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Town-gown relations on upswing

March 31

A rusted sign outside Robinson Hall points in three directions: "Medford" to the left, "Somerville" to the right, and straight ahead towards Tufts, "City Line." The divisions between the three are as evident today as they were decades ago. Yet, despite a history of complaints, disagreements, and even lawsuits between Tufts and the two cities, community relations are increasingly stable and, according to some, headed in the right direction. Since the founding of Tufts, a century and a half ago, the University has played an integral role in the development of the local community, and vice versa. Neighborhood grievances directed toward Tufts, however, have often been louder than the praise it has received. The Princeton Review states that Tufts town-gown relations as "strained." Several notable conflicts have arisen between the University and local residents in recent years, many centered on student behavior. Disputes between Tufts and its neighbors are probably unavoidable due to the physical location of the University. "If you look at any university that has neighbors, you're going to see some friction," Director of Community Relations Barbara Rubel said. "But I think we're better off than many of them." The most common clashes between residents and Tufts result from off-campus parties that disrupt sleeping neighbors. While many residents complain about inconsiderate partygoers, students believe conflicts are often worsened by police and the administration. Though Tufts has disciplinary jurisdiction over the behavior of its students on and off campus, many are unaware of the University's policies. Senior Sarah Wasch and her housemates, who rent on College Ave., received a letter from the Deans' Office after a neighbor complained about an alleged noise violation. "I find it odd that someone from outside of the Tufts community has the power to impose punishment from within the Tufts community," she said. "If my neighbor had just called up and asked me to turn down the music, the situation would have been resolved." The students were fined $100 by the administration for their violation. Some students are also being left out of the dialogue on community relations, Wasch said. "There has been an effort going on between Tufts landlords and communities where, if there's a problem, landlords and neighbors and deans and police are in contact before the residents know about it." Rubel, who acts as the liaison between Medford and Somerville residents and the University, sees Tufts as more proactive than many institutions in dealing with community problems. "For many years, we've taken the position that students are in this area because of Tufts and students should be respectful in any living situation - whether they're in a dorm or in an apartment," she said. Rubel has dealt with complaints from local residents and officials about outdoor event noise levels, off-campus parties, parking regulations, building construction, and lately, Tufts' tax-exempt status. A recent article in The Somerville Journal, entitled "What is Tufts University worth to Somerville?" expressed the sentiments of many residents that the administration does not contribute to the local economy and should make "payments in lieu of taxes" to the surrounding cities. Tufts, as an educational institution, is granted tax-exempt status by state law and pays no taxes on its nonprofit buildings. Medford and Somerville want the University to follow the examples of Harvard and MIT and make payments to compensate for such benefits. Medford Mayor Michael McGlynn is a "very big proponent" of the tax substitution payments, and has spoken to President Larry Bacow about the issue at length. "As long as there's some financial resource coming to the community, in terms of the resources we provide, the citizens will be happy," McGlynn said. But the likelihood of this happening in the near future, especially in the current economic climate and with Tufts' minimal endowment, is small. Perry Serfes, a local business owner and resident, is pleased with the economic contribution that Tufts students make to Medford and Somerville. From his restaurant, Jay's Deli, he has seen Tufts change throughout 42 years of business. "I've never had a problem with Tufts," he said. "It's fine for the neighborhood and good for my business." Serfes, a local personality among student diners, says over 40 percent of his customers are Tufts students. Aside from the issue of taxes, however, McGlynn sees the relationship between Tufts and Medford as overwhelmingly positive. "I have an excellent relationship with Tufts and we've worked together on a number of successful projects," he said. McGlynn cited Tufts' contributions to the refurbishment of Capen Street Park, the construction of business parking lot in the Medford hillside area, and the upcoming remodeling of a Medford elementary school into faculty and low-cost resident housing as evidence of effective relations. According to Rubel, many local residents are unaware of the benefits Tufts provides for them. Locals are entitled to free usage of library, outdoor track, and campus room facilities by request. The University publicizes campus cultural events in Somerville and Medford, and organizations such as the Leonard Carmichael Society and the University College of Citizenship and Public Service sponsor several community service initiatives conducted by students. Somerville resident Kathy O'Brien appreciates these efforts but sees a lack of communication between the University and its host communities. "I'd like to see a monthly newsletter from Tufts to the residents with all the information about what is offered," O'Brien said. "We don't know that there are many resources available." Despite such problems of communication, administrators, students, and residents seem to agree that things could be worse. Rubel pointed out that the Princeton Review town-gown relationship rankings "seem to center [more] around where you can buy beer" than the respect between students and local residents. Wasch "love[s] the fact that Tufts is surrounded by these two communities" and appreciates their stores and resources. And McGlynn is pleased by the lack of resident complaints and the large number of Medford students accepted to Tufts this year. O'Brien, a neighbor of Tufts for the past 52 years, values her community's relations with Tufts. "We play our softball games up at the park there. I personally use the track. I have relatives that have gone there and know people who have worked there," she said. "It's a wonderful thing," O'Brien added. "Tufts is a great, great place to be around."

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News

Hodgdon gets new layout

March 31

Thanks to new manager Mike Falconer's streamlined layout, many students are finding that trips to Hodgdon Take-It-Away are much easier than last year. Falconer's arrival to Tufts in July ushered in a new era for the dining hall turned take-out caf?©. His mission, he says, is to usher Hodgdon into the new millenium. THUMBNAIL: STUDENT LIFE "I'm just going to keep trying to make it more appealing," Falconer said. "We're trying to make it look a little more 21st century." Calling last semester's layout "inefficient," Falconer moved the stations around over the break to make better use of Hodgdon's limited space. The dining hall's new layout uses more shelving, puts sandwich fixings closer to the sandwich bar, and includes actual menus so students can read the prices of each item. Falconer has also moved the Mexican hot food stand next to the Italian one and provided staffed service for it. He plans to rename the stand "Mike's Marvelous Mexican" in hopes of increasing patronage. Dining Services Director Patti Lee Klos has other ideas in mind, though. "It's a working title," she said. Klos said that the changes to Hodgdon's layout were long overdue, since many students have complained that the menus and layout were confusing. "We've studied how people cue up in line, and how they go in and out. We always try to make the best utilization of the space," she said. They based changes on informal observations of the staff and the input from a few students who voiced concerns. "Some stations were reoriented, hopefully to improve the flow," Klos said. "Changes were implemented so the staff could access the areas and observe." The change was so smooth that many students did not even notice that the layout had changed over break. Some, however, found that it was much easier to get their take-out. "They're really good at thinking about how to put things together to make it easier for the students," junior Paul Berry said. The most popular change for students was the new location of the sandwich fixings. "I like it better because all the fresh meat and sandwich stuff is together," sophomore Carolyn Abbot said. Having worked previously at Bread & Circus grocery store and Brandeis University, Falconer is using his experience to make Hodgdon a better dining experience. "The ultimate goal is towards home meal replacement," he said. Since Falconer's arrival, Hodgdon has greeted students with a number of new foods, from granola bars and microwave oatmeal to barbecue and two-liter sodas. "My philosophy is to keep it interesting and change it and keep running specials until we can establish some permanent menu items," Falconer said. Klos said that the new food is part of an overall menu change to increase student dining satisfaction. "We're trying to find new foods that will be appealing to students," she said. "We want to mix things up a bit." In coming months, students can expect to see an increase in Hodgdon's barbecue offerings. Dining Services has been trying to find a home for barbecue-style foods since "Trio's Sunset Barbecue" was converted into a smoothie-bar last year. Falconer said he also hopes to bring back rotisserie chicken, a once-popular item that Hodgdon has served in the past.

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News

New Dean Dunn isn't done with teaching

March 31

Whether it is his racy comments about who's getting it on in "Much Ado About Nothing," or his advice to sophomores about class choices, many students have heard about Professor Kevin Dunn's lively personality and exciting English classes. "Kevin Dunn knows how to entertain as he educates," said junior Daniel Rosenberg, an English and philosophy double major who is one of Dunn's advisees. "It's a rare gift among professors." As the new dean of academic affairs for arts and sciences, Dunn will be, in his words, "look[ing] after the happiness of the faculty." "I don't want to impose initiatives that don't come from the needs of the faculty," he said. "That being said, I do have a strong interest in fostering interdisciplinary teaching and scholarship, and I hope that I can encourage more of that at Tufts." While Dunn is looking forward to his new role, many students voiced dismay upon learning that Dunn will not teach as much in the future. Dun plans to teach one course each year, which will likely be "The English Bible." "I was planning on taking his Shakespeare course next fall," junior English minor Courtney Brown said. "I'm saddened because I was really looking forward to that class." Dunn, who specializes in Shakespearean and Renaissance Literature, also did not teach last fall either because he was on sabbatical. He spent this time finishing a draft of Opening the Book, which is a textbook for the Bible as a literature course. He hopes to have the work published by McGraw-Hill. Dunn has other publications under his belt, including Figures of Speech: Dramatic Representations of Counsel in Shakespeare and His Contemporaries and Pretexts of Authority: The Rhetoric of Authorship in the Renaissance Preface, both published by Stanford University Press. While other children dreamed of becoming astronauts and famous performers, Dunn was always set on his current career. "It's funny - the first thing I can remember wanting to be as a child was a professor," Dunn said. He originally considered a physics major but found that his English course was more challenging. "I think I responded to the difficulties and frustrations of having to interpret texts." Dunn grew up in Louisville, KY and was an undergraduate at the University of Louisville. After graduation, he headed to Oxford to study, and he returned a few years later to the University of Louisville for more graduate work. Dunn later received his Ph.D. from Yale, and he taught at Yale for eight years before coming to Tufts. Though he is now busy with his new administrative responsibilities, Dunn is taking some time to enjoy his new view from Ballou Hall. "It turns out that it's a great place to watch the campus red-tailed hawks, which are always swooping past my windows going after pigeons and squirrels," he said.

