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Why vote?

November 4

Ahhh... Election Day. The day when we are supposed to find the time in our busy schedules to trek down to some place we have probably never been and vote for some person we have probably never met and trust that they do the best they can to properly represent us. If we are lucky, sometimes there are referendums on the ballot that we are allowed to vote on. From the day they take power, our elected officials get to vote on public policy that affects us everyday. Today is our one day of the year when we get to exercise our constitutional right and choose those people. Choosing to vote for a candidate is a political statement in support of a particular set of beliefs. Choosing not to vote is a political statement, rejecting the idea of electoral politics. What a freedom of choice! It sure is a privilege it is to be living in the United States of America. (P)resident Bush has described the US as the "shining beacon of freedom and democracy." We get to freely elect whomever we want, or elect not to vote. Most people elect not to vote. We have all been told time and time again that college students are among the least likely to vote and that this is a bad thing. But voting is such a pain. First you have to register months in advance, and then you have to either get an absentee ballot and mail it in or leave campus to go to some voting place. And why should we do all this anyway? What for? There are so many problems with the electoral process (e.g. some people's votes not counting), most of the candidates are lame (all they care about is money and votes), and the issues are not directly relevant to us (something about a never-ending war on an abstract idea _ like terrorism, drugs or poverty). What's the use in voting? Most districts are rigged to stifle competition because those in power want to minimize the chances of facing strong opposition. The re-election rate for Members of Congress in 2000 was 98 percent! Why vote? What difference does it make? I'm serious. Not only are we voting so that the people in power can continue to make decisions for us (and by voting legitimizing the flawed electoral system), but also we are being told by politicians, television news anchors, newspapers and the rest of them that we live in a democracy. James Madison wrote in Federalist 14, "that in a democracy, the people meet and exercise the government in person; in a republic, they assemble and administer it by their representatives and agents." By his definition we live in a republic. If a group of people decided that they were going to try and change our system of government from a republic to a democracy, the US would probably wage war against them. Heck, forget war, we would wage a preemptive strike! The constitution guarantees a republican government to all states; therefore any efforts to change it would be unconstitutional. God forbid that everyone have the right to vote on all political matters! Like Communism during the age of McCarthy and terrorism today, democracy is the greatest threat to the American way of life that we may ever see. But even if you write these theories off, it is hard to argue that the voting process itself is fair. In this week's Science News, an article by Erica Klarreich entitled "Election Selection: Are we using the worst voting procedure?" claims that our current election system in which we vote for one candidate in a field of many is among the worst ways to accurately measure the will of the people. There are many other ways to tally the ballots; the Center for Voting and Democracy prefers instant run-off voting. In this process, voters rank the candidates, and then the candidate with the fewest first-place votes is dropped. The ballots of voters who had placed that candidate first are converted into votes for their second choice. This process continues until there are only two candidates. The one with the most votes wins the election. There are problems with the way that votes are counted and the way that votes count. Whether you vote or not, the will of others will be imposed upon you. The only difference is that if you do vote, you sometimes have a small say in who gets to impose their will upon you. Some might argue that if you do not agree with the political system, then you ought not to participate in the political process. Others argue that you can change the political process through reforms. I agree that low voter turn out is a problem. But the solution is not to encourage others to vote. The solution is to make it so that our votes actually make a difference. When people are invested in the process, not only do you get increased participation, but you also get more investment in the outcomes.

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News

Supreme Court may hear affirmative action case

November 4

Later this year, the US Supreme Court may hear a case arguing a lawsuit arguing the constitutionality of the University of Michigan Law School's affirmative action policy. If the court decides to hear the case, its final decision could set a standard that would affect the admissions practices of public universities across the nation. The attorneys general of Alabama, Delaware, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia, as well as the US Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, supported the request. The states requested "a clear standard that can be applied uniformly throughout the country." The state of California also voted to eliminate the use affirmative action in a statewide referendum in 1995, and Florida Governor Jeb Bush pushed through legislation in 1999 to ban any use of race in college admission procedures. Though Tufts, as a private school, would not be affected by any Supreme Court decision, the issue is germane to the University as well. Tufts has an Affirmative Action Program wherein the University bears "the responsibility for making every effort to identify and alleviate underutilization of minorities," but it does not set specific rules as to how this is implemented _ and what role this plays in admissions. Tufts admissions officers said that they view applications on a case-by-case basis. Administrators said that many different factors come together in evaluating a prospective student application. "Cultural sophistication" is one important player in admissions decisions, Dean of the Colleges Charles Inouye said. "It makes sense that a university like Tufts would try to get a mix of different backgrounds represented," he said. An affirmative action admissions policy works on multiple levels, according to PJ Andrews, co-coordinator of the Multiracial Organization of Students at Tufts (MOST). "It gives [minority students] the opportunity to get into universities that they wouldn't normally have the opportunity to get into and have a higher chance of success," he said. The lawsuit lawyers are asking the Supreme Court to hear began in 1997 when Barbara Grutter, a white female, was denied admission to the University of Michigan law school and sued the institution for having an allegedly discriminatory admission policy. US District Judge Bernard Friedman ruled in favor the plaintiff in March of 2001, declaring Michigan's admissions policies unconstitutional. The University of Michigan appealed the case. On May 14 of this year, the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reversed the decision by ruling in favor of the University. The Court of Appeals cited 1978's California v. Bakke to determine that race is a valid qualification in student admissions. The Supreme Court had ruled that while schools may not set quotas of minority students to fill, they may take race into consideration when evaluating an application. The states' governments are looking for the Supreme Court to clarify Bakke. Some Tufts students don't see why any clarification is necessary. It is the historical hardships suffered by people of color which make affirmative action necessary, Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate's Pan African Alliance (PAA) Culture Representative Candace Gomez said. "It would be preposterous to believe that the integration of schools would have been possible without legal and institutional reformations," she said. But race-based admissions policies are inappropriate for addressing the many cases of historical discrimination, Friedman wrote in his ruling against the University of Michigan in 2001. Some fear that affirmative action may be systematically decrease white students' chances for admittance to universities. In her case against Michigan, Grutter argued that while more qualified white students are overlooked, exceptions may be made for minorities. In Tufts' evaluation, Inouye explained, students' qualifications include more than their grade point average (GPA) and test score. There are other admissions standards. "The message is not that the institution is unfair, the message is that the institution values various aspects of a person's profile in different ways," Inouye said. "An athlete, for example, brings a certain ability to the campus that a non-athlete does not." The acceptance of lesser-qualified candidates is not a Tufts policy, Gomez said. "There is not one female or minority student at Tufts who was accepted on the basis of their race or gender," she said. "A comprehensive look at their qualifications [shows that admitted females and minorities] are absolutely up to the standards of their white, male counterparts." Such policies do not intend to give students of color an unfair advantage, according to Gomez. "Affirmative action does not guarantee admission," she said. "It simply broadens the pool and serves as an incentive for admissions to consider applicants who have traditionally been overlooked." In fact, as the courts argue on the issue, some feel that schools need to keep pursuing diversity policies _ as Andrews pointed out, white students still make up a clear majority on college campuses. "When you look at racial numbers across university campuses, there's not a real problem where white students aren't getting into college just because students of color are taking away all their spots," he said. A diverse learning environment is largely beneficial for schools like Tufts because it teaches cooperation and understanding, Inouye said. "When I teach a class, the discussion is tremendously more rich because we have a lot of minds at work coming from different angles," he said. But a varied student body is just one step for encouraging diversity, Inouye said. Tufts also has a strict foreign language requirement, a strong international relations program, and an opportunity for study abroad for this reason. "We want Tufts to be the place to come to school if you're interested in understanding diversity, whether domestic or international." he said.

