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The Setonian
News

Third-place men's team heads to finals

March 31

Finishing off its regular season in high style this past weekend at Mt. Snow and Haystack in Vermont, the Tufts Alpine Ski Team heads to Waterville Valley next week to compete in the United States Collegiate Snow Sports Association (USCSA) Eastern Regional Championships. The men's team finished the season in the third spot in the Thompson Division, and the women were able to hold on to their second place position, coming in just behind Green Mountain College. A first place finish in one of the day's events would have done it, but Tufts' women's team was unable to rally enough steam. "We needed one first place to beat [Green Mountain College] for the league title," Coach Paul Wang said. "It was really close both days, but they got the edge on us." The team was able to come away with a multitude of top 15 finishes. In the slalom (SL), junior captain Jack Kramarczyk had a personal best in the SL, finishing fifth, while seniors Nate Soles, John Johnson, and Matt Dreier came in eighth, 12th, and 14th, respectively. For the women, junior Erin Boucher ended up in the fifth position, freshman Courtney Benson in seventh, junior captain Kate Meierdiercks in ninth, and freshman Sophie Dabuzhsky in tenth. In the giant slalom (GS), the men came away with two top 15 skiers, Dreier (12th) and Soles (13th), and the women again had four, with Benson (seventh), Meierdiercks (ninth), Dabuzhsky (12th), and Boucher (13th). "It was tough, most of the top racers from the other teams fell due to the icy conditions," Kramarczyk said. "All of our [top men's skiers] came through in the top 15." "It was really icy on the slalom, about half the men's field fell and about a third of the women's field fell," Wang said. "We did pretty well despite this though." For the final standings of the season, many Jumbos had strong finishes in the individual rankings. Four men made it to the top 30: Soles, Johnson, and Dreier concluded the season in 13th, 15th, and 23rd, respectively. Kramarczyk finished in 16th and freshman Michael Krafft in 27th. The women's team also made an impact in the standings, with junior Boucher finishing in third, and Meierdiercks, Benson, and Dabuzhsky bringing in the ninth, tenth, and eleventh spots. Junior Lindsay Melton and sophomore AnneMarie Braun closed the season in 24th and 28th. "[This past weekend at Haystack] was good for the upcoming Regionals," Wang said. At the Regional Championships, the Jumbos will battle against the other top 15 teams in the USCSA Eastern region. This region is sub-divided into four divisions, one of which is the Thompson Division. For both the SL and GS events, each of the 16 teams sends five racers to compete at Regionals. In the SL, Kramarczyk, Soles, Johnson, Dreier, and Krafft will lead the Jumbos. In the GS, sophomore Michael Coughlin will join Kramarczyk, Soles, Johnson, and Dreier. The selections were made mostly in recognition of total points and individual league standings. However, it is not anticipated that the squad will continue participating in the post-season beyond Regionals. The squad looks to echo its previous performances, finishing within or just outside of the top ten. "We expect our top five to ski well and put in good finishes," Kramarczyk said. "But we're really skiing for ourselves, since Nationals is a longshot." The women will also send five racers to Regionals. Boucher, Meierdiercks, Benson, Dabuzhsky, and Melton in both the GS and the SL will represent the women's team. "Anything can happen at Regionals," Wang said. "We're just going to keep skiing with consistency. That has been the theme for the season." After last year's disappointing failure to make Regionals, the women's group has hinted throughout the season that this year will more than make up for the previous season's shortcomings. The team's hope has been fueled by the passion of Boucher and Meierdiercks, who have both expressed the possibility of going to Nationals, which selects the best teams from Regionals. Expectations are high among group members, as the women reap the benefits of their hard training both during and before this season. But the team spirit and unity has been heralded as the main reason for the success. "The group is very deep," Wang said. "It's not an easy feat to ski well as an entire team. The accomplishments of the top skiers can be attributed to some great supporting team members. They epitomize the term team dynamics; they really bonded and work really well together. We're going to continue this through to next year as well." "I am really excited for our team," sophomore Beth Batiuchok said. "Talent, but also team chemistry, have put us in the position we are now. I strongly feel that we have a good chance to do well." In all, it was a good season for the Tufts Alpine Ski Team, and next year's squad will have some large shoes to fill. "It's really unfortunate that we're losing our top three men seniors," Kramarczyk said. "Next year we look forward to bringing our younger skiers up to the next level."

The Setonian
News

WMFO broadcasts 14-hour concert

March 31

If you tuned into WMFO last Friday night, you were treated to a historic event - whether you knew it or not. For the first time ever, a performance of Erik Satie's Vexations was simulcast live on the radio, and was broadcast live over the Internet on the WMFO. The piece lasted approximately 14 hours, performed by a relay team of 28 pianists who each played for half-hour intervals. Some played more than once. The concert began at noon on Friday and ended in the wee hours of Saturday morning.Vexations has been labeled an irritant, a transcendent Zen-like koan, a meditation on the role of boredom in art, and an elaborate practical joke. John McDonald, chair of Tufts' music department, and one of the organizers of the performance, called the event, "clean and unusual." The sheet music for the piece consists only of one page of music for solo piano, enough for about 60 seconds of play. The actual length, however, depends on the tempo at which it is played. And how many times you play it. At the bottom of the page is a note from the composer that states, "To play this motif 840 times in succession it would be advisable to prepare oneself beforehand in deepest silence, by serious immobilities." "Why would anyone do this?" one might ask. "That's the big question," said Tim Leanse of WMFO, who was responsible for putting Vexations on the air. Several years ago, Leanse was introduced to Vexations by a fellow DJ who believed that broadcasting a 14-hour piece was a great way to showcase radio's ability to do anything. When Leanse recently became more involved with radio as an art form (he teaches a course in radio art in the Ex College), the idea of putting broadcasting Vexations resurfaced. He teamed up with McDonald, another staunch advocate of musical experimentation. McDonald found the pianists and arranged the performance space, complete with enough sandwiches, vegetables, and Doritos to nourish the performers and audience. Leanse arranged a computer hook-up between the parlor at 20 Professors Row, home of the music department, and the WMFO station, and the entire performance was broadcast live. The radio broadcast provided an entirely new dimension to the performance of the piece. Due to Vexations' repetitive and meditative nature, the listener's thought processes become part of the performance itself. Radio took this one step farther. The multitude of listening environments made possible by the radio - home, car, on the street with a Walkman - create a multitude of performance experiences, unique to each listener based on which background noises weave in and out and merge with the notes from the piano. In addition, the radio broadcast made it possible to enjoy Friday's concert without having to sit in one room for 14 hours. The performance hit the streets, so to speak. According to Leanse, a WMFO employee went to Radio Shack to get some necessary parts during Friday's broadcast and was listening to Vexations on the car radio as he went. After parking and shutting off his radio, he still heard the music as though it were haunting him. In reality, what he heard was the same broadcast, this time from a nearby car radio where someone had been sitting for ten minutes, mesmerized, wondering what on earth the repeating melody could be. Despite the fact that Vexations consists of one motif over and over, performers say playing it requires enormous concentration, mostly due to its complicated notation. "If you zoned out for a second, you messed up," said Todd Nocera, a Tufts graduate student, calling the piece "artist's torture." Nocera was forced to play the same thing over and over again, while his mind constantly wandered. "The mind goes first," a pianist from a previous performance commented. But McDonald, who also performed part of the piece, found it healthy to play, despite the fact that he played the melody for over three hours. "I like playing the piano, I guess," he said. Performers used numerous tricks to keep themselves from going batty. Although many played each repetition uniformly, others experimented with different articulations, changing volume levels, speeds, and their usage of the pedals. McDonald spent about three minutes trying to remove his shoes without missing a note. Every time the music freed his right hand, he was able to get another lace loosened. At one point, he tried playing the right hand part with his left hand and vice versa. Some people played standing up, while others reclines, yawned, and grinned at the brave few who were in attendance. Some bore looks of concentration, and others, amusement. When the time came for a player to be relieved, his or her replacement would take over one hand at a time, first the left hand, then the right, never missing a beat. One of the pianists' relievers didn't show up on time and he was forced to play longer than expected. When his relief did show up, she was so flustered from her rush to the show that she was unable to muster the concentration to play, and couldn't find the correct notes. But by then, another player arrived ready to jump in and keep the performance going. Erik Satie composed Vexations in 1893, but its first performance wasn't until 1963, when John Cage uncovered it and organized its debut. The first performance lasted 16 hours and was performed by ten pianists playing in series, much like Friday's performance. The 1963 performance also involved a relay of eight New York Times reporters, one of whom fell asleep. According to the Times story, only one audience member stayed for the entire event. Another member described the performance as "wonderful." "I don't know why, but it was wonderful," he said. At that event, a music theoretician was overheard saying, "This kind of music leads toward the elimination of conscious control." The music was likened to an ever-moving windshield wiper. Several years later, in Australia, Peter Evans attempted the piece solo. He lasted through 595 repetitions, which took nearly 16 hours, until he couldn't stand it any longer, and another pianist had to finish the performance. "I would not play the piece again," he said. "I felt each repetition wearing my mind away." One can only wonder what went through the minds of WMFO's regular listeners who tuned in expecting their Friday programming and instead heard a solo piano playing addictively that solitary page of music. As one attendee of the 1963 performance mused, "Is this what the ice cream vendors go through who cruise the streets in wagons playing the same thing over and over again?"For more information on Erik Satie and Vexations visit the WMFO Web site: www.wmfo.org/vexations

