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Small changes in Jumbo lifestyle

March 31

From the "work hard, play hard" mentality, to the enormous Jumbo statue on the quad, to the view from the library roof, and the professors who care about the undergraduate experience - some things about Tufts haven't changed in the last four years. But this year's graduating seniors have witnessed many changes in campus life since they lined the candlelit hill for convocation during orientation week. Perhaps the biggest change in student life has been the increasing reliance on technology, both in the classroom and as part of students' social lives. Online courses, the TuftsLife.com website and the Blackboard CourseInfo site did not exist when this year's seniors were freshmen. The Eaton computer lab was renovated to twice its original size last year, and the library now has wireless web ports. These improvements, seniors say, are a great asset to the Tufts academic community. "They're improving student-teacher relationships," Senior Kate Ghiloni said. Engineers have also noticed changes to computers in the Science and Technology Center. Equipment has been updated, and the programs are a lot faster and better now, according senior Emily Desmarais, a chemical engineering major. The importance of technology to students' everyday lives also appears to have increased dramatically. "LOL" and "Emerald" have infiltrated students' vocabulary, and ethernet connections have enabled students to replace traditional forms of communication with e-mail and Instant Messenger. Senior Hai Huynh said that while Instant Messenger existed four years ago, it was not the 24-hour-a-day mode of communication it is today. "Instant Messenger is definitely more of a younger generation thing. We didn't grow up with computers as much as this year's freshmen did," Huynh said. In the last two years, cell phones have proliferated on campus. "Everyone's obsessed with cell phones now. The biggest everyday change is walking around seeing everyone talking on the phone," Ghiloni said. The social habits of seniors has also changed as they have grown older. Many say they no longer frequent fraternities like they did freshmen year. Instead, many prefer house parties or bars with smaller groups of friends. More social opportunities have opened up, as new outlets in Somerville and Boston have contributed to an increasingly varied social scene. "I like the social life a lot better now that I'm 21 and off-campus," Desmarais said. "Boston is more accessible now. With the Night Owl bus in use, it makes it a lot easier to get home at night." The addition of new shops in Davis and Teele squares has made Somerville a more appealing nearby hangout. "Davis has come alive over the past four years. It's like Harvard Square without the commercialized stores. It's come a long way and it has great character now," Ghiloni said. Though the off-campus scene has come alive in the last four years, seniors see that the party scene on campus has become restricted. "There weren't as many cops around at frat parties our freshmen year," Huynh said. "They've really cracked down on the party scene." Seniors debate whether the level of activism on campus has remained the same over their four years. What has changed, they agree, are the issues that students are protesting. During the 1998-99 academic term this year's seniors saw protests over animal rights and retention of minority faculty. Protests in the last two years have focused on the rights and safety of students on campus. Many seniors say that they are now more aware of people on campus than they were freshman year. "Now I know more people either directly or indirectly," Desmarais said. Not only have aspects of student life changed, but the face of campus has been altered over the last few years. Dowling Hall was but a sparkle in administrator's eyes when the seniors first came to campus, and construction on the Gantcher Center had just begun. Seniors have also seen the rise of the psychology building, and major renovations to Latin Way. Though some facets of campus life have changed, seniors still see Tufts as the place they came to as nervous and excited freshmen four years ago. "Little things have improved, but Tufts is pretty much the school I looked at four years ago. The professors still care about learning," Ghiloni said.

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News

SIS partners with National Clearinghouse

March 31

In a continuing effort to streamline student services, Dowling has outsourced part of its enrollment verification service - an online system which provides students with proof of their enrollment for insurance companies and employers- to National Clearinghouse. Administrators say that the step will make the process more convenient, but the new system of obtaining verification letters is giving some students headaches. Enrollment verification is often necessary for students who wish to procure car insurance, health insurance, outside employment, internships, scholarships, and credit cards. Though the new service cannot currently support health insurance requests, administrators hope that it will relieve Dowling Hall of most other requests. Kristine Dillon, Dean of Academic Services and Student Affairs, explained that an outside online company will enable students to work without being limited to Dowling Hall's hours. "We're trying to move towards more online services," Dillon said. National Clearinghouse boasts that it is "the nation's most comprehensive source for instant verification of post-secondary student enrollment." The new system, however, is not without glitches. "I tried on separate occasions to get verification, all without success," freshman Christopher Cifrino said. Freshman Carly Baruh called the new system "a good idea," but said it was "difficult to navigate and [Tufts] said it would be free but it's not." Sophomore Ross Icyda also approved of the system in theory, but experienced difficulty using the website. "It could be a good service for the Tufts community, but the kinks need to be worked out of the system before it can be used," he said. "It was confusing to be sent to the wrong link." Cifrino is using the service to obtain verification for a scholarship and said he experienced several difficulties. The site asked for a user ID and password that Tufts had never given him; without this information, the site forced Cifrino to pay a $2.50 fee. He was also unable to locate information specifically pertaining to Tufts on the site. Although a precise number of requests for enrollment verification letters was not available, JoAnn Smith, Manager of the Student Services Desk, said they are popular."I see them daily. We get tons of them - the Clearinghouse is only going to tackle a chunk of this," she said. At least half of the letters requested are for health care providers, which cannot be processed because they are usually in the name of a family member. "We think significant numbers of students have to present proof of enrollment for a variety of reasons," Dillon said. "One student might have up to three student verification requests per year... the maximum is somewhere in the range of 10,000 to 15,000 possible requests." She acknowledged that the actual number is considerably lower. The online service will benefit employers and other entities needing to verify information about a student or alumnus. Previously, such companies had to call Dowling Hall with specific information for Tufts to confirm or deny only - the University cannot actually give information to a caller. Now, in what Smith calls an "improvement of service," such inquiries are directed to the National Clearinghouse website. "It will be a lot faster for these people to just check online," she said. She said that with about half of the requests being processed by National Clearinghouse, the remaining health insurance requests could be completed much faster. "We will be printing the verifications for the health services within twenty-four business hours." All this was of little comfort to Cifrino, who continued grappling with National Clearinghouse. "I'd say I spent at least 45 minutes trying to get through the online process," he said. "Tufts sends you to the companies needing degree and enrollment verification page, while Clearinghouse's instructions send you to the student page. Both lead to the same end, which for me was an error message... This seems like a big hassle when I could just take a five-minute walk to Dowling and get something signed the old way."

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News

Brandeis ends Tufts' three-game win streak

March 31

The Tufts baseball team entered yesterday's non-conference game against Brandeis carrying a three-game winning streak. Hopes of extending it to four were severely hampered in the first inning, however as the Judges scored five runs, three of them earned, against senior pitcher Steve Lapham. Brandeis then went on to score a run in the third, sixth, and seventh en route to an 8-1 win, but it was the first inning that did in the Jumbos. Brandeis' senior center fielder Jim Freethey started the game off with a single, then stole second. After a strikeout, sophomore first baseman Dan McIntosh and sophomore designated hitter David Graham both singled, loading the bases. Despite getting hit hard, Lapham might have gotten out of the inning without any damage, as he forced sophomore Lars Borssen to ground the ball to short. The ball was hit softly, so Tufts' shortstop Brian Shapiro might not have been able to turn the double-play, but in his hurry to get the ball to second, he fumbled it and everyone was safe. "Any time you make a pitcher throw more pitches in an inning, they are going to get tired." coach John Casey said after the game. "But he still needed to make good pitches to get out of it, and he didn't." Following the error, Lapham's struggles continued, as he surrendered a sacrifice fly and two doubles before getting relieved after only two-thirds of an inning. Junior Mike Byron got the final out of the inning, but the Jumbos had already dug themselves into a five-run hole. It was a disappointing outing for Lapham, who was only scheduled to pitch two innings on the day. He didn't make it that far, and part of the reason was his inability to retire batters after getting them down in the count. "A lot of the hits they got were with two strikes," Casey said. "With two strikes, he has to make the pitch." As it turned out, the five runs would be plenty for Brandeis' pitcher, junior Tom McShane. The pitcher, Brandeis' ace, entered the game with a 4-2 record and a 2.91 ERA. He improved on that yesterday, as he went eight and one-third innings, yielding only one run on four hits. Perhaps most impressively, he struck out seven Jumbos while walking none. "He's a good pitcher," Casey said. "He had a tight slider working today. He makes you earn every run." In fact, the only time the Jumbos gave McShane a scare was in the bottom of the third, when they sparked a rally that could have put Tufts back in the game. Down 6-0, junior center fielder Evan Zupancic and junior DH Jon Herbert both singled to start the inning. With runners on first and second, nobody out, and the heart of the order coming up, it looked like a possible big inning for the Jumbos. The rally was stiffled almost as quickly as it started, as McShane got senior right fielder Dan Callahan to ground out down the first base line. The grounder did advance both runners and bring up the cleanup hitter, junior shortstop Brian Shapiro. McShane forced him to ground out to the first baseman, scoring a run, but forcing the second out of the inning. Now with two outs, a runner on third, and only one run in, the inning looked much less promising. Senior first baseman Tim Ayers struck out swinging to end the inning, and McShane got even stronger from that point on. Following the back-to-back singles to start the third, McShane retired 19 of the next 20 batters he faced before getting relieved in the bottom of the ninth. "We had the chance there, and if we get a few hits we score a few runs to make it 6-3 or 6-4," Casey said. "Then it's a new game." McShane was simply too tough on the Jumbos, though. "He threw a little harder than some of the pitchers we've been seeing," Callahan said. "But that's not an excuse at all. He's the type of guy that we'll need to hit later in the season." The Jumbos' place in the standings will not be affected by the non-conference loss, and in terms of the NESCAC, the three-game sweep of Bowdoin over the weekend was much more important. That is little solace to the Jumbos, however. "We go out there to win," Casey said. "I don't care who we're playing, we need to play well. It's much easier to start playing well and continue it, then to start playing badly and turn it around." Callahan agreed with his coach, and put a slightly more positive spin on the game. "Every game counts, even if it's not in the standings," Callahan said. "We need to learn from every loss and get better." The Jumbos must put the 8-1 defeat behind them quickly as they face an important NESCAC homestand this weekend. The Trinity Bantams will visit Medford for a three-game set, including a 3 p.m. Friday afternoon game and a twin bill on Saturday with a noon start. The Bantams are 7-2 in the NESCAC East, two games behind the Jumbos in the loss column. The two teams are the only two likely to win the division, so a sweep this weekend could seal the deal for the Jumbos. "We got beat bad today," Callahan said. "We need to make sure it doesn't happen again."