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News

Women's basketball nearly upsets Bowdoin

March 31

The women's basketball nearly reenacted the story of David and Goliath on Saturday afternoon in a NESCAC matchup with the Bowdoin Polar Bears. Going into the game against a Goliath of Div. III basketball, it appeared Tufts would have little chance at a victory against the Polar Bears, who entered the contest with a 15-1 record (4-1 NESCAC) and were ranked second in the nation by d3hoops.com. But instead of psyching themselves out, the Jumbos nearly pulled off the biggest NESCAC upset of the season, were it not for a non-call on junior co-captain Hillary Dunn's driving lay-up attempt with 17 seconds left to play. "The play was designed to let me drive and try and draw the foul," Dunn said. "So we executed it well but just didn't get the call. [The refs] were calling it pretty tight at the end so we thought we would get that call." Senior Katie Kehrberger, playing her last game in Cousen's Gym, was also upset with the referees' failure to call the foul on Dunn's drive. "Again, it was frustrating, but you can't complain," she said. "You just have to keep playing." With the score tied at 48, Dunn broke her opponent off the dribble and got to the basket. On her way up for the shot, she was hit in the head, but no whistle was blown. Following the drive, Bowdoin grabbed the rebound and Kehrberger picked up a foul, sending Bowdoin sophomore guard Lora Trenkle to the line. Trenkle calmly sank both free throws, putting her team ahead 50-48. Tufts would have one more shot, and once again Dunn drove the length of the floor to the basket. This time, instead of shooting, she kicked it off to senior co-captain Jayme Busnengo, who missed a ten footer as time expired. Had the Jumbos called a timeout prior to Dunn's initial drive to the basket, the team may have been able to design a play whereby they held the ball for a final shot. But the team decided to go for the kill rather than play it safe - and but for the controversial non-call, it might have worked. While Bowdoin escaped with a victory, Tufts' ability to stay with the Polar Bears and actually hold the lead for much of the game was an accomplishment in its own right. Bowdoin had lost only one game on the season, a 56-54 thriller on Friday against Bates the night before. The fact that Bates and Bowdoin were so evenly matched did not appear to bode well for Tufts, as Bates had previously whipped the Jumbos by 40 points in a 97-57 victory on Jan. 19. Outside of the loss to Bates, Bowdoin had played only one close game the entire season, a 56-55 victory over Wellesley on Nov. 18, in the Polar Bears' second game. Disregarding those two contests, the closest an opponent had come to defeating Bowdoin was on Nov. 27, when the Polar Bears defeated Southern Maine by a mere nine points. In each of its other 13 games, Bowdoin had won by at least 13 points. "We knew it would be a rough battle," sophomore Maritsa Christoudias said. "But I think once the game actually started our defense took them out of their game a little bit. Plus we had the home court advantage. I think it was just that we had nothing to lose, and the pressure was all on them." Following the Polar Bears' loss on Friday night, the Jumbos expected Bowdoin to come out energetic and looking for redemption. But this was not the case, as Tufts managed to hold Bowdoin to only 24 points in the first half. The Polar Bears were unimpressive from the field, connecting on only 29.2 percent of their shots on the day, including a horrendous 1-18 from three-point range."They came off a tough loss the night before," Dunn said. "We were expecting them to come out fired up and hungry for a win. They didn't come out with much intensity. Maybe they were taking us for granted." With about 12 minutes remaining in the second half, it appeared Tufts had evolved into the "Little Engine That Could" and was about to will its way to victory. But after sophomore Erin Buckley made a lay-up at 10:17, pushing the lead back up to 12 (44-32), the Jumbos suddenly went cold. The frigid shooting lasted for the remaining ten minutes of the game, as Tufts failed to make a field goal during that period. "It was frustrating that we weren't able to score," Kehrberger said. "They picked it up defensively as well, and it was hard for us to get a good look at the basket." For much of the scoring drought, Goodman, soon to be Tufts career scoring leader, and Busnengo, another solid offensive threat, were sitting on the bench. Despite the second half struggles which enabled Bowdoin to get back into the game and eventually win it, the game did provide a forum for the Jumbos to show their character. They managed to play with one of the top teams in the nation after having suffered a heartbreaking 63-60 loss to Colby on Friday night. During that game, Tufts went head to head with Colby for the entire game and were down only one, 62-61, with 49 seconds to play following a Kehrberger pass to Busnengo for a lay-up. The Jumbos had two chances to either tie the game or take the lead in the final 33 seconds, including Kehrberger's three-point attempt as time expired. "It's tough," Dunn said afterwards. "We really felt we could have beat either team and to come out with two losses is disheartening, but we can't dwell on that. We need to move on and focus on this weekend." Coach Janice Savitz declined to talk to the Daily following the loss to Colby.

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News

Coupe's stature makes him perfect fit in the middle

March 31

With over 64 Division I, II, and III schools recruiting and recognizing the talents of men's basketball freshman center Craig Coupe, it's no wonder why he's already an impact player at Tufts. Averaging 12.1 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, Coupe is a dominant figure down low for the Jumbos. And at 6'8", he's nearly unstoppable in the paint. With the loss of last year's center and co-captain Dan Flaherty to graduation, head coach Bob Sheldon understood the importance of recruiting a center. Coupe played high school ball in Niskayuna, NY where he was the focal point of his squad's offense. But Sheldon didn't discover Coupe through high school basketball. "We saw Craig at Hoop Mountain (Basketball Camp) and an AAU tournament at Rutgers," Sheldon said. "We knew he was going to be a really good player. Of course being 6'8" didn't hurt." Sheldon was excited by the prospects of a player with the basketball talent and the classroom ability of Coupe. And from the freshman's end, Coupe said he learned how to be in the right place at the right time when it came to recruiting. "The reason I was playing AAU was to get exposed to colleges and to get better," Coupe said. Though there were eight Division I recruits on his AAU team, Coupe still managed to get noticed.Although it was a tough college decision, Coupe said he selected Tufts because of its basketball program and academics."The more and more I thought about it, D-I is like a job, D-III you can do other things. I like to diversify," he said. "My parents were stressing academics; Tufts fit the bill. They also have a history of a strong (basketball) program." While at Tufts, a new challenge for Coupe was the more physical dimension of college basketball, as opposed to high school or AAU basketball. With Coupe's positioning on the court, he feels the brunt of the game's physicality. Although more mobile than Flaherty, Sheldon did not feel comfortable starting Coupe right away, and Coupe knew he had to pay his freshman dues. "I think coach Sheldon didn't want to throw me to the wolves, he wanted to get me adjusted," Coupe said of the possibility of starting right from the start. But with the regularly season slowly coming to a close, he's now started in ten of the team's 18 games."He came on so hard and played so well, he earned his starting position," Sheldon said. Of course, Coupe is only one of the Jumbos' go-to players. He's currently the third highest scorer on the squad, following juniors Mike McGlynn and Brian Shapiro. And though one might think that going from the lead scoring option last year to the fourth or fifth this season would discourage Coupe, he said he recognizes his role on the team. "It was a little different because last year I was the main option," Coupe stated. "Here guys like Mike McGlynn, Phil Barlow, and Brian Shapiro are the main scorers, whatever they want me to do I will do it."Sheldon did not envision the center of the offense going through Coupe because he is only a freshman on a team with many shooters, but that is sometimes the case. More often, though, Sheldon makes Coupe earn his points by emphasizing grabbing rebounds and making lay-ups. Coupe's role in the paint opens up the outside for long-range shooters.Sheldon said the next three weeks will be the toughest for Coupe because his high school season would normally be ending now. Because of this, Sheldon has planned his lineup accordingly. "It's hard to play 40 minutes, even hard to play 30. We have some good guys to step up behind him," Sheldon said. "It is important to keep his legs fresh."After nearly a season of Tufts basketball, the freshman is coming into his own. And though he's somewhat of a modest individual, Coupe doesn't mind the attention he's received from his new fans. "It feels really good when you walk around and stand out," Coupe said. "This year is kind of interesting to have constant followings after every game and reading about what happened in the Daily."Early in his career, it's seeming that Coupe has a bright future both on and off the court at Tufts. And barring injury, he's got a few years of starting at center ahead of him. "There are only two people that can stop him from being a good player, that is him and me," Sheldon said. "He has All-American potential, but also room for improvement."

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News

Hockey team extends losing streak to eight

March 31

The hockey team entered a weekend against similarly below-.500 teams and expected to emerge with at least one victory. That didn't happen, however, as Tufts lost consecutive games to NESCAC opponents Hamilton and Amherst in another disappointing weekend. The losses push the Jumbos to 4-15 and 3-13 in the NESCAC, where they remain in last place."It's a little hard, losing all the time, and we're getting a little tired," junior co-captain Chris Martin said. "We've got one more weekend left and we're just gonna play hard."On Saturday, the Jumbos lost to Amherst in an 8-1 blowout. The Lord Jeffs dominated the second period, where they put away five of their eight goals. Martin put the Jumbos on the scoreboard with their lone goal less than two minutes into the game off an assist from freshman Brian Conti. With the victory, Amherst improved to 6-11-5 overall and 6-7-4 in conference play, moving the Lord Jeffs out of a seventh place tie with Conn. College in the NESCAC.The loss came at the heels of a Friday night trouncing by Hamilton College, as the Continentals ended their four-game slide with a 10-2 victory over the Jumbos. Tufts got on the board in the last minute of play in the second stanza on an unassisted goal by junior tri-captain Mike Carceo. In the third period, junior Matt Potts scored his first career goal off of an assist from senior Rob Greene.After the game, Martin said the team's first season in the NESCAC has been a rough one. "We really aren't used to this caliber of teams," he said. "It's a lot faster hockey. Once we make that transition we'll be absolutely better. It'll get a lot better next year, I don't know if it will all come through, but we'll be more experienced."A continual bright spot in the Jumbos' tumultuous season thus far has been the consistent play of Carceo, who has 12 goals and 19 assists to his credit, and is ranked eighth in the NESCAC in scoring with 1.41 ppg.Goaltenders senior Ian Kell and sophomore Ben Crapser are also playing well under the rapid fire of tough competitors. In 15 contests, the younger goaltender has made 350 saves, while Kell accounts for 315 saves in 14 games.Early on in the season, the Jumbos knew their first year in the NESCAC would bring some bumps along the way - but the team could not have prepared for the level of play it encountered in the league. Now, Martin and his teammates are now focused on not let the losing season hinder improvement next year. "What it all comes down to is we have to play through this stuff," Martin said. "We all knew it would be like this, even though I don't know if we all knew it would be this tough. But we've got to do this to be ready for next year." The team heads into its final week of play with modest expectations. "I'm not really worried about winning, I just want to play hard," Martin said. "If we play hard that will be a great way to end the season."

