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Soccer team hits bump in the road

August 31

After cruising through the three games of its NESCAC schedule, the women's soccer team hit a bump on Saturday, as it was blanked by Colby 3-0. For the first time in 24 games since an Oct. 29, 2000 loss to Middlebury, the Jumbos' potent offense was held scoreless, despite the fact that 18 shots were taken. The loss drops the team into third place in the NESCAC (3-1) and brings its overall record to 3-2. "I don't think that we played overly bad," sophomore Jess Trombly said. "They played well, but the score doesn't really reflect how we performed." The game began at a slow pace, and Colby was able to capitalize by scoring a goal 18 minutes into the contest. Off of a corner kick, Stephanie Hicks was able to slip the ball by senior goalkeeper Mara Schanfield. The goal was controversial, however, because although it appeared that Schanfield was fouled while still in the box, no call was made. So far this season, the Jumbos have looked notably flat in the first half of games but has always rebounded with intensity in the second half. Even on Saturday, it came out of the break looking to control the ball and had a number of good looks at the goal. But Colby goalkeeper Abby Kussell stifled any chance of a comeback, as she recorded 11 saves on the afternoon. "We had some really good chances offensively," Trombly said. "There were some thru balls that barely missed the net. Their goalie really stepped it up in the second half too." While the game remained close through the second half, Colby put it out of reach with two late goals. This was unlike the Tufts-Colby game last year, when Tufts staged a comeback at Colby and scored two goals in the final 20 minutes of the game to send it into overtime. After two periods of overtime, then-sophomore Elizabeth Tooley put the game away, and Tufts emerged 3-2 in the important conference game. Colby is notorious for its uneven playing field and scrappy style of play, and both of these factors contributed to the loss. "They were very scrappy, and they were also more skilled than some of the other teams we have played," Trombly said. "We have to play differently against teams like that." Schanfield recorded only two saves in game but did not perform poorly. "The ball had to get through eleven people, so you can't blame any one person," Trombly said. "I think it was a disappointment to lose, but we were pretty positive about it," freshman Sara Gelb said. "It was one of those games where we played well, but nothing was going our way." While the loss was tough, breaking the team's momentum, it will have a chance to atone for it this Wednesday, when the Jumbos square off against non-conference Gordon College. Last year, the Fighting Scots offered little offensive firepower, as Tufts dominated the game 3-1. The home game should give the Jumbos an opportunity to focus on intensity in a less demanding environment. Looming on the horizon now is Saturday's away game at Bates, who blanked a talented Middlebury team 3-0 on Saturday. "We are more of a second half team, so we are going to work on our first half intensity in Wednesday's game," Gelb said. @s:Team looks for rebound game against Gordon

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News

Despite turnover, field hockey hopes for net gain

August 31

Last season was a success for the women's field hockey team. The Jumbos went 10-8, reached the semifinals of the NESCAC tournament, and earned the number one seed in the ECAC tourney. But for the Jumbos to continue their success - the team has reached the playoffs seven consecutive seasons - they will need to figure out how to fill the holes left by the three departed seniors. While the Jumbos lost only goalkeeper Dena Sloan, and defenders Amy Polverini and Collette Gaudet those three players were integral to last season's success. Gaudet led the team in points last season with 16, and along with fellow co-captain Polverini was named to the Astro Turf/National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-American team. Polverini was fourth on the team in points. "We lost some significant players," senior Liesl Bradford said. "We're going to be a very different team. There won't be one or two or three players that stand out." Sloan will also be difficult to replace, as she compiled a career record of 33-16 and a career save percentage of 87.4. That save percentage was up to 90.1 percent last season, when Sloan recorded five shutouts. To replace Sloan, the Jumbos will call on junior Lauren Ruffino or sophomores Fara White and Julie Jackson. None have much experience, but Ruffino did start two games last season, giving up five goals in all. Ruffino boasts a career save percentage of 77.5 and a goals allowed average of 1.76, but she has been troubled by an injured quad muscle during the preseason. White and Jackson have also yet to prove their talents, though White did play twelve minutes of a game last season. Despite the collective inexperience in the net, the team is hopeful about the trio's performance in the year to come. "The goalies are all very good," senior co-captain Lindsey Lionetti said. Even with the loss of Gaudet and Polverini, the Jumbos have plenty of firepower. Seven of last season's starters return, including Lionetti, who tallied six goals and two assists and was named to the All-NESCAC team last season. The other co-captains, seniors Christina Orf and Barbara Szajda bring experience, leadership and a combined eight goals last season, while junior Dana Chivvis has scored 17 goals during her two seasons at Tufts. In all, the remaining players accounted for 49 of the team's 76 points last season. Defensively, the team will need Bradford and junior Ursala Stahl to play well and fill the void left by the departed Gaudet and Polverini, if they are in fact the two players who end up as defenders. The positions are still up in the air and may not be set until the first game on Thursday. "We're trying a lot of formations," Lionetti said. "We're trying a lot of people in different positions." Trying to fit in with the established players will be seven freshmen and a sophomore transfer. Whether these newcomers can step in and perform will go a long way toward deciding the Jumbos' fate for the season. So far though, the signs are positive. "All of the freshmen looked great," Bradford said. Workouts have been another positive sign, and the team finished their two-a-day practices yesterday. "It went really well," Bradford said. "We all worked hard. We all came back in shape." "Training so far has been really upbeat," Lionetti agreed. "We're all tired, but it's been fun." The big question, whether or not the team can continue its winning ways, will start to be answered next Thursday, Sept. 13 at Bentley.@s:Pre-season a success

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News

Students, faculty contemplate Tufts without Bernstein

August 31

Former Vice President of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering Mel Bernstein left a conspicuous void in Tufts' administrative structure when he took a position at Brandeis last June. As President Larry Bacow approaches an October deadline for deciding whether to eliminate the post, students and faculty are considering the implications of Bernstein's departure and the future of the projects he oversaw. According to Susan Ernst, dean of natural and social sciences and part of a five-member committee that is temporarily carrying out the former vice president's duties, many of the projects that Bernstein began were coordinated by subcommittees. As a result, Ernst said, the initiatives have not been the impeded by his departure. "[The committees] have always been there," Ernst said. "We continue to work together, just without the vice president." Bernstein's diversity fund - aimed at diversifying Tufts' student body - is one of the projects that is plodding along in the vice president's absence, according to Margery Davies, director of diversity education for arts and sciences. The fund, one of Bernstein's major initiatives during his ten-year tenure, will eventually reach $500,000 a year. Yesterday, Provost Sol Gittleman said student groups would not be affected if Bernstein's position were never filled. "I don't think [student groups] would notice it," he said. "Deans will be at their beck and call," Gittleman said. "They're not going to have to worry about access to the administration." But some students are expressing concern. Alice Bajana, an executive board member of the Association of Latin American Students, said the students are losing an administrative advocate. "It worries me a lot," Bajana said. "The vice president dealt with the students. Where are people going to go?" Under Bacow's administrative reorganization, various offices could carry out the former vice president's "responsibility and authority" for the Arts, Sciences, and Engineering. And even Bernstein, who has said that the current system proved itself effective, said his functions could be accomplished in another manner. "I think the model worked well," he said. "But that's not to say it's the only model that will work." Gittleman said that the administration should have the "most effective, most economical structure" possible. Significant factors in deciding whether to eliminate the position include saving money and reducing administrative bureaucracy. "We would have $400,000 saved in money," he said. "Faculty is always complaining that there are too many administrators." But associate professor Jeanne Penvenne cautioned against spreading Bernstein's former responsibilities among too many people. "Tufts has consistently given two half-jobs to people," she said. "No one does two half-jobs as well as they do with one job." Penvenne said she was also concerned about the elimination of too many administrative positions. Too often, she said, faculty performs tasks that the administration and staff should undertake. "We can't combine jobs without running the risk of diminishing returns," she said. "We're going to burn out good people." Though Penvenne said she and Bernstein disagreed on certain issues, they had a respectful working relationship. Other campus groups had similarly positive experiences. Judith Brown, coordinator of the Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, and Transgendered Center, said she valued the access to the administration that the vice president provided. "He will be really missed by the students," she said. "It was good to have a high powered door to knock on." Mike Lambert, the former co-coordinator of Tufts Transgendered Lesbian Gay and Bisexual Collective, agreed. "He's shown a great deal of caring," he said. "A willingness to listen, which can be rare in the administration." Not everyone, however, supports keeping the position. In an e-mail to the Daily, Professor Mauricio Gutierrez said that "nothing happened" during the Bernstein tenure and that he was insensitive to the faculty. "The post of the vice president should be abolished," Gutierrez said. Budgetary issues, especially faculty salaries, were the most contentious subjects that Bernstein dealt with. To fund one priority, Bernstein often had to deny another. "If we got something, that means someone else doesn't," Bajana said. "That causes friction." Though he acknowledged that some disagreed with his priorities, Bernstein said he worked with faculty extensively. "I worked hard to maintain good relations; to share governance," he said. "I never felt distant or isolated. By and large, we were on the same wavelength."