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News

Women face do or die NESCAC weekend

March 31

With four games remaining and the playoff spot on the line, the women's basketball team (9-10, 1-4) will begin the first leg of its four-game road trip tomorrow. The Jumbos, who will play at Williams tomorrow night and then travel up to Middlebury for the Saturday matinee, have the daunting task of playing two high-caliber teams with a combined 32-9 season record. At 1-4, Tufts is tied with Wesleyan for seventh in the conference, and will need two or three more wins to secure the seventh and final playoff spot. This position is not unfamiliar to the team; it stood at 1-4 last year in the conference, and went on to win three of its final four games to earn the fifth playoff spot. "We just need to go in and play," coach Janice Savitz said. "We will not do anything differently. We have been in this position before and we know what we have to do." Losing its last two games by a combined five points - with both games being decided at the buzzer - the team has displayed a flair for the dramatic. Despite the losses, team confidence remains high. Given last year's performance down the stretch, Jumbo fans should expect a similar playoff push, aside from the home field advantage, which will not be in the team's favor. "Obviously it would be nice if these last games were at home," junior co-captain Hillary Dunn said. "In the first semester we played a lot of games on the road though, so we are used to it. We're just going to take it one game at a time." Williams (5-1, 16-5) has enjoyed success this season under the leadership of captains Kate Stumpo and Laura Crum. Stumpo leads the team with 13.3 points per game, and Melissa Skeffington has shot 41-95 from three point range - an impressive .432 percent clip. Last Saturday, the guard nailed seven threes en route to a Williams record setting 36 point outburst. Last year, the Jumbos defeated the Purple Cows 75-64 in front of an energetic crowd in Cousens Gym, as junior Emily Goodman scored a game-high 23 points. Two years ago, the Jumbos also upset Williams 65-64 at home. "The past two seasons we beat Williams at home, so we have plenty of confidence going into that game," Dunn said. Last Saturday, the basketball team found a key piece to its puzzle - defense. It held second nationally ranked Bowdoin to 50 points in the near upset. The team will look to continue the trend this weekend, specifically focusing on transition defense since pushing the ball up-court quickly is one of Williams' fortes. "We have to get back in transition, because we've been getting beat in the fast breaks," junior Erin Harrington said. "We will concentrate on getting back faster and see what we can do from there." After spending the night in a Williamstown hotel, the team will trek up to Middlebury to take on the Panthers (16-4, 4-2). The team is led by three-point specialist Kristin Hanley, who as a junior eclipsed the 1000 career point mark earlier this season. Hanley scored 11 points in the final 3:36 of last year's contest, giving the Panthers a come from behind 69-67 victory over Tufts. "They are tall, but their sets are standard and so forth," Savitz said of Middlebury. "They don't run a lot of things, they just run them well." While Tufts' record may not compare favorable with the records of its two opponents this weekend, the team's losses have been close for the most part, and the team is peaking at the right time. "We have been playing really well lately," Harrington said. "The next two weeks will be hard games but we have a good chance of winning two or three out of the four games." "I think the players know what is at stake and the intensity will be there whether we are at home or on the road," Savitz said. For the first time since the preseason, the team was able to have five consecutive practices with no game interruptions, thus giving it more time to hone the offensive and defensive systems.

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News

A 'Tricky' two-timer

March 31

I remember playing the original Coolboarders for the Playstation I back in the day (by which I mean the late '90s, of course). I thought to myself, "A snowboarding game? This is going to suck." And largely, it did. Well, not entirely - it was fun for its time. But it only kept me interested for five or ten minutes, a race or two at a time, at which point I would casually move on and started replay Metal Gear Solid for the umpteenth time. And thus, snowboarding exited my life entirely. That is, until the Playstation 2 arrived at my doorstep, along with the much-hyped SSX (short for Snowboard Supercross). I admit that I was still skeptical even with all the hype and raving about the original. Another snowboarding game? Oh boy, let's race down a mountain in 90 seconds. Oh boy, it's like a car racing game only it's downhill and on snow. Yippee. But boy, was I wrong. First of all, the races are generally five to seven minutes long. Second, it was a little more involved than simply racing downhill on snow: tricks were the name of the game here. SSX was brilliant. Absolutely marvelous - and people started buying PS2s simply so they could experience the thrill. A year later, the publishers over at EA Sports Big (SSX, NBA Street) decided to release SSX Tricky. Tricky was largely hyped as being a "director's cut" of the original. It promised an extra level here and there and maybe an added character, as well as behind-the-scenes footage of the creation of the game. Wonderful - so Tricky was just to be the same game with special features and no new gameplay. That's a good way to make an extra buck, right? Again, I was dead wrong.SSX Tricky stands on its own as an amazing game, quite a few steps beyond the original. Forget the "director's cut," this is a full-fledged sequel. With substantial gameplay additions, graphical enhancements, multiple new characters and courses, and a much higher production value, SSX Tricky sits atop the world of PS2 games. Gameplay Never has the PS2's dual-shock 2 controller been utilized so well. Tricky was developed specifically for this controller and it shows. The game plays like butter. It's quick and responds on a dime, with brilliant button layout. Simply, the boarder is controlled using the left analog, X crouches making the boarder go faster, Square utilizes the adrenaline boost, Triangle changes the camera, the directional pad controls flips and spins, and the shoulder buttons are magnificent. Each of the four shoulder buttons corresponds to a different board grab. Shoot off a ramp and hold L1, you'll do an Indy Air; how about R1 and L2? you'll do a Stalemaskey Air; all four shoulder buttons? You'll do an experimental grab where your boarder actually removes one of his/her feet from the board. Very sweet. The true innovation in this version of SSX however, comes with the addition of the insanely fun, insanely unrealistic, and insanely cool uber-tricks. As you do tricks, your boarder racks up points and adrenaline. As the adrenaline meter on the side of the screen fills up, you can use the Square button and turn the adrenaline into a speed boost. Waiting until your meter is full, however, results in what we like to call Tricky. Once your boost hits its max, your boarder is given 15 seconds of "Tricky" during which he/she can pull off an uber-trick. To do an uber-trick, you simply go off a ramp and do a board grab while holding Square. The resulting trick will astonish you. Each rider has four unique uber-tricks (one for each shoulder button) and they include everything from your boarder break dancing on his board in mid-air to simply doing a kick-flip with your board. These tricks add an enormous degree of fun to SSX Tricky and they raise the points stakes to new levels. A typical grab will range anywhere from 800 to 4,000 points. An uber-trick, however, brings in 15,000-plus points. Additionally, there are three modes of gameplay. There is a practice mode where your boarder simply rides down the course without time limits and you can do as you please. A race mode where you race against five other boarders in three heats, medaling in each one results in enhanced attributes for your rider. Then there's a showoff mode where your boarder races down the mountain alone trying to rack up the most points possible; again, obtaining medals in showoff allows you to boost your character's attributes. Showoff is crazy fun. And to make it even more fun, they've added snowflake multipliers to the courses and installed temporary ramps for your jumping, point-gathering pleasure. Sure, the extra ramps are fun. But the multipliers are genius. There are three varieties worth varying amounts; hit one of the multipliers while performing a trick and it multiplies the point value for that trick. Hit a yellow snowflake for instance and your point value for that trick doubles, an orange one triples the value, and the all-powerful red snowflakes multiply five-fold.SSX Tricky doesn't just make snowboarding fun, it takes snowboarding to an entirely new level. It's uber-snowboarding, baby. Bring it on. Grade: A+Graphics: Silky, silky smooth. Framerate is important for fast-paced racing games with lots of racers and SSX Tricky doesn't disappoint. The framerate stays high throughout and the entire presentation from the opening menu, to the character select screen, to the races is extremely polished. EA Sports Big took their time putting this game together and it shows everywhere you look. The character animations are also superb, especially for a racing game. Everything from the excellent head-tracking of the racers, to the joint animations when landing jumps, to the animations as your rider glides down the course is flawlessly executed. And the particle effects from the falling snow, to fireworks, to other random effects are in full-force and nicely done. My only real complaint in the graphics department is with the horizon. In the distance of each track, you can see mountains, cities, beaches (yes, one level is in Hawaii!! Why not?), etc. And the backgrounds really are flat and lacking. However, I suppose something is better than nothing. Had they simply chosen to make the background a night sky instead, I never would've noticed. Overall, Tricky is very slick, very well presented, and simply a beauty. Grade: ASound:SSX Tricky uses sound quite well. Though in one area it falls short of its predecessor and you have to wonder why. In the original SSX, each track had its own unique fast-paced song. These songs were great, so addictive in fact that a friend of mine went so far as to download them onto his computer. I'd say he's crazy, but they were great tunes - really. They failed to use the same songs in Tricky though. Well, some of the original songs are back in remixed forms. But why rehash something that was brilliant? I wish they would've kept the original score and perhaps added a few new tunes for the new courses. Oh well. The remixes are still good, just not the originals that I'd grown used to. It's like hearing a techno remix of a Beatles song, you just don't want that. Tricky did add some new features in the sound department that work nicely. And the most notable addition was to give the riders more "personality." To do this, they scripted probably two-dozen voice clips for each rider, everything from taunts to self-critiques of your riding performance. It's great. The riders really do have well-defined personalities. Not to mention that EA Sports Big managed to get a few professional actors to do the voices. You've probably heard of a few of them: Tufts alum Oliver Platt, Lucy Liu, David Arquette, Macy Gray, Billy Zane to name a few. Big pluses for the voice acting, and little grumblings with the musical score for the individual tracks. But still, very well done. Just bring back the original tunes for the third game! Grade: A-Replay Value: Multiplayer madness will last you for ages. Not to mention the competitiveness of trying to best your friends' top scores on the various tracks in single player showoff. Rarely do games come along that are this fun and that have a shelf life that's this long. Honestly, I play Tricky more than any other game. Yes, Tricky even finds its way into my PS2 more often than the deified Grand Theft Auto 3. That should really say something. Grade: A+ Brilliance on every level. It's pure fun packaged on a DVD with a PS2 logo slapped on it. Along with Grand Theft Auto 3, SSX Tricky is one of the few next-generation games that deserves to be mentioned on that "best games of all-time" list. It's really that good. Overall: A+

