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The Setonian
News

Pride on the line as X-C team hosts NESCAC championships

October 30

The men's cross country team is gearing up for the final stretch of its season with a race . As the Jumbos match up against some of New England's finest this week they will be racing for a bit of pride and a chance to see how they fare against the elite teams. The Jumbos have performed admirably against stiff competition in the last couple of weeks, and now they'll get to see how that preparation transfers to results against the best that NESCAC has to offer. The team will host the NESCAC Championship Race at their own Grafton course Saturday at 2 pm. The team finished second last year out of the 11 NESCAC teams and hopes to finish at least as high this year. A first place finish would be the second for the Jumbos in as many tries, as the team beat out 26 other teams for the top spot at the James Early Invite two weekends ago. In that race, Tufts defeated MIT and Coast Guard to prove it was one of the select teams with the ability to unseat one of the upper echelon New England teams for one of the four spots for the NCAAs. Now, the squad gets the opportunity to tangle with the top tier of teams in the area. Out of the four teams ranked ahead of Tufts in the region, three of them will square off against the Jumbos on Saturday. In the October 23rd NCAA Div III Men's Cross Country Poll, Bowdoin was ranked eighth, Williams 14th, and Bates 18th. Tufts received three votes but was not ranked in the top 25. "We'll use this race as a point of measurement to see how close we are with those teams," Coach Putnam said. "It will give us a sense of whether or not we can grab one of those four spots at qualifiers." "We're focusing on those teams but we're not forgetting about the other teams in the conference," sophomore Nate Brigham said. Bowdoin is the favorite coming into the race but neither the Polar Bears nor Trinity College have ever seen the Grafton course before. "It definitely gives us a bit of an edge," Brigham said "We practice here every week; we know how to run it." Putnam is cautiously optimistic as the team seems healthy and focused. Junior co-captain Peter Bromka has come on strong the last two races, and junior Ian Joseph has also stepped up recently. "He's reaping the rewards of an intense summer training program," Putnam noted. Also, sophomore Mike Don continues to make a steady recovery from the injury that kept him out of the early part of the season. He is now about 85 percent but hopes to improve and figure prominently in the coming weeks. Putnam plans to race his top twelve, with the possible exception of junior co-captain Jon Rosen, who is still recovering from a minor nagging injury. While the team will race their top runners, it might not push itself to the extreme brink because they are balancing the bragging rights of this meet with the importance of future races. "We're going to take it very seriously," Putnam said. "But we want to have our best race in a couple of weekends, not this weekend." The team travels to Williams for the ECAC championship next weekend before competing in the NCAA New England Championships at Westfield State on November 16th. "This is a huge race, but we have to look at it as a warm-up for the national qualifiers," Brigham added. "We want to do well and carry our momentum through to the next race." But the team certainly is not forgetting about this race on its home course for NESCAC superiority and bragging rights. "I can't imagine anyone on the team not looking forward to this race," Putnam said.

The Setonian
News

Week of rest prepares women for NESCACs

October 30

After a weekend free of competition, the women's cross-country team throws itself into a flurry of postseason activity with this weekend's NESCAC Championships. The Jumbos have set a goal of improving upon the ninth place finish out of ten that they saw at last season's race. The regular season meets that have taken place have been helpful indicators of the strengths and weaknesses of each team. But this and other postseason events in which championship titles are at stake provide a much clearer picture of the threat of each regional squad as the Jumbos vie for a coveted NCAA berth. "I think we have an opportunity to do well," coach Kristen Morwick said. "The top four would be awesome, but even the top six would still be better than last year. We had the weekend off and did some good relay races and now we're ready to get out and race again and see how we stack up." Though the ECAC Championship next weekend, and, most importantly, the NCAA qualifying meet in two weeks will provide the most incentive to perform optimally, this NESCAC Championship will also prove challenging. While teams do not hunt the NESCAC title as feverishly as they would the NCAA qualifying bid, they do use the meet as an opportunity to measure themselves up against the other teams who will be competing for one of five NCAA spots in the Northeast region. "We don't want to put all our eggs into one basket, so how well we do this weekend isn't the most important thing," Morwick said. "We want to use it as a preview of three weeks from now. We have two of the top teams in the country in our region [Williams and Middlebury], so we'll run against the best in the country and see how we stack up." The only NESCAC foe whom Tufts has not yet encountered this season is Hamilton College, who cannot be compared to last year's squad since it lost its top two runners from that team. Even though Hamilton proves to be a bit of an enigma, they are also unfamiliar with the course, having never run at Grafton yet this season. "It's our home course and we want to take advantage of that. It's the first championship meet we've had here, and the first in a series of a championships, so we want to start off on the right foot," senior co-captain Sarah Foss said. Otherwise, the Jumbos have seen mixed results against a slew of teams who are within reach and could pose a threat in the NCAA bid. While Williams and Middlebury are clear-cut favorites to garner to the top two spots, the remaining three slots are up for grabs and ready to be snatched by a handful of competent teams. Trinity College looks strong enough to be a frontrunner in obtaining the third slot, but nothing is set in stone, and a conglomerate of at least five teams will provide healthy competition. Though Amherst came out on top at the Jumbo Invitational in late September, the Jumbos prevailed a week later over the Lord Jeffs at the All-New England Championships. Wesleyan has also shown mixed results throughout the season. After beating out Tufts at both the Jumbo Invitational and the All-New England Championships, the Cardinals fell hard to the Jumbos a week later at the James Early Invite as they kept company with the bottom-dwellers in 20th place in the field of 26 teams. The largest enigma in the league is Bowdoin College, which hasn't been seen in competition except for the All-New England meet in mid-October where it put in a sub-par performance. The Polar Bears have withheld running their top seven in a meet yet this season and have provided little insight as to the progress their team has made throughout the season. Given what the Jumbos do know about the other nine teams in the league, the pack running that they have engaged in all season will be their strength as they head into the NESCAC contest. The top seven who will comprise the varsity squad has not yet been chosen, mainly because the pack has been so effective that it has provided a group of ten runners worthy of the seven available positions. This weekend will solidify who the seven will be, giving all the added incentive to perform well this weekend. "We run as a pack, it's definitely our strength. After practicing as a group and training together we race more effectively with each other," senior Kristen Munson said. "A lot of other teams have one or two girls running together up front, instead who have a group of two girls and one of seven girls. We're just going to work on closing the delta a little more." The NESCAC Championship meet heralds the postseason, and culminates a season's worth of hard work and determination. It is not the overall finish of the team that will be the most important, but how well the squad performs in relation to the teams it will meet up with again in three weeks to determine who will make the trip to the NCAA meet. "We're looking to be pretty far up there, we want to see what the competition will be like for the qualifiers," Foss said. "There's a big difference in where we are now as where we were at this point last year. We're in such better shape and instead of having one person lead us, we're all running as a team. All the hard work is paying off."

