University, Colby, and George Washington. "I see a lot of opportunities here, and I love Boston, there's so much to do here," said McCafferty, a native of nearby Magnolia, MA. The kinds of opportunities available from Tufts were a common theme among those participating in the recent April Open House. During April Open House, accepted students can tour the campus, attend several presentations by faculty, and also spend a night with a current student to learn more about college life. Last year 774, or approximately 20 percent of accepted students, participated in one of the three April Open Houses offered. According to David Brunk, Assistant Director of Admissions, the April Open House is important because students can have a structured program to learn about the opportunities on-campus and about student life. "I want to know what kinds of classes are being offered," said prospective student Shouhei Yanagami on her reasons for coming to visit Tufts. "I'm trying to get into Med School so I need an undergrad program that is good for that." Yanagami was generally pleased by what she had seen on-campus, which included a panel discussion. After Tufts, she plans to visit Colgate for its open house, another possible choice. Sheehan Perera, who applied as a transfer student from SUNY Geneseo, was attracted by the school's International Relations program. "The program here is a lot more in depth. I can study International Economics and Development which isn't offered at [SUNY Geneseo]." He was so impressed by the program that Tufts was the only school to which he applied to transfer. But April Open House is about more than just academics. Los Angeles native Katie Chun was deciding between Tufts, Connecticut College and the University of California at San Diego. "I'm spending the night and seeing what happens on campus. Wherever I go, I know I'm going to get a great education, so the other things are pretty important," Chun said. Other deciding factors included the presence of a diverse community, as many students came from what they described as "homogenous" hometowns. Jessica Prowell from Roxbury, NJ, decided to spend an extra evening on campus through the Students of Color Outreach Program (SCOPE). "I came just to meet people, and to stay the extra night." SCOPE offers additional programs for minorities, including a second overnight stay. Other universities have similar programs; Prowell recently attended one at Lafayette College. Eighty students participated in SCOPE this year, which was offered during last Friday's April Open House. Students were generally satisfied with the programs offered through the April Open House and SCOPE. Brunk said student surveys issued at each April Open House had returned positive results, and the program this year was similar to last year. New York City native Lun yan Ton, however, suggested that more dorms should be open for inspection, including those that would be exclusively for freshmen next year. Currently, guides give tours through Miller Hall, which will be mostly sophomores next year. Not surprisingly, potential members of the Class of 2007 were highly involved during high school. McCafferty was involved in her school's newspaper, Key Club, Math Team, played field hockey and piano, and did volunteer work. Her workload is typical of the April Open House attendees. Prospective students plan on continuing to stay involved in extracurricular activities in college. Yanagami was looking at Tufts community service, internship, and research opportunities in making her decision. Other visitors on campus weren't there to make any decision at all. Instead, they were admitted early and their decision has already been made. Robert Gaudet, who was accepted back in December, was touring the campus just to learn more before arriving here in the fall. 1,030 students, parents, and relatives have attended during the two Open Houses, exactly the same number as last year. The final April Open House will be held next Wednesday. The programs offered eased McCafferty's concerns about college. "All the people here were really, really friendly," she said. "I was a little intimidated when I first arrived, but after I had lunch with a student things were great."

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News

Educating the new diplomat at Fletcher

April 17

An innovative new graduate program will partner the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy with the Department of Defense to train professionals in the public sector. The program, known as GMAP 2, is an expansion of the three-year-old Global Masters of Arts Program (GMAP). An intensive 12-month program, GMAP 2 is designed to give professionals with real-world experience a more complete understanding of international relations. GMAP 2 will differ from its predecessor through its focus on the public sector. The programs students will be mainly composed of professionals from American and foreign governments, as well as from businesses dealing with governments. GMAP 1 was more focused on the private sector, the United Nations, and non-government organizations. The partnership with the Defense Department will allow the agency to select some of its employees to attend Fletcher, where their tuition of $47,500 will be reimbursed by the government. This is the first time the Defense Department has partnered with a university for a joint graduate program. "We have a large community of people working in security co-operation with other countries of the world," Lieutenant General Tome Walters, director of the Defense Security Co-operation Agency, told the Financial Times. "And we had identified a need for more professional education, particularly for government civilian employees." The first GMAP class will begin in July, and each of the three terms are composed of three weeks of reading, two weeks of residency, and 11 weeks of online studying. The first and last residencies take place at Fletcher, and the second one is held at an international site. Under first GMAP program, the international sites included Spain and Costa Rica. Walters identified the program's structure, including the small amount of classroom time, to be crucial to creating military leaders who understand the current world environment. Students have "have no time for personal life -- they basically give it up for one year, dedicating themselves to their job and to the program," said Deborah Nutter, director and senior associate dean of the program. Applicants are required to have at least eight years of professional experience and hold a mid- to high-level position with international responsibilities. The GMAP program has accepted between 35 and 40 students each year, which are then broken into four- to six-member teams. Members of each group work and interact with one another throughout the term -- studying, completing assignments, and establishing relationships. All major aspects of the international world order are covered in the GMAP program. The curriculum consists of eight courses, ranging from "International Politics" to "Transnational Social Issues," which enables students to procure a "360-degree view of the world," Nutter said. Most assignments are group work projects, allowing to students to learn how to distribute responsibilities productively and efficiently. GMAP's online component is necessitated by the global distribution of participants and their high-ranking positions which make it difficult for them to leave work for extended periods of time, Nutter said. The program's online component also allows students from different parts of the country or world to work together on assignments. Nutter emphasized the fact that GMAP "is not distance learning." GMAP faculty attempt to reduce distance barriers through both phone and online contact with students. The program has attracted a broad range of participants in its first three years, and Nutter said students so far have been pleased with its mix of long-distance, classroom, and field learning.