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News

Lesbian-themed play 'Stop Kiss' posters stolen

March 31

Nearly 100 posters advertising the Pen Paint and Pretzels (3P) production of Stop Kiss have been removed from all over campus, Producer Rachel Hertz said last night. A love story involving two women, the show is suffering from the lack of exposure and sold only 50 out of 256 tickets in advance for last night's opening show, and less than 100 tickets for the rest of the weekend. "I haven't noticed any posters," said Jennifer Bien, Director of last semester's 3P's show How I Learned to Drive. "There's very few ticket sales." According to Hertz, organizers put up 80 posters between last Friday and Monday, a majority of which were gone by Tuesday. The group put up replacement posters, but most had disappeared by the next day. "We put some on the library steps and in the campus center [Wednesday] night and those are gone," Hertz said. "There are two posters left in Aidekman and that's all I've seen."Stop Kiss is a play about two women, one from the city and the other from the country, who become friends. The relationship evolves beyond friendship, however, and the two fall in love - their lives turn upside down as the prejudices of those around them come into play. Hertz said she was unsure whether the theft of the posters is related to the subject matter of the play. "We don't know if it's related to something the show's about, or if someone just doesn't like someone else in the show," Hertz said. But Bien said she doesn't see how the topic of the show would matter. "The posters themselves don't covey the subject of the play," she said, expressing confusion as to why anyone would tear them down. Hertz spoke to Provost Sol Gittleman, Assistant Dean of Students Marisel Perez, and the Student Affairs Office to try to find a way to advertise for the play. In order to get word out on the production, there are advertisements on Tuftslife.com, as well as in the Daily. The Dean of Students Office has also provided e-mail lists for groups on campus to help the group advertise. "Stop Kiss" is has two shows left, on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. Admission is $5 for Tufts students.

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News

Jumbos Put the Freeze on the Bowdoin Polar Bears

March 31

Much like the New England Patriots, the women's track and field team entered its weekend competition unsure of the outcome, but ended the day with a resounding win. The Jumbos topped conference foe Bowdoin on their home track by a narrow margin, thanks to an array of victories in several different events. Tufts finished with at total of 234.5 points to edge out the Polar Bears, who totaled 223.5. Springfield College was a distant third with 150 points, while Gordon College took fourth with 6 points. "We were really hoping to win," senior co-captain Lauren Esposito said. "Every year we go back and forth. It's always nice to go up there and beat them. We didn't really have to strategize, some people had to double up, but it really came down to a great team performance." The combination of first place finishes in running, jumping, and throwing events were enough to push Tufts over the top. "There were a lot of first place finishes and a lot of personal bests," sophomore Jessica Gauthier said. "The team came together and it wasn't just one event group or discipline that provided the points, it was a combination of everything working together." In the sprints, junior co-captain Myriam Claudio led the way with a first place finish in the 55m dash (7.68) as well as in the 200 (27.26), and a third place tie in the pole vault with Bowdoin's Anne Barmettler. Joining Claudio in the 55 were sophomore Shushanna Mignott, who took third (7.92), and freshman Ayako Sawanobori, who finished closely behind in fourth (7.98). Mignott also leaped to sixth in the long jump (4.48m) and an impressive second place in the triple jump (10.51m). The 400 proved to be a strength for the team as sophomore Jessica Trombly captured first (1:00.34), freshman Sika Henry raced to second place (1:03.34), and sophomore Emily Bersin took fourth (1:03.86). Esposito (2:29.88), sophomore Lauren Caputo (2:30.94), and senior Ellen Adams (2:35.18) garnered a commanding third, fourth, and seventh places in the 800. Caputo also ran to a sixth place finish in the one mile race (5:24.10) that was good enough for a personal record. The 1000 run saw freshman Katie Sheedy crossing the finish line in third place (3:08.12), junior Mary Nodine in fifth place (3:10.21), and senior Colleen Burns in sixth place (3:10.41). Rounding out the distance events were juniors Ashley Peterson (11:08.39) and Sarah Foss (11:10.90), who finished fourth and fifth in the 3000 run,In addition, all three relay teams - the 4x200, 4x400, and 4x800 - captured first. Leading the way for the jumpers was Sarah Leistikow, who placed first in the high jump (1.52m) and first in the long jump (4.91m), as well as taking fifth in the 55m hurdles (9.75) and tenth in the 800 (2:38.34). Leistikow participates in the pentathlon, an event that takes into account scores from five track and field disciplines: the high jump, long jump, 55 hurdles, shot put, and the 800. Even though no meet offers an official pentathlon schedule, Leistikow participates in the five events throughout the season to build her pentathlon resume in preparation for the Division III Championships, which she qualified for this past weekend. Spiker finished just behind Leistikow for second place in the high jump (1.52m), while Henry rounded out the top three in the high jump (1.47m). Rounding out an impressive squad were the ever-improving throwers, with the Jumbos placing first in both throwing events. In the weight throw, Gauthier took first place honors (12.43m), while freshmen Jessica Colby (11.29) and Katie Antle (9.98), and sophomore Gwen Campbell (9.96) placed third, sixth, and seventh. Antle was the victor in the shot put (11.32). The throwers have enjoyed continued success throughout the season, with at least one team member setting a personal best each week. Antle has qualified for Division III's and ECAC's in the shot put, and Colby has made it to Division III's in the shot put and the weight throw. With a victory over Bowdoin on their side, the Jumbos' momentum is building. The formula for success seems to be in the young team's ability to spread its points across the board in a range of events. They'll get another chance to do that at this weekend's Tufts Invitational. "This year more than any other year, we're strong in every event group." Leistikow said. "We've always had strong performers, but this year there's not an event group that's not contributing points. It's very exciting that we're doing so well, especially at this point in the season."