The Setonian
News

Divine Indian cuisine beyond Davis Square

October 30

So it's early in the evening and you're looking to get off campus and get some quality eats before a night out. Indian food has been absent from your itinerary for a long time, but you want to go farther away than Davis. Bombay Club, located in Harvard Square, offers Indian cuisine at reasonable prices. Of course, the location is great, but how was the overall experience? Bombay Club is located on the second floor of a two-story building. The restaurant is surrounded with glass, making for a superb view of the Harvard Square scene. The decor is well done, with simple yet artistic lighting. Compared to Diva's modern, sleek appearance, Bombay Club is much more elegant in an older, traditional way. The menu itself offers countless dishes, and includes a ranking of spice-level (measured in peppers on a scale of zero to three) for each item, since most people are not used to the "zing" of Indian culture. The price for the two of us, which included drinks, appetizers, and two entrees, came out to roughly $45. The restaurant has a variety of tropical drinks, of which we most enjoyed the mango shake. It is delightfully sweet, and sipping on it is a great way to pass time and kill the hunger. Another common Indian drink is a lassi, which is similar to a shake but has a more sour/sweet taste. Instead of the milk/ice cream component of traditional shakes, yogurt is used. If you are looking for something less fruity, an iced coffee is a wonderful choice as well as the varieties of teas and coffees. Indian food is well known for its variety of breads, and Bombay Club does an amazing job representing them. A whole section of the menu is dedicated to the different types of breads. We started with Naan, a warm, flat bread with melted butter and served with a side of curry and/or yogurt (raita), and it was great. The texture and flavor of the Naan was a good way to start the meal. The Chicken Tikka Masala had a nice amount of spice, and the overall flavor was exactly what we had hoped for. The Lemon Lamb was a bit different. The curry was a little spicier than the chicken, but tasted just as good. The meat itself, however, was not as high quality. Every now and then, we encountered small bones in the meat, but aside from that, it too was a great entr?©e. There is a variety of cultural foods at this eatery, compared to the more restricted cuisines of most Indian restaurants. Bombay Club's menu offers food from all areas of India, not just one specific location. Just like American food, Indian food is very different depending on where in India you may happen to be. Southern food is very different from Northern food, just as in most countries. One of the most popular dishes is known as dosa, a flat pancake like bread about two feet long filled wrapped around an assortment of stuffings, such as potato and peas. However, if you are a meat lover, Bombay Club also offers flavorful stuffings such as lamb and chicken. Bombay Club also has a large lunch menu that is similar to the dinner menu, but offers an additional option: the buffet. Instead of just ordering what there is on the menu you can choose the all-you-can-eat buffet, and mix whatever you want in order to have your very own custom-made dish. There is chicken, lamb, naan, vegetarian items, rice khir (a sweet desert similar to what we know as rice pudding), and several curries and sauces. What's better is that a lot of the food available from the menu can be found in the buffet for only $7.95. And, there is almost never a wait at the lunch hour. After a spicy meal, a sweet dessert is just what you need. The contrast of spice followed by sweet is like none other. For dessert, as with Diva, you cannot go wrong with the Gulab Jamun. They are sweet balls of dough saturated in a sugary liquid. Compared to the Gulab Jamun at Diva, Bombay Club takes the cake. Diva's were good, but Bombay Club's were fantastic. They were warm, and seemed to melt in your mouth. Diva's were cold. All in all it is an acquired taste. But, if you are up for something new, and really sweet, you are bound to love it.

The Setonian
News

Seven Questions

October 30

Full Name: Reid Selby Palmer Hometown: Ithaca, New York Birthdate: June, 12 1982 nickname: Pierre favorite athlete: Randy Newsom It's been a tough week for us at "Seven Questions." Under immense media fire for perceived sexist comments, I planned an intricate and clandestine operation to steal all of the copies of the Radix from the Campus Center. I soon discovered, however, that all three published copies had already been mailed to the editors' parents. Fortunately, my time consuming mission still allowed for wandering around campus. While doing so, I bumped into football defensive end Reid Palmer. Reid is second on the team with 31 tackles, and is a big reason why the Jumbos have one of the top defenses in the NESCAC. I found Reid in a Zen-like state underneath an oak tree, listening to Junction and painting a mood piece. It was obvious that only "Seven Questions" could maintain Reid's middle ground. 1. Reid, in the most recent issue of the Radix, members of our esteemed sports department were labeled as having racist tendencies. Is half of you mad at us? So mad in fact I am having trouble typing this response because my left hand refuses to cooperate. 2. Many people may not know that in addition to being a meathead, you are a talented artist in The Museum School. Have you ever given any thought to flexing a Bob Ross style fro? Only if it doesn't get in the way of pounding beers and seducing chicks in the DU basement. 3. Have you found great artistic inspiration living in your divine waterfront hideaway on the beautiful and scenic banks of Medford's own Mystic River? I've been working on an installation piece in my bedroom actually, featuring empty beer cans and laundry. 4. Speaking of living situations, you found yourself in an interesting one last year with teammate and self-promoter Randy Newsom. What kept you up at night, the loud sound of his receiving instant messages on your computer or the overwhelming smell of blonde hair dye? Actually neither, what kept me up was wandering the halls waiting for whichever freshman girl it was that week to finish up at third base. I thought middle school ended a long time ago. 5. I'm sure the public knows you hail from one of the nation's most amazing cities, Ithaca, New York. In your wilder days, what was the most townie thing you ever did? Driving around in my '92 Subaru, trying to pick up college chicks when I was 16. The more things change... 6. Your mother is a subscriber to The Nation, the bastion of liberal thought in America. What advice, besides correcting the frequent and blatant grammatical errors, might she give to the lovely people at Radix for creating a readable magazine? Honestly, I really only look at the covers of both. Opening them up and reading them cuts into my busy do nothing all day schedule. 7. "Floorcest:" Discuss. It always seems like a good idea at the time_especially when that time is 3 a.m. -Ethan Schwartz

The Setonian
News

The greatest athlete I've even known

October 30

On Saturday, I said goodbye to the greatest athlete I've ever known. A three-sport star in high school, he was a local celebrity in the small town of Farmington, ME. He didn't play past college, and he never made a dime for stepping onto the field. He excelled in basketball and baseball, and dabbled in track and field, but his true passion was football. And after his senior year of high school, he agreed to attend Bowdoin College to play the game, at the behest of the then famous Adam Walsh. He was recruited before recruiting existed. And he didn't disappoint. At Bowdoin he starred as a center and a defensive back, making weekly headlines in local papers, and being named to myriad all-star teams. In his senior year at Bowdoin, he was named to the All Maine Football team as the best center in the state, and went down (in my mind at least) as one of the best centers in a storied Bowdoin history. My grandfather never played sports for money, fame, or glory. He played because he loved to. He played because it made him happy. And happiness was always a top priority in his life. He was, to quote my father, a man who "abhorred unhappiness," and he did anything he could to make himself and everyone else happy. After his Bowdoin days, he attended Cornell University School of Medicine, but was too in love with the woman who would be his wife to stay away long enough to finish. He was drafted shortly after getting married, and following his service in World War II, he renewed his relationship with football, and began officiating high school games every Saturday in Rockland, where he made every call as fairly as he could, even if it meant being chased out of town by home team fans. He was a die hard Dallas Cowboys fan, going back to the days of Tony Dorsett, and he loved to watch Notre Dame. In his later years he came to enjoy watching Tiger Woods dominate the golfing world with dignity and class, and he was an avid fly fisherman for much of his life. He was the best athlete I've known, but of all the things he taught me, sports are at the bottom of the list. He was never rich, and indeed never had much money to speak of, but you would never know it to meet him. At first encounter you'd probably think that he was the richest man in the world, and I think that in his opinion, he was. He was in a loving marriage for 59 years, had four children, 11 grandchildren, and seven great grand children, all of whom adored him. In a world where money can buy you anything, his currency was happiness. I look at the world, in sports, entertainment, and our college campus, and listen to people talk about what's fair and what's unfair, what's right and what's not right, and what should and shouldn't be. I listen to complaints and accusations, and I feel sorry. I feel sorry for every person on earth who wasn't lucky enough to meet my grandfather, and see what it really is that makes you happy. I feel sorry for everyone who didn't get to shake his hand and hear him laugh and see him smile. I feel sorry for everyone who can't seem to understand how well off they are; who waste so many of their days complaining about things that aren't fair that they don't even have time to laugh. Because what's really not fair is that the man who, as far as I can tell, led the happiest life out of anyone had his whisked away from him. What's not fair is that after 59 years of a loving marriage, my grandmother now lives alone, and has her own battles with cancer. What's not fair is that nobody else will ever get to meet my grandfather and get to know him, and learn just how trivial everybody's little grumblings really can be. He was a great athlete, but he realized better than anyone that sports aren't everything. He realized that being happy, and making other people happy can be the greatest thing in life. I firmly believe that everybody who met him during his life is a better person for having done so. He probably wouldn't have approved of me writing this, and making such a big deal. He would have preferred to keep quiet about it. Even during his final days he refused to complain about anything, not wanting to bother anybody else with his troubles. And when he was too weak to get out of bed, he would still greet you with a big jolly "hello," and offer you something to eat. It was just his nature to be happy, I guess. He may have been a stellar athlete, but he was a far better grandpa.