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News

Remember the Titans

November 4

Entering last weekend's college football games, seven teams could claim invincibility with undefeated records. After a number of upsets, only three teams (Miami, Oklahoma, and Ohio State) remain undefeated. College football has proven year in and year out that the question is not who you lose to but when you lose. While a team can rebound from an early season loss with mid-season victories, a late season setback can cost a team any dreams of winning the National Championship. For some reason every loss basically guarantees that the losing team will drop in the rankings. In some cases, even a team like USC, that has two losses, can jump ahead of Notre Dame, which has one loss, in the polls just because the Irish lost. While the rankings are not fair in many ways, no matter how you look at it, a late-season loss is much more damaging than an early-season defeat. Beware of the Panther. Pittsburgh is quietly putting together a Bowl Championship caliber season. But shh_don't let the Miami Hurricanes know. Pitt was 6-2, and undefeated in the Big East. Give or take one big play in both losses, 14-12 against Texas A&M and 14-6 at Notre Dame, and the Panthers could be undefeated. Entering their match-up against the then third ranked Virginia Tech Hokies, the Panthers had all the tools needed for an upset. The Hokies rely on the power and speed of two people, take one away and watch the Hokies fall like the turkeys they are. Pitt did exactly that. Running back Kevin Jones rushed for a touchdown in the first quarter, but rushed no more after the score. Jones and fellow running back Lee Suggs usually rush for 100 yards each, but on this occasion, Suggs would have the load squarely on his shoulders. Suggs (25 carries, 128 yards, two TDs) did perform on a higher level than he is accustomed to, but the lack of Jones (two carries, four yards) left Tech without an offense. Meanwhile quarterback Bryan Randall had little impact as he performed at a mediocre level, tossing for 145 yards, but no touchdowns and one interception. On the other side of the ball, Pitt's Brandon Miree was the story and star of the game, as he rushed for a total of 161 yards on 23 carries. Quarterback Rod Rutherford threw two interceptions, but also found the end zone on three occasions. The Panthers displayed their power by out-rushing, out-passing, and out-playing the Hokies, en-route to a 28-21 victory. With Miami showing multiple flaws against lesser Big East opponents such as Rutgers, the Canes must be worried about their Nov. 21 meeting against the Panthers. The winner of that match-up will most likely win the Big East and receive the automatic BCS Bowl bid. There is nothing like a rivalry to throw off one of your best seasons ever, just ask Tyrone Willingham and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Boston College Eagles were 4-3 overall heading into their game against Notre Dame. Of those four victories, none of which are against Big East opponents. Notre Dame was undefeated and making a case that grew stronger weekly to play in the National Championship game. Notre Dame has nobody to blame but themselves for the 14-7 disappointment they were handed by BC. Did Boston College beat the Irish with passing? No. The rushing game was also even as Ryan Grant of Notre Dame rushed for 107 yards and Derrick Knight of BC ran for 129 yards. So the difference came in turnovers. Boston College's quarterback Brian St. Pierre had an atrocious game with only 77 yards in the air and one interception. Notre Dame's QB, Carlyle Holiday, was having an excellent day until an injury took him out of it. Backup Pat Dillingham entered to complete six of eight passes, although two were to Eagle defenders. One of those picks was returned for the game-winning touchdown. Holiday re-entered the contest in the second half and led the Irish on one scoring drive, but the Eagles defense, which caused seven fumbles (three for turnovers) and two interceptions, was too much as they won the game 14-7. This defeat almost certainly drops Notre Dame from National Championship contention. The BCS allows eight teams to contend in the four major bowls, but six spots being awarded to conference winners and two being at-large. The Irish are still independent of any conference, making their hopes that much slimmer. This victory keeps BC's chances of the less popular Music City Bowl still realistic. Coming off his Heisman finalist performance of last season, Florida quarterback Rex Grossman has been an erratic passer this season, leaving first year coach Ron Zook wondering on a weekly basis, what QB he will see. Unfortunately, Georgia happened to face Grossman on the one week he decides to be a precision passer. Grossman threw for 229 yards with two interceptions, but unlike past games, Grossman also found the end zone twice. Grossman's performance made up for a lack of rushing game that running back Ernest Graham usually posses. On the other end of the ball, then undefeated Georgia saw star running back Musa Smith rush for the century mark, but never seeing the end zone. Quarterback David Greene only passed for 141. Although he threw no interceptions, Greene also did not find the end zone. Although Georgia experienced a lack of offense, they still led the game 13-12 at the half. The second half saw little offense for both teams. A touchdown by Gator wide receiver Ben Troupe early in the fourth quarter proved to be the game winner. The Bulldogs are dropped from the ranks of unbeaten by the 6-3 Gators, 20-13. The most surprising story in college football this season is the success of the North Carolina State Wolfpack. Football analysts knew State had an experienced quarterback in Philip Rivers, but wondered where its rushing attack would come from. The answer: freshman running back T.A. McLendon. This duo has put the Pack back on the map. Rivers is the ACC's leading passer and McLendon is the conference's second leading rusher, but leads the ACC in touchdowns (15). Although some question the strength of NC State's schedule, few could contest the undefeated record they carried heading into the conference match-up against Georgia Tech. Thanks to ABC's bonus coverage I viewed this shoot-out first hand. Georgia Tech (6-3) went back and forth with State the entire contest; no team held the lead for an entire quarter. Rivers was remarkable, completing 21 of 41 passes for 277 yards with one touchdown and one pick, but Tech's A.J. Suggs played one of the best games of his career, completing for 211 yards also with one touchdown and one interception. The difference was in running games. McLendon (17 carries for 49 yards) was bruised and battered, while Yellow jacket running back Gordon Clinkscale performed at a high level, rushing for 94 yards and the game-winning touchdown. This loss severely hurts the Wolfpack's chance at a BCS bid. The ACC champion gets an automatic bid, but the loss drops State to 4-1 in the conference, one game behind a Florida State team that has three non-conference losses, but is perfect in conference. The road does not get any easier as NC State travels to Maryland to face a Terp squad that still has much bite.

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News

Men's cross country aims high, falls short at NESCACs

November 4

The men's cross country team finished fifth out of 11 teams at last weekend's NESCAC Championship, failing to meet goals it set to help its efforts to qualify for Nationals. The team had hoped to beat one of the top three teams in the league, which it felt was necessary to qualify for Nationals. Instead, the Jumbos finished with 123 points, behind expected front-runners Bowdoin (48), Williams (77) and Bates (116.). The team also allowed Connecticut College (122) to edge it out of fourth place by one point. "Anytime you lose by one point it's irritating," coach Connie Putnam said. "Especially when it's to a team you think you should have beaten." Sophomore Nate Brigham once again set the pace for Tufts, running the five mile race in 26:14.81 to finish twelfth overall. Junior co-captain Peter Bromka finished 20th in 26:34.18, while junior Peter Jurczynski stepped up with his best race of the year, setting a Grafton personal record with a time of 26:43.34 to finish third on the team and 24th overall. "It's hard to explain," Jurczynski said. "I didn't feel any different from the other races. I guess it was just my time to break out. At no time in the race did I feel like I was not in control." Sophomore Michael Don (26:54.38), continuing a steady progression back from injury, finished 32nd, and freshman Neil Orfield (27:06.51) placed 35th. Several of Tufts' usual top finishers faltered on Saturday, while other runners rose to the occasion. Junior co-captain Jon Rosen, impaired by a foot injury, finished eighth on the team and 70th overall, and Ian Joseph, the race's 81st finisher, came in ninth on the team, instead of his usual fourth. Jurczynski's contribution was unexpected, and was accompanied bye a strong effort from seventh man Kyle Doran, a freshman. Putnam didn't seem to mind the fact that other guys stepped up for the Jumbos. "It's the best of all worlds to have competition within your own team structure," Putnam said. But the coach does not want the team's top runners to falter when everyone else lowers their times, which is what happened to the Jumbos in the race on Saturday. The Jumbos' reflections on the race were filled with some disappointment, although this did not cast a shadow over their optimism for upcoming post season qualifiers. "It was our course; we've been training there all year," Rosen said. "So it was disappointing that things didn't go right for us, but we'd rather have that happen now than in two weeks [at the qualifiers]." "I really didn't race well," Joseph said of his low finish. "But I'll get my confidence back for the National Qualifiers." Rosen said that some of the team's members "went out too fast and fell off quickly." Putnam attributed this to big-race jitters for a young team, suggesting that their mental preparation might have been slightly off-kilter. "We need to look at how we approach meets," Putnam said. "We need to find the right adrenaline level to not be nervous, but still race fast." As for its failure to beat Connecticut College, the team seemed to think that result was somewhat of a fluke. "Not to sound cocky, but if we race the way that we should, I don't think they'll beat us," Rosen said. "But coming so close to Bates is encouraging," he added, "because we've been keying off of them." Still, there was no denying that the Jumbos were looking for higher than fifth place in their conference. "You can sit around and make excuses for what went wrong, but I don't do that," Putnam said. "We'll fix our problems at practice this week." This weekend the team will race in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship at Williams College. With all the top New England teams competing, as well as several from New Jersey and New York, the race should be a good final tune-up for the Nov. 16 NCAA New England Championships.

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News

Diversity defined by more than race

November 4

Though ten states are clamoring for a clearer definition from the Supreme Court regarding legal affirmative action policies, such a statement might not immediately affect private schools like Tufts. However, Tufts does maintain an affirmative action program and should consider any decision from the Supreme Court. Though evaluating criteria for undergraduate admissions at Tufts is kept close to the vest, it is no secret that the University (and most elite colleges) tend to favor applicants from any underrepresented group. This doesn't just apply to race or ethnicity. It's a safe bet that a qualified student from Mississippi or South Dakota will have no trouble gaining admission here. The need for real diversity has been and will continue to be a top priority at Tufts, but race is a too-narrow measure of this. It should be one of many criteria the University employs to ensure the most dynamic class possible for any given year. University goals should play heavily in evaluating freshman candidates. For example, with a self-proclaimed global-centric focus, Tufts should be concentrating on recruiting more and more international students or student interested in international issues. Any clarification from the Supreme Court on affirmative action will tend to be interpreted in terms of race, as this has historically produced the most contention (this particular case was from a white student alleging reverse discrimination). Though Tufts should take pains to ensure racial diversity and strive to follow any guidelines set forth by the courts, this particular component of diversity needs to be kept in the context of the overall undergraduate experience. Additionally, the percentage of minority students who did not accept their admittance to Tufts last year shows that if the University really wants to improve diversity on campus, it needs to make coming here desirable for students from a variety of backgrounds. Having a diverse student body means nothing if Tufts does not teach students to embrace that diversity.