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World civilizations requirement remains controversial

August 31

Students and faculty have mixed feelings about the value of the world civilizations course, a graduation requirement for liberal arts undergraduates. Although some say the course adds to an already heavy requirement list, others believe it is an important component to the Tufts education. Nearly everyone, however, says the requirement could be put to better use. The world civilizations course is intended to be an interdisciplinary introduction to global cultures and societies, focusing specifically on non-Western civilizations and the interaction between these countries and the Western world. Classes are taught in teams by professors from various disciplines, designed to give students the opportunity to learn from multiple instructors and each other. But not all students are familiar with the course bulletin, and many in the Class of 2005 say they have never heard of the requirement. "Nobody told us about it," freshman Katie Sheedy said. "It would be nice to have list of all of the basic requirements. I'm trying to get my required classes out of the way, so it would be nice to know." According to students interviewed yesterday, Tufts needs to increase awareness of all requirements in its newest students. Freshman Antonio Arteficio, for example, said he had just learned about the language requirement. "They should explain why we have to take this class," he said of the world civilizations course. "I'm not going to be an expert in this field, and I think it's more important for me to focus on what I'm interested in."1The undergraduate bulletin states that courses that fill the world civilizations requirement may not fulfill any other foundation requirement, which means that students may have to take classes outside their academic focus. The bulletin lists 11 courses from which to choose, although additional courses are occasionally offered. But some semesters there are slim pickings. According to Professor Greg Carleton, resident director of the Russian House and a member of the Russian, German, and Asian languages department, the course, "Reading the World: Love and Sexuality in World Literature," listed in the bulletin as fulfilling the world civilization requirement, has not been offered for three years. Some say a system that allows professors to create unique world civilization classes is effective. But while the possibilities seem endless, even professors teaching world civilizations classes find fault in the program. Psychology Professor David Harder, who has taught a variety of world civilizations classes, says the program needs a regular "world civilization" faculty with appointments in a separate department. But according to Harder, funding obstacles make this an unlikely scenario. "As things are now, departmental commitments override faculty involvement in World Civilizations, thus limiting the courses that can be offered," said Harder. "Having a list of acceptable courses - as we do now - helps, but sometimes those listed courses don't really focus on the culturally comparative aspect of the requirement which was one of its original aims." But when compounded with other undergraduate requirements, some question whether the world civilization class is unnecessarily bogging down a Tufts education. Others, however, say the world civilizations is easy to fulfill. Sophomore Branden Yee said he is familiar with Tufts' requirements, but says he'll take classes he enjoys now and find out if any of them qualify later. "I heard Music 2 was easy; I'll probably take that," Yee said. Other students agree, saying one of the classes they take out of interest will likely count for the world civilization requirement. "I'm not really worried about fulfilling the requirement because I'm taking culture classes already," Price said. Sophomore Elizabeth Candee said her cross-listed Sociology 108 and Community Health 108 course - "People, Plagues and Politics" - are classes she always wanted to take that fulfilled her requirement as a side benefit. "The professor told us we could use it for the world civilizations requirement on the first day," Candee said. "It wasn't a big deal to get the requirement out of the way." Other students maintain that the requirement exposes students to new ideas. "Not everyone gets to go abroad and have the experience of life in another culture," sophomore Alyson Fleming said. To freshman Anna Kantha, the world civilization requirement is a good idea, but more choices are needed. "I think the requirement is necessary if Tufts wants to be known as a global university," she said. "But I also think it's hard to fulfill when so few courses are offered in [other] areas, such as Asian-American courses." Not everyone is concerned. Engineering students, for example, are off the hook. Because of their myriad other requirements, engineers do not have to take a world civilizations class. "I do have to take a cluster of humanities and social sciences," junior Mike Coughlin said. "I have to do a group of four credits to fulfill that requirement. But I've already taken two "history of music" classes, so I'm halfway done." The definition of the non-Western world according to the University requirement includes Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, Oceania, and pre-Columbian North America. Thus, courses dealing with any of these regions, their local philosophies, or their peoples are applicable. Classes not listed in the bulletin may also be used to fulfill the world civilizations requirement if approved by the faculty subcommittee on the world civilizations requirement. A list of the courses acceptable for fulfilling the world civilizations requirement can be found online at http://ase.tufts.edu/worldciv/. If a particular course to satisfy the requirement is not found on this list, a petition may be submitted to committee chair, Professor Hosea Hirata. One major caveat, however, is that courses taken to fulfill their world civilizations requirement may not be used for any other foundation requirement, such as the culture option. But courses offered as options to fulfill the world civilizations requirement may be taken to satisfy distribution and other requirements.

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Retaliation is not the answer

August 31

I do not know if attacking Afghanistan is a good idea, the main reason being: Osama bin Laden retaliation doesn't have to be mobilized. The al-Qaeda has groups of terrorists already located within our country. You might have noticed that several terrorists were recently found in Boston. I have a feeling bin Laden would just laugh at bombings of his sanctuary country and then initiate one of many terrorist operations in a counter-move. And no security measures secswould be able to stop a car bomb, chemical release, or cyber-attack. The revolutionary war was won by "hidden forces" against a much larger, much stronger British army. Plus, those "hidden forces" didn't have the option to use very powerful bombs, have their pick of multiple crowded towns and cities, and be willing to give their life for the cause. Our government is getting into something that could potentially put us over our heads in domestic violence, and I only wish there were some easy way to rectify the situation. It's a result of our country becoming too populated and powerful with intimidation, keeping all lessers at bay. We probably won't be able to talk the Taliban into assisting us in a hunt for bin Laden, but we should at least try to work out our differences (I hate sounding like a kindergarten teacher). I agree that a "No Action" response would be wrong, but so would dropping millions of dollars worth of explosives throughout Afghanistan (that option also seems kinda cowardly). Our armed forces, and country for that matter, want to get this al-Qaeda organization, and the only reasonable (and honorable) plan for doing this would be a large scale infantry sweep of many areas bin Laden is suspected of hiding in. Satellites and intelligence would lead us to general, or even specific places to look. We'll just have to explain that they should be able to understand why we're there, and how we mean the innocent citizens no harm. Bottom line is, counter attacking is not needed (we don't need to establish superiority like in Iraq) and would perpetuate the cycle of violence which I foresee will be going on for a while. "Hey, he started it..." It's kinda funny how those kindergarten lessons are valid on large scale issues. Another thing that bothers me is that no organization is taking responsibility for these intentional plane crashes. If it was an Islamic organization, do they just deny involvement and cherish the warm and fuzzy feeling that they killed plenty of Americans and showed the world that the US is no impenetrable fortress? If world-wide terror is truly the only motive, then whoever is behind this is really, really messed up. We can sort of see how the US government benefits from this tragedy; establishing leadership and control (self-worth) over US citizens, boosting the economy by preparing for war, channeling money into waning government sectors (military). But I don't think even the most radial and unpatriotic individuals in this country would start proclaiming conspiracy theories. Whatever might ensue, I hope that action is never financially motivated and world-wide civilians will be left out of the blood-shed as much as possible.Eddie Galbavy is a senior majoring in environmental engineering and geology.

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Billy Joel Plans Your Weekend

August 31

He may not be coming until Tuesday, but that doesn't mean you can't turn to the Piano Man for advice when looking for something to do this weekend. Throw on a few of his CDs, pull out your daily planner and before you know it you'll be busier than an "Angry Young Man."Go see your first play...This is my big night on the townMy introduction to the theatre crowd- "Where's the Orchestra" from The Nylon CurtainGo to a party you weren't invited to, then feel guilty about it the next day...Friday night I crashed your partySaturday I said I'm sorry- "You May Be Right" from Glass HousesGo for dinner in the North End...A bottle of red, a bottle of whiteIt all depends on your appetiteI'll meet you any time you wantIn our Italian Restaurant.- "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" from The StrangerTake some quiet time for yourself...Slow down you crazy childTake the phone off the hookAnd disappear for a while- "Vienna" from the StrangerSplurge...Well you went uptown riding in your limousineWith your fine Park Avenue clothesYou had the Dom Perignon in your handAnd the spoon up your nose- "Big Shot" from 52nd StreetSwing by the unemployment office...Out in Bethlehem they're killing timeFilling out formsStanding in line- "Allentown" from Nylon CurtainVisit a dominatrix...But you stand there pleadin'With your insides bleedin''Cause deep down you want some moreThen she says she needs affectionWhile she searches for the veinShe's so good with her stilettoYou don't really mind the pain- "Stiletto" from 52nd StreetCrack open a brewski...Now I'm going outside to have An ice cold beer in the shadeOh, I'm going to listen to my 45sAin't it wonderful to be alive- "Keeping the Faith" from An Innocent ManWander off into the darkness while unconscious...In the middle of the nightI go walking in my sleep- "River of Dreams" from River of DreamsChill at the neighborhood watering hole with the locals...And the waitress is practicing politicsAs the businessmen slowly get stonedYes they're sharing a drink they call lonelinessBut it's better than drinking alone.- "Piano Man" from Piano Man