The Setonian
News

Check yourself

October 30

The recent brouhaha over "Seven Questions," which appears every Thursday in the sports section, is utterly ridiculous. Elliott Wiley, Jr.'s column, ("Almost an Athlete" 10/30) in defense of his section started off on-point but ended on the wrong note. He states, "While I generally respect everybody's opinion without jumping to a rash conclusion, I felt that (the angry response) was just plain wrong." However, he then goes on to state exactly which of the "Seven Questions" he sees as legitimately offensive and promises to try and moderate the athletes' responses in the future. In my opinion, Wiley, Jr. should feel no need to apologize or to make any excuses for his praiseworthy and comical section of the paper. While most people enjoy watching sports and participating in them, we realize that they are, after all, a game. You can play in a heated pick-up hoops game on a Thursday night and get fired up, but after the game is over you head out on the town and laugh about it. Keeping this in mind, the sports section is the ideal spot for a sidebar like "Seven Questions." It is a comical piece and may get personal occasionally or even often, but it is meant to be taken with a grain of salt. One of the biggest social problems at Tufts is the fact that an incredible amount of political correctness is required in everyday dealings. The majority is forced to pander to the insecurities of the few, virtually limiting our freedom of speech. Rumor has it that the ice cream comment in Alex Gardner's "Seven Questions" offended a few people. If someone wants to crack a joke about fat girls eating too much ice cream at Carmichael, so what? When the group "fat girls" was singled out, no one person was named. So, if this comment offended you, what does that tell you about yourself? It basically means that you are insecure about something. As far as the sexism that is allegedly inherent in "Seven Questions" goes, this is ridiculous. No one has forced the female athletes to answer these questions, and they do so of their own free will. Who is Radix to speak out against the free will of others? If the female athletes happily respond to the questions, how can Radix tell the girls what they should do? That would be as if I wanted to have a public viewing of "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" at my house, and Radix told me, "No, it would be a disgrace to all white people because there are jokes in there about your ethnic group." Thanks, I'm sorry, but I do not care what you have to say, because I'm old enough to decide for myself. Likewise, Andy Katzenberg's statements in "Seven Questions" were a blatant satire of his relationships with black people. Did anyone (other than Radix) actually think he was at a loss when he was asked to name the black people he knew? Once again, I find it interesting that the person who chose to write "Seven Questions" with Andy Katzenberg is a member of the ethnic group that The Radix is trying to defend. In conclusion, no one is tolerating racism and sexism in "Seven Questions." This sidebar is rarely serious, and if Mr. Wiley, Jr. suddenly decided to give it a serious tone in response to the insecurities of the few, no one would want to read it. Its edgy humor is precisely the reason why people enjoy it so much. So, here is a message to those who are offended: relax, don't take yourself so seriously, and try to enjoy life. William Miller is a senior majoring in economics

The Setonian
News

Caaaast your vote

October 30

Over the last two years, our nation has been plagued with political scandals and rampant corruption. The Florida fiasco of the 2000 presidential election, the speculation surrounding California Representative Gary Condit's role in Chandra Levy's murder, and the recent expulsion from the House and subsequent imprisonment of former Ohio Representative James A. Traficant are just a few infamous examples. These debacles have only further alienated a nation of voters that are already largely politically inactive. With national morale tumbling and distrust for the government spreading faster than last summer's Colorado wildfires, elected officials became obvious targets for emotional and physical attacks. Paranoid politicians across the nation increased their personal security in hopes of preventing such acts of aggression. "Fellow political leaders, if I could give y'all one small piece of advice to ensure your safety at this critical time, I would. Believe me, I would. But I can't," President Bush said during a speech in Southwest Texas. Clay Henry III , a fellow Texan, childhood friend, Bush constituent, and mayor of Lajitas, TX, was among the attendees of the event. Like Bush, Henry is carrying on his family's political legacy. A third-generation politician, Henry has many things in common with Dubya. However, unlike the president, Henry is possibly the most famous mayor in all of Texas, walks on all fours, and is a goat. No, I'm not lying to you _ he is a real goat. One of the few politicians to completely rely on good 'ol grassroots campaigning, Henry was elected after spending countless hours schmoozing with locals and socializing with tourists. A remarkable beer connoisseur, Henry is known to spend days on end drinking with his constituents. "It was not uncommon for him to put back 30 to 40 beers a day," Lajitas sheriff Ronny Dodson stated. "It was a heartwarming sight to see a guy putting in so much effort into getting to know the town. After a few weeks, everybody knew him, and everybody loved him _ it didn't really matter that he was always drunk." So strong were his feelings for beer that Henry chose to ignore Lajitas' illegal immigration crisis and instead ran on an anti-blue law, eliminate the drinking age platform. Henry also fervently supported "animal riiiiights" and "freeeedom of speeeech." When asked what his favorite beers were Henry animatedly baa'ed, "Naaaatty Light and my special homemaaaade brooo! I think beeeer is an imporrrrtant parrrrt of our society. It encourages relaxaaaation and a strehhhhss freeeee lifestyle." Despite his belief that beer encourages an easy-going lifestyle, Henry's alcohol habit has been seriously detrimental to his health. Aside from the immeasurable damage done to his liver, the alcohol also cost Henry his little, or as Henry would deceitfully say, big friend. Last November the furry mayor became the most recent victim of a very severe, verypersonal attack on a politician. It was then that Jim Bob Hargrove, of Val Verde County, was charged with castrating the mayor in a fit of rage. Luckily, town constable Richard Hill "retrieved the evidence from a dumpster" and successfully identified the assailant. When asked about his motives, Hargrove told authorities that he couldn't stand to see so much beer going to waste down the mayor's throat. "It's a downright absurdity. How this town can love a beer-guzzling creature so much is beyond me. I don't regret what I did," Hargrove said. "That there mayor deserved it!" "Sure it huuuurt. It huuuurt like hell. But whaaaat was I supposed to dooo to stop him? The baaaastard got me while I was sleeeeping." Henry told reporters. "Yehhhs, it was much more paaaainful than my circumcision! I'm muuuuch older now, I'm going to rememmmmber this one. Whaaaat kind of queeeestion is that, anyways?" While Henry has remained optimistic throughout the entire ordeal, the same political analysts that correctly predicted his landslide victory over Clyde the stable dog in 2000 are now saying that it's not going to be as easy this November. Most experts cite Henry's alleged "corrupt bargain" with none other than Dubya himself as the main threat to his hopes for reelection. While no concrete evidence was ever found, many still believe that Dubya illegally donated more than $200,000 in soft money to Henry's 2000 campaign in exchange for "lots and lots of Henry's homemade beer." Other analysts and political gurus think that Henry's reelection (and reerection) aspirations will fail because he just doesn't have the same "presence." Although he has made a deeply personal sacrifice, he's lacking the "fortitude, stamina, and man power" that carried him to victory two years ago. Vain opponents have pointed to Henry's unkempt and jarring physical appearance and his stale beer breath as difficult obstacles that the incumbent will be forced to overcome. Regardless of what anybody says I have a great deal of sympathy and admiration for the country's most famous goat. Next Tuesday, I encourage all of you to join me in exercising our right to vote. And if you're from Lajitas, Texas please do the right thing _ caaaast your vote for the castrated, beer-drinking, Orwellian mayor, Clay Henry III.