The Setonian
News

Get thee to The Royal National Theatre

March 31

If there's ever a production of Hamlet that you should see, this is the one. The Royal National Theatre's interpretation of the 400-year old masterpiece, brought to life with a fleshed-out and vivid portrayal of family relations and dynamics, is sure to stay imprinted in your memory long after you leave the theater. This character-driven performance succeeds mainly because of the visionary portrayal of Hamlet by the renowned London stage actor Simon Russell Beale. Russell Beale contradicts the stereotypical image of Hamlet as the young, handsome, and passionate prince. Visually, he is not what we expect to see on stage. He is clearly older, short, and on the pudgy side. But our initial surprise at his appearance quickly disappears when we become absorbed in the actor's humane but ferociously passionate interpretation of the role. The ghost of Hamlet's father, played by the stony-faced Sylvester Morand, drives the prince to honor the memory of his father. The issue of remembrance rather than revenge takes on a central importance for Hamlet in this version of the play, and balances the anger he feels throughout the play. The end result is a thoughtful and meditative character who inspires the characters around him to reflect on the nature of their sins in a sympathetic manner. Beale's Hamlet is not blinded by anger, but rather seeks to understand and make sense of his world that has collapsed around him. One of the play's most poignant moments takes place when Beale is given the chance to kill Claudius while he prays and repents for his sins. It is easy to understand Beale's thought process during the scene though he does not utter a word. He manages to express his confused state of mind through body language alone - an extraordinary feat. Beale also manages to put a new spin on many old and tired Hamlet traditions. We see this most vividly in the dialogue between Hamlet and his mother when he confronts her about her decision to marry Claudius. Both Beale and Gertrude (Sarah Kestleman) play down the Oedipal nature of the scene. The two seem to have a mutual respect for each other despite the obvious feelings of antagonism and pain that lurk beneath their cool facades. Director John Caird decided to eliminate any reference to the impending war against Denmark by Norway, and managed to cut out the scenes with the militant Fortinbras. The omission of the political sub-plot lends the play a renewed focus on the confused family relations in this corrupt monarchy, allowing the audience to see the characters as three-dimensional fallible humans. It also lets Caird focus on the comedic elements of the play that are often glossed over by other productions, getting the audience more involved in Shakespeare's language. Beale is complemented by a more than competent cast. Peter Mcenery gives a visceral and jolting performance as Claudius, the troubled King. Mcenery inspires feelings of both sympathy and revulsion through his tortured but grounded acting. Kestleman, who plays the troubled Gertrude, nicely compliments his performance, allowing us to see the fear running through her calm and collected visage. Peter Blythe is simply delightful as the cunning Polonious and the carefree gravedigger and adds a great deal of needed comic relief to the play. Cathryn Bradsha's portrayal of Ophelia seems weak and diluted in the first act. She initially inspires only sympathy and apathy in Beale. The famous "get thee to a nunnery" scene comes across as bland, perhaps due to the lack of chemistry between the two characters. In the second act, Bradshaw redeems herself, coming into her own with her exciting and jittery interpretation of the crazed Ophelia. Tim Hatley's scenery is simple and understated. Long gray walls surround the stage and trunks scattered across the floor serve as furniture. This approach, which at times seems a bit arbitrary and scatter-brained, works well when combined with Paul Pyant's extraordinary and haunting light design. Chandeliers with burning candles are dropped from different heights above the stage and create a varying sense of space. Daylight seems to stream in at odd angles from the windows on the sides of the stage, resulting in a moody and troubled atmosphere. John Cameron's use of church music is a bit overdone at times, but effectively captures the solemn and somber emotions that lurk beneath the fa?§ade of the play's main characters. There is not a dull moment in the production. It is a version of Hamlet that will appeal to everyone because it makes the words of Shakespeare come alive in a vital and accessible manner. The Royal National Shakespeare Company's production of this masterpiece will help you to see that this play is timeless and still deeply relevant to our lives. And after all, wouldn't you feel bad if you missed what some are calling the Hamlet of a lifetime?

The Setonian
News

Crew program falls to tough competition

March 31

The men's and women's crew teams hit rough waters in their road trip down to Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass. last Saturday. The meet was dominated by Ithaca, while Tufts' lightweight eight women's boat was the only Jumbo crew to win its race. The women's lightweight eight dominated the race, crossing the line in 7:58.1, leading the race from beginning to end and beating its nearest competition, the Holy Cross Crusaders, by just over 40 seconds. "The varsity lightweight eight had a great race," coach Gary Caldwell said. "They controlled it from the beginning to the end and won by a very impressive margin." The women's varsity eight had more difficulty contending with the Holy Cross boat. Ithaca definitively won the race with a time of 7:02.5. Tufts led Holy Cross through three-quarters of the race, but the Crusaders were able to overtake the Jumbos towards the end. Tufts finished in 7:17.9, just 3.2 seconds behind Holy Cross, but five seconds ahead of NESCAC rival Connecticut College. "Ithaca will probably be ranked the number two crew in the country this week," Caldwell said. "We were ahead of Holy Cross, but we just ran out of gas at the end. We still have a lot of improving to do." Freshman Bridie McElroy was back for Saturday's varsity eight race after having missed practice earlier in the week because of a persistent stress fracture in her ribs. "As a whole the boat agreed that we weren't as happy as we could have been with this race," McElroy said. "Ithaca was an amazing boat so I didn't expect to beat them. However, we should have beaten Holy Cross. If we had raced against them the way we have raced in previous matches we would have beaten them and beat Connecticut College by a greater margin. We definitely will have a chance against Holy Cross at New Englands." The men's varsity eight did not perform up to expectations on Saturday, coming through in last place. Once again, Ithaca finished first (6:24.1), while Holy Cross took second, followed by Connecticut College and Holy Cross B. Tufts was the last boat to cross the line, finishing in a time of 6:38.8. Still, the competition was tight, as the margin of victory between the first and last boat was only 14.7 seconds. "I don't exactly know what happened," coach Ben Foster said. "We haven't raced well yet this season and part of that is the inexperience and the nerves that comes with a young boat. We are still working on putting a good race together." As has been a constant obstacle this season, the young boat's inexperience probably factored into the loss. "We just weren't together," freshman Jonathan Goulet said. "We weren't used to the setup and I think a lot of people, myself included, were very nervous. We had a good week of practice, especially the last two days before the race. At the race though, we just had no rhythm or flow." The women's varsity four raced against the stern four of the varsity open eight boats for Holy Cross, Connecticut College, and Ithaca. Holy Cross won the race with a time of 8:47.3, followed by Connecticut College in 8:58.6. The Jumbos came in third place with a time of 9:14.2, beating both the Ithaca and Ithaca B boats. This weekend, the Jumbos will participate in the New England varsity four championships in Lowell, Mass. If the varsity four compete well enough at this meet, they will be invited to the Open New England Championships with the rest of the Tufts crews on May 5th and 6th. "We were very encouraged by their performance in this race," Caldwell said. "The two crews that beat us were formed from the varsity eight boats of those schools and therefore they are not indicative of the competition we will be seeing at New Englands." Both the men's second varsity and women's novice crews returned to competition this week after having a weekend off due to weather cancellation. The men's second varsity boat lost to Ithaca, Holy Cross, and Connecticut College, finishing the race in 7:01.1. The women's novice boat (8:18.0) lost to both Ithaca and Connecticut College, but did manage to beat Holy Cross by nearly 20 seconds. The second novice boat (8:40.9) lost to both Connecticut College and Ithaca, but defeated Connecticut College B and Holy Cross. Next week, the women's varsity, lightweight, and novice boats go up against Smith College and Mount Holyoke. Earlier this season, Holy Cross topped Smith, but with only about half the margin of victory by which it beat Tufts last weekend. And while Mount Holyoke's varsity eight doesn't appear to be a factor for this race, the lightweight eight promises to be an even match-up with the Jumbo lightweights, and a good test to see where the team stands before Nationals. The men's boats will be taking on Massachusetts Maritime Academy, a team that the Jumbos defeated last season. They are now looking towards the May 5th New England Championships. "In the long run this last race is not that important," Foster said. "We are going to regroup this week and go at it again next weekend. We need to keep racing, getting more experience under our belt." The women's squad is also looking towards New Englands, but in order to be competitive, the team says it needs more speed. "All of our boats need to be faster," Caldwell said. "That is what we are striding to do each week."

