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The Setonian
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Getting Defensive

October 6

Brunswick, ME _ Two and a half games, five halves, 11 quarters, 160 minutes and two seconds. All of this had passed before Bowdoin running back Matt Boyd found a big enough hole in Tufts' defensive line to squeeze his way two yards for a touchdown _ the first points allowed by the Jumbos' defense this season. Tufts' streak of shutout football ended Saturday against Bowdoin, when the Polar Bears posted 13 points on two touchdowns. But despite surrendering their first points of the year, there were few frowns on the Jumbos' sidelines _ they scored 44. The defense had little trouble against the best offense it has faced this season, hauling in six interceptions and holding the Polar Bears to just 109 yards in the air on 7-33 passing. Four different players had interceptions against a Bowdoin team that had surrendered just one in two prior games against the vaunted Williams and Amherst defenses. Junior free safety Drew Blewett had two picks, his first of the season, and senior tri-captain Evan Zupancic also had two, giving him 17 for his career, as he broke Tufts' previous career interception record of 15. So dominant was the Jumbos' defensive effort in the first half that Polar Bears quarterback Justin Hardison had just four completions _ three of which were to Blewett and Zupancic. Blewett's first interception came on the first play from scrimmage, and he had another on the first play in the second quarter, which was brought back on an offsides call. Blewett wasted little time in getting the football, however, as he grabbed an errant Hardison pass just three plays later. But the story of the day was Zupancic whose two picks pushed him past Scott Burnham (1979-1982) for first place in career interceptions. Through just three games, Zupancic has four interceptions, putting him on pace for ten this season. The Tufts single season interception record is 9, shared by Jocko Lee and Norm Costin in 1949 and 1979, respectively. While it may be premature to look at the single season record, few would rule Zupancic out. "There's not much you can say about Evan," Blewett said. "He plays solid football every second of every day. He's the glue that holds our defense together and he's so important to our success." "He's a hell of a player," said senior tri-captain and defensive tackle Caleb Hudak. "He gets the job done all the time." To Zupancic, however, the records are secondary. "I am proud of myself, but individual records really don't mean that much," he said. "We're all working very hard and we're trying to have a great season. This is my last year, and I want this team to win." Many would say that with the defense playing as well as it is, winning may not be too lofty a goal. The Jumbos have allowed an average of 4.3 points per game, tops in the NESCAC by a considerable margin. Williams is next, allowing 6.6 points per game, while Amherst has allowed an average of ten. All three teams are tied at 3-0 atop the conference. But points allowed and interceptions aside, how good is the Tufts' defense? Through the first three weeks the Jumbos have faced the three weakest programs in the conference. Of the three, Bowdoin is the only team that has scored more than ten points on the season. Hamilton scored ten against Wesleyan, and Bates has yet to score a single point this season. It's fair to say that except for Bowdoin, the Jumbos' defense has yet to be tested. The first real test for the defensive unit will come next week when the Jumbos travel to Trinity. Even though it isn't the cream of the crop, Trinity has proven to be a solid team with a win over Colby and an impressive 39-0 thumping of Hamilton. The Bantams also managed to put up 13 points on the Williams defense, a feat Bowdoin was not able to accomplish. "It's gonna be a tough game," junior wide receiver Tim Mack said. "I know that they're gonna be a tough team. We had a real good game with them last year and I expect another one this year. But we're looking forward to it and hopefully we can go out there and get another W."

The Setonian
News

Tilton residents upset with 'overzealous' police action

October 6

The Tilton Hall residents accused of posting harassing signs in their windows by a resident of Lewis Hall have complained to the University about the treatment they received from the Tufts University Police Department (TUPD). The students said they were upset that the TUPD made no introduction upon entering the hall, that students were yelled at, and that the department did not seem to follow any procedure, according to Tilton's third floor Resident Advisor (RA) Matthew Downer. The TUPD did not respond to repeated requests for interviews and would not release the police report. After seeing an unclothed student through a window of Lewis, residents of Tilton's third floor posted four signs in the windows of student rooms reading "We've seen you naked." A Lewis resident complained about the signs to TUPD, who went to Tilton to remove them on Sept. 13. The officer, accompanied by an unidentified man in plain clothes, yelled at people to remove the signs "without ever having asked them or explained to them what the issue was," said Downer, who called the police behavior "inappropriate." "As a freshman in the first month of school, to have a police officer banging on your door and yelling at you is really the wrong message." Residents perceived the officer as unnecessarily hostile. He "came in here really pissed off, like he had a vendetta against us," said freshman Mark Sigall, who was in his room when another hall resident posted a sign in his window. The officer knocked on Sigall's door, asked if a sign was posted on his window, and told him to "take it out," Sigall said. "I really didn't do anything.... He tried to get me to incriminate other people on my floor but I wouldn't," Sigall said. "It was just a big joke.... It was really funny to see that people were that stupid [to leave the window shade up while unclothed], but the cop didn't seem to think so." In the wake of this incident, Tilton residents complained to the Dean of Students Office about the police's behavior. Assistant Dean of Students Veronica Carter said Thursday that she would meet with Residential Life Director Yolanda King to discuss the case. She refused to comment further and said that her office will release a joint statement with the Office of Residential Life. The main complaint of the Tilton residents is that police did not investigate the situation before taking action against them. This was a "big misunderstanding and the police didn't need to be involved," Downer said. "I think that in this situation the TUPD was overzealous." Before posting the signs, freshmen residents asked permission from Downer, who then received authorization Proctor Frank Nocito, Downer said. The signs weren't "directed at any one person and [weren't] meant as an insult," said Downer, who was present at the time of the incident but did not participate. "I truly believe the true intention of the signs was to try to get them to shut their shades." As soon as the signs were posted, Downer said, shades in Lewis windows were pulled down. "If people on this floor liked seeing people naked, they wouldn't have put up signs." The signs were not meant to be an act of sexual harassment, Downer said. Freshman Samir Aziz did not post a sign in his window but lives next door to one of the students involved. The whole incident "was a misinterpretation," he said. "In the past, it was the other way around," Aziz said. "People would look through Tilton windows and see things." Instances in which residents of Tilton have seen residents Lewis and Haskell halls are common. People see each other "hooking up, changing, and smoking pot," among other activities, Downer said. "Everybody on these floors sees people naked, it's just that these people were vocal about it," Downer said.

The Setonian
News

TV producer to receive Light on the Hill award Friday

October 6

In the second ceremony honoring a Light on the Hill award recipient this year, Emmy-award winning television producer Rob Burnett (LA '84) will be honored this Friday. Although Burnett and NBC News President Neal Shapiro (LA '80) were named the recipients of the 2001-2002 award last spring, Burnett was unable to come to campus until now. The Light on the Hill award is traditionally given to only one Tufts alumnus each fall in recognition of his or her professional achievements and contributions to the Tufts community. The Tufts Community Union Senate, however, felt it was appropriate to give two awards last year in honor of Tufts' 150th anniversary. Burnett will speak to members of the Tufts community and answer questions at Friday's event, which is sponsored by the offices of the Dean of Arts and Sciences and the Dean of Engineering. Burnett "wants as many people to come as possible and ask him questions," TCU President Melissa Carson said. "He's very excited." An active member of the Alumni Advisory Board of the Communications and Media Studies Program, Burnett is President and CEO of Worldwide Pants Corporation, which produces the Late Show with David Letterman, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Ed. He has arranged internships at his TV programs for a number of Tufts students, and even hired one recent Tufts graduate as a segment producer for Letterman. Burnett is the epitome of what a Light on the Hill recipient should be, Carson said. "He's an alum who's actually stayed in involved at Tufts." According to Carson, he exemplifies the "Jumbo for life" idea. Former TCU President Eric Greenberg worked with former TCU senator Bill McCarthy and TCU senator Rachel Marx to choose last year's recipients. Carson plans to begin searching for candidates for this year's award in December and to select the recipient by February. Winners typically visit campus during the fall semester to accept their awards, but the ceremonies have occasionally taken place in the spring when recipients have been selected later in the year. Burnett has won numerous Emmy awards for his work on Letterman, where he began as an intern in 1985. He became a writer for the show in 1988 and has been its producer since 1996. Worldwide Pants oversees the other recent Emmy-award-winning shows, including Everybody Loves Raymond and the Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn. NBC sitcom Ed premiered in the fall of 2000 and is now in its third season. Parts of the show are based on Burnett's experiences at Tufts, and it has made a number of references to the University, Burnett said. The show's bowling alley employee character Kenny graduated from Tufts, while the Stuckeyville high school teacher Molly worked at Espresso's in college. The show's characters often wear brown and blue. Earlier this year, Ed was honored with a People's Choice Award for Favorite New Comedy. In addition, series star Tom Cavanagh won the TV Guide Award as Actor of the Year in a New Series. The series also recently received three Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Writing, Directing and Casting for a Comedy Series. While at Tufts, Burnett taught an Ex-College course on "Twentieth Century Humor." It is rumored to be one of the most popular courses ever taught at the Ex-College. Shapiro spoke on campus last spring upon receiving the award and participated in a discussion held by the Communications and Media Studies Program. He spoke on the changes in the media since Sept. 11 and fielded questions from students. Previous Light on the Hill award recipients include actor-comedian Hank Azaria (LA '85), eBay entrepreneurs Pierre (LA '89) and Pam Omidyar (LA '90), Former Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson (LA '70, F '71), New York Times Publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. (LA '74), and NASA astronaut Rick Hauck (LA '62). The ceremony will be on Friday at 11:15 a.m. in Cabot Auditorium.