The Setonian
News

Yes, another intramurals article

October 30

Welcome to this week's Intramural Update. It was a busy week in intramurals with lots of soccer and basketball action. Here are the scores: In the freshman soccer league, the regular season is all completed. The Mad Cows stayed undefeated with a 6-0-1 record, one game ahead of the 6-1 Dirties. These two teams will get a bye through the first round of the playoffs, which was held on Tuesday, and will play during the second round next week. The Gangstars and Felons both finished at 5-2 and Uphill 1 and Haskell/Jeff rounded out the over-.500 teams with 4-3 records. South 1 and the Invasion both cruised to .500 records. Tilton 3 managed a 2-4-2 record with South 2, the Munchies, and Tilton 1 also both managing only two wins. Haskell/Maria managed only one win and the Titans led the league in ties with three but finished last in wins with zero. In the freshman volleyball league, the team from Hill captured the first seed in the playoffs with a 7-0 record. Close on their heels was South 2, with a 6-1 record, and South 3 at 4-2. Tilton 1, the Titans and the Tramps were four, five, and six in the league, and the Wildcats, Raskells, and South 1 were the bottom three in the league. The Freshman volleyball playoffs will begin on Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 7:00 p.m. with the #8 vs. #9 play-in game. At 8:00 p.m., Hill will play the winner of that game while the four and five, two and seven, and three and six teams will do battle. In regular soccer action on Thursday, Psycho whipped the Sugar Daddies 6-0, and I-House nipped the Larry Birdmelts 3-2. I-House currently stands in first place in the league while the Larry Birdmelts drop to 2-2. DTD collected a forfeit and the Rabid Wombats took a 3-2 decision over Simon from England. Indy 1defeated the Juice 7-4 moving their record to 2-2 and dropping the Juice to 0-5. In Monday's action, A Tribe Called West defeated Los Pieds Radicales 4-1 in a game between two previously winless teams. The Screaming Butterflies also lost to Tappa Kegga by one goal in a game that the Butterflies referred to as a "controversial defeat." In Monday night basketball, co-ed division the Big Guns defeated The Troops to advance their record to 4-2 and drop the Troops to 2-4. Nemotada collected a forfeit against DTD to maintain their unbeaten record and hang onto their first place tie with the Joel Aranson Project. Fletcher 2 nipped the Fatalists 60-41 to drop the Fatalists to 1-5 and improve their record to 4-2. Fletcher 1 also won, beating the E-men by 10, 37-27. That win moved Fletcher 1 to 4-2. In co-ed Thursday basketball, the Hanging Chickens defeated the Rennies 52-40 to improve their record to 4-1. The Hanging Chickens are now in second place in the co-ed league. The Hooligans upset the first-place Joel Aranson Project 51-40 to move their own record to 2-3 and drop the Joel Aranson Project to 5-1. Special Sauce defeated AePi 48-39 in a game that moved both teams to .500 records at 3-3. In the women's league, The Staff whipped Balla Status 53-42. In regular volleyball action last Wednesday, HNRC defeated Indy in two games to improve to 4-1. The Hornets dropped the Killer Beans 2-0 in their game, handing the Beans their first loss of the season. The Isotopes also won, defeating John Stolle 2-0. There are now four teams tied for first in the volleyball league with identical 4-1 records. Well its an exciting time to be an intramural fan at Tufts what with the playoffs for the freshman coming up. Tune in next week for all the scores. Everybody have a good one.

The Setonian
News

Curricular diversity: a global attempt

October 30

The Latino Curriculum Transformation project should be commended for its persistent efforts to push for more courses on Latino heritage and Latino-American issues. But, it is necessary to keep in mind that the act of simply increasing more courses specifically catered to minority issues will not solve concerns on the lack of curriculum diversity at Tufts, nor will it guarantee a that all students become educated about minority issues. In order to truly foster the kind of diversity that we should be seeking at a prestigious liberal institution like Tufts, topics that foster an understanding of different racial, ethnic, and cultural issues must also be addressed in mainstream classes, not only in a few limited classes offered for students with a specific interest in student ethnic issues. In a sense, the need for a specific committee on curriculum transformation based on a particular underrepresented minority group points to the divisiveness and compartmentalization of the issue. In actuality, it is one that should span school-wide curricula and be incorporated globally. It is true that many classes the committee proposes would prove an enriching experience that broadens the scope of students' understanding of important minority issues. However, it is also true that the students who would most readily register to take these courses would already have background knowledge or a founded interest in such subject matter. These courses would benefit a minority of students already passionate about the topics but may not draw in students who wouldn't normally sign up for such courses. And while Tufts absolutely should offer classes that teach students about their unique heritage, the second piece of the diversity puzzle has been neglected in public discussion by recent curricular transformation projects. To prevent counterproductive divisiveness in an attempt to achieve the very opposite outcome _ open understanding of diverse issues _ departments must not only focus on offering a variety of classes on a variety of issues, but perhaps more importantly, must foster a well-rounded understanding of diverse topics and issues within each class. Diversity education needs to reach out to the majority by inserting topics of race and ethnicity into a variety of classes.

The Setonian
News

Brattle Theater continues off-beat tradition

October 30

The Brattle Theater is over 110 years old, a permanent fixture of Harvard Square and a great resource for film buffs. It started as a traditional theater first, and held the stage debuts of such figures as Zero Mostel. It became a movie-house in 1953, and soon branched into a big venue for foreign and independent films. The stage continues to be used for theater, although it went dark for some time during the 1980s. Today, they mainly show high quality prints of older movies at about $8 per showing (some shows have special prices, and their schedule can be found online at www.brattlefilm.org). They also co-sponsor literary readings with Wordsworth Books on Monday nights. The Brattle maintains a policy of advocating movies that lose their studio support (or never get in the first place) like last year's Salton Sea or a recently re-cut version of Metropolis. This Halloween, the Brattle is running Evil Dead 2, the 800-pound gorilla of cult horror films. If you haven't seen it, and are in the mood to see something truly bizarre, do yourself a favor and pay the dollar T ride to Harvard Square. Here is a review of the film, as viewed on a recent DVD release. Evil Dead 2 Before Sam Raimi directed the mega-smash, competion-killing, $400 million-plus grossing hit Spiderman, he made his first impact on the film world with Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn. No, really. Although a sequel to the first Evil Dead film (notable mainly for how much gore and clever cinematography is possible on a non-existent budget), Evil Dead 2 was a follow-up only in name, genre and in the re-casting of eternal B-movie star Bruce Campbell. Instead of making another scare/schlockfest, they took the conventions of horror films_blood, bumps in the night, skeletons and books that summon unholy armies of the dead. Put them in a blender and set it on puree. The results were not only awesome and groundbreaking, they were... how to put in a word... groovy. What would normally take 30-50 minutes of expositioning a lesser movie _ obligatory driving to a remote cabin, summoning the undead, losing a cast member or two, actually seeing what the evil forces look like_takes about nine minutes. And then the violence and horror takes a turn for the surreal. Ash (Campbell) wanders back to the cabin after burying his girlfriend, and everything in the house begins to laugh at him. Everything: the lamps, the books the deer heads. And he begins to laugh back and dance with them. Is this a horror movie, or a French surrealist movie? Then his girlfriend (now headless) runs in and chases him with a chainsaw. Then his hand to "goes bad" and attacks him by smashing plates on his own head. Then he cuts his hand off with the chainsaw we saw earlier, only to have it running around like speedy Gonzales. Is this Looney Toons, or the Exorcist? The answer is, both. There are truly scary movies: Halloween, the first Nightmare on Elm Street, the recent Event Horizon and Scary Movie 2 (you heard me.) Then there are bad horror movies, like The Haunting or Virus, where millions are spent to achieve little effect (the recent Ghost Ship appears to be another one of these.) Then there are the especially bad horror movies, the stuff that great drinking games are made of (see: Jason X) But Evil Dead 2 fits none of these. Or, rather, it broke the ground that allowed the post-modern horror film to arrive. Yes, the film has blood and gore galore. Yes, it has a hero armed with only a shotgun and a chainsaw that he uses to fight hordes of undead. Yes, he fights a demon that promises to "swallow his soul." But to see only these things is to miss the point. The film is not only filled to the brim with these things, but is actually about these things. Raimi and company grew up learning slapstick from the Three Stooges and the slasher from splatterflicks. This hybrid is the bastard child of their imagination, a platypus of laughs and screams. It is a film that helped filmmakers realize that special effects can be appreciated as effects, and not just a way to disgust your audience. If you take the film seriously, you won't make it past those first nine minutes. If you laugh with it, and appreciate the creativity and humor that can be found, it's an amazing experience. Look, I'm not saying that this is a film to think about and take apart piece by piece. That's my curse, as someone obsessed with this stuff. What I am saying is that if you want a film that will make you laugh more than scream, and a Halloween screening you'll never forget, high-tail it to the Brattle at 7:30 p.m. tonight.

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Goblins, ghouls and witches _ oh my!