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News

Newsom pulls out of presidential race

April 17

Amid allegations of unconstitutionality and confusion over rules of procedure, the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate moved last night to overturn Tuesday night's nominations of presidential candidates and redo the process, following an announcement by junior Randy Newsom that he is withdrawing from the race. Newsom cited "personal issues, family issues, and issues of my future" as reasons for his resignation. With a new vote, the Senate nominated sophomore Chike Aguh and sophomore Joe Mead, the other previous presidential candidate, over junior Julia Karol. That vote, however, may not stand: numerous allegations about the unconstitutionality of the procedure were made during the meeting, and former TCU Senate Parliamentarian Adam Koeppel -- who is no longer a member of the body -- filed two official complaints with the Tufts Community Union Judiciary (TCUJ) before the votes were even tallied. A hearing is likely to be held today. Koeppel complained that ELBO did not have a constitutional right to hold a second nominations meeting and that the Senate could not overturn the results of its first meeting. "I'm not against a contested election, I just want to go about this through the proper procedure," Koeppel said. "I don't see anybody from the student body here, and I don't think they were informed. The rules they chose, the rules they voted on were violated." Throughout the meeting, there was much confusion about what rules even applied to the process. From the beginning, when no current senators were sure about what constituted a quorum, to various procedural motions that were made and then forgotten, to the Senate throwing out normal parliamentary rules because new senators did not know them, and to uncertainty over how the voting was supposed to be done, the meeting seemed at points like a five-ring circus. The issue itself was a gray area for which the constitution provides no clear answers. Article V, Section B, part 1 of the constitution stipulates that the Senate "will nominate two presidential candidates," but does not say it must nominate two, nor does it say that two candidates must run for office or appear on the ballot. Once Newsom announced his resignation, both Elections Board (ELBO) and the Senate scrambled to figure out how to handle the situation in the way that was "best for the student body." Definitions of what was best, however, varied greatly. Members of ELBO, who admitted to not consulting the TCUJ about the proper interpretation of the constitution, felt that in calling a new nominations meeting, they were acting according to their charge to hold fair and impartial elections. "We felt that had we not taken action as quickly and decisively as we did, we would have done harm to the presidential race," ELBO member Aravinda Rao said. Though there were complaints that potential candidates did not have time to prepare a platform before the meeting, ELBO said the new nominations had to be held immediately because the presidential elections could not be delayed. But many senators saw ELBO's decision to hold a second nominations meeting as not in the best interest of the student body. Mead, for example, did not wish to see himself win in an uncontested election, but said that upholding the rules of student government should have been the most important consideration. "Violating the constitution is in no way in the best interest of the student body. If we sustain it, we're setting a precedent that we can make up the rules as we go along." ELBO may have been in violation of the constitution just by holding the meeting in the first place. Article V, Section I says that ELBO shall call a meeting to nominate presidential candidates within two academic days of the general Senate election, but does not give ELBO the right to hold a second meeting or hold one after the two-day period. Others questioned, however, whether this election can be fair at all. Mead had to go through the nominations process over again and risk losing his candidacy and now must re-plan his campaign strategy. Aguh has only five days to run a presidential campaign, and many students are likely to not hear about his candidacy until Tuesday because of the holiday weekend. "It's unfair to both candidates," Mead said. Some senators alleged that the new nominations meeting was not fair because Aguh had more time to prepare his platform Karol, the other senator who sought a nomination. While the exact moment that Aguh learned of Newsom's resignation from the race is up for debate, he admits to knowing for sure this morning that Newsom was bowing out, and Newsom admits that he may have hinted so to Aguh on Wednesday night. Other senators were not informed until yesterday afternoon, and the initial e-mail that ELBO sent to the body said only that there would be an emergency meeting and did not say the reason why. Senators' support of the overturning of Tuesday night's meeting came out of concern about whether an uncontested election was good for student government. But that concern was somewhat hypocritical, said former vice president Andrew Potts, given that most senators were elected to the body in uncontested elections. "Everyone has an equal and fair opportunity to run for president," he said. But others say they were not interested in running against Newsom because they shared the same opinions as he. "When Randy dropped out, the concern was about the vision and where it would go," said Aguh, whose platform greatly resembles Newsom's. "Having a contested election is the best thing for the student body. The students should have a choice." Koeppel also said he contemplated running for president but instead decided to leave the Senate and study abroad because he saw few differences between his ideas and Newsom's. Newsom's unexpected resignation came after he received significant pieces of news yesterday that indicated he might not be able to spend the summer at Tufts, which is part of the president's duty, and made him worry that he would be distracted from the job during the school year. "To some, this sounds like a cop out, but I believe in my heart that I am doing what is right," Newsom said. "My hope is that after this meeting, my candidacy will be forgotten and the whole community can get down to the process of choosing the leader that they believe is best for Tufts next year."

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News

National honor bestowed on pitcher Lee

April 17

Senior pitcher Jon Lee's sparkling season just keeps getting better. Lee was named National College Baseball Writers Association Div. III National Pitcher of the Week following Saturday's dominating display at Bowdoin. Lee started both games of the weekend's doubleheader, going 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA. He surrendered just one run in 13 innings of work. He was also named co-recipient of the NESCAC Player of the Week award for the second time in as many weeks. "It's good to be recognized," Lee said. "But more important is whether we win or lose. What I really want is to do better as a team, even more than last year, which was pretty successful." Initially scheduled to start the first game of the double header and go only three innings in the second, Lee led Tufts to a 5-1 win with a complete game three-hitter in game one. Sharp control and a low pitch count in game two allowed him six innings of two-hit, shutout ball. For the day, Lee did not surrender a walk while holding opponents to a .116 batting average. "[The award is] very well deserved," coach John Casey said. "His effort up at Bowdoin was tremendous, and he pitched exceptionally well under pressure. No matter what, he steps up and does the job, and we're all very excited." Lee has been a force on the mound all season. With a team-leading 6-2 record and a 2.51 ERA in eight appearances, the Manhasset Hills, NY native has provided stability at the top of the Jumbo rotation. He recorded his second career no-hitter March 29 against Bates. Strong pitching will be essential this weekend against the Trinity Bantams (11-6) in Hartford, CT. The Bantams are tied with Tufts (13-6) for the NESCAC East lead with a 5-1 record. Trinity has been largely carried by a heavy-hitting lineup. Senior infielders Kurt Piantek (.599, 8 HR, 31 RBI, 1.017 slugging percentage) and Jayme Door (.394, six HR, 29 R) form the formidable heart of the Bantam's order. Trinity has a NESCAC-leading 81 runs scored in six games (189 in 17 games overall), while batting .365 with 34 homeruns and a .455 on-base percentage. The Jumbos sit at .291 with seven homers and 35 runs in NESCAC games (112 overall). While on paper it may seem like a battle between Tufts pitching and Trinity hitting, Casey looks at it differently. "I think it's just the opposite. If we don't hit we're not going to win the game," Casey said. "At some point we're going to scratch something. How our season ends comes out of this weekend in some sense." Junior pitcher Randy Newsom agreed, saying the team will work on keeping the ball down in the strike zone to counter the Trinity offense. But he cautioned against giving the Bantams a one-dimensional label. "That's the match-up everyone's talking about," Newsom said about Tufts' pitching and Trinity's offense. "But [Trinity is] a very solid baseball team. They can hit, they've got solid defense, and good pitching." Trinity's pitching has been far less reliable than that of Tufts. Of the Bantam starters, only junior righty Kevin Tidmarsh has been consistent, winning all four of his starts while notching a 3.12 ERA. Tidmarsh has a 13:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (26 K's, 2 BB in 26 innings), but opponents are hitting .312 overall against the Bantams. By comparison, Tufts has limited rivals to a .283 average, led by Newsom's .171. Lee leads the Jumbos in pitching against Trinity, with a 2-0 record and two shutouts in three career appearances. The Bantams have batted like a flock of scared chickens against Lee, pecking out a measly .165 average over the last three seasons. But he too warned against overlooking the Trinity team. "This weekend is a big test to see how good we are," Lee said. "We've played some average teams so far, and this will show how we fare against good teams." Junior DH/catcher Greg Hickey and senior tri-captain center fielder Evan Zupancic lead the Jumbos offensively in past games against Trinity. In five contests, Hickey has a .600 average and is slugging a whopping 1.500 with three homers and nine runs batted in. Zupancic has batted at a .400 clip with a team-leading 12 runs scored. While senior tri-captain Brian Shapiro is the regular Jumbo closer, the team has been hesitant to use him lately due to his value at the starting shortstop position. Newsom (3-1, 1.71 ERA, 4 saves) has stepped up to fill the gap, seeing both starting and closing action. The key to a successful season ending, according to the righty, is to approach the game with three main things in mind. "I just like to pitch, whether it's starting, middle relief, closing or mopping up. I just want to help the team," Newsom said. "We need to relax, to have fun, and play hard. Do those three things, and we'll be fine. The wins will take care of themselves."

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News

Tisch Library avoids $1.7 million loss

April 17

After more than three months of uncertainty, Tisch Library was reimbursed $1.4 million on Monday from Faxon, the library's former subscription vendor that declared bankruptcy in December. The sum amounts to 82 percent of the original $1.7 million Tisch paid to Faxon for subscription services that were not provided when the company went under. Faxon accompanied the payment with documentation that claims to account for the $300,000 difference, which Tufts has until mid-May to dispute. "I'm poring over it to see if I can find any discrepancies or unexplained charges," Tisch Library Acquisitions Manager Anthony Kodzis said. For over 40 years, Faxon was responsible for the administrative legwork of maintaining thousands of subscriptions on behalf of Tufts and other institutions. Customers paid Faxon a cumulative sum for their subscriptions and Faxon, in turn, would order subscriptions from publishers. In all, customers paid $73.7 million to Faxon and Divine's other subsidiaries last year that never made it to the publishers. Although most customers paid the subscription agency directly, Tisch deposited its payments into a protected escrow account that denies access to the funds until contractual agreements are met. Tufts Health Sciences Library, however, paid nearly $670,000 directly to Faxon. Litigation is pending. "Tisch needs to turnaround the money and pay the publishers," Kodzis said. But the effect of Faxon's bankruptcy has extended beyond finances; librarians have had to assume management of subscriptions that was once handled by the company. The library's main concerns include making sure every issue is received and dealing with publishers when problems arise. An outside subscription agency like Faxon, he explained, have both the technology and expertise to handle subscription issues on a much larger scale and with greater efficiency. Tufts libraries and other creditors are anxious to see what options will emerge from the bankruptcy proceedings. An Atlanta-based company, EBSCO Industries, has shown intent to purchase the subscription services currently owned by Divine, Inc. In the meantime, certain publishers have agreed to a "prepaid order agreement." Publishers will absorb the debt incurred in Divine's bankruptcy and guarantee uninterrupted 2003 subscriptions in exchange for libraries' commitments to continue subscriptions through 2004. But Tufts' libraries are still considering all their options, and have not agreed to any plan yet. The library expects that journal availability will not be affected by the bankruptcy situation. Every two weeks, Tisch Library updates the list of titles it has stopped receiving and the interlibrary loan office is available to obtain copies of materials that have lapsed.