The Setonian
News

Boston janitors strike for better job conditions

October 6

Boston-area janitors have participated in an escalating series of strikes and demonstrations since Sept. 30. Though larger in scope, the movement to improve job conditions for Boston's unionized janitors is akin to the one initiated last year by Tufts students, faculty, and the Service Employees' International Union (SEIU). Of the 10,700 janitors represented by Local 254 of the SEIU, many have mobilized to demand living wages, more full-time work opportunities, and healthcare benefits from their contractor, UNICCO. The "high-profile campaign has galvanized the business community as few issues in recent years have," The Boston Globe reported last week. SEIU members began a large-scale strike at over 60 locations in Boston, including Center Plaza, located directly across from City Hall. The health benefits and wage increases currently being demanded by SEIU for unionized Boston janitors are nearly identical in nature to those that were demanded on a smaller scale at Tufts last year. SEIU and six of the contractors arrived at an interim agreement on Oct. 4, though its provisions cover only 100 of the striking janitors. UNICCO executive James Canavan characterized the agreement as "meaningless" because any final agreement will invalidate the temporary one, the Associated Press reported. Union members plan to continue to strike at a greater number of buildings each day as a means of gaining more bargaining leverage. The impetus for activism by Boston-area janitors was sparked by protests at Harvard in the spring of 2001 and at Tufts last fall. "What happened at Tufts was the culmination of trying to get janitors fair treatment," said Physics Professor Garry Goldstein, who spoke at a Teach-In about the poor wages and benefits of Tufts janitors last fall. "For the union people, [the improved Tufts contract] was the first victory in their effort to get living wages for janitors in the Boston area, and SEIU is now leading the way in the striking to bring about fair working conditions for Boston janitors." In July 1994, Tufts switched from directly employing its janitors to using the contractor UNICCO, which provided its workers with fewer benefits, wages, and hours. In August 1997, Tufts switched to the contractor OneSource, which did not hire the majority of the workers employed under the UNICCO contract and further limited employees' hours, wages, and benefits. Once Tufts students became aware of these events, many began to mobilize in order to draw attention to and ultimately improve the custodians' working situation. After several months of lobbying and negotiations, the talks between SEIU Local 254 and OneSource yielded a three-year contract that raised Tufts janitors' wages to $11.45 per hour for both part-time and full-time workers. Under the new contract, employees also have greater access to full-time work status and, by extension, to family health insurance and benefits. Prior to the events at Tufts, students at Harvard took over a campus building for three weeks to make a statement for better treatment of Harvard janitors, also employed by OneSource. The student activists, in conjunction with SEIU, were ultimately successful in their quest to improve the working conditions of the university's custodial staff. During the movement for improved janitorial working conditions at Tufts, administrators were not directly involved in the negotiating process. Administrators and owners of the Boston buildings affected by the greater Boston strike initially took a similar stance to that of Tufts' administrators. But Michael Quinn, president of the Building Owners and Managers Association, recently told the Globe that "if this doesn't get settled in a week, or two, or three from now, we may have to get involved." Tufts' Goldstein, who was present at some of last year's negotiations between SEIU and OneSource, said dealing with the managerial staff of companies such as OneSource and UNICCO can be extremely difficult. Similarly, the Globe reported that a federal mediation session on Sept. 28 "proved futile because [UNICCO and the other cleaning companies] put no health-care proposal on the table." During the movement at Tufts, the Student Labor Action Movement (SLAM) held several Teach-Ins and Learn-Ins to show support for the custodial staff. In a similar pattern, other SEIU unions and their leaders traveled to Boston to show their support for the workers of Local 254. President of SEIU Local 32 Mike Fishman addressed the strikers, saying "You have shown great courage, and we will stand with you. We will fight together for dignity and respect," the Associated Press reported. In another demonstration of solidarity, executives of John Hancock Financial Services, FleetBoston Financial Corp., and Stride Rite Corp. have pledged fiscal support to the striking janitors. A varied base of allies may be the key to success for the Boston janitors' movement, just as the support of students, faculty, and workers enabled the agitation at Tufts to come to fruition. "The success in achieving better working conditions for Tufts' workers depended very much on having active students," Goldstein said. The strong leadership of SEIU, at Tufts proved a determining factor in the movement's success, and most likely will also play a large part in the wider Boston area movement. The SEIU is "a wonderful group, really; [they're] able to get people active and excited and willing to carry on in the face of management that can be difficult," Goldstein said.

The Setonian
News

Waiting in fear - the people of Iraq

October 6

From the Markaziya Secondary School for Boys in Baghdad, Iraq, Husam Muhamad writes in his broken English: "I would like to tell you I love my home, sky, river, tree, and I love everything here. The suffering of our children make me ask why? Why?! What did children do to USA? Mother's tears make me ask why?! What did the mothers do to USA? "In America you eat and rest and laugh and play; you live without fear in America. In Iraq, there is no food, no medicine and we die. We shout in a loud voice let us live in peace, America. We love all people in the world: Black or White, Arab or Indian, Asian Americans or African Americans. We love the all without any discrimination." This is one voice we never hear: the voice of one Iraqi other than Saddam Hussein and members of his Baathi party. Yes, behind Iraq's oil and its brutal dictator, are Iraq's people. While Bush is beating the drums of war, the people of Iraq, and Baghdad in particular, are sitting on the edge of their seats in fear. They know, like I know, who will be the victims of any attacks launched at them by the United States. It will not be Saddam Hussein or his party; it will be the forgotten people of Iraq. The impending war against Iraq isn't part of an effort to bring the perpetrators of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to justice. None of the 19 hijackers were Iraqi, and no one has produced any credible evidence that Iraq was involved in the ghastly terror. People seemed to have forgotten what Saddam referred to as "the Mother of All Battles" in 1991, the Gulf War, turned in fact, into the "Mother of All Massacres." In the most lopsided war in history, upwards of between 100,000 and 200,000 Iraqis perished, compared to fewer than 300 allied troops, most of them victims of "friendly fire." Bush's new battle will be no different. The Iraqi army has been reduced to one-fifth of its former size. The Scud missiles are gone. According to Scott Ritter, former head of the UN weapons inspection team in Iraq, Saddam's ability to produce weapons of mass destruction is virtually nonexistent. Any semblance of an air force is gone. Any viable strategic air defense system is gone. What will the United States _ or possibly the United Nations, if it can muster enough backbone to lead the imminent charge _ face in Iraq? A nation of diseased, malnourished children who are forced to drink sewage-infested water because sanctions prevent the Iraqis from obtaining the parts necessary to repair war-damaged sewage treatment plants. A nation whose civilian infrastructure was destroyed, as a strategic priority, in the 1991 war; a nation whose livestock has been decimated by hoof and mouth disease, screw worm, and other scourges, because sanctions prevent the importation of the vaccines and pesticides needed to address such problems. In short, Iraq is a nation with little will, and even less ability, to withstand the pounding they will inevitably be subjected to. Some people claim that with war Saddam Hussein will be gone. That is good for the people of Iraq, right? George W Bush's promise to sow freedom and democracy rings hollow when one considers how little effort his administration has made toward nation-building in Afghanistan. It has been less than a year since the US military toppled the Taliban regime, and already conditions have deteriorated so badly that many farmers have reverted to growing more opium to support their families. This bodes especially ill for Iraq, which finds itself next in line for Bush's adventurism. In the short term, the Iraqi people might receive better treatment if and when the US military overthrows Saddam Hussein: Iraq, after all, sits atop huge oil reserves, and Washington will want to establish and maintain at least a modicum of stability. The Afghan debacle is doubly tragic because this is the second time in the very same place that the United States has failed to reconstruct a state it helped to destroy. Afghanistan's US-backed president, Hamid Karzai, presides over a government in name only. He has no power outside Kabul, relying instead on a network of ruthless regional warlords, many of whom behaved so murderously in the early 1990s that they actually managed to make the Taliban seem like a viable alternative. As foolish and callous as it was for Washington to walk away from Afghanistan after supporting a successful insurgency against the Soviet occupation, this time around is even less forgivable because of the more direct US role and because one expects a superpower to learn from its mistakes. Iraq, of course, is not Afghanistan. Its population is better-educated, it has considerable economic potential, and its government _ for all its faults, _ has preserved something resembling order despite a shattering military defeat in 1991 and more than a decade of crippling sanctions. In short, it is a functioning society, something that Afghanistan under the Taliban was definitely not. When and if the Pentagon completes its handiwork in Iraq, however, the two countries will have much more in common. The central government will have collapsed, removing much of the glue that holds Iraq's various ethnic and religious communities together. If the Americans follow their own (twice-tested and twice-failed) Afghan model, whatever puppet they install as ruler will be a virtual prisoner in Baghdad, opening the way for tribal warfare in outlying areas. Bush and his advisers should know better than to assume that one can dismantle an entire nation's system of governance and then benefit from some magical process by which it rises from the dead to take on the organizational appearance of Massachusetts. The experience in Afghanistan, though, indicates that they either cannot understand that simple reality or cannot be bothered to care about the repercussions of their actions. In the meantime, Iraqis like Husam and his family are waiting for the worst to come every moment of every day and night. I wish I could assure them of some light at the end of this tunnel, that they will not be targeted, that they will for once be considered, even remembered. Sadly, looking at history, I know of the tragedy to come. Rana Abdul-Aziz is a senior majoring in International Relations and Middle Eastern Studies.