October 30

Whether you've just received a last minute party invitation or you're simply a last minute shopper, it's never too late to find the perfect Halloween costume. From traditional costume retailers to vintage boutiques to sex shops (yes, even sex shops), your ultimate scary disguise is only as far as a few T stops away. If you're suffering from a creative drought or just want to make this costume hunt as easy as possible, a costume retailer is your best bet. Stores like Boston Costume and Dorothy's Boutique offer everything from costume rentals to those minute accessories that separate the ordinary from the extraordinary at any Halloween affair. Located at 69 Kneeland St. (take the Red Line to South Station), Boston Costume offers an array of rentals. Their selection guarantees that you'll be able to dress up as anything you want_ their collection includes an Aztec warrior, a brontosaurus, a penguin, Abe Lincoln, Madame Butterfly, a purple people eater and an Oreo cookie. Visit nearby Broadway Costume, Inc. at 348 Congress St. for period-specific costumes, as well as a wide selection of theatrical makeup. Located off the Green Line at either the Hynes Convention Center or Symphony T stops, Dorothy's Boutique offers costume hunters a little more freedom of expression. This store offers shoppers more accessories _ rather than selecting an all-inclusive costume package, you'll be able to pick and choose from those items that best capture your Halloween spirit. Choose from a wide selection of wigs, platform boots and fake eyelashes. If you are looking for that unique accessory, chances are you'll find it in here. Take the Red Line to Kendall Square if you're looking to make your party entrance in something unique and guaranteed to be one-of-a-kind. Located at 200 Broadway, the Garment District is the premiere Bostonian shopping Mecca if you're in the market for cheap vintage goods. If you have a penchant for eras past, the Garment District can satisfy your appetite for everything from flapper dresses to black pants to polyester disco attire at prices that rarely venture above the $30 mark. Now in its 14th year of operation, the store offers its shoppers over 40,000 pieces of vintage clothing. With extended hours of operation through the holiday, you'll have plenty of time to rummage through the store's constantly-changing merchandise to create your perfect Halloween ensemble. Closet Upstairs, located at 233 Newbury St. off the Copley T stop, is also an ideal spot for those in search in vintage wares. This boutique features apparel from the 1920s through the 1980s. You can dress up as everything from a 1950s housewife to Cyndi Lauper or Madonna. The typical retro inventory is spiced up with everything from wigs to feather boas. Often overlooked as sources for costumes are the area's sex shops. Located a block from the Central Square T stop at 534 Massachusetts Ave., Hubba Hubba offers everything to meet your leather, latex and PVC needs. In addition to selling a wide variety of clothing, this shop also offers the ideal accessories to complement your dominatrix costume _ you'll find everything from whips to chains to handcuffs beyond its doorstep. While prices are a little steep by college student standards, keep in mind that you never know what other kind of purposes your costume accessory from this store might serve (it all depends on what you're into). Eros Boutique, at 581A Tremont St., offers attire and accessories along the same vein. This store features a full line of rubber and vinyl outfits for men and women, as well as the requisite extras. A tad on the tamer side is Sweet 'n' Nasty, located at 90 Massachusetts Ave., off the Green Line's Hynes Convention Center stop. Unlike the hardcore Hubba Hubba, it is more of a novelty boutique than a true sex shop. You'll find plenty of gag accessories here to bring a touch of humor to your Halloween getup. So whether you're looking to go traditional or break all the rules, Boston is home to every store imaginable to meet your costuming needs. It may be Halloween already, but you still have oodles of time to piece together that perfect outfit for everything from partying to trick-or-treating. Happy hunting!

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Kuwaiti ambassador warns against use of force

October 29

Mohammad Abdullah Abulhasan, the permanent representative of Kuwait to the United Nations, spoke about the Kuwaiti experience in the ongoing conflict between Iraq and the United Nations (UN) at a visit to Tufts on Monday night. Abulhasan focused on the position of both Kuwait and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). He also addressed the Iran-Iraq war, the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the need for UN involvement, and the ongoing sanctions against the Iraqi regime. He said that in order to understand the present conflict, an understanding of the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s is necessary. "The Islamic Revolution in Iran raised the concern of the countries in the Arab world because of the threat militant Islam posed against the stability of their countries," he said. The US had to choose between "the lesser of the two evils and sided with Iraq, along with rest of the civilized world," Abulhasan said. This support gave Saddam Hussein a sense of importance and power in the region. The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on Aug. 2, 1990, followed by the UN-authorized American Operation Desert Storm, "was a wake up call to the world community," Abulhasan said. He praised the role of the UN in resolving the invasion. Never before in history has the UN proved to be so successful, Abulhasan said. Without immediate intervention, Saddam "would have probably invaded the rest of the Arabian Peninsula," he said. Following the war, Iraq did not intend to fulfill its obligations to the UN, but "continued to deceive" the UN, Abulhasan said. "Iraq had engaged in an organized and systematic process of concealment while inspectors were on the ground," he said. Saddam "has been given chances time and again to reform and abide by the rules of the game," and has consistently said no. Despite the past failure of weapons inspection missions, Abulhasan pressed the necessity of working with the UN. Kuwait's only expectation, he said, is "that Iraq fulfill all its obligations." Abulhasan said that a use of force "would exasperate the suffering of the Iraqi people," and that "any use of force must be a last resort and within the UN framework _ and only after all other available options have been exhausted." Should Iraq once again reject UN inspectors, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said that the Security Council "should live up to its responsibility." Abulhasan said that "this coming year will be the litmus test of the Security Council determination." "Let's hope that the Iraqi leader understands the gravity of the situation _ all we can do is hope, because Iraq has lost all credibility," he said. He also said the nations of the GCC would benefit most from the removal of Saddam, but "regime change is a matter for the Iraqi people to decide, and cannot be forced from the outside." According to Abulhasan, inspections are necessary because "it is the role of the Iraqi people to decide freely without weapons of mass destruction hanging over their heads." Abulhasan expressed his faith in and dependence on the UN. He credited the UN with the liberation of Kuwait from Iraq, and he said that the nations of the GCC rely on the UN for security. "We have a system of collective security," Abulhasan said. "We are militarily insignificant alone." When asked why Kuwait supports sanctions against Iraq, he said Kuwaiti support is not out of spite. "The Iraqi regime decided to opt for defiance _ the only peaceful pressure is sanctions," he said. Abulhasan defended Kuwait's openness to Iran and encouraged support for Iranian involvement in the conflict with Iraq. "Iran is a cornerstone of security in the region," Abulhasan said. "Without a strong, stable, prosperous Iran, we are not on solid ground for security for the region." Professor Andrew Hess, the director of the Southwest Asian Studies Program at the Fletcher school said Abulhasan "was pretty clear on Kuwait's position, which is a little short of what the US would like to see." "The discussion of sanctions was useful," because "sanctions haven't prevented Saddam from developing his military establishment," Hess said. Student response to the speech was positive on the whole. "It was very informative," junior Abdul-Wahab Kayyali said. "It's good to have people from the region come to speak about their countries' positions." Abulhasan, a graduate of the University of Cairo, is in his 22nd year as the Kuwaiti representative to the UN. His daughter, Arwa Mohammad Abulhasan, is a student at the Fletcher School.

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Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department split

October 29

The Engineering School recently divided the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) department into two separate departments and created an entirely new Department of Biomedical Engineering. The change will allow the departments to serve students more efficiently while still sharing resources, professors say. "The Dean and the faculty thought that having separate departments would be more efficient and would get us closer to the students," said Professor Robert Gonsalves, who now chairs the Electrical Engineering Department. EECS has functioned as one department, sharing resources and faculty since 1994. That changed at the meeting of the Board of Trustees' Academic Affairs Committee on Sept. 26, when the division of the departments was officially approved. In the eight years that the two subjects were combined, they experienced remarkable growth. In 1994, Computer Science graduated 20 students, and Electrical Engineering graduated 50 students. The year before the split, the combined departments graduated 120 students. The Computer Science department's growth correlated with the technology boom of the late 1990s, which changed the focus of the department. "We're encouraging the importance between culture and technology," Dean of the Colleges Charles Inouye said. The separate Department of Biomedical Engineering was created in response to an increased emphasis on innovation in medicine. "The Dean and the faculty thought that having the Biomedical Engineering program would be a good compliment to the Engineering School and the medical program," Gonsalves said. The new department, created because of increased student demand, will include faculty from the Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, and Chemistry departments. Since Tufts only has a graduate program in Biomedical Engineering, "it's going to take several years for the undergraduate program to develop," according to Gonsalves. Despite the split, undergraduate students will not notice much of a difference, aside from the names of the departments. However, on the administrative level, promotions and tenure issues will be handled separately. Each department will be "judged by a different cohort," Gonsalves said. "Personally, I don't really feel the effects of the split," Computer Engineering junior Marco Enriquez said. "I think the departments want to be distinguishable." Gonsalves doesn't see the split affecting faculty attraction and retention. "Tufts is an outstanding place to teach and work, and I think that will far outweigh any administrative changes," he said. Of all the resources the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science departments still share, the most important is Halligan Hall. They share computer labs, a main office, and the staff serves both departments. Space in Halligan is very limited, as the building also houses the Athletics Department. " We will need new space simply because we're growing so big," Gonslaves said. "We're pleading for new space." However, at least in Electrical Engineering, the undergraduate programs are not expected to expand anymore because there is a cap on the number of students let into the engineering program. The Electrical Engineering Department expects to continue graduating about 60 students a year, according to Gonsalves. The only expansion that could occur is at the graduate level. The Department of Computer Science is now chaired by Professor Diane Souvaine. The new Department of Biomedical Engineering will be chaired by Professor David Kaplan, who is also the director of the University's Bioengineering Center.

