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The Setonian
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Summer at the cinema

March 31

Every summer is loaded with franchise attempts, franchise follow-ups, explosions, love, animation for the kids, wacky comedies, computer generated marvels and computer generated garbage. This is not the season of the best movies, but summer is often when movies generate the most money. Will it be a banner studio year like 1999, which saw The Matrix, The Sixth Sense, Fight Club, Three Kings, Magnolia and American Beauty? Or will this summer fizzle fast than you can say Planet of the Apes? The next few weeks will tell. The first major movie of the summer, Spiderman, starts things out on a so-so note. True, Spiderman is better than most of the summer movies in 2001. But it also lacks the bang-zoom, eye popping impact of major event movies of the past. It was good, but it was not surprising, and there was never a moment where you felt that truly anything could happen. Hopefully, some of these new releases will generate that kind of excitement. Top ten to see:Sum of All Fears(May 31)Summary: The fourth Jack Ryan film is sort of a prequel, with Ben Affleck portraying a younger Ryan that is recruited by CIA head Morgan Freeman when a nuclear bomb is missing in Russia. The situation gets out of hand when a bomb goes off in Chechnya. And both sides get closer to a war that is being provoked by terrorists. Buzz: Jack Ryan movies range from classic (Hunt for Red October) to just watchable (Patriot Games). Early reviews indicate that Ben Affleck doesn't screw it up and director Phil Alden Robinson (Field of Dreams, Sneakers) does a great job in keeping it fast paced and tense. Let's hope so. The world can always use more good spy movies.Star Wars II (May 16)Summary: Young Darth falls in love, we see how the Stormtroopers come about, evil blows stuff up, etc. etc.Buzz: A few reasons this will be better than Phantom Menace: 1) George Lucas had someone work with him on the script, cutting out the sillier lines. 2) Samuel L. Jackson gets a fight scene. 3) Yoda gets a fight scene. 4) Ewan McGregor is more prominent. 5) Jar Jar Binks is only in the first five minutes. All of these things point towards a better movie. But regardless of its quality, most of us will be in line anyway.Men in Black II (July 3)Summary: The boys in black return to save the world, along with all the gadgets, super cars, coffee drinking alien gags you can stand.Buzz: Director Barry Sonnifeld has made really good movies (Get Short, the first Men in Black) and terrible movies (Wild Wild West). The good news is that the one sequel he made (Adams Family 2) was funnier than the first. The trailer for this looks good, so hopefully he's back on track. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones certainly seem entertaining, which is good enough for me. Insomnia (May 24)Summary:Robin Williams as Serial Killer + Al Pacino as a detective who cannot sleep + Hillary Swank as girl in danger + written by the guy who did Memento + directed by the guy that did Memento...Buzz: Yes.Lilo and Stitch (June 21)Summary: Lilo is a five-year-old Hawaiian girl who's a little obsessed with taking care of downtrodden animals. She collects cans and bottles to recycle from the beach and buys fish food with the money she makes, and then paddles out in the ocean to feed the fish there. Meanwhile, on a distant planet, the most dangerous of all criminals has escaped and crash-landed on Hawaii. This is Stitch. Hilarity ensues. Buzz: Disney movies have been spazzing out lately (the last few years has given us everything from Phil Collins singing to Tarzan to David Spade as a Llama), but the trailers for this movie look... good. Really funny, and in the spirit of The Emperor's New Groove, with the colors and animation of The Lion King. Disney needs a hit - let's hope they got it right.Powerpuff Girls: The Movie (July 3)Summary: Technically about the Powerpuff girls origin, but more likely a clothesline for some serious animated butt kicking. Mojojojo makes an appearance too. Sweet.Buzz: Okay, so, this requires that you like the show. If you don't, don't see it. But as a fan of animation and superhero parody, I'll be among the first in line. Probably intoxicated, but I'll be there.Road to PerditionSummary: Tom Hanks is a hitman for Al Capone. Tom Hanks' family is killed by rival mobsters. Tom Hanks gets very angry.Buzz: Tom Hanks as an antihero? Tommy Guns? The guy who directed American Beauty? Bet your sweet pattootey I'll be there.SignsSummary: From the mind behind Sixth Sense, Mel Gibson finds some freaky stuff in his cornfields. No, not Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe.Buzz: Sixth Sense was great. Unbreakable -not so great. However, Mel Gibson + Aliens is enough to guarantee a gross of 100 million already. Let's hope it delivers on its creepy trailer.Top ten to bombIn addition the usual action duds, this summer looks to have a large selection of really awful kid films.EnoughSummary: J-Lo fights back when her ex-husband keeps stalking her family.Buzz: Her 15 minutes are about up.Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (May 24)Summary: Matt Damon gives the voice to a horse than runs free in the wild plains of America. No, really. Matt Damon is the horse. Buzz: Did you see the voiceover performance he gave in Titan A.E.? Neither did anyone else. And you won't this time either.The New Guy (May 10)Summary: High School Loser (DJ Qualls) goes from zero to hero when he gets lessons in cool from his "father," played by Eddie Griffith. Hilarity Ensues.Buzz: The New Guy fulfills one of the classic underdog fantasies: Terrible writer somehow gets his bad script approved by mindless executives, and it goes on to become a huge hit movie. Well, maybe that last part won't quite happen. Instead, moviegoers (all five of them) will spend the hour and a half of this movie wishing they were being torn apart by ravenous wolves that shoot fire. Don't see this movie.Scooby Doo (June 14)Summary: Warner Brothers has no new ideas, and decides to cash in on every franchise that was once funny. I mean, the old gang takes a trip in the mystery machine and wackiness ensues. Plus, Scooby is rendered by computers, making him look extra rubbery.Buzz: Pardon my sarcasm, but this movie smells bad. Tons of money spent to bring a dead concept to life. I hear good things about Matthew Lillard's Shaggy, but not much else. The fact that it's the guy that brought us Drew Barrymore's Never Been Kissed doesn't inspire much hope.Mr. DeedsSummary: Technically a remake of a Frank Capra movie, Adam Sandler becomes a millionaire and moves to the big city.Buzz: Each progressive Adam Sandler movie gets that much worse. This one isn't looking much better.The Crocodile Hunter MovieSummary: Sweet Jesus, make it stop. MAKE THE BAD MAN STOP. MAKE HIM STOP.Buzz: MAKE HIM STOP.The Country BearsSummary: A movie about the Country Bears from Disneyland. No further explanation necessary. Buzz: The good: Christopher Walken is in the movie. The bad: It's about the Country Bears.Master of DisguiseSummary: Dana Carvey sacrifices whatever soul he has left to appear as many different people in a movie that will, I guarantee, make no sense.Buzz: Run for your lives.Still up in the airBad CompanySummary: Anthony Hopkins works for the CIA, and he loses one of his best agents (Chris Rock). So he recruits... Chris Rock, or rather, the twin brother of the agent that he lost and... never mind.Buzz: This is the sort of movie you want to be good. Anthony Hopkins is an amazing actor. Chris Rock is an amazing comedian. I've got nothing against producer Jerry Bruckheimer (The Rock, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor) but it doesn't help that the director is Joel Schumacher, responsible for both Batman and Robin and 8mm. Why do they still give this man a job?Eight Legged Freaks (July 19)Summary: A giant spider movie. They actually made a giant spider movie. With David Arquette as a man of the law versus the spiders. Buzz: This will either be the best or worst movie ever made. Either way, it'll be a hell of a show.Minority Report (June 21)Summary: Tom Cruise is a cop in the future working in a division of the police department that arrests killers before they commit the crimes courtesy of some future viewing technology. Cruise's character has the tables turned on him when he is accused of a future crime and must find out what brought it about and stop it before it can happen Buzz: It's been a long time since Spielberg made a movie that was entertaining. (Yes, Saving Private Ryan was good. But I did not have a good time watching it.) The trailer for this movie looks good, but his last outing with sci-fi (Artificial Intellegence) sort of re-defined train wreck. I'm hoping, but not holding my breath. Reign of FireSummary: Dragons attack England. Matthew McConaughey leads the fight against them. Don't ask for the explanation, you don't want to hear it.Buzz: Apparently, despite all logic and reason, this movie with dragons and England does not feature Sean Connery. We have yet to see whether such a feature can survive without him. K-19: The Widowmaker (July 19)Summary: Based on a true story, Harrison Ford leads a Russian submarine crew on the nation's first nuclear ballistic submarine, which suffered a malfunction in its nuclear reactor on its maiden voyage in the North Atlantic in 1961.Buzz: Harrison Ford hasn't made a movie that he gave a damn about in years. (Think about it: Six Days Seven Nights, The Devil's Own, Random Hearts, What Lies Beneath) On the other hand, in this film he's got a Russian accent, he's a submarine captain and he acts alongside Liam Neeson. Call this a make-or-break film for him: either he'll resurrect his career, or go quietly into obscurity.XXXSummary: Vin Diesel blows stuff up. Samuel L. Jackson smokes a cigar.Buzz: While this seems like it can't go wrong, keep in mind, the best movie this director has made was Fast and the Furious. He also made The Skulls. Give it a 30/70 chance.Austin Powers Three:Summary: No summary necessary.Buzz: While Austin Powers has given us a crap-load of catchphrases and tiny, useless figurines, this movie will have to try really hard not to be a C-. He's already done midgets and fat people, what targets does Mike Myers have left?