The Setonian
News

An honorable culture

October 6

Academic integrity and the enforcement of it are issues at any academic institution, the question of whether Tufts should have an honor code has been raised several times in recent years. However, cheating has always existed, and despite wishes otherwise, is not likely to ever be fully eradicated. A more important issue, then, is how best to curb academic dishonesty, specifically whether implementation of such changes as an institutionalized honor code would be beneficial to Tufts. An honor code, common at some universities in varying forms, would most likely involve a formal student honor council that oversees and upholds academic integrity. Students would be held on their own honor to turn in any peers they catch cheating, and those guilty of misconduct may either be tried by a student-run committee or be required to take an ethics class. Students would be entrusted with take-home exams and unsupervised classroom tests. But a successful and true honor code requires more than a formalized system and uniform code posted in every classroom and lecture hall. It requires a culture deeply rooted in the values of having such a code. Students must genuinely believe that this code is an issue of pride to themselves and that it is a wholly better system than a policy of individualized disciplinary action based either on a professor's own guidelines or one that goes through the administration. Students at Tufts, for the most part, already know that cheating is morally wrong. And though there are isolated incidents of cheating each year, the problem has never been shown to be rampant amongst students. This means that the University's current method of having administrators and professors enforce academic integrity policies is working. At a school where there is no tradition of an honor code and no rallying cry for one, such a measure would probably not work to its truly intended potential. The lack of an honor code does not indicate that Tufts students are immoral. Ultimately, a sense of integrity and honor comes from the individual, and these values are rooted in that individual and will guide his or her conduct, lending validity to a true honor code, one that needs not be formalized because it already exists.

The Setonian
News

Schmemann reflects on year after 9/11

October 3

New York Times reporter and Pulitzer Prize winner Serge Schmemann spoke harshly of US foreign policy in a lecture entitled "The Middle East: One Year After Sept. 11" on Wednesday evening. One of the issues that Schmemann touched on repeatedly was the lack of national dialogue concerning US military action since Sept. 11. "Foreign affairs are not of interest to many Americans," he said. "Sept. 11 had the effect of squelching debate." It has often been seen as unpatriotic to question the US government, Schmemann said, especially since last September. Schemann's speech in the ASEAN Auditorium focused on the role of the US government since Sept. 11, the possibilities for Israeli-Palestinian peace, and the difficulties faced by journalists reporting about the Middle East. The speech was followed by responses from history professor Leila Fawaz, political science professor Malik Mufti, and visiting Fletcher professor Marc Gopin. The lecture dealt with the impending war with Iraq. "Even before Sept. 11, the Bush Administration felt intent on defining a new enemy," Schmemann said. This enemy, according to Schmemann, was realized first as global terrorism and then ultimately as Saddam Hussein. Schmemann harshly criticized this aspect of US foreign policy, calling the "might equals right" philosophy of the Bush administration "the classical fallacy of empires." The US, he said, has reverted to defining its friends based on which countries agree with US policy. Schmemann summarized this strategy as, "we will declare who is good and who is evil, and we will expect everyone to be with us." Also addressed was the prospect of a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Schmemann proposed that the Camp David and Taba meetings, during the fall of 2000 and the spring of 2001 respectively, outlined what is generally accepted as the eventual conclusion. "The end is in view, and it is known," Schmemann said, referring to the basic two-state scenario with a shared Jerusalem discussed by Arafat, Barak, and Clinton. During a brief question and answer session following his speech, Schmemann was asked to address specific issues, including settlements, refugees, water, and Jerusalem. "They can only be resolved as a package," he replied. No leader could report to his people that he had lost on one issue without reporting a victory on another. A key hindrance to achieving peace, according to Schmemann is the so-called "clash of civilizations." The leaders have "finally succeeded in unifying their respective peoples... in hatred," he said. "Each side sees every event in their shared history in a diametrically opposed view." To counteract this stalemate, Schmemann suggested, the US must assume its proper role as the only government that can make peace. But he said the US will not pay attention to the Middle East until it is done dealing with Iraq. Professor Mufti agreed, stating that neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians want to look forced into the obvious conclusion, and that the US holds the only hope for a settlement. Schmemann suggested that on one level, the conflict can be viewed as "personal feuding between Sharon and Arafat," and Professor Gopin complained that the public "has a tendency of thinking of a whole civilization as a few people." The bulk of Schmemann's speech concerned the difficulties of reporting on the Middle East. American reporters "are perceived not as a witness, but as a judge," he said. "We are expected to keep score; we are supposed to say who is wrong and who is right." The Middle East, according to Schmemann, differs in this aspect from every other region he has covered. In South Africa during the apartheid years, the lines of moral clarity were drawn more clearly. In the Soviet Union, he reflected, reporters were not viewed as impartial referees but as "agents of imperialism" or "white knights in the struggle for totalitarianism." Accusations of bias toward one side or another in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are incessant, to say the least, according to Schmemann. "Whatever you say or write, somebody is going to violently disagree with you." American Jews, he said, view Israel as a sacred mission and a source of identity. Professor Fawaz agreed with this assessment. "If you criticize policy by Israel, you are [viewed as] anti-Semitic," she said. On the other hand, Schmemann said, charges of pro-Israeli bias are just as rampant. "We are taken to task for viewing the events through Israel." But while suicide bombings are shown over and over in the news, reporters are not allowed access to Jenin and other devastated refugee camps, Fawaz said. Schmemann is currently the deputy foreign editor of the Times. He has served as the Times bureau chief for Jerusalem, Moscow, Bonn, and the United Nations. Schmemann received the Pulitzer Prize in 1991 for his coverage of German reunification, and he is the author of Echoes of a Native Land: Two Centuries of a Russian Village (Knopf 1997). The lecture was sponsored by the International Relations Program, the Provost's Office, and the Fares Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies. Wednesday's program was the second in a series of two to reflect on the year following Sept. 11.

The Setonian
News

Something Corporate that isn't a boy band

October 3

It's hard not to listen to a CD these days and imagine a room full of spikey-haired 13 year olds wearing $40 concert t-shirts and reciting lyrics like it was their job. Truth be told, the ironically-named Something Corporate have their fair share of teenage obsessors. At concerts, though, they mingle with trendy 20 year olds and disillusioned 30 year olds too. Like Jimmy Eat World and the now-defunct Ben Folds Five (may it rest in peace), Something Corporate has pinpointed that special radio-friendly "something" that draws fans from diverse musical areas of comfort without letting them notice. The band's first full-length album, Leaving Through the Window, debuted this year and hasn't yet found its way to the top of the MTV crop _ let's hope it stays that way. But already, the group is getting a reputation for catchy choruses, witty lyrics, and a hint of piano and strings orchestration that begs a second listen. Its sound is undeniably derivative _ the lead vocalist, for starters, is two steps short of morphing into the voice of Blink 182 guitarist/Boxcar Racer frontman Tom DeLonge _ but its mix of endearing insecurity and layered production keep them out of the cookie-cutter pile. The seeds of Something Corporate were planted way back in the last millennium, maybe even three years ago, when three high school guys in Southern California scraped a group together for a battle of the bands. Even though they won it, the group didn't last much longer than the contest. Singer and pianist Andrew McMahon, Drummer Brian Ireland, and bassist Clutch (he already had the one-name thing down, apparently) were just futzing around until McMahon met guitarist Josh Partington at a party. The two inspired each other to take music seriously, and all four started playing together with rhythm guitarist William Tell (no joke) as Something Corporate. The group took off and soon began selling out small clubs despite its lack of an album. Their success led it to sign with indie punk label Drive-Thru, which recognized the band as a crossover act between punk and pop and actively enabled it to reach more diverse audiences. Leaving Through the Window follows Audio Boxer, a six-song EP that shares many of the same songs. The full-length album plays well at a party or on a road trip, depending on the mood of the listener. Opening with the upbeat "I Want to Save You," the CD immediately draws you into its lush production. Particularly striking are the crisp but not overly polished orchestra arrangements by Paul Buckmaster, among whose previous customers are Elton John, Ozzy Osbourne, and Stevie Nicks. Every track, however, isn't a keeper. Typical, haven't-I-heard-this-before-in-Star-Market songs, include "Punk Rock Princess" and "iF yoU C Jordan" (cringe). These tracks aren't devoid of merit; they just fail to achieve anything more than head-nodding on the canned goods aisle. You're better off sinking your teeth into the sonic brilliance of cuts like "I Woke Up in a Car" and "The Astronaut." What's notable here is the way the band melds pseudo-punk emo with strings and piano. Somehow, they manage to walk the high wire between cheesy sing-along and headbangers' ball inconspicuously. But if you're like me and need to have a sob song to put on repeat, flip straight to track seven, "Cavanaugh Park." This is, hands down, the best song on the album. Alternating between melodic piano-y verses and the swinging electric guitar-based chorus, it taps into the sort of "American Pie" (the song, not the movie) nostalgia that raises lighters above heads in dim concert venues. McMahon's piano playing shines through the power chords and intertwines beautifully with the orchestral arrangement. Throw in lyrics like "At Cavanaugh Park/ Where you used to take me to play in the sand/ And said to me 'son, one day you'll be a man/And men can do terrible things'/ Yes they can," and the introspective tearjerker is complete. Throughout the CD, you never get that weird feeling that the background was laid down first and the vocals and strings were added karaoke-style six months later in another studio 3,000 miles away, even though that probably was the case. Though they revel in good production, these guys are real, immediate, and live to the ear. The glue that holds Something Corporate together, in the end, is McMahon himself. At a whopping 19 years of age, one might say that the singer/songwriter/pianist is lucky to be so na??ve. His personal insecurities, as expressed by his lyrics, give the songs a sense of honesty cum wit that blows any "Sk8r Boy"-esque songs out of the water (with the exception of the aforementioned Star Market tracks). McMahon's age and heartthrob status qualify him for teenage popularity, but his sharp songwriting supersedes the teenybopper labeling. The best part about Something Corporate is that it is just getting off the ground. Its youth, enthusiasm, and sheer talent imply that there's much more to come _ and probably much more heartache for McMahon to write about. In the meantime, check out Leaving Through the Window and revel in the honest punk-pop that is Something (surprisingly un-) Corporate.