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News

Meet two of Tufts' finest

March 31

Before matriculating at Tufts, Richardson hoped to be a professional baseball player. A star pitcher, he was drafted out of high school by the Kansas City Athletics in 1967. However, Richardson's father discouraged his professional athletic pursuits, and advised him to attend college instead. Following his father's advice, Richardson enrolled at Tufts and majored in political science. While at the University, he was president of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity in 1970, played varsity baseball, taught at the Experimental College, and received the Elias Scholarship Award in 1970. After receiving his Master's degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in 1971, Richardson set out on a career in politics. He started as a staff member for the US House of Representatives in 1972, then worked for the State Department. In 1976 he worked on the foreign relations subcommittee of the US Senate under the direction of Senator Hubert Humphrey. Richardson first campaign was in 1980, for a seat in the House of Representatives for the Third District in New Mexico. And while he did set a short-lived world record for the most number of hands shaken in one day (8,871) on his campaign, he lost the election. In 1982, Richardson ran again, and won. He was re-elected for several terms as congressman, and served through 1996. He was a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in 1985 and in 1990, and was instrumental in helping strengthen the Clean Air Act. He also served on the Resources Committee on the National Parks, Forests and Lands, the Select Committee on Intelligence, and the Helsinki Commission. In the mid-1990's Richardson worked with foreign officials to handle unique situations, such as freeing Americans imprisoned overseas and promoting foreign goals interests. He met with Saddam Hussein and Fidel Castro and observed elections in Nicaragua and Guatemala. He was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1995. In 1996, Richardson was named the US Ambassador to the United Nations. A rising star in the Democratic party, Richardson's political capital dropped a notch when the Department of Energy became embroiled in a scandal surrounding the release of nuclear secrets. Richardson is currently running for Alumni Trustee of the University.

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News

Pop music that you can respect

March 31

Take the clich?© of an introspective, suffering singer/songwriter playing an acoustic guitar. Add a record contract with Maverick Records, opening act gigs for Ben Folds Five, limited radio airplay, and financial support for recording. The outcome is King of Yesterday, Jude's third full-length album, released last September.In the last few years, Jude, an artist with strong Boston ties, has gained a small but devoted following of fans, gaining prominence for his heart-wrenching, thought provoking songs about love, loss, betrayal, and his disgust for the city of Los Angeles. His second album, No One Is Really Beautiful (his first on Maverick Records), earned limited commercial success - but it was enough to capture critics' attention. It was the perfect album for a depressed or soul-searching mood. But with his new album, Jude decided to take a sharp turn from his successful formula. The songs are all well-constructed pop pieces that resonate with positivity and optimism. The signs of artistic and financial success are clear. But before any music fans emblazon the term "sell-out" on Jude's forehead, they shouldn't overlook a simple fact - the style works. It works well. "Jangly" is the only word that can define this CD's sound. The songs are mostly up-tempo works with peppy guitar chords and upbeat lyrics. The beats are sharp, and Jude easily blends his voice into the mix. In some songs, such as "Everything's Alright (I Think It's Time)," a full horn section resonates providing a funky effect. The positive, adult contemporary pop sound is eerily reminiscent of several mid-'90s adult contemporary musicians, namely Chris Isaak. Amongst the upbeat, so-called "party" songs, Jude throws in a few ballads - partly for the album's style, and partly to appease his fans. These are all lush, with subtle instrumentation and beautiful vocals. This is mostly evident in the majestic "I Do" (a song that has appeared in different versions on each of his albums). As the song rolls on, he sweetly muses over lost love in a wistful and somber voice, with trained and distinctive vocal. The most notable feature of Jude's voice is his ability to hit the high notes. And I mean high notes. At times in "Indian Lover," and "I Will Not Die" he comes off as a male Mariah Carey (only in vocal styling) nailing down a perfect, and well-timed falsetto. Along with the positive sound and style, the songs' lyrics have also been affected. Instead of philosophizing over love as he has in the past, he states it much more simply on this disc with lyrics like "You look sexy, you look hot. Is that really all we got?" Well put. In other songs, Jude brings back never tired lines like "I like it to make it with my baby every night." With lines like that, how can one not have a good time. Jude's sense of humor that is on great display here, too - he approaches most of his songs with a very sly, tongue-in-cheek sort of humor. In "Teenage Girlfriend," he melodically croons above a sugar coated guitar line about the new love he met at the mall. The lyrics are pathetically sensitive, and they're meant to be. Furthermore, his dry musical humor comes out in his cover of Bread's "Everything I Own." He attacks the original cheesiness of the original, and strips away the country-rock tendencies, adding a much softer, self-mocking sentiment, which highlights the ultra-sappy lyrics. Such an addition to this cover song amongst several upbeat, pop songs proves that Jude is out to have a good time with his music.King of Yesterday is a pop CD that you can listen to while keeping your musical integrity. It's fun, yet it's still musically sound. In a way this album is like the guy who starts wearing Hawaiian shirts, after years of dressing in all black. For people that knew him before, it's strange and unusual, but also wonderful and exciting. For people that are introduced to him for the first time, it's like "Hey, who's that guy in the Hawaiian shirt? I bet he's fun to be around. Let's get to know him better." That's a good way to put it - King of Yesterday: very fun to be around.

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News

A new Manhattan Project

March 31

In 1942, the US assembled the greatest collection of scientific minds ever brought together in a desert of New Mexico. They had one purpose: to develop an atomic bomb. Now, a new Manhattan Project is needed, this time for peace. Because a meaningful global warming treaty is unlikely to ever be adopted, the US should take the lead in aggressively investing in cleaner energy. The scientific basis of global warming is unlikely to be firmly established in the near future. As with many environmental issues, it is easy to show correlations (i.e. rising global temperatures and rising carbon dioxide levels) but next to impossible to show a causal relation (i.e. carbon dioxide is what is actually causing the rise in temperatures). The computer power necessary for modeling climate change is staggering, and even the best theoretical model is only as good as its assumptions. Yet this is by no means an excuse for inaction. Last October was the warmest on record. Global average temperature rise is three times faster in the last 25 years than it has been over the last century.The potential dangers of global warming are immense. A one-meter rise in average sea-level would result in the loss of 35,000 square kilometers of land and increased flooding in tens of thousands more. Weather patterns could become increasingly unpredictable. Modest change in precipitation patterns could drastically affect agriculture. The global supply and demand for water could be upset. Ecosystems accustomed to the same weather patterns for millennia could be damaged or destroyed. All of these nightmares are conjectural - it depends on which model you believe. However, the risks of doing nothing outweigh the costs of tackling this problem now, rather than later. Just as one should not allow flammable objects to accumulate around the water heater, we cannot afford to risk dangerous and possibly irreversible harm to our environment for the sake of short term cost savings. The sad fact is that the Kyoto Accords are woefully inadequate, providing a Band-Aid (or worse, a fig leaf) where surgery is needed. With each passing day, the likelihood of adopting any meaningful global warming initiative fades. The best time would have been in the mid-90's, under a Democratic president when the economy was strong. Even then, the biggest producers of greenhouse gasses would be the least likely to change their behavior. Now, there is little hope for the adoption, let alone the implementation, of a global warming treaty. What needs to happen is a major investment in the development of cleaner energy. Quite simply, blanket limitations on carbon emissions will not work. The sheer availability of petroleum - more known reserves exist now than ever before - and the low cost of fossil fuels - in real terms, the price for a gallon of gas has fallen 40 percent since 1980 - means that people, especially in poor countries, will not willingly cut their carbon emissions.Instead, clean energy must be made economically and politically favorable. The US should lead the way in aggressively investing in clean energies: nuclear fusion (not fission), whose byproducts are helium and water; fuel cells, that make electricity out of hydrogen and oxygen; improved solar panel technology; and more efficient utilization of existing fuels could dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions. Right now, we are moving in the exact opposite direction. President Bush's budget proposal last year cut $277 million from renewable energy research and development programs. Energy efficiency programs were cut 50 percent.Of course, the first steps towards solving this problem have been right under our noses for years. More insulation in houses, low-flow faucets, more efficient lighting and most importantly, more fuel efficient cars could squash out energy usage. Federal and state governments, which typically buy large fleets of cars, could lead the way by using hybrid or electric vehicles. It would be particularly easy for them, since they could centrally fuel and maintain them in the absence of a methane or ethanol option at the local Chevron. For its part, the Tufts Climate Initiative deserves praise for helping to bring this about.By installing minimally expensive insulation and better heating systems, families could shave one-fifth off their heating bill, which is itself a conservative estimate. Over ten years, a family that usually pays $100 per month on electricity would save $2,400.Likewise, buying a Honda Civic which gets 32 miles per gallon as opposed to a Jeep Cherokee which gets 20 miles per gallon will save $273 per year, assuming one drives 200 miles a week. Sports utility vehicles and light trucks are able to circumvent fuel efficiency laws, adding to the problem. Implementing a modest increase in average fuel efficiency would get us more gas than we could ever hope to find in Alaska.The problems will increasingly shift outside the US, particularly to Asia. China especially will pump out greenhouse gasses like no other. If every person in China had a car - a stated goal of Beijing - then there would be more cars in China than currently exist in the world. The implications of this are mind-boggling.The sprouting of dirty coal burning power plants will compound the problem. Cities are being built with little consideration for environmental damage. Many new buildings in Chinese cities lack central air-conditioning, hugely increasing their energy use. Inadequate urban planning and poor public transportation means that people will have to drive long distances to their places of work. And India will soon have even more people than China. This is all the more reason to develop a clean, cheap, efficient alternative to fossil fuels. If the alternative exists and saves money, it will be used. Just as the Manhattan project accomplished a huge goal in a remarkably short period of time, we need to get the best scientific minds of our time, give them resources and lock them away in New Mexico until they come up with a good alternative to fossil fuels. The longer we put off dealing with this problem, the greater the costs will be in the future.