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News

Tufts lax suffers close loss to Amherst

April 17

When a game is close, even the smallest errors can make all the difference. The men's lacrosse team learned this the hard way on Wednesday, falling 15-13 to the Lord Jeffs of Amherst. The two squads traded goals throughout the tight match, but down the stretch sloppy defense caught up with the Jumbos. "It was definitely little mental errors at key moments," sophomore David Taylor said. "I can remember at least three goals caused by trying to go over the head with the stick for a steal. It looks nice if it works, but if not you get burned. Middies do it when lazy or tired. They were mental errors." After the team had effectively used a zone defense in each of its previous games, coach Mike Daly elected to go with a man-to-man defense against the Jeffs. "Amherst is a skilled team that can move the ball well," Daly said. "A lot of teams haven't had the outside shooting threats that Amherst has. We didn't feel comfortable with that in the zone." Although many teams use a head-to-head defense, the zone had served the Jumbos well, providing them 8.4 goals against average before the contest against Amherst. That average jumped up to 9.1 after Wednesday's loss. Also contributing to the Jumbos' defensive frustrations were numerous whistles, which disrupted the flow of play and led to several man-up situations for the Lord Jeffs. "We don't blame the loss on the officials because it went both ways, but we blame it on the fact that there was no tempo," Taylor said. "It seemed like they were blowing the whistle every 30 seconds." While Tufts struggled with the numerous whistles, Amherst took advantage of them, netting several goals in man-up situations. "A definite problem was the man-up defense," senior tri-captain Mike Morley said. "They had to be close to 100 percent scoring man-up. I can't even remember stopping them once. When you do that, you put yourself up against an insurmountable hill." Despite the team's defensive woes, Taylor provided a bright spot for the Jumbos on offense with his four goals, including two in the last four minutes in a last ditch effort. Freshman Mike O'Brien contributed three tallies and an assist, in his first multiple goal game of his collegiate career. Senior tri-captain Alex Kerwin and sophomore leading scorer Brian Griffin added a pair of goals each to round out the Jumbo scoring. The Jumbos opened the game firing, taking a 4-3 lead after the first quarter. But Daly's squad was never able to break the game open. "They did a better job finishing their shots and a better job on man-up," Daly said. "We were up 2-0 and 4-2, but we couldn't get the three-run homerun, just like against Middlebury." Against Middlebury last week, the Jumbos led 4-3 at halftime and 6-4 midway through the third quarter, but were never able to pull away. The team expressed frustration at such a close loss to a seemingly evenly matched opponent. "I have never been so frustrated before," Taylor said. "Today was especially frustrating because we lost the game. We were the better team. We gave them the win." Tufts will look to bounce back quickly and regain its momentum. "I hope the team is frustrated and that's motivating them right now," Daly said. "We know this league is tough and competitive. We're not packing it in. I know we will rebound." The Jumbos will take the field next against Bates at 1 p.m. on Saturday at home. "It's important to get the team back on track," Morley said. "We need to get the win against Bates. We're playing a lot of the middle of the pack teams. We need to stay focused."

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News

Ring Round the Moon' chosen as 3Ps fall production

April 17

Last week, members of Tufts' drama society, Pen, Paint and Pretzels (3Ps), sat in Balch Arena to hear proposals for next fall's major production. Two proposals were made, but only one would hit the stage to and become 3Ps' next endeavor. The proposed shows were One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Dale Wasserman and Ring Round the Moon by Jean Anouilh, adapted by Christopher Fry. The director for each was Megan Hammer and Taylor Shann, respectively, both rising seniors. Both proposals were strong, thorough, well organized and interesting. However, the chosen show turned out to be the lesser-known of the two, Anouilh's Ring. The play is about "two twins, exactly alike but completely different. Two women, with only room for one belle of the ball. One butler. Old friends reunited, wheelchair wisdom, a festival of fools, and a millionaire who was happier when he wasn't worth a penny. To win a true happily ever after, you have to shoot the moon." Shann describes his concept for the play as "a 1920s Spectacular Spectacular," filled to the brim with jazz, fireworks, butterflies, and of course, twins. "We're jazzing it up, literally. Putting it in the roaring 20s," Shann said. He plans to move the shows setting from France to the United States in hopes to create a Great Gatsby-esque atmosphere. "The play is a comic/romantic fantasy with some darker, sadder themes, but in the end everything comes full circle. It has what I like to call an 'earned' happy ending," describes Shann. One of the fantastical elements of the play is that the aforementioned twins are played by the same male actor, which will prove to be a challenge not only for the actor but for Shann as well. The costumes will be period, but the costume designer will have some freedom. Above all, Shann just wants the costumes to look great. Shann is "thrilled to have the opportunity" to direct next fall's major production. (This will be his first major production at Tufts). Students of all majors and years are helping Shann out in terms of production. Eleven students make up his production staff, all of whom have participated in previous shows at Tufts. "They all know their jobs very well," Shann said. "My job will be to point them in the right direction and then get out of the way." The show calls for eleven actors -- six female, five male -- so be on the lookout for auditions early next semester.

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News

Hot' in here

April 17

Part Clash, part Flock of Seagulls, the alliterative Hot Hot Heat has been getting media attention and radio play with its unique yet enjoyable sound. The Daily was able to catch up with Steve Bays (keyboard/vocals) recovering from Heat's previous night's show at Axis. We talked about the music scene in his hometown of Victoria, British Columbia, the band itself, and a lot of random stuff. Tufts Daily: How did you first get interested in music? >Steve Bays: I played classical piano music at the age of eight. At 12 I wanted less conservative, more rebellious, so I started playing guitar. I played in a Rolling Stones cover band. TD: What was high school like for you? >SB: I usually was in like three or four bands. I was just trying to get through school, spent most of my time in bands. I still did well in school though. TD: How did you together with your band? SB: We all played in the local punk music scene. We all played in the same bands-it was only a matter of time. TD: What has been your best performing experience so far? SB: It's really hard to say. After the record came things have been really insane. The crowds have been singing and dancing along. Even the crowd last night was singing and jumping up and down. The West Coast has been especially good to us and the UK. TD: What would you say were your musical influences? >SB: Beatles, Led Zeppelin -- bands like that. Singer songwriters Steve Wonder, Michael Jackson, Billie Joel. A lot of underground punk. I grew up in the indie rock scene. There were so many new bands with new ideas that were more happening than the mainstream, especially in the 90s. TD: Who are you listening to right now? >SB: Moving Units, the Walkmen, Spoon, Patsy Cline, and the Pogues. TD: How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it before? >SB: New wave punk but for a new generation. Its new wave and it's pop but it doesn't sound like it. It's quirky and extremely catchy. TD: What do you do when you have some down time? >SB: I don't have any downtime, that's a problem .We just keep going and going and going. If we do have any spare time it's before or after sound check. We'll just play songs on guitars or if someone has a laptop, watch DVDs. TD: Were you satisfied with the outcome of the Oscars? >SB: I didn't even watch it this year. The only thing I head about that I liked was Michael Moore's speech. >TD: What's your favorite color? >SB: Navy Blue. TD: What was your favorite cartoon growing up? >SB: Not including The Simpsons? I was into Muppet Babies, but that may have been because they had that choice 10 o' clock time slot. I also liked Pee Wee Herman. [Pauses] Wait; looking back I would say He-Man. TD: What's the best lie you've ever told? >SB: When were bored with living in Victoria we would go to bars and lie about where we were from. But sometimes they would figure us out, or sometime s they would see us like three weeks later and say "Didn't you say you were form Boston?" I like to lie to strangers regularly TD: Okay, its 4 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon and you've got to dance. What do you put in the CD player? SB: [After establishing details, location, and style of dance] Track one of the Moving Units CD that's a great dancing song. [Pauses] Often at 4 p.m. we are loading into a club and the Pogues are a good drinking music band. Sometimes they'll have a pool table and we'll play pool while listening to the Pogues. It puts you in a good mood to play in a pub. TD: What question do you always wish you were asked in an interview? >SB: [after a moment to think] What is your favorite water slide? TD: Fair enough. What's your favorite water slide? We aim to please. >SB: The ones that are really, really, really long. Not the ones that are short and fast. The ones that take a long time to climb up. TD: Read any good books lately? >SB: I stated reading Michael Moore's book, Stupid White Men. And Van Halen, David Lee Roth's autobiography. I really want to see Old School. TD: What would you say is the moral to the story of your life? >SB: Don't eat glue.