The Setonian
News

Resonance archived in Bee-luther-hatchee

October 3

According to cultural myth, the term "bee-luther-hatchee" is an African-American slang word for the train stop after Hell. The word embodies the hard-to-define line that separates different elements of existence, proving itself to be an extremely appropriate title for the New England premiere of Thomas Gibbons' drama Bee-luther-hatchee, a play which raises questions which naturally surface in the presence of moral absolutes. It is currently playing at the Zeitgeist Stage Company at the Boston Center for the Arts. The Zeitgeist Stage Company produces what is, though naturally flawed, a very good production of a very challenging and provoking script. Bee-luther-hatchee can neatly be divided into two parts: It first tells the story of a young, successful African-American woman named Shelita Burns who has made her career out of publishing unknown African-American writers. The second half of the show forces the audience to abandon its passivity and question truth in art and, more importantly, does truth have anything to do with art's most valuable quality _ resonance. Without question, the production's most talented cast member is not an actor, but rather the script. Mr. Gibbons' script is forceful and intellectually challenging; stylistically it hints at the general essence of the work of Edward Albee (incidentally, Zeitgeist did his play 3 Tall Women in its inaugural season last year). The main strength in this drama lies in the second act. The first act drags at times, the dialogue almost seeming like remnants of a scene-writing workshop. Characters engage in conversations within somewhat contrived settings, their words too obliquely showing their character traits. While Mr. Gibbons consumes a great deal of the first act with exposition, he delivers beautifully in act two. In this act, Mr. Gibbons' characters engage in dialectic debate of ideas, presenting and refuting arguments and exploiting any weaknesses they can find in their oppositions' presentation. The energy and passion of their ideas is tangible _ especially within the confines of the theater. The strongest element of this dynamic second act is that rather than force-feed a single opinion or argument to the audience, Mr. Gibbons' dialogue compels the audience to actively, intellectually engage in the debate he stages on race, identity, aesthetics, and truth. Mr. Gibbons does not offer an easy answer to the questions his characters raise; rather, he presents in full multiple sides of the argument and places the next step in the minds and consciences of his audience. I left Bee-luther-hatchee seriously questioning the social and artistic criteria for my beliefs _ a true compliment to the strength of the script. The five actors who comprise the cast of Bee-luther-hatchee do a fine job deftly tackling an emotionally and psychologically-laborious script. Director David Miller is fortunate to work with very talented actors who possess good instincts, as he tends to lead them to the brink of extreme caricature, yet they are still able to maintain their truth and validity by exercising restraint in regards to displays of both emotion and action. As Shelita Burns, Naeemah White-Peppers brings an intense energy to the role. She imbues her character with an almost disturbing mix of idealism and passion _ and a set of values defined by absolutes. Ms. White-Peppers portrays her character's strengths and weaknesses with such intensity that she sometimes wavers on overpowering the script, which exists through its very well-crafted balance of passion and restrain. Michelle Dowd is flawless as Libby Price, the author whose work Shelita publishes and which consequently garners immense critical acclaim, even though Shelita has yet to meet her face-to-face. She possesses both the grace and strength that are the soul of her role, while at the same time subtly displaying the equally necessary traits of vulnerability and mystery that ultimately propel a great deal of the script. As the mysterious stranger, Sean, who brings Shelita's realm of perception into question, Peter Burns is equally faultless in his role, giving one of the play's most powerful and real performances. Mr. Burns has clearly mastered the perfect realm of performance that is achieved through subtlety, restraint, and emotional truth. Michael Miller and Erika Ritton likewise give good performances in smaller, supporting roles. Both Miller and Ritton have very strong moments in their respective performances; Ms. Ritton's character comes across as somewhat amateur at times, but she does a very good job working with what sometimes seems to be a negligible part. The production's most notable flaws appear to be a result of its direction. Miller, the director, almost seems to be pushing his actors through the scenes and dialogue. The blocking frequently comes across as forced and static; the internal mechanisms of the scenes come across as artificial at times, as if the actors were puppets being moved around somewhat awkwardly across their performance space. Bee-luther-hatchee is performed in a small, intimate black box in the Boston Center for the Arts, a perfect venue in which to contain this very intense work. The set, designed by Miller, is highly effective _ creating four registers of space within which the play's action may occur. As a set designer, Miller's technique is much more subtle than that of his directing, relying more on suggestion than on direct presentation. Darren Evans' lighting design and Amelia McKinney's costume design are likewise not only sufficient, but both appropriate and understated. During the moral debate of act two, one character suggests that the value of a work of art is defined by its level of resonance. If this is indeed the case, Bee-luther-hatchee is a work with a great deal of merit. Bee-luther-hatchee runs through October 5 at the Boston Center for the Arts. Performances are Wednesday through Friday at 8 pm, Saturday at 5 and 8:30 pm, and Sunday at 3 and 7 pm. Tickets are $17.50 - $25. For more information, contact the box office at 617-426-2787.

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Jumbos trounce Gulls in home opener

October 3

The Jumbos soundly defeated an overmatched Endicott squad 3-0 In their home opener on Wednesday. Although it was not the most exciting match, the game demonstrated why Tufts is one of the premier volleyball teams in New England _ it never let Endicott into the game. Sophomore Rebecca Schaevitz went on an impressive streak of twelve straight serves in a row at one point, as the underclassmen proved to be a key part to the win. Schaevitz's role highlights the importance the underclassmen play on the team. "They are really starting to be a force and they are always getting better. We need them to play well to be successful," junior Amy Cronin said. The pace was very slow, as there were few rallies between the teams. The Jumbos dominated in every aspect of the game, but especially the net. Endicott's spike attempts were repeatedly shoved right back down their throats by the Tufts frontline. The Gulls failed to muster any kind of attack. "We were dominating," said Coach Cara Thompson. "We really stayed focused and did not play down to their level, which tends to happen now and again." Last weekend, the team participated in the Amherst Invitational. Tufts placed dead in the middle, sixth out of 12 teams. Its two wins in the tournament were sandwiched on both ends by losses to first Middlebury and then Smith College. The victories came against a weak Western Connecticut team and against Wesleyan, whom the Jumbos had lost to only a week before. They fell to Smith College in three straight sets in their final game. The Pioneers were a young team, having lost three of their best players to graduation last year, but proved too much for Tufts. The game was on by Smith as much as it was lost by Tufts. The Jumbo attack was almost non-existent, with Cronin having a sub-par game where she recorded just six kills. The team as a whole only managed to sneak one ace by the Pioneers. Although the squad did rally in the third set, it couldn't manage to win the set, as Smith closed them out by the slimmest of margins, 29-31. Earlier that day, Tufts gave the Wesleyan squad a payback for the previous week. After a 3-0 defeat the week before, Tufts found itself on the other side of a 3-0 game at the Amherst Invitational. The team doubled its aces from seven to 14 in the second encounter, which helped immensely. Cronin led the attack with 13 kills on 22 attempts. In their previous meeting, the Jumbos had not even caught their breath from the game before against Trinity, which lasted the full five sets. They had just 20 minutes to recuperate and prepare for Wesleyan, which Thompson believed was the difference. On Friday night, the Jumbos played NESCAC opponent Middlebury and battled to a tough 3-2 loss. After losing the first set 30-17, Tufts won the next two. But it could not put the last few nails in the coffin, as Middlebury won the fourth set and then edged the Jumbos 15-12 in the final set. Junior Lindsey Moses took on the setting duties, as she recorded a season high 51 assists. The entire team benefited from her excellent setting, as four players amassed double digit kill numbers, with Cronin leading the way with 22 kills. Sophomore Emily Macy notched 13 kills to go along with her team high 20 digs. Freshmen April Gerry and Courtney Evans added 12 and 10 digs respectively. The Jumbos showed no signs of fatigue later that night as they easily defeated a weaker Western Connecticut team in three straight sets, 30-15, 31-29, 30-11. Macy had a strong game and led the team in three categories. She was all over the court, totaling 12 kills, three aces, and 13 digs. This weekend, the team will be making the long trip all the way to Lewiston, Maine this weekend, to participate in the Bates Invitational.