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Globe correspondent speaks of experiences in Bosnia and Rwanda

August 31

President Bush issued an executive order earlier this week allowing him the option of trying non-US citizens suspected of terrorism before a military tribunal instead of a traditional civilian court. The decision - applauded by some and derided by others - represents one of the latest attempts by the US to affect international justice. This decision was one of the many aspects of post-war justice in Bosnia and Rwanda that Boston Globe senior foreign correspondent Elizabeth Neuffer discussed in a discussion at the Cabot center on Wednesday night. She opened her talk by reading the day's newspaper headline concerning Bush's decision, later referring to it as "one option" in the search for justice after war atrocities. Neuffer, who is soon leaving the US to cover events in Afghanistan, has previously reported on the Gulf War, the breakup of the Soviet Union, and genocide in Rwanda, Bosnia, and Kosovo. Her experiences in two of these countries prompted her to write The Key to My Neighbor's House: Searching for Justice in Bosnia and Rwanda, which was published earlier this month. The book follows the stories of seven individuals over the course of ten years - from the chaos of genocide to the first war crimes tribunals since Nuremberg. It is these tribunals, or UN-created international law courts, that Neuffer focused on during her hour-and-a-half discussion. The need for them, she explains, comes from an undying hope for justice among those affected by the crimes. But the healing process is not as easy as throwing a few judges together. "What is justice after a truly terrible event?" Neuffer asked. Neuffer has been among those reporting from lower Manhattan after the planes hit on Sept. 11. All she was hearing, she said, were calls for justice on all sides. "Then someone turned to me and said, 'How can you have justice after something so terrible?'" she remembered. The situation is even more difficult in countries like Bosnia and Rwanda, Neuffer explained. Since the concept of trial judges imparting punishment to criminals may be relatively unknown to local citizens, this form of justice isn't always apparent to them. Instead of having international tribunals, Neuffer said that countries sometimes choose a more community-based system of justice, which leads to another sticky point - war crimes tribunal judges are prohibited from death sentences. Yet another problem with war crimes tribunals, at least current ones, is that they are located far away from the countries and the people they need to interact with. Bosnia's tribunal operates at The Hague, Netherlands, while Rwanda's is in Arusha, Tanzania. Neuffer likens the importance of the trials to a group of judges at the Boston Federal Courthouse (where she used to work), who would talk to journalists at nearby bars after work hours. "You need to bring trials to the people," she said, adding that court decisions would be useless otherwise. As for the reactions of the affected people toward the tribunals, Neuffer describes them as polar opposites - some believed the hearings were the ultimate form of justice; others say they didn't even come close. One of those who felt the tribunal was appropriate was a Tutsi woman from Rwanda whose story was detailed in Neuffer's book. Neuffer detailed the woman's misery: she was gang-raped and threatened with death by members of the Hutu ethnic group. After managing to survive the attacks, the woman eventually returned to her home. She was later approached by Westerners who were interested in having her testify before Rwanda's war crimes tribunal. The price of her testimony was high. The woman would receive no compensation for her time in court, where she would indict the mayor of her village in the genocide. She would also have to return to her village and continue to live among Hutus who were responsible for her torture. But she went anyway and detailed her assailants' actions against her. "I feel like a burden has been lifted from my heart," she later told Neuffer. The woman's sense of justice was fulfilled, Neuffer said, simply because she was able to tell others what had happened to her. "She had a chance to tell her story to the world." But a young Bosnian man whose family was killed at Srebrenica had a different view of justice. He had witnessed UN soldiers at the Srebrenica base allow 8,000 Muslim men and boys - his family included - to be handed over to Serb soldiers who would murder almost all of them mere hours later. The war crimes tribunal was not interested in the man's testimony, and he is not satisfied with its proceedings so far. Until he sees the UN workers on trial for handing over his family to the Serbs, Neuffer says, he will not believe that justice has been served. "You can't deny people from saying, 'We've suffered, and we're victims," Neuffer said. "But at what point do you draw the line?" She added that the tribunals could not possibly accommodate everyone who had suffered. Neuffer feels that despite the problems inherent in the war crimes tribunals, they can be very useful in helping a society move past the horrors of war and genocide. But she stressed to the Cabot audience that they've got a long way to go - and there's other options to be explored. Neuffer closed with a few comments on the challenge of being a journalist and remaining impartial in such extreme circumstances. "You cannot be impartial, and your job is not to take sides," she said. "But those are two different things." To illustrate her point, she spoke of e-mails she had been receiving from younger Boston Globe staff currently in Afghanistan. Neuffer says they felt they couldn't cover the war properly, telling her they were only able to see this battle or that battle. But Neuffer believes there is no way to really cover a war, and that journalists can only hope to describe what they are able to see accurately and completely. "I tell them, 'Well, that's OK - it's only one piece of the puzzle,'" Neuffer said.

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Sprinklers added to three more dorms

August 31

Efforts to safeguard Tufts' dorms and students from fires continued over the summer, as Haskell, Carmichael, and Wren halls were all outfitted with sprinkler systems. The University aims to outfit all residence halls with the devices by 2004. The project has taken several years to complete because most of the work has been done during the summer to avoid disrupting students. All dorms are equipped with smoke detectors and fire alarm systems, but the sprinkler systems required the installation of additional piping. The reduced risk of death during a fire when sprinklers are in place is what motivated Tufts to install them, said University Fire Marshall Perry Cayton. "The sprinklers would prevent fire from spreading to other areas and give the students a chance to evacuate the building," he said. "A sprinkler system protects the property and would hold the fire in check. It gets the population of residents to evacuate without causing a lot of smoke." The combination of smoke detectors and sprinklers decreases risk of death during a fire by 98.5 percent, according to Life Safety Fire Protection, a company that sells sprinklers. This is a 48.5 percent increase over prevention by smoke detectors alone. Though the state does not mandate sprinkler systems in dorms, Cayton said that Tufts has made an increasing effort to do so over the last five years. Sprinklers were installed in dorms order of highest priority, starting with small wood-frame residences. The systems were then installed in combination brick and wood buildings and will next be added to cement and concrete buildings, where fires spread more slowly. Sprinklers will be put into Hodgdon and Blakely halls next summer, which temporarily leaves Houston, Hill, Tilton, Bush, and Lewis halls without systems. "It takes a lot of planning so that we can go in with a unified approach," Cayton said. "The sprinklers in the fire detection systems are put in safely, the main things to make sure they're operating properly." The price tag similar sprinkler systems is usually one percent of the cost of the building, according to the US Fire Association (USFA). The department of deferred maintenance is funding the project at Tufts. Sprinklers become active when heat from a fire raises the system's temperature anywhere between 155 degrees and 165 degrees Fahrenheit. At that point, the glass tube will break and water will discharge from the sprinkler head. The systems, which are activated only by high temperatures, will not be subject to false or pulled alarms. Tufts experienced problems two years ago when sprinklers accidentally went off in the Hillsides apartments, and students had to be temporarily relocated because of flooding. But Cayton said that the benefits of sprinklers outweigh the accidental costs. According to the USFA, 1,700 fires hit college campuses nationwide each year, including a large dorm fire two years ago at Seton Hall University in Orange, NJ that killed three students and injured dozens. Tufts' decision to install sprinklers, however, came before this incident. The USFA said that student carelessness, such as cigarettes left burning, are the usual causes of campus fires. Statistically, sprinkler installation reduces the number of injuries from campus fires. At Heidelberg College in Tiffin, OH, sprinklers controlled a blaze that broke out in a 93-year-old residence hall. No one was injured. "The University felt for safety. They wanted to have a proactive approach on sprinklers," Cayton said.