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News

We all have our private lives

April 16

On a scale from one to 100, Dan Mahowny (Philip Seymour Hoffman) rates the excitement he gets from gambling at a 100. The highest anything else gets is 20. In this is how the mind of the mild mannered Toronto bank clerk works, and it is the reasoning that underlies his life consuming addiction to gambling. In Owning Mahony, Mahowny is an intriguing character full of nuances and complexities. Hoffman captures his compulsion beautifully, showing how he is able to play the part of a capable and well-liked bank clerk in his 'public life', when all the while he is thinking about his 'private life' -- placing bets and taking trips to Atlantic City, where he sits straight through the night, staring intently as money is won and lost, his fixated expression never changing. However, if you met Dan, you would not think he even knew how casino games work. He wears large glasses, old suits, has a comb-over, and cares deeply about, of all things, banking. Because of his competence, the managers of his bank even promote him to be the youngest assistant bank manager the bank has ever seen, and trust him with million dollar accounts. One Day, Dan's bookie, Frank Perlin (Maury Chakin) comes to collect and Dan is short. However, Perlin is compassionate man, for a sleazebag, and he just says that Dan can pay him back over time, but he is cut off from placing bets until then. This, however, is impossible for Dan, who goes back to the bank, and in a beautiful and compelling yet overly simple scene, proceeds to embezzle money from his bank, beginning a process that soon spirals far beyond his control. During his late night trips to the casino, Dan catches the eye of the casino manager, Victor Foss, who proceeds to do everything possible to ensure that Dan will continue losing his money at Foss' casino. However, Dan is not interested in the women, prestige, or luxury that Foss offers; he just wants a seat at the table, and some barbecued ribs, with no sauce. Dan also has a doting girlfriend named Belinda (played by Minnie Driver in a very unessential blond wig). She loves Dan, despite the fact that he often disappears for nights when he goes on gambling binges, and is so tired from them the next day that he can give her little attention. Unfortunately, this relationship is the weakest part of the movie and very early on, we wonder why Belinda loves Dan. He is nice enough, and cracks the occasional joke, but his compulsive all night visits to the casino in Atlantic City and his resulting neglect seem enough to push anyone away. It is almost impossible to see how they ever got together. At one point Dan whisks Belinda away to Vegas -- she thinks they are getting married, he ditches her for a game of craps. Yet she sticks by him to the bitter end. The best relationship that is highlighted in the film is the one between Dan and Foss. Night after night Foss watches Dan play until every chip is gone. Even when Dan has a run of luck that puts him up $9 million, he does not leave the table until it is gone again. Dan is Foss' best customer, yet there is a look of sadness in the casino manager's eyes when he watches the innocent victim of an addiction. While there is lot going on in the movie -- a man dealing with a terrible addiction that is crippling his relationship and causing him to steal millions form his own workplace - there is not much in the way of action. As a result the film slides along at a sluggish pace. While the camera work is beautiful, there is only so long a person can spend watching a man gamble away his life, without becoming overly frustrated. The film could be saved if the depth of Mahowny really came through and if his relationship with Belinda was less transparent and more realistic. However, the script spends far too much time on his secret life, on his money being thrown away, and we end up pitying Dan, but becoming sick of him.

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News

T Stop: Copley

April 16

Friends, fellow students, loyal readers, this year is winding down quicker than a slinky down a stairwell. So, instead of following the rest of the red line (because who really needs to hear JFK/Umass described in luscious detail?), we're going to wrap this semester up with some fun wildcards. This week, we're following the red brick road to the self-proclaimed Rodeo Drive of Boston: Newbury St. Eight blocks long, the first residential buildings were constructed as early as 1857 and the first store opened in 1905. With its 100-year anniversary coming up, there couldn't be a better time to explore this commercial and architectural wonder. Or, you could just go to the official Newbury St. web page, click on "fun stuff" and play Mr. Potato Head with Samuel Adams' face (http://www.newburyst.com/HTML/NewburyStreetBoston.htm). The choice is yours. Eleventh stop: Copley/Newbury St. Once you exit the T-station at Copley, you won't be on Newbury St. In fact, you'll be exactly one block to the right, facing a rather intimidating structure constructed by the esteemed architect H.H. Richardson in 1879, otherwise known as the Trinity Church. It's a great structure, but let us not linger too long on it or the spacious, green, beautiful and open square that is Copley Square -- because there is simply too much else to do! For example, one must go into the Back Bay Harley Davidson Store (160 Newbury St., 617-236-0840) and pretend to be a scary biker dude. With leather jackets and genuine Harley hogs, you bet the legend rolls on. But just to clarify, although Newbury St. may have a few heavy metal stores here and there, it mostly plays to upper-middle class clientele. As a result, there is basically an art gallery between every other store. No, really, there is. One store down from motorcycle mayhem is the Copley Society of Art (158 Newbury St., 617-536-5049). Also founded in 1879, this time by Boston Museum School students, the gallery has financed many Boston student artists as well various workshops throughout New England. Right now, laser-printed designer sugar cookies are on display in the new exhibit, "A Juried Exhibition of Visual Art in Digital Media." You can get your own whole cookie for only $99. Well, at least at that price won't be hard to stop eating after just one. Now, onto my absolute favorite store: Oliviers &Co. (161 Newbury St., 617-859-8841). With over 25 vintage olive oils (FREE SAMPLES!) and multiple olive spreads (FREE SAMPLES!) this little nook certainly delighted both me and my co-olive conspirator. Try the Fennel & Green Olive Mustard spread ($12); it's delicious. Now, onto my absolute favorite store: E6 Apothecary (167 Newbury St., 617-236-6635). Yes, I realize that I just said that the olive store was my favorite shop and for all you intellectual Tufts students who want to debate Hume with me later, it certainly can fill that position. But this store is for all the girls out there who never got to play with make-up when they were younger because they were too busy being tomboys. With high-end make-up of all different glittering colors, peaches, roses, fire engine reds, all just waiting to be played with, it's a rather dreamlike place. I could certainly continue on in glorious detail, but for fear of sickening 50 percent of my reader base, I'll say I'm done. Not really, but for all intents and purposes, done, finito, no more accolades for nice girly make-up store. Done. Now for a quick question I'd like to throw out to my reading public: have you ever heard the catch phrase, "hemp wears in, cotton wears out?" No? Then check out The Hempest Cannabis Clothing Store (207 Newbury St., 617-421-9944). Taken from its blurb on the Newbury St. website, The Hempest wants to let its customers know that, "while cotton is the most chemically dependent crop in the world you need not panic, our hemp's organic." It is good that they said that. I was panicking. Sitting here, at my desk, panic ensued. Alas, I could write an entire newspaper about the joys of Newbury St. I could tell you to drag a friend to the Jessica McClintock Store (201 Newbury St., 617-247-6667) and try on big poofy dresses, to go the Stephanie's on Newbury (190 Newbury St., 617-236-0990) to have a nice relaxing lunch outside, and follow it with some Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream (174 Newbury St., 617-536-5456). I could tell you to go to Newbury Comics (232 Newbury St., 617-536-5456) and support the independent rock n roll scene -- basically, there are any number of different fun and exciting places I could tell you to visit on this fabulous nonchalant urban catwalk. But don't listen to me; these are just the stores that I personally fancied. With blocks upon blocks of stores and salespeople just waiting to serve you, even the pickiest shopper should feel safe that they'll find whatever it is they're looking to find. But, if you don't need anything, that's all the better. For then, you can just sit on the stoop of your favorite brownstone, drink a cool beverage and watch all the people walk by. On a warm day in April, who could ask for more?