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News

Who are Tufts peers?

March 31

Many of the pre-frosh visiting campus this week have more than just Tufts on their minds. They are comparing Tufts to other schools on their list, and trying to find out where they belong. And while many feel that there is no place like Tufts, there are some schools similar to ours in certain ways - our peer schools, which we compete with for applicants. According to Dean Kristine E. Dillon there are some schools she considers to be like Tufts. "[We are] comparably competitive academically and similar in one or more ways to us are Washington University, Northwestern University, Vanderbilt, Cornell, Rice, Emory, Duke, Carnegie Mellon, and Johns Hopkins." Dillon said. Statistically, Tufts has some matches. According to US News and World Report, Tufts ranks 28th. When compared with other national schools based on academics and university size, four names are most popular. First there's Brandeis. It's younger than Tufts (it was founded in 1948), and smaller - Tufts houses 4,869 undergrads to Brandeis's 3,169. Tufts accepts 26 percent of its applicants, while Brandeis accepts 48 percent. Brandeis, a predominantly Jewish school, is not considered to be a diverse university; while Tufts is comparatively more diverse. In addition, Brandeis does not have a Greek system. The two schools have a similar, $27,000-per-year price tag, but Brandeis offers financial aid to a higher percentage of its students - 47 percent of Brandeis students receive need-based grants, compared with 35 percent of Tufts undergrads. Tufts is renowned for its IR department while Brandeis is known for political science. Another peer of Tufts is Georgetown, known by many for its International Relations program and political science studies. "If I were to look at IR somewhere else the main one I would think of would be Georgetown, the school of foreign service, I don't know which is better [the Tufts IR department or Georgetown's],"senior Sam Gough said. While many students may consider Georgetown comparable to Tufts, there are some differences. Georgetown is religiously affiliated as a Jesuit institution while Tufts has no religious affiliation. Georgetown is also somewhat larger than Tufts, with 6,418 undergraduate student, and less expensive than Tufts at $25,425 per year. However, Georgetown offers less financial aid grants than Tufts (by 1 percent). Both schools have about the same number of applicants; Georgetown accepts 22 percent of its students. Another school Tuftonians chose from when making their college decision is Brown University in Providence, RI. Senior Molly Field feels that many Tufts students looked at Brown as well as Tufts. "Lots of people who look at Tufts look at Brown because they're the same size and similar environment. Although Brown is an Ivy League, of course," Field said. Brown University is also larger than Tufts, boasting 6,029 undergrads, and it has a lower acceptance rate - 16 percent of its applicants are invited. Like Tufts, Brown has sororities and fraternities, although they are less active there than there are at Tufts. Brown is known for its liberal atmosphere and it has a widely used "create-your-own-major" option for students, similar to Tufts' plan of study. Cost-wise, Brown is more expensive than Tufts at $27,152, although it offers financial aid to more students than Tufts does - 36 percent of Brown undergrads receive need-based grants. When senior Michelle Khan was looking at schools, she was deciding between Emory, Washington University in St. Louis, and Tufts. "When I was applying to schools people I knew were trying to decide between Emory and Washington University. Those were three main places people wanted to go because the opportunities seemed pretty equal," Khan said. Emory University is often compared to Tufts because of its size and notable academics. However, Emory is considerably larger than Tufts - there are 6,316 undergraduates studying at Emory, where 45 percent of the applicants are accepted. Emory is affiliated with the Methodist Church and it has a larger fraternity and sorority population than Tufts does. The cost to attend Emory is slightly less than Tufts, at $25,552, and only 29 percent of students at Emory are receiving need-based grants. "I guess if I weren't looking at Tufts I'd look at Emory. They're both supposed to be around the same level of academics," senior Eric Shrago said. Other students compare beyond these four universities. "I'd like to say Tufts is comparable to Skidmore, but Tufts isn't really that artistically inclined. So I guess it's more comparable to Bowdoin," junior Heather Vergo said. "They're both really academic." Senior Jennifer Sapp looked into several other schools during her college search, including one which she considers a peer, Washington University. "I would say probably Washington University [is a peer school] because it is a similar size to Tufts and has comparable departments, professors and courses," Sapp said. Sapp considered Wash U. and paid its deposit while she was waitlisted at Tufts. Other schools she looked at included Emory, all the UCs (Sapp is from California), and some schools of the Ivy League, which were recruiting her for crew at the time. Sapp is glad of her decision to come to Tufts in part because of the perks after graduation. "It was the best decision I made because it provided me incredible opportunities for my future now that I'm graduating," Sapp said. "The job I have next year I got through the New York Recruiting Consortium, I think the Tufts name gave me an edge to set up interviews. I still had to carry my weight, but it was still an in."

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News

Om!

March 31

After a brief hiatus, the Experimental College is admirably offering Hindi/Urdu in the fall. Ex-College director Robyn Gittleman has also assured students that they will be able to pursue their studies for three semesters, enabling them to complete half of the foreign language requirement. In conjunction with the highly qualified professor on board, this news should bolster enrollment significantly. Next fall's offerings are more meaningful than the token of diversity that last year's conversational courses represented and they come at an appropriate time, as the Asian subcontinent is a populous and important region.Gittleman and the Ex-College should be applauded for broadening the curriculum in ways that are fiscally infeasible for the College of Arts and Sciences, which must keep its focus and funds on strengthening the departments that serve as the pillars of a liberal arts education. The Tufts Association for South Asians (TASA) should also be commended for a successful lobbying mission, but it should now turn its attention to bringing funds into the University rather than trying to finagle them from other places. The group has lofty goals of creating a culture house, a minor, a major, and increasing the number of South Asian faculty. TASA should think more creatively about ways to diversify the campus, as manipulating Ballou is not the only answer.The Ex-College affirms its mission with a Hindi/Urdu program, as its value to Tufts is often in these offerings, rather than the plethora of one-time courses offered by undergraduates who have found a way to turn a hobby into an academic course for credit. There are always a handful of dubious courses in the Ex-college, but fortunately Hindi/Urdu will stand apart, as it could very well be picked up by Arts and Sciences and follow its predecessors Chinese and Arabic - which had their origins in the Ex-College- to the third floor of Olin.

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News

Two major new releases, two big surprises

March 31

Things are crazy down at the Cineplex. You walk into a film with a confusing trailer and a lead actor that isn't known for much more than smirking and blowing stuff up, you have feelings of trepidation. You walk into something with a good concept, a good trailer and Denzel Washington, you expect more than your average Cineplex drive-thru. And you'd be surprised twice. Of the two major releases this weekend, Hart's War is the winner hands-down. It is a shockingly well-crafted, layered, and subtle film. Hart's War needs to be explained a bit. Despite the ad campaign, it is not a war movie and Bruce Willis is not the lead. True, it takes place during WWII and Bruce Willis is given the angelic star treatment, but the real concern here is ideals of honor and newcomer Colin Farrell, who is the actual Hart of the title. Hart is a lieutenant who is captured and caves to interrogation after a few days. Sent to a POW camp, he encounters Col. William Macnamara (Willis) - the highest ranking prisoner there and unofficial leader of the allied prisoners. While Hart gets the feel of the place and Macnamara smirks a lot at the Camp's SS Commander (Marcel Iures), two Tuskegee Airmen are downed near the camp and become prisoners. This causes tension, as several of their fellow soldiers are also virulent racists. Two related murders occur, and one of the Airmen named Lincoln (Terrence Dashon Howard) is charged with the crime. A mock court martial is allowed to proceed under the Commander's watch. Hart is appointed defense counsel by Macnamara, who has plots of his own - most of which include smirking. Don't get me wrong: I've got nothing against Bruce Willis. He's a great action star, has great screen presence and cares more about his material than most aging action stars (when's the last time Harrison Ford gave a rip about any movie he was in?). However, with a few good exceptions (12 Monkeys, The Sixth Sense), he pretty much plays himself in every film. He does it well, and he does it here, and it's hard to see past the Willis effect. The real surprise here is Colin Farrell. This guy is an amazing talent, and his understated performance projects vulnerability and strength at the same time. It's hard to be in the same frame as Willis and not get obscured by his action icon status - only Samuel L. Jackson and Haley Joel Osmet have really pulled it off - but Farrell earns his stripes and more with this role. Director Gregory Hoblit took then-unknown Edward Norton and rocketed him to stardom with Primal Fear. Let's hope this movie does the same for Farrell. Also giving commendable performances are Marcel Iures as the manipulative but still human SS Commander of the Camp (in a small but wonderful moment, Farrell asks, "Where is your son fighting?" Iures gives a small, painful smile and replies, "He fights no more.") and especially Terrence Howard as the man on trial. He has a monologue near the end that is so good it literally eclipses everyone else -even Willis...Until he finishes. The film is beautiful to look at, with crisp blues and lurking shadows enveloping frame after frame. The early battle scenes have a real intensity to them, making it all the more surprising when they become less and less important as the film goes on. And director Hoblit keeps a tight control on the film, making us interested in the moment without telegraphing every plot twist to come. Yet Hart's War is not without it's flaws: we don't learn much more about the other men except that they stand by Willis's character, and the Col's master plan is never quite explained. The early battle scenes also have a degree of gore and violence that never carries over to the rest of the film, and were probably unnecessary. However, there are a million different ways this movie could have ended, and the writers and director deserve extra credit for keeping us guessing. This may be one of the only Bruce Willis movies on recent record that ends with quiet gestures and strong words instead of explosions and a saved world. The ads make Hart's War look like Die Hard in a prison camp, and that couldn't be farther from reality. Instead, it is a powerful small film that has real things to say about honor and ideals. It is a stand-up war drama.