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News

Vote to change tattletale politics

November 4

It's election time again. These elections are important because they determine who controls the balance of political power in the House, the Senate and the governorships. Each party is making sensationalistic claims about the evils that result when their opponents are in power. This partisan ping-pong match has failed to engage young voters in a meaningful way on the issues that matter most. Here in Massachusetts, the headline is "Romney and O'Brien fault each other on trustworthiness." Shannon O'Brien claims that Mitt Romney is the face of corporate greed, that he slashed jobs, and therefore we cannot trust him to tell the truth. Mitt Romney says Shannon O'Brien is linked to corporate fraud and the "mess on Beacon Hill" and so, of course, we cannot trust her either. While Massachusetts is on the cutting edge, similar personal attacks are under way in New Hampshire, New York, Florida, California, Rhode Island, and countless other states. If there was an "Innovations in Cynicism Award," these candidates would win. They have sunk below half-truths and distortions and helped invent what some are calling "tattle-tale politics." It is a politics not worthy of the sandbox, let alone the ballot box. The brazen and unapologetic attacks on each other's trustworthiness, character, and integrity will succeed in one thing _ destroying each other and alienating voters. Sure enough, according to a new poll sponsored by Harvard's Institute of Politics and New England Cable News, both candidates' approval ratings have plummeted as their attacks have intensified. But there is a larger problem here. In their haste to tear each other down, these tattle-tale candidates are sandblasting away our already eroding faith in politics. We have all heard the statistics _ half of eligible voters cast votes in the disputed 2000 presidential election, and usually only 30 percent or less head to the polls for local and state elections. As students in the 18 to 25 age bracket, we are even more delinquent in performing our most fundamental civic duty; voting participation rates for our age group range between 20 and 30 percent at their highest. The result is a politics that imitates sports and in which genuine debate and creative problem solving cease. Just as in sports, we ask who is up or down, check batting statistics, and cheer and boo opposing teams. As Monday morning political quarterbacks, we applaud strategy, not substance. Inside the locker room, political parties assume a "bunker mentality." They train for a game of verbal ping-pong, instinctively opposing proposals from the other side. The goal is not solutions, but spinning or slamming the political ping-pong ball for maximum short-term gain. This is a game that young people are not inclined to play. Distrustful and disinterested, we do not vote. Yet perhaps now more than ever, young people are idealistic. We are volunteering at record rates to help those in need. In fact, 90 percent of students believe volunteering in the community is more productive than political involvement. But ultimately, volunteering to alleviate symptoms will not be enough. Many of us will have to enter political service. It will take honorable and inspirational leadership to build trust and motivate people of all ages to reengage in political service. We need to raise the level of expectations for our politicians. We should expect them to serve as "united leaders" _ people who enter politics with core convictions, a sense of purpose, and the courage to stand up for the issues they care about. We can stop this cycle of distrust and resist the bunker mentality by raising our standards and supporting ethical candidates who run positive, principled campaigns. We can demand that our politicians adhere to a non-partisan political code of ethics. A united leader would not run a campaign devoid of issues or one that depresses turnout. That is the full measure of toughness in politics _ not slash and burn, but the courage to explain issues honestly and candidly, fully and forcefully, yielding to no one's conventional wisdom. A campaign that puts important issues front and center without the distraction of gamesmanship will get our attention. Then we will rise from our couches and expect to see progress and problem solving. This kind of trust creates accountability _ rewarding united leaders and punishing games of ping-pong partisanship. However, if we do not vote, we do not count. To change politics, to snatch it from the jaws of partisanship, we need to become politically engaged. Nothing will change if we remain on the couch, occasionally checking the score, or not even watching the game at all. To demand more from our politicians, we need to become actively involved ourselves. This year, a number of campus groups invited all of the gubernatorial candidates to participate in a youth forum at Tufts. They all declined, fully knowing that students do not vote in large numbers, so they perceived a forum specifically dealing with youth issues as a waste of their time. However, the only way to prove them wrong is to vote and become involved in politics, using it as a means for social change. Candidates should remember that no one trusts a tattletale in the sandbox. They should stop playing games and get out of the bunker. In these difficult times, people of all ages are willing to trust in politicians who serve as united leaders and have the courage to solve problems. The first step is casting a ballot today. Only by raising our voices above the din of partisanship shouting matches can we ever expect to raise the level of dialogue and encourage more people, especially young people, to be civically as well as politically engaged. Allison Goldsberry is the President of the Tufts chapter of United Leaders. Jack Schnirman is the Communications Director of United Leaders.

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News

New Irish play grapples with scandal in Catholic Church

November 4

Irish theatre tends to focus on tragedy, and Irish history has never run out of possibilities to offer. In The Lepers of Baile Baiste, Irish playwright Ronan Noone dares to expose the scandals in the Irish Catholic community _ similar to those in our own country. As in the American Catholic community, the sex scandals presently being investigated in the Irish Catholic Church have shocked playwrights, as well as citizens into focusing on how the scandals affect individuals. If you have a predilection for Irish culture, Church politics, or the scandals themselves, The Lepers of Baile Baiste, now playing at the Boston Center for the Arts, is a chilling revelation not to be missed. Like most famous Irish plays, Lepers covers tragedy with gentle sensitivity, intertwining the coarse politics and drinking culture with the relentless mirth and spoken wit particular to the Irish tongue. Consequently, these plays, while perhaps providing a window into the day-to-day lives of the characters' real-life counterparts, tend to lack in plot and character development. In contrast, however, Lepers features a well-developed plot and three-dimensional characters. Lepers takes place almost entirely in a pub, and consists of five or so regulars bickering back and forth with the bartender. The first act is a common portrayal of lower-class Irishmen. These men are low on money but, high on wit and their ability to dig up dirt on each other. They have clearly known each other for their whole lives, and each knows how to get the others' goats with the ease and eloquence of Oscar Wilde, and by the end of the first act we are absorbed into the pulsing, sometimes grating rhythm of their banter. The sound of rain falling on the roof of the pub is steady throughout the play. We may viscerally sense impending danger of some sort but, like an unsuspecting public, we are given evidence of nothing but the hundreds of epithets these educated men have gained in school. In the second act, however, the truth rears its ugly head. These men share something much graver than the usual pains and strains of Irish Catholic school. Each was molested by the clergy, some more severely than others. Every character in this play from the well-meaning bartender, Patrick Casey, to the sanctimonious but visibly desperate Father John Gannon, has an equally distinct and believable Irish character. Unlike in many Irish plays, however, these characters develop. We watch what starts as innocuous male-to-male chiding gradually gain momentum to become violent, tumultuous, and even fatal. In a town where one citizen's business is unquestionably the business of everybody else, Church-defined statutes of propriety form the backbone of social conduct. The Church draws the line on where outrageous humor becomes sacrilegious, and outing the very men whom the town trusts to set these statutes is, to these men, like stealing God from the church. As a brilliant touch of irony that could only come from Ireland, Noone has one of the characters repeatedly steal various small statues of the holy figures from the Church. These statues, like the five male victims, take refuge in the pub. The humor was not lost on its American audience; this play walks the thin line between authentic ethnic feel and foreign palatability. The accents do take some getting used to. I was greatly aided, however, by the distinct gait and set of mannerisms each actor developed for his character. Particularly compelling was Josef Hanson's performance as Peter "Clown" Quinn, a timid, more fragile man whom the others suspect to be a closet homosexual. I was not as won over by John Morgan's performance as Father John Gannon, whose character was rather one-dimensional. He had me despising him early on with his vehement desperation to keep the community victims silent, but that made the scandals themselves to easy to understand. The hardest aspect of the Church scandals seems to be a loss of trust for clergymen who have been so greatly revered and loved for so long and, as an audience member, I would have liked to experience this betrayal. Noone unfortunately came to our mercy by allowing us to hate him from start to finish. Nonetheless, The Lepers of Baile Baiste is evident of a new kind of Irish play. By tackling present issues in Ireland while maintaining a traditional standard of ingenious repartee, the production promises timeless themes, an authentic set of characters and an Irish experience. The Lepers of Baile Baiste is playing at the S??g??n Theatre at the Boston Center for the Arts through Nov. 23. Tickets start at $24 and are discounted for students. For more information, call the Box Office at 617-426-2787.