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Stretching beneficial for workouts

October 29

I have heard that stretching before working out is a good idea. What specific stretches should I do? Will it affect my workout? Stretching is unquestionably an important part of any workout. Whether you are going to the gym for a heavy lifting session, or just to run a few miles to burn off some homework-induced stress, stretching should be done before any workout. The benefits of stretching pre-workout include an increased range of motion, a decreased risk of injury, and increased flexibility (which helps the strength of muscle contraction). When getting ready to workout, always set aside at least ten minutes so you have enough time to give your body a good stretch. Following are some basic stretches for the major muscle groups in the body. It is a good idea to do each stretch a few times, counting slowly to ten, to ensure adequate effect. We'll work our way up from the bottom, starting with the calves. Calves: Find a step, or some other similarly elevated surface (a block, or the bottom bar of a machine will work also). Standing on the step, take your right foot (if you're stretching your right calf) and move so the ball of that foot is supported by the step, but your heel is hanging over the edge. Bend your knee slightly, and move your heel towards the floor. This stretches the calf muscle, as well as the Achilles tendon. Quads: If you want to stretch your right quad, lie on your left side on a mat. Grab your right ankle, and slowly pull it towards your right buttock. This stretch can also be done standing up. Hamstrings: This is called the figure four stretch (it also hits the claves and lower back). I will describe it as if you were stretching the right hamstring. Sit on the ground, with left leg bent (the heel should be touching the knee of your right leg) and right leg flat on the ground. Slowly lean forward, reaching with your right hand to the toes of your right foot. If you can, grab your toes and pull your upper chest towards them, maintaining tension in the stretch the entire time. Back: Grab your right elbow (assuming you're stretching the right side of your back first) and pull it across your body. Keep your elbow slightly bent, and with your left hand, pull your right elbow across your upper chest. Make sure your arm is at shoulder height during this stretch. Chest: Find a flat vertical surface (a wall). Facing it, raise your right arm so that your upper arm is parallel to the floor and your forearm is perpendicular to the floor (like you're about to throw a baseball). Turn to your left and press your right forearm against the wall. Rotate your body slowly away from the wall (to the left) until you fell a stretch in your chest. Triceps: Raise your right arm straight above your head. Bend it at the elbow, until your right hand is by your upper back. Grasp your right elbow with your left hand and pull it slowly behind your head, taking care to concentrate on keeping your scapula (shoulder blade) depressed the entire time. All of these stretches can be reversed to incorporate the other side of the body. Stretching is heavily dependent on consistency, so keep at it. Remember, with increased flexibility comes increased gains in virtually all aspects of exercise. What is a good exercise to hit the higher area of the bicep (by the delts)? My favorite exercise to hit this area of the upper arm is the incline seated bicep curl. Grab two dumbbells of moderately light weight (form is paramount for the effectiveness of this exercise) and sit down on a bench that is adjusted to a roughly seventy-five-degree incline. Keep your back flat against the bench, with your arms hanging toward the floor. You may feel a stretch in your chest and shoulders in this position. Turning your arms away from your body slightly, curl the weight up slowly, alternating each arm. This exercise is significantly more difficult than regular seated curls because of the biomechanical disadvantage or your arms in this position. Do this exercise for a few weeks, and you'll definitely notice a difference in your upper arm development.

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Greatest Hits' a great value

October 29

A few months back Sony launched a greatest hits line for the PS2. After releasing such a collection on the PSone to much fanfare, Sony reasoned that it could strike gold twice. If a PS2 game sells 400,000 or more copies and has been on the market for at least eight months, Sony has deemed it qualified to receive the greatest hits logo and a sweet $19.99 price tag. For only $80.00, you could pick up the following four games for the PS2 and find yourself in possession of a solid, fun, and varied video game library: Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies Are you itching for war? Do you think that flying an F-22 and providing air cover for thousands of infantry storming a beach is fun? Well, if so then you should probably join the Air Force. But if you don't have that kind of time, buy Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies. Providing a good mix of realism and arcade fun with an intense story, sweet graphics, and engrossing gameplay, Ace Combat is the total package. If this kind of game is even remotely your thing, go out and buy it immediately. This most recent addition to the Greatest Hits list is arguably one of the best. Overall rating: B+ NBA Street EA Sports Big makes great games (SSX, SSX: Tricky, etc.) and it has a solid foothold on the sports simulation/arcade niche of the video game market. While most gamers seem to be familiar with the brilliant SSX series, EA Sports Big's NBA Street is often overlooked and it's a shame because it's truly one of the most fun sports games that I've ever played on a video game system. NBA Street offers gamers a mix of the NBA with the rough and tumble world of street ball. That's right: street ball. Rather than playing in Madison Square Garden or the Fleet Center, this game takes place in locales such as a court in an upscale section of Beacon Hill in Boston or on the backstreets of Harlem. But the twist: the game includes both street-ballers and NBA stars. It's a fast-paced cousin of the old school NBA Jam series but don't be fooled _ it's not simply a rehash of that series; it goes far beyond it in every way. Great basketball physics and animations and stellar gameplay make this one a big winner. Overall score: B+ Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy Every good video game library needs to include a solid platformer _ everyone who owned the original Nintendo had one of the Mario games; everyone who owned Sega Genesis had one of the Sonic games; and everyone with a PS2 should own Jak and Daxter. It deserves to be in that same category. For $19.99, you simply can't find a game that offers this much _ animation rivaling that found in some feature films; a gigantic, living, breathing, continuous world for Jak (and his comedic sidekick, Daxter) to explore; brilliant script writing and character design; and incredibly fun and varied gameplay. From collecting power cells along a beach, to flying a small vehicle across a lava pit, to catching fish and killing giant snakes in the jungle, Jak and Daxter has the diversity to please any platformer fan. I would even argue that it deserves mention as one of the best platformers to ever grace a video game system. Overall score: A >Twisted Metal: Black You may remember the Twisted Metal series. Hopefully if you do then you'll also remember the original Twisted Metal and its brilliant sequel Twisted Metal 2 for the PSone. The first two were amazing, fast-paced car combat games _ they were, in fact, the first ever car combat games as this series invented the genre. The versions that followed, three and four, were developed by another company and it showed. They were painfully bad. All should rejoice, though, as Twisted Metal: Black was developed by the same core of people at Insomniac that made the first two games. Not only is Twisted Metal: Black the best car-combat game ever (and this is without question, it's not even close), it could also arguably be considered one of the best action games and/or best fighting games of all-time. Set in a dark world, with maniacally demented characters, sweet special effects, and hardcore, incredibly fast-paced action set in levels that range from a rolling suburb, to a snowy mountain top, to the always popular city rooftops, Twisted Metal: Black borders on perfection. Even its theme song is incredible _ it's "Paint It Black" by the Rolling Stones. With this game, you absolutely cannot go wrong. Overall score: A+ But the list doesn't end here. With new greatest hits appearing every few weeks, there are now well over 20 greatest hits to be had for the PS2. And one of my sources suggests that the patient gamer may even find the highly-acclaimed blockbuster Grand Theft Auto III on this list in the very near future. Budget gaming is no longer for the lame; there's something here for everyone.