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News

Afro-American studies subject of tension at Harvard

March 31

Harvard will lose at least one professor from its renowned Afro-American studies department next fall after tensions between the department's leading professors and president Lawrence H. Summers boiled over the last month. Professor K. Anthony Appiah submitted his letter of resignation on Friday, and will teach at Princeton beginning in the fall. Appiah was one of three professors in the department thought to be considering a move; Cornell West, considered one of the leading Afro-American scholars in the nation, and department chair Henry Louis Gates, Jr., have also been in the media spotlight. Conflict arose last summer when West was approached by Summers, though the issue did not receive media attention until West spoke out last month. Summers allegedly chastised the popular professor for encouraging grade inflation and for not fulfilling his obligations of scholarship as Harvard's Fletcher University Professor. On medical leave for the past year, West's activities included recording a rap album and working on Al Sharpton's presidential exploratory committee. A New York resident, Appiah said his desire to resign was partially based on the long commute he has made since he began working in Cambridge seven years ago. "I have no dissatisfaction with Larry Summers or anyone in the department at Harvard," Appiah told the New York Times on Friday. "I'm leaving because of the personal and intellectual opportunities at Princeton." But Appiah's resignation has again ignited suspicion that others in the department, notably West and Gates, will soon follow. Both professors, who are angered at what they say is Summers' lack of support for affirmative action, have reportedly been offered positions at Princeton. Since a January meeting with West, Summers is trying to make amends with the distraught faculty. In a statement in Harvard's Jan. 2 Gazette, Summers said he was proud of the Afro-American studies department and implored the professors to stay at Harvard. But several days later, in a National Public Radio interview, West continued to speak out against Summers. Tufts Provost Sol Gittleman said it is typical for professors to seek opportunities at other universities. "[There is] not much institutional loyalty [anymore]," he said. Gittleman said Summer's behavior stems from his background as a professor. While some support Summers' straightforward manner of questioning faculty and their academic work, it is not considered standard procedure in academia. "Summers thought he was faculty, not the president," Gittleman said. "He spoke more like a colleague." Tensions of this sort are no stranger to Tufts. In 1998, students marched on Ballou Hall in response to the resignation of several African-American faculty and administrators, including Todd McFadden, former director of the then-African American Center. The crowd presented University administrators with a number of demands, including increased diversity among students and faculty, reinstatement of a funding cut for the African American Center, and a written plan for implementation of the Task Force on Race's recommendations. The number of minority faculty members at Tufts has long been the subject of debate. According to a publication released Friday by the Arts, Sciences, & Engineering Office of Diversity Education and Development, the numbers of minority full-time, tenured and tenure-track faculty have slowly been increasing. Since the 1998-99 academic year, the number of Asian or Pacific Islander professors has increased from 22 to 25; Black (non-Hispanic) professors have increased from 16 to 20; and Hispanic professors have increased from 12 to 15. The number of women professors has risen slightly, from 105 to 108. Since 1995, out of 83 new full-time faculty members, 14 have been Asian or Pacific Islander; 18 have been Black (non-Hispanic), and 7 have been Hispanic. Forty-four have been White (non-Hispanic), making up 53 percent of new hires. The number of women hires, 45, composed 54.2 percent of the total. In the same time span, 78 professors have left Tufts: 11.5 percent were Asian or Pacific Islander; 12.8 percent were Black, 5.1 percent were Hispanic, and 70.5 percent were White (non-Hispanic). Women made up 46.2 percent of those who left the University. According to the publication, this "includes faculty who have left Tufts for any reason - retirement, death, resignation, non-renewal of contract, and denial of tenure." "It is not realistic to hold onto all faculty," said Director of Arts, Sciences, & Engineering Office of Diversity Education and Development Margery W. Davies. "People leave for a lot of different reasons... It may be true some are not happy at Tufts. They might have their eyes open" to go elsewhere, she said. While Ballou stated its support for increasing faculty diversity, Gittleman says these decisions ultimately must be based on how Arts & Sciences administrators prioritize in the face of oft-tight budgets. While affirmative action is not used in hiring faculty, Gittleman says that progress has been made. "Searches have been terrific in terms of minority recruitment," he said. "Recruiting over the last five to ten years has been a very good and successful effort."

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News

Women's basketball continues to struggle

March 31

Earlier this season, top-ranked Duke men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski made a bold move to jumpstart his slumping offense during a game against Kentucky - he pulled the starters. The young players sparked the team, and the Blue Devils rolled to a 98-95 overtime victory. On Tuesday night, the women's basketball coach Janice Savitz tried a similar technique as the slumping Jumbos were trailing Brandeis, but even with multiple lineup changes, the team could not find its rhythm and lost 63-53. Having lost three of their last four in the new year, the Jumbos (6-5) have not resembled the team that reeled off four straight wins to end 2001. Brandeis (6-6), although not a particularly talented squad, played an aggressive game on Tuesday and hit enough shots to hold the lead for the entire contest. In the opening eight minutes, the Judges jumped out to a 17-8 lead. Despite important three pointers later in the period from Tufts sophomore Maritsa Christoudias and freshman Erin Connolly, Brandeis capitalized on turnovers and went into the locker room with a 35-24 lead. Tufts shot an improved 36 percent from the field, but made only one free throw in the opening 20 minutes compared to Brandeis' nine. The second half began well for the Jumbos as senior co-captain Jayme Busnengo stole the ball following the inbound pass and traveled the length of the court for an easy lay-up. The forward scored a team-high 12 points on the night on 4-5 shooting from the field and a perfect 4-4 from the charity stripe. Averaging 9 points per game over the past four games, Busnengo has shot 54 percent from the field compared to a mere 28 percent for the rest of the team. Although the momentum seemed to favor Tufts early in the second half, Brandeis went on a 7-0 run, pushing the score up to 42-26. At this point, Savitz pulled her starters for a long stretch and went with a much younger lineup that included four freshmen and a sophomore. The tall lineup, featuring four forwards, brought Tufts to within nine points with ten minutes remaining. "The people that came in did a nice job of getting us back into the game," junior Emily Goodman said. "We have totally revamped our offense. By going inside more, it will free people up for open shots [outside]. A lot of our shots were forced [on Tuesday night]." With many of the starters back in the game, Tufts seemed rejuvenated enough to pull off the comeback as Connolly and junior Erin Harrington drained back-to-back threes, making the score 49-42 with 5:50 to go. Over the next two minutes, Busnengo hit a layup and nailed four free throws, bringing Tufts to within four. But this was as close as the Jumbos would get. Brandeis ran down the clock and hit enough shots to stave off any further comeback, ultimately finishing off Tufts 63-53. "They are a good team, and every year it has always been a close game," Goodman said. "They were disciplined and worked hard. We have trouble closing out games - we need to work on that and not get ourselves in such a big hole." The Judges exhibited balanced scoring, with four players finishing in double figures, led by senior guard Jen Curran's 15. Besides Busnengo, Harrington was the only Jumbo in double figures, finishing with ten points. Junior point guard Hillary Dunn recorded five assists and also picked up four steals on the night. Thus far, Tufts has only played in non-conference contests, but on Saturday it will begin the NESCAC schedule against 9-2 Bates in Lewiston, ME. "We would really like to prove ourselves in the NESCAC," Goodman said. "It would be good for team morale."