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News

Buckle up: behind the wheel of the Joey

April 16

Most University students are endearingly on a first name basis with the University shuttle, referring to it as "the Joey." They are not, however, on a first name basis -- or even a full-name basis -- with the Joey's drivers. Sure, upon boarding the shuttle they may smile and offer a courteous "hello" to whoever is behind its wheel, but beyond that? In most cases, nada. With this, the second in its new profile series, the Daily hops on board the Joey and discovers the woman behind its wheel every weekday morning from seven to two p.m. Somerville resident Sheila O'Laughlin, mother of three and grandmother of four, is that woman. An extremely experienced driver, she has had a school bus license since 1979. She also holds a sightseeing license and a motor coach license. "Most of my twenty years experience has been in driving," she said. At 7:10 a.m. every weekday morning, O'Laughlin starts her rounds from the Mayer Campus Center. Throughout the course of her shift, she makes approximately 28 circuits from the University's Medford campus to Davis Square, stopping at the Campus Center, Carmichael Hall, and the Olin Center before arriving in Davis. Though usually hovering around 20 minutes, the time it takes O'Laughlin to complete each full circuit depends on the volume of vehicle traffic at the time. As the Daily spoke to O'Laughlin on this day, the Joey was encountering a high volume, slowly inching its way down Packard Avenue. "I have the most traffic during my shift," O'Laughlin said in mock exasperation. Nearly finished with her second school year working at Tufts, O'Laughlin has developed a vehicle preference. If given the choice, O'Laughlin's favorite shuttle to drive is the "midsized shuttle with the two doors [because] it's easier to load and unload," she said. (Other shuttles used by Joseph's Limousines on the University campus include a smaller, mini-school-bus-size one and a larger, tour-bus-size one.) For the most part, O'Laughlin has found University students to be very well mannered. "Most are very nice," she said. O'Laughlin has, however, had to deal with the exceptions -- sometimes very vocal ones -- to that rule. "There are always one or two who give you a hard time," O'Laughlin told the Daily. "A lot of people keep asking me to let them off at different places, and it's kind of frustrating and a little irritating sometimes. I don't want to be mean, and I can't let them off." So how does O'Laughlin handle it when one of these "bad seeds" becomes relentless? "Last week I had a student who tried to flag me down at a stop that I wasn't supposed to stop at," she said. "He became extremely enraged and irritable. I had to have him removed from the bus by the police because he was too enraged." Such complications aside, O'Laughlin enjoys driving the Joey. "If I didn't like it, I wouldn't be doing it," she said. What are the best aspects of her job? "I like the hours," she said, adding that she "usually [manages] to get a few minutes to read the newspaper, so that isn't too bad." There is one aspect of her job, however, that irks the otherwise content O'Laughlin. It is a part of driving the Joey that few students are even aware of: drivers are required by the police to record the number of people who travel on the shuttle every day. "I would definitely want to change the fact that I have to take a count of the exact number of people who travel the bus every day," O'Laughlin said. "I can't keep an accurate count... it's a waste of time. If I thought it benefited anyone, I wouldn't mind, but I doubt they even look at the numbers. And I leave people behind sometimes because I'm counting. I could do it once a month but everyday is unnecessary." When asked what her favorite music to listen to on the job is, O'Laughlin said, "I always listen to music. I like to listen to WSKS because it won't offend anyone. It's soft rock. I have a lot of professors on board who I don't want to offend!" Of WSKS, O'Laughlin said that "it's relaxing. It doesn't make you feel like you want to get out of your seat and dance, not too much rock 'n roll." Hmm...doesn't sound like the premiere listening choice of the average Tufts student. Or is it? "I don't think students like it too much," O'Laughlin said, "but I've heard them singing along, even if they don't want to admit it to their friends!" As she maneuvered the Joey out of a traffic jam with an oncoming truck, O'Laughlin told the Daily that driving the University shuttle is not her only job. Her year-round job (including when Tufts students leave for the summer and there is no longer campus shuttle service) is as a tour guide for Old Town Trolley Company in Boston. "All MA residents go free if they bring one paying guest!" O'Laughlin said enthusiastically. As O'Laughlin stopped at the Olin Center and students filed out of the shuttle, most acted courteously -- only one failed to say "thank you." And with that, O'Laughlin and the Joey were off: one round down, 27 more to go.

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News

Tufts Sailing continues to shine

April 16

After impressive finishes last week, placing first in two regattas and second in another, the Tufts co-ed sailing team kept up a strong late season surge and won two of three regattas this past weekend. At the Admiral's Cup at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, the Jumbos beat 19 other teams, including Harvard, which finished second and Mass Maritime, which hosted the event and finished eighth. This was the co-ed squad's first fleet racing intersectional victory of the season. Tufts beat out the Crimson by 23 points for first overall. The team was lead by a strong showing in the A division, where skipper and senior co-captain Pete Levesque and alternating crew members senior co-captain Caroline Hall and freshman Bryan Prior won the division. Senior JR Maxwell and sophomore Liz Haddad finished fifth in the B division, while freshman Zander Kirkland placed second in the C division. After the first day of sailing, the Jumbos found themselves out of first place by 30 points. "We were disappointed with where we stood after Saturday," Hall said. "On Sunday we went out and benefited from sailing closer to our ability and from other teams choking." One of those other teams was St. Mary's College, which was leading heading into the second day. A series of bad races in the C division left it in fourth place overall and allowed the opportunistic Jumbos to take first. In other activity, the Jumbos won the Oberg Trophy hosted by MIT and placed fourth of 18 teams at the Boston University trophy. These other competitions have been a great venue for the strong freshman class to showcase its skills against some good competition from other schools. At the Oberg Regatta, the Jumbos were led by freshmen David Siegal, who skippered the A division, and Jeff Cruise, in the B division. Siegal and his partner, junior Katie Shuman, placed second in the A division, while Cruise and his partner, junior Ariel Fromer, finished first in the B division. "[We raced well by] taking advantage of the slight breeze to do as well as possible," Cruise said. "We did not make any mental mistakes and raced strong on both days of competition." As a result of its strong performances, the co-ed squad remained at third in the nation in the most recent rankings. The team will race in two regattas this weekend, one at Tufts and the other hosted by the Coast Guard. The Jumbos are also preparing for the New England Team Racing Championships to be held at Tufts in two weeks. The women's squad ran into trouble this past week, and placed sixth out of 18 teams at the Dellenbaugh Women's Intersectional at Brown University last weekend. This regatta was the largest of the spring season for the women. St. Mary's, ranked first nationally, ran away with the regatta, beating second place Brown University by over 50 points. A small consolation for the Jumbos was that their sixth place finish was one spot and 26 points better than rival Harvard. Also, the team finished second among teams from New England. Junior AJ Crane skippered the A division to fifth place, while senior Clare Dooley handled those responsibilities for Tufts in the B division for a sixth place finish. The combined result of 172 points was one point behind fifth place Charleston College and nine behind fourth place Hobart/William Smith College. Though the overall result was not up to the Jumbo's expectations, Hall pointed out that the team finished second to other New England schools at the regatta. She hopes that this slant on the results will go a long way in terms of the team's confidence heading into next weekend's Women's New England Championships. The team will also emphasize its strong mid-season performances to get ready. The women's team fell one spot in the national rankings as a result of its competitions. The focus now falls on the New England Championships, which will also be held at Brown. Teams that place in the top five at New Englands will advance to the National Championships.