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Tilki earns Defensive Player of the Week

October 29

It has been a breakout year for Colby's sophomore standout Aaron Stepka. Stepka's incredible performance this past Saturday against Bates earned him the offensive NESCAC football player of the week honors for the second time this year. The half back amassed over 230 yards rushing on a burdensome 43 carries, and scampered into the end zone on touchdown runs of two and 13 yards. Stepka may be on his way to All NESCAC season, as he now has eight touchdowns in as many games this year. Junior Mark Tilki of Tufts had a fine performance as well, as he single-handedly forced three Amherst turnovers including two fumbles, one of which he ran back for a score and an interception. Tilki's efforts were not enough to overcome a fourth quarter collapse, however, as the Jumbos fell to 27-24 in overtime. To the surprise of few, the perennial powerhouse Williams College is well on its way to a perfect season, going 6-0 thus far. Three teams, however, are knocking on the Purple Cows door. Amherst, Trinity and Wesleyan are all even with 5-1 records and are tied for second place in the NESCAC. Hamilton's hopes for a successful season are long gone, as the Continentals have fallen to 0-6. In men's soccer action, one of the most difficult maneuvers to execute in soccer was done to perfection by Morgan Sandell of Trinity. Sandell scored the game-winning overtime goal against Salve Regina on a bicycle kick with only 36 seconds left in the second overtime period. Sandell also had a goal and an assist in Trinity's 3-1 victory at Wesleyan. Bowdoin continued its stellar play this season, earning seven victories and suffering only one defeat. Williams is not far behind _ the Ephs are one game out of first at 6-2. Colby can pretty much hang it up as its season has spiralled out of control with only one victory in eight games. Connecticut College has Christa Thoeresz to thank for its captivating 3-2 double-overtime women's soccer victory over Bates last Saturday. Thoeresz had a "foot" in all three goals as she assisted on the first two and scored the game's third and final goal, ending the game in its second overtime period. The Camels rode Thoeresz to their fifth victory this season and their eighth in ten tries dating back to the 2001 season. The NESCAC is currently topped by five teams with five winds: Amherst, Bowdoin, Tufts, Williams and the aforementioned Connecticut College. Wesleyan is floundering, still unable to put one in the win column this season while amounting seven losses. Wesleyan's Eliza Allen had a volleyball tournament to remember this past weekend. At the Coast Guard Classic, Allen had 90 kills and 14 aces in 17 total games. Allen's fine play helped Wesleyan to a 4-0 week overall. Williams is leading the conference with a 9-1 record this season, putting it slightly ahead of Amherst and Colby, who each have 8-2 records. The conference, however, does have three teams who all are struggling with 1-9 records: Bowdoin, Connecticut College, and Hamilton. The past week's field hockey performance must have made the transition from life in Missouri to Western Massachusetts a little easier for Anne McMullin. McMullin, who hails from St. Louis, had a fine week leading her team by stopping all nine shots she faced in consecutive victories over Connecticut College and 19th ranked Williams. Still Amherst is only 3-5, tied for seventh place in the conference. The Lord Jeffs are looking up at Bowdoin, Middlebury and Williams who are in a three-way tie for first with matching 6-2 records.

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Jumbos dominate Sharks in 2-0 victory

October 29

The women's soccer team improved to six games above .500 with a 2-0 darkness shortened home win over the non-conference Simmons Sharks yesterday. With the victory, the Jumbos improved to 9-3-1 overall (5-2-1 NESCAC), and remained tied for first place in the NESCAC with Williams, Amherst, and Bowdoin. Tufts came out strong in the first half, as it kept the ball in the Sharks zone for the first seven minutes of the game. Yet, despite many golden opportunities to score in the first half, the Jumbos were unable to capitalize. This inability to put the ball in the net was especially obvious in the final ten minutes of the first half when Tufts managed to fire off six shots but was unable to score on any of the attempts. With the exception of junior fullback Jess Lovitz, every Jumbo who saw action in the half took a shot, but nobody was able to put it past the Sharks' goalie. While the Tufts offense was struggling, the Jumbo defense was hardly challenged in the first half, as it quickly quelled any of the Sharks potential opportunities. In fact, it took 31 minutes for the Sharks to record their first shot, a weak one that came from the left sideline that sophomore netminder Meg McCourt had no trouble stopping. At halftime, Coach Martha Whiting had some strong words for her players. "I told them that we had 20 shots in the first half, and zero goals," she said. "We need to play with fire in the box, and everyone needs to step up and not wait for someone else to score a goal." Whiting's pep talk obviously worked, because the Jumbos came out aggressively at the start of the second half, and took four shots on net in the first five minutes. In the 51st minute, Sophomore Jennifer Baldwin streaked down the left sideline and sent a centering cross to junior forward Becca Doigan, who connected on her second goal of the season. The Jumbos continued to have their way with Simmons' defense, and managed to keep the ball in the Sharks' zone for the majority of the second half. Tufts continued to freely fire shots on net, but Simmons freshman goalie Amanda Cummings stayed held strong. In the 86th minute, however, the Jumbo offense broke through again when freshman Sarah Callaghan sent a quick centering pass from the right side to sophomore midfielder Becky Greenstein, who poked it into the back of the net for her first goal of the season. Although the Jumbos only scored two goals, they nevertheless dominated the Sharks throughout the game, outshooting them 42-1 overall, as 15 Jumbos recorded at least one shot. McCourt needed only one save to record her fifth shutout of the season. "Overall, we did a good job today, though we never really get up for non-conference games," Whiting said. "We passed the ball real well, and our backs did a great job of switching the field and quickly advancing the ball forward. We could have played better, but it worked out in the end." "We played great today," senior co-captain Alle Sharlip added. "Except for the fact that we couldn't score." The Jumbos were without a few key players for yesterday's game. Junior forward Jess Trombly sprained her ankle this past Saturday against Middlebury, though she should be ready for Saturday's game against Colby. Sophomore midfielder Sarah Gelb has a strained hamstring and is listed as day to day. Finally, freshman midfielder Lydia Claudio is out for the season with a stress fracture in her tibia. On a healthy note, the Jumbos were happy welcomed back sophomore defender Alina Schmidt, who saw her first action since sustaining a back injury at Bowdoin on Oct. 5. "It was great to finally have Alina back on defense today; she's a very controlled soccer player," Whiting said. The Jumbos are now focusing all of their energy for their final game of the season, against the Colby White Mules this coming Saturday. If the Jumbos win, and both Amherst and Bowdoin win their games against Wesleyan and Bates respectively, Tufts will win the NESCAC, and thus get a first round bye in the conference tournament, which starts this Sunday. "It looks good for us as of now," Sharlip said. "But you never know what could happen." "We are going to spend a lot of time working on finishing our shots this week in practice," Whiting said. "We are pretty good at creating opportunities for ourselves, but we need to work on just putting the ball in the back of the net."

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Professors: Midterm election results may prove uncertain