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News

Finding a Catch on Jumbo Love Match

March 31

I lost my phone number. Can I borrow yours? These days, pick-up lines aren't the only way to get a date on the Tufts campus - that is, if Alethea Pieters and Jesse Levey have anything to do with it. For the past three semesters, the two seniors have been hosting the most popular program on TUTV - a dating show called "Jumbo Love Match." And on Valentine's Day, the two matchmakers are hoping to promote old-fashioned dating on campus. "All my life I've been obsessed with setting people up," Pieters said. "The first time I played matchmaker was in the first grade with my best friend Tina Perello and the star tetherball champion Kane Dodson." During the summer before her sophomore year, Pieters carried her matchmaking interests to a new level. She proposed her idea of a dating show to TUTV, and the station's board loved it. The next question was who would co-host. That person turned out to be senior Jesse Levey, who said he does the show out of an interest in reviving old-fashioned dating on campus. "There's not enough dating," Levey said. "It's not a problem unique to Tufts, but people our age just don't see dating as a viable option if they're interested in someone." "We're spreading the love across campus, hopefully igniting a spark, reminding kids that old-fashioned dating is also a great alternative to making out on the floor of 123 if you want to start a relationship with someone you have your eye on," Pieters said. And being co-host has certain additional benefits. "Let's talk about Jesse's attraction to the main girl contestant on our first episode ever," Pieters said. "The love match was on, but not for her and one of the bachelors." "Yeah, I actually went out with a girl who I met on the show for a while," Levey said. After a semester of programming, Levey and Pieters brought in their friend Tommy Calvert, who agreed to do a 60-second love advice segment. "I never intended it to be 60 seconds," Calvert said, admitting that he is known for being relatively long-winded. "It's pretty much a joke that I'm giving love advice in the first place." In their time on the show, the seniors have seen their fair share of unusual dating situations. Pieters said that one girl didn't tell the hosts she actually had a boyfriend. At the end of her Jumbo Love Match date, she asked her match to drop her off at her boyfriend's house. Another contestant also didn't tell the hosts that he was attached. Moments before the taping, it was discovered that he was actually dating a girl with whom his brother had been set up on a previous show. According to Levey, this year's season has had a number of surprises. Two guys ended up having a fight over a girl, some contestants ended up taking their shirts off, and some even ended up singing on the show. "I think that's great," Levey said. "That's the kind of stuff we want to bring back." For viewers, one point of controversy has always been whether or not the Jumbo love match ends up as a date. Pieters and Levey admit that not all the couples agree to go on a date, but those who refuse are not invited back on the show. The show offers a number of choices to their winning contestants. The couple is always given the option of going to a Boston club, but nobody has ever chosen to do so. Other than that, the show has been successful in getting Davis square restaurants and venues to give them coupons. Levey, Pieters, and Calvert have considered videotaping the date, but in the end, they thought that would spoil the romantic mood. The show's success will soon be confronted with one glaring problem - its hosts are seniors, meaning Jumbo Love Match will be soon be given something of a facelift. According to Pieters, though, there's been several students interested in taking her and Levey's spots. "We have already received several requests from folks, and we are very excited about that," Pieters said. "It's really important to me that Jumbo Love Match continues after Jesse and I leave, and of course we need another Tommy Calvert, but Lord knows, that is going to be really difficult." Calvert said he doubts most viewers realize how much time and energy go into producing and directing the show. He thinks the next hosts may be in for a bit of a surprise. So what advice do these matchmakers have this Valentine's Day? "It's a great opportunity to take the plunge and play it off as casual," Calvert said. "It's a good excuse to go after someone who you've had your eye out for." Pieters agreed. "Ask someone out on a date," she said. "Try this line: I may not be the hottest guy/girl on campus, but I am the only one asking you out for Thursday - what do you say? Let's get busy, baby. How about a hot date?"

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News

New provost a quiet but respected administrator

March 31

Jamshed Bharucha, the man selected to become Tufts' next provost, will bring a very different leadership style than Sol Gittleman brought to the post 22 years ago. According to friends and colleagues, Bharucha is a soft-spoken, reserved-yet-effective administrator. But despite a personality that, to many, could not be more different from his outspoken predecessor, Bharucha's selection was met with acclaim from even the most avid Gittleman fans. Bharucha worked at Dartmouth for 19 years and has been in academic administration for the last three. He works behind the scenes, and is well respected for his ability to listen, according to Dartmouth education professor and long-time friend Andrew Garrod. "He's a marvelous listener with an absolutely steady moral compass," Garrod said. "You don't always know how the decisions are being made, but clearly when they are made you can tell a immense amount of work has gone into it. He's not a rhetorical, fireworks kind of guy, but a quiet, reflective administrator who does his homework." His soft-spoken nature was apparent in a Daily interview yesterday, in which Bharucha answered questions with a degree of reticence and without elaboration. The man whose shoes he aims to fill, on the other hand, has proven to be anything but reserved. Over the years, Gittleman's passion for academics and charismatic talent for conversation have earned him such presence that it is difficult to tell where the man ends and his office begins. But philosophy professor Dan Dennett, who served on the committee that interviewed finalists, said despite an obvious difference in personality, the two men have one important thing in common. "The one striking similarity is that they're both enablers, so we're not going to lose that. That's always been Sol Gittleman's great strength and that's going to continue." Dennett, whose work in consciousness and neuroscience gave him an extra appreciation of Bharucha, said he met the professor of brain studies while on a trip to Dartmouth last year. "I felt envy and remember thinking, 'I wish we had a Jamshed Bharucha at Tufts.'...He's a lovely person, genuinely curious and interested about all kinds of things." Dean of Students Bruce Reitman, who had not heard of Bharucha prior to the announcement, said it would be "interesting to see the difference in style, to go from Tufts' mouthpiece to somebody with a different reputation." He said that though he was not looking forward to Gittleman's departure Bharucha seems to be a well-qualified successor. Abraham Sonenshein, of the medical school's microbiology department and also a member of the search committee, said Bharucha's broad interests in academia and his experience in administration made him the ideal candidate. Bacow speaks frequently of his desire to lower the walls between Tufts' undergraduate college and seven graduate schools, and Bharucha's experience as a philosopher and musician combined with his research in brain science give him an interdisciplinary r?©sum?© which appealed to the president and search committee. Gittleman also lauded his successor's interdisciplinary experiences, saying he was "thrilled" by the selection. Bharucha comes from a small school that, like Tufts, is committed to both teaching and research, Gittleman said. For Bharucha, that similarity was among the motivating factors in his decision. "Tufts is an attractive institution for me to move to," he said. "It embodies the dual ideals of teaching and research." Bharucha, who is familiar with the Boston area from his days as a graduate student in Harvard's psychology department, said he has gotten along "marvelously" with Tufts President Larry Bacow since the search process began. "He's an important reason for my coming," Bharucha said. "He's going to be terrific for Tufts. Starting as part of a new team is very exciting." The new provost has not met Gittleman but said he "knows a lot about him" and that the two will speak when he first comes to the Hill, which could be as early as Bacow's April 20 inauguration ceremony. Bharucha was born in Bombay, India, where he lived for 17 years before coming to the US and attending Vassar College in New York. He said his experiences as an Asian American allows him to "understand some of the aspirations for students wanting the curriculum to reflect cultural diversity." At Dartmouth, he was a main actor in the initiation of a Korean Studies program. Colleague and sociology professor Christina Gomez said Bharucha is very supportive of interdisciplinary programs and ethnic study programs, and that he "understands the pressures that minority and women faculty have to deal with." Bacow said that although he sought a provost with an appreciation of diversity, the candidates' ethnicities did not play into his decision. "I selected Dr. Bharucha because he was the best person for the job," Bacow said. "It was extremely important for me that our next provost be committed to diversity regardless of their own background." Reaction from Tufts faculty not on the search committee was muted, with many professors saying they knew nothing about the new provost beyond what they read in a press release last week. But colleagues at Dartmouth unequivocally endorsed Tufts' choice. Garrod said that ten years ago he would have been surprised to hear that Bharucha would become a provost. "He's generally a modest, even self-effacing man, and it's only become clear in the last few years that he has a whole range of talents in the administrative area... In his four years as a dean, I simply haven't heard the criticism and carping that you often hear about administrators." Yale Cohen from the psychology department at Dartmouth said Bharucha was supportive and fair as an administrator. "Jamshed is wonderful. He's talented as a teacher and scientists, and also as a dean. He's soft-spoken but that doesn't imply that he's a wallflower; he's accessible to faculty and students." Bharucha will become provost on Aug. 1, while Gittleman will remain at Tufts as a professor. The current provost said he will remain in his house on Professor's Row for the next academic year.