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News

Bacow, Senate go head to head over U-grad task force

March 31

Many Tufts Community Union (TCU) senators expressed disappointment Sunday after University President Larry Bacow addressed the Senate following a meeting between senators and his Task Force on Undergraduate Life. Though senators were responsive to the Task Force's ongoing quest for facts and ideas, many felt that Bacow's good intentions were overshadowed by what they saw as his unfamiliarity with the workings of the Senate. Some senators said that his responses to questions were evasive and left them dissatisfied. A few even expressed anger, saying that their concerns had been avoided.Topics ranged from the state of students' mental health to recent incidents of racist graffiti on the door of Capen House and senators' thoughts on the Task Force. At the meeting's opening, Bacow said he wanted to "address issues and resources necessary to implement recommendations" and to use the "information session" as an "opportunity to listen."TCU Senate Vice President Melissa Carson said she felt that Bacow spent a disproportionate amount of time discussing background information on issues that Senators were already familiar with. She added that she hoped the president and the students can find a better means for discussion. "I think he had good intentions and I think he has a lot of potential, but no students, especially student government, have figured out the right way to work with him," she said. Despite senators' complaints, she said the meeting was productive. "We don't know how to work with him and he doesn't know how to work with us yet, but both sides are trying to make an effort and last night was a good first step."Bacow told the Daily that he "thought the meeting was productive. It was good to hear views of student leaders on a variety of issues," he said. Carson felt that both sides might have misunderstood the meeting's purpose. "I think that there has been some miscommunication with what each side wanted to get out of the meeting, or perhaps what each Senator wanted to get out of the meeting," she said.Citing a nationwide increase in the stress level of college students and Bacow's efforts to deal with mental health issues while serving as MIT chancellor, freshman Senator Jon Gold asked the president if he would consider implementing a mental health task force at Tufts. Bacow said he felt that he has not observed Tufts' overall mental health situation to be as problematic as that at MIT and therefore he did not feel a task force was necessary at this time. But mental and community health remain very important issues, he said. "Modern drugs and therapy allow certain individuals to attend the elite institutions, and, overall, relative to 20 or 30 years ago, the campus community is more fragile."Gold said he thought the meeting was productive for some, but that it left others unsatisfied. "I know people had a lot of questions for him and they have trouble getting a hold of him. It was productive to have him there to answer our questions," he said. "I know some would like greater access to him, and some were satisfied, but I guess it varies among different members."Bacow discussed the recent ideological battle between campus liberals and conservatives and said that the "only way to change status quo is if students take the incentive to pursue a more civil level of discourse on campus." Bacow feels that in the age of the Internet, when campus dialogues are cataloged in various places, these disputes could potentially misrepresent the University. "Tufts students are better than what's been thrown around lately," he said. Carson said she thought Bacow's meeting with campus leaders could have been more effective had he stayed to witness other portions of Senate business. "He didn't really get to see what we do. He declined the invitation to stay for the rest of the meeting when we talk about student concerns," Carson said. "Until he sees that, he's not going to respect us enough to work with us, and with us is the key."Carson pointed to Dean of Students Bruce Reitman and Dean of Academic Affairs Kristine Dillon as administrators who have learned to work effectively with the Senate. She said Bacow still has a lot to learn about the Senate-Administration relationship. When he turned down the invitation to stay and hear more of the Senate's presentation, Carson felt that the president lost out on what the Senate is elected to do. "He declined to be that person [we present student concerns to], while he was already sitting at the table," she said.Trustee representative Tommy Calvert said that Bacow's "honeymoon is over," and that he is going to have to make some serious changes in his interactions with students to be able to work together effectively. "Students are accustomed to being part of the agenda-forming process at this University," he said. "They feel that administrating is more than just shaking hands and making appearances. It's about working together to find consensus about campus issues."Senators spent much of the meeting questioning the President about the Task Force venture. He believes that the Task Force will fundamentally change undergraduate life for the better. Senators, however, questioned whether the eight faculty members and the three permanent student members, who are aided by a student advisory committee of indeterminate size, accurately represent students' vested interests. Bacow said the Task Force will be responsible for creating a clear vision of the future that will attract donors by "getting them to buy into this vision." He said its primary purpose would be to answer the question, "What is the distinctive aspect of a education at Tufts?"Calvert said it is important that the administration know that "people are looking for equality, not window dressing." He said the Task Force would not become unmanageable if it were expanded to include an equal number of students and faculty.The Task Force, Bacow said, was meant to be "structured as a process open and as inclusive as possible." Some senators felt, however, that the contentious issue of diversity representation was largely ignored. Bacow said that the purpose of the structure will not be clear until the 13-month Task Force completes its term. "The proof of the pudding will be in the eating," he said.Bacow told the Daily "the conversation was frank and candid" and said, "There are clearly a wide range of views represented on the Senate."

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News

My fashion fix - the final formal frontier

March 31

I was seven when I bought my first fancy dress. Actually, I didn't buy it, my mother did, and it probably wasn't my first, as that would have been my baptism gown, but it is the first formal attire I can remember wearing. Like all First Communion dresses, it was startlingly white and had lots of pretty gauzy layers which stuck out when I spun around in circles. The first layer was a slip-like type of cloth, and over it lay a sheer silky organza film, embroidered with various cutouts in the shape of flower petals. The sleeves - my favorite part - were puffy little muffins of material, and I had gotten ruffled socks that were of the same lace consistency as the gown. Even in the second grade I had enough sense to realize that this was a beautiful dress. Sadly, it was probably the last time shopping for a formal event was so stress-free. There are two kinds of people in the world: those that love to dress up and those who loathe it. I am a dress-up girl. I love the preparation, the anxiety, and the excitement involved in looking formal. As like-minded others will tell you, getting ready for the big event is often more fun than the event itself. The not-fun part, however, is all the searching and scouring and screaming that comes with shopping for a formal event. This is particularly true when the occasion is family oriented and involves many visiting relatives from out of town, because this means that not only must you like your dress, but that all of your relatives within a 500-mile radius must also approve. Unfortunately, sometimes the search for a big event yields nothing but big disaster. My most traumatic formal attire event to date would have to be my Confirmation confection. I say "confection" because there truly is no other word for it. I'll do my best to describe it without the aid of a picture. Again, it was a white dress, and like my First Communion dress, it was layered - but not in the good way. Lying over a multitude of chiffon slip layers was a sheer veil of white burnt-out velvety flowers which crept along the bodice in strangulating vines, reaching up, up, and out to my shoulders, meeting sleeves that overlapped in tremulous ruffle upon ruffle buoyed by monstrous built-in shoulder pads. It was appropriate for my infant sister or Betty White, but not for someone in between. The other girls in their silk sheathes were dainty little pettifours, and I was the over-whipped meringue pie. If I saw it today I would set it on fire. I would have been more comfortable if I had been confirmed while sick with chickenpox, and I bet less people would have stared at me as well. I have since forgiven my mother (although after this goes to print, I doubt she will forgive me) and the search for formal attire post-Confirmation has been more successful, if not less stressful. Proms were next on the list of premature-wrinkle causing events, as each one necessitated multiple trips from Maine to Boston or New York as Maine's most famous designer boutique, L.L. Bean, unfortunately did not carry ball gowns. High school graduation was the same, a whirlwind of shops, dressing rooms, and tailors. By that time and after all that practice, I thought I had it down pat - the routine, the searching, the discovery of the formal outfit. Which brings us to today. Graduation. As of last week I had nothing to wear. Not a single thing. Of course I have dresses in my closet, clothes in my drawers, skirts and tops and pants heaped over a variety of dorm furniture. But honestly, nothing. I comfort myself, because nobody else I know has anything to wear either. We are all too busy with our papers, projects, and presentations - not to mention the blossoming spring sun - to worry about an event that will put the stamp of adulthood on our faces forever. So we enjoy being reckless students one last time. Our parents, knowing our affinity for sunshine and our hatred for added responsibilities, call incessantly to make sure everything will be in order by the time Grandma and Grandpa and Great Aunt Ruth fly into town for the big event. At least I am not alone. Last week, at least three of my friends were roused at ungodly hours of the morning by their well-meaning mothers and aunts who demanded to know whether "said graduation outfit" had been purchased yet. Personally, my mother has refrained from hassling me in reality and has instead chosen to haunt my dreams. It usually goes something like this: I stand before my mirror on the morning of graduation close to tears. The reflection staring back at me is me, but only if I were a 21-year-old high school dropout who had joined the adult film industry. My eyes are rimmed with thick black liner, and my mouth is so blindingly shiny and sticky, it appears to be coated in rubber cement lip-gloss. The Lilliputian camisole I am wearing is cut to my navel, which is about the same place that the slit going up my skirt ends, and the heels I am teetering on are as high as Kingdom Come. My mother coos. In my dream, I have bought a perfect pink tea dress, but she is not letting me wear it and believes my post-collegiate porn gear to be perfectly acceptable. "Nobody wears knee-length for these occasions anymore," she scolds. "You have to look appropriate." It seems a little silly writing a fashion column for a day when the majority of people will be dressed in matching black polyester robes. As far as commencement is concerned, I'm really glad I've been stressing about what to wear. For all my effort, I will inevitably end up looking like Judge Judy's kid sister in a sea of identically dressed Wal-Mart wizards. In the game of fashion, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes you have to say "screw it". Congratulations, Class of 2002. We did it, no matter what we're wearing.