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News

Patriots pregame at my house

November 4

After a late night at numerous bars in Harvard Square on Saturday, I looked forward to a calm Sunday morning, where I could sleep until 11:30 a.m., at which point my grandmother would call me as usual. Unfortunately, things did not work out that way this weekend, as I awoke to a loud smashing noise at approximately 8 a.m. Initially, I was too lazy to get out of bed and tried to convince myself that it was all part of a dream. Then I heard the smashing noise again and forced myself to check out the situation. I got out of bed only to see the front door wide open and no one standing there. Immediately, I assumed the worst _ we had been robbed again. Over the summer, on a lazy Friday afternoon, we were robbed of a lap top, a cell phone, a DVD player, a fluggle horn and bottle of quarters for laundry. Mind you all this went on while one of my housemates was cuddled up in his room taking a nap. Thankfully, his door was locked so he was neither harmed nor awakened by the thieves. Anyhow, just when I was contemplating waking up my housemates to let them know that we had been victimized again, my housemate Mike emerged in the front door. The noise had been him smashing cartons of beer against the walls. Me: "What the hell are you doing?" Mike: "Beer. Pats game today." Me: "Jesus Christ." On that note, I told Mike that I was going back to bed. One can only assume that he was primping for the Patriots game for the next 3.5 hours. Admittedly, it was a big game, Drew Bledsoe was making his Foxboro return and it if the Pats lost their season was as good as over. And, with three-die hard Pats fans from New Hampshire, and a Cincinnati native who has ostensibly sold out his hometown teams and now roots for New England teams all living under one roof, every Patriots game is a big game. At 11:30 a.m., when Mike knocked the door to let me know that my grandmother was on the phone, he was dressed in full uniform. When I say full uniform, I don't mean a standard Patriots uniform. Oh, no that would have been too simple. Mike was wearing his personalized Pats' jersey with his last name Fearon inscribed on the back. Additionally, he had on red and white knee high socks, cut off cargo pants and a vintage Patriots head band. Further certifying Mike as the captain of the Patriots fan club was the fact that from 11:30 in the morning on, he was sipping can after can of special edition Coors Light that was brandished with the Patriots insignia. Joe was dressed more casually, a pair of sweatpants, his Vincent Brisby jersey and a Boston Red Sox baseball cap. While CJ, who still claims to pledge alliance to Cincinatti sports teams, was garbed in his Cincinnati Bengals' ski cap. But, regardless of what he said, it was clear to me that he was more interested in the Pats game then he was in the Cincinatti/Houston match-up (and who can blame him?). Matt decided to stick with the white T-Shirt and jeans look. I guess he figured that his outfit didn't matter _ all that mattered to the Patriots God was whether or not Matt's heart was in the game, and you can be sure that it was. Oh yeah, and Sindia _ the token girl in the house. She doesn't actually live with us, yet she always seems to be around. Sindia doesn't know much about sports, but she was trying her best. Normally, she is not allowed to be in the house on Sunday's because her antics get in the way of football. This weekend, however, we decided to give her a chance. Actually, Joe picked her up and tried to throw her out of the house about an hour before the kickoff. But, being the great compromiser, I worked out a deal with the fellas that enabled her to stay. Basically, the agreement was this _ if Sindia didn't make noise and didn't spill anything, then she didn't have to leave. One of the guys stuck a Patriots ski hat on Sindia's head, and I suggested that she study up on football history at either ESPN.com or NFL.com. She, of course, rejected my suggestion. Being from NY, I refused to partake in the Patriots costume show and instead, I wore my typical Sunday morning attire _ basketball shorts. While, my friends requested that I put on some Pats garb or at least a pair of pants and a shirt. I ignored their pleas. After everyone was settled in their respective outfit and determined that Sindia could stay, the next big test occurred _ ordering food. I didn't want pizza and I only like Buffalo wings. Joe wanted pizza, barbeque wings and kickers. Matt wanted Buffalo wings, pizza, and kickers. CJ and Mike didn't quarrel much about the food, they just wanted to hurry up and order it. And, Sindia, well she just wanted a coke. We tried to get her to make it a caffeine free coke because we didn't want her to get all riled up. But, alas, the girl loves her caffeine. After about 30 minutes of fighting about wings, kickers and pizza, we settled on 40 wings (20 buffalo and 20 barbeque), two pizzas (one pepperoni and one chicken) and two orders of kickers (boneless buffalo chicken). Total price _ $48.30. At approximately 12:30 the food arrived. CJ and Matt took a box of the kickers into Matt's room for a pregame smoke, while Joe, Mike, Sindia and I sat in the "Football Room" (Mike's shrine to the Patriots) and devoured our food. Following NFL Countdown, I headed into my room and began penning my column. I thought that it might be interesting to observe these four guys and a girl actually watching the football game, but honestly enough was enough. I am from New York, and I can only take so much New England love.

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News

Bacow, Senate, and others sign revised anti-intimidation statement

November 4

The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate voted unanimously last night to join other student groups in supporting the Tufts Anti-Intimidation Statement, a more inclusive version of the anti-intimidation pledge concerning that was circulated to college presidents nationwide last month. President Larry Bacow, who declined to sign the original, told the students responsible for the drafting of the new statement that he will sign the Tufts version. The revisions address the lines of the original statement that Bacow was concerned about _ specifically, a line that condemned intimidation against Jews on college campuses but did not mention other groups. The heads of Tufts' organizations interested in the Middle East conflict, including the Arab Student Association, Friends of Israel, Hillel, the Muslim Student Association, and the Middle Eastern Student Society, came together to produce a version of the anti-intimidation pledge that would include all groups. "It was monumental to have all the heads together," said Matan Chorev, the Co-Chair of the Middle Eastern Student Society. "Never before in recent Tufts history have all of these heads sat together at one table." According to Chorev, the statement they produced has the same tone as the original but condemns intimidation not only against Jews, but against "Jews, Israelis, Muslims, and Arabs across the country and on campuses of higher education." The statement says that it condemns "the rise of hatred towards these groups on our campus." It calls for the entire Tufts community to discourage intimidation on campus and to build a constructive, civil dialogue. Chorev, along with his Co-Chair Karmin Bin-Humam and Muzammil Mustafa, President of the Muslim Student Association, presented the statement to the TCU Senate. It was approved unanimously. Chorev believes the statement is a real step towards "raising civil discourse" and building a "constructive and friendly community." "We are lucky to have such leaders [who are] taking the responsibility to begin a new campus culture in terms of the Middle East." He also thanked the TCU Senate for the powerful unanimous vote to show their undivided support. "It's a huge step in the effort to unify campus," junior senator Randy Newsom said. "We want a safe campus for all students." As far as Chorev is aware, Tufts is the first university to take the initiative to write its own version of the original Anti-Intimidation Statement. Bacow is expected to release a national press statement today, according to Chorev. The original statement was initiated by former Dartmouth President James O. Freedman in response to a "series of incidents on campuses last spring in which Jewish students were targeted," according to a press release from the American Jewish Committee. The statement, signed by 309 university presidents across the nation, expressed concern "that recent examples of classroom and on-campus debate have crossed the line into intimidation and hatred, neither of which have any place on university campuses," and asserted that "these practices and others...will not be tolerated." But some university presidents, including Bacow and all the Ivy League presidents except President Ruth Simmons of Brown University refused to sign. Bacow, who was one of the first university presidents to discuss the statement with Freedman, declined to sign because the final version was "cast far too narrowly," he told the Daily last month.

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News

Speech and song unite Tufts' black community

November 4

Members of the Tufts community gathered on the campus center patio yesterday, to commemorate Black Solidarity Day and promote political activity in the black community. Representatives of the Black Women's Group and the Black Men's Group spoke about their dedication to serving as both support groups for black students and a means for those students to perform community service, and build coalitions with other student organizations. In the words of Black Women's Group Coordinator Joy Brown, they want to "make Tufts a better place for everyone." Peter "PJ" Andrews, chief administrator of the Multiracial Organization of Students at Tufts (MOST), brought a new perspective to the gathering. "Black solidarity is very important, but it is also important to constantly reevaluate the term 'blackness' so that it is not based on stereotypes," he said. Black Solidarity Day _ initiated nationally in 1969, the same year that the Tufts Africana Center was established _ celebrates black solidarity, community, and history. The Tufts community has observed Black Solidarity Day for over ten years. Pan-African Alliance (PAA) President Patrick Taylor, who helped orchestrate the event along with fellow PAA members, enlisted faculty members and students to make the event relevant and motivational. "Black Solidarity Day has traditionally been a day to look at the power and presence of the black community," Taylor said. "Today, we get to look at and hear what people think of the power and presence of our community." Aside from emphasizing black solidarity, speakers urged the audience to exercise their political power. German and Swahili Professor Daniel Brown encouraged students to go out and vote in the midterm elections today, calling the vote "the greatest power in the black community." PAA Culture Representative Candace Gomez also called for students to register and vote. "We are supposed to be in the Senate and the House," she said. Brown also emphasized the need for curriculum reform at Tufts. After arriving at Tufts 27 years ago, Brown worked unsuccessfully to institute an African-American Studies Program for 15 years. The current "Africa and the New World" program remains the closest thing to Brown's proposed program, he said. "It is very important to maintain and respect the history of those who have gone before," Brown said. Some speakers focused on the responsibilities of black students to themselves and their culture. "Black solidarity is not an excuse for black complacency," said second-year Fletcher student Kelly Smith, who asserted the need for members of the black community to heighten their awareness of the problems close to them and around the world. "Being black is an ideology," he said. Professor Lisa Coleman, Director of the Africana Center, also emphasized the global aspects of black solidarity. She spoke on the need to be committed to the plight of blacks who are oppressed, disenfranchised, and have limited resources, economic and otherwise. Coleman urged students to "question any authority that says 'we have overcome,' transform the curriculum, go out and vote, and respect one another." The program also included a number of provocative poems addressing the international struggles of the black community, particularly in comparison with America's consumer culture. Fletcher student Omekongo Dibinga, who performed one of these poems, urged black students to start their own "real" revolution and to follow their own path in doing so. The African Students Organization, which brings political and cultural issues to both African and non-African students, was also represented at the event. "The black community can change things and do so much," sophomore Chike Aguh, an executive board member of ASO, said. He called to transform "equality on paper" into equality in reality.