The Setonian
News

Senate cancels funding for Fall Fest 2002

March 31

Citing rising entertainment costs and the two-week-old discovery that tens of thousands of dollars in debt were unaccounted for in the Tufts Community Union (TCU) budget, the Senate voted 8-7-8 on Sunday to cut funding earmarked for next year's Fall Fest. The cuts will be diverted toward shoring up the three Concert Board events set to take place this year. Without TCU funding, the future of Fall Fest will be contingent upon Senate efforts to find alternate funding for the annual concert. Assistant Treasurer Nikhil Abraham said yesterday that despite the treasury mishap, the latest move was a Senate-wide initiative. "This was a Senate decision, not a treasury decision," Abraham said. "We had less money to work with so we had to cut an event." According to Abraham, the Senate made the cut because the Concert Board needed the money to fund the remaining events planned for this year. This gap, he said, resulted in part from rising entertainment fees and in part from overly optimistic ticket sales forecasts. TCU Vice President Melissa Carson said that senators hope to retain the spirit of Fall Fest even if the concert comes in a different format. "It's worth looking for another way," she said. Former Senator Pritesh Gandhi fought for the cancellation of funds, saying that it was important to "guarantee the three events of Concert Board will occur" and to reserve money into the buffer fund. This fund allows the Senate to combat deficit at the end of each year by providing a safety net for any funds that run dry. He said that if Fall Fest had been funded by the Senate, no money would have remained for this purpose. Gandhi went on to say that the Senate should take the blame for the oversights which caused this year's deficit, and will now work to ensure that Fall Fest will happen next year. "The student body should be assured that members of the Senate are doing everything in our power to make sure Fall Fest will occur," he said. "I am absolutely certain the $30,000 can be raised."Trustee representative and former senator Jesse Levey, however, says that students were being unfairly punished for the Senate's mistake. Further, he said that the senators should not be independently raising funds to make this event happen. "Fall Fest to me is exactly the type of event we should be using TCU funds for," he said.Despite arguments against the decision, the motion passed. Now, TCU President Eric Greenberg and other senators are setting up a funding committee to fundraise for Fall Fest. "We're confident we will be able to raise the funds," Abraham said. This year's Fall Fest cost about $32,000. The motion that passed at Sunday night's meeting followed three other motions, which were all voted down. Some senators proposed to cut one of this year's Concert Board shows, such as the rock, hip-hop or jazz show, and contract a Fall Fest band from the same genre as the one removed from this year's lineup. Other proposals called for a range of cuts. For example, each year the TCU President receives a stipend to stay at Tufts during the summer to work on Fall Fest, but given recent events, this could change. TCU President Eric Greenberg said that "next year's president might or might not receive a stipend." The budget committee will probably vote on the issue of the President's stipend next week, according to Prasad.If the senators are unable to raise the necessary funds, or at least not enough to hire a big-name band, next year's Fall Fest will be scaled down, or possibly cancelled. This would mark the second such gaff in four years. In 1998, the concert was cancelled as stages were being erected because the Senate had failed to make adequate arrangements for event security. Dean of Students Bruce Reitman said that cuts frequently occur when the University faces monetary problems. "It's a shame but I think we are all facing budget realities and the Senate is not exempt," he said.

The Setonian
News

Ambassador says Turkey, US closer after Sept. 11

March 31

Turkish ambassador to the US Osman Faruk Logoglu discussed the role of Turkey in the 21st century on March 15 in a pre-break address at Tufts, speaking about the importance of a secular Turkey in the aftermath of Sept. 11 when the possible ties of Islamic nations to terrorism are under scrutiny.Logoglu, who spoke in the faculty dining room, stressed that Islam in no way supports terrorism. "Terror enjoys no religion and occurs everywhere whether there is a religion or not," he said. "It is not a justification of terror, and terror can't be explained anyway." The ambassador stressed the strength of Turkey's relationship with the US in the wake of the September attacks. He said that since Turkey has experienced terrible acts of terror in its history as well, its friendship with the US now lies on more common ground. Logoglu said that due to its strategic location - geographically Turkey is in both Europe and Asia - his country has played an increasingly large role in world politics, particularly as member of NATO. According to the ambassador, in the immediate surroundings of many traditional Islamic governments, Turkey stands out as a secular democracy. "The choices made by the Turkish society such as living a secular life with democracy are also some factors that make Turkey important," he said. "Turkey is in the center of all the conflicts." But beyond Turkey's alliances and location, Logoglu stressed that his country's support of the US war on terrorism has made Turkey a powerful voice in a sea of what is perceived as lukewarm Arab support. "Terrorism is the major problem," Logoglu said. "Turkey is in the forefront of the war supporting the USA after the Sept. 11 event as a friend, an ally, and a country with its own experience in terrorism." He used Turkey, which is 95 percent Muslim, as an example where Islam, modernity, and democracy can coexist. "In Turkey there is a secular way of life although the majority is Muslim," he said. "Everything is organized in contemporary modern laws. Marriages and divorces are under civil laws, not Islamic principles." Logoglu also spoke about the Turkey's role in the ASAF, a project designed to rebuild Afghanistan. The Mediterranean nation has so far stationed 272 troops in the region. After his speech was over, he answered the questions of an audience that mostly consisted of graduate students. He addressed a question about what Armenians refer to as genocide at the hands of the Turks early in the 20th century, saying that objective archives of both Armenian and Turkish origin should be examined, and that there should be a dialogue between the two countries. "Saying that you are the only one who's right is not a dialogue. Good relations should be established because we are neighbors," he said. The ambassador also answered a question about economic woes in Turkey and the role of the country's banking system in the crises. "We had two serious economic crises because of the weakness of Turkish banking sector. We had a reform, and it will take some time for the banks to catch up with the reform," he said. Though Turkish by nationality, Logoglu has spent many years in the US. He graduated from Brandeis University and received his Ph.D. from Princeton. His career started in the Foreign Service in the Department of Middle East and Africa in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Turkey. Later he was assigned to Brussels, and his next stop was Dhakka, Bangladesh. He has also worked for the UN, as well as bilateral relations with Cyprus and Greece while in the Ministry. Afterwards, he traveled to Germany and then returned to Turkey where he was appointed as a special advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He served as an ambassador first in Denmark, and then in Azerbeijan.

The Setonian
News

Beyond a cappella

March 31

When you look around on a Friday or Saturday night for something to do, what do you look for? You could look for a party or take a trip to one of Boston's many clubs. Maybe there's an a cappella performance on campus. But how many people would answer that they would be going to see a campus rap group or punk rock band? Who can name more than five bands on campus that produce original music? Enter Jordan Kolasinski and his brainchild, the Jumbo Audio Project. Kolasinski started the project after observing the rather boring landscape of Tufts music. "The music scene on the Tufts campus consists mostly of frat DJs and a cappella groups," Kolasinski griped. "I don't think that original music gets the respect it deserves." Anyone can see the truth in his words tacked up on every notice board around campus. The ads for live bands are few and far between, and the performances are rarely at prestigious events - alumni dinners and formal ceremonies are the exclusive domain of a cappella performers. Perhaps it would be inappropriate to have a rock band preside over a quiet evening of introspection, but such groups deserve some kind exposure that they're not getting. When searching for an evening of fun, students simply don't look to on-campus bands. The rules governing the creation of the Jumbo Audio Project are few and simple, assuring that little-known musicians get a crack at being heard. First and foremost: all music must be original - no covers. Second, and almost as important: the goal is diversity. Each band gets to include one song, and the creators are trying to include every genre possible. "There is more than just rap and rock out there," Kolasinski said, citing jam bands, Celtic music and "spoken word stuff I'm pretty excited about" as a few examples. The final rule for potential submissions is that they must be pre-recorded. Though this could be a problem for some new bands, it is important in terms of shaving costs from the overall compilation. The truth is that most people at Tufts don't know anything about the bands created by students unless they have a friend who plays for one of them. As the bassist for Red Shift Six, Kolasinski is well-qualified to comment on the music scene - the band won the Battle of the Bands last year and were voted Best Music Group in a Daily poll. When it comes to popularity, however, Kolasinski cited longevity as a significant problem. Tufts' a cappella groups have been around for years and have already established names for themselves. Other musical groups are much more singular - since they write new music, they can't simply replace their members every four years. A junior who starts a band has only two years to build up a reputation, and that often isn't enough. Kolasinki hopes that the completion of the Jumbo Audio Project will reverse this trend of apathy toward original on-campus music. "You never know what will end up becoming huge," Kolasinki said, citing several alums that have gone on to prestigious music careers. "The main driving force behind this is the desire to heighten the music scene on campus and provide exposure for talented Tufts musicians." The songs will be chosen by an executive board consisting of five members, all involved in the Tufts music scene. The method for selecting the tracks has not been discussed, but one must assume that both quality as well as uniqueness of the music will be important factors. The Jumbo Audio Project compilation should come out shortly after Spring Break. All interested bands must submit their pieces on or before March 1.

The Setonian
News

Four years of memories, success coming to end for softball's fab-four

March 31

The softball team will graduate four seniors at the close of its season - four players who have been instrumental to the success of the Jumbo program during their careers. While each of these athletes is accomplished in her own right statistically, even the casual observer of a game can see that it is the chemistry of a team that wins championships. It is this finesse that seniors Jodie Moreau (P), Emily Ferrazza (2B), Jen Mackey (SS), and Tiffany Trahan (1B) have brought to the diamond, and their leadership played a pivotal role in guiding Tufts to the NESCAC championships this year. Take a look at the conference semi-finals game played against Williams on May 4. The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth inning, when Ferrazza lead off with single and then proceeded to steal second. Mackey then reached on catcher's interference, and Trahan laid down a sacrifice bunt to put runners at second and third. Sophomore Julie Fox then hit a single to score Ferrazza. Tufts won the game 1-0 on a shutout pitched by Moreau, and was able to advance and eventually win its second straight NESCAC championship. This game offered a perfect example of the leadership these athletes demonstrate in coming up big when the team needs them needs them the most. "These players have played pretty much full time for all four years and have consistently given a huge boost to the team," coach Kris Talon said. "They are a talented group and have made many contributions, but the biggest has been just winning ballgames." Of course, accomplishments on paper certainly can't hurt, and between these four players, the list is a mile long. Starting pitcher and co-captain Jodie Moreau serves as the prime example. This year while racking up a 19-1 mark with an ERA of 0.52, she broke the record for the most career strikeouts when she struck out the 335th batter of her career. She also holds the record for the most strikeouts in a single season, 129, which she earned her junior year. Or how about Trahan and Mackey? Trahan broke the record for career RBI's with 125, smashing former teammate Randee McArdle's total of 103 set just one year ago. Mackey, the shortstop, whose season batting average of .471 this year breaks the record for the highest season batting average, set seventeen years ago by Kelly Burke (.462). Both Mackey and Moreau are up for All-American consideration. While these numbers are certainly impressive, they take a back seat in the minds of these players when they look back on the proudest moments of their careers. "These records are nice to have as small goals," Moreau said. "But it's hard to look at records until the season is over as their meaning hasn't sunk in yet." For Mackey, she remembers fondly sophomore year when all four of the current seniors were named to the all-tournament teams. "It really made sophomore year special to have all four of us named to the all-tournament teams," Mackey said. And of course fresh in everyone's memory was competing in the 2000 College World Series, a feat which they had hoped to duplicate this year before they were eliminated in game six of the NCAA Division III New England Regional Tournament last Saturday. Although the team will certainly miss their statistical performances, the day to day example that these four set will be most missed by their coach and teammates. "They led the best by their own individual preparation.," Talon said. "They worked hard to do their best and in turn inspired everyone else to do their best. At practice, when players would look around, they always saw the seniors working." Aside from offensive production, the team will also lose a large part of it's infield defense, as all four seniors have played there together throughout their entire college career; experience that has led to a strong defensive season for the Jumbos, which included 15 shutouts. "We've played together for four years, and we have gelled as an infield," Mackey said. "We know each others skills and what the other one is going to do in a game situation." It is this chemistry that Trahan will miss the most looking back on her career. "I will miss the team camaraderie," Trahan said. "We have all been solid parts of the team and the infield for four years. We are friends on and off the field." "I am going to miss the people," Moreau agreed. "Competition is the same wherever you go but it is the people that make it special."