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Hockey tops Conn College 5-4 in thrilling fashion

August 31

With 7:35 remaining in the third period, junior co-captain Mike Carceo scored a crucial powerplay goal to seal the ice hockey team's 5-4 come from behind victory over Connecticut College on Friday night. The win was the first at Tufts' new Malden Forum ice rink and put the team at 3-2 overall, and 2-1 in the NESCAC/ECAC East division. Though the team sits at seventh in the division, the squad is just a game behind three teams in the NESCAC. "I think we played a great game overall," Carceo said. "Our defense had its best game of the season. We got a lot of great goals from different people and all of the young players played really well. It was probably one of the best games I played in at Tufts so far." Conn. College was first to light up the scoreboard at 7:58 on a power play, the sole goal of the first period. The Camels began the second period in the same manner and scored at 3:15, when senior co-captain Tim Flaherty picked up a loose puck and dished it off to Pete Hanlon. Tufts responded two minutes later, freshman John Hurd scored two in a row to even the score. Conn. College found the net again at 9:29 in the period, followed by Tufts freshman Brandon Hays' goal to set the score at 3-3. But Camel Joe Deck notched his team's fourth to finish off the second period. The Jumbos stepped it up in the third and put away two unanswered goals to finish the day 5-4. Freshman Gino Rotondi tied the game 4-4 at 3:19, and Carceo followed shortly thereafter with the winning powerplay goal. The squad had an excellent game defensively and held strong through the final minutes of play when the Camels scrambled for a tie. Sophomore goaltender Ben Crasper provided his team with 23 saves on the game, eight of which were in the final period.The team's great depth is seen in the fact that fourteen of 21 players have chipped in for at least one goal or assist. "We're getting scoring from everyone; it's great to see the young guys doing well so early on," Carceo said. Carceo leads the Jumbos with five goals and eight assists on the season, good for 13 points in five games. He has 90 career points in 53 games, and if he keeps up his current level of scoring, could add an easy 40 to those numbers. Byrne is close behind with 12 points, while Rotondi has gotten off to a quick start with 11. Tomorrow night at the Forum at 8 p.m., the team rematches Stonehill College, who defeated the Jumbos 7-4 just over a week ago in the Coca-Cola Thanksgiving Shoot-Out. The loss marked the end of Tufts' seven game winning streak over the Chieftans. Stonehill's Brendan Flemming scored four goals in the second period of the game to lead the Cardinals that day. Though the Cardinals outshot the Jumbos 20-15, and dominated the second stanza, the game was close. Tufts' Sullivan put in a goal and helped out with two assists to lead in scoring. "We need to play all 60 minute without letting down at all," Carceo said. "In this league we can't get away with that." The squad is now entering its most difficult portion of the season on Friday, as it begins its handling of 15 NESCAC/ECAC match-ups. The game will be the last non-conference match for the Jumbos until Feb. 12, when they face Plymouth State College."I think were coming along really well. A game like that really brings you together," Carceo concluded. "We realized that we can really play in this league if we want...it will definitely be a tough stretch, but I think we can hang."@s:Team looks for revenge at Stonehill matchup tonight

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Trade in your learner's permit

August 31

It's a familiar rite of passage in the life of a teenager - you turn 17, you finally get a license, and suddenly you have the ability to drive off on your own in a newfound vehicle of freedom. For the main character in Paula Vogel's How I Learned to Drive, these rites are experienced a little less ordinarily. Drive - a Pen, Paint & Pretzel's show opening tomorrow evening - juxtaposes this coming of age motif with a dark theme of incest and a serving of witty comic nuances. All in all, it's not your typical theater fare. Senior Jennifer Bien read the script during her sophomore year and knew right away she'd eventually want to direct the play."It's a modern-feeling piece imbued with an incredibly honest story," Bien said. "I was impressed by how human the story was, how it's a realistic portrayal of something so painful -it's tragedy, but sweet."Drive is told through the eyes of Lil' Bit, played at various stages in her life by junior Sarah Kauderer. Seen in last year's Tales of the Lost Formicans and this year's orientation show, Bad Habits, Kauderer said that playing Lil' Bit was a difficult task because of the choices the character makes in pursuing a sexual relationship with her Uncle Peck."She's a complicated character," Kauderer said. "It's clear in the script how Peck feels about her but [the actress] has to decide how Lil' Bit feels about Uncle Peck." After much analysis and discussion, she added, the character finally "just clicked" one day during rehearsal.Sophomore Graham Outerbridge, who plays Uncle Peck, that his role is also challenging because he has to play out the incestuous situation as if it were completely normal. He described Peck as being "completely smitten" with Lil' Bit, and that he has no choice but to pursue his feelings."The hardest part -besides not having any personal experience with incest," Outerbridge joked, "was displaying the decomposition of Peck as he and Lil' Bit get torn apart...it's a tough role to read into."Peck's behavior is softened by three additional actors that act as a Greek chorus. They also play multiple figures in Lil' Bit's life, ranging from her mother to her grandmother to her childhood friends. Dressed in neutral colors meant to represent the sepia tones an old-fashioned photograph, the chorus acts out scenes from the back of Lil' Bit's memory, emphasizing the incompleteness of her subconscious thoughts."There's a reason there are only three people," explained sophomore Megan Hammer, who serves as the Teenage Greek Chorus. "You see the fragmented memories of bad relationships...the only positive came from Peck and he's the only one you actually see.""Hopefully, if we do our job right, it'll be hard to hate Peck," said senior Ann Blumenstock, who represents the Female Greek Chorus. Blumenstock, who performed in last fall's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, said that the her challenge was separating the distinct personalities of some of the major roles she plays so that they each appear honest, rather than caricatures."Once definitive choices were made, subtleties were added so that they're not stereotypes," she said.The third chorus member, sophomore Sam Rivers, represents the Male Greek Chorus. Rivers said there is a need to lace the plot with humor because of the heaviness of the subject matter. "The author knows the audience couldn't sit through the show without comedy," he said.But comedy won't be the only thing keeping the audience entertained. How I Learned to Drive embodies a multimedia presentation incorporating film, slides, and music in addition to the usual theatrical lighting and sound design. The technical staff estimates that the hour and a half play contains 190 technical cues, which Technical Director Ben Gomberg said will prevent anyone from possibly becoming bored. The fact that there's an authentic electric-blue 1960s-era Ford as part of the set doesn't hurt either. The production staff removed an entire section of seats from the arena to make way for the car, which is set up under a screen and resembles a drive-in movie theater. Gomberg said that a drive-in is only one possible interpretation, however, and that the audience members have the freedom to envision whatever they want to see.Which is one of the keys to making the show a success on stage, says Bien. Though the plot tells a story of incest, Vogel's underlying theme is that of how a woman's femininity can serve as a prison. As Lil' Bit recounts her experiences, the audience experiences a mixture of survival and forgiveness, love and hate."It pulls together so many aspects I love," Bien said. "It's a play that needs to be seen, a story that needs to be told." How I Learned to Drive will be performed this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8pm. Tickets are $5 with a Tufts ID.

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After delay, 'J' results will be counted

August 31

After delaying the count of the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Judiciary votes for almost a week, the Elections Board (ELBO) announced yesterday that it was going ahead with the counting process despite allegations that sophomore candidate Phil Berenbroick violated campaign rules. Controversy erupted after a mass e-mail encouraging students to vote for Berenbroick was sent on the Tufts Republican Club's listserve - a move that prompted ELBO to reform its campaign regulations. While the e-mail was initiated by Tufts Republican Club Secretary Philipp Tsipman, it did include a statement from Berenbroick asking for student support.According to ELBO's chair, Valentino Caruso, the e-mail violated ELBO policy despite not outright endorsing Berenbroick because candidates for TCU Senate and Judiciary are not permitted to use unsolicited mass e-mails to garner votes. Had Berenbroick not issued a statement or not been aware of the e-mail, there would have been no cause for controversy, said Caurso. Regardless, ELBO decided Tuesday night not to disqualify Berenbroick, because the body ignored similar accusations in the freshman Senate elections. In that case, candidate Jon Gold set up an e-mail address and personal website promoting his campaign ideas. Gold discontinued the site when told it was in violation of election policies. ELBO's stringent rules limit campaigning to 25 posters around campus. "I think that there was some ambiguity in terms of the rules and I know that myself and a bunch of other candidates just might have misinterpreted those with no effect on the election," said Gold, one of eight freshmen to win a Senate seat. "They're just very slight things, not done purposely in violation." Caruso said the Gold decision set a precedent that was followed when he judged Berenbroick. "The rules are never really cut and dry, but there was a precedent here that encouraged us to focus on the legitimacy of the rules we set," Caruso said. "It's tough to enforce election rules - we can't track down candidates; a lot of times we assume they act in good faith." When ELBO does observe a violation, there are no concrete regulations in place for enforcing election policies or punishing the violators. Caruso said the lack of enforcement mechanisms were in part a "lapse of judgement" of former ELBO members. He is working with Director of Student Activities Jodie Nealley to clarify and reform the election process. Among possible reforms, ELBO is considering using Tuftslife.com as a forum for candidates to post their platforms, hoping to add substance to an election process that Caruso said is a publicity contest. "We want to ensure that the election is based on ideas rather than resources," Caruso said. "Bringing the process to the students is a way of attacking student apathy." But according to Gold, the reforms should reduce the restrictions on campaigning. The rules, he said yesterday, make it difficult to get out a political message. "I think that the rules should be changed because I know that lots of other candidates have expressed that it's very restrictive in terms of what you can do," he said. "It's a little frustrating." "I think that what won me the election was name recognition and not merits," Gold said. "If people have a candidate statement and ELBO made a website for everyone, I think that may be a first step in making the election based more on merit." The new ELBO board, which will be appointed next week, will implement broad changes before the spring's TCU elections. Last week's votes, meanwhile, will be counted today and the new member of the TCU Judiciary will be announced this evening. "I'm anxious to get a new member after the different hassles, and I'm glad that they are counting this as a normal election," junior Judiciary member Alison Clarke said.