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Administration discourages copyright infringement

October 3

While Tufts is not likely to become the target for litigation, the administration is conducting a campaign to educate the faculty and attempt to ensure that the "Tufts University Policy on Fair Use of Copyrighted Materials" is being followed. Copyright infringement by Tufts faculty members was one of the issues debated in the last Arts, Sciences & Engineering faculty meeting on Sept 18. The fair use policy outlines the current US copyright laws, which were determined by the 1976 Copyright Act and subsequently modified by the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The University policy is very similar to the national copyright laws, according to Director of Tisch Library Jo-Ann Michalak, who was asked by the administration to educate the faculty on the topic. "We aren't risking anything," she said, as long as the policy is followed. Many professors expressed dismay with the new focus on complying with the Tufts policy. The guidelines were circulated at the end of last semester in a memo. History Professor Gerald Gill was initially against the policy because there had been no consultation or input from the faculty. "We were told that faculty members would have to procure their own permissions to use certain members," Gill said. "It's time consuming, and it's not something that department staff can do." After hearing Michalak's statements at last month's faculty meeting, Gill declared himself "satisfied but not pleased. I understand why the University has to do it." The campaign is a result of a variety of factors _ namely increasing wariness on the part of publishers as a result of the difficulty of enforcing copyright in the digital age. Gill was not alone in his opinions. "Judging by the comments made at the faculty meeting, I would say a considerable number of faculty members feel similarly," he said. "Most of them are sympathetic to the situation in which the University finds itself, but not their solution." This faction of the faculty would enjoy seeing Tufts take the lead in developing innovative approaches and solutions that would not lead to a decrease in available material. Unlike some other schools, Tufts does not have a staff that works on obtaining copyright permissions for the professors, which means that they have to spend time doing it themselves _ time that many of them feel could be put to better use. Gill and other faculty members suggested that a permanent staff be hired and dedicated to the process. Many professors are unwilling to alter their course material to comply with the newly enforced standards. Some worry that their focus may change from ensuring that students receive the best material available to confirming that sources used obey by economic and legal guidelines. Professors often try to introduce their students to a wide variety of opinions and perspectives. Gill voiced concern that he now had less material available for his students to be exposed to. "The fact that I can't put this material on reserve means that I have a [lesser] range for students to learn different opinions and perspectives. This definitely affects how I teach my courses and how I lead discussion sessions." The education campaign, which is being conducted by Tisch library at the administration's behest, focuses on recognizing and avoiding copyright infringement. Additionally, the campaign seeks to inform faculty of the different options and methods for receiving permission to use material, many of which professors may be unaware. The library's copyright campaign, according to Michalak, is focused on awareness rather than enforcement. "The library has been charged with the responsibility of educating the faculty, not enforcing the law," she said. Among other things, she said, professors can work with the library to examine the fastest and cheapest ways to get permission to use certain material. Michalak said there are often other options, including hotlinks and library purchase of new texts. "It's a whole new way for them and the library to look at reserves," she said. "We need to interact and learn with each other." Although the library is not enforcing policy _ as they do not screen the material placed on reserve _ the faculty still feels restricted. "If I were to put material on reserve then I personally would be liable," Gill said. One of the difficulties in determining what is against the law and what is not is the "fair use" exemption. The exemption is described on the Tufts "fair use" website as "the 'fair use' of a copyrighted work, including copying for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright." However, the "fair use" exemption is decided in court based on very loose guidelines, which include the type of material being used, the effect of that use on the market for the material, and the amount of the work used. Given the size of the Tufts population, Michalak said, it is doubtful that publishers would actually act against the University. From the point of view of a publishing corporation, she said, any revenue lost because of copyright infringement at Tufts is minimal and not worth the trouble.

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Hudson Hawk' provides entertainment value but no substance

October 3

Thought-provoking. Genius. A breakthrough in film technology. None of these are terms that one would use to describe Michael Lehmann's Hudson Hawk. But, as will hopefully become clear, who really cares? From its opening sequence, the movie makes no bones about being ridiculous and far-fetched _ a guy rides a donkey up to Leonardo da Vinci's tower in 1481. The scene is set for confusion, but is redeemed by featuring an all-star cast including Bruce Willis, Danny Aiello, Andie MacDowell, James Coburn, and Stallone (Frank, not Sly). Our fears, however, are set to rest when we are catapulted into the world of an ex-cat burglar with a affinity for cappuccinos. Eddie "The Hawk" Hawkins (Willis), along with the help of Tommy Five-Tone (Aiello), proceeds to rob various institutions, simultaneously singing ridiculous tunes like "Swingin' on a Star". Now, you might be asking yourself, "How can it get any better?" But picture this: A couple of megalomaniacs hell-bent on world domination, a nefarious secret agent (Coburn) and his gang of new blood CIA agents, an evil butler, the Jersey mob, crooked parole officers, reindeer-goat-cheese pizza, a rocket launcher, and the looping of video recorders that predates the movie Speed. Outstanding. Its not often that movies are made where the sole intent is to shamelessly entertain the viewer for 100 minutes. And in Hudson Hawk, we get to travel to scenic locations, are presented with comedic hijinks, and see robbery sequences that, while not up to par with the Thomas Crown Affair, are thoroughly enjoyable. The dialogue is tongue-in-cheek, filled with one-liners and inane jokes. The music is easy to listen to, composed by Michael Kamen of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves fame. The sound effects are cartoon-y, raising the stakes of the absurdity of the film. The fun that the cast and crew were clearly having during film production is absolutely infectious. But if this movie is so entertaining, then why have you perhaps not heard of it? It was released after Bruce Willis was catapulted into the spotlight from Die Hardand Die Hard 2, and people were expecting a guns-blazing movie with a tough-as-nails hero. Instead, they got an adventure-comedy that took itself less seriously than a mime does The critics panned the film for unbelievably, over-the-top acting, absurd situations, etc. What the critics apparently overlooked is the fact that these ridiculous antics were all intentional. Would critics make complaints about the absurdity of a movie like The Naked Gun or Monty Python's The Holy Grail? Not so much. What did they want from Hudson Hawk, acting of Brando-esque proportions, unparalleled realism, and an Oscar worthy script? My answer to them: cry about it. Now, I like "intelligent" movies as much as anyone else. But there is a time for pretension, and there is a time to suck it up and laugh with the rest of us. Hudson Hawk is a light and campy movie that realizes as much, and relishes in the fact. It is the quintessential escapism movie, where you get to forget about that paper that you haven't started and was due yesterday, sit down and, at the very least, chuckle a bit.

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Tufts begins study abroad in China

October 3

The highly-anticipated foreign study program in China began this semester, with five Tufts students participating in a semester-long immersion at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou. The Tufts-in-China program has been in the works for five years, after a strong expression of interest from both faculty and students. The decision to establish a program in China was made in part of an effort to encourage minority students to study abroad. According to Dean of Colleges Charles Inouye, data shows that study abroad has been less popular among minority students. The University also has various connections in China through a large alumni network and an exchange program through the Tufts Institute for Leadership and International Perspective (TILIP.) Inouye, along with Chinese literature and culture Professor Xueping Zhong and Director of Programs Abroad Sheila Bayne, settled on Zhejiang University after years of careful consideration. "We wanted to have complete confidence in the quality of our partner institution" Bayne said. Besides being the largest university in China, Zhejiang University's location makes it an ideal institution for Tufts students. The city of Hangzhou is small by Chinese standards, allowing students to easily adjust to the intimate setting. It is also centrally located to several major cities. Inouye described Hangzhou as "the cultural center of China, in many respects like Boston, where many of the most prestigious poets in China resided." To ease the transition into an essentially alien culture, Professor Mingquan Wang accompanied the students to Hangzhou for the first two weeks of their orientation and serves as their faculty advisor. Several of the students had been taught by the professor prior to their arrival. Wang also acted as a liaison between the Resident Director at Zhejiang University, and the students. A strong relationship between the Resident Director and students is crucial, according to Bayne, because he serves as everything from "the president to the janitor." Upon his return from Hangzhou, Wang appeared confident in the program's success. "It has gone very well, in fact, even better than we expected," he said. "While planning the program, we anticipated problems and solved them before students even left for China." The Tufts-in-China program is distinguishable from other study abroad programs in China, Wang said, because in addition to the language program, the students are offered cultural courses to aid their immersion into Chinese society. The curriculum was chosen by University teachers and students and designed specifically for the needs of Tufts students. Students studying in China can earn up to five credits for the semester. As with most Tufts study abroad programs, students are expected to demonstrate a high level of proficiency in the Chinese language to qualify, including the completion of Chinese 4. The program also offers culture courses in English, since many students have not reached the same level of fluency as their French- and Spanish-speaking counterparts. The administration conducted a four-week orientation program before classes began, which allowed students to directly experience Chinese culture. Mornings were devoted to intensive language training, and afternoons and weekends were spent visiting local historical sites, the countryside, and trips to major cities such as Shanghai. The students also plan to take a trip to Beijing in the near future. Since his return to Boston, Wang has maintained contact with the students through e-mails and phone calls and has heard nothing but positive feedback. "The students appear to be adjusting quickly and thoroughly enjoying the daily routine and the classes offered at Zhejiang University," Wang said. The students also seem pleased with their living arrangements, he said, which are made up of single rooms in a newly built dormitory for international students. Bayne hopes that the success of this year's program will create a "snowball effect by piquing the interest of more students to participate in next year's study abroad in Hangzhou." During the spring semester, a new group of students will also take part in Tufts' first Hong Kong semester foreign study program. Unlike the language-based study at Zhejiang University, students studying at the University of Hong Kong will take English-taught courses in fields such as economics, engineering, and international relations. Bayne said that the future of these newly founded programs will be determined by feedback from the initial participants. "These five students are pioneers for the program in China," she said. "We count on them to give us feedback, and from there we can make the necessary adjustments."