The Setonian
News

Murphy looks to the heavens

March 31

Before developing his interest in astronomy, junior Eric Murphy had never been west of Pennsylvania. Yet he studied so-called "nearby" bright galaxies 33 million light years away. Now, in addition to sharing his knowledge with PhDs and the professional community at locations around the world, he is teaching fellow students in his Experimental College class, Observational Astronomy. Though he first became interested in the cosmos during a high school astronomy class, a chance meeting with Tufts astronomy professor Bill Waller proved vital to Murphy's ultimate success. Murphy's work in the field has led him not only west of Pennsylvania, but also south of the equator. In just two summers, Murphy has worked on original research with Waller and Yale associate professor of astronomy Jeff Kenney; has published multiple abstracts and contributed to forthcoming journal articles on integral field spectroscopy; and has traveled to Rochester, NY, San Diego, CA, and La Serena, Chil?© to present his work at prestigious Astronomical Society conferences. "There's nothing that can prepare you for doing the research - you learn as you're going along," Murphy said. "You can think you know something, but until you're actually working and it all falls into play, you don't." At such conferences, Murphy is one of only a handful of undergraduates presenting work. Other presenters often approach him to question and discuss his work. "It's kind of funny," Murphy explained. "So many people come by and ask questions: 'Is this for your PhD defense?' It's funny, but I'm really comfortable with presenting. Maybe it's because I like it so much." Murphy's outgoing and laid-back personality makes him easy to understand, even when he's talking about his complicated research studies. But he normally restricts his explanations and discussions to the academic realm. "I'm not big about talking about this outside of the element," he explained. "There's so much more to life than just that." To give Tufts students a better taste of space, Murphy took the initiative to fill a void in the astronomy curriculum by offering his own course this semester through the Ex College. "I'm trying to bridge a gap between the intro classes and the stellar," Murphy said. "Students don't want anything hard, but they want something more [than they would get out of a typical class.]" The hands-on class will focus on students' observations of celestial objects. Fifteen students have already enrolled. The class will travel to Boston University during the semester for periodic telescope viewings. "He's really very knowledgeable," said Robyn Gittleman, director of the Ex College, who thinks highly of Murphy's expertise and willingness to share with fellow students. "Upon meeting [Eric] you just feel comfortable asking him all these questions... he has good interpersonal skills." "He seems really nice and he's really enthusiastic about the subject," said freshman Amy Gonzalez, who is enrolled in Murphy's class. "I think that's what I was really surprised about. It was really laid back and fun and he seemed really down to earth... He's constantly laughing and cracking jokes." "It's nice that our undergraduates can be role models," Gittleman added. Murphy hasn't let his achievements go to his head, and is consistently delighted by the opportunities that Tufts has afforded him. Since the astronomy department at Tufts is so small, Murphy has already exhausted the course load offered. Yet the closeness of the department and the faculty's attention to its students has given him the opportunity for grants and internships in different fields of astronomy. "I still don't know exactly what I want to do. I've been working with galaxies, but now I'm interested in looking into star formations," Murphy said. After the conference in San Diego last year, Murphy stopped at the University of Arizona for a chance to spend some time utilizing the wind telescope and do some first-hand work that involved earlier stages of research than he had been doing over the summer. Although he hasn't had the time to work with the data he collected, Murphy is eager to use the information in future endeavors. "Doing this work takes a lot of time, especially when you pile it on with school work," Murphy said. "I just try not to get stressed out. I take everything in stride." From Kensington, Conn., Murphy started his Jumbo career as a baseball player with an interest in math and a drive to have fun. Murphy's easy-going attitude disguises the hard-working mathematician that lives within the Red Sox fan and Sigma Nu brother. Murphy always has claimed to dedicate himself to one specific goal: fun. Although the path didn't always lead to the stars, he quickly found the astronomy department to be a good outlet for his passion. "I wanted to do a million things when I was younger," Murphy said. "I wanted to be a doctor, I wanted to be an architect, [I] thought about becoming an actuary... I was always interested in math, and astronomy seems more fun than medical research." Murphy is scheduled to give a talk at the Tufts Undergraduate Research Symposium on March 3, but his goal is to speak at next year's American Astronomical Society meeting. Between the time spent on grants and doing research, Murphy spends his time balancing classes and friends, just like every other undergraduate. "I really try to stay organized," Murphy said. "Except for the weekends. That's when you just let go, then try to get it all together Sunday night."

The Setonian
News

Getting some R-E-S-P-E-C-T

March 31

What does it take to earn any respect around the NFL? Apparently winning the Super Bowl hasn't been enough in the past year. With Adam Vinatieri's Super Bowl winning field goal, the Patriots shocked the world. Nobody would have picked the Pats to win the 2002 Super Bowl, and apparently nobody is picking them to win the 2003 Super Bowl either. Entering this NFL season, people still question whether the Patriots are a team to be reckoned with in the NFL. The ESPN Power Rankings have the Pats sitting at sixth behind the Rams, the Steelers, the Eagles, the 49ers and the Packers. Of the 18 NFL Analysts at ESPN, only four picked the Patriots to win the AFC. Even after decisively beating out the Steelers24-17 in last year's AFC Championship game, the Steelers are still Las Vegas's favorites in tonight's rematch. So why doesn't anyone believe in the Patriots? Many skeptics don't believe that quarterback Tom Brady will be able to repeat his performance again this season or in any season to come. Perhaps they have good reason - Super Bowls have seen many one-year wonders (Mark Rypien of the 1991 Redskins and Trent Dilfer of the 2000 Ravens are good examples). Yet many formerly unproven quarterbacks have had their breakout year in a Super Bowl winning season and have maintained their performance levels since. Will Tom Brady's career become comparable to Mark Rypien's or to Kurt Warner's? Only time will tell. One thing is for sure though, if the 24-year-old Brady is the next Kurt Warner, then the rest of the league may have some years to wait before this team's demise. Based on player personnel alone, the Patriots have just as strong a chance of winning the Super Bowl as they did last year. They return most of their starters this season and look solid on offense, defense and special teams. This offseason, the Patriots didn't make any significant changes to their roster. Belichick instead focused on bringing in role players to the team and finding better targets for Tom Brady to hit. While this team undoubtedly has the ability to be a top contender this year, they're going to have to fight harder this season then last. Firstly, their schedule is significantly more challenging this season, beginning with Pittsburgh tonight along with matches against Oakland, Tennessee, Denver and Green Bay. Also, the Patriots do not have statistics on their side. After winning back to back Super Bowls in 1997-1998, the Broncos fell to 6-10 in 1999. After the Rams won the Super Bowl in 1999, they had to fight their way into a wild-card spot in 2000, only to lose to the Saints in the first round. This trend of Super Bowl teams falling from the top continued with the Ravens in 2001. The year after they won the Super Bowl, they barely made it into the playoffs only to lose to the Steelers. So will the Patriots follow in the footsteps of recent Super Bowl winners or will they break free from the trend and create their own path? Somehow, even with a championship in their pockets, they're still underdogs in 2002.