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*NSYNC-ers put their reputations 'On the Line'

August 31

On The Line is the greatest film to star a musician since Blue Hawaii. Don't remember Blue Hawaii? Exactly. That film may not revolve around the music of the insanely popular boy band, but it caters to the same audience. In On The Line, Lance Bass (of *NSYNC) is Kevin Gibbons, the chronically date-impaired ex-rocker-turned-corporate-ad-man. Mocked by his friends for being the guy who blew it with his dream girl back in high school, Kevin, now 27 years old, is about to get another chance. Kevin meets Abbey (Emmanuelle Chriqui, Detroit Rock City) on the El train in Chicago, and they mesh like... two cute people meshing. Kevin, the dweeb, fails to get her name and number before they part. It's an abused plot of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy comes up with ludicrous way of winning girl back. After Kevin's slip-up on the El, he decides to post flyers across the city of Chicago. A newspaper gets a hold of Kevin's his and takes an active role in spreading the word about just how pathetic Kevin is. It works magnificently and, soon enough, Kevin is inundated by calls from girls claiming to be "The One." Meanwhile, at work, Kevin is under the gun after his partner steals the credit for a Reebok ad. A slip-up leads to a tongue-lashing from his boss Higgins (Dave Foley, News Radio). While responding to Higgins' rant, Kevin accidentally gives his friends the go-ahead to turn his love life into a dating game. Kevin's friends Rod (Joey Fatone, a fellow *NSYNC-er), Eric, and Randy proceed to take the impostor El train girls out on dates, most of which end catastrophically. New acting talents Gregory Qaiyum and James Bulliard play Eric and Randy, the ghetto boy and the preppy kid, respectively. Qaiyum gives the most enthusiastic performance of the crew, but loses points for interrupting Al Green in the credits. Bulliard (who looks like James Spader's younger Swiss brother) loses no points for not singing, but fails to make anything of his deadpan dialogue. Joey Fatone lends a strong comedic presence to the film, and sings some decent rock covers, too. But Bass doesn't have the slapstick to rely on, so the character of Kevin often falls flat. It's the willingness of the *NSYNC boys to poke fun at themselves that makes On The Line bearable to watch. Rod falls a lot, and Kevin leads such an embarrassing life that you can't help but smile. If they had been playing athletes or Casanovas, they would have seemed laughably out of place. With a PG rating, we know what kind of crowd the film's creators had in mind. But it's not just for fans of the boy band. In fact, *NSYNC fans may be disappointed to discover that only two songs on the soundtrack are from the band itself. Relief may come in the form of other contributing musicians from the MTV pop scene, including BBMak, Vitamin C, Al Green, and Richie Sambora. A new solo song by Fatone, "Ready to Fall," is also on the soundtrack.On The Line is a film starring musicians, who play characters that used to be musicians. While this may have been a safe play for the singers' debut, they didn't try very hard to avoid being typecast. Still, you have to give Bass and Fatone a hand for their diligence. On The Line was filmed in both Chicago and Toronto, during the recording of their platinum album Celebrity. And it only took 32 days - the sign of a truly efficient filmmaker, and cast. As a producer, Bass roped in a few special guests. And yes, in case you were wondering, Chris and Justin have a cameo. Their ability to portray effeminate hairdressers is uncanny. As for JC, he must have been busy working on a solo album. That's not inside news, just wishful thinking.

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Defense steals the show in Trinity victory

August 31

A quick glance at the box score from Saturday's 9-7 victory over Trinity may be a bit misleading, with junior Keven Kelley's 214 rushing yards instantly jumping off the page. While Kelley's performance should not be ignored, it should not be inflated either: he was simply one of several factors contributing to the win. One factor contributed more heavily than the others, however. The Jumbo defense - somewhat overshadowed by a high-flying offense in the first three games - carried coach Bill Samko's team to its 4-0 standing, now locked in a three-way tie atop the NESCAC with Amherst and Williams. "Around here, we say that our best players go to defense," Samko said. "So I expect us to play good defense, but certainly they stepped up." And very appropriately, the biggest play of the game came from a defensive player. After a deep punt from senior Howie Rock with 3:26 to go, the Bantams were forced to start from their own five-yard line, but quarterback Greg Ward engineered a flawless drive that landed his team on the Jumbo 48 with just under two minutes to play.The Tufts' defense then held Trinity in check on the next two plays before Ward hit Joe Stahl for six yards, setting up a fourth-and-four situation. But Ward pulled a seven-yard quarterback bootleg out of his bag of tricks, prolonging the drive and stopping the clock as he dashed out of bounds. Then, with his team on the Jumbo 35 and 1:33 left on the clock, Ward tossed the ball over the middle on first down in an attempt to put his team in field goal range. Tufts sophomore defensive end Reid Palmer leapt up and came down with the pass, halting the drive and Trinity's chances of a comeback."We needed to catch our breath," sophomore defensive lineman Caleb Hudak said of the Tufts defense's condition Trinity's final drive. "We were tired. But we were the better conditioned team and it showed." On the previous possession, Tufts was faced with a possible fourth down attempt of its own at the Trinity 35 with 3:26 to play. But instead of chancing the fourth and two, Samko went with Rock, who uncorked his perfect punt to the Trinity five. "I was thinking, we better not let them get into field goal range," Samko said. "That's why we punted the last time. If we had been ahead by seven or eight, I would have gone for it. They probably only had to get down to about the 30. But we made the field long for them. If we had gone for it and not gotten it, then they're in field goal range."It was the second time Samko chose to kick on a critical fourth down situation in the fourth quarter. With his team again needing a mere two yards, Samko brought Rock to attempt a 33-yard field goal from the Trinity 16 just over three minutes into the fourth quarter. The reason for this thinking, he explained, was related to defense. "We didn't want to shorten the field for them," Samko said. "I have confidence in the defense. You use your weapons."The Tufts defense promptly responded after Rock's missed field goal, as Tufts Hudak tackled running back Brian Fabrizio for a two yard loss on the next play. But then Trinity made a little bit of noise, stringing together two first downs and resting on the verge of crossing midfield after a 13-yard completion by Ward on third and 15 left the Bantams two yards short of another first with just over eight minutes to go. That brought up a fourth and two and Hudak, who made four tackles on the drive, stuffed Trinity's Tom Pierandi a yard short of the marker. The defense first showed signs of its big play capability midway through the second quarter with Trinity up 7-6, when senior defensive back Gregg Barton sacked Ward for a six-yard loss on third down to force a punt as the Bantams neared midfield. Later in the half, the Jumbos capitalized on Rock's 61-yard kickoff and held the Bantams to just three plays to force another punt. This time, the change in possession set up a Tufts chance for more points before intermission, but Rock missed a long field goal attempt as time expired and the score stood at 9-7.Then, with three and a half minutes to go in the third, the Jumbos halted a long Trinity drive deep in Jumbo territory and forced the visitors to try a field goal, which missed. After surrendering three first downs, the Jumbos tightened up, with Hudak stopping Fabrizio for just a yard on second down and Ward's pass falling incomplete on third.The Jumbos had another defensive stand in the third, after Kelley's fumble gave Trinity the ball at its own 21 with 1:39 to go in the quarter. The Bantams went three and out with two incomplete passes and punted to the Tufts 39 yard-line. A five yard return by Evan Zupancic boosted the Jumbo starting position to their 44, and set the stage for 40 yard drive that ended with Rock's missed field goal in the fourth quarter. "We made a couple of mistakes where we should have had some more points," Samko said. "We didn't give the defense enough points. We got away with one [Saturday]; we dodged a bullet. Sometimes good teams, or teams that are striving to be good teams, they miss bullets. We were fortunate. I thought it was a hell of a college football game." And while the Jumbos will have their work cut out for them next week, they will take the field with a more confident defensive unit and a more confident team as a whole for a clash with perennial NESCAC powerhouse Williams. Tufts has salvaged just two ties against the Ephmen in the recent past - in 1988 and 1992. "It keeps our confidence going up," Palmer said of the Trinity win. "I was a good win for the program."@s:DEFENSE