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Frustrating' funding limits professor's program

October 3

Health habits developed in the college years are those that most students take through the rest of their lives, according to Nutrition Professor Christina Economos. Her Tufts Longitudinal Health Study (TLHS) has revealed many new ways to analyze data about student health habits, such as this, that have resulted in change on campus, but the project's funding is now in jeopardy. The TLHS has spent five years inspecting student practices at the University and the troubling findings are being used to improve Tufts dining and athletic programs, as well as to educate and promote wellness nationally. While the health findings may be representative of campuses across the nation, the longitudinal study is unique to Tufts. "People will do a one-year type study," Economos said. "We're the only ones doing it [long term]." Support from the University for this study remains high, but exhausted funding poses a problem for continuing the study and the development of new programs. Internal funding came from the University at one time, Economos said, "but it's since dried up." Economos is now seeking federal funding from the National Institute for Health and Centers of Disease Control. She recently wrote a grant proposal for the development of a website that would have instructed students how to put together a healthy meal based on the dining options available to them, but it was rejected by another sponsor. "It's been very frustrating," she said. "But I'm not going to give up, I'm going to keep fighting." A gap in college student wellness services motivated Economos to begin her research, she said. Before making recommendations as to what types of programs colleges should offer Economos wanted to understand students better. "I think we can make a statement nationwide with these results that can help college students," she said. "These findings are true of probably millions of students around the country in private universities." And the results have been worrisome. The study found participants to be consuming too little calcium and other minerals. Students are also lacking in dietary fiber consumption, as well as fruit and vegetable intake. They are getting too much saturated fat and alcohol and not exercising enough. Cardiovascular problems, osteoporosis, cancer, and diabetes are just some of the health risks associated with these habits. But the problem does not lie with University dining choices, Economos said. "I think [healthy food options] are available," she said. "The dining hall is a business that operates on supply and demand. If students just continue to eat top-sellers, students have to take some responsibility and say I can eat these things _ just not twice a day." Collecting data on students' nutritional habits is essential to demonstrate the need for change to Dining Services. They would be quite willing to change "if there was some data that would indicate a different direction that [they] should be taking," Nutrition Marketing Specialist Julie Lampie said. Inventory shows that unhealthy foods are disappearing. Lampie said that Dining Services pays much attention to current health trends, "reacting to them and trying to be proactive." "When we sense trends beginning we try to jump on the bandwagon," she said. Using her TLHS research, Economos has been working closely with Director Bill Gehling of the Athletic Department to increase student awareness and participation in athletic activities. Implementing programs to react to the study's findings is a 'priority' for Gehling who said that these types of programs could benefit students at other universities. "My belief is that this is a cultural phenomenon and not simply a Tufts phenomenon," he said. One recent change was the addition of pre-orientation program for physical and personal development (FIT), which was designed to introduce students to Tufts and the fitness options available to them, according to Assistant Director of Athletics Branwen Smith-King. University dining options and athletic facilities were explained to the incoming freshmen, who were also presented with the results of some of Economos' study. The following day, students went sea-kayaking and participated in other health exercises. Orientation was the perfect opportunity to present Economos' research to new students and "to get them on the right track," Smith-King said. "This is not just for health but for mental health," she said. "Make a decision about how you want the rest of your life to be." Another Athletics Department initiative implemented using the study's findings is the Tufts Personalized Performance Program, which matches participants with one of five student or graduate trainers to work one on one bettering physical fitness. But it will be difficult to further develop these programs without more funding. Students currently pay $125 to participate in the pre-orientation, which is less than what is charged for other programs like Wilderness and FOCUS. Because it is a pre-orientation activity, it is not likely to get any funding to grow from the University. "All of the pre-orientation programs are self-sustaining," Dean of Students Bruce Reitman said. "They're optional programs beyond regular orientation." But FIT has the potential to become something more by tracking students over time, Smith-King said. "If this develops it could take on a life of its own," she said. "We could really be distinctive from other colleges and universities." "If you want to grow and build on this program, we need more money," she said. Other program ideas Economos envisions include a website similar to the University of Colombia's Ask Alice where there is an ongoing health chat with professor feedback. She also wants to see cooking and time management classes, and the learning of lifelong skills like hiking, kayaking, or yoga. Things "to take with you for life," she said, "where you can meet new people, and take care of yourself." These future developments cannot be implemented until funding is in place, however. "Lots of times, I think maybe an alumnus would want their name on this, an individual donor," she said. Economos hopes the quality and significance of the project, will motivate others to get involved.

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Jumbos brace for Bowdoin

October 3

It's the age old saying in football that we hear a hundred times each season. We heard it when the Patriots won the Super Bowl last year, and we heard when the Ravens won the year before. Defense wins championships. And after two weeks of regular season play, it seems that this is true for NESCAC football as well. Heading into its third game of the season at Bowdoin, the football team finds itself at 2-0, and has yet to allow a point. The Jumbos have held opponents to 103 yards rushing and 258 passing in the first two weeks, which is topped off by five interceptions. "We have a lot of talent on defense," said senior cornerback and co-captain Evan Zupancic. "If we play the way we're capable of playing, solid, true defense, we can dominate any team in this league." But as much as the defense may have proven itself in the team's first two games, the squad has yet to see the strength of what the NESCAC has to offer. Against Bowdoin, the Jumbos will face a much stronger and more disciplined offense, which put up 20 points against an Amherst defense which was tops in the nation last season. Bowdoin "is a much different team, and they have a much better offense," Zupancic said. "This is going to be a good test for our defense to see where we really are." The Bowdoin attack will be lead by senior quarterback Justin Hardison, who is 23-48 this season for an average of 103.5 yards and has surrendered only one interception against the tough defenses of Williams and Amherst. With Hardison's accurate arm, interceptions, and turnovers in general, may be hard to come by. "They don't make too many mistakes," Zupancic said. The Polar Bears other main weapon is senior running back Sean Starke, who is averaging 95.5 yards rushing per game. Starke ran 26 times last week against Amherst, and gained 133 yards on the ground. Slowing down Starke will be an important part of the Jumbos' game plan. With rain in the forecast for Saturday, Bowdoin's primary attack may be on the ground meaning Starke should see a lot of touches. "Rain is a great equalizer," coach Bill Samko said. "So we'll see what happens." While the defense should face a much greater challenge from Bowdoin this week, the offense should have an easier time. The Polar Bears' defense has left something to be desired so far this season, as it allowed 80 points through its first two games. In the first game of the season, Bowdoin's defense surrendered 38 points to a powerful Williams team. The Polar Bears followed this performance the next week by allowing 42 points by Amherst. Bowdoin has allowed 468 rushing yards overall, 456 yards in the air, and has been outgained 924 to 522. Against a defense that has allowed 234 rushing yards per game, Jumbos running back Chuck McGraw should be looking at a big day on Saturday. McGraw has stepped up in the absence of last year's star Kevin Kelley, and racked up 106 yards last week against a solid Bates defense. Once again this weekend, the biggest obstacle for the team to overcome is mental. Through their first three games of the season, the Jumbos face three of the weakest teams in the NESCAC, in Hamilton, Bates and Bowdoin. They will have to be careful not to look past Bowdoin and think ahead to bigger challenges in upcoming weeks, like Williams and Amherst. "I think everyone's pretty much concentrated on" Bowdoin, Zupancic said. "I think maybe in the past we've kind of looked past certain teams, but I think there's enough guys who experienced that and saw the effect." While Tufts may be favored in this game, entering as the eighth ranked team in New England, history is on Bowdoin's side. "Our last two time up there we beat them," Samko said. "But before then it had been fifty years since the last time we did that."