The Setonian
News

Goodbye, Mr. Jefferson

March 31

The weekend past bore witness to a miscarriage of justice on a global scale. No, not the triumph of an Electoral College under which the tyranny of the minority can dictate government and the vote of a North Dakotan is worth ten times that of a New Yorker. And no, not even the alleged improprieties of Floridians in awarding their state to Mr. Bush. Certainly, these things are injustices. But we've heard plenty about them, and little more need be said. The miscarriage of which I write is that, for all the bickering over Bush and Gore, Americans were denied the opportunity to vote for the best candidate available: William Jefferson Clinton. He, in turn, was denied the opportunity to run. All in the name of the 22nd Amendment. All in the name of fairness and governmental propriety. All in the name of a vastly flawed concept known as the term limit. At their heart, term limits are said to exist to prevent abuse of power. The theory goes that a politician in office for many terms and many more years can grow fat and happy off corruption and selling out his or her constituents. Yet term limits ignore that in an America of free people and powerful media, it is virtually impossible for a politico to get away with such abuse without getting caught and exposed. Names like Packwood and Rostenkowski will ring a putrid bell for decades that however long and venerable someone's career has been, he is not above the law. He is not above an indignant public that will find out his crimes, be they legal, moral, or both. Term limits thus exist as tools of weak-minded would-be politicians who couldn't get elected in a fair fight. When the Republicans pushed their insipid and nauseating Contract with America in 1994, they included term limits near the top of their list of "positive" changes. Notice, however, that once they managed to get into office, the notion of limiting the length of their stays fell from their tongues and minds. A good government should be small and should base itself on the free market as closely as possible. As such, it would be unthinkable to fire someone in a private sector job because they've done their job too well, which is what term limits effectively do. Never forget the ultimate term limit - voting for somebody else. It isn't a partisan issue; for every Strom Thurmond there is a Ted Kennedy. And while I may not be a fan of either of these long-time servers, there are plenty of officials who've only been in office for one or two terms whom I equally dislike. In any case, it's not my business, or anyone's, to tell other people for whom they can and cannot vote, or how many times an individual may run for and hold a post. Term limits have thankfully been largely forgotten as a hot-button topic of debate. Sadly, however, they are still on the books throughout this great nation, especially at its highest post. I'll make no secret that I would prefer Al Gore to George W. Bush, and that I think the Electoral College is both antiquated and discriminatory against people living in high-population states. But the fact is I'd prefer Bill Clinton for a third term to either Mr. Gore or Mr. Bush for their first. Bill Clinton is the Thomas Jefferson of the modern era: a deeply flawed, supremely arrogant man with a sometimes-distasteful taste for women. Jefferson's sins are extreme: not only did he own slaves, he is well-known to have fathered children by them. Worse yet, Mr. Jefferson led an extravagant lifestyle that put him in debt after his presidency. Rather than sell off his material goods to pay his debts, he sold slaves - lovers, kids, friends, people who were as human as himself and whom he should have viewed as family. Yet would anyone argue that Thomas Jefferson was a great man? Author of the Declaration of Independence. Founder of the University of Virginia. Fierce proponent of the separation of church and state. Orchestrator of the Louisiana Purchase. Similarly great is Bill Clinton. While credit must go to Mr. Greenspan and innumerable others, we can never forget that President Clinton commanded a country experiencing not merely the greatest economic boom in its history, but the greatest economy in the history of the world. Never before have we enjoyed such peace and prosperity for so long. Many have criticized Mr. Clinton's following of a moderate path as hedging or waffling. But there is courage in the middle ground. Some said the former Yugoslavia should be avoided altogether. Others encouraged an all-out ground war. Yet Clinton pushed for a mixture of bombing and diplomacy that prevented widespread casualties - American and beyond - and got the job done. The same can be said of gays in the military. Is "don't ask, don't tell" a cop-out? No, it is the only solution to a volatile issue. It is all too easy to listen to the extreme left or right - I fear Mr. Bush will do the latter. What Bill Clinton realized is that the vast majority of Americans exist in the middle, and the middle is often best for America, and the world. Thomas Jefferson knew this when he skirted the slavery issue as he helped to found this country. Like Clinton, he ploughed a moderate path, and there were negative ramifications. But the Civil War was most likely an inevitability, and Jefferson's "hedge" bought this nation 85 years to expand and strengthen and to be taken seriously. Had Jefferson done the supposedly "courageous" thing and taken a stand - even one against slavery - he would've plunged us into internal war as soon as the Revolution was over. This great experiment in democracy would have been just that - an experiment, and who knows the extent to which democracy would have flourished here and elsewhere. It might not have flourished at all. This isn't about forgiving Bill Clinton; this is not a viewpoint of absolution. He is an adulterer, a philanderer - his life and career are decidedly spotty. But our heroes must be flawed. To view them as anything approaching perfection is to deny their humanity. And if they are not human, we cannot aspire to match and exceed their lofty accomplishments. A capitalist. A defender of liberty, both at home and abroad. A tolerant man intent on preventing religious talons from digging their way into government and law. These and many other accolades describe Bill Clinton so much more than do his erotic moral failings. There are millions upon millions of Americans who disagree with me. It is quite possible Mr. Clinton would have been defeated had he run again. But we should have been able to find out; I should have been able to punch the Clinton chad with my absentee stylus. Instead, all we can do is hope he finds a way to continue his good work in a new role. All we can do is say goodbye to the man, and, I hope, thank you as well.Lew Titterton is a senior majoring in English.

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Men's volleyball can't avenge MIT loss, remains second in league

March 31

Volleyball The men's club volleyball team went a respectable 2-1 in the second divisional tournament held this past Sunday at MIT. Suffering a frustrating loss to host MIT, the team later defeated Boston College (BC) and Eastern Nazerene College (ENC). "We lost two pretty close games against MIT," Captain Adam Goldfarb said. "We were all very disappointed." Looking to redeem their pre-season loss to MIT, the Jumbos, stricken with net violations, lost the match in two games, 25-22 and 25-20. "We were slow starting and we weren't playing good defense," Goldfarb said. "Things were just not coming together and we were making stupid mistakes, including eight net violations in one game." In the second match, the squad went on to defeat BC. The first game was extremely close, with Tufts emerging victorious 29-27. BC took the second game 25-18, while the Jumbos clinched the match by winning the final game 15-11, thanks to superior play from sophomore Mike Lutz. "The last game was really exciting," Goldfarb said. "Mike [Lutz] served five unanswered points in a row." In the final match, the team beat ENC in three games. Tufts took the first and third games while ENC won the second. "[The ENC match] was long, drawn out, and unexciting," Goldfarb said. "We played poorly. It was a win but it was ugly." After this weekend's matches, the team holds a solid 6-1 record for the season and is ranked second in the NECVL (New England Collegiate Volleyball League), with MIT controlling the number-one spot. "The team as a whole played solidly this weekend and our teamwork was good," Goldfarb said. For now, the team has its sights on a rematch against top ranked MIT which will be held this Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Chase gym here at Tufts.Fencing The men's club fencing team placed third overall this past Saturday at the New England Intercollegiate Fencing Conference Championships held at Smith College in North Hampton, Massachusetts. The team went 8-2 on the day, beating two NCAA varsity teams, BC and Brown, in direct competition. One of the squad's two losses in direct competition came against a varsity team from Vassar College that Tufts beat in the overall standings. The MIT team, which came in second overall, was responsible for the other Tufts' loss. "We did pretty well," sophomore Aaron Donovan said. "During the regular season, we were dropping a few matches here and there that we shouldn't have," senior captain Chris Greller added. "But at New England's, everything really came together." "It was a big accomplishment to beat those varsity teams. They are highly funded and are invited to NCAA meets. It shows that with limited funding we can still perform at the varsity level." In addition to a solid performance in competition, the Jumbos won the honor of "best club team" for the third year in a row. The Tufts team also won best saber squad in New England. The ep?©e squad finished in a three-way tie for third in the ep?©e rankings, while the young foil squad made some important contributions, especially in clinching the wins against BC and Brown. "It was an amazing meet. We all did really well," said Greller. "The ep?©e team lost a couple of tough bouts but all in all everyone gave 100 percent." In the individual competition, Greller finished second in men's saber, while senior Mark Starchman and sophomore Matt Durgavich finished eighth and ninth, respectively. Senior epeeist Phil Kietel, who won the New England fall tournament in November, just missed qualifying for the individual finals this time. Sophomores Vinny Miccal and Videem Timoshpolsky fenced solidly for the foil squad. "Foil was our weaker weapon this year," Donovan said. "[The foilists] worked hard and stepped it up at the end leading to key victories for the team." "Vinny did very well," added Greller. "He had some great bouts where everyone was watching." The team's success has come from superior coaching by Elif Saches. She has worked hard with the men's team and has turned many inexperienced athletes into great fencers. "Most of our team hadn't fenced before college, whereas much of the competition has fenced before and were recruited to fence in college," Greller said. For now, the fencing team is happy with its solid season, and it looks forward to an even better season next year.