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The Pat McGee history

August 31

It's Friday afternoon and Pat McGee is running around Auburn University's football field, trying to escape the roaring guitar of his sound-checking band, clutching his cellular phone and trying to explain to me exactly what "modern classic rock" is. Tonight, his band will be part of Auburn's annual homecoming show. The group will share the stage - located in an 80,000-seat football stadium - with the Beach Boys and Tonic. "It should be interesting," McGee says, after noting how lucky he'll be to play with the Beach Boys but nonetheless sounding a little skeptical of the odd lineup. Unlike Auburn, Tufts doesn't have a venue capable of fitting a small city. It'll be a different type of show, then, when McGee's sextet kicks off Tufts' own homecoming weekend by headlining the University's annual fall rock show Wednesday in Dewick. Pat McGee began playing music at an early age, briefly studying piano as a child and then picking up the family clarinet in grade school. "I wanted to play sax," he recalls, "but my family had a clarinet, so that's what I played." He found neither instrument alluring enough to continue, but he acquired an informal music education from his family. "Both my parents had a lot of records around the house - Nat King Cole, the Beatles, Barbara Streisand, whatever it was." McGee's older brother and sister had a similar love for music, and as he entered his teenage years, McGee felt a pining for the guitar. When he was 16, his Christmas wish came true: his parents gave him his first acoustic guitar. Wasting no time, McGee formed a "high school band" with his older brother and a neighborhood friend. The acoustic trio played classic rock covers throughout Virginia. "You know - you play two gigs a year, a few Battle of the Bands, and anywhere people will have you play in their backyards," he explains. When McGee's brother decided to travel to Scotland in order to earn his Masters in physical therapy, the band fell apart. McGee soon enrolled in Longwood College in Farmville, VA, where he planned to study Occupational Therapy. However, he began playing shows by himself and encountered considerable success. Playing mostly covers, his studies were soon losing out to his performances. "There wasn't a whole lot of studying going on. I'd be waking up in other cities and it's pretty hard going to class in towns your college isn't in. My GPA kept on skyrocketing down." After two years at Longwood, McGee became a part-time student in an attempt to balance his music and his studies. He began writing his own songs after he turned 21, and released his debut album, From The Wood, in 1995. The disc sold surprisingly well, and McGee started gigging throughout Virginia and the Georgetown area, this time performing original works. He assembled a touring band, and found an able pool of talent close to his Virginia home. "I knew the guys from different bands, knew the guys from Richmond. I was kind of waiting for some of their bands to break up. I had to do a little band wrecking, some home wrecking," he says, laughing, without the slightest hint of guilt in his voice. McGee put together a backing quintet, featuring guitarist Al Walsh, bassist John Small, keyboardist Jonathan Williams, drummer Chris Williams, and percussionist Chardy McEwan. Together they released Revel, an album of originals, in 1997 and General Admission, a live album, in 1999. This January, Brian Fechino replaced Walsh as the band's second guitarist. "Al Walsh's voice was identical to James Taylor's," notes McGee. "We were a lot more James Taylor-y with Al. Now we're more like a modern-day Eagles." Fechino plays electric guitar almost exclusively, with McGee splitting his time between electric and acoustic. "Bryan is definitely the more accomplished guitar player. I'm more of a hack," McGee admits, once again laughing. Listen to the Pat McGee Band's latest album, Shine, and you'll find yourself a little perplexed by its folksiness and classic rock vibe. Is it one or the other? Can an album released this year be classic rock? "We're an acoustic rock band," McGee says. But he quickly adds, "although now we're not as acoustic as we used to be..." almost questioningly. Classification and genre-pinning are more complicated than usual in this case. McGee still does most of the songwriting himself, and cites as primary influences the Allmans, Led Zeppelin, and, of course, James Taylor. Still, McGee is careful to point out that he doesn't ignore rock's more modern accomplishments: "At the same time, I'd be the first person to buy CDs from Linkin Park and Jimmy Buffet on the same day." Despite the major labels' affinity for surefire sells - the "flavor of the moment," as McGee puts it - he and his bandmates recently secured a contract with Giant Records, which is affiliated with Warner Brothers. "Now it's definitely 'produce the hit,'" McGee says. "It gets scarier every time you put out a new record... it's really important for a band like us to have good sales off the rack. Majors are very quick to pull the plug on promotions for your record." Still, McGee is confident with the arrangement. "You're not signing there because you like the WB logo and want a lot of money...you want to get exposure. They expect things from you, and they should." For now, that exposure consists of constant playing both small clubs and college campuses alike. "We're just kind of in that time zone now - it's all colleges." In Fact, the Pat McGee Band will play at Brandeis University Tuesday night, Tufts Wednesday night, and Syracuse University Thursday night. And every year, the band has its own homecoming: it headlines the Wolftrap, a 7,000-seat outdoor theater in Vienna, Virginia. The show is always a sellout. "You gotta step up and be a touring act to see what the effects are. A lot of bands think they can sit around and watch their royalties roll in, but they're gonna find that it's not as profitable to sit at home and collect your money."The Fall Rock Show will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 24, at Dewick MacPhie Dining Hall. Doors will open at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 and are currently on sale. A valid Tufts ID is required.

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Campus reacts to terrorist attacks

August 31

Junior Sireeda Miller had just taken a shower and was getting ready for work when she turned on her radio and learned of yesterday's terrorist attack. "I started shaking. I couldn't believe it," she said. "And this was before the first tower had even collapsed." For Miller, whose family lives in lower Manhattan, the news hit too close to home. "You can see the World Trade Center outside my building," she said. Miller spent the morning and early afternoon in her room trying to get through to her family, a problem many on campus faced with phone lines tied up throughout the Northeast. When she finally got through at 1 p.m., Miller says she was relieved to find out that her immediate family had not been hurt. But when she sat in the campus center hours later, she still had not spoken to any of her other family members or friends. "I talked to my step-dad and he was telling me, 'Sireeda, you can't even imagine,'" she said. Miller's stepfather told her that he was so close he could see the people inside the plane from his window. Later, Miller's father said saw people jumping from the towers. "He said to me, 'Sireeda, I don't think I'll ever be able to sleep again,'" she said. Miller's biggest fear, she said yesterday, is the news she has yet to hear. "It's almost impossible that I don't know anyone who was hurt and that's what scares me the most," she said. "In my heart of hearts, I just want to go home right now, but I can't." Although Miller expressed appreciation for President Larry Bacow's university-wide e-mail, she said that Tufts should have done more. "Classes should be cancelled because this is a national tragedy that won't be over in a day or two or a year or two," Miller said. "This will be something we will tell our grandchildren about and they'll cry about it." The campus center acted as a hub for reaction yesterday. Hundreds of students visited Hotung and the upper-level lounge to watch news broadcasts throughout the day and evening. Some stood in silent disbelief, covering their mouths with their hands, while others discussed their shock in hurried dialogues. President Bacow took time yesterday to talk to students congregated in the campus center. As he left Hotung, he patted one student on the back and gave the thumbs-up signal to another. He had just sent an e-mail to the Tufts community explaining that he hadn't closed the University so students could use class time to discuss the tragedy. He didn't want faculty to leave campus, Bacow explained, because he wanted them around to support students. Bacow also discouraged students from leaving. "Now is the time for people to come together," he said. "We all have to reach out to each other." Bacow also urged students not to blame any group for the attack. "We have no idea who did this," he said. "People shouldn't jump to conclusions - remember the lessons of Oklahoma City." Sara Yamani, president of the Arab Students Organization, said Arab students worried they would suffer discrimination as some rushed to accuse Arab terrorists of carrying out the attack. "They blamed the Arabs for doing such an atrocious act in Oklahoma City and we were proven innocent," Yamani said. "We are all here to be peaceful with each other; to come and have an education."Fletcher School Reacts About 30 students and faculty members sat on the floor of the Cabot Center lobby, watching a static-filled television screen at noon yesterday. The phone rang continuously in Fletcher Public Relations spokeswoman Terry Ann Knopf's office as Business Week, ABC Studios, and various media outlets called looking for Fletcher experts. According to Knopf, three Fletcher representatives had been active in explaining the incidents to the media. "The main contribution is the involvement of our experts in working with journalists to sort out the details of this huge, huge story," Knopf said. "The events are still unfolding and at this point in time it's too early to tell anything." At a meeting yesterday, Fletcher School Dean Stephen Bosworth echoed Bacow's sentiments in urging students not to jump to conclusions about who the perpetrators were. He asked Fletcher students to support one another and to be aware and alert of their surroundings. "I suggested that we have a memorial service when we learn who died because we certainly will have people from Fletcher who have died," said Margaret Sloane, a Fletcher student, at the meeting. "I think what [Bosworth] said was really appropriate and I hope that there will be more opportunities to get together as a community." Sloane, who lives in New York, has friends who work in the Pentagon. "It's hard to comprehend," she said. Fletcher student Kelly Smith watched a newscast late yesterday afternoon in the Cabot lobby and speculated upon the ramifications of the attack. "This is a smack in the face to our defense industry, to our community, to our political system in itself," he said. "It actually goes to show that America is not immune," Smith said. "So when America gets that impression - because it owns a great stake in the world pie - this will give testament that we should reflect on our decisions before we implement them." Smith said the country should not be preoccupied with building a large-scale missile defense. "We really need to focus on our international safety issue, and not be lead by misguided leaders who want to protect us from missiles but ignore low-tech attacks with highly intelligent concepts," he said. "Foreign policy doesn't begin at the edge of the sea," Smith said. "Foreign policy is domestic because obviously this had some internal cooperation, as well as being international." But Smith's focus yesterday was not fixed on US foreign policy. With family and friends in New York and Washington, DC, he said his thoughts were dominated by personal fears. "I haven't been able to do anything school-related," he said. Smith's mother works for American Airlines as a crisis manager and will be departing today for either Manhattan or Washington. "One of the things I'm really worried about is the hidden xenophobic character of the American government," Smith said, adding that Americans might blame Arab-Americans for the attack. "It may profess itself in the form of police aggression, false accusations, and, at times, blatant racism," he said.