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News

No new Asian American Culture prof for the fall

April 16

Following a two year search to find a tenure-track professor to fill the Asian American Literature and Culture position, the Asian American Curriculum (AACT) project has announced that no professor was hired for the Fall 2003 semester. The program has cited "irreconcilable differences" between the English and American Studies departments -- which helped to complete the search. "It's a shame, it's unfortunate," said English professor Elizabeth Ammons, a member of the search committee for the new professor. According to Ammons, the decision not to choose a professor was due to "a genuine difference" between each department's choice. The initiative for the new position began with the 1996 report from the Task Force on Race, which outlined the need for increased representation of minorities in University programs. As American Studies is a program rather than a department, and lacks power to hire professors, the AACT began working with the English department as well in the search for a new professor. In 2001, lobbying from AACT led English and American Studies to form a search committee to find a professor of Asian American Literature and Culture to be hired by the English department. English professor Carol Flynn chaired the committee, which also included Ammons, American Studies Chair Francie Chew, and Professor Jean Wu. The committee agreed upon several candidates and brought them to campus, according to Ammons. Of those candidates, both departments agreed that two would be a potentially good fit for Tufts. Unfortunately, those two candidates were hired away before the University could act, Chew said. "It's a disappointment, but I wouldn't say that it's the department's fault or the program's fault," she said. "We actually agreed on a huge amount." Once the favored professors chose other employment, the increasingly narrow search made the differences between the two disciplines more obvious. "The English department really liked one person, and American Studies really liked the other person," Ammons said. The decision to end the search was unfortunate, according to Ammons, because it was "in the context of lots of agreement on other people." "This is really a student-initiated position," said junior Thomas Chen, a member of AACT who lobbied for over two years and was involved in meeting the candidates. AACT made a recommendation for one of the candidates, but according to Chen, it wasn't given the same consideration as the faculty search committee's opinions. "I'm not sure how much weight we were given," he said. Though this marks the end of the search for a professor for next semester, members of the search committee are confident that a search for an Asian American professor -- involved with any department -- will begin again. "Usually, when a search fails, it's resumed again the next year," Ammons said. "It's not such a terribly unusual thing to happen at Tufts." The administration has not requested that the English department and American Studies program renew their search for a professor of Asian American studies, but there will be a request filed this Friday to begin a search for an Anthropology professor who specializes in Asian American studies, Chew said. The American Studies program has been consulted regarding that request, she said. Originally, AACT had hoped that the hiring of an Asian American Literature and Culture professor would foster the creation of an Asian American Studies minor. Though the joint search between English and American studies has ended, a new Anthropology professor specializing in Asian American studies "could potentially contribute" to an Asian American Studies minor, Chew said.

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News

Brandeis deals Tufts a 9-2 verdict

April 16

The streaky baseball team's offensive wagon was shut down for seven innings on Tuesday before pushing across a pair of runs in the final two innings at Brandeis (12-8-1). Unfortunately for Tufts (13-6), Brandeis had already scored nine runs en-route to a 9-2 victory. "The bottom line is we didn't come to play," senior tri-captain Brian Shapiro said. "We rolled over, we were never really in it, and the game was over by the third or fourth inning." The Jumbos continue to struggle to find solid pitching beyond the starting trio of seniors tri-captain Dave Martin and Jon Lee, and junior Randy Newsom. Sophomore Jeremy Davis (0-1) started for Tufts, giving up four runs on seven hits in three innings. Brandeis opened the scoring in the second inning. Senior right fielder Sean Ewers was hit by a pitch with one out, and after Davis struck out the next batter, second baseman Nick Adams doubled to put runners in scoring position. Junior shortstop Lars Borsson, batting ninth, singled in both runners to give the Judges a 2-0 lead. Sophomore Jeff Volinski relieved to open the bottom of the fourth. Borsson singled again to lead off the inning before stealing second. An error by Shapiro at shortstop, an RBI groundout, and a run-scoring single by McShane increased Brandeis' lead to four. "Today was kind of a day to give a lot of pitchers some playing time," senior tri-captain Evan Zupancic said. "It was a staff day, to improve their stuff. But nobody is really stepping up." The southpaw Volinski gave up three solo homers, including senior second baseman Nick Adams' first career blast, allowing a total of five runs. Senior Mike Byron pitched an inning of scoreless relief to restore some order to the battered Jumbo pen. A positive sign for the staff, however, was the stinginess in allowing free passes. Volinski allowed Brandeis' only walk of the day, a harmless leadoff freebee to third baseman David Graham in the sixth that didn't score. But the bullpen still needs to step up and pitch effectively, particularly this late into the season, according to coach John Casey. "They're just not making their pitches when they're supposed to," he said. "They need to perform." Brandeis senior starter Tom McShane offered the Jumbos little to work with at the plate in 7.2 innings pitched, allowing just five hits while striking out ten. McShane (5-1, 2.37 ERA) has notched 64 K's in 49.1 innings pitched, and struck out ten or more for the third time this season. Part of the offensive lapse, according to Casey, was the lack of quality pitches to hit. McShane, despite catching seven of ten Jumbos swinging, also yielded five walks, and has allowed nearly a walk per two innings of work this season. "The Brandeis kid was wild, he was pitching all over the place," Casey said. "He was not hitting the plate. Our runs came off the relievers." Nevertheless, the Judges' relievers were not much more consistent. McShane loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth on a double by Zupancic and back-to-back walks to juniors Nick Palange and Greg Hickey. The Brandeis starter gave way to righty Russ Stutsky, who immediately walked freshman Matt Clement to send home a run. Sophomore second baseman Frank Dinucci then grounded into a fielder's choice to end the inning. The Jumbos added another run in the top of the ninth, again with the bases loaded. Freshman Josh Ludmer, who entered the game in the fifth to replace sophomore catcher Bob Kenny, singled to left. Brandeis senior Kevin Kay sandwiched a wild pitch between free passes to pinch-hitting junior Frank Giliberti and sophomore first baseman John McBride (2 for 3) to again load the bases. Sophomore David Bishop then walked in the final run of the game. All told, the Jumbos walked nine times and stranded 11 on base. "We walked a lot but struck out a lot too," said Zupancic, who went two for four to raise his career average against Brandeis to .304. "Walking and getting guys on base doesn't matter if you can't knock them in. I think some guys need to take a look at the action and what's going on rather than perhaps being so self-absorbed."

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News

Tennis pulls out victory in close match with Bantams

April 16

Men's tennis coach Jim Watson let out a sigh of relief yesterday afternoon after junior Jon Bram and freshman Jon Rubenstein emerged from their third doubles match with an 8-1 victory, securing the Jumbos' 4-3 win over the Trinity Bantams. Yesterday's match, along with all of Tufts' remaining matches are must win situations, according to Watson. "We have to win today and against Amherst tomorrow. We basically have to win the rest of our matches," he said before the match. Playing their singles early for fear of rain, Tufts split the first six matches with Trinity. Wins came from sophomore Rifat Perahya at number two, who won 6-1, 7-5, from junior Adam Yates in straight sets at number five, and from freshman standout Ben Alexander, who added to his team-high win total of eight. Senior co-captains Dave Ruttenberg and Danny Lang dropped the first and fourth matches respectively. Bram was defeated in singles at the number three spot. "Last year we were having easier wins," Perahya said of the deadlocked singles outcome. "The level of play in the league has gone way up." Lang and Yates lost a disappointing number two doubles match, but a win at the top doubles spot by the team of Ruttenberg and Perahya tied the doubles score at 1-1, setting the stage for Bram and Rubenstein's heroics. "I lost my singles match, and I wanted it to come down to my dubs." Bram said. "It was exactly what I wanted, and we were exactly where we wanted to be. We were zoning. It just felt good." The victory gave Tufts a winning record for the first time since Saturday, Apr. 5. It also gave the Jumbos their first back to back wins since March. "This could be big," Bram said. "It was a good clutch win. It could carry in to the rest of the season." The win will be a boost for the team going into today's match at Amherst. Watson is worried however, that Amherst's home court may give it a big advantage. "Temperatures are supposed to drop and we may have to play indoors," Watson said. "Their indoor facilities are very, very fast and that would not be to our advantage." The team hopes the win over Trinity will help them in their quest to make the Regional Tournament. "All we are concerned with right now is making regionals," Ruttenberg said. Perahya agreed. "Once we get into regionals, then it is work time. We know we can beat any team in this league," he said. The team will make the trip to Amherst today for a 3 p.m. match against the Lord Jeffs. The team will have some time off before its match against Babson next Tuesday, and will finish its regular season against NESCAC foe Bates on Wednesday. "Staying positive is the only thing we need to do," Ruttenberg said of the rest of the Jumbo's season.