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Better music culture than Hotung

March 31

Once upon a time, the Tufts Symphony Orchestra (TSO) was far from being the well-known and internationally recognized orchestra it is today. In the past two years, the TSO has proved itself to be the little orchestra that could. With approximately 60 musicians, ranging from non-majors to New England Conservatory dual-degree students, two international tours under its belt, and a third major intercollegiate performance slated for later this spring, there's no denying that the TSO is making some big strides. TSO co-president Ted Shevlin put it best: "It's an exciting time to be an orchestra member." One of the main reasons the TSO has changed so much in recent years has to do with the students it now attracts. Joining the TSO once meant simply being part of another student organization. With the vast number of projects the orchestra now takes on each semester, however, students not only have to be talented but also enormously dedicated and inspired. "In the past I almost had to take any freshman that auditioned," orchestra conductor Malka Yaacobi said. "Today, I think the orchestra is very competitive, so the quality of the players is far better." This shift in both caliber and motivation since Yaacobi first came to Tufts five years ago has allowed the TSO to undertake more difficult musical projects, as evidenced by the selection of Mahler's Symphony No. 2 as the orchestra's major performance this semester. Also known as Mahler's "Resurrection" Symphony, the concert marks another milestone for the orchestra. According to Shevlin and co-president Kenny William, this year's performance will be largest and most complex undertaking to date for the TSO. "One movement from any of Mahler's symphonies - but especially this one - is longer than many other composers' full symphonies," William explained. What makes this semester's concert so special is that, in addition to the Tufts Chorale, the TSO will be collaborating with the choruses and orchestras of Brandeis University, Wellesley College, and MIT. "[Performing with other colleges] allows TSO and also the Tufts Chorale to do larger works, because we don't have the numbers," William said. "I know it's very enriching to work with other college students." That adds up to approximately 300 choral members and 200 musicians. Due to the group's sheer size, Cohen Auditorium cannot accommodate all the musicians. Like last year's performance of Beethoven's 9th Symphony, this year's concert, slated for April 22, will be held in Cousens Gym. The scope of this spring's performance would have been unthinkable for the TSO only a few years ago. In the past, Tufts has not been especially known for its music, and as a result the TSO was considered just another campus performance group. Within the past two years, however, the orchestra has succeeded in making a name for itself in New England as a reputable and well-known orchestra. William and Shevlin credited Yaacobi with this shift in the scope of the TSO. "There was apparently a lot of complacency in the orchestra," William said. "[Yaacobi] decided that it was going to be better, so she started to fix things and make us more prominent. She made a lot of these changes behind the scenes." In addition, Yaacobi is also credited with giving TSO the opportunity to perform internationally. She was the organizational force behind last year's tour in Portugal as well as last fall's tour in Jamaica. "The whole idea of touring other countries and creating international contacts was Malka's," Shevlin said. "We're building international relationships by performing internationally." As if international tours and a major intercollegiate performance weren't enough, the TSO has a few other tricks up its sleeve this semester. March 4 marks the Concerto Competition Concert, during which competition winners Pamela Chu, Shou Min Tan, and Christopher Lee will be performing various pieces. In a unique approach to both teaching and conducting, the students from Yaacobi's conducting class will be conducting various sections of the concert. With Yaacobi's help the orchestra has also been getting more involved with the local community with concerts especially designed for children the last two years. The program has allowed the TSO to establish connections with community and continue to become more well-recognized. By the end of the semester, the TSO will have performed a total of 11 concerts. For an orchestra that was once barely acknowledged by the Tufts community itself, this is no small accomplishment. The TSO is proving itself not only to Tufts, but anyone else who's willing to listen.

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The trouble with the shuttle

March 31

I'm a freshman. I don't own a car. I don't own a bike. I don't plan on buying a scooter. There are two ways for me to get to Davis Square: walking and taking the shuttle. One would expect that taking the Tufts shuttle would be the quicker and more convenient way to get to the hustle and bustle of Davis Square. However, I, along with countless comrades, have had the unpleasant experience to bear witness to the horrible atrocities of the Tufts shuttle service. There have been so many horror stories that I don't even know where to start. Let me first explain how the shuttle just does not operate on a 15-minute loop. Last Saturday, I was planning to meet some friends in Harvard Square for dinner. They told me to meet them at 8:00 p.m. I figured that if I left the Tufts campus around 7:15 p.m. I would be okay. I should have known much better. When I got to the campus center stop, there were about twenty people waiting to get on the next shuttle. I thought I could squeeze my way in, but once again, I should have known better. The shuttle, coming from the Olin stop, seemed to have already been jam-packed. Instantly, the twenty or so people waiting at the stop rushed to the door. What followed closely resembled a level of competition only to be found in the Olympics. Let's just say that I did not possess the skill, prowess, and determination necessary to get a spot on the bus. I stood and watched the bus pull away, filled with students, but not me. I was relieved to discover that others were also unable to get a seat! So, we decided to fight the cold, thinking that 15 minutes would not be too long to wait outside for the next shuttle. Again, I should have known better. To make a long story short, the next shuttle came 40 minutes later. By then, the crowd outside had amassed to about fifty students. As the bus pulled to the stop, I clenched my fist, preparing for the mad dash to the bus door. In continuing to make a long story short, I did not make it on the bus. Fatigued and discouraged that I could not get onto the bus twice in a row, I decided to trek down to Davis by foot. The fifteen-minute walk brought me to the Davis Square T station at around 8:10 p.m. If I had just walked the first time, I would have had been to dinner on time. So much for a quick and convenient shuttle service. The horror stories do not end with my personal experience. One of my friends told me that he once saw the bus parked in front of Store 24, and thought that the stop must have been changed again. He walked up to the door, only to find the driver sleeping in the front seat. After knocking on the door several times, the driver woke up, opened the door, and yelled at my friend, telling him that it would be the last time he would let anyone get on the bus in front of Store 24. On another occasion, a friend told me that he jumped on the Somerville movie theater stop and found the shuttle driver reading a newspaper. My friend waited a good ten minutes before the driver decided to put down the paper and resume his duties. Who are we getting to drive these buses? How long are we going to take this? I read the Daily coverage on the shuttle bus problems and could not agree more with some of the issues mentioned. I think there are two big issues here: promptness and safety. With the school so worried about getting sued for everything, I don't understand why they haven't done anything to fix this. It seems to me that adding another shuttle, at least on the busier weekend nights, would solve the problem. Students would not have to worry about waiting 40 minutes for a shuttle. And once the shuttle gets there, student won't have to worry about not being able to get on. Lastly, with two shuttles running, students will not have to cram themselves onboard to the point that there is a serious safety liability. It is the responsibility of the University to allow students easy and reliable access to off-campus outlets, especially after last semester's busting down of the social scene. We have all heard the horror stories, and some of us have lived through them. There could be a point in time that students might not be able to live through them, especially with some shuttles being filled way over capacity, looking like human deathtraps. An over-filled shuttle is a dangerous shuttle, and it leaves me wondering why Tufts is not worried about this liability concern. In general, students are fed up with the outrageous waiting time to catch a shuttle. Some don't feel safe even if they get the chance to get on the shuttle. I'm tired of the waits and afraid of the safety hazards, too. Maybe its time to start looking for a good scooter.

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Men's Track prepares for Div. III Championships