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News

Hindi/Urdu I and II approved for language requirement

March 31

Students will have another option next year to fulfill the first half of the six-semester foreign language requirement. Experimental College courses in Hindi/Urdu I and II will satisfy the first two of three required basic language courses, and the University plans to add Hindi/Urdu III for the 2003-2004 academic year to fulfil the final course in the triplet. Hindi/Urdu I will be offered during the fall 2002 semester, followed by Hindi/Urdu II in the spring. Given enough demand, Hindi/Urdu III will be taught the following fall semester as the final course in the required foreign language triplet. But if student interest is insufficient for a third course, students will be given an independent study or alternative option for completion of the requirement, Ex College director Robyn Gittleman said. Tufts Association of South Asians (TASA) has worked to launch a University program in Hindi/Urdu for the past four years. Two years ago the Ex College offered Hindi/Urdu I and II, but only conversational Hindi/Urdu was taught last year. Although the courses will remain part of the Ex College for now - rather than part of College of Liberal Arts - that could change given enough demand. The approved courses are the first step towards an expansion of South Asian studies at Tufts, sophomore Pritesh Gandhi said. Gandhi co-chaired the South Asian Political Action Committee (SAPAC), a subdivision of TASA, with sophomore Vaani Garg. The two worked with administrators and the Ex College to approve the Hindi/Urdu courses. Gandhi is pushing the University to establish a South Asian studies program with degree paths. "Hindi/Urdu is a critical part," he said. "I felt that an upper ranking university should have Hindi/Urdu as a top language." Gittleman said he hopes more students will study Hindi/Urdu since the courses satisfy the requirement. "India and Pakistan are so important today. If [students] are going to travel or read [South Asian] newspapers, it's worth it to be able to read them in the original language," Gittleman said. Garg said students, both in TASA and in the general Tufts community, are enthusiastic about the classes. "The subcontinent is so popular and is such a great part of the news and in international affairs right now. Classes, such as the language, are critical to understanding the culture," Garg added. Thirteen students took Hindi/Urdu I last semester, and eight are currently in Hindi/Urdu II - numbers similar to those generated by Chinese and Arabic courses that the Ex College has offered in the past. Student drop-off from one level of a language to the next is typical, but Gittleman worries that there may not be enough demand for Hindi/Urdu III. Garg said the drop-off from semester to semester is the very reason a third class is needed; without it, some are dissuaded from starting on the Hindi/Urdu course path. "We wanted a third class so more students would enroll, so it would fulfill a requirement." Hindi/Urdu students have provided positive feedback on the I and II level courses, which are taught by Sooda Bhatt. "Students say the professor is phenomenal," Garg said. "He's very open to the students and enthusiastic about teaching the language, which is difficult to learn." Bhatt has taught Hindu/Urdu I and II this year and is slated to continue the courses next year. He holds a Ph.D. in linguistics and a M.A. in Hindi literature, and has instructed courses in Hindi and Urdu over the past thirty years. "Current students say he is an amazing professor. We'd like to keep ranking professors like that here," Gandhi said. Gittleman said the Ex College often serves as a "testing ground" to determine whether a course should move into Arts and Sciences or Engineering. A popular Ex College course can be tied into an already existing class or program, moved up to an official course if students show sufficient interest, or adopted by a traditional department. Gandhi said that South Asian courses are an important complement to the Asian studies major. He calls the Hindi/Urdu classes "Phase I" of his goals for the expansion of South Asian studies at Tufts. He would also like to see the establishment of a South Asian culture house, South Asian culture classes, and an increase in South Asian professors. His final goal is the development of a South Asian studies major and minor. Hindi/Urdu courses would likely be integrated into the German, Russian and Asian languages and literatures department should it be decided to make them College of Liberal Arts offerings. Forty-one million people in Pakistan and other countries speak Urdu, and over 180 million Indians use Hindi as their primary tongue. Another 300 million people use it as their second language, and approximately 100,000 people speak Hindi in the US. Hindi and Urdu are similar when spoken, but are written in different alphabets. Local languages vary immensely within the different regions in India. English is often the common language, but is not always popular because of its frequent association with British imperialism. Many in the region want to abandon English and use Hindi as the common language to retain closer ties to their heritage. In the past decade the region has seen increased international attention, especially after India and Pakistan's acquisition of nuclear weapons. Tensions have risen in recent months, including some border unrest in the wake of Sept. 11 following a Pakistani terrorist group's attack on India's Parliament. Pakistan, where Urdu is the official language, is America's closest geographic ally to Afghanistan.

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News

NFL Playoff preview

March 31

Okay, we know. It's been a surprising season. Stop telling us that the New England Patriots and Chicago Bears were not supposed to be hosting playoff games. Get used to it. With the salary structure in the NFL, any team can fall from graces quickly - the Denver Broncos and New York Giants - and any team can fill that void. So let's stop acting shocked, and face the fact that no matter how bad the Pats and Bears were last year, they are good this year. And both are involved in their biggest games in quite some time. It's been four years since New England fans could wake up in the playoffs, pinch themselves, and discover they weren't dreaming. In Chicago, it's been a 16-year respite between contending teams. I think they're ready. Oakland Raiders vs. New England Patriots At one point in the season, the Raiders were the class of the AFC. It appeared that no one could match up with their balanced and efficient offensive attack, and that their defense was sturdy enough to carry them to the Super Bowl. But then one Monday night, Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander gouged a 266-yard chink in the Oakland armor. He proved that the Raiders have trouble stopping the run, and from then on, Oakland hasn't looked quite as impressive. They stumbled into the playoffs like a guy leaving a frat party, and most people counted them as losers in last week's matchup with the New York Jets. People forgot to take into account, though, how difficult it would be for the Jets - who defeated the Raiders the previous week just to make the playoffs - to win two in a row at Oakland. Clearly, New York had thrown just about everything it had at Oakland in the final regular season win, and didn't have time to come up with some new schemes. That will not be the case this weekend. New England coach Bill Belichek has had two weeks to prepare for the Raiders, which means Jerry Rice will not be able to run around the field like it's recess. Belichek is the best defensive planner in the game, which gives the Pats an advantage heading in. And don't worry about quarterback Tom Brady seizing up in his first playoff game. Not only is he an extremely calm player who worked in front of 100,000 people during his college days at Michigan, but right now, Oakland's fans are more intimidating than its defense. Look for Antwain Smith to have a big day. Look for Rich Gannon to have a bad day. And look for New England fans to have a field day in what could be their last day at Foxboro Stadium. Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers These teams are extremely similar; it's just that the Steelers have an offense. The Ravens were impressive in their destruction of the Miami Dolphins last week, and Baltimore's defense has given up exactly one touchdown in the past two seasons of playoff football. But while Oakland merely pretended to be the class of the AFC, Pittsburgh is the real deal. Holding the Dolphins to three points, as the Ravens did, is kind of like buying marijuana from an NBA player - it's not too difficult. The Steelers present a much more serious challenge, however. Quarterback Kordell Stewart has finally matured into an effective quarterback, who can scramble for big gains and throw on the run. What separates him from some of the other scrambling quarterbacks in the league, is that he can really throw on the run, you know, to a receiver, not the ground. He also has a pair of steady receivers to toss to in Heinz Ward and Plaxico Burress. But the key to the offense is the running game, which, aside from the improvisation of Stewart, was anchored by Jerome Bettis. He missed the final part of the year with a hip injury, but is expected to play this week. For both teams, though, the defense will be the most important part of the game. ESPN's Chris Berman calls the AFC Central - where both teams play - the Blackjack division. Get to 17 and hold. That will be the key to this game. Whichever team can take an early lead will put too much pressure on the opposition's offense to play from behind. The Ravens are especially unsuited to come from behind, which is why the Steelers are the pick here.Green Bay Packers vs. St. Louis Rams It must be tough for Rams coach Mike Martz to have the league MVP and the guy who should have won it on the same offense. St. Louis has arguably the best offense in the history of the league, and what makes the Rams scary is that their defense was ranked first in the NFC this year. That does not bode well for the Packers, who have neither history's best offense or the league's best defense. What they do have is a guy who probably should have been MVP. Quarterback Brett Favre did not put up the numbers of his counterpart Kurt Warner, but he took a much less talented team to the playoffs. The Packers defense looked good against San Francisco last week, but that was at home in the freezing cold. This weekend they will be in a dome and in a track meet with the Rams O, and if Green Bay can hold St. Louis under 30 points, it might be a close game. I don't see that happening. The Rams will run and gun and onside kick with a 20-point lead. Favre will do his best to keep the Pack in the game, but in the end, the Rams offense is too good, and their defense steady enough to prevent a Favre miracle. Philadelphia Eagles vs. Chicago Bears A team of destiny against the best of a bad division. The Bears won on an interception return for a touchdown in overtime this year... twice...in a row. The Eagles beat up on teams that would finish middle of the pack in the NESCAC. Despite the way they got here, these teams are extremely similar. Stingy defenses, steady offenses. But there are two differences, and they will be, well, the difference. But first the similarities. Chicago has linebacker Brian Urlacher; the Eagles have Jeremiah Trotter - both are two of the best young linebackers in the game. The Eagles D is better against the pass, the Bears stronger against the run. Neither team gives up many points. The Bears are better running the ball, the Eagles stronger passing. Each team is blessed with young receivers who have won games this year. The Bears have offensive rookie of the year Anthony Thomas in their backfield. The Eagles have Duce Staley, who rushed for 1,000 yards in 1999 before injuries slowed him down until now. But the differences come at quarterback, where the Eagles Donovan McNabb has the ability to win games, while the Bears' Jim Miller can merely prevent a loss - and experience. All of the Eagles have been here before. Few of the Bears have. The Bears might be a better overall team, and if these two played ten games without any consequences, I think the Bears would win six or seven of them. However, history tells us that experience tends to win out over talent. Take the Eagles.@s:Eagles have experience edge