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News

Early NHL season throwing a few knuckle pucks

November 4

That is it. Pack your bags and move to Mexico, where hockey does not even flash on the radar screen. Perpetual "rebuilding teams" Minnesota Wild and Tampa Bay Lightning are fighting for the lead in the standings going into the second month of the NHL season, and no one is quite sure what to make of it. On top of that, the St. Louis Blues are well on their way to a winning season despite the fact that a goalie on that team is safer in a war zone than in St. Louis. The Blues have had five different goalies on their roster, each one falling like a cheap pi?±ata game after game. With the addition of free agent Tom Barrasso last week, the Blues could be up to six goalies not just in a single season, but in the matter of a few weeks. Even with the quick turnaround of net minders, the Blues managed to stretch their winning streak to eight games Sunday against the New York Rangers, with Fred Braitwaithe coming off of an injured groin to make 23 saves. At 8-1-1 for the season, the Blues are busy denying rumors that management sold their souls for additions to the wins column. Of course, averaging four goals a game does not hurt either. Doug Weight leads the way with nine points in the last five games. The big question now is what the Blues are going to do with the glut of goalies once they start coming off injury, with Barrasso duking it out with young starter Brent Johnson and 37-year-old veteran Brathwaite for who ends up in the press box. But hockey fans should worry too much yet about the topsy-turvey world that is this year's season, as the Rangers, always dependable losers, look to continue their six year streak of not making the playoffs. It's not even that the Rangers are playing that badly, but with a payroll which tops the Gross Domestic Products of some third world countries after another vigorous dip into the free agent pool this summer, New York fans expect a more than their 4-5-2 Rangers. Helping the Rangers drop Sunday's game against the Blues was a few more poor penalties by Eric Lindros, who was benched for the end of the game after the Blues scored the game winning goal while Lindros was sitting in the penalty box. Canadian teams are hurting early too. Not just one or two, but all six have struggled out the gate as fan's high hopes from the preseason have been dashed in quick fashion. In fact, Toronto Maple Leaf players are keeping their heads down in the streets these days, as they look for their second win from a seven game homestand, the last three which saw them being booed by the fans. Original six opponents Montreal Canadiens tore the Leafs apart Saturday, 5-2, as the Leafs sit with three wins in twelve games. Reborn Canadiens veteran goalie Jeff Hackett made 30 saves in the game, as Veniza and Hart trophy winner Jose Theodore continues to struggle at the start of the season. Hackett sat out most of last season with a broken hand. The NHL's crackdown on interference in the neutral zone seems to be helping some teams though. Mario Lemieux's Pittsburgh Penguins, after missing the playoffs last year for the first time since 1989, are on a tear at 7-2-2. Of Pittsburgh's 40 goals so far this season, 27 of them involved Lemieux, putting him back on the two points per game pace he had before his retirement in 1997. And it goes from there. Pittsburgh's big three _ Lemieux, Alexei Kovalev, and Alexsey Morozov _ have combined for 53 points through the first ten games. Pittsburgh shutdown the unbelievably red hot Lightning this weekend with a 5-3 victory, thanks largely to Lemieux setting up all three power play goals for the Penguins. Lemieux is feeling so good these days he has even been playing in back to back games, something he said he originally wasn't going to do because of his own bad back. But at this rate, it is no wonder he is pushing for more scoring in the league, arguing for bigger nets and smaller pads as he pushes towards the top five of all time power play goal scorers.

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News

Ask Angie

November 4

Q: Angie: A friend of mine recently came out of the closet, and I am usually okay with things like that, but I think he's been hitting on me and likes me or something. I don't like him like that, and it's kind of making me uncomfortable. Should I tell him to back off? _ Worried A: Well, first of all, don't flatter yourself. Often times this situation arises and suddenly people assume that because their friend prefers the same sex that they MUST be attracted to them. A lot of the time it's completely psychological. It looks like you've suddenly become sensitive to any little "signals" he may be giving off _ most likely nothing has changed since you first became buds. If he's really your friend, you'll have to adjust to this new turn of events. Homosexuality doesn't just happen overnight _ why should anything be so different than it used to be? If he's giving you really strong signals that are making you THAT uncomfortable, then do what anyone (straight, gay, other) would do in this situation _ sit them down, say you don't feel the same way, encounter a few days of awkwardness and then watch your friendship get much closer. That's all. _ Angie Q: I've been dating a girl for six months now. It's been going really well, except the only issue is that she's an orthodox Jew and I'm Catholic. She is really scared to tell her parents that we're together because she claims they'll be upset, and it really bothers me that she won't. Should I just put up with this or what? _ Catholic boy A: You absolutely shouldn't "just put up with this". If this is a valuable relationship _ which it seems to be _ you need to take care of this. An important question to ask her is, "If you are unwilling to be honest about our relationship now, when will you be?" If she'll never let her family know about you, it can make you feel like she's embarrassed by you _ and that's really not cool. She's probably hesitant to tell them because they've been expecting her to end up with another Orthodox Jewish boy, and they may be disappointed or even forbid her from seeing you in that case. I know it's an intense topic for college, but talk to her about where you see your relationship going. She's going to have to tell them at some point _ unless, of course, you're planning on a Vegas wedding. You know, with Elvis as the minister . . . _ Angie

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News

24' Back for Another Day

November 4

Jack's back. And he's got a badass new attitude. Last year's TV critics' choice, 24, premiered last week for a brand new season. A few things have changed, but FOX has kept all the necessary elements that made the first season such a success. For those who loved last year's show, watch the new season. For those who wanted to watch last year's show but didn't want to hop in during the middle, watch it. And for those who hated it last year, watch it again. It seems 24 is going to offer another fantastic year of crazy plot twists, angry wives and Elisha Cuthbert in short skirts. Last year, the show was heralded as original and groundbreaking. The producers, including Oscar-winner Brian Grazer, have stayed true to the last year's winning formula. The entire 24-episode season is based on the occurrences in one 24-hour period, with each episode following the events of one hour in real-time. This season captures the period from 8 a.m. to 8 a.m. the next morning of an otherwise normal Los Angeles day. How is this day different from all other days? For one, President (yes, he won his presidential election from last season) Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) is trying to prevent terrorists from detonating an atomic bomb somewhere in Las Vegas. Meanwhile his sniveling National Security Advisor is going behind his back calling on the Pentagon to intervene. The Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) is called in to crack down on the threat, and former Agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) is the only one who can help them. Bauer _disgruntled, depressed and unkempt _ is still reeling from his wife's death at the hands of his ex-girlfriend and CTU partner, Nina. He's estranged from his daughter Kim, played by the "oh-so-Maximworthy" Elisha Cuthbert, who has landed a job as an au pair for a dysfunctional family. At the end of last week's premiere, Kim fled an enraged father with her charge, Megan Matheson. She has also managed to improve on last year's attire with a sexy one-piece outfit befitting Anna Kournikova. Another plot twist, which is sure to be untwisted and twisted back up again over the course of the season, involves an interfaith marriage of suspicious Muslim Reza to his stereotypical American blonde fianc?©e, Marie. Scheduled to occur later in the day, the wedding is threatened by Marie's equally-platinum blonde sister, Kate (Australian actress Kate Wynter). Despite comforting comments by their father Bob, Kate suspects her future brother-in-law is evil, and discovers in the premiere that he is indeed connected with a known terrorist. Red herring? With 24, one never knows. While the show's strength comes from the intricate plot and its plethora of intriguing twists, acting has never been the show's strong suit. There were laughable performances last year and there will probably be more this year. New CTU agent Paula Schaffer, played by Roseanne's Sara Gilbert, seems one-dimensionally na??ve while the NSA staffer Eric Rayburn is cast as snide and crafty. The deliciously evil Sherri Palmer will return (never fear 24 fans!), this time as the ex-First Lady because President Palmer divorced her during the eighteen months since the previous season. Despite some poor performances by other cast members, Sutherland is on his way for another Emmy-nominated performance. The way his uncontrollable grief seeps through his impulsive character is masterfully displayed during the premiere. His awkward relationship with Kim comes off as incredibly realistic, with much credit due to Sutherland's dedication to Jack Bauer. The first episode, Hour One, spent most of its commercial-free airtime breaking down Bauer's transformation into a downtrodden widower. The plot picked up momentum in the second half with some exciting action, just like last year's season. All that's known about the nuclear plot so far is that it is the work of a terrorist group known as "Second Wave" _ probably the least threatening name for a terrorist organization ever _ and that the bomb will explode at some point that day. Bauer's job is to find whoever is responsible for the bomb and shut them down. He starts off by whacking an FBI witness in cold blood, then asking for a hacksaw, all in the name of catching the mastermind of the bomb plot. As you can see, Jack's code of ethics has found a new low since his wife's murder. With Kim once again missing, and a wedding on the line, Jack will of course run into quite a few more obstacles before the day is done. As Hour Two of the most addicting show on television kicks off tonight, remember to trust nothing anyone says, do not take anything for granted and assume that Jack Bauer always gets his man.