March 31

Last weekend marked the official end of the indoor track season for the Jumbos. Wrapping it up with an unscored meet at the Gantcher Center last Saturday, the Jumbos now look to the post season, beginning today with New England Div. III Championships. The championships will take place at Tufts this afternoon at 4 p.m. Facing the top performers from rivals MIT, Williams, and other top schools, coach Connie Puntam knows it will be hard for his team to compete for the meet's top spots. "We haven't got as much strength as we would like," he said. For Puntam, if his team breaks into the top eight spots, he will be satisfied. While the weakness of the field events has kept the Jumbos behind their competition throughout the indoor season, Putnam said he is encouraged by the improvements he has seen from team members this year and the efforts of those who will be entering this weekend's meet. "The guys who are in the meet will run really hard and make some good competition," he said. Of those Jumbos entering the championships, most are runners. In the field events, only freshman Patrick Taylor and junior Chris Martin qualified, and will compete for the triple jump and the shot put, respectively. Epitomizing their struggles in the field events, Tufts failed to qualify men for the high jump and long jump. Also missing from the entries is a runner in the 55 meter dash, a sprinting event that has been another weakness for the team. While Tufts was able to qualify sophomore Adam Sharp for the 800-meter dash, as a tactical move, Putnam will enter Sharp in the 1,000 instead, hoping to give him a better opportunity to score points. Despite the holes in the team's depth, Putnam believes he is taking a stronger team into this year's championship than last year. For example, the hurdling team has showed great improvement this year, he said. Both sophomores Bryan Pitko and Greg Devine increased their speed this year. Along with the addition of freshman Chinua Thelwell, the hurdlers will be one of the strongest squads in the meet. Another area where the team has developed is the long distance squad. Putnam mentioned that Tufts has gotten faster in every event from the 1,000 run and longer. With the across-the-board improvements for the running squad, the coach was pleased with how the team finished its indoor season, which featured numerous team members setting career bests in their events. "I'm encouraged because of the degree of personal achievement we've had," Putnam said. While there were many Jumbos with great performances this season, senior co-captain David Patterson led the long-distance squad as one of Tufts' standouts. Qualifying for the Div. III and ECAC championships in the 1,000, 1,500, and 3,000, Patterson also qualified for the Div. I championships in the 1,500. "Patterson has just been cruising this indoor season, and if he continues this way through the outdoor season, he's going to be Nationals bound," Devine said of his teammate. Preparing for the post-season since Tufts began the indoor season, the team took last weekend's meet to qualify more men for the Div. III championships and other post-season events. A relaxed, un-scored meet, the high point for the Jumbos was the return of co-captain senior John McGuire. After missing most of the season due to injury, McGuire ran in the 1,000, placing tenth (2:46.52). While he has not qualified for the post-season, his return proved to the team that McGuire will be factor during the outdoor season. "It's always an inspiration to see your captain get back out there and run," Devine said. This week, the Jumbos tapered down on the intensity of their practices, getting all of their entries 100 percent healthy before the post-season. The Div. III Championships will be the first in a series. Later weekends will find the Jumbos competing in the All-New England and ECAC championships as well. The Div. III's will serve as another opportunity for the men to qualify for the other events if they did not during the regular season.

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Hockey team faces tough week of ECAC play

March 31

With one week remaining in the regular season, the men's hockey team is in the fortunate yet harrowing position of controlling its own destiny for the ECAC Northeast playoffs. At 13-1 and in a three-way tie for first place in the conference, three straight wins would land Tufts the top seed in the playoffs, which begin on Feb. 24. Johnson and Wales, the other 13-1 team, has dominated the conference with its brutal style of play, leading the nation in penalty minutes with 24.27 per game. This aggressive play actually hindered its effort against Tufts, as the Jumbos converted on five power plays in the 6-5 victory on Jan. 21. This victory would give Tufts the advantage in the event of a tiebreaker. Before any tiebreaker, both Tufts and Johnson and Wales must face 13-2 Wentworth, the defending conference champions. Although Wentworth's seven-game winning streak was snapped by New Hampshire College on Saturday night, it is one of the most feared teams in the league. This season it has tied nationally ranked Middlebury 4-4 and manhandled Wesleyan (a team which beat Tufts 5-3 earlier in the season ) 5-1. Wentworth is lead by junior Tim Yakimowsky, who is tied for third in the conference with 38 points. It are also led by the goalkeeping tandem of freshman Raj Bhangoo and sophomore Jamie Vanek, who are first and third respectively in the conference in goals allowed, with only 1.99 and 2.41 per game. The Leopards are second only to Tufts in power-play conversion percentage (24.1) and first in penalty kills (90.7). As the season has progressed, the race for first place has turned into a three-team contest, but virtually all of the eight teams that make the playoffs still have a legitimate shot at the title. Lebanon Valley (9-4) may pose the next greatest threat to the Jumbos' first place aspirations. Following a loss to Tufts on Jan. 26, the Dutchmen have faltered, going only 2-2 in conference play. Nevertheless, they boast the third best defense in the league, allowing only 2.76 goals per game. Always a threat is Fitchburg State, last year's runner up, who despite a weak 8-6-1 conference record, has surprised several opponents. On Jan. 17, the Falcons became the first conference team to beat Wentworth, as it blanked them 1-0 in Wentworth's home arena. Despite the numerous threats, Tufts' team as confident as they've been since the first day of the season. The Jumbos believe they're the team to beat, and they have the statistics and record to back it up. With convincing wins over Johnson and Wales, Lebanon Valley, and Fitchburg State, Tufts has handled every potential threat on its schedule. The one fluke came at the hands of Worcester State, an average team, which caught the Jumbos on an off night. The Jumbos have the first, second, and third leading scorers in the conference in junior Jason Boudrow (60), sophomore Mike Carceo (39), and senior tri-captain Natan Obed (37). Offensively, the team leads the league with 5.80 goals per game, and defensively Tufts is fourth with only 3.35 goals per game allowed. In the final week of play, Tufts will play Plymouth State (4-10) on Monday, Wentworth (13-2) on Thursday, and New Hampshire College (11-3) on Saturday.

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Break your stress with a Bub

March 31

Tufts students love the Beelzebubs. Go ahead, pretend to be cynical and jaded if you like. You can protest away about how tired you are of a cappella, or how you think that the singers are pretentious and self-centered, or how you can't understand why people love hearing popular music arranged just for voices and not instruments - it doesn't matter. Just go to one Bubs show, and watch the groupies - male and female alike, thank you - stamp, squeal, and scream their way from the opening number through the third encore. Then, try to remember what your argument against a cappella was, or, for safety's sake, just shut your mouth and hope that the students packed into the pews of Goddard Chapel didn't hear what you said about their beloved Bubs. You may wonder, though: where's the professional a cappella in the world? Incredible performers or not, the Beelzebubs are unpaid and, by that definition, amateurs. Moreover, they're students themselves and have full courseloads to contend with on top of endless rehearsals. If Tufts students go so mad for these dedicated amateurs, what reaction could you expect for professional a cappella singers - people whose entire lives consist of singing without instruments? Enter the Bubs Winter Concert and the three groups of a cappella performers: rock/funk group the House Jacks, the barbershop quartet of Peking and the Mystics, and the Beelzebubs themselves. Secure in their own abilities and reputations, the Bubs are bringing in these two professional a cappella groups for this Saturday's pair of performances in Goddard Chapel, titled Generations. What's more, the Bubs are recording the full performance for a live album due out this spring. "It kind of happened back in January," Beelzebubs President Marty Keiser explained, "while recording the last album [Next]." The group traditionally pauses for at least a year in between albums, giving each CD a fair chance to reach its audience. "In the past, those years have been kind of squandered. They're seen as rebuilding years." Not wanting his senior year wasted, Keiser and the rest "threw out the idea of a live concert that we could get on CD." According to Keisier, last year's performance with Peking and the Mystics drew a surprisingly good response. It dawned on the group that a mix of student and professional a cappella would make a "great cross-generational concert." And so this year's Winter Show began to build momentum. Getting the professionals on board, however, wasn't exactly a given. While all four members of Peking and the Mystics and two of the five House Jacks (Deke Sharon and Bert Bacco) are former Beelzebubs, it was no small feat to get them all together in Goddard. The House Jacks in particular were an uncertainty, as the group is at the forefront of modern a cappella and, unlike Boston-based Peking and the Mystics, is stationed in San Francisco. Former Beelzebub musical director Sharon in particular is "Mr. A Cappella," having founded the Contemporary A Cappella Society (www.casa.org), the self-proclaimed "source for all things a cappella." "He's right up there with Rockapella," Keiser said. "He's such a diehard a cappella fan - he eats, sleeps, and breathes it." How did Keiser and the Bubs seal the deal? By making this Winter Show a benefit concert, they convinced everyone they needed. All proceeds from this Satuday's concerts and from future sales of the live CD will go to the Bubs Foundation. The foundation is a non-profit organization that, since its inception ten years ago, has given over $40,000 to Boston-area middle schools and high schools to promote music programs. The money has gone towards music, choral risers... whatever the schools need to get young students interested in music and singing. Using revenue from the sale of tickets (whose cost rose to $10 in support of charitable cause) and CDs, the Bubs hope to put some extra money into the Foundation this year. As for the music, Peking and the Mystics should prove popular again this year. Keiser described the lady-killing 50-somethings as a barbershop quartet with "old-man/Temptations choreography. You can tell they're Bubs," he said, laughing. "They're a lot of fun." Getting the House Jacks - a group that performs original music in addition to covers - on campus is a bigger deal than many students may realize. "The House Jacks are huge," Keiser insisted. "For some reason, Europeans love them. The vocal percussionist in the group is arguably the best out there, and their tenor is amazing." Having Sharon come back is also an amazing opportunity. "Deke hasn't really done much with the current Bubs since 1991, before now," Keiser explained. "Since last year, though, he's really made a connection with the current group." What else might be different this year? Don't expect as much choreography or comedy as in some Bubs shows; for the sake of the recording, the Bubs will be using individual microphones, an unusual step in Goddard Chapel. "We're very geared towards the act musically," Keiser said. "The House Jacks don't do any comedy or choreography," he added. "Deke happens to be a terrible dancer." Then there are the newest Bubs, the ever-belittled youngest members. "The new guys are wonderful, a very enthusiastic bunch." Keiser said. "You start to enjoy things just because they're enjoying it." And that, he says, is often the point. "Being president is all about making sure everyone else is happy. It's a trying experience, but I'm hoping to nurture future presidents," he said, looking across the table at the other Bubs, "perhaps." This Winter Show must be particularly impressive for the newest of the Bubs - those who have never been in any past December concerts, let alone such an important one. The new crop looks promising, too - some of the "new guys" already have major solos in the Bubs' new numbers. "I was in a cappella in high school," said sophomore Jeff Markowitz, a new Bub. Hopes are high as students head into the last week of classes and the Bubs head into the last week of rehearsals. "I hope that people are excited about the show," Keiser said. "I'm excited to see it follow through for all the work we put into it." With the professed "daring" in this Winter Show, this Saturday in Goddard Chapel is a date not to be missed.The Beelzebubs' Winter Show, Generations, featuring the House Jacks and Peking and the Mystics, is this Saturday, Dec. 8, at 7 and 9:30 p.m.. Tickets are $10 at the info booth in the campus center. Proceeds benefit the Bubs Foundation.