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News

Social Security numbers no longer to be used for IDs

March 31

Social security numbers (SSN)s will no longer be used as student identification numbers, in light of complaints about security of the practice. The class of 2006 will be the first to receive randomly assigned ID numbers rather than using SSNs. Student numbers appear on ID cards and paperwork and are also used for a variety of purchasing functions. Upperclassmen will have the option to maintain the SNN-based identification or receive a new number. The ability to adopt a random number is not new and can be accomplished by visiting both Dowling Hall and the Tufts University Police Department and paying a $15 fee. But the change will eliminate SSN numbers entirely beginning with next year's freshman class. The move, spearheaded by freshman Senator Jackie Zapata and Dean of Academic Services and Student Affairs Kristine Dillon, began after students expressed concerns to the Senate about the risks of the widespread use of SSNs at Tufts. "Over the next four years, hopefully the entire undergraduate student body will have adjusted to the numbers," Zapata said. Because Tufts identification cards display ID numbers and birth dates, students have worried that a lost card might place a SSN in the wrong hands. Even though a lost card does not work in University systems, it nonetheless divulges personal information. "It's scary having your Social Security number out there for everyone to see," freshman Elizabeth Johnson said. ID numbers are used for a variety of purposes such as purchasing points and buying meals on the Merchants on Points (MOPS) program. "It's kind of creepy giving your Social Security number to the different restaurants," sophomore James Mitchell said. International students are currently assigned random ID numbers, since they do not have Social Security numbers. Freshman Sangeeta Parekh, a native of Switzerland, said that she had never thought of the difference. "I would rather have a random number," Parekh said.

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News

A Stellar beginning

March 31

It's 8 p.m. in Hotung, and as the laugh track from That '70s Show blares I suddenly turn my attention to the personable gentlemen sitting across the table. They are Brad Callow and Josh Friedman, two-thirds of the band Stellar. The trio, composed of Friedman (guitar and vocals), Callow (drums) and Brian Friedlich (bass), made their debut in Hotung last fall. Friedman is a senior and an American Studies major form Los Angles. Callow, a psychology major from Boston, and Friedlich, an environmental engineer from New Jersey, are both sophomores. The group got together after Callow responded to an ad placed by Friedman looking for band member. Friedlich, who lived in South Hall with Callow, later joined the group and Stellar was formed. The band was a month old when they made their debut at Hotung. "It was great," recalled Friedman. "There were over a hundred people who came that night." The band has been busy ever since, spending the past four months writing 25 new songs. "We once recorded for 17 hours straight," said Friedman "I fell asleep on the floor," added Callow. Their first album should be released in April. Despite their accomplishments, the band is only able to practice once a week for a few hours because of schedule conflicts. When preparing for a show, however, the group will practice for at least two hours every other day. The band has had several shows around the Boston area, their favorite having been at Brandeis University for a charity event. Over two hundred people attended. Their least favorite was their performance at Brown and Brew. "We don't think of ourselves as an acoustic band," Callow explained. Friedman was also ill that night. The group will be performing again at Hotung next Thursday and offers their services at parties for free. Callow describes their sound as "... alternative/rock with a slight influence of jam and punk. It's a fusion of popular styles." Both Friedman and Callow both immediately and reverently said lauded "Dave"(referring to Dave Matthews) as their main source of musical inspiration. "Because he's god," commented Friedman. "He's just so talented," added Callow. They also sited influences range from Third Eye Blind to New Found Glory to Vertical Horizon to Fuel. Individually the band members favor many different styles of music. Friedman is into indie rock, Friedlich is into jam rock and Callow is a pop rock fan. The trio's short-term goal is to get into the Battle of the Bands this spring "and hopefully win." The band bears no ill will towards their competition, however, discussing other acts favorably. "We like the Boston funk band " states Friedman. The group would like for campus bands to have more opportunities to play around the school. "The thing that pisses me off is that Hotung and Brown and Brew only have one music night," says Friedman. Stellar would like to encourage students to start coming out to more campus shows and supporting local music. The future of the group is uncertain, as Friedman prepares to graduate. What they do will depend on whether Friedman decides to remain in the area. Nevertheless, the band is confident in their potential growth. "We feel that we have a really strong band. We have a pretty good following and this spring we expect the following to increase." The group does like the Boston music scene. "Coming from LA it's a lot smaller but there are a lot of good opportunities," Friedman said. They also say the college scene is what makes playing in Boston the most worthwhile. "That's who we really want to reach out to, that's our demographic." said Callow In watching music trends the band is gratified by the rise of indie rock groups. "Independent rock is getting more prevalent today. It's great bands like Saves the Day and Jimmy Eat World are getting recognition," Friedman said. They also appreciate the resurgence of harder rock and alternative groups like Incubus and Hoobastank. Like many they anxiously await the fall of boy bands and cheesy pop Like Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys. Said Friedman, "they're on their way out." The guys do have lives outside the band. Callow snowboards, plays " too many" video games, and runs; recently he has participated in a marathon. Josh owns a record label in LA called Precision Entertainment. Both go to the gym regularly and, of course, are concerned with keeping up their grades.

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News

A day in the life of a Bub

March 31

On the Balch Arena stage, rehearsing for the Drama Department's production of The American Century, senior and Beelzebubs president Marty Keiser exudes the same energy and charisma that he does when performing in Goddard chapel as a member of the all-male a cappella group. And this is after a long day of being a student, a Bub, and now an actor.Century is Keiser's third and final Tufts production - he has previously been seen in Jesus Christ Superstar and The Merry Wives of Windsor. But this graduate-to-be doesn't consider acting isn't his claim to fame at Tufts. "I haven't done enough for acting, I'm definitely more recognized as a Bub," he said. Keiser's typical day begins with some yoga; he is currently enrolled in a University course, and has become involved in the daily structured meditation. Then he takes his morning shower, where he sings, warming up his vocal chords for the day. "I'm sure anyone who lives near me can hear," he says jokingly. "I think everybody sounds best in the shower." But some Bubs fans may be surprised to hear Keiser's shower selections. "I'm not a huge fan of a cappella music, but I do like performing it," he says. Keiser is more in favor of rock music, as reflected in many of his solos, mainly rock songs like "The Impression That I Get" by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones or his favorite, "The Letter" by Joe Cocker, which he first sang as a sophomore. And in the future, Keiser would much rather be a rock star than a member of a professional a cappella group. If he's not acting, he'll be a rock star he says, reminiscing about the hardcore rock band that he was in during high school in Medford, NJ. Marty grabs some breakfast on the way to class (usually late, he says) and heads off to complete his double major in drama and psychology. According to Keiser, for him drama comes first. "Acting is more of what I want to do," he says. But although studying psychology is more of a second interest to Keiser, he does recognize a connection between the two areas of study. "[Psychology classes are an] interesting way to understand people and help with character studies and acting," he says. Keiser plans on pursuing an acting career after college either in Philadelphia or New York. After classes and lunch with friends, Keiser typically has work at an after school program through the Malden YMCA or a Bubs practice in Curtis Hall, depending on the day. But on this particular day, the Bubs have a concert at Boston Private Bank in the Financial District. The gig came from Bank CEO and Bubs founder himself, Tim Vaill. At the "extravagant" downtown bank, the Bubs entertained the bank's employees with a slightly altered set from what they normally play for a college crowd. "You have to change around sets, tailor to the audience," Keiser says. "You don't want to be screaming Linkin Park to a bunch of old people." Nevertheless, he and the Beelzebubs sang the raucous "In the End," as well as a Beatles medley. Living a constantly hectic life, Keiser admits that there have been drawbacks to pursuing his extracurricular activities with so much energy. "I have not been the best student," he says. But there are also the rewarding influences the Beelzebubs have had on Keiser's time at Tufts. For one, there are the changes to Keiser's voice after singing regularly for four years. "I haven't had music lessons or voice lessons - the Bubs is a voice lesson. Singing with these guys, my range has grown immensely," Keiser says. But increasing his range has not come without significant abuse to his voice, caused by some of his trademark rock solos. But perhaps the most significant way the Beelzebubs has shaped his entire Tufts experience is that that the singing group also doubles as a group of some of his best friends. "We're very close friends. When you spend so much time with them you develop a strong sense of connection, they become your close, if not closest friends." Being on the road together for long periods of time, the group bonds and feels closer to the University as they compare it to the many other colleges they see on tour. "[Being in the 'Bubs] incapacitates having a big social life on campus, but I don't think I would've done it differently," Keiser says. At the end of his fourth year at college, after a whirlwind day that he began as a student and now finishes with his projected future as an actor, Keiser is in the Balch Arena Theater for a rehearsal that goes until 11 p.m. Yet his distinct, recognizable voice still resonates. He delivers his lines as the character Thomas Kilroy without any loss of zeal, despite his long day. "I have a comfort level on stage," Keiser said after rehearsal. "I like to perform."