The Setonian
News

Scrabble is a sport damnit

March 31

This past week was supposed to be the week that I started running again. I figured the beginning of spring would be symbolic of my rebirth as an athlete. For the first time in numerous instances of my trying to become an athlete again, I finally kept my word. Incidentally, I never got around to finding my old flats. This should come as no surprise to any of you who know me, because I constantly talk about how I'm going to get back in shape, but I never do. I'm all talk and no action. However, while I did not find my running shoes, I was able to locate the old Scrabble board. And by God, Scrabble is a sport and I am an athlete. Usually, when I make claims in my column, they are unsubstantiated and made up by me. But in this case, I am not the first to claim that Scrabble is a sport. At Christmas, "Santa" gave me a book entitled: Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble. In a description of the book, one reader says, "Like a cross between a linguistic spy and a lexicographic Olympic athlete, journalist Stefan Fatsis gave himself a year to penetrate the highest echelons of international Scrabble competition." What a perfect description. Like Fatsis, after a week of intense Scrabble, during which I tallied an imposed 7-1 mark, I felt not only like an "Olympic athlete" but also a "linguistic spy." You don't have to look very far on the Tufts campus to find our very own Scrabble superstar. Linda Giovinazzo is a competitive Scrabble player who moonlights as a programmer analyst in Tufts' TCCS department. Giovinazzo is a member of the Lexington, MA, Scrabble Club. Like any sports team, Giovinazzo's Scrabble club has a roster and standings, and the players also practice. The group is a member of the NSA (National Scrabble Association), and each active member is rated. Despite these numerous signs hinting that Scrabble is a truly a sport, Giovinazzo was still skeptical that both she and I should be considered athletes. "If you call working your brain muscles then maybe," she said. "Maybe some people work out to prepare, but I don't know if it makes me physically healthy. I never would have called it a sport, no." Well, Ms. Giovinazzo, you are going to have to accept the fact that you do play a sport and that the two of us actually have something in common with another great Massachusetts athlete - Ted Williams. Yes, I know what you are thinking - what does Ted Williams have to do with Scrabble? Well, both Ms. Giovinazzo and I know how Teddy Ballgame felt during his magical 1941 season when he batted .406, making him the last baseball player ever to do so. On March 19, I, too, reached the 400 mark. I actually one-upped Williams, finishing with a whopping point total of 407. I had never before reached 400 and probably never will again. Giovinazzo has surpassed the 400 mark on several occasions, maxing out at an ungodly 440. The joy, the elation, the right to talk trash. Unfortunately, Ms. Giovinazzo is a throwback to a time when people played sports simply for the sake of playing - she seems far too nice to engage in any trash talking. I, on the other hand, lack this class. In my opinion, one of the most enjoyable aspects of athletic competition is doing well and then subsequently being able to brag about how good you are. Sadly, these Scrabble games were mostly against my mother. While I do love talking smack to her, I can't say I get the same satisfaction of screaming in her face and calling her a loser as I do when I take my 13-year-old brother out to the backyard, whip him in basketball, and then send him back inside crying. What I'm trying to say is two-fold. First, that Scrabble is a slightly more classy sport than basketball, for example - more on the lines of say, golf or chess. Secondly, I am not a classy guy. I yell and I curse when I play sports, but maybe that's just want Scrabble needs. Perhaps, I could become the Happy Gilmore of Scrabble - a charismatic young leader capable of drawing "Generation X" to the game. Just as Happy Gilmore was able to encourage crowds of drunken slobs to come cheer him on at his tournaments, I feel I could have the same effect on the Scrabble world. Picture this: me in the ring staring down my opponent from across the table and 20 thousand of you people, in the stands at Madison Square Garden, chanting "Let's go Dan. Let's go Dan." While Mr. Bill Gehling, the Tufts athletic director, has not yet contacted me about a previous column of mine in which I offered my services as a head coach of any varsity sport for free, this could be my big chance to finally be taken seriously. Here is my latest recommendation - make Scrabble a varsity sport at Tufts. Tufts is an institution that prides itself on academics over athletics. In that light, no athletic scholarships are given at our University. Scrabble is an academic sport, so it only follows that there should be a varsity team for people like me. Who knows, Mr. Gehling might even be able to hire Ms. Giovinazzo as the team's first head coach. "I think [playing Scrabble is] a great thing for people to do," Giovinazzo said. "It's really growing very rapidly. Harvard has a club. But I don't think they made it a sport." As a sports columnist whose word means absolutely nothing on the Hill, I implore the administration to do the right thing and make Scrabble a varsity sport. If nothing else it would get me to shut up about me an my dream of playing a varsity sport at Tufts. That should be reason enough add a Scrabble team to the Tufts athletic website www.ase.tufts.edu/athletics today.

The Setonian
News

Students return to recovering city

March 31

Imagine going home to find that everything had changed completely. For students from New York City, returning home from Tufts for winter break was an unpredictable experience. Much of New York City has changed in the months since 9/11. Some students wondered how their parents would act or if their neighborhoods would feel different. Most who returned home, however, believe that New York will be New York again. Sophomore Callie Siegel, a resident of downtown Manhattan, is optimistic about the future of New York City, but recognizes a change in the atmosphere. For Siegel, moving around the city became a source of some anxiety. Being on the subway or in large public places made her nervous, though it didn't deter her from going anywhere. Initially, Siegel's family took extra safety precautions after the World Trade Center was attacked. Her father and brother each carried around a light stick and a radio while they were out in the city. Siegel has not seen Ground Zero and doesn't plan on visiting soon. "I haven't wanted to," she said. "It's enough for me just knowing. I used to see the World Trade Center every time I looked down Fifth Avenue." For Siegel, seeing aspects of the city recover since the tragedy is extremely gratifying. And though she hopes that the tragedy will never be forgotten, she is glad to see that many people's lives have gone back to the way they once were. "You can't possibly live your life in fear all the time," Siegel said. "You think about it, but you have to go on. I think it's going to be back to normal at one point." Junior Jeff Fox calls downtown Manhattan home. On his return, he found that while his neighborhood was getting back to normal, reminders of the tragedy existed around every corner. "My mom went up to the roof of our building and saw it happening," Fox recalled. "She could see people jumping out of the buildings. It's really unfortunate [that] now people don't think about it as much." Fox said that the lack of new developments in the search for Osama Bin Laden may have caused some people to put the tragedy in the backs of their minds, but that New Yorkers are all still in some way connected to the incident. "It's ever-present," Fox said. "You still hear stories about people. Whenever you talk about it, it brings back that somber mood." As for having hope for the city, Fox feels proud to be a part of New York. Moreover, his attitude has changed towards the safety workers in the city: now, he appreciates the police and firefighters that he sees. Fox was able to fully appreciate the efforts of New York City rescue workers when he spent time at Ground Zero over break. He ventured down to site of the tragedy before the observation deck was built and before the site turned into what some are calling a tourist attraction. "I still saw all the lights on and all the trucks moving and all the people working," Fox said. "Enough time has passed that people aren't thinking about this as much. They don't have as much of an emotional connection as they did in the past. It made me think." But while Fox is happy to see the city being rebuilt and the spirit of New York alive and well, he worries that this change may be a little hasty. "It's good that not everybody's lives aren't still focused and depressed all the time," Fox said. "On the other hand, I asked myself: 'Are people forgetting about it too soon?'" Life in sophomore Justin Green's household was forever changed on 9/11, when the family's store in the World Trade Center was destroyed. "We haven't really talked about it," Green said. "It almost doesn't matter. The worst part about it was [that] instead of grieving for all the people who died, my dad had to spend those first days doing the paperwork. It had to get done." Green found the city permanently changed since the tragedy, and he says that he would be disturbed had it not been that way. And while Fox fears that New York may forget what happened, Green feels differently. "It's almost good that we don't go back to normal," Green said. "It's a comforting feeling to know that everyone still cares and everyone's so supportive." Like Fox, Green visited Ground Zero long before tickets were being sold to view the site from an observation tower. Green said that the "disturbing feeling" from seeing the rubble in person was what made the tragedy the most real for him. Sophomore Nikoletta Stagias felt a pall over the city as she returned to her home and family in Queens. She believes that the combination of the depressed economy and the aftermath of the destruction of the World Trade Center have created a new mood. "I always temp over the break, but this time they couldn't find me any jobs," Stagias said. "There just weren't any... I think the economy is really bringing people down." Though many residents have visited Ground Zero, Stagias felt uncomfortable visiting the site, at least for now. "I don't plan on going down there until everything is back to normal," Stagias said. "It's become a tourist attraction. They treat it as if it's some sort of exhibition. It's really upsetting. I understand if you have family members or friends, but a lot of people are going there for the wrong reasons... to be shocked." Stagias added that the area has a special significance for her, since her high school, Stuyvesant High School, is located so nearby. Stagias recalls many afternoons and weekends spent in the area around the World Trade Center; she even had her junior prom inside the building. "It takes away a lot from my high school experience to think that places I hung out in just aren't there," Stagias said. "It was such a great neighborhood. It was just vibrant. There was a lot of energy. It was real New York. They took that away."