The Setonian
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New film studies minor approved

March 31

A film studies minor will be added to Tufts' academic offerings next fall, after the faculty voted Monday to approve the new program. The minor, which will be housed under the Communications and Media Studies (CMS) program, was created in response to students' growing interest in film-related courses. The structure of film studies will parallel the mass communications and media studies minor. Previously, film courses could be used to satisfy part of the communications minor, but the creation of a separate minor will increase emphasis on film by allowing students to focus their courses and senior projects on the subject. "There has been a history of student interest in film in several departments over the years in a decentralized manner," film studies co-director Sudipto Chatterjee said. "This is all in response to student demand and what departments have been doing. It's kind of recognizing the truth that film studies is necessary on this campus." Students pursuing the film studies minor will be required to take Introduction to Film Studies and four film-related courses from an approved list of classes in departments ranging from drama to Japanese to child development. Film studies will be co-directed by Chatterjee, a drama and dance professor, and Hosea Hirata from the department of German, Russian, and Asian languages, both of whom have strong backgrounds in film. CMS faculty anticipate that, in the immediate future, there will be 15 to 20 seniors completing the minor. In the five years since its conception, the CMS program has succeeded in bringing together several departments and creating a well-liked interdisciplinary minor. Mass communications and media studies has proved popular among students, and 50 seniors will complete the program this year. CMS faculty hope that the interdisciplinary film studies minor will yield the same success, as the program incorporates faculty _ all of whom were already teaching film-related courses _ from more than eight different departments. Faculty members who led the effort to create film studies believe that implementing the new minor will not prove difficult since there is already a significant intellectual and practical overlap between the new program and CMS. "Already about a third of senior's projects were being done on film studies. It made sense because a lot of our faculty was already supervising those projects," Drama Professor Downing Cless said. The new minor will guarantee diverse course offerings in a relatively new field of study, which administrators say will allow Tufts to maintain its rapport as a forward-looking institution. "As life becomes increasingly more visual, the way human relationships are understood and expressed changes," Dean of Colleges Charles Inouye said. "People of your generation have grown up in a very visual environment. I think a case could be made that good films are every bit as worthy of our attention as good novels or poetry or good history." The number of students interested in becoming filmmakers and screenwriters has been on the rise for some time, according to CMS Director Paul Lopes. "It's what I like to call the Tarantino-syndrome," he said. "With the making of films like Pulp Fiction, young people feel more than ever that they can be involved in film. Although the workload of film courses can be more, they still have that appeal that you're reading a different kind of material." Although discussions of a possible film minor began two years ago, supporters of the program decided to hold off because the university was in the process of creating the film-heavy International Letters and Visual Studies major. There were also no faculty members who had the expertise to teach an introductory class, until professor Mitsuyo Wada-Marciano recently became the first Tufts professor to have a PhD in film studies. Chatterjee has half of his PhD credits in film studies, but more faculty with expertise in film may need to be hired to support the program. "Despite the changes that are occurring, Tufts doesn't really have a bona fide film studies expert yet," said Inouye. "One of the things that we're trying to do is hire more professors and upgrade [Wada-Marciano's] position to a tenure track position." Despite the optimism surrounding the program, there are concerns that faculty will be overwhelmed by a large influx of students interested in film. "The hardest thing to address is the fact that as these interdisciplinary programs proliferate, the faculty's attention is drawn in many different directions at the same time. Unless we clone ourselves, we have to become more efficient and more organized." Inouye said. The lack of studio equipment available to students studying film also poses a problem. In response, film studies minors will only be allowed to take one course in which they actually practice filmmaking or screenwriting. "The goal is not to train filmmakers, but rather to develop a film consciousness in those who minor in the program so that they can take the next brave step to train themselves as filmmakers or for the study of film," said Chatterjee. " It's a promising start."

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Yanks show no signs of deterioration

March 31

For most baseball fans, the Super Bowl, the Stanley Cup, and March Madness are just distractions until the baseball season's Opening Day. But now, "The boys of summer" are back and the tune of "Take me out to the ball game" can be heard loud and clear in stadiums throughout the USA. And already, the young season has provided an array of stories out of the American League. Will the aging New York Yankees take home their fourth World Series title in the past five years? The Yankees are known in the Major Leagues for having one of the highest payrolls, but they also have the second highest average age in the American League (30.5; second only to the Seattle Mariners, 31.2) and Clemens, in particular, is no "spring chicken." But age did not seem to be a factor in the 38-year-old Clemens opening day start against the Kansas City Royals, when he struck out five in the 7-3 Yankees victory, passing Walter Johnson on the all-time American League strikeout list. While his eyes may be going (last year, during the World Series, Clemens mistook a bat end for a baseball and launched it towards Mets' catcher Mike Piazza), the Yankee starter suffered another physical setback in his Opening Day start. A sharp come backer by Carlos Febles hit Clemens on the wrist on Opening Day, and due to soreness on Wednesday, the "Rocket" will push back his next start from Saturday to Sunday. Another key to the Yankees' success this season will come in the form of $88.5 million acquisition Mike Mussina, who did not receive much run support yesterday, but did pitch seven and two thirds innings of scoreless ball in a 1-0 victory. Off to a 3-0 start, the Yankees seem to have left their Spring Training mediocrity behind, and the return of Derek Jeter to the lineup this weekend does not bode well for the rest of the League. If any team can knock the Yankees off their American League throne, it's the Oakland Athletics. Last season, the low-budget Oakland team won the AL West by a half game, and in recent months, the Athletics have been continuously compared to the Yankees in terms of skill level. As opposed to the Yankees, however, the Athletics have one of the lowest payrolls in the major leagues, as well as the second-youngest average age in the American League at 27.7 (second only to Kansas City's 27.6). The team has worked hard to ascend the standings of the American League West, playing in front of home crowds that fill up less than half of the football stadium in which it plays. The Giambi brothers are proving to be a tough duo on the field and at the plate. The elder, Jason Giambi, not only emerged as the Athletics' clubhouse leader, but has also led the team in virtually every offensive category. Last season, he helped carry Oakland to the American League West pennant, setting a single-season Oakland record with 137 RBI and wining the AL MVP for his performance. Jeremy Giambi, 'Little G', was acquired just before Spring Training last year. He possesses Jason's genetically quick bat, and battled it out this Spring for a position in right field. So far, the Athletics are 1-2, and have struggled against the Seattle Mariners. The Giambi brothers were a combined 4-15 (.267) with only one RBI in the opening three games, stats which will need to improve if their youthful team hopes to make a trip to the World Series. The Cleveland Indians, once the laughing stocks of the American League (remember Major League) have become a powerhouse in the AL Central since their trip to the World Series in 1995. For the past half a dozen years, the Tribe has lingered near the top of its division, but has yet to bring home a ring. Losing its big gun, Manny Ramirez, may have taken some punch out of the lineup, but Cleveland was quick to acquire Juan Gonzalez to fill the hole. Cleveland split the opening two games with the division rival Chicago White Sox, who won the AL Central last year. Gonzalez has already belted two home runs. Meanwhile, Manny (hitting .167) and the Red Sox have struggled offensively.