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News

Chicks back in charge

March 31

The Daily's helm will be relinquished to female control for the first time in three years, as Rachel "Queen of the Doghouse" Rubenson takes charge as editor-in-chief. Coupled with her notorious zeal, Rubenson's promotion has assuaged fears that the Daily will lose its long-time Sig Ep connection. Flour importers have rejoiced at the news, hoping that her Bake-For-Morale campaign will spell higher profits. Outgoing Editor-n-Chief Russell "Legally Brunette" Capone will head down the red line to Harvard Law School, though he has promised to help Rubenson with interdepartmental relations. Brown and Brew is working overtime to find a way to cope with the projected revenue losses from his caffeine habit. Joining Rubenson on the exec board of the new "Happy Daily" are Managing Editor Daniel "Balla from White Plains" Fowler, and Associate Editors Emily "Excited to have a real co-editor" Chasan, and Adam "Creepy" Cooper. Fowler's plans include running collages once a week and reversing Russ' business casual trend by making everyone wear their pants low. Leaving exec are Will "My thesis is a study on thongs" Kinlaw and Sheryl "Utsocsid" Gordon. Kinlaw will be remembered for his grace in ordering food, his talent at pulling space wires, and his legacy as Daily pimp. Gordon will live in Davis Square and continue work on cultivating the Daily alumni network - and relations with The Boston Globe and Providence Journal. Leading the news department in its quest to not hurt anybody's feelings will be Veronica "Not that Innocent" Aguilar and Jamie "Exec still thinks I'm hot" Cox. Aguilar sees fostering closer relations with the Senate as a main objective for her rein in news. The ladies will be assisted by Jonathan "Man-boobs" Lee, Parker "Taking my roommate's place" Clote, Sarah "Pity me, I went to high school with notorious Daily quitter Josh Belkin" Dalglish, Jordi "I quit" Timerman. Hopefully Timerman's relationship with quitter Drew "I suck" Shelton will not influence her performance. News Editor Nicolas "The Excusiator 2002" Ferre heads to Spain for the year, where people will continue to mispronounce his name. We hope he will not be too homesick for beautiful, historic, scenic Libertyville, his blocks of cheese, or boy scout camp... disagree. Though he will be out of the country, he will still not be out of the doghouse. The Special Projects department plans to actually operate next semester, though it will now be referred to by the Canadian pronunciation, Special Pr(jects. Leading the department will be Erika "Downstream" Langer and Jonathan "Life peaked during my holiday" Graham, and they will be assisted by Victoria "Double-teaming" Luxardo. Leaving Special Projects are Jacob "What article?" Silberberg and Joe "What deadline?" Welch. Features will be downsizing next semester but will continue to be cute. Jane "am I allowed to go home now?" Shtilman takes over the department from Laura "Isreali" Israel, Amanda "The Pessimist" Munoz, and Joanna "Going for a promotion" Friedman. Julia "Really excited to be on the Daily" Lifschultz stays on as an assistant. Arts will never be as cool again with the departure of Rob "Really glad to be out of here" Lott. However, Lauren "I never realized how loud I am" Phillips promises that arts' presence in the office will never go unnoticed. Phillips will be assisted by Taylor "My reviews are longer than the movies" Shann, Alex "I'm cool because I'm in Sig Ep and from NH" Moerlin, Salima "I'm only here for the free food" Appiah-Kubh, and Marc "Study room of Houston" Frost. In sports, Ethan "No one has ever heard me talk" Austin ensures that the New York influence from the department has been removed with Fowler's departure to exec. Sports' Baltimore influence will be maintained, however, but Manali "I'm back" Shah, and Elliott "The schmooze" Wiley Jr, who will join Austin and Beibhinn "Tall and quiet" O'Donoghue as full editors. Ethan "Bald Leprechaun" Schwartz will serve as an assistant and will maintain the department's tendency to have two editors with the same name. Despite Shah's skills, there is no way the new department can rival the alcoholism of outgoing editors Neal "I really quit this time" McMahon, Neil "Still drunk from Spring Fling" Taylor, and Erin "Quote goes here" Desmarais. Her fun-filled Madlib writing style will be missed. Viewpoints is another department that has promised to actually exist next semester, as Jess "Fowler's friend" Wells and Sophia "Friend of Fowler's friend" Fircanis take over the department. The entire Daily is anxious to see how graduating Viewpoints editor Ilene "Can someone please get me a job" Stein will be able to cope when she doesn't live with Kim Fox next year. In photo, the "revolution" will be revived next semester, as Andrea "A-lo" Bedoya, Amy "Smiley" Berkowitz, and Christine "Thank goodness physics with Russ and Will is over" Hendrickson take over the show. The three will be assisted by Laura "Want some candy?" Boudreau, Will "Among the women" Wittels, and Carrie "I'm only coming back if Benny comes back to sing to me" Gagel. Now that photo comes to events, the department might start to rival arts in coolness. Leaving photo are Justin "J-dogg" Golub, Trevor "T-Max" Harris, and Chlo?© "Old exec thought I was hot" Sallin - wait, they were on the masthead? Marie "Tasty always messed up my order" Lee will take a break from sniffing darkroom chemicals to head to France, while Yeechin "Super Bureaucrat" Huang graduates. Production will continue to be the most estrogen-heavy department next semester. Mollie "Problem-set" Greenfield takes the reins as production director, and she promises not to let "the giggles" interrupt her late nights next semester. Even though she has finished pledging, the Daily will still ask Greenfield to wear her Hawaiian outfit to the office for her late nights. Mark "Spunk & drive" E-vitt, Denise "I'm engaged" Ho, Bridget "Denise" Behling, and Sarah "What will I do without Justine?" Kimball will serve as production managers, though all are upset that Will won't be around to flirt with them next semester. Layout editors will be Rebecca "Best meeting attendance" Alspector and Shubha "Almost as quiet as Ethan" Jayaram. The copy editing department will never be as cute after the departure of Justine "Sarah" Alger, Jonathan "20 questions" Dworkin, and Beth "Align this, please" Birdsall. However, Hannah "Always smiling" Suh plans to keep the pep in the department. Dave "I really want to get out of copy editing" Perkiss will have her back while he prepares to defect to other departments. Brad "No one knows who I am" Callow will stay on as graphics editor next semester, and hopefully will finally find the Daily office. He will probably continue thinking that Benny is editor-in-chief. The Information Technology department has never been the same since Josh Belkin left - in a very good way. Belkin's evil plot to sabotage the archives failed thanks to the work of Gloria "Thank goodness he's gone" Chen, who will serve as online editor once again and will be assisted by Vince "Upload" Tran. Systems Manager Seth "Sad to my love, the file server" Kaufman is glad to graduate and get out of the virus-ridden Curtis Hall. In business, Luxardo will continue her term as Executive Business Director, and while she may be on the masthead twice, she still only gets one nickname. Luxardo promises that if Dave "Didn't earn a dime the Daily gave me" Lattanzi doesn't embezzle all our money before he leaves, she will find us better food than Picante in the fall. Danny "Victoria swears I'm enthusiastic" Kleinman takes over as business manager, while Joshua "K-Flake" Weisstuch will continue to supply as with toner as office manager. Parker "I'll bring my tours to the Daily office" Perez, Wen "Scanning queen" Cai, and Cuong "Low profile" Pham will serve as ad managers, while Julia "Minnesota Pride" Feld leaves to go abroad. Margo "Cutest Office Worker" Hanlan will serve as receivables manager when Rachel "No more Daily parties at my house" Finkelstein graduates. Also leaving the Daily are editorial page editors Jeremy "I should be paid" Wang-Iverson, who is still debating moving to Providence to become Dan Barbarisi's love slave, and Jon "Number one four years running" Japha. The women on the Daily will greatly miss Japha's...er....column. Overall, the ant problems, cup shortage, and constant resignations have made this a fun semester down in Curtis Hall. We look forward to another semester of Sig Ep holes in the walls at Daily parties, drunken trips to IHOP, and continuing our legacy of spelling names wrong.

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News

Would you give your TA an A?

March 31

They sit next to you in class, but they also grade your papers. They exist somewhere in that mysterious interlude between the ages of 20 and 30, in that abysmal gap between academia and professionalism. Who are these bizarre creatures? Your teaching assistants. Students give mixed grades to their teaching assistants. Some "TAs" can be incredibly helpful when it comes to boosting students' confidence and breaking down difficult material. Others resent being graded by people who are not experts in the class field and in some cases, are undergraduates themselves. Sophomore Grace Gan used her international relations TA for additional assistance on both her coursework and to aid her general understanding of the material. "She was very helpful and encouraging," Gan said. "She even gave me a list of places where I could apply for summer internships. She actually cared about my progress." "My TA for IR had taught for my professor before, and so she knew how he taught and what we should expect on tests," Freshman Cecilia Dossantos said. "I felt very comfortable with her." Students appreciate being able to work in a smaller group with someone they feel they can relate to more easily than a professor. Junior Kate Elder was very pleased with her community health TAs. "Having small discussion groups was helpful, and it was nice to have someone who was more like a peer helping me," Elder said. "I felt more comfortable speaking to my TAs [than to my professors]." But not all students have had positive experiences with their TAs, and many complain about the TAs lack of experience. Sophomore Matt Dysart found one of his English department TA's to be a bit rigid in her classroom approach and grading techniques. "It was as if she felt she had something to prove, since she wasn't that much older than her students," Dysart said. "She would espouse the current critical theory regarding a work, and if you brought up an alternative view she would refuse to consider it." Sophomore Todd Walters said that though the majority of his biology and chemistry TA's haven't had a solid grasp of the material, he doesn't blame age for the problem. "My tutor for Chemistry 2 was a sophomore, and he was fantastic," Walters said. "He was confident about what he knew, and he had a great way of teaching students who were having problems with the material." Most TAs do have a wealth of knowledge about the subject they are teaching, usually because they have finished their undergraduate degrees and are working towards further degrees in that discipline. Katherine Steere, a child development TA, received her BA in child development from Connecticut College. She taught preschool for several years after graduating, and has been a nanny for the last three years. "I wanted to become a TA because I find that teaching is the best way to truly process information," Steere said. "I am fascinated by my field and am enjoying the opportunity to get a different perspective on the information." Steere plans to continue her studies to earn a doctorate and go on to teach at the college level herself. She hopes that being a TA will serve as a foundation for her future goals. While being a TA can help one advance personal ambitions, teaching assistants report that they also look forward to interacting with younger students. Neeti Belliappa has been a TA for survey courses in South Asian, Southeast Asian, Modern African and Southern African History. Belliappa graduated with a BA in History from St. Stephen's College, Delhi University in India. She worked as a TA as part of her admission package to Tufts to cover living expenses. While she at first she was intimidated, she ended up enjoying her historical debates with her students. "It was my experience as a TA during my MA program in the History Department that made me decide to take up teaching permanently," Belliappa said. "I found an advisor and research topic at Tufts, so [I] stayed on for a PhD here." Many professors appreciate the professional caliber of their teaching assistants. Professor Jeanne Penvenne, for whom Belliappa is a TA, calls her "absolutely excellent." "Over the years my students and I have been blessed with some perfectly wonderful TA's," Penvenne said. "A TA who anticipates your needs, does problem solving, is reliable and provides a model of integrity and effort for the students is not to be taken for granted." Professor Jeffrey Taliaferro of the political science department shares Penvenne's sentiments. "From a pedagogical standpoint, [having a TA] is an enormous help," Taliaferro said. "In a large class...it's not possible to give each undergraduate individual attention." Taliaferro also believes that it is the responsibility of universities to train future scholars and researchers. "Teaching is one of those enterprises where the only way to learn to teach is to teach," Taliaferro said. "I spend a great amount of time with my TAs, teaching them how to respond to students, how to grade assignments, and sometimes even how to lecture." In the biology department, undergraduates have the opportunity to take on the role of teaching assistants themselves. Sophomore Sara Rosenbaum took Biology 13 in the fall of her freshman year and did well in her lab section, so her graduate TA recommended that she help lead a group last semester. "A graduate TA led the lab section, and another undergraduate and I answered questions about labs and helped with setup and cleanup," Rosenbaum said. "If you've done the labs, you're fine as a TA." Rosenbaum said that though the job was a bigger time commitment than she'd expected, the perks made it all worthwhile. She earned an estimated $400 ($8 an hour) for the semester. So was it awkward working with students her own age? "Definitely a little weird," Rosenbaum said. "I didn't know any more than they did in terms of concepts." While TA's at Tufts may garner mixed reviews from students, most undergraduates and professors agree that TA's are genuinely interested in aiding and engaging students in their respective fields. "My favorite part of being a TA is the possibility that I will be able to excite some of the students with the subject matter enough that they, too, will find child development to be fascinating and choose to study it in depth," Steere said.