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Monday Night Football: Vikings face Giants in NFC Championship rematch

August 31

Dennis Miller is likely consulting Roget's reader for synonyms of revenge. He'll need all of them to describe the motive of the Minnesota Vikings when they face off with the New York Giants tonight on ABC. But while many Vikings will have the 41-0 drubbing they suffered at the hands of the Giants in last year's NFC Championship on their minds, Minnesota has much more pressing concerns. Namely, the Vikings are about one loss from being counted out of the playoff race. Minnesota, loser of two straight, is 3-5 and in fourth place in the NFC Central. Dropping to 3-6 in a league where so many teams are close .500 would likely end the Vikings' playoff hopes. This team is explosive enough to make sure that doesn't happen. With quarterback Dante Culpepper and receivers Randy Moss and Chris Carter, the Vikings pose an offensive threat as great as anyone in the NFL, except perhaps the St. Louis Rams. One problem for the Vikings is that the Giants are the only team to have shut down the Rams this season, which means New York is just as capable of shutting down the Vikings' offense. The Giants are seventh in the league in total defense, and one of the reasons they only allow 5.1 yards per play is their pass defense. The Giants are in the top four in both pass attempts allowed and opponents' completion percentage. One way to limit the opponents' ability to throw the ball effectively is with an intimidating pass rush. The Giants have it. Defensive end Michael Strahan has become the best in the league this year. He has 15 sacks - first in the NFL - and the Giants are third in the league with 29. Another way to limit the opponents' efficiency through the air is with speedy cornerbacks. The Giants have that, too. Jason Sehorn and Dave Thomas anchor a secondary ranked ninth in the league with eleven interceptions. The Giants have the weapons to contain the Vikings' passing game, and they don't really need to worry about the Vikings' rushing game. The key stat here is that Culpepper is the team's leading rusher, with 347 yards. That's 81 more yards than the Seattle Seahawks' Shaun Alexander rushed for last week. Minnesota averages just over 100 yards per game and has been unable to find a suitable replacement for the retired Robert Smith. The Vikings were hoping that rookie Michael Bennett from Wisconsin could fill the void, but he has proven inconsistent. On the flip side of the ball, the Vikings have the worst defense in the league in terms of yards allowed. They are giving up an average of 26 points per game, and worse, they yield 132 rushing yards a contest - running the ball is New York's offensive strength. While all signs point towards a New York victory, this could still be an exciting game to watch, for three reasons. One, the old saying that on any given Sunday anything can happen holds true, especially this year. Yes, it's a Monday night game, but the spirit of the saying still applies. Secondly, if the Vikings are looking to go on a run, New York is not a bad place to start. Though the Giants have won their past two games, they have been playing ugly football of late. Before the two wins - an overtime victory over the Arizona Cardinals and a seven-point win against the Dallas Cowboys, neither a playoff contender - New York had lost three in a row to the Rams, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Washington Redskins. Finally, as Dennis Miller is sure to point out, the Vikings will have recompense, retribution, and requital on their minds.

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Summer's end brings lighter fare

August 31

Summer movies have several clunkers regardless of the year, but 2001 just kept churning them out. There were a few movies that looked simply too terrible to see: Cats and Dogs, Bubble Boy, Summer Catch, to name a few. Here's the scorecard for those end-of-summer flicks that looked at least semi-entertaining in the previews.July The first Scary Movie was more shocking than funny, but at least it had a good target: crappy horror movies that say, "Screw you, you'll be scared by anything." But the Wayans Brothers decided to follow up their spoof with a movie that essentially says, "Screw you, you'll laugh at anything." Scary Movie II was a lame assortment of semi-funny concepts that were thrown together at the last minute, and it really looked like it. Here's some advice to the Wayans: instead of Scary Movie III, make "Action Movie," or better yet, "Dumb Teenage Comedy Movie." You've got much more fodder there. While James Woods made a great horny priest and some jokes were chuckle-worthy, most of this movie was a huge waste of time. Does anyone really care if they make fun of The Haunting, House on Haunted Hill, Hollow Man, What Lies Beneath, or Charlie's Angels? Why parody movies that were either a) so bad no one saw them anyway or b) so silly they weren't worth parodying in the first place? And, really, is it still funny to have old white people reciting rap lyrics? Scary Movie II wasn't as bad as it could have been, I suppose, but lord, it wasn't good.Final Fantasy is easily the best video game movie ever made, but that's not saying much, so I will say this: The plot was serviceable and the voice-over work was only decent, but the visuals were outstanding. Bizarre aliens, twisted dream-worlds, and space marines were enough to get you from one awkwardly voiced line to the next. Did it make any sense? Does any video game movie? But as a visual experience, it was unequaled this summer. But it does get docked a bit for having the first computer generated human make-out scene, which was beyond creepy.The Score had the misfortune of coming out the same summer as Sexy Beast, because all it basically has to offer is one well-done heist scene. While Sexy Beast had two great performances and one great heist, The Score has three middling performances from great actors and one good heist. The problem with a movie that has many great actors is that all the effort is used in giving everyone equal screen space. Marlon Brando blunders his way through his scenes, and you never stop thinking, "Hey, it's Marlon Brando." Edward Norton, undermined by the script, comes off as an incredibly unsympathetic upstart. And since the film goes to great lengths to prove what a nice guy Robert DeNiro is - and we know he's never really going to do anything bad except steal for the majority of the movie - there's not much tension. We know the movie is going have a heist, so all the scenes where it's debated whether DeNiro will do it are pointless. The heist sequence and final twist are well done and watchable, but that's one-fourth of a two-hour movie.Brother was a small, independent movie from Japanese director 'Beat' Takahashi. It was occasionally brilliant, but mostly incoherent. Although there are lots of Yakuza lore and hidden meaning to much of this movie, it escaped me. What I did get was the quiet humor of clashing cultures, the occasional philosophy between the bloodletting, and that Mr. Takashi could easily get work as the sub-villain in a Bond film (he doesn't talk much, he doesn't have to). I wanted to like it more than I did, but the movie often left me scratching my head. I'm not sure why I liked Jurassic Park III. Maybe it's because it had pterodactyls. Maybe it's because it was an hour shorter than the terrible Lost World, which remains the worst Steven Spielberg movie ever. Maybe it's because the movie has a straightforward, "Let's get them on the island and have dinosaurs start eating people," attitude about it. But probably the main reason is that Sam Neil is a wonderful actor, and Jeff Goldblum can never be taken seriously again after celebrity jeopardy on SNL. I walked in with low expectations and got a little above that, so I chalked it up as a pleasant surprise.Planet of the Apes, however, was a big disappointment. Yes, the apes looked great. Yes, the music and some of the performances were wonderful. But unfortunately, the apes were always more involving than the humans. Mark Wahlberg isn't a bad actor (Three Kings and Boogie Nights prove that) but he came off as more of a lost tourist than any kind of hero. Call Charlton Heston a ham if you will, but you cared about him in the original. You cared about his entire crew, and his demands for humanity to be taken seriously. All of the thought and most of the fun is gone from this "re-imagining," which essentially boils down to a remake of Battlefield Earth. Seriously: "Mankind is repressed and put in cages by the bad Apes/Aliens, until a brave and smart Marky Mark/Barry Pepper rises to challenge the Apes/Aliens and start a revolution. He is dogged by the evil, human hating Tim Roth/John Travolta, all the while encouraged by his pouting cave-girl and sympathetic Apes/Aliens." As for the twist at the end, I think movies have to earn a reality-twisting ending. Some movies do: Usual Suspects, Fight Club; and some don't: Unbreakable, Snake Eyes. The ending to this movie, as Bart Simpson once said, managed to "simultaneously suck and blow." AugustRush Hour 2 delivered the goods. It had an acceptable mix of Jackie Chan's acrobatics and Chris Tucker's rapid-fire speech that made for a refreshingly fun summer movie. They can do almost anything in movies with special effects - dinosaurs, 150-foot water waves, robot children - but they haven't been able to replace actors who bring charm and energy to the screen. While nothing special in the writing or plot department, Rush Hour 2 had two accomplished performers doing their stuff, and doing it well. You got what you paid for, and this summer, that's high praise.Osmosis Jones was extremely clever, but only somewhat funny. The first buddy movie to take place inside a body, it was overflowing with imagination and invention: a cold capsule as Robocop, Mafia germs in the armpit, the love handles as "the fastest growing community," and the always shameless William Shatner as the Mayor of Frank. But while most of these ideas made you smile, few took it to the next level. Twisting words only gets you so far, and no matter how many times Chris Rocks says, "Holy Spit!" it's still not that funny. This aside, the film was an animated wonder and fun to watch, even if it evaporates from your mind soon after viewing.Rat Race was also a funny break from the summer of drudgery. There's something refreshing about a movie with no higher ambition than to entertain and make you laugh, and for the most part this movie delivered. Rowan Atkinson, Seth Green, Jon Lovitz, and Breckin Meyer (Road Trip) were all game for high jinx and not a little humiliation in the pursuit of two million dollars. Cuba Gooding Jr., however, needs someone to take him aside and explain that screaming every five seconds is not very funny. His subplot of Lucille Ball impersonators was both dated and stupid at the same time. It started a little slow, but once it got rolling Rat Race was fun all the way to finish line. And finally, there was Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, a wonderfully laid back way to end any summer. Basically a love letter to his fans, the film is destined to become a cult favorite. But while I laughed all the way through, the movie did lack in plot and pacing. Enjoying it depended heavily on how many Kevin Smith movies you've seen previously. Didn't see Clerks or ChasingAmy? Then JSBSB would be beyond pointless. But for every of the four movies you've seen, give it a star.Brother, 2 starsThe Score, 2 stars Final Fantasy, 3 starsScary Movie II, 1.5 starsJurassic Park III, 2.5 starsPlanet of the Apes, 2 starsRush Hour 2, 3 starsRat Race, 3 stars Osmosis Jones, 2.5 starsJay and Silent Bob Strike Back, 3 stars