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News

Music department to temporarily reside in Provost's House

April 16

When a series of long-anticipated construction projects begins on campus this summer, the music department will temporarily move to the Provost's House, and the department's current building will be completely demolished to make room for the new four-story undergraduate dormitory that will be built on Talbot Ave. The Provost's House, located at 48 Professor's Row, will be vacated in early June. The house will then undergo minor, mostly cosmetic renovations to prepare for the arrival of the music department at the end of June. The department's new location will include a performance/seminar room, office space, and rehearsal space, Music Department Chair John McDonald said. By the fall of 2006, the music department is expected to move to a permanent location on the corner of Packard Avenue and Professor's Row -- the current location of Zeta Psi. When it comes time for the music department to leave the Provost's House, its future use remains undetermined. "I'm sure it will continue to be used for academic administrative space," Roberto said. The relocation of the music department highlights the struggle between the old and new aspects of campus. The old music department building will be demolished, and the Provost's House will no longer be used as a residence. Built in 1854, the current music building is the second oldest building on campus and the residence of Tufts' first president, Hosea Ballou II. The building was originally situated between Ballou Hall and Professor's Row, but was moved in the early 1870's to make way for the construction of Packard Avenue. The building will be completely eliminated to make way for new construction. Despite suggestions that some of the historic building be preserved, VP of Operations John Roberto said that there would be "rigors to relocate it... and anyway, the building might not be able to withstand a second relocation." The Provost's House, currently the residence of Professors Sol and Robyn Gittleman, will not house faculty for the first time in 145 years -- a significant change for a street called Professor's Row. Provost Jamshed Bharucha and his wife said they prefer to live off campus, and, after over 20 years of living on Professor's Row, the Gittlemans are set to return to their off-campus home in Winchester. According to Gittleman, President Larry Bacow allowed them to remain in the house for an extra academic year to "get organized, and get synchronized to get out." According to both McDonald and Roberto, the Provost's House will adequately accommodate the department's needs. "The University has made and continues to make attempts to accommodate all our needs without compromising the program," McDonald said. "Our department will not be diminished at all by this interim move, and all courses and programs will continue as planned." However, $3 million is still lacking in the projected $16 million necessary to build a new music building. Funds have to be raised from private donors, and all of the money must be secured before construction plans can begin, Roberto said. He projected that the earliest construction could begin would be May or June 2004.

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News

Hello, Kitty

April 16

Running late, I hurried passed the tempting smell of popcorn to the line for the concert venues in the Somerville Theater. "You might not want to go in there," the ticket-taker said as a particularly loud wail emanated from the opening act. On stage, in the packed theater, was a tall, lanky, slightly pale man with an afro apparently channeling Thom Yorke. The opening act. Earnest in his singing and playing, he would occasionally accompany himself by stepping on a tambourine. Meanwhile, my fellow latecomers tried to discreetly race up and down the aisles looking for seats. I felt like I had stumbled into the meeting of some secret society (a society of people significantly cooler than me). Dyed bobs and fan club buttons were as numerous as Caucasian dreads, Buddy Holly frames and well-placed piercings. Nonetheless, I did not feel unwelcome as no particular scene over-represented. The stripped down nature of the first act was endearing, paying more attention to well-crafted lyrics than music but managing to evoke some emotion. This same quiet purity was a pronounced feature of Cat Power's set. Before going on, a word must be said about the Somerville Theater. I was astonished at how wonderful a music venue lay in our own backyard. The Theater is a grand cinema converted into a music house. The walls still bear the fading murals of the original cinema and slightly tarnished chandeliers dangle from the balcony. There are only two improvements that could be made to make it the perfect music venue. First, the sound system isn't anything to write home about. Depending on where you are in the room the sound can be uncomfortably loud or barely audible. The second thing is that there are entirely too many chairs for shows that would not involve too much sitting. Folk acts like Cat Power do well because they don't really need dancing/moshing room. The Somerville Theater could easily become one of the most popular venues in the Boston area. Back to the matter at hand. After a weak opener the least amount of fanfare conceivable, Cat Power (Chan -- pronounced Shawn -- Marshall) took the stage. Following her were the musicians, Will Fratesi (drums), Coleman Lewis (guitar) and Margaret White (violin, bass, keyboards). Dressed in jeans, boots and a gray sweatshirt, Marshall's casual manner gave a relaxed intimate feel to the show. Sitting next to the piano on the left side of the stage Marshall chatted amiably with the crowd and her fellow musicians, having trouble with the brightness of the lights she asks the audience "Y'all mind if I wear my sunglasses?" As White played a few gentle echoing notes on her lap-sized keyboard Marshall eases into the song's repeated line "God bless the motherless children in this land." Marshall's singing style has a quiet intensity and strength. She's a whispery Janis Joplin whose main musical focus is on the delivery. Power plays both the piano and guitar in her set but neither to any extent that would set the world on fire. The instrumentation is simple and sparse. This can have two effects: it can either be very refreshing or very monotonous. For some, it will go from one side of the spectrum to the other. Marshall's stripped down approach was also hindered by the sound difficulties. Occasionally, her vocals were overpowered by Lewis's guitar. At a time when Marshall talked with the audience, a friend of the band asked her to turn up her microphone. The request was seconded with a round of applause. When allowed to shine Marshall's musicians proved remarkably skilled. This was especially true for White who switched seamlessly between bass, keyboard and violin while sometimes providing back up vocals. All in all, whether you leave content, inspired or thoroughly confused, Cat Power is a musical experience worth having.

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News

Early release of housing numbers has pros and cons

April 16

Though many students were pleased with Office of Residential Life's earlier release of housing lottery numbers this year, the decision may have in fact made finding housing more difficult for juniors. This year the number of juniors who were allowed to live on campus was at a record low, though many past problems have been avoided, according to Yolanda King, head of the Office of Residential Life (ResLife). "Due to lottery numbers being out early, the class of '05 had accurate information to assist in the selection process," King said. Rising juniors were able to start looking earlier, knowing that they needed to find off-campus housing. However, the solution of issuing housing numbers earlier may have actually aggravated the crunch. All sophomores were searching for off campus housing in the fall, instead of just the ambitious ones, thus pressurizing the search process. "Because of all the hype about not getting houses, more people have started to look earlier, and consequently there has been increased stress about the whole issue," Sarah Freeman, a rising junior, said about her long search for an off-campus house. The release of this year's housing numbers raises serious questions about the future availability of on-campus housing for juniors. Though the number of senior spots went up from 551 to 687, those allotted for juniors dropped from 228 to 141. This leaves about only 12 percent of the rising junior class with on-campus housing, compared with about 58 percent of seniors. Seventy of the 141 junior spots were assigned in special interest houses and on-campus apartments, leaving 71 beds available to rising juniors in the now completed housing lottery. But the Off-Campus Housing Office, one of the services available to rising juniors and seniors, recently appointed a full-time coordinator, Donna Rodriguez, to assist students in their search for living. It also employs knowledgeable students to aid those seeking help, and they have been able to develop materials referencing many types of off-campus housing for students. "The Off-Campus Housing Office has worked well for all students. The fact that the OCH office is available to rising juniors has made the transition from on-campus to off-campus housing more feasible," Rodriguez said. Many rising upperclassmen took advantage of the appointment times and walk-in services that the OCH provided, and many have called back with success stories, according to ResLife. As students have tried to sidestep the housing lottery in recent years, special interest housing has become more popular. "It seems that students are becoming more and more interested in living in special interest housing for a couple of reasons - they enjoy the smaller, more intimate communities, and value the different themes that are available," King said. Although special interest housing is a good way to stay on campus, students are selected for this housing based on the ways that they can contribute to the community. "A person doesn't need to be international or from a certain country. They just have to contribute," freshman Emilio Commotti said about the International House, which has recently become a popular place to live. Rising juniors who did not receive on-campus housing through the student lottery are able to sign up for the waitlist in the ResLife until Thursday, Apr. 17. They will be put on the wait list in order of their assigned lottery numbers.