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News

Democrats hold rally on campus

November 4

As Massachusetts voters head to the polls today, they will choose the winner of one of the most heated gubernatorial elections in recent state history. With recent polls showing Democratic gubernatorial candidate Shannon O'Brien neck-and-neck with Republican candidate Mitt Romney, even a few hundred votes may mean the difference between another four years of Republican leadership or the chance for the Democrats to recapture the corner office after a 12-year hiatus. This possibility was on the minds of a number of local politicians Sunday night when Massachusetts Democrats held a rally on the Tufts campus. With just 48 hours until the election, the Democrats pulled out all the stops to rally votes for O'Brien and her running mate, Chris Gabrieli _ an effort in which student votes have become increasingly important. As of yesterday, 11 percent of Massachusetts voters remained undecided about who they would choose as governor, according to The Associated Press. Though students do not vote in large numbers, they could make the difference in this election's outcome. There are 48 colleges in the Boston area, and the Democrats are hoping that students, who tend to vote for liberals, could sway the election just by showing up at the polls. The politicians at Sunday's gathering _ which was organized by Tufts Democrats _ focused on issues intended to resonate with college students, and even encouraged students to skip class to garner democratic support in the last hours before the polls close. Speakers at the forum included former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, former State Senator Warren Tolman, US Representative Barney Frank (D-MA), and State Representatives John Slattery and Marie St. Fleur. The issues covered ranged from gay rights, discussed by Frank, to the possibility that a Republican governor might support the death penalty in Massachusetts, a prospect Slattery said he did not want to face. "What we need is a governor willing to stand up on principle," Slattery said. St. Fleur discussed issues that the audience was particularly responsive to, including minority concerns, the negative effects of housing vouchers, and the necessity of rehabilitation programs for the 20,000 inmates who are released every year in the state. St. Fleur often prompted standing ovations from the crowd. The democratic leaders campaigned passionately for the democratic candidates in today's election. Tolman, who discussed the environment, called O'Brien's plan to reduce emissions by 2020 "visionary." O'Brien's republican opponent, Romney, didn't even have an environmental plan on his website until two weeks ago, Tolman said. The rally's political participants were acutely aware of the crucial role that students might play in today's election. "We are 48 hours away from the end of an election whose stakes are very high," Tolman told the Daily. Students' "futures are going to be affected by their votes in this election. Look what happened in Florida. Every vote counts. This is a very tight election." Reich urged the already-supportive audience members to be careful with their vote. "A vote for anyone else, even a progressive third-party candidate, as a practical matter _ that is a vote for the Republican Party and we cannot afford that," Reich said. Reich was most likely referring to Jill Stein's bid for the governor's office on the Green Party ticket, which has produced headaches for Massachusetts Democrats over the past month. Since Romney and O'Brien are so close, O'Brien's supporters worry about a repeat occurrence of the "Nader effect," wherein third party candidates gather support from voters who would otherwise support the Democratic candidate. "Have you learned your lesson yet?" Reich asked the audience. Though the Democratic leaders said they were not anti-Stein, Tolman said that Democrats were targeting progressive communities where she was likely to attract a significant number of votes. Stein's poll numbers have ranged from four to seven percent, according The Associated Press. Libertarian and independent candidates have also chipped away at the major candidates' poll numbers, though neither one has obtained five percent of voters' support. The rally's pairing of Reich and Tolman might have been especially resonant with students, since both had such large student support in their primary races. Stein's campaign is also aimed at capturing the student vote. Stein said on Sunday night that given her campaign's reliance on word of mouth, student support could be crucial. Her campaign has focused on idealistic issues that are often important to students, including the environment and clean elections laws. Stein held an event at Harvard yesterday for Boston-area students. Though she has never campaigned at Tufts, Stein has frequently visited state and community college campuses, where she has emphasized the importance of the student vote since "young people... haven't signed off on their ideals yet." The Democrats have presented a united front to counter the threat of Republican victory. Although Reich and Tolman both ran against O'Brien in the democratic gubernatorial primaries _ and Slattery competed with Gabrieli for the position of lieutenant governor _ all three are now supporting O'Brien and Gabrieli. "It shows that this party has a set of cohesive goals," junior Liz Richardson said, an O'Brien campaign intern who helped organize the rally on campus. "I think that a lot of people are afraid that this third party and Jill Stein are going to take a lot of votes." Just a few months ago, Reich, Tolman, and Slattery were all running negative ads against O'Brien and Gabrieli. Now, however, they have rushed to support the democratic team. "It is important that we all understand we are on the same page together," Reich said. Sunday's rally was held in Barnum Hall, in a room capable of seating over 200 people. However, sparse advertising of the event meant that only about 60 people showed up, and politicians were almost as numerous as students. Attendance was boosted somewhat by the presence of residents of Medford and Somerville. "I thought there was a poor student turnout," senior Steve Krubiner said. "But it was a good idea to try and get out the swing vote."

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News

Laugh because you mean it

November 4

Are you too stupid to know when something is funny? Don't take offense at the question. Or don't take offense with me, at least, because I'm not trying to question your sense of humor. It's the producers of television comedies that don't trust you to laugh at the right times, and maybe you should stop to wonder why. I'm talking about laugh tracks, the ubiquitous peals of prerecorded laughter (not to mention hoots and whistles and dramatic gasps) that comedies use over and over again to indicate that you've heard what the writers considered a punchline. Heard something funny but didn't hear people laughing? Better not laugh yourself, because the real punchline is coming up. Well, I know funny when I hear it, and I don't need any sound engineer to tell me what he thought was funny in a certain show. Given that, it's a nod to the intelligence of a show's audience when it eschews the studio laughter and lets you figure things out for yourself. It's sometimes less laugh-per-minute, but it can also result in some of television's best comedies. Here are my three favorite still-running, "unassisted" comedies good luck finding many others without laugh tracks anywhere; and note that none of these are "traditional" sitcoms. The Simpsons. Much has been said already for FOX's long-running animated series _ so much that I fear wasting your time talking more about it. It's fast and funny and has the same crossover appeal as a good children's movie: half broad, physical humor that nearly anyone can understand, and half subtle, intelligent humor that the young or uninformed wouldn't notice. The Simpsons is not above getting big-name guest stars (from rock bands to movie actors to former presidents) to draw in casual viewers, but it never sacrifices the unexpected and ironic facets of its humor that appeal to its most diehard viewers. There must be a reason that The Simpsons inspires such a legion of fans. Few other shows boast such a dedicated audience. Think of how many people on a college campus like our own can spout off entire segments of Simpsons episodes verbatim. The show's witticisms, usually best found in those moments least relevant to each week's plot, pepper fans' daily conversations; those who don't watch and love the show get lost in the barrage of references common to those in-the-know. It's not just a college phenomenon. The intelligence of The Simpsons increases its appeal to an older audience that might not be as spellbound by the physical humor. And the show acknowledges and encourages an intelligent audience by leaving out the laugh track. The Simpsons doesn't need to tell you when to laugh, both because it is terribly funny on its own and because it trusts its audience to be smart enough to get it. Malcolm in the Middle. Critics pinned this show as a "live-action Simpsons." While that comparison doesn't indicate the remarkable differences in character and family dynamics between the shows, it's an accurate observation of the many other similarities. First and foremost: there's no laugh track. Just as with The Simpsons, you forget why other shows use prerecorded laughter because it's no longer necessary here. On a thematic level, Malcolm follows The Simpsons by highlighting blemishes in American family life. Homer and Hal are horrible, dangerous, irresponsible fathers, and we love them for it. This isn't merely the comically dysfunctional family you see elsewhere (think of Chandler's father with the drag club on Friends) but legitimately frightening models for parenthood. Imagine an actual family subjected to the oblivious, childlike role models of Homer and Hal; it's tragic, not funny. Both Malcolm and The Simpsons turn the tragedy into comedy, however, by making the children smarter than the parents _ Malcolm, Lisa, and Maggie _ or at least by allowing them the leeway to subvert the father's dubious authority. Homer's dangerously inept parenting remains funny because his children remain remarkably unhurt; meanwhile, Hal's own shortcomings are softened by the shortcomings of everyone around him. No one is quite sane or normal on Malcolm in the Middle. Scrubs. That's right, FOX isn't alone in its defiance of laugh tracks. NBC's Scrubs may follow Friends (the most coveted timeslot out there), but its qualities as a show are entirely different. It also seems quite different from The Simpsons and Malcolm at first glance, but (you guessed it) there's no laugh track. Is that a solid connection by itself? Not necessarily. However, Scrubs has many of the same qualities that make The Simpsons and Malcolm intelligent comedies. It has a strong moral sense _ an oft-overlooked facet of The Simpsons and Malcolm _ and a willingness to make the entire world seem improbable and ridiculous while still considering realistic character relationships. Much of the comedy on Scrubs is either faintly surreal or else grounded in the personal interactions and banter of the cast. Is this a realistic portrayal of a hospital? No, but neither is ER or Chicago Hope. The world of Scrubs is not the real world, and the writers know it. Ironically, while all three of these shows present funny, twisted, and unrealistic versions of our own world, they're still more realistic (and have more opportunities for social commentary) than nearly any other comedy on the little screen. After all, do you hear canned laughter every time one of your friends crack a joke? Excluding the laugh track makes these shows _ and the laughs they earn _ more real. And why aren't there more examples? Looking back, there have never been very many comedies without laugh tracks; eliminate animated numbers like Family Guy and South Park and you'll find even fewer. Maybe most people expect or even like laugh tracks. They remind you that what you're watching isn't serious and that you shouldn't fret too much about the ultimate outcome _ it's just for laughs. If something is just for laughs, though, it'd better make me laugh without any extra help.