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Cold and bored?

March 31

Even if you aren't lucky enough to catch Billy Joel and Elton John's five-date residency at the Fleet Center, there'll be no need to fret. Big names and big talent are making for one of the hottest Boston area winter concert seasons in recent years. Joel and John take the stage both tonight and Thursday night. The duo will also perform next Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. The concerts have been sold out since early December, though tickets are still popping up on eBay. But if scalped tickets are out of your collegiate budget, or if you're looking for something a little closer to home, check out piano chanteuse Sarah Slean at the Kendall Caf?© Thursday night. On Friday night, country legend Willie Nelson plays the Orpheum. Rap pioneer Busta Rhymes, citing discontent with the big-name hip-hop tours of the moment, has embarked on a solo tour that makes a stop at Worcester's Palladium. And Bruce Willis will appear at Avalon to front his soul act, The Accelerators. Saturday night Boston will be graced with performances by two exuberant female artists. Alicia Keys, the classically trained hip hop/soul artist and darling of the entertainment press, will headline the Orpheum. Lesser-know Chelmsford-bred pop-folk songstress Meghan Toohey will play a set with her full band at Club Passim in Harvard Square. Sunday, Limp Bizkit fans from all of New England will storm the Guitar Center in Natick. The Bizkit recently lost its innovative guitarist, Wes Borland, due to "creative differences." Now the band is struggling to replace him by holding semi-open auditions at Guitar Center outlets across the country. Pre-auditions for the Put Your Guitar Where Your Mouth Is tour start at noon. The band will perform with potential recruits in the evening. Next Monday, Boston falls to a British invasion of sorts, with both The Charlatans UK and Starsailor double-billing at the ever-so-intimate Paradise Rock Club. Lucky for music fans that the onslaught of intriguing concerts doesn't let up anytime soon -much less next week. Banjo virtuouso B?©la Fleck and classical bassist Edgar Meyer perform together at Harvard's Sanders Theatre Jan. 31. And on Feb. 2, Victor Wooten, a member of Fleck's own band (the Flecktones) and one of the world's most accomplished electric bassists, will play the Middle East. On the same night, Down From the Mountain: Music From O Brother, Where Art Thou? hits the Wang Center. Born of the O Brother motion picture soundtrack, this is among the most unforeseen concert tours ever: Bluegrass and country gone urban, performed in only the most upscale venues. Among the performers will be Alison Krauss, Chris Thomas King, Emmylou Harris, Patty Loveless, and the Nashville Bluegrass Band. Be forewarned, though: the Boston performance is already sold out. On Feb. 3, look for a celebration of male folk artists at Club Passim. While concrete details are still hard to come by, performers slated to appear include local favorites Mark Erelli and Nate Borofsky. Late February and March are still in the process of being booked, but the shows that have been announced are a smattering of national up-and-comers, jazz acts, and popular favorites. The Boston music scene will demonstrate its traditional friendliness to up-and-comers when indie pianist Rufus Wainwright plays at Avalon Feb. 8, the same day Fall Fest alums Deep Banana Blackout play the Paradise. On Feb. 21, Applejam alums Piebald will appear at the Middle East. Exactly one week later, on Feb. 28, singer/songwriter/guitarist John Mayer headlines the Avalon. On the jazz front, Branford Marsalis will do three shows at Cambridge's Regattabar, on Feb. 21, 22, and 23. John Scofield, who played in Cohen Auditorium last year, will be at the Paradise Feb. 22 and 23. Looking all the way ahead to March 10, legendary pianist Dave Brubeck will perform at the Sanders Theatre. Finally, there are some big-name acts that shouldn't be missed. On Feb. 16, the Sno Core tour - a showcase of new and usually commercial rock - hits the Palladium with Alien Ant Farm and Fenix TX on the bill. The Breeders, pioneers of the early-'90s alternative movement, will appear at the Middle East Feb. 21, a likely sellout. And Nelly Furtado, whether you consider her a goddess or an annoyance, will be at Avalon March 1. With all these acts already announced, plus the virtually constant live entertainment available at the Middle East and the House of Blues, there is always something to do here. Look to the Daily in the coming months for more previews, artist interviews, and more.

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News

No 'Mo' Heroes

March 31

One of the most traumatic moments of high school for me was February of junior year (1998) when Red Sox first baseman Mo Vaughn was arrested for drunk driving. Mo was my hero during my unstable adolescent years, and I was shocked to learn that someone whose perseverance and community values I worshipped could commit a crime. Hero worship is an integral part of American culture. Every second grade girl develops a crush on a popular male singer or actor. Likewise, every second grade boy has a favorite athlete whose jersey he sleeps in every night and won't let mom wash because that would take away the smell it got when he wore it to the ballpark/arena/stadium that one time. From an early age, children look to prominent public figures as role models, and they use their worship of them as a way to define themselves and figure out who they should be. The idolization of sports figures is a critical part of teaching children the norms of American society. Sports magazines, shows, and newspaper articles praise athletes for embodying the values that society prizes at each time (usually things like perseverance and physical prowess). This teaches children that people who embody these values are superior, and many children learn the norms of society by rooting for particular players and teams. However, there is a paradox that comes from using hero worship to teach societal values. Athletes, musicians, actors, politicians, or whoever else a child might choose to idolize are only human, but hero worship holds them to superhuman standards. Americans expect their public figures to lead perfect, by-the-book lives, but this is virtually impossible - it is something that few people even expect from themselves. This contradiction leads to much confusion, because inevitably there will be some moment when a hero's imperfections become evident, and a child will feel disillusioned by society. Such an incident occurred when Mo Vaughn was arrested. He came of age in baseball at just the time when I was coming of age in life. When I was a lonely, unsure high school freshman, I could come home each night and know that I could turn on the television and Mo would be there. As a sports figure celebrated by the Boston press he was the perfect person to worship. He had risen above a humble background to become a physical and spiritual leader on the Red Sox team, and he was constantly praised for his work helping underprivileged children in the Boston community. But that praise ended in February of 1998. Worse than the drunk driving charge was the fact that Vaughn was on his way home from the Foxy Lady strip club, of all places. The interplay of alcohol and sex made the incident a huge scandal, and the Boston media had a field day. Vaughn was no longer at the top of the hub - he was the laughing stock of it. The whole incident was rather unsettling for me. I had thought Vaughn was an angel, and here he was, a criminal. My hero was a human, and my heart was broken. Vaughn's arrest represented the breaking of the bubble of my adolescent, fantasy world. From then on, everything was unfair, everyone had a fault, and my perspective of famous people became much more critical. Though I have since come to terms with Mo Vaughn's demise, the whole hero worship element of American culture continues to puzzle me. We hold every person and everything to an incredibly high standard of perfection. We expect our politicians to never accidentally contradict themselves, to have perfect grammar, to present themselves as perfectly groomed in public, and to never have given into the vices of alcohol and sex that normal people give in to every day and often do not feel bad about. We criticize presidential candidates for doing dumb things in college, while we would be hard-pressed to find any person who has not done something stupid in college because they were either drunk, na??ve, or both. Our standards for our celebrity heroes are just as high. We expect athletes to be in perfect physical condition, and we boo even our favorite stars if they are having a bad week. And we don't entirely respect heroes who have vices in their personalities. Babe Ruth was the single greatest hitter ever in Major League Baseball for what he did in his time, yet many people frown upon him because he like to have fun. The same goes with Mickey Mantle. Now, I am not advocating that America start idolizing promiscuity and drunkenness (I'll save that for my next column). The point is that this paradox, in which we make children believe that there are individuals in society who are perfect, has negative effects. The world of sports reinforces these confusing propositions by constantly heralding people who have superhuman abilities. The most adverse affect this has is not on our views of heroes but on our views of each other. The culture of hero worship teaches us to be upset and outraged when we find out that others have human flaws. We go through our lives constantly trying to point what's wrong with other people, and we have a lot of difficulty coming to terms with the fact that it's okay for humans to have vices and weaknesses - which are in fact what make us human.

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Solid selection, sleepy speaker

March 31

Though the jury is still out on President Larry Bacow's selection of the Omidyars as this year's commencement speakers, the Committee on Student Life has made it likely that the keynote speakers will not be buttressed by a rousing presentation from the undergraduate representative. Though Michael Ferenczy, this year's Wendell Phillips winner, is a fine candidate with an appropriate resume, several of the other candidates at yesterday's open session gave more impassioned deliveries. His selection from a pool of candidates with similar Tufts backgrounds is legitimate given the award's criteria, but does little to spice up an event that seniors have said has the potential to be a sleeper. Ferenczy's final speech, given along with the final speeches of the other seven candidates, was written with enough emotion to bring a crowd of parents and friends to tears. Unfortunately, his delivery was both monotone and rapid. Ferenczy touchingly and honestly discussed a sensitive issue, making his selection a credible choice, but his oratory was noticeably less polished than most of the other speakers. But while the CSL's selection is adequate for an award centered around education and service, the real disappointment was the similarity of the finalists. Of the eight, seven had served in student government during their Tufts careers. And more disappointing than the homogeneity of the group was the similitude of the speeches. Even the one non-government selection, Seren Levinson, took the same approach as the other candidates to the offered questions. With the topic being education, seven of the candidates related a personal story, and then told the audience how their postgraduate plans will change education problems in the world. Though there's nothing wrong with this approach, not one of the candidates tackled the questions with a sense of originality. Cliches, not novelty, marked the evening at Ballou. Regardless, this year's speaker owns an impressive college resume - including chairing the TCUJ, serving as an RA, and working on cancer research at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute. He also wrote an article for the controversial Primary Source this semester. Now, with the responsibility of offering some of the final words seniors will hear before graduating college, Ferenczy will be best served taking a lesson from that publication - if his delivery can manage to stir up as many emotions as the Source, seniors will be treated to a pleasant surprise.