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News

Welcome to "Browntown"

April 16

In recent years, many columnists have published pieces in our fair paper about the painfully obvious lack of student support for Tufts' athletic teams. You see, it's frustrating for us to know that we're writing about subjects that apparently nobody cares about, save for the athletes and some of their parents. So we've done our best to solve the problem in two different ways. The first method has been to berate the student body for being lazy, and chastise the athletic department for not promoting itself. The idea here has been that, if we yell at the students enough, they'll be motivated to get up and actually go to the games. Has this been effective? Not even a little. You're still lucky to get more than about 20 people at any given baseball game. Apparently Tufts students don't respond well to being berated. Go figure. The second way has been to try and convince people of how good our teams actually are. We've told somewhat exaggerated stories of national championships, high flying dunks, athletes drafted by professional teams, and the glorious life of our Div. I sailing team. These stories have all had varying degrees of truth -- there were some dunks thrown down by the basketball team this season (one of the semi-spectacular nature), there have been some national championship runs, a couple of baseball players have been drafted, and our sailing team is one of the best that exists anywhere -- we've had 18 national championships and 81 All-Americans since 1980. (Is it even a little bit bothersome to anyone else that our sailing team is better than the Naval Academy's? Maybe I'm being silly.) But these tales of athletic splendor also have done little to boost attendance. It seems that people either aren't buying it, or they are and they still don't really care. So those strategies didn't work. Fine. They're done, finished, caput. I'm throwing them out. I'm going to think of something else. You need to have reasons to come to games. And you need fun reasons. Interesting reasons. You don't need some loudmouth telling you that you have the school spirit of a baked potato. Going to games should be fun, even if the action on the field happens to be boring. Why do you think the bleachers at Fenway sell out all the time? It has nothing to do with that chump-filled Committee, you can rest assured. It's the environment in the stands -- the drunken lunatics throwing peanuts and beer bottles at the dude in the Yankees hat. For this I present exhibit A: the Zeta Psi brothers. Even though they usually don't show up until about halftime of the men's lacrosse games, you can be sure that, when they do, the refs and whoever is unlucky enough to be Tufts' opponent that day will wish they had stayed home. The brothers, all at varying levels of intoxication and clad in "Welcome to Browntown" t-shirts, use their collective creativity to bombard the officials, the opponents, and even the weather with chants and insults for the duration of the game. A personal favorite from Saturday's game against Colby came when a cold rain began to fall. As the raindrops got heavier and steadier, one clever member of team "Browntown" started to chant "Please stop raining!" (When asked for a reaction, the rain declined comment.) Other favorites include, "Drive home safely," various chants about Jumbo nuts, and a rousing rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." But Zeta Psi isn't alone in its revelry at athletic events. Members of other fraternities and athletic teams have also been known to join in the festivities. At one notable men's basketball game against Amherst this year, several members of the men's swim team brought banners, along with overwhelming amounts of pent up hostility, and let loose on Amherst freshman John Bedford, who was in the middle of a lawsuit against Davidson College for revoking a basketball scholarship. Of course, these two examples alone aren't going to attract hoards of fans to every single game. There need to be other reasons. Tufts isn't Div. I, but that can have its benefits. At big schools, athletes are celebrities, and they're kept at a distance from other students. At Tufts, chances are you know at least one person on every single team. Go watch them play sometime. Or, if you don't know who to vote for in the upcoming presidential election, go watch them play -- Randy Newsom is a starting pitcher on the baseball team, and Joe Mead plays lacrosse. If these ideas still don't excite you, maybe we could create some other attractions. Perhaps at baseball games, seventh inning stretch chugging contests with coach Casey would produce a crowd. Or, since the only real, school wide attraction that we have is the Naked Quad Run, maybe some streakers in the stands would draw some fans. I'm a Red Sox fan, and therefore a natural born skeptic. I don't really expect that any of the few people who read this are going to automatically rush out to the next game, and I don't expect a huge jump in attendance. I'm just trying to give some reasons why it could be fun to go watch some games. Because the fact of the matter is that it's almost embarrassing to be at our games as it is. Parents usually outnumber the students, unless it happens to be a playoff game. Nobody is expecting the same kinds of support that Div. I schools get, but when Middlebury travels six hours to play us here, and they have the same number of fans that we do, something's not right. So just go have fun. Maybe you don't know anyone one the team, and maybe you've never seen any of its games before in your life. But if you're looking for something to do this Saturday, bring your friends, go sit in "Browntown" and make some noise. Yell at the refs, yell at the players, hell, yell at me if you want to. Just make sure you show up.

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News

Sophia's is not the ideal pub

April 16

Nestled far and away from the main attraction around Fenway, Sophia's may take a while to find and may not be worth all of your troubles. While most bars are located on and around Lansdowne St., Sophia's is a bit further away from the action, located on 1270 Boylston St., behind first base. The separation in from other bars may be due to Sophia's classier nature compared to the likes of Cask n'Flagoon and Jillian's. The excitement of the senior class, which scheduled a recent pub night there, may have stemmed from assumptions that Sophia's would provide the same type of entertainment as these other bars, but it seems we were wrong. While it was humorous to see many people who don sweat pants to class decked out in heels and skirts or slacks and button downs, it was a bit too upscale for a pub night event. Part of our skepticism may be attributed to our trips to the pub. One of us arrived in all the decadence that a school bus can provide. Meanwhile, the other poor soul wandered around between Best Buy and Bed Bath and Beyond trying to follow the "easy" directions from the T that the bar hostess had provided. One of us is also writing this review with a memory similar to that of co-worker and news editor, the Hawaiian sensation Bridget Behling, who claims: "I had a good time from what other people tell me." If you decide to find this place, just look for the golden arches as this place is located to the left of McDonalds and across the street from the Howard Johnson. Once you arrive inside this hidden location, you'll soon find that beverages are a bit pricey. Expect to pay $5.50 for a single Bud Light and nearly $7 for a mixed drink. While this may not be so troublesome for the black-pants wearing professional crowd that frequents this location, it is a bit above most second semester seniors' college budgets. This club/bar is arranged in three levels, with the coat check located in the basement along with a bar and several cushy couches. This is where many start the night or end it snuggled with someone resembling the man of your dreams, whose looks are improved by beer goggles. The line at this bar is the shortest though so take the opportunity to buy your drinks here soon after you've checked your coat. Also, if you feel the need to relieve your bladder, do it here as the lines at the bars upstairs correlate with the lines at the stalls. Movement up to the main floor will provide patrons with a Latin flavor, and we're not talking about the sugar-coated stuff of Ricky Martin. The second floor also houses a large and extensive bar, often crowded by the line waiting to enter the realms of the top floor. Towards the middle of senior pub night, a herd of Jumbos were caught between the ropes, unable to get up to the raucous third floor. When they finally stampeded upstairs, they were met by the majority of their classmates who had migrated towards the larger dance floor. Here you will find a larger selection of pop-music, ranging from hip-hop to Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears. You will also find another large bar as you enter, along with another nestled against the back wall for those preferring the basic menu. If you're into showing off your moves, the dance-floor upstairs features a small platform where you and your friends could scout out the crowds. Watch out, though, as there is a hidden space between this platform and the back wall where your boots may get stuck and cause you to grab at whatever body part is closest, which could create an uncomfortable situation. Be sure to use this perch to scout the crowd for the bouncer that looks like Taye Digs. Perhaps if you frequent the location on a night other than senior pub night, you will have a different experience. However, the ambiance of the location leads us to believe it may not measure up. Yet for those of you on the search for a European sugar daddy or a reason to show off your new salsa moves, Sophia's may be the place for you.

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