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News

Spine of a Jumbo Dog

March 31

In my three years at Tufts, talented jam bands like Deep Banana Blackout, Medeski, Martin, and Wood, and John Scofield have played various shows - mostly to a delighted jam band fan base, but also to other music lovers who found themselves grooving along with the rest of us and sometimes wondering how such proficient acts could exist without widespread recognition. At the very least, most could admit that while they may not be fans of jazz, funk, or whatever style of music it was, they could appreciate the tremendous amount of skill required to not only master an instrument, but to spontaneously create music that fully incorporates every band member. However, while previous years' Spring Flings have included some instrumentally solid bands like the Roots or Original P, the jam band genre had been curiously overlooked by the Concert Board in its Spring Fling scheduling, the most broadly accepted and attended Tufts musical event. For this reason, Monday marked a milestone. The Concert Board has finally recognized that the amount of jam band fans at our school is increasing quicker than you can say Boston Funk Band. One band out of nine in the span of three years is not too much to ask. However, for me this joy was short-lived. Opening the Daily on Tuesday, I found a Daily editorial condemning the actions of the Concert Board and dismissing moe. as "a talented jam band that will undoubtedly plunge a restive crowd into a deep, spring sleep." The overly basic musical analysis provided in the editorial proves just how unfamiliar people are with the band, such as noting Rob Derhak's bass solos as the leading display of talent, something that has not been true for moe. in several years. Clearly, what little knowledge went into this analysis of the band is based mainly on listening to studio albums. I am not sure whether or not moe. makes good studio albums (outside of their live recording L, an album widely acknowledged as one of the best live recordings in existence), but I am positive that these albums have little to do with what moe. is about. The only true way to know anything about a jam band is to see a concert. Saying how the Tufts community will react to a band that one knows little to nothing about is unfair to the band - spreading this pessimism to the entire campus is downright ludicrous and serves no purpose but to create a self-fulfilling prophecy. It should be acknowledged that the Concert Board had the good sense to select a jam band that is far more likely to be enjoyed by the entire Tufts community than most others. While a majority of jam bands either do not include singing in their songs or lack the singing talent seen in more popular genres, moe. features a band full of talented singers and a repertoire of catchy songs. Furthermore, they are able to avoid the overblown sap seen in previous selections such as Better than Ezra or Guster. It is quite an accomplishment that the Concert Board could fit a band that provides the jam band scene with one of its most popular attractions into its budget. In past years, I have always approved of the inclusion of bands like Reel Big Fish and Jurassic 5, even though they're not my preferred taste of music. I appreciated their fans at Tufts being rewarded and their styles being represented, and by being open-minded about them, I found that I actually enjoyed some of the things they were doing. Similarly, this year, it would only be fair to accept moe. as a treat for a moderately large group of Tufts fans who are more passionate about their music than most others. In fact, a quick glance at the crowd who was clearly there to enjoy the non-Guster music of last year's Spring Fling showed a large number of jam band fans, even a majority by the end of the event, despite neither of the bands being jam bands. While this will clearly be the same situation this year, I would encourage anyone there who is up and around by the time moe. takes the stage to be open-minded. Understand that if you have not seen the band live than you know nothing about it. Give moe. a listen. You will be able to make an informed opinion, and you will have an knowledgeable basis for bashing the Concert Board's decision, instead of just listing inaccurate descriptions of old features and broad generalizations about jam bands. Jeff Diamond is a junior majoring in mathematics.

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News

Asian American Studies benefits all students

March 31

To the editor: In response to your editorial, "Diversity calls, from the East" (2/5/02), we wish to commend your recognition that the faculty/student call for more Asian American material in the Tufts curriculum is a "worthy cause." Also you are quite correct that Tufts lags far behind other institutions in not having tenure line faculty who are experts in Asian American studies. As you point out, even a small institution such as Mt. Holyoke has three such faculty. Tufts has none. However, we strongly disagree with your characterizing the call for hiring tenure line faculty with expertise in Asian American Studies a desire for Tufts to "cater to every demographic." Tufts needs tenure line faculty with expertise in Asian American studies because all Tufts students - not simply one demographic group - need to have the opportunity to become knowledgeable about Asian America. No one would argue that we have faculty expertise in African American studies or Judaic studies because we are catering to groups. We have faculty expertise in those areas, just as we need to have it in Asian American Studies, because students preparing to be participants and leaders of the 21st century need to have access to a full - not a partial - understanding of the history, cultural productions, political realities, and race dynamics that have shaped and continue to affect the United States. Almost every peer institution of Tufts - Columbia, Cornell, Penn, Princeton, University of Michigan, NYU, Brown, Georgetown, Williams, Emory, just to name a few - recognizes the importance of Asian American Studies. Yet Tufts continues to offer a completely inadequate education in this area. For Tufts in the year 2002 not to have even one tenure line faculty member whose area of expertise is Asian America sends a strong negative message about the value educating Tufts students in this crucially important subject matter. We are well aware that Tufts cannot afford to do everything. The question: Where will we choose to put our money? We do not have to pit needs against each other. For example, tenure line appointments in Economics or any other field and in Asian American Studies are not mutually exclusive. Why not an economist with expertise in Asian America? Groups should not be played off against each other, but rather solutions should be found that move Tufts forward. Thanks to Tufts' curriculum, there is a lot of ignorance about Asian American studies. You title your editorial "Diversity calls, from the East." No, this is not a call from the East. It is a call from and for education - a full education - about the United States and the Americas.Elizabeth Ammons, English departmentGary Leupp, History departmentJayanthi Mistry, Child developmentModhumita Roy, English DepartmentJean Wu, American Studies

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News

Career services gets mixed review from seniors

March 31

One of the biggest concerns for graduating college students: getting a job. Resumes, internships, and most importantly, connections are of tantamount concern to many students at Tufts. But how does our career center shape up? Are the majority of students happy with our career center? What improvements can be made? "Last year, close to 2000 students had individual appointments at career services, and hundreds more availed themselves of the career center in the library in Dowling Hall," Director of Career Services Jean Papalia said. About half of these students were seniors. Senior Jamie Moldano has been coming to the career center since sophomore year. She has been pleased with the career center - especially with the online resources - and reports that Tufts stresses networking as one of the most important strategies to succeed in getting a job. "Personally, I'm really happy with [career services]," Moldano said. "Networking was definitely a big part of it. It's a whole package." For those students who dislike the "feel" of online career searching, the career center has a large library of resources. "Most people expect to find what they need online, but we still need printed resources," career resources manager Donna Milmore said. The library is organized so students can research on general subjects like internships, resumes, career development, and advice on specific industries. Sophomore Hailey Brewer came to the library in Dowling for the first time and was generally pleased with what she saw. "It seems that they have a pretty good variety when searching for an internship," Brewer said. Many students are pleased with Tufts' recruiting services, accessible through the career services office. Senior Michael Lang, an international relations major, connected with the New York Recruiting Consortium through Tufts, which helps connect a combination of seven schools and employers through an online application. Lang said that he is reasonably pleased with the program. The career center offers counseling on a variety of subjects about careers and life after college. Its employees can assist students in finding internships, job searching, choosing a major and applying to grad school. Students can also schedule quick 15-minute counseling sessions to answer any basic questions, and hour-long sessions to delve deeper into career issues. Many workshops are offered every semester - for example, this semester the office created a four-part workshop for sophomores to help them with advice about internships, resumes and careers. The center also stresses networking. "Networking is definitely a top way to learn about an industry, make contacts in the field and clarify your career goals," Papalia said. The career services network is made up of 1200 members, who are made available to talk to any student who wishes to contact them. Also, Tufts online has a section called "Careers A through Z" to help students research about industries and job sites. Some students, however, expressed some displeasure. Senior Trent Ruder, a sociology major, said that when he scheduled an appointment, he was "brushed off" and directed to the career center website. "I feel the career center is too dependent on the website, which is good, but [given] the reputation of Tufts academics, it should have a more personal touch," Ruder said. Even some of those pleased with the center's work. "The majority of the people working at career services are willing to help to maximize the resources - but in relation to Tufts' school reputation, career services could be stronger," Lang said. Milmore is also in charge of administering tests that help determine what kind of careers that students should pursue. One of them, the Meyers-Briggs indicator, gives students a score of four letters encompassing four dimensions of one's personality. Each student's score supposedly indicates where his or her interests lie. After each test an administrator gives each student an interactive review. "It's generally not necessarily and indication of one's profession, but it definitely helps people determine where their preferences lie," Milmore said. But according to Papalia, career services is what you make of it. "Some students don't realize the scope of the career center's services available to them, and they might decide that there is nothing at the career center that could help them," Papalia said. "However, we can help students in every phase of career development." A big concern among students is the lack of action taken by the career center to help them in the weak job market, but Papalia says that the career center has expanded to help students find jobs in the hidden job market, and that new events and programs are being scheduled.

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