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California games prepare softball team for season

March 31

Instead of throwing on their bathing suits and heading for the beaches like many of their classmates over spring break, the Jumbos put on their uniforms and headed for the softball diamonds of Orange, California, where they participated in the Sun West Tournament. During the weeklong trip Tufts compiled a 7-5 mark against top-notch competition, including a victory over NESCAC rival Williams. Although the team finished only two games over .500 during the 12-game west coast swing, team members deemed it a success Many of the California teams had been playing ball for two or three weeks prior to the tournament, while the tournament represented the Jumbos' first action of the regular season. "I thought we really showed a lot of improvement over the week," sophomore outfielder Julie Fox said. "We started out rough especially with our defense. I think [that was the case] in the games that we lost.. We were making mental mistakes. It's the first week of our season so we went through some of those." One of the trip's more interesting games came last Monday, a matchup against Williams in the Jumbos' second game of the tournament. During the game, each Jumbo starter had at least one hit and senior co-captain Jodie Moreau pitched a complete game one hitter en route to an 8-0 victory. The win was the first of six that Moreau recorded in California. Before the game, coach Kris Talon had made it clear to the Jumbos that Williams was gunning for them. "Prior to that game our coach brought out a paper from Western Mass. and it said their whole season kind of hinged on beating us," senior shortstop Jen Mackey said. "We had great pitching by [Moreau] in that game. I think everyone on the team got a hit. It was great to go out and rumble with them. It showed them we are back this year." Last year, Tufts lost to Williams in California but was able to exact revenge by defeating them in the NESCAC playoffs. "We really wanted to beat them but we also know that anything can happen," Fox said. "It seems like Williams is aiming for us. We were just treating that game like a normal one. Coach said that teams are going to be aiming for us. To go in there knowing that Williams wanted it so bad and we slaughtered them was a good feeling." Talon agreed that the game against Williams was important but stressed that the Jumbos do not do anything differently against them than against other opponents. "We always like to beat Williams, however, we like to play our own game - hit well, get consistent pitching and do the little things right on defense - no matter who we are playing," she said. "We know we are the top team in the NESCAC and we have a bullseye on our back." While the win over Williams in the second game of the tournament looked nearly perfect on paper for the Jumbos, some of the other games did not play out quite as nicely. This was especially obvious in tough losses to such opponents as Carlton on March 19 and Plattsburgh on March 22. The showdown with Carlton turned into a 16-12 slugfest, in which the Jumbos did not play the fundamentally sound ball that has been a staple of their success in recent years. Sophomore Kasey Lindsey gave up 11 runs, eight of them earned, in three innings of work. Freshman Caroline Grieco surrendered five runs in two innings. While the duo's stats for the game were far from impressive, teammates felt the loss was not a result of poor pitching but rather poor defense. "We lost a ridiculous game to Carlton," Fox said. "We have to get our defense down. We have to support our pitchers." Defense was once again a problem in the 3-2 loss to Plattsburgh. During that game Lindsey was also on the mound for the Jumbos, and this time she looked more in sync than the game against Carlton. In a complete game effort, Lindsey allowed no earned runs, but gave up three as the result of errors in the field. The defensive problems came to light in the third inning of the contest when senior co-captain/second baseman Emily Ferrazza committed two errors and junior catcher Lis Drake committed a passed ball - a combination that lead to two unearned runs in the inning. Mackey said that tight defense becomes especially important when pitchers other than Moreau are on the mound because they don't overpower hitters in the same way that the senior co-captain does. "With [Moreau] she is a real power pitcher and when we make a few mistakes she can bounce back. It was us not coming through for [the other pitchers]. They showed some great poise out there. It's just our job to step up. I'm confident in them being back up pitchers." "One of our big goals was to learn more about the rest of the pitchers, which we did," Talon said. "We may or may not designate a consistent number two starter, but [Grieco] had two strong outings and [Lindsey] did well in our 3-2 loss to Plattsburgh - the only game in which we really didn't hit at all." While the team is still working to get comfortable defensively - as demonstrated by the 17 errors that it committed in 12 games of action - offensively, the squad seemed to heat up in the California sun. Mackey led the way with a .533 average, a .684 slugging percentage, a whopping on base percentage of .630, and also ranked first on the team in runs scored (14) and hits (21). Freshman Courtney Bongiolatti, junior Tiffany Trahan, Drake, and Fox all batted over .330 for the tournament. Drake and Trahan led the team in RBIs with 14 and 13, respectively. Now, back in New England, the team is preparing for the commencement of its NESCAC season on Saturday in a 1 p.m. doubleheader against Trinity. "After going out [to California] and being successful against some really big name teams it gave us a lot of confidence and now that we are back here we are going to play strong against our competition," Mackey said. "I think we are going to be ready."

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Bridge to Metcalf a little harder to cross

March 31

A six-page form and faculty recommendations will be required for entrance into Metcalf's Bridge Program this year, making the procedure more stringent than in the past. Before the change, students simply had to check a box on a Residential Life form to indicate their preference for Metcalf. The application includes short-answer questions asking what programs prospective residents would like to see, and why they feel the Bridge Program is appropriate for them. The program is intended for students who want a dorm experience which includes dialogue about current affairs and increased interaction with faculty. Residence Life Coordinator Dean Gendron said the change is actually a re-introduction of Metcalf's original application. The system is designed to ensure that students are truly interested in the Bridge Program. "There are two fundamental components to Bridge's success - faculty collaboration and an atmosphere that is not only tolerant of intelligent discourse, but celebrates it," he said. "The application...asks students to be introspective about their individual commitment to the mission." Several Metcalf residents, however, were not happy with the reinstitution of an application system. Sophomore Marta Selinger, a former Metcalf resident, said she preferred not having to fill out an application for Metcalf. "I thought they did away with the whole application to encourage people. It surprises me that when they brought it back they made it twice as complicated," Selinger said. Junior Eric Mitton said the requirement of a faculty recommendation was the least desirable addition. "The whole idea of getting a faculty sponsor is really unnecessary, because for certain students who are in engineering and such, many of their professors don't know them on a personal basis," Mitton said. Some students said the faculty recommendation requirement is a burden on freshmen who don't necessarily know their professors on a one-to-one basis. But Gendron said the faculty recommendation is the part he's most excited about. He said he didn't believe the application would discourage students from the Bridge Program. "It has been my observation since Bridge was born in fall '92 that this campus attracts more than enough students who are genuinely interested in the mission Bridge champions." Other additions to the application were met with a more positive reaction, including the short answer questions regarding student preferences. "I think that having short essay questions ensures that people don't use it to just get into a really nice dorm in the center of campus," he said. Most students asked were not planning on reapplying to Metcalf next year, but said this wasn't a result of the new application. Instead, many students aren't aware of the program in the first place. Many students even replied "What Bridge Program?" when questioned on the experience. Metcalf veterans nostalgically compared this year's lack of programming to the plethora of speakers in past years. "We had a speaker every week, sometimes twice a week," Selinger said. "You could tell that the RAs were trying very hard." In past years, though, RAs were helped by a Scholar in Residence, which Metcalf does not have this year. Regardless, the task of being an RA in Metcalf often isn't an easy one. "My RA last year said she really liked living in Metcalf, but that the amount of programming was enough make her decisively against doing it again," Selinger said. Gendron said there were other staff shortages and fewer resources available for the Metcalf staff this year. He said that the program will pick more functional next year, with a new Scholar in Residence. "There is a contagious enthusiasm in Residential Life and the Dean of Students Office to get back on track with last year's success."

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News

Color without structure

March 31

Rumor has it that there are merely two degrees of separation between each of the 5,000-plus students that make up the Tufts undergraduate community. Though there is no logical way to officially validate this notion, 14 of these students connected at a level of Six Degrees of Separation in the Balch Arena Theater this weekend, marking the opening of a two-weekend run of the gracefully intense play by John Guare. The Drama Department tends to tackle complex works, and Six Degrees is no exception. Like this past winter's Playboy of the Western World, the core of the play is by no means easy to present or to understand. But under the direction of Luke Jorgenson, the cast members of Six Degrees were able to successfully make sense of the many layers of confusing plot twists - this, in itself is enough reason to commend them all on outstanding performances. The underlying story is fairly simple: The mysterious Paul (Jeff Brea) individually encounters a series of families - all, of course, unknowingly connected by six degrees - and convinces them that he goes to an Ivy League college with their children and that he is the son of actor Sidney Poitier. By connecting the lies of the upper crust Ouisa and Flan (senior Allison Clear and sophomore Graham Outerbridge), starving artists Elizabeth and Rick (senior Rachel Jablin freshman David Green), and everything in between, we slowly begin to see just how closely everyone on this planet is connected. While there is no set chronology of events - everything seems to happen at overlapping intervals - the many pieces come together to teach an important lesson of maintaining individuality in a world largely focused on societal acceptance and conformity. Guare helps the audience to relate to this idea by weaving easily identifiable icons of pop cultural icons into the script: Remember your high school English class? That's there, with Paul's frequent references to Holden Caufield's struggles in Catcher in the Rye. What about seeing your first Broadway show? That's there too. Paul offers some of the cast members a role in a film remake of Cats, a blatant nod to the fact that perhaps even the longest-running musical in Broadway history gained its popularity through word of mouth rather than artistic merits. The actors effectively get these messages across by working cohesively as an ensemble -as they should for a play of this nature. No one took complete control over the spotlight. There were, however, a few standout performances: It is very easy to hate Ouisa, for example, but Clear uses her natural stage presence to her advantage and manages to garner sympathy from the audience - particularly towards the end of the play. Jablin brought forth Elizabeth's innocence without being overly syrupy, and her naivet?© seemed genuine. Nathaniel Seger was right on target as Doug, the rebellious son of Josh Bauml's stereotypical Jewish Dr. Fine (which was also a very accurate performance). And while some of Brea's early long stretches of dialogue dragged, his character seemed to click midway through the play, making for an eerily touching finish. One of the nicest thing about this production is that Jorgenson managed to sidestep the most common problem that arises when mounting a play with a large cast in the Arena: Oftentimes there are so many actors onstage at once that it is difficult to keep track of individual identities and subplots without knowing beforehand either the play or at least some of the performers. But in Six Degrees, each actor portrays his or her character with such defined style that it is impossible to confuse even which of the four college-aged characters belonged to which set of parents. This can be partially attributed to the tastefully designed set, which made for one of the simplest creations to hit the Arena in recent years. It works perfectly to accent the tangled nature of the story, utilizing neutral tones to mirror society's ambivalence. And as this unfolds, it brings with it many questions: Where do we fit within this structure? How can we avoid being victims? And, damnit, why does society place so much importance on trivialities such as the monetary value of paintings rather than their artistic merits or the prestige of attending an Ivy League school as opposed to the importance of becoming educated. Most of these questions remain unanswered, and the fact that the Tufts actors did not try to force false interpretations is precisely what makes this production of Six Degreesof Separation work as an accurate depiction of the downfalls of society.