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News

Seniors applying for grad schools, not jobs

August 31

As the economy continues to decline, more college graduates are filling out graduate school applications than job resumes. The bullish market of the 1990s has turned bear, constraining the job market. And as many graduates have noticed, one can post a resume online and wait and wait for the inquiries to come. Five years ago, when the economy was booming, companies stormed college campuses for prospective employees. But this year, the wilting market is forcing businesses to lay off workers and cancel appointments for college job fairs. Some graduates have even had firm job offers rescinded. "The crash in the tech sector and the Nasdaq dried up a lot of jobs for college grads," said economics Professor Gilbert Metcalf. A similar trend occurred during the recession of the early 1990s, Metcalf said. With fewer jobs available, graduates are eyeing spots at graduate schools. The nationwide trend, however, has not been as clearly reflected in Tufts' official enrollment figures. Tufts graduates between 1,100 and 1,150 students each year, approximately 300 of which enter graduate school immediately. Surveys by the Office of Institutional Research show that 90 percent of seniors say they will eventually go to graduate school. Alumni surveys show that 73 percent of the 1994 graduating class have a graduate degree or are in graduate school. Most Tufts students enter graduate school with job experience. Sixty four percent of Tufts graduating seniors in 1998 said they planned to work full time in the fall and 22 percent planned to enter graduate school that year, according to Institutional Research's Executive Director Dawn Terkla. But getting the job experience to go to graduate school can be difficult. According to Tufts' admissions website, though virtually all graduates are eventually admitted to business schools, most require at least two years job experience. Senior Abby Volin said this was causing problems for Tufts graduates with the recent economic downturns. "A lot of graduate programs want you to have job experience [beforehand] but it is difficult with today's market," Volin said. During the past five years, Tufts' statistics have remained relatively stable, but around the country the number of students entering graduate school has increased dramatically. According to the Graduate Management Admission Council, a non-profit organization that administers the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT), 210,000 people took the GMAT last year - a ten percent increase over the previous year. This marks the highest number in five years of students taking the test, which most US business schools require, in five years. An alternative option, popular among Tufts students, is joining a volunteer organizations like Teach for America or the Peace Corps. Twenty two Tufts alumni are active members of the Peace Corps. According to Jean Papalia, director of career service, the University won an award last year for the second highest number of alumni in service of small colleges and universities. The Peace Corps has admitted 124 Tufts alumni over the past ten years. Although 80 percent of the participants had bachelor degrees, only 16 percent had a graduate degree. The majority of these graduates had degrees in health or education. Some students are undeterred by the downturn. Senior Sean McDermott is applying for consulting jobs. "Graduate school is definitely at least a few years away," he said. Neil Pallaver, a senior engineering student, is also looking for work. "My personal opinion is that most engineers will not suffer because the market will always need engineers," he said.

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News

Tufts Animal Expo honors canine search and rescue teams

August 31

Though many men and women who participated in the search and rescue efforts at ground-zero have been hailed as heroes, there is one group that has not received the same attention, until now. The Tufts Animal Expo 2001 was dedicated to hundreds of search and rescue dogs and partners that aided in search and rescue and security in Pennsylvania, Washington, DC and New York City following the Sept. 11 attacks. Among those honored were ten-year old Barkley and his partner Michelle Eldridge, a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) US Army Reserve (USAR) search specialist. The Expo also recognized the Animal Medical Center and Bide-A-Wee of New York for offering support to animals affected by the Sept. 11 attacks. Veterinary behaviorist Nicholas Dodman spoke about the cases of post-traumatic stress disorder among many of these animals. Following the ceremony, Eldridge talked about the role of search and rescue dogs in New York City. She described the intense training and selection process that culminates in a rigorous national certification in urban search and rescue. She also gave her account of the efforts she and Barkley made in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. Expo organizers altered the event after the terrorist attacks to recognize animals' roles in the search and rescue efforts and to show appreciation for the people who care for these animals. "We created Tufts Animal Expo last year to bring a sense of community among all who provide for the well-being of animals," Veterinary Medicine School Dean Philip Kosch said. "Tufts is the only the veterinary school in the world that's done this," said Barbara Donato, assistant director of public relations at the Grafton school. "We're very proud of that." In recognition of heroic efforts in a time of great peril, Expo organizers donated $5,000 to the K-9 unit of the Boston Police Bureau of Special Operations and another $5,000 to the Massachusetts Canine Training Fund for FEMA USAR teams. The Expo also provided extensive educational programming and a trade exhibition. The educational programs were geared toward veterinary continuing education - an annual requirement for licensed veterinarians. Pet First Aid, CPR, small animal dentistry, and urinalysis were also among the topics discussed. All attendees of the conference were encouraged to participate in a number of hands-on workshops. This year's event was much anticipated after the success of the 2000 Expo. And according to Kosch, bringing together experts in the animal health care community is a unique achievement in its own right. "This model is very much like human health care, where varied groups of professionals come together and evolve a comprehensive team approach in the way they care for human beings," Kosch said. "We want to extend that concept to animal health care as well." The trade exhibition was filled with a display of pet food, medical products, grooming supplies and other esoteric goods intended for the avid pet lover. Companies like Petco, Old Mother Hubbard Pet Food, and the Iams Company were in attendance to advertise their latest products. The event attracted more than 3,000 veterinarians, veterinary technicians, groomers, trainers, and pet food company delegates from around the world. It was held on Oct. 10-13 at the Boston Hynes Convention Center.

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News

Hits and Misses

August 31

BushGolden StateAtlantic3.5/5They're back. Seven years after the release of six-time platinum Sixteen Stone, the British quartet that brought us "Everything Zen" and Gavin Rossdale, is back. It doesn't matter if you called them grunge, alternative, or even techno over the years; Golden State is a 99-44 rock album. Rossdale's voice is more refined, more emotional, and even though his lyrics might be a little dry, they make for perfect grunge sing-a-longs. "Where is my head, Where are my bones/ Why are my days so far from home?" he moans on "Headful of Ghosts."Golden State's instrumental tightness is something new for Bush, true evidence of all four members writing together. Rossdale's rhythm guitar and vocals perfectly match Nigel Pulsford's trademark repetitive leads. Dave Parsons adds interesting bass lines, moving chromatically through scales to repeatedly change songs' flavors. If tracks like "Hurricane" and the album's first single "The People That We Love" are any indication, Bush's comeback won't be a very difficult feat.@right:- Rob Bellinger@bodytext:MintAmerican StyleNickelsongs Music/BMI3/5 There's nothing essentially wrong with Mint or with their album, American Style. At the very least, the album is entertaining for its novelty - American Style opens with a rock version of Richard Strauss's "Also Sprach Zarahustra," which you would recognize it if you heard it, and a cover of Madonna's "Into the Groove." The band's original music, however, is at best slightly above mediocre. Mint's style is best compared to the Goo Goo Dolls or Matchbox Twenty. The album sounds like several letters to old girlfriends that were never sent. Some are cleverly humorous, like "Pierced and Tattooed," in which the singer ponders what he has to do to gain his girlfriend's acceptance. American Style is useful for background music or a compromise between dueling styles, but little else. You wouldn't go out and buy American Style, but you wouldn't use it as a coaster if you got it for free.

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