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News

Time to take action

March 31

"Justice too long delayed is Justice denied." Last Saturday, these words ran through my head, repeated themselves, and grew louder and louder until finally I exploded in anger. The trustees had picked an inopportune time to mingle with the student body. A time when the Africana Center has received countless racially motivated threats. A time when our dorms have been covered in racist graffiti. A time when the Primary Source prints racially motivated attacks against the black community. A time where the concerns of the day are not a new dorm or new computers, but rather faculty retention, hate crimes, the silencing of minorities on this campus, sexism, homophobia, a timid administration, and a viciously hateful publication. The students' frustration is only amplified by living in a campus that is kept in the dark. How many of you know that Capen House has been the target of hate crimes in the past weeks? How many of you heard about the anti-semetic and racist graffiti in South? We went to the trustees with our problems and our desires to feel safe. When we asked them questions about what they were going to do to prevent hate crimes, increase faculty retention, and improve race relations at Tufts, we were told to wait. We were told to wait by the trustees in a voice that closely echoed that heard 40 years ago when the mouths of justice were demanding desegregation. We were told that it takes time and money from the same people who have built a $30,000 elephant head for Dowling Hall and who spend their free time thinking of new buildings to name after themselves. We were told to be patient. And sometimes we were even told that our questions didn't deserve answers or that we were acting inappropriately. It is this that is most upsetting. They are saying that both our tactics (asking pointed questions) and our timing were rude. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. answered this claim stronger than anyone in history has when he declared that he had "yet engaged in a direct action movement that was 'well-timed,' according to the timetable of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now I have heard the word 'Wait!' It rings in the ear of every Negro with a piercing familiarity. This 'Wait' has almost always meant 'Never.' We must come to see with the distinguished jurist of yesterday that justice too long delayed is justice denied." The truth is that we live and work in a racist, segregated university. For those of you at the Trustee luncheon, how many people of color did you see among the trustees? When I was trustee rep last year, the board was over 95 percent white. Quick, name half a dozen black faculty members? How about Asian or Latino faculty members who are not language professors? How many times have you seen an all-white table in the dinning hall? Why do we all sit together anyway? Hate crimes are commonplace on this campus. We went to the trustees, not to be rude, but to explain our sense of urgency. An urgency that rings true in the heart of every student on this campus who has been a victim of Tufts' segregation. An urgency pronounced upon the lips of everyone concerned with justice. An urgency that may have been demanding, but was timely, necessary, and could no longer be brushed aside. Now is not a time to wait, now is a time for action! The brave students that stood up for themselves and patiently expressed the actual state of race relations on this campus should be commended for standing up for justice. Only those who would support institutionalized racism, would chastise students asking questions to those in power about how they are going to handle the very real issues of hate crimes, segregation, and faculty retention that are the root of unhappiness at this university. Only those with a vested interest in supporting the status quo could fail to see the importance of speaking up when you are wronged. Personally, there are three main changes that I would like to see in this university. First of all, there needs to be a real effort on the part of the police and administration to find the perpetrators of hate crimes and hold them responsible for their action. I suggest that a reward be offered for information leading to the arrest of any person who commits a hate crime on this campus. The president and the deans have discretionary funds and so do the senate president and treasurer. I challenge them to set aside part of their funds in order to finance such an undertaking. Secondly, I believe that our trustees, who deal with issues of tenure, and the deans and departments that deal with hiring should immediately begin hiring faculty of color at an unprecedented rate. Third, the hateful attacks based on a person's race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity or disability must come to a stop, whether they be in print or simply spoken. These attacks serve no legitimate purpose in either political debate or in education. They are not the expression of political beliefs or ideas that should be protected, but rather manifestations of fear and hatred that serve to degrade. If the Primary Source or others at the University are unable to control themselves and they feel as though they must be racist, sexist, or homophobic in their "humor," then they should be stripped of their University funding and denied the right to use our University's name in their title. Lastly, I would like to make a call for coalition building. While it is clear that many of the people who attended the Dewick luncheon were in agreement on the issues and also on tactics, there are others, like myself, who do not fall into that category. I would like to see a broad-based, inclusive coalition that supports a diversity of tactics come together in order to work on this problem. It is only through uniting people with similar goals that we may be successful. If we divide ourselves we will fail, but if we stand united we cannot lose. Adam Carlis is a junior majoring in peace and justice studies and political science.

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News

A beautiful night for 'Mind' at the Oscar's

March 31

The Academy Awards are rarely a poignant affair, but names like Halle Berry, Sidney Poitier, and Randy Newman combined to add a touch of sweetness to the night of glitz at the brand new Kodak Theatre in Hollywood last night. There were no real shocks at the 74th annual Academy Awards, where A Beautiful Mind took home Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, and Supporting Actress honors, and overall, there were no real clear-cut winners. When so many people are considered front-runners, it's a given that one of them has to win. Favorites A Beautiful Mind, Lord of the Rings:The Fellowship of the Ring, and Moulin Rouge all took home a handful of trophies for acting and technical accomplishments. In fact, the biggest surprise of the night came when 16-time nominee Newman, the Susan Lucci of the Oscar's, finally won a Best Original Song trophy for Monsters, Inc. But those big names who did win did it with class and style. Best Actress went to a tearful Halle Berry, the first black woman in the history of Oscar to take home a Best Actress trophy. "This moment is so much bigger than me," she said, after being so overcome by emotion she was unable to speak for a moment as she watched her standing ovation. "Thank you for choosing me to be the vessel through which this blessing may flow." In a night when legendary African-American actor and class act Portier took home an honorary Lifetime Achievement Award, his protegee Denzel Washington earned Best Actor honors for Training Day - much to the absolute ecstasy of presenter and friend Julia Roberts. "I'll always be chasing you, Sidney. I'll always be following in your footsteps," he said. First-time nominee Jennifer Connelly, from A Beautiful Mind, won for Best Supporting Actress as was expected; Supporting Actor honors went to Brit Jim Broadbent for Iris. It was Tom Cruise, not host Whoopi Goldberg who opened the show, in a quiet reflection on Sept. 11. He cited the importance of the industry in hard times, and the "little bit of magic" that movies bring to everyone's lives. A charming montage of everyone from Average Joes to Iggy Pop to Donald Trump sharing their personal favorites followed. It was a theme repeated throughout the night: Yoko Ono loves Pinocchio. Drew Barrymore, Annie Hall. Elton John, 2001 A Space Odyssey. Whoopi Goldberg then entered the Kodak Theatre Moulin Rouge-style, suspended midair on a trapeeze, decked in sparkling sequins, top hat, and feathers, proclaiming, "I am the original sexy beast!!" She spent the night in an array of flowing velvet frocks, poking fun at the recent controversies surrounding the ceremonies in her typical brand of sauciness. "So much mud has been thrown this year, all the nominees look black." It was a night filled with odd little accents - for some reason, actors Donald Sutherland and Glen Close sat backstage as announcers. In an homage to magic and imagination and special effects, performers from Cirque de Soelil writhed and bounced their way around the arena. The Academy called upon famous screenwriters including David Mamet, and the Coen brothers to write pieces gracefully explaining concepts like Film Editing and Art Direction to us laymen. Twists like these made the four-and-a-half hour ceremony that much more bearable. Washington, who Goldberg introduced as "everyone's fantasy," presented Poitier with his honor. In a montage of movies and interviews with African-American actors Halle Berry, Cuba Gooding Jr., Eriq la Salle, Spike Lee, and many others thanked him for his work in blazing the trail for actors of color. Portier touted the "courageous, unselfish choices" made by visionary filmmakers who gave him the chance to break into what was, at times, a brutal Hollywood. "The industry benefited from their effort. America benefited from their effort. And in ways large and small, the world benefited from their effort." Newman, another legend in his field, finally was able to enjoy a standing ovation of his own after performances by Sting, Enya, Paul McCartney, and Faith Hill. Poofy-haired Jlo presented him with his first Academy Award. "I don't want your pity," he joked to his audience. The list of the night's presenters drew from legends like Barbara Streisand, and young newcomers like Kirsten Dunst, who looked lost in her sparkling gown amid the big-time glamour. Barbie and Ken-esque husband and wife Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon, a seemingly bra-less Gwenyth Paltrow, and Charlie's Angel Cameron Diaz were just a few others who braved the teleprompter. Quintessential New York City representative Woody Allen also made an unprecedented appearance in front of a projection of the changed skyline of New York to a rousing standing ovation. "I thought that they wanted their Oscar's back," he said of the unexpected call from the Academy, when they asked him to introduce a montage of films shot in New York. "For New York City, I'll do anything." Kevin Spacey called for a moment of silence for the fallen from Sept. 11. and those that have passed this year, including actor Jack Lemmon, director Ted Demme, and Beatle George Harrison. "Film freezes life in its finest hour," he said. One of those responsible for making the cinema what it is today, Sundance Festival founder, actor, director, and sex symbol Robert Redford, took home an honorary trophy for Lifetime Achievement. The Gene Herschel Humanitarian Award went to director Arthur Hiller, whose ironic statement was greeted with whoops and hollers from Hollywood's finest: "It's so embarrassing to receive an award for doing what you should be doing."