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Phenom & Giddy's Urban Vibez

March 31

PHENOMenal Singles to get GIDDY AboutAli Vegas - "Gangsta Boogie" All the NY cats know the name, and if you don't know... now you know. Ali Vegas, although currently bothered by record label problems, has released this track on vinyl that uses an old school sample coupled by a tight flow to make this a phenomenal track for chillin' out and hittin' the clubs.Donell Jones - "Do You Know That I Love You" Thanks be to God... Amen. Donell Jones is back and just as silky as ever with his new single off his upcoming third album Life Goes On. This mid-tempo love track is sure to make the ladies swoon and the PHEllas vibe with it.Lathun - "Fortunate" Motown continues to crank out quality R&B acts with artists like India.Arie, Remy Shand, Sharissa, Prophet Jones, Erykah Badu, and now... Lathun! The Detroit native's debut single "Fortunate" is possibly the most chilled-out love song to hit radio waves in quite some time. Mellow guitar playing accompanied by ever-so-smooth vocals makes this ballad a true soulful standout.T.I. feat. The Neptunes - "Whats Ur Name" The "Number One Panty Pumper" teams up again with The Neptunes to make a mid-tempo chartbuster. Some may hate on The Neptunes, but they keep finding ways to keep the beats hot and the dance floor jumpin'. TI's southern dialect is reminiscent of an Outkast flow, so be sure to check out this joint - and if you missed TI's first single with Beenie Man "I'm Serious," then get on that too!Tanto Metro & Devonte - "Give It To Her" The same duo that brought the dancehall reggae hit "Everyone Falls In Love" has followed it up with a similarly inviting party joint with an infectious hook. Add a little flavor to your party and throw this one on the playlist.From Feeling Giddy to Feeling Shiddy... ... C-Murder is claiming, "It wasn't me." The rapper was arrested and accused of murdering 16-year-old Steve Thomas at the Platinum Club in Louisiana. Although he has yet to be formally charged, the rapper maintains his innocence, and will plead not guilty if accused of murder...As if things couldn't get any sillier in the Jay-Z vs. Nas battle, Jay-Z is now getting dissed by a female "claiming" to be Carmen, Nas' Baby's Mama. The song is entitled "Carmen's Got A Gun" and clearly a response to Jay-Z's Super Ugly...In other baby mama drama, Suge Knight is claiming to have had a few "close encounters" with Daz's girl...A tape that allegedly shows R. Kelly engaging in sex with an underage girl has begun to surface on the Internet - whether or not it is actually R. Kelly has yet to be determined. ... Virgin Records lost 2 of its major acts recently: Mariah Carey and The Neptunes. After forking out $100 million to release Mariah Carey's next five albums, Virgin decided that after seeing the lackluster sales from the Glitter album and Carey's questionable mental state, that they would cut their loses and send her packing. The downside is that they had to pay another $30 million to buy her out of her contract. The Neptunes have signed a deal with Arista Records, which has given the duo its own label: "Star Trek Entertainment." ... Not only was his label, No Limit, dropped by Priority, now Master P is also incurring a number of debts. The hip-hop mogul has been forced to sell an unfinished recording studio to settle unpaid construction bills and other debts. Master P has faced a number of financial and legal setbacks since he began moving operations of his No Limit Records Company to Baton Rouge in 1997. The wealthy community where Miller bought a home filed a $14,000 lawsuit against him over unpaid dues and penalties. Bank One has sued the rapper for allegedly falling behind on payments on a million dollar promissory note. Miller and his wife, Sonya, put the house in his mother's name two years ago, and the bank accused him of trying to place the property out of creditors' reach. The state Department of Revenue filed a lien against Miller and his wife in 2000 for $1,434,371 in unpaid income taxes...and on a sports side note, Jason Williams, what were you doing twirling a loaded shotgun around?

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People's choice

March 31

Believe it or not, Tufts has a lot of stylish people. Between the 24/7-Pajama League, the Herve Bag-And-Tight-Jeans Brigade, and the Supersized-Sporty Sector, there are some very different styles that mix up the campus clothing collage. This week, "My Fashion Fix" decided to turn its gaze outwards and get a closer look at some students' and professors' refreshingly distinct styles. Jaya Gupta: Low Key Luxury Of all the styles out there, vintage is unquestionably one of the hardest to pull off, and one wrong move can be the difference between street chic and street-dweller. Fortunately, senior Jaya Gupta has a discerning eye. "I like old stuff and cheap stuff," says Gupta, who cites both Carrie ("Sex and the City," obviously) and her friends as fashion influences. Far from her upstate New York "prep" roots, Gupta pulls together bargain-basement clothing from Urban Outfitters and the Garment District, basics from the Gap, and vintage jewelry from Portobello market to create a style that attains that elusive Kate Moss-y vintage princess ease. Current fashion indulgences include a tank top addiction, ornate tarnished silver necklaces, and old Indian clothes from her mom's closet. What she likes about Tufts style: "It's a lot more diverse than my high school. I love it that people can just bust out and wear crazy stuff. I also like that I can wear a really ratty, safety-pinned T-shirt and people will think it's Gucci." What she loathes about Tufts style: chunky dress boots and guys who won't wear fitted clothes.Fashion Advice: "I like people who are comfortable with what they wear. Some people can wear just a sweatshirt and jeans and it will look awesome."Dr. Sinaia Nathanson: Respectful Elegance Dr. Nathanson, a psychology professor specializing in conflict resolution, asserts clothing is a powerful social tool that reflects a variety of non-verbal norms. "There is a definite correlation between roles and dress code," she says. "Some people feel that if a physician shows up in a midriff-baring top, it subtracts a level of her professionalism. We want professionals to project something." Nathanson, who grew up in a European atmosphere, says both her upbringing and her prior work as a corporate consultant have influenced her conservative ideas on clothing. "Where I grew up, comfort was not the utmost purpose of clothes," Nathanson says. "I think dressing-up projects your respect for the students." However, she acknowledges that norms on a college campus are quite different from those in the business world; her first lecture as a student at Harvard was given by "an excellent professor" who wore only sweaty jogging suits to class. Clothing can also act as a social barometer. "I like the fact that women are no longer compelled to look extremely feminine," she says. "A broader, unisex look has become more accepted, and it's nice that women are ridden of that burden of looking seductive all the time." And though you will never catch Nathanson lecturing in blue jeans, she likes that her students feel comfortable being casual. "In New England, there is that freedom of choice, and a minimum of taboos. It's great."Fashion Advice: Amused at the ironic "fluid phenomenon" of fashion, Nathanson asserts, "there's not too much that is shocking anymore. Students try so hard with green hair and crazy clothes, but we [professors] have seen it before. We've been there."Lorenz Sell: DIY Dolce Junior Lorenz Sell is dying to give a makeover. "I see so many girls who have so much potential and they don't even know it," he says. "How a girl holds herself, her attitude, and her clothes can make such a difference." As for Sell's own style, he believes it's hard to classify. A fan of "fashion he can't afford" as well as vintage styles, Sell frequently mixes designer pieces with three-dollar thrift store finds and clothes he makes himself. Professing that D+G make "the sexiest clothes on Earth," he accessorizes with multiple facial piercings and also divulges a love of well-cut jeans and shoes. What he likes about Tufts style: those Euro sneakers are growing on him. What he loathes about Tufts style: girls who wear white athletic socks with nice shoes and guys who don't bother with their hair.Fashion Advice: A fan of square cut boots and pointed stilettos for the ladies, Sell urges the women of Tufts to reconsider their choice of footwear.Kit Stanton: The "Je ne sais quoi" Tomboy As someone who wears "whatever pants are closest to the bed in the morning," sophomore Kit Stanton's fashion can hardly be called calculated. However, it is precisely this approach to fashion that makes her style so endearing. Confined to a parochial school uniform in high school, Kit now fills her wardrobe with a mix of thrift store finds and hand-me-downs from her older brother's closet. With her trademark backwards-baseball cap covering her long black hair, Stanton 's style is unisex, clean, and refreshing; androgynous style, normally very difficult to pull off without looking grungy or harsh, is charming on Stanton, who wears it with ease. Though she is not terribly interested in fashion, Kit does confess a weak spot for concert T-shirts. What she likes about Tufts style: guys in khakis and collared shirts. What she loathes about Tufts style: girls who wear identical tight pants and sweaters. Fashion Advice: "Don't try to fit into the mold by wearing the same $200 jeans everyone else has." Josh Wertlieb: Unapologetic Label Whore For those of you who don't recognize his name, Josh Wertlieb is that guy who brings his own Kristal and flute to Latin Way parties. If you still don't know who he is, he's the guy with the raccoon fur coat. "People who don't know me probably think I'm cruel to animals or foreign," says Wertlieb. Either way, he is not one to blend into the woodwork. Citing Matt Via, his personal shopper at Louis of Boston, as a style influence, Wertlieb's tastes run to the extravagant. A clotheshorse of the highest degree, Wertlieb calculates he spends approximately $10,000 a year on fashion. "I just don't like knockoffs or things on sale," he says, explaining he would rather pay $400 for a Prada sweater than $50 for the same thing at the Gap. However, though his taste may be flamboyant, Wertlieb insists it's all in good fun. "I'd say I push the envelope, but people who know me know I just like to have a good time." What he likes about Tufts fashion: "Is there any?" What he loathes about Tufts fashion: people scrubbing it to class, girls who dress up while wearing white athletic socks (I sense a theme...).Fashion Advice: "I cannot stress the value of ebay."Professor Virginia Johnson: Style Scholar As the instructor for "Drama 193: the Evolution of Fashion, Professor Johnson" and a costume designer for many Tufts productions, Johnson was an obvious choice for a fashion profile. Describing her style as "eccentric but put together," Johnson, like Dr. Nathanson, believes fashion can be a powerful tool in communicating professionalism. As a costume designer, Johnson recognizes the need to stay current with trends, "to help instill faith in my cast and colleagues." Though her on-campus style is conservative-funky, as a Filipino-American, Johnson also appreciates the fabrics and patterns of her heritage. What she likes about Tufts style: variety and risk taking. What she loathes about Tufts style: "As a costume designer, it is often really hard to not feel like I am contributing to damage [on student's self-esteem concerning their bodies.] Sometimes a play requires the "perfect body" and I have to create it without making the actor feel like his/her body is inadequate."Fashion Advice: "Wear what makes you comfortable and what tells the truth about who you are....And dress for the occasion. Know when to dress up and enjoy those times. The opportunities to dress to the nines are rare, so when the chance comes along, embrace it." So chin up, all ye despondent about fashion. Style is alive and well at Tufts - you just have to look for it.