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News

Offense fizzles in cold

November 3

The football team (3-4) watched the hopes of a winning 2002 campaign vanish into the wind and cold, as the visiting Colby Mules defeated the Jumbos 9-0 on Saturday. The offense effort was the worst in recent memory and marked the first time Tufts had been shutout since the final game of the 2000 season. While the previous three weeks witnessed the Jumbos' losing in excruciatingly dramatic fashion, Saturday's loss was a sluggish event, one in which Tufts' offense managed 76 yards of total offense for the entire game. "Things didn't go our way today," senior running back Chuck McGraw said. "Their defense was strong and we didn't make any plays." Tufts' success the past two seasons has depended on a stingy defense that forces turnovers, and a clock-controlling offense, utilizing an aggressive running attack to set up senior slinger Scott Treacy's passing. In explaining the Jumbos' loss to Colby, one need not look further than the running game. Tufts managed 24 yards rushing on 24 carries and held the ball for just over 21 minutes of a possible 60. "They had nine guys in the box for the entire game," sophomore running back Steve Cincotta said. "We really couldn't establish anything on the ground all afternoon." The Jumbos were unable to exploit the Mules' tendency to play the run. Top wide receiver Matt Cerne was a late scratch, and Treacy suffered through his worst game of the season, completing six of his 29 passes for a meager 52 yards. He was intercepted three times, sacked twice, was victimized by countless dropped passes, and rarely seemed to have sufficient time in the pocket to find his receivers. "Give a lot of credit to them, I felt like everyone was covered every time," Treacy said. "I was just scrambling. I was leaving the pocket. I feel like I just didn't make plays today." Tufts entered the halftime down 9-0, after a blocked punt led to the game's only touchdown in the first quarter. The second half, however, brought out the worst in the Jumbo offense, as it managed one first down and 29 total yards in the game's final two quarters. Perhaps it should not be shocking that after watching their hopes of a title-winning season erased in consecutive and heartbreaking losses to the league's top three teams, the Jumbos experienced general malaise. What was surprising was the offense's utter impotence against a mediocre defense and a team that entered the contest 2-4. As it became apparent Tufts would not score, a genuine lethargy seemed to spread over the offensive unit, even though it was the defense that was forced to spend a majority of time on the field. "There was absolutely no rhythm today," McGraw said. "We can't play like this and expect to win football games." "Every time we got a little something going, something stopped us," Treacy said. Members of the offense did note that effort might be a problem. "We did not have a great week of practice," Cincotta said. "I don't know if everyone's mind was right for this game. This is what can happen when you don't prepare hard enough." "We should have been more fired up for this game coming off three losses in a row," Treacy said. With one game remaining, the best that Tufts can hope for is to finish the year with a 4-4 mark. While from a talent standpoint the Jumbos are much better than their 3-4 record, the offense has played fundamentally inconsistent football all season. Against both Williams and Amherst, the Jumbos had the ball with time dwindling in the fourth quarter, and were at most two first downs away from victory. As it has for the entire season, the defense carried the load on Saturday, holding Colby to only one sustained scoring drive and playing well enough to win. Tufts travels to Middlebury next week to finish the season against the Panthers. The Jumbos hope to even out their record, but to do so, they cannot score zero points. "Basically, we have one week left of playing football," Cincotta said. "We aren't playing for anything but pride. We have to go out and set some tempo and develop some sort of rhythm."

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News

Tisch _ printing for profit?

November 3

You've seen it before: piles of paper spread over the printers and scrap tables in the Tisch printing area. Lines of people who cannot find the articles they are printing, and confusion as to which papers belong to who. This is the scene that unlimited printing has offered us in Tisch. In Eaton, printing can be just as frustrating, with long lines and the need to release your computer each time you want to print. As frustrating and annoying as the waiting and the confusion is, we as students still have the option of free printing, a necessity to many students without printers or with professors that force you to find and print class reading on your own. Most would argue that a little inconvenience at the library or at Eaton is worth it, when you can walk out with your 50 pages of reading for class in your hand. That is going to change, however. As you may or may not have heard by now, beginning in the Spring Semester of 2003, the University has made it a policy to charge for printing in both the Tisch Library and in the Eaton Computer lab. The fee will be ten cents per page, and the method will be similar to the copying method in Tisch, involving debit type cards you prepay. My goal here is not to criticize the idea of charging, but rather to criticize this method, which is both ridiculously costly and inefficient. I understand Tufts' goal is an environmental one; a desire to reduce the amount of paper wasted. I assume the theory behind this decision is that if students, and professors, have to pay for their printing at Tisch and Eaton then they will not print unnecessary documents, thereby eliminating the annoying and wasteful cluttering at the printing stations. Although this might achieve the goal, it will consequently cause many other problems. Firstly, without doubt, the number of people using the library will decrease. Maybe this will diminish traffic, but at the same time it stops people from using all the resources that the library has to offer, and that we pay for with part of our tuition. True, we can use online databases off campus, but that involves the annoying hassle of figuring out how to sign in, which I can tell you, after almost three and a half full years at Tufts, I still don't know how to do. The librarians will now have to deal with handling students that are off campus trying to use the Tisch resources, which will inevitably tie up their time, which would otherwise be spent helping students in the library. Secondly, I have a sneaking suspicion that the method of using the debit cards to pay for printing will create even longer lines, and more confusing printing processes. I don't know exactly how Tisch, especially, plans on implementing this payment process, but I know that if I have to wait for each of the ten people who are printing at the same time as me to go one by one and insert their cards before they print, the wait alone will deter me more than the price. And speaking of the price, I doubt anyone would disagree that ten cents is a ridiculous price to pay. An average journal article can run anywhere from seven to 20 pages, and that gets expensive when doing research papers, printing for class, etc. I will not argue that Tufts does not have the right to charge us, however I do propose a better plan. Let us have free printing up to a certain degree. Instituting a limit is not a bad idea, and it would alone hopefully decrease the amount of paper wasted. Then, if a student needs to go over that limit, I think five cents a page is a much more reasonable price than ten. Ten cents a page lends itself to the suspicion that this "pay for print" idea may be nothing more than a profit scheme. If the key is to curb the amount of paper and resources wasted, there are better way to accomplish that than charging a straight fee. The new printing policy at Tisch may be admirable in its goal of saving paper and reducing wastefulness, but it is unrealistic in its effectiveness. Few students will happily pay ten cents per page for printing, and if we as a University want to keep the resources in the library available to all students, we seriously need to voice our opinions and discontent with this new policy. Viet Le is a Senior majoring in BioChemistry

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News

Tufts ties for seventh place in a surprising NESCAC Championship

November 3

A crisp fall day provided the backdrop for an unpredictable round of competition at the NESCAC Championship cross-country meet. The event was hosted by Tufts on its' Grafton campus, touted as one of the best spectator courses in New England. Williams College burned through the course on the chilly day to take the crown, while the Jumbos settled for a seventh-place tie with Amherst College. "It was definitely a cold day. We raced in tights, and in my experience running here we've never had to do that before," senior Heidi Tyson said. Amongst the strong contingent of eleven NESCAC teams were five teams ranked in the top 25 in the October 29 national coaches poll, making the contest hard-fought in one of the most competitive conferences in the nation. Before the meet, Williams and Middlebury were one and two in the rankings, with Trinity College at 12th, Bowdoin at 17th, and Hamilton at 21st. The Middlebury squad came into the meet as defending champions, having won the event for the past four years. Middlebury, however, proved no match for a stellar Williams team. Having gained their first NESCAC Championship title since 1997, the Williams squad asserted themselves as the number one nationally ranked Div. III team. The Purple Cows unseated a Middlebury team who has enjoyed and earned the Div. III NCAA national title for two consecutive years. The miniscule 30 points that the team accrued was accomplished by having an unprecedented four of the five scoring runners in the top eight. Not only did the team win the competition, it also boasted the number one individual runner in Caroline Cretti, whose time of 17:35 well surpassed the previous course record of 17:54.9. While the Jumbos knew that they likely could not catch Williams and Middlebury, they had hoped to be within the top six, but landed instead in a seventh-place tie with Amherst College. Though the overall team finish was not quite what was expected, it doesn't tell the full story of the day's events, which held a few surprises. A Bowdoin team that showed little activity throughout the months of September and October came busting out of the gates for a third place team finish. The Hamilton squad that was in the top 25 in the national rankings finished behind a Tufts team that wasn't, while a Bates squad that wasn't ranked finished ahead of Tufts in an unprecedented fifth place finish. "Bates was a big surprise, we didn't expect them to be where they were," coach Kristen Morwick said. "But then we also didn't think that we'd beat Trinity, so there were a few results we were surprised by today." One aspect of the race that went differently from others throughout the season had to do with the pack running style that the Jumbos use. The strength of the Tufts squad lies in its pack, a group of four to five runners who finish third through seventh for the team. Usually this pack finishes close together, but in this race the pack was slightly broken up and was less of a cohesive unit. This made it less of a scoring threat and was part of the reason for the team finishing in the place it did. "Everyone ran better than they have before, at least two of the top girls beat their top times by 20 to 30 seconds," freshman Arielle Aaronson said. "But, instead of having four to five strong girls in the pack running together it was split into smaller, less effective groups in terms of scoring. Individually a lot of people had PRs, we just weren't as strong as we could have been as a team." Junior Lauren Caputo and freshman Becca Ades, a pair that has been working together all season, did so again in this race. Caputo was the first Jumbo to finish, coming in 19th place in a time of 19:13.34, with Ades ten places and 16 seconds behind her. Senior co-captain Mary Nodine played the familiar role of the third Jumbo to complete the course, doing so in 19:40.37 en route to a 40th place finish. Three seconds back and three places later, junior Lauren Dunn crossed the line, with senior Heidi Tyson garnering 52nd in a time of 19:58.96 to round out the scoring five. Seniors Kristen Munson (20:03.22) and Danielle Perrin (20:20.10) completed the top seven for this race, placing 58th and 69th respectively. While the gap between the third and seventh Jumbos was a respectable 40 seconds, the pack was still not as cohesive as it has been in other races. The race itself was close, with many people finishing in groups of ten within seconds of each other. With the Div. III National Qualifiers looming overhead in two weeks time, the Jumbos will look to regroup the pack and move it up in the standings to pose a formidable scoring threat. "In this race, the top four were solid, there were some people who stepped up, but some key people didn't have their best day," junior Katie Higley said. "We're just going to take this and refocus. Some people need to run not with their heads but with their hearts. The race can get into your head and instead of letting that happen we just need to run once the gun goes off and not think and let ourselves get pulled to the finish."