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News

Ski season ends in disappointing fashion

March 31

The Women's Alpine Ski Team tied with Clark College for seventh place of 16 teams at the Eastern Regional Championships in Waterville, NH two weekends ago. Their split scores were eighth in the slalom (SL) and seventh in the giant slalom (GS). Though the team did not finish as well as it would have liked - missing the cut for Nationals by two spots - sophomore co-captain Courtney Benson had positive things to say about the weekend. "The experience we all had there was incredible," she said. "It was a great finish to a year in which team unity was more important than results." That said, the women's team had a solid year, defending its second-place division finish from last year. Once again, the team was one off first place, finishing just behind powerhouse Green Mountain College (GMC). But the competition at Waterville was even stiffer than their usual division foes, as GMC finished only sixth. Boston College finished the weekend perfectly, capturing first in both the SL and GS. They were trailed by University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Brown University, Colby-Sawyer College, and Smith College. These five teams will represent the Eastern Collegiate Ski Conference from March 13 to 15 at the Nationals Championship race in Waterville. The team must start looking ahead to next year when they will be faced with losses of three consistent scorers. Co-captain senior Kate Meierdiercks will graduate this spring and the team will miss her consistent finishes and strong leadership. Tufts' two other departures, Benson and sophomore Sophie Dabuzhsky - both consistent point-scorers - will be attending study abroad programs next year. Meierdiercks finished her Tufts career well, placing 32nd in the SL and 39th in the GS out of the 68 best skiers in the region. She hopes to pass her leadership on to rising seniors, Anne Marie Braun and Jordana Fish. "Though they started off the season finishing in the middle, hard work paid of for them as they finished the season in the top ten in the league," Meierdiercks said. "Their commitment will pay off next year when the team will count on them to lead them back to Regionals." On the other hand, the men's ski team did not have the success of previous years. They experienced a situation similar to what the women's team will go through next year. After losing four of their top-five skiers to graduation last year, the men's team did not expect too much this year. In addition, the team lost its most promising freshman, Brian Costello, to a season-ending injury before he competed in a single race for Tufts. Despite these setbacks, the team was powered by a core of young sophomores, including captain Nat Sager and Michael Kraft. The veteran leadership came from senior Jack Kramarczyk and junior Michael Coughlin. Next year, the team loses its most dominant skier in Kramarczyk who graduates. Thus, the leadership will have to come from Coughlin. "He is a strong skier who really came on towards the end of the year," Sager said. "The coaches have been impressed with his improvements on the slopes and his ability to lead the team next year." As a team, the Tufts men finished the regular season sixth, two places out of the Regionals race. In the last half of the season they narrowed the gap, but eighth and seventh-place finishes in the GS at Bearkshire and Haystack Mountains, respectively, kept the team out of the top four necessary to qualify for Regionals. Next year the team hopes these results will be different. "We will be seeing more guys in our summer program at Mount Hood," Sager said. "This training can provide valuable experience and mental toughness for the season to come." With Costello coming back from injury and hopefully not too many juniors going abroad the team could make up the difference from this year and make an appearance at the Regionals race next season.

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News

Men's track solid at Blue Devil Invite

March 31

On the heels of a decent showing at Bates, the men's track and field team continued to put up consistent performances at the Blue Devil Invite this past Saturday. While the meet was not scored, many Jumbos still put out strong efforts to qualify for the NESCAC championships and other postseason meets. "I was pretty pleased with the performances this past weekend," coach Connie Putnam said. "The team had been training through pretty hard all week, and I thought that we looked pretty good out there." The weather at Central Connecticut State University proved draining for the Jumbos. The day began with slight showers, but cleared up for sunny weather at the start of the meet. Winds still lingered however, and this may have affected some runners. The runners in the 100 and 200-meter dashes faced a strong headwind, which slowed down their times a bit more than usual. This wind did not hinder distance runners as much, as the time lost in one straightaway was compensated by tailwind in another. Runners can qualify for the NESCAC championship fairly easily - the qualification times are lower than qualifying times for other late-season meets. It is more difficult to qualify for post-season meets such as the Division III New England Championships, the All New England Championships, and the ICAAAAS. Senior quad-captain Greg Devine earned a spot for himself in the NESCACS with a time of 53.63 in the 400 meter hurdles. In the 200-meter dash, sophomore Matt Rosebrook and junior Bryant Coen had tandem finishes in 12th and 13th place, completing the race within one tenth of a second of each other. Senior quad-captain and distance runner JR Cruz, along with freshman Nate Brigham had strong finishes in the 10,000 run as well. Cruz and Brigham completed the race in first and second place, with the respective times of 31:40.76, and 31:47.49. Both runners barely missed the cuts to make nationals in that event. "It was a great race for both of them," Putnam said. "It is notable that Brigham is only a freshman, yet he was about eight seconds behind the national qualifying time. I was very pleased." Freshman Ray Carre, coming off a strong meet, still remained disappointed with his times this weekend. Carre had an eighth place finish in the 100 dash, with a time of 11.77. Other sprinters had similar performances - Rosebrook and sophomore Carlton Bailey put up decent times in the 100 and 200 dashes and earned themselves NESCAC qualifications. "I was drained this week from practice," Carre said. " Lots of guys ran well in the sprints, but I wasn't pleased with myself. I was just tired out there." There was slight disappointment in other meets as well. In the 4x100 and 4x400 relays, some of the handoffs did not go as smoothly as planned. Tufts ended up finishing in fourth and eighth place in those respective events. Looking to improve in the field events, Tufts put up adequate performances at the Blue Devil Invitational. Sophomore Adrian Clark and freshman Theodore Mancow finished in third (3.59 meters) and fourth place (3.35) in the pole vault. As the season winds down, coach Putnam is looking for the squad to train through and to keep working hard. With increased pressure both from the team and from the classroom, many will have to increase their efforts to come through for the NESCACS and the other post-season events. "I think that we're looking pretty positive for the rest of the season," Putnam said. "We're looking very healthy, and we have been training hard at practices. Schoolwork is also weighing down upon them as classes are winding to a close. Though we're weaker in the field events, I'm confident that everybody will perform well in the post-season." This weekend's Silfen Invitational at Connecticut College will prove to be another opportunity to qualify. The Jumbos will jump at every chance to perform well, as this event will be the last meet will be crucial as it is the final event before the advent of the postseason. The NESCAC Championships will begin the following weekend. "Each meet is very important, as we have very few regular outdoor season meets," Carre said. "Everybody is trying to work on their times and improve in practice so that they could qualify in the meet."

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News

Avoiding another 'Enron'

March 31

The collapse of Enron has cast great fear in the hearts of many investors. Within a matter of weeks, billions of dollars and thousands of jobs have vanished. The worst thing is that investors are losing faith in the US corporate accounting system, and in Arthur Andersen, which is among the five largest accounting firms. Many investors are wondering whether there would be another possible "Enron" firm out there, in which the firm and its auditors have similar problems with their accounting standards. Without reform of the current relationship between a client and the auditing firm, it is very possible that there are some other firms out there, which have a similar if not worse situation than Enron has. At the moment, a firm would usually have a long-term relationship with its chosen "outside" accounting firm. What that means is that a firm would hire accountants who are not the firm's employees to do the firm's auditing. Often, if the firm (the client) is pleased with the auditor (the accounting firm), they would hire them for long periods of time. Such a long-term relationship means long-term business for the accounting firm. Thus, a lot of money! For example: in 2000, Arthur Andersen earned $25 million in auditing fees from Enron, with an additional $27 million for consulting fees. Thus the company earned $52 million from Enron alone. With so much money in stake, sometimes it becomes very tempting for the auditors to please the clients with their desired number games. Sometimes, as long as the client pays them well, the auditors would pretend not to see weak spots or problems in their clients' balance sheets. Here are some of the biggest accounting failures over the last few years:Oct 1995: Bausch and Lomb overstated income by $17.6 million and settled the lawsuit for $42 million. Nov 1999: Rite Aid overstated revenue by $1 billionDec 1999: Cendant overstated income by $500 million through fraud and accounting errors.May 2001: Sunbeam was charged by the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) for accounting fraud, while Arthur Anderson settled a shareholders law suit for $110 million.June 2001: Waste Management overstated earnings by more than $1 billion between 1992 and 1996. Arthur Anderson agreed to settle by paying $229 million to shareholders.Nov-Jan 2001: Enron scandal.A possible solution? Mandate rotation of auditors. One possible solution is for the US government to pass a law in which US firms are required to change their auditors once every 5 years or so. With that requirement in place, auditors would be much more conservative with their clients' balance sheets, since in the near future, a competing auditor would be checking the balance sheets, and would be willing to point out bad auditing mistakes. Unless the current system is reformed, investors will continue to lose faith in auditors, and consequently, so will their appetite for US investments.Wilson Siu is a --- majoring in economics.

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