The Setonian
News

Birthright Israel enrollment plummets to three

March 31

Enrollment in the Hillel-sponsored Birthright Israel program has plummeted since its inception three years ago, dropping from 60 students in 2000 to only three this year. Once attractive to Tufts students as a cost-free opportunity to visit Israel over winter break, rising security concerns have led to a dramatic decrease in enrollment nationwide. Rabbi Jeffrey Summitt lamented the drop. "Unfortunately, with the increase of terrorism, the number of students choosing to participate has dropped," he said. Over 22,000 people have participated in the program, which aims to send 100,000 youth to Israel free of charge over the next five years. Any Jewish person between the ages of 18 and 26 is eligible to participate, as long as he or she has not traveled to Israel on a previous "peer educational" trip. Freshman Ben Rubenstein understands students' concerns about traveling to Israel. "Although I would like to travel to Israel, the current situation there would make me hesitate," he said. Rubenstein's feelings are reflective of the majority of students, Summitt said. "Less people are travelling to the Middle East." Some past participants, however, say they would not be deterred by security concerns. Tal Unrad, who participated in the program two years ago, said that he would return "without hesitation" if given the opportunity. Jason Farbiarz, one of this year's three participants, also said that security was not a concern during the trip. "I didn't imagine that they would have a trip that didn't have security as a priority," he said. Lauren Bloom, Hillel's Program Director, went to Israel in January of 2001. She said that Birthright Israel's consistent focus on security has been maintained and enhanced in the face of escalating violence in the region. "I would say that the most drastic change has been in the locations," she said. Overnight stays in the heart of Jerusalem were moved to more remote areas with tighter security. When she traveled to Israel last year, a complex network of people ensured that student bus routes were safe. The group was also accompanied by an armed guard at all times. The program adheres to criteria based on the Israeli school system's parameters for fieldtrips. As long as Israeli schoolchildren are allowed to travel on fieldtrips, Birthright Israel will be considered safe to continue. Hillel has been cooperating with Birthright Israel since the program's inception three years ago. "The Birthright trips have been profound educational experiences for our students," said Summitt. "Students have been able to see Israel from many different political and social perspectives." The program's stated goal is to "diminish the growing division between Israel and Jewish communities around the world." Other aims include strengthening solidarity between Israeli and Diaspora youth, increasing the number of return visits to Israel, and maintaining Israel's role as a resource for Jewish learning. The national Hillel Foundation for Jewish Campus Life organizes the trip - one of many offered by the umbrella organization Birthright Israel. Millionaires Charles R. Bronfman and Michael H. Steinhardt initiated Birthright Israel. The program is offered through the joint efforts of leading philanthropists, Israeli citizens, and the Israeli government. The United Jewish Communities in North America, Keren HaYesod outside of North America, and The Jewish Agency for Israel are a few of the global Jewish communities that have also worked to further the program.

The Setonian
News

Class on University's history an addition to the Ex-College repertoire

March 31

Do you know where Middle Hall was or which Tufts president was the first to live in Gifford House? And just who was Dewick, anyway? Students who wanted to learn the answers to these and other questions had the opportunity to do so this past semester through a new Experimental College course based on the last century and a half of life on the Hill. The course, entitled "From Ballou to Bacow: Tufts at 150," taught students not only about Tufts history and traditions, but also about the organization and future of the University. Taught by Dr. Anne Mahoney, students used the Perseus Digital Library and Tufts Archives to delve into topics ranging from the founding of the University to Tufts' current position in the academic world.. One of the main goals of the course, Mahoney said, was to help students learn about Tufts history in the University's sesquicentennial year. "It seemed like a timely thing to do," Mahoney said. In addition, Mahoney hoped to use the history of Tufts to help students understand the present conditions at the University as well as our current Tufts traditions. Students learned about the general workings of universities, as well as about the specific organization of Tufts. The class also discussed the similarities and differences between Tufts and other benchmark schools. In an interesting twist to the course, Mahoney had the class experiment with hypertext reading and the digital library. Students in the class did all their reading online. The main text was the two-volume work: Light on the Hill by Russell E. Miller. The entirety of the work was found in the Perseus Digital Library. "We used Light on the Hill as the framework for the class, but wandered as things came up," Mahoney said. Students also read several first-hand documents from Tufts' past. One of these was "Very Fine Indeed," a diary from a student in the 1880's. The class also read "Traditions at Tufts" and "High on the Hill." These two texts were written in the early 1940's and 1960's respectively and were pamphlets once given to incoming freshman. Mahoney wanted to teach a course built around digital material because she believes that online material is very helpful for conducting research. "If you don't know what a building was, you can search the database for its name," Mahoney said. Along with all the text in the database, another feature of the online material is the number of illustrations. The database contains over 3,000 illustrations, many with captions that were interesting to the class. "Online you can get far more pictorial material than in a print volume," Mahoney said. The class, like many Ex-College classes, was small, attracting only seven students. Many of these were nostalgic seniors, as well as other students curious about the history of Tufts. "In my second semester senior year, I was looking for types of classes that were different than I had previously taken," senior Michelle Shelton said. "The Tufts class caught my eye first because I wanted to learn about the history of the place that I am about to leave." According to Mahoney, most students were surprised at the amount of online content used for the course, but quickly became accustomed to it. "At first, I liked it because it was something different," junior Sijuwola Adigun said. "There were different links you could click on to read more about a certain subject or to find pictures on a topic." Many students also liked the idea of not having to buy the books and not having to carry them around. "Having the readings online was a good thing, because I could do them just about anywhere without lugging around the big copy of Light on the Hill, and you could easily link to old pictures from the archives," Shelton said. Some students, however, did get tired of having to read from a computer screen and longed to hold an actual book in their hands. "Since it was a long book, I got tired of looking at the computer screen after a while," Adigun said. Student reaction to the course was also positive, as many students enjoyed learning about the history of their university. "Having read the entire Light on the Hill: Volume 1, I now know enormous amounts of random Tufts knowledge," Shelton said.Those enrolled in the course wrote short papers each week based on the readings they had done. The papers were mostly response papers meant to encourage class discussion. The class also had guest speakers, including President Bacow, who spoke about the future of Tufts. At the end of the semester Mahoney said she was very satisfied with the course, because it was fun to teach. "The students were all really committed and involved members at Tufts," Mahoney said. "It was great to get a student's eye perspective." For graduating seniors enrolled in the class, the course provided a nostalgic ending to their Tufts years. "I enjoyed the class, because it offered me something a bit sentimental for my last semester, and I can leave here knowing much more about the school than I did before I took the class," Shelton said.@s:Students, professor satisfied with course