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New England suffers first loss, St. Louis drops fourth straight

October 3

Shocking. That was week four in a nutshell as the St. Louis Rams dropped to 0-4, the New England Patriots suffered their first loss, the Baltimore Ravens embarrassed the Denver Broncos on national television and even the Detroit Lions won a game. And that wasn't even the half of it. Any NFL fan who thought they had a preliminary playoff picture in mind after week three has a lot of rethinking to do after last weekend, as the many supposed playoff contenders dropped games to the league's cellar dwellers. Perhaps the most surprising game was the Rams loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Though the Rams started the season with a miserable 0-3 record, many believed that the former NFC Champions would eventually turn their year around. Losing to the Cowboys, a team that dropped its season opener to an expansion team, the Rams proved that it may actually take a miracle to turn things around. Now that they've lost to the Cowboys, the Rams dynasty can officially be labeled as done. The story isn't going to get any better in St. Louis either, as in addition to losing another game, the team lost quarterback Kurt Warner for eight to ten weeks. While there isn't much hope for the Rams, the loss of Kurt Warner shouldn't be too devastating for the team. Warner is in the midst of his worst season ever, as he has thrown for only one touchdown, while tossing eight interceptions. Though the Rams are clearly not playoff bound, many Denver fans believed their team was ready to regain their status as an NFL contender. Denver followers may have to reconsider after the Broncos were embarrassed in the Monday night spotlight by the formerly winless Ravens. Going into the game the Ravens were amongst the laughing stock of the NFL, scoring only one touchdown in their two games this season while losing both. Wherever the offense was hiding for the Ravens, they seem to have found it in their bye week as they came out and stunned the Broncos, scoring 31 unanswered points in the second quarter. Not only did the Ravens offense come alive, but the defense seemed to regain its formerly revered ability as well, sacking Broncos QB Brian Griese three times. Leading the way for the defense was none other than Ray Lewis, compiling a season-high 18 tackles on the evening and one interception. Also on the list of Super Bowl contenders that suffered an upset last week were the Patriots, the Miami Dolphins and the New Orleans Saints. The Patriots suffered their season's first loss at the hands of the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers somehow figured out how to do what no other NFL team could do so far _ stop the Patriots. While applying pressure to Tom Brady on the defensive side of the ball, the Chargers were especially impressive on offense as well. Instead of using play-action passes and screens, San Diego consistently threw down-field throughout the afternoon and the Patriots could not stop them. Paired with the passing game, Chargers running back LaDanian Tomlinson ran all over the Pats defensive line as he tied a club record of 217 rushing yards on the day. Tomlinson's charge helped the Chargers improve to 4-0. The Dolphins and Saints losses were larger upsets as their opponents were not nearly playoff contenders. After playing the Patriots well in the first half of their week three game, the Kansas City Chiefs put together a solid game of football in week four to bring down the Dolphins. Though the defense held Ricky Williams to only 66 yards on the day, the offense was the name of the game for Kansas City on Sunday. Trent Green silenced critics with his 328 yard passing spectacle that resulted in five touchdown passes to his name and 48 points for the Chiefs. This was not the first great offensive showing for the Chiefs who scored 38 points against the Patriots and 40 points in their opening day victory against the Cleveland Browns. Green has proved the critics, who didn't believe that he could thrive or even survive in Kansas City, dead wrong. The problem in Kansas so far this season is getting their defense in order. And then there were the Saints. Marching on through the season, the Saints loss to Detroit proved they were more vulnerable than they thought. Winning only their third game in the past 20 and their first of the season, the Lions victory was even more surprising as rookie quarterback Joey Harrington took the field. After playing tough against the Green Bay Packers in week three, the Lions finally mustered up a victory in week four. Detroit fans should savor this one though, as the make-up of this year's Lions doesn't bode well for more wins to come. The Good Bill Cowher's call to replace Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback Kordell Stewart with back-up Tommy Maddox against the Cleveland Browns. Down to the Browns in the late fourth quarter, the Steelers had visions of a harrowing loss on their hands. Just minutes from dropping to an 0-3 record, Cowher decided to make a change, and benched Stewart in favor of Maddox. He made himself look like a genius as Maddox went 11-13 for 112 yards in his late game debut, pulling the Steelers to a tie and setting up the overtime winning field goal. Is Maddox the new starter for the Steelers? After Stewarts dismal season thus far, Cowher may have found the catalyst to turn his team's season around. The Bad Apparently Randy Moss' run in with a traffic officer last week wasn't embarrassing enough. The police have now added possession of marijuana to the list of Moss' violations that day after finding the drug in the Minnesota Vikings' car. With all of the problems Moss has caused his team so far, his play on Sunday didn't even begin to make up for his behavior, as the receiver caught only one pass for 11 yards on the day. The Ugly The Cincinnati Bengals still belong in this category as they lost their fourth consecutive game this season. The Bengals are averaging 5.75 points per game so far in 2002 while the defense is allowing 25.25 points per game. Though the New York Jets and the Rams continue to disappoint everyone in the NFL, the Bengals are still by far the worst team in America.

The Setonian
News

Women's soccer slams WPI

October 2

The women's soccer team moved two games above .500 yesterday when it defeated the visiting non-conference WPI Engineers 3-1. The Jumbos climbed to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in NESCAC, keeping them in a second place tie with Williams. Tufts was aggressive early, as it kept the ball in the WPI zone for the first five minutes of the game, including an unsuccessful corner kick and a near goal by junior forward Jess Trombley. The Jumbos kept the pressure on for the first 14 minutes of the game. WPI advanced the ball into Jumbo territory in the 14th minute. The Jumbo defense, led by senior co-captain Cara Glassanos, quickly cleared the ball, which put Tufts immediately back on the offensive. In the 15th minute, coach Martha Whiting inserted senior midfielder EA Tooley, who later would have great impact for the outcome of the game. Tooley quickly got involved in the action and fired a shot on goal within two minutes of entering the game. The Jumbos struck first soon after, in the 18th minute, as junior Becca Doigan sent a centering cross to Tooley, who punched the ball past the WPI keeper into the left corner of the net to give Tufts a 1-0 lead. Doigan faked her defender in the right corner of the field and sent a quick centering pass into a crowd of Jumbos in the 21st minute. Following the pass, Tooley sent a perfect header into the corner of the goal to give the Jumbos a quick 2-0 advantage, all this before the Engineers had even gotten off a shot. Tufts continued to attack the WPI defense for the remainder of the half, outshooting WPI 17-1 in the first half alone. The Jumbos hustled to every ball. Their defense was strong, communicating well and rarely allowing the Engineers to advance the ball inside the 20 yard line.Tufts went into halftime sporting a 2-0 lead. Trombley came out firing in the second half continuing the Jumbos' offensive dominance, taking six of the Jumbos first seven shots, including two unsuccessful breakaways. In the 56th minute, sophomore defender Megan Holmes, WPI's leading scorer, fired a hard shot from 20 yards out that sailed through the hands of sophomore backup goalie Jess Gluck and into the net. The Jumbos, undeterred by the goal, went right back on the attack and in the 60th minute, Tooley sent a perfect centering cross to Trombley. Tufts' leading scorer last year, headed it into the center of the goal for her first of the season, giving Tufts a comfortable two goal lead. Even with a two goal lead, Tufts kept strong for the final 30 minutes of the contest. The defense held strong, and the offense, led by co-captain midfielder Alle Sharlip, kept the pressure on the WPI defense. Players fatigued more and more in the final minutes of the game, and the number of fouls increased, including Glassanos getting slapped across the face and clotheslined to the ground. Sharlip quickly avenged the hit, taking down a WPI player in the ensuing minute. The Jumbos continued to be aggressive until the final whistle, outshooting the Engineers 28-5 in the game. Despite their dominance, the Jumbos were disappointed with their play on the whole. "We dominated, but if we want to beat the Williams' and Bowdoin's of the world, we'll have to play to better," Whiting said. "We made them look a lot better than they really are." Glassanos said. Both teams substituted frequently, with Whiting using all twenty players, including five freshman, that dressed for the game. "We have a strong freshman class, and they are going to be really good in the next four years," Trombley said. Most notable was forward Sarah Callaghan, who got her first real opportunity to play significant minutes. "I did okay, it's different adjusting, but the team is very welcoming," Callaghan said. "It was fun to finally get out and play." The Jumbos were especially happy with this win because they avenged their loss to the Engineers last season. "We scored goals, which is always good," Sharlip said. "Because it's something we've been having trouble with over the past few games. We could have done a lot better, but we still won and its great to win."

The Setonian
News

What the hell happened?