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News

Tufts clinches NESCAC title with 1-0 win over Colby

November 3

Sometimes, all you need is luck. With a 1-0 win over Colby and some key, albeit unlikely, outcomes in the other conference games, the women's soccer team took the NESCAC title, earning a first-round bye in the conference tournament and the right to host the semi-final and final round games. Coming into the weekend, the Jumbos could not control their own fate, and even a victory over Colby only guaranteed them a spot somewhere in the top three. To get the number-one seed in the conference tournament, the team needed some help. Before the Tufts-Colby game had even started, the results were in from the three 11 a.m. games, and things did not look promising for the Brown and Blue. Although Bowdoin and Williams won, posting 2-1 and 5-0 scores over Bates and Wesleyan, Trinity had tied Amherst 1-1. That left the door open for either Conn College or Middlebury, playing each other at 1:30 p.m., to move into fourth place and, because of the tiebreaker scenarios, drop Tufts to second or even third. To keep that from happening, the Jumbos would need neither to win. The team waited anxiously in the Baronian Field House after its win over Colby, cell phones buzzing as players, coaches, and parents tried anyone and everyone in hopes of getting an update from Conn. After what seemed like an eternity, it suddenly came, with sophomore goalkeeper Meg McCourt breaking the news with an exuberant "It's over! They tied 1-1!" The room exploded in celebration, and then, a few minutes later, did so again, when coach Martha Whiting got the official call from the NESCAC office to confirm the news. "It's really great to get the bye," Whiting said. "It's not an easy thing to have to play one day at your hardest and really have to win, and then to go out and play the next day and play just as hard." "Hosting the tournament is awesome," senior co-captain Alle Sharlip added. "I think it increases our chances of winning the whole thing and going on to NCAAs." To get the number-one spot, the Jumbos first had to beat Colby, who entered the game at 5-8 (1-7 NESCAC). As expected, Tufts dominated the play, keeping up a steady attack on the White Mules. But, as has been the case for most of the year, the Jumbos had trouble putting the ball into the net. "Last week [against Simmons] we had 42 shots and only two goals, and that's kind of an indicator of our lack of offensive ability at the moment," sophomore Jen Baldwin said. "Our scoring opportunities are there, we just haven't finished them. It's really frustrating." The game's lone goal came in the 34th minute, as senior defender Cara Glassanos knocked in her second score of the year. After taking a pass from sophomore midfielder Catherine Benedict, Glassanos rifled a hard line-drive shot towards the right post, where Colby keeper Elizabeth Riley could only get her fingertips on it to deflect it into the net. One goal was all Tufts would need, as the team held its opponent scoreless for the third game in a row. McCourt needed to make just two saves to record her sixth shutout of the season. But while the Jumbos out-shot Colby 11-0 in the first half, and 25-5 on the day, they did not seem to be playing with the same amount of intensity they had shown against tougher teams. Despite being out-played, Colby was able to hang around, down just one, as Tufts was unable to put the game out of reach against a weaker opponent. "We did ok," Sharlip said. "We didn't play a great game, and we could have played better. I felt like people we're pretty relaxed, and weren't very intense about it, including myself. But we needed a win, and that's what we got." "We were definitely the better team, and should have put them away," senior Elizabeth Tooley added. "We just haven't been able to put the ball in the back of the net." Colby picked it up over the final stretch, making things interesting as they pushed the ball into Jumbo territory and created a couple of good scoring chances. But the Tufts defense was up to the challenge, clearing the ball out and securing the shutout. "I don't think it was our best game, but we did what we had to _ we got it done," Glassanos said. "But if you look at teams like Williams and Amherst, they kill these teams three or four to nothing. We go out there and squeak out a 1-0 win." Tufts finishes the regular season with a 10-3-1 mark, and will wind up with double-digit wins for just the fifth time in the program's history, but the third in the last five years. "It's great. I'm very happy with the way the season's going," senior Elizabeth Tooley said. "We finished first in the NESCAC, now hopefully we can win the tournament and go on to NCAAs. I think we have a very good chance, as long as we play the way we can, and put some balls in the back of the net." The first round bye in the NESCAC Tournament gave Tufts the day off yesterday, while the other six teams in the tournament played their first-round games. The Jumbos will use the upcoming week not only to prepare, but also to rest some beat-up bodies. Junior Jess Trombly and sophomores Sarah Gelb and Alina Schmidt are all working their way back from minor injuries, and will benefit from the time off. "It's good to have a week to prepare for the next team we're going to play," Whiting said. "We'll use the time wisely. We'll get some rest in there, because bodies are beat up and people are sick. It'll be great to kind of recover a bit, but also to work on some things to prepare for Saturday's game." "It's huge to be able to come out on to the field after not having to play for an entire week," Glassanos added. "It can really affect your game, and I think this week off will be great for people to recover." Tufts will play Connecticut College next Saturday, while Williams and Bowdoin will meet on Kraft Field in the other semi-final game. The winners will play Sunday for the NESCAC Championship and the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

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News

Nutrition Matters

November 3

College students are faced with many challenges when it comes to eating and exercising. It is often easier to skip the gym and head for the nearest Dunkin' Donuts instead. There may be no better role model to exemplify how to defeat donut cravings and achieve a healthy, balanced lifestyle than University President Larry Bacow. When praised for his healthful diet, Bacow modestly said, "I try." Worried about his hereditary risk of heart disease, he became a fish-eating vegetarian after the death of his mother eight years ago. "She had the world's healthiest diet, but still she had high cholesterol," Bacow said. Bacow's mother died at age 66 after her fifth heart attack. At the time, Bacow was Chairman of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) faculty and partook in many breakfast, lunch, and dinner meetings. He felt that becoming a vegetarian would help him to control his weight. His first step was giving up red meat. He then became sick of chicken and gave that up as well. Bacow continues to eat fish. Since he maintains a Kosher diet, however, the University President avoids shellfish such as shrimp and crab. Bacow has been an avid runner even longer than he's been a fish-eating vegetarian. Those few students who make it out of bed by 6 a.m. on a weekday might see Bacow and his wife, Adele, circling the campus in their typical four-mile loop. Bacow welcomes Tufts students to run with him. Whether they can keep up, though, is another question, as Bacow is training for the April 21, 2003 Boston Marathon. Having completed the Bay State Marathon in 1997, he is up for another challenge. Bacow's weekend runs will get progressively longer as his training progresses. "The nice thing about running is that I can eat much more and maintain my weight," Bacow said. After all, I'm approaching 26 miles... that's a lot of extra calories." What does Bacow like to eat most? Everything that's grilled: fish, vegetables, mushrooms, and more. He enjoys Middle Eastern food: Sabor, in Teele Square, currently tops his list of favorite Middle Eastern restaurants. Bacow also confesses to having a sweet tooth. He loves chocolate and ice cream but mostly eats lower fat frozen yogurt. When he does have the real thing, he practices moderation, taking "a bite or two of dessert and then pushing it away." As one might expect of a university president, Bacow often eats power lunches and celebratory dinners. "Cocktail receptions are the best because I spend more time talking and less time eating," he said. Dinners present more of a challenge. Last Thursday, for example, Bacow dined at the Four Seasons, on Friday it was the Ritz, and Saturday he ate at the Fairmont Copley. At restaurants, Bacow chooses the fish or vegetarian options, which are generally more healthful entr?©es, but often the food choices are out of his control. In order to balance that lack of control, Bacow often limits the amount of food he eats. While traveling, he grabs low fat frozen yogurt as a quick meal rather than a Big Mac. While it's not necessary to be a fish-eating vegetarian to look and feel your best, it is important to incorporate healthful behavior into your lifestyle. "What we eat is a personal thing. I've just been forced to be very careful," Bacow said. "I think it's very important to make time for yourself to exercise... making time for exercise also allows contemplation and reflection to clear your head."

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