The Setonian
News

Seniors honored for accomplishments at Tufts

March 31

Though only one senior gets the honor of speaking at commencement, many members of the senior class have been recognized for their distinguished accomplishments at Tufts. The Tufts University Alumni Assocation recently presented thirteen Senior Awards in recognition of seniors who have displayed academic achievement, extensive participation in activities both on campus and in the larger community, and outstanding leadership qualities. These honors went to Jennifer Bien, Daniel Callahan, Allison Collins, Shannon Gourley, Jennifer Harris, Lori Kessler, Seren Levinson, Gerald Sean McDermott, Scott Mittenthal, Alethea Pieters, Kristin Romandetti, Michele Shelton, and Kristi Tough. Collins and Levinson were also awarded Fulbrights, along with Aaron Grieser, Kelly Knee, Chris Kohler, Edwin Ortiz, Ehren Brav and Samantha Snitow. The eight winners of Fulbright scholarships will be headed across the globe after their graduation to further their academic interests. Kelly Knee, an graduate student in Water Resources Engineering, will head to Mauritius - an island off the coast of Madagascar - to pursue her interests in global warming, specifically sea level rise. She did a thesis on impacts of and adaptation strategies to sea level rise in metro Boston, and she hopes to carry out a similar project next year. "Because of its size and vulnerability, Mauritius is the ideal location to research impacts of sea level rise," Knee said. "Its definitely an honor that the people administering this award think my research interests are important enough to merit a year-long research project." Moving to Nigeria will surprisingly not be a drastic change of pace for Ehren Brav, another Fulbright Scholar, who has traveled all over the world studying and working, fulfilling his political science, math, and physics majors. Although the terrain will be new to him, he is looking forward to the experience, as are all of his colleagues. "I'll go in with an open mind and hope that in some small way I can contribute something to the country," said Brav, who plays classical piano and has completed the Boston Marathon in 2000, and she is presently training for the next one. The trained SCUBA diver also enjoys rock climbing and travel. "I want to work to support and empower public interest NGOs in developing nations to secure environmental safeguards, and promote policies which balance economic development and environmental stewardship," he said. One of the older recipients of the Fulbright Scholarship this year is Aaron Grieser. An avid environmentalist, Grieser played an instrumental role in the Seattle-based WTO protests of 1999. Chris Kohler has been given a Fulbright in journalism and hopes to spend his year in Japan writing a book on Japanese video games. A Japanese major, he wrote his senior thesis on Japanese video games and has extensive knowledge on the subject. Kohler wrote for The Primary Source for four years and cites his first interest in Japanese being his initial interest in video games. Fulbright winner Edwin Ortiz came to Tufts as an adult student through the Resumed Education for Adult Learners program. Ortiz was the Associate Director of Cambridge Community Television before he returned to school. Ortiz, who ran the Boston Marathon as an official runner two years in a row, while go to Madrid next year. "My Fulbright project takes me back to where I studied during my junior year abroad and combines my interest in the arts (cinema) with my major in International relations," he said. Samantha Snitow, will be spending the next two years in Australia. Tri-captain of the Women's Lacrosse team, Snitow has also been a tour guide coordinator for the past two and a half years and did AIDS outreach for LCS. She will be in Australia for two years, as opposed to just the customary one-year Fulbright program, to pursuing her masters degree. Collins and Levinson have received both Fulbrights, and Senior Awards. The students who received the alumni awards represent a diverse set of academic and extracurricular interests. Allison Collins, a psychology, and biomedical engineering major who hopes to go on to Medical School, will be spending her next year in Indonesia. Collins served as president of LCS for a year and was involved with a variety of campus activities. Seren Levinson, a child development and drama major, was recognized for her extracurricular involvement in drama and Hillel. She served as president of Torn Ticket II and performed in many plays, musical and non-musical. She invoked a sentiment echoed by many of the other recipients when she spoke of what this award means to her. "It is wonderful to be recognized for my involvement at Tufts, as I have acquired a great deal of my education outside of the classroom," Levinson said. "What I thought was remarkable was that we are all from such incredibly broad and diverse backgrounds," Bien said. Bien has served on the executive board of the Musical Theater Board for three years, having also worked in the drama department on dozens of plays in various capacities. She has also committed much time to volunteering and worked with Medford children who are hard of hearing or deaf, and has served as a translator within many families. Honoree Scott Mittenthal is a four-year football linebacker. Mittenthal plans to return to his hometown of Atlanta at the end of this semester to wait for medical school replies and hopefully volunteer at a hospital and travel. Before he returns home though, he will lead a bike tour for teenagers down the West Coast from Seattle to San Francisco. Alethea Pieters has excelled in a variety of extracurricular pursuits during her time at Tufts. She was a member of gospel choir, the creator and co-host of TUTV's "Jumbo Love Match," and a student representative to the Board of Trustees. Pieters plans to work for United Leaders next year, a nonprofit firm that aims to inspire a new wave of leaders. Lori Kessler, another recipient who has her sights set on graduate school for next year, expressed her excitement in being honored. "I am thrilled to receive the honor," Kessler said. "It's pretty amazing to be given an award for something that you had so much fun doing." Kessler was extensively involved in student Outreach and this year was the overall coordinator for April Open House. An engineering-psychology double major, Kessler found her future interests to be strongly influenced by her extracurricular activities at Tufts. She will attend Penn Graduate School next year to pursue a career as a high school counselor. Award winner Shannon Gourley has actively pursued her interests in psychopharmacology and English literature at Tufts. Gourley has worked in a psychopharmacy lab for over two years with rats and monkeys. She worked at New England Medical Center and Massachusetts General Hospital as an assistant in the psychiatric emergency room. She also rose through the ranks of the TheTuftsObserver to become the managing editor and a member of the executive board. Gourley will be taking next year off of science and attending NYU for her master's in English literature. Kristi Tough has been a major player in the Leonard Carmichael Society the last few years, and served as vice president. She has played on the women's tennis team, been a tour guide, and has been involved with student outreach through admissions. Tough has also a Biology teaching assistant and has served as a board member of the Ex-College for two years. She has coordinated Kids to College, a national mentoring program for 6th graders to think about higher education. A psychology major with a minor in political science, Michele Shelton has served on the Senate for three years while dividing her spare time between the senior leadership corp, the student alumni relations committee, and other university committees. This year she has worked in the Office of Student Activities as a programming assistant for leadership development. Sean McDermott, another Senior Award recipient, has displayed a strong interest in other cultures while majoring in International Letters and Visual Studies. This fascination, he says, comes from his worldly upbringing in Egypt, Kenya, England, Dubai, as well as later years spent in France and Spain. It has also influence his choice of extracurricular activities, as McDermott served as president of the International Club his junior year. McDermott also served as Business Manager of TLSV, a trustee representative, coordinator for the MFA 2000 Boston French Film Festival, and a member of the Student Global Aids Committee (an international student activist group), and has been an employee of the Tufts European Center in Talloires, France, where he will be this summer. "For me, separating my academic and non-academic interests is ultimately impossible," McDermott said. "I have made it a rule - and been mostly successful - to not take any classes that don't interest me in some way."

The Setonian
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Wilbur Theatre's latest examines family dynamics

March 31

From the moment it debuted in New York nearly two years ago, the critically acclaimed Proof was a hit. After a sold-out, extended run at Manhattan Theatre Club's Stage I, the play opened on Broadway in October 2000 at the Walter Kerr Theatre. Now, under the direction of Daniel Sullivan, Proof has made its way to Boston's Wilbur Theatre, promising to wow New England audiences with its innovative, heart-wrenching examination of family dynamics and the unexpected twists and turns of life. Set on the back porch of her father's home in Chicago's Hyde Park, Proof is the story of Catherine, a young woman who must come to terms with many things: the death of her father Robert, a brilliant mathematician; her controlling and estranged sister, Claire; and Hal, an unexpected love interest. Hal, a former student of her father's, comes to Catherine's home after her father's death and begins to examine the 103 marble notebooks he left in search of a valuable piece of work. What he discovers is a fantastic mathematical proof, which Catherine claims to have written. Her assertion tests the bonds of sisterhood and the romantic feelings that have developed with Hal. It is no surprise that Proof is the winner of 11 awards, including the 2001 Tony Award for Best Play, the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and the 2001 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play. The production owes much of its success to playwright David Auburn. His first Broadway production, Proof is a stirring, emotional play that is includes sporadic episodes of humorous sarcasm that save the production from becoming melodramatic and tedious. He writes convincingly about the drama faced by the four characters in the play, creating four distinctive characters while clearly portraying the bonds that connect them. The different relationships between Hal, Catherine, Claire, and Robert are eloquently and carefully developed by Auburn, and result in a cohesive plot with endearing and believable characters. Auburn's work is creative, emotional, and compelling. Equally responsible for the play's continuing success is the impressive cast. Chelsea Altman shines as Catherine, capturing the subtleties of the character as she questions how much of her father's madness she may have inherited. A truly versatile actress, her feelings range from bitingly sarcastic to emotionally distraught. She successfully manipulates the audience through laughter and tears and works beautifully opposite Terry Layman's Robert, usually played by Robert Foxworth. The father/daughter relationship fluctuates between frustration and love. In a particularly memorable scene, Robert claims to have recaptured his mathematical genius and asks his daughter to work with him in this new research. Thrilled to think that her father has recovered from his madness, Catherine reads from the notebook documenting his latest proof, only to realize it is a collection of less than cohesive rants about the cold in Chicago. Both characters realize that Robert's madness is as bad as ever. Altman and Layman play off each other in this eloquent, emotional scene as Robert comes to terms with the loss of his genius and Catherine must realize once more that her father will never again be his old self. Stephen Kunken, a Tufts graduate, is just as compelling and engaging an actor as Hal, a graduate student studying math at the University of Chicago. Kunken recently played the role in the Tony Award-winning production of Proof. He captures the inner conflict experienced when his love for Catherine and his love for math cross paths. He effortlessly shifts from comedic to tragic throughout the play, convincingly portraying both the stereotypical math geek and the sympathetic lover. Kunken's credits range from Off-Broadway shows to various television appearances. Both the set design by John Lee Beatty and the lighting design by Pat Collins are impressive. Beatty's creation of the back porch where the action of the play takes place is thoughtful, evoking a feeling of antiquity. The porch appears as exhausted as the characters themselves, painted a faded green and chipping away. Collins uses lighting to convey the same emotions, creating a kind of haze across the stage. Proof is undeniably one of the most impressive and memorable productions to hit Broadway in recent years. According to Auburn, the play is so appealing because audiences can relate to the characters. "We all aspire to be like our parents in certain ways, and worry that we are becoming them in other ways," he said. Whatever it is, the play's success is undoubtedly deserved as viewers continue to be amazed.

The Setonian
News

Strong interest in CSL race

March 31

In contrast to this semester's uncontested Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate and Judiciary elections, students have expressed renewed interest in the Committee on Student Life (CSL). Eleven students have announced their candidacy for Tufts' highest ranking student-faculty body. While some candidates say their interest spawned from recent high-profile CSL decisions on sexual harassment and the Elections Board (ELBO) cases this year, others say they simply hope to affect school policy. Elections will be held online tomorrow. ELBO chair Joe Coletti said that the pool of candidates has actually been reduced since students first entered the race. Originally, 15 students were running for the committee, but four resigned from the race for personal reasons. The increase marks a significant change of pace for the CSL, which just last year had an uncontested election for the five student spots on the committee. Coletti said the race will be more volatile than in previous years, beginning with the debate held last night. "I would say that this race will become heated because its such a major focus and [the CSL has] been in the spotlight on campus this year," Coletti said. "A lot of student organizations on campus have interest in who gets on the CSL." The candidates are juniors Valentino Caruso, Sam Dangremond , Daniel Kramer, and Megan Liotta, sophomores Jodi Gilman, Simon Holroyd , Suman Rao, and Stacy Ulrich and freshmen Eliza Drachman-Jones, Leah Knobler, and Will Wittels. Coletti said ELBO has had little trouble adjusting to the increased interest because it is the only contested election, with the exception of the TCU presidential election later this month. For this reason, ELBO has been able to focus on the CSL, which Coletti hopes will be the first successful online election at Tufts. Most of the candidates said they were attracted to the CSL because of its increased presence on campus this year and hope to inject the committee with new blood. "[The turnout is] due in large part because of the fallout from the whole SLAM and Primary Source conflict. That kind of shed a lot of light, as did the TFA case on the important and final role that the CSL plays," Caruso said. Though those cases have fueled debate in recent months, some said they feel the CSL is at the early stages of other important decisions that will be made next year. "There were a lot of plagiarism cases and hate crimes this year," Drachman-Jones said. "It's a big possibility that these will be brought to the CSL the following year, and these are big issues." But Liotta - one of three candidates who have served on the body before - said that while the political cases the committee has dealt with this year have increased interest, students who are trying their first attempt at student government may be surprised by the less political duties of the CSL. "People don't really realize that the CSL isn't a political group on campus," Liotta said. Three Primary Source members were on the CSL this year, a fact which Liotta said misleads students into thinking the organization is "politically tilted." If the election results in any ties - a considerable possibility given the large number of candidates - ELBO will hold a runoff election immediately following the general election.

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