October 2

There was a Saturday Night Live skit a few years ago, where Will Ferrell was playing a dejected Newt Gingrich sitting at a bar the day after he resigned as Speaker of the House. The whole time, he just sits at the bar, shaking his head, saying over and over again, "What the hell happened?" That's kind of the way I feel about this year's Red Sox season. What the hell did happen? I can't figure it out. Everything was there. There were new owners, new speed, new pitchers, new power, and everyone was happy, right? I don't know where this team went wrong. If someone at the beginning of the season offered me a team with two twenty game winners, the AL batting champion, a 51-30 record on the road, three of the top four pitchers in the AL, a closer with 40 saves, the third best team ERA in the AL, and the second best team batting average in the league, I probably would have kissed them. Then if you told me that that same team wouldn't even finish in the top four of the American League, I probably would have laughed at you and called you names because that can't happen. Not even to the Red Sox. Can it? Well it did. So again, I have to ask, what the hell happened? The truth is, nothing happened, and that was part of the problem. The Sox just didn't do anything exciting. They were a good baseball team that won 93 games and didn't make the playoffs. Whoopie. Somebody give them a cookie. Sure, Lowe threw a no hitter, Nomar hit three home runs on his birthday, and Manny won the batting title. So what? Nobody on the team ever actually seemed all that interested in the games. They just kind of plodded their way through July and August like they always do, and in the end they didn't make the playoffs. What a surprise. (Wow, that was bitter.) There was never anything interesting for anybody to get excited about. It almost got to the point where I looked forward to Tony Clark's at bats, just so I could watch him make a fool of himself. Hey, at least it was entertaining. Whose bright idea was Tony Clark anyway? To quote columnist Bill Simmons, he was "waived by the Tigers, which should have told someone something." His batting average was 38 points lower than his weight, but Boston paid him $5 million for the season. The man had 57 hits. 57!! The Red Sox paid him almost $88,000 per hit! Are you kidding me?? Sweet Jesus! I'll go stand up there and swing if I can get $88,000 for one little dribbler through the infield. What did they think they were paying for? His whopping .291 slugging percentage? I'm getting sidetracked. Somebody make me stop. Tony Clark is a perfect example of one of the things that went wrong this season. Too much money dumped on horrible to mediocre players. John Burkett got $5.5 million for his stellar 13-8 season. Darren Oliver got $7 million to go 4-5. Dustin Hermanson got $5.8 million for a season on the DL, and don't even get me started on Jose Offerman. The Red Sox paid over $108 million for an $85-$90 million team. But even with their ridiculous payroll, they still found room to make big time mid-season acquisitions like Cliff Floyd and Alan Embree. Again, what the hell happened? Just like I said before, nothing happened. Even when they started the season at 40-17, there was never any moment that made you think "this team might actually have something special." Part of that was because more than half of those wins came against teams like Tampa Bay, Baltimore, Toronto, Detroit, and the like, but the other part of it was just because they really didn't have anything special. I remember during the 1999 season (the year the Sox went to the ALCS), during one game of a midsummer series with the Yankees, the Red Sox were winning but New York was rallying. The bases were loaded for the Yanks with two out, when Bernie Williams smoked a ball between first and second. Two runs for sure. Out of nowhere, Lou Merloni dove, grabbed the ball and threw to first. Inning over. End of the threat. Not a particularly extraordinary play, but a huge moment. At that moment, when Merloni dove to stop the Yankees, you could say to yourself "Maybe this team actually has something a little different." There were no moments like that this year. If anything, this year's players had moments that made you wonder how they were actually as good as they were. They couldn't come back when they were behind in the late innings, and had trouble holding small leads. The bullpen was shaky at best, and the middle of the lineup left something to be desired. That said, the Sox were only six wins shy of playing in October. It's hard to believe it was that close. Maybe there's no real reason why this season went like it did. Maybe it's the Bambino roaring his ugly head again. Who knows? All anybody can do now is wait until next year, just like they've done every year for the last 84. And in the end, maybe all anyone can really say is, "What the hell happened?"

The Setonian
News

Musical chairs

October 2

It has long been agreed that Tufts' music facilities are not nearly adequate in accommodating all the classes and extracurricular interests, leaving some groups without space to practice or perform. Fortunately, it appears that the University has finally leveraged the cash to invest in a large, state-of-the-art music building. But the plan, while a great improvement, simply underscores a classic Tufts dilemma: there's not much room around here. Since Tufts faces significant challenges from neighboring residents with any expansion effort that would push further into Medford or Somerville, new buildings (like the music center and the proposed dorm) usually need to be located on the already-crowded campus. With this in mind, University has decided to demolish the Zeta Psi house on Professors Row and construct the new music building in the space. While this isn't great news for Zeta Psi, Tufts has indicated it will take charge of their relocation to another Professors Row space. Inexplicably, though, the fraternity is slated to move into the current Institute for Global Leadership house. The Institute, which includes the prestigious Education for Public Inquiry and International Citizenship (EPIIC) program, is one of Tufts' most recognized organizations. And at a school whose tagline is educating global leaders, it is also one of the most vital. The scope and purpose of the Institute demands a prominent location on campus, but Tufts looks to be getting itself into an over-development spiral. To maintain the Institute's status at the center of the University, another prominently-located department will most likely have to move out, and even more relocations could occur as a result. While it is not clear what other options Tufts has for locating the music building or Zeta Psi, the situation demonstrates an obvious lack of foresight in spatial planning at the University. Ballou needs to be thinking years in advance before it makes decisions today. For example, the music building was already being seriously discussed when the Institute for Global Leadership began moving into their current house two years ago. If Tufts had realized then that a space conflict on Professors Row might occur if the music building was approved, the Institute may have been located elsewhere and this problem may never have grown to its current scale. The issue of spatial planning is especially pertinent now considering the slew of construction projects currently being discussed. Before Tufts breaks ground on a new dormitory or discusses Phase 3 of the campus center, it should take a step back and figure out its long-term plans for space on campus.

The Setonian
News

Boston Funk Band sets a precedent for Club Hotung

October 2

As midnight approached on Thursday Sept. 19, Hotung Caf?© was home to a different scene, as loud chants of "Let them Play!" filled the sports-bar turned concert venue. Since Boston Funk Band (BFB) kicked off the first annual Club Hotung Show two weeks ago, their performance and Hotung's new groove have been the talk of campus. The artists _ Ben Halperin on guitar, Rich Wilner on drums, Mark Shwayer on Bass and Brian Ezra on the keyboard _ put on a show that forced students to turn their attention turned from books and the TV screen to the performers, and the crowded room clapped appreciatively. As a component of the Mayer Campus Center, Hotung Caf?© is part of the campus's core: the atmosphere can be both studious and fun, and the place is usually crowded but not overwhelmingly so. On Thursday and Friday nights, however, the Student Activities Office transforms Hotung Caf?© into Club Hotung. This year, students say, that Club Hotung has been reinvigorated, and that BFB has a lot to do with it. BFB has humble beginnings at Tufts, but many of their fans _ and band members included think the band is destined for greatness. When Shwayer first invited Wilner and Halperin to jam in his basement, they came up with a basic line that was so good that they felt they were meant to be a group. "We immediately knew we had something," Wilner said. Bringing in Ezra on keyboard for the next practice was so successful that the band held its first concert two days later. Many of the Band's friends came out to support them at the Hotung performance. "Their first concert was in my basement," junior Eric Agler shouted as he danced with his girlfriend. The band says a key to their music is the multiplicity of influences and variety of music they play. Whereas Halperin is a Beatles fan, Ezra listens to all kind of jazz and Wilner loves the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Their music is a blend of their different tastes, according to Halperin. Sasha Rome, a friend of Wilner's who was selling their CD the night of the concert, explains that the band's talent is only a partial reason for their success. "These guys practice a lot together, and they are dedicated to each other," Rome said. "They're really good friends, they listen to each other and they don't have to worry about hurting each other's feelings _ that is why they've improved so fast." Halperin admits the Boston Funk Band practices often and is sometimes hard on its members to produce a quality product. "We are very critical to one another, and if we think one of us is completely disconnected, we just let him know," Halperin said. "That is the only way for improving." Usually the band members find a spot on campus and play there until they get kicked out for being too loud. The members regret there are so few spots where bands can practice properly. They have been playing on the campus for a year, but are aware of freshman groups that are experiencing trouble finding practice space. The BFB's goals in performance are to enjoy themselves and to have their audience enjoy their music, they say. "The audience is the only reason I do it," Wilner said. "They're so awesome, I feed off of them, I can't even describe the feeling. It's better than any drugs or anything else." At the Hotung performance, audience members seemed just as energized. "I feel my soul regenerated from my body without religion," senior Jeff Blumberg said recalling the packed room and loud music. "I am totally funkified!" From 10 p.m. to a little after midnight, people from all over the campus entered into Hotung. Some passed by the club, but many others stayed through to the end of the concert, dancing and enjoying the music. Band members said it was good to see fellow students enjoying their music. "It is good to see people coming out and dancing," Halperin adds. "We have loyal fans and I hope it is only a start." Although the Hotung Caf?© is known for sponsoring concerts, art activities and debates, it seemed like the atmosphere that night was different from what people were used to experiencing. "I come to every concert at Hotung," Blumberg said, "but this one is different, it is an amazing atmosphere." Others changed their plans and decided to remain at Hotung after hearing the music. "Actually, I came to the Campus Center to get a little bit of studying done," sophomore Elliot Hirshon said, "but the music was too excellent and I decided to stay and enjoy it." Currently the BFB plays mainly in the Boston area. The band is working on its first CD, entitled "Ride the Train," and growing in popularity both on and off campus. The night of the concert, Rome sold 30 CDs.

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