October 29

As voters prepare to go to the polls next week, it is surprisingly unclear of what the outcome of the elections will be, according to some Tufts' Political Science professors. These elections, many of them tightly contested, will decide all 435 House seats, as well as 34 of 100 Senate seats, and will be crucial in determining the United States' domestic and foreign policies for the next two years. Though the hurting economy, terrorism, tax cuts and a possible war against Iraq are all big issues, there is no central polarizing issue, making it difficult to predict what issues the public is focusing on and how they will vote. Although it is difficult to predict which way the elections will go, there is little debate as to what the effects of the different outcomes would be. If the election results preserve the Republican status quo, "the outcome is unlikely to strongly influence the course of foreign or domestic policy," said Political Science professor Jeffrey Berry. "If Democrats captured the House, though, things would be very different." Professor Gary McKissick, an expert in interest-group politics, agreed with Berry, saying that this election could produce great changes in foreign and domestic policy. "The margins are so tight _ a few seats one way or the other and we get very different Congresses," McKissick said. McKissick said that although media attention "has made Iraq look like the biggest issue of the campaign...voters don't seem nearly as engaged with the issue." According to Berry, polls indicate that the American public is most concerned with the economy. "This election is distinct in that no issue has galvanized the electorate...the issues are muddied," Berry said However, McKissick said Democratic voters do not tend to see the war as the most important issue, or even see a current need for action. "As long as the conversation's about war, then, many of these voters will likely tune out and stay home," he said. This would be good for the Republicans, but bad for the Democrats. According to McKissick, this is why the Democrats are anxious to focus on the economy, while the Republicans "have done a very effective job of putting a focus on Iraq." Questions of national security favor Republicans, and those of corporate accountability favor the Democrats, according to McKissick. Despite the issues, reports released in recent weeks suggest that this election could just be a matter of numbers. Republican pollster Ed Goeas told The Washington Post that the lack of an overarching theme this year may mean a lot of people stay at home and only those who stand to gain will head to the polls. According to Goeas, the percentage of registered voters who say they are "extremely likely" to vote has dropped from the high 70s to the mid 60s. Furthermore, Goeas told the Post that usually senior citizens have the most to gain from a midterm election, but this year it appears middle-aged voters worried about the economy will turn out in equal numbers. During past elections, there has usually been a single issue that separated citizens into opposing camps, making their decisions to vote for either Democratic or Republican candidates relatively simple. Last week, however, The New York Times reported that voters are feeling particularly vulnerable going back to the polls this year, since many of them will be using the same voting machines they used in the bungled 2000 elections. Problems with counting votes have extended beyond Florida over the past few years. In the 2001 New York City Mayor's race more ballots were uncounted, unmarked or lost than in the 2000 Florida Election. In Michigan's primary this year, ten percent of the ballots could not be counted due to faulty ballot design, and in Florida the primary battle was drawn out for an extra week due to balloting problems. Since so many races are neck-and-neck this year, Political Science department chair James Glaser says discrepancies in the number of people who vote could play a role in which party has the most political influence. "If Republicans were to hold all three [branches of government], that would be very liberating for them in terms of their agenda." With congressional Republican leadership, McKissick feels that the Republicans would not hesitate to push through a variety of policies that the Democratic Senate has currently been stalling. "From tax cuts to energy bills to Social Security, we should expect to see a very different two years if Republicans have unified control of the government than if Democrats can control at least one chamber of the Congress," he said. Iraq could be a deciding issue if much of the country proves to oppose the war, according to McKissick. "Those people who say Iraq is the most important issue to them say they'll vote for Democrats. People voting on the basis of Iraq are most likely liberals who want to take a stand against the Bush administration." Though most politicians make decisions about whether they are going to run or not almost a year before the election, this last month has made the race between Democrats and Republicans even tighter, as each party is desperate to hold onto as many seats as possible. Sen. Robert Toricelli (D-NJ) resigned five weeks ago among ethics concerns, and in Minnesota, the death of Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-MI) may galvanize Democratic voters in that State as it is likely that former Vice President Walter Mondale will run in his place. Glaser stressed that each election race has its own salient characteristics. "So much of the election was decided nine months ago, when members of the House and Senate decided to retire, to run, to give money _ all the things that line up the Democratic team against the Republican team," he said. "These things are already set, but it's hard to know the quality of each team until we know the results of the election." Emily Chasan contributed to this report.

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Field hockey earns shut out over Gordon

October 29

In the precursor to the game that will determine the fate of its playoff hopes, the field hockey team showed an intensity in yesterday's game against non-conference competitor Gordon that it hopes to duplicate on Saturday. While the Jumbo defense managed to silence the Scots, the offense was busy scoring two goals to give Tufts the shutout and improve its record to 4-9. Tufts stepped out on the grass yesterday with the intention of controlling the game from beginning to end, and the results mirrored their determination. "We carried our intensity from the beginning of the game until the end," senior tri-captain Dana Chivvis said. "They were never once on our heels." While not expecting NESCAC caliber competition from Gordon, the Jumbos overcame many internal problems that they had struggled with all season. One such problem has been scoring, as the team has only scored six goals this season _ never more than one goal per game. Yesterday, however, Tufts had no trouble finding the back of the net, scoring two goals. Tufts has also struggled this year with intensity, particularly in the first half. Currently Tufts is 0-5 against opponents who have jumped ahead in the first half. Meanwhile, five of the team's six goals so far have been scored in the second half. The Jumbos made their presence known yesterday early in the first half. With 26:47 on the clock, sophomore Jayme Heller passed to freshman Erika Goodwin, who was then able to convert for her first score as a Jumbo. "I saw the pass coming and I knew I had to make contact. The ball managed to hit the back of the cage," Goodwin said. Along with this pass, the Jumbos showed a marked improvement on their passing, particularly after making the transition back to grass from the turf they encountered at Middlebury. Passing inside the circle and shooting were two skills the Jumbos have focused on in practice lately. Tufts out-shot Gordon 9-8 in the first half, as it held onto the lead behind senior goalie Lauren Rufino's four saves. In the second half, the Jumbos maintained their intensity by scoring a second goal only five minutes into play. Freshman Jeanne Grabowski passed across the circle, finding senior tri-captain Dana Chivvis. Making a clean shot, Chivvis gave the Jumbos a cushioned two-goal lead. "The pass came right to me," Chivvis said. "It was a perfect setup and the goal was wide open." That would be the last goal of the game. The defense kept the attacking Scots at bay, forcing junior goalie to make only one save. "We played really well today as one unit," coach Carol Rappoli said. "Our focus has been to give our five seniors these last two wins at the end of the season as well as a post season." To make this happen, Tufts must focus on carrying the intensity from yesterday's win into this Saturday's home game against Colby. Currently, the Jumbos sit in a tie for seventh place with Amherst, while Colby holds the sixth place position. The top seven teams make it into the NESCAC playoffs, and with Tufts only one game behind Colby, a win this Saturday would clinch entry into the post season in the sixth place spot. "We have the ability," Rappoli said. "Our intensity just needs to be this high, that was the real difference" against Gordon. The team has made its fight to extend its season easier by beating Amherst earlier in the season and therefore a final record tie between theses two teams will go to Tufts. This does not negate the importance of this weekend's game. The Jumbos are confident in their ability to take down Colby, riding on the confidence of yesterday's win. "Confidence was the big difference in this game," Chivvis said. "It's always great coming off a win. We'll be ready for Saturday."

The Setonian
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Private Parts: Why do I write about sex

October 29

Traditionally, sex has been a private act. Although we engage in it, we're often squeamish when discussing it. We refrain from writing home about our latest conquests, and when we open our campus paper on a random Wednesday, we don't expect to see a column about semen. We proceed unfazed when we encounter a sex scene in a movie, or a steamy perfume add in a magazine. Yet when the word, "vagina," is printed on page three of The Tufts Daily, it gets our attention. I write about sex because we need to know more about it than what is just in movies and advertisements. Sure we could go down to the Health Center and pick up those pretty colored pamphlets about STD's, or we could ask the nurse to explain to us how to find the g-spot. Call me a cynic, but the last time the whole campus gathered on Professors Row was freshman orientation. We have sex, we see sex, and we think about sex, so shouldn't we talk about it too? Last spring, I took Psychology 55, Human Sexual Behavior (which I recommend to anyone who thinks they might ever get lucky). It seemed as though I left every class with five good reasons to never so much as look at a penis again. I am a slight conspiracy theorist, but I really do believe that if we are not careful, sexually transmitted diseases are going to take over the world. The Committee on Prevention and Control of STDs in 1997 predicted that 20 percent of the US population has an incurable STD, and ten million people under 25 become infected with an STD each year. Calvin Klein doesn't plaster these statistics on half naked bodies, and you don't see Hollywood studs saying, "Sorry my love, I can't penetrate you. There's a strange yellow liquid dripping out of your womanliness." The only truly risk-free way to get off is masturbation. In nearly all sexual encounters that involve a partner, there is some chance of either becoming pregnant or contracting an STD. Since we risk our health to engage in sex, it is crucial that we at least enjoy it. Men, on the whole, do not usually have a problem enjoying sex. If you leave a guy in a room with a water-based lubricant and a playboy, he probably won't have difficulty in getting the job done. Again, when in a situation with a partner, the majority of men ejaculate nearly every time without fail. In this respect, there is a great disparity between men and women's sex lives. The National Health and Social Life Survey in 1992, which included over 3,000 participants, found that 26 percent of sexually active women did not regularly reach orgasm (as opposed to eight percent of men). I am not so pessimistic as to think that a quarter of women's sex organs are inadequate, or that this discrepancy is a result of sheer apathy on the part of the male. Sexual ignorance is the major contributing factor to women's lack of satisfaction. It's not that we don't care; it's that we don't know, and no one is telling us. Sex is a skill, and all skills must be honed. We all want to believe we have the best hip gyrations since Elvis, but unless we've had a partner who taught us the tricks of the trade, we're probably not that awesome in bed. No one is born a natural "good lay," just as no one is born knowing how to do multi-variable calculus. Sure, some are predisposed to perform better, but everyone has to study to ace the test. "Between the Sheets" is my effort to get the Tufts community to talk openly about sex, and be more informed. I hope that my column will leave you with a better understanding of how to please your partner, yourself, and at the same time, stay protected. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to e-mail me at sex@tuftsdaily.com.

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