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New music facility initiative lacks funding

March 31

Construction plans for a new music facility have been postponed for the second time as the project's projected cost continues to rise. The groundbreaking of the 33,000 square foot facility, which will replace the Zeta Psi fraternity house and the former Academic Resource Center on Professors Row, is now slated to take place in 2003. Planing for the facility began last year after the University received $4 million from an unnamed donor for the construction of a music building. But due to inflating costs in the construction industry and further development of building plans, the original estimated cost of $8 million has risen well above $12 million. The building could alleviate student concerns about the absence of an on-campus performance facility with proper acoustics and a soundproof practice space. Tufts' original plan was to construct a 286-seat performance hall as well as classrooms, a music library, up-to-date practice and rehearsal rooms, and offices for music department faculty. But escalating costs have forced construction into two phases. During Phase I, the shell of the facility will be built, but only the concert hall will be finished. Phase II will entail constructing classroom and practice spaces, though these spaces cannot be built until the administration raises additional funds. The projected cost for Phase I is $11.9 million, and the building's annual operating costs are expected to cost approximately $400,000. Though administrators are hopeful that construction will begin soon, fundraising for the facility has proved frustrating. "While there continues to be achievement towards raising all the funds, it's taking longer than expected, notwithstanding significant effort by the fundraisers," Vice President of Operations John Roberto said. "It's difficult to predict when all the money will be in hand." Construction plans are contingent on raising at least a starting target of $7.5 million. Even if fundraising picks up in the coming weeks, it would take several months for the administration to take active bids for the job from construction companies and to finish the architectural drawings of the building. Administrators target the summer of 2003 as the earliest that construction could actually begin, as long as fundraising proceeds successfully. In the meantime, negotiations with Zeta Psi have reached a stalemate over the demolition of their 100-plus year-old house. At one point, the University suggested that the fraternity move into the old Financial Aid Office on 128 Professors Row, currently occupied by EPIIC, but no consensus was reached. Negotiations have proceeded sporadically. Administrators remain confident that student needs can be met with the present space until construction of the new facility is complete. "[There is not] any need to take interim measures until this project goes forward," Executive Administrative Dean Wayne Bouchard said. "Music's and other performance groups' needs will continue to be met through the use of existing facilities." The new music facility will mark the first building in University history to be constructed specifically for music.

The Setonian
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Hilfiger discriminates, PAA charges

March 31

Talk of bellbottom jeans, button-down shirts, cologne, and sunglasses - the products behind the Tommy Hilfiger empire - was generally well received among the Tufts community when the famed CEO of Tommy Hilfiger Inc. spoke at the Entrepreneurial Leadership program's inaugural lecture event last week. But, the businessman's marketing of expensive products in poor urban communities has sparked opposition among members of the Pan-African Alliance (PAA). At a forum organized by the PAA, group members and a handful of Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate representatives accused the designer of disproportionately selling his products to the black community and taking advantage of the black hip-hop artist image to advertise for his company. Some members of the PAA tried to organize a protest against Hilfiger on the day of his speech. But the plan was discarded when other group members voiced conflicting opinions. The PAA arranged the Monday night discussion as a group compromise. Although the reasons why and the degree to which PAA members blame Tommy Hilfiger Inc. varied, those at the PAA board meeting agreed that the company bares some responsibility for negatively influencing the black community. One arguments said that money from the black community - much of which comes from poor individuals who many say should have other budgetary priorities - adds to Hilfiger's wealth while detracting from the improvement of the black community's social institutions. Dressing in Hilfiger apparel gives the impression of belonging to a higher class, PAA members said, and so many black Americans are tempted to buy his products, though their funds would be better directed toward the benefit of the black community. "A lot of it has to do with what's perceived as being rich," PAA member Andrea Marrow said. "If you have roaches at home but can still wear Tommy Hilfiger, then you have the status." Carl Jackson, the political chair of the PAA, moderated the forum. He and Adam Carlis, a member of the Coalition for Social Justice and Nonviolence, were the two students most visibly antagonistic students towards Hilfiger. "The entrepreneurship that Hilfiger promotes... is that the kind we want in our school?" Jackson asked. "Those are sinister attempts at marketing." Child and prison labor, an issue that Hilfiger mentioned in his speech, was also discussed at the forum. While Hilfiger took responsibility for having employed inexpensive labor in foreign factories that worked under substandard conditions, he said that his company no longer contracts such workers, and has joined a consortium with other large clothing makers to collectively abolish the practice. Not all students at the discussion were as passionate as Carlis and Jackson, and many spoke about the consumer responsibility in the misallocation of black community funds. Advertisements pays off for the company because teenagers, who are the main consumers of Tommy Hilfiger products, are easily swayed to buy clothes displayed on the windows in shopping malls, sophomore Jamila Moore said. "We have to create a greater social awareness market," Moore said, responding to a question about the allocation of black community funds -which Jackson insisted were being incorrectly directed to benefit Hilfiger. Moore also suggested that the black community channel the money spent on Hilfiger clothing to buy products from black entrepreneurs like Fubu. PAA President Valerie Rock proposed further discussion about solutions for the problem faced by the black community. She, as well as others, suggested that a balance must be kept between the individual, the company, and society as a whole in terms of the responsibility for allocating funds within different communities. "We need to correct people who perpetuate stereotypes," said sophomore Lou Esparza, a member of the Coalition for Social Justice and Nonviolence. "We need to spread consciousness." At the Hilfiger speech, members of the African Student Organization (ASO) asked the CEO, who said he donates to several charitable causes including Multiple Sclerosis and AIDS, to donate money for AIDS victims in Africa. At his speech, Hilfiger agreed to collaborate with the ASO's efforts, and has since been in contact with members of the corporation. A non-political organization, ASO members did not attend Monday's forum and have not expressed an official opinion regarding their cooperation with the Hilfiger cooperation. "We haven't come to a decision," said Akua Apraku, ASO's public relations representative. "We haven't decided or discussed the issue, but we are aware of the issues PAA faces and we understand what they are speaking of."

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Jumbo runners shine at Nationals

March 31

A season of determination came to fruition this past weekend for the five members of the women's track team who traveled to Oshkosh, Wisconsin to compete in this year's NCAA Division III Championships. The Jumbos proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are among the best in the nation, pulling together to take 16th overall at the competition. A combination of strong individual performances and great teamwork led to the weekend's success. Senior tri-captain Sarah Deeb was in full force in Wisconsin, running a personal best 57.16 in the 400 during the trials. Deeb then came back to top her own time by running a 56.88 quarter in the finals, finishing in second place overall. She came in just behind Wheaton freshman Amber James, losing by just over two-tenths of a second. In the last stretch of the race, Deeb came right up behind James and nearly passed her in the final few seconds. "Sarah came so close to being national champion," senior tri-captain Leslie Crofton said. "She was on the heels of the girl in front of her the whole way and in the end, she came in right along side of her." "I ran the race how I should have," Deeb said. "It didn't happen, but I am happy with the way I ran." Deeb joined teammates Crofton, freshman Jess Trombly, and junior Lauren Esposito to run in the Distance Medley Relay, the last event of the day on Friday. The foursome had qualified for Nationals the previous weekend at the ECAC Championships and were ranked last out of the nine teams going into the race. Tufts transcended the rankings, however, finishing in fifth place with a time of 12:04.18. "It was a really competitive race," Crofton said. "Every one of us, during each of our legs, was really pushed by people around us." Esposito started the group off, running the 1200 leg and leaving the team in contention for placing in the top six. "She was a major factor in keeping the team together and keeping focused," Crofton said. Trombly had a personal record in the 400 leg of the race, contributing to the overall success of the group. "We did a lot better than we did last week and I think we knew we could do it all along," Trombly said. "We did what we had to do and we put it all together. Everyone did what they were supposed to do and we left no regrets." Senior hurdler Folake Aaron broke a Tufts record with her 8.33 second run in the trials of the 55-meter hurdles, qualifying for the finals for the first time in her three visits to nationals. Although less satisfied with her final performance (eighth, 8.48), Aaron is in superb position for the upcoming spring season. "In the finals, I just didn't have a good race," she said. "This season has been very successful in terms of improvement as a hurdler. It's been a long road and it's the hardest I've ever worked. It's the combination of that and a good coach. She wiped out all my bad habits and taught me all new drills - she took me to a different place this season." In addition to competing with the DMR team, Crofton ran in the 1500 this past weekend and achieved a ninth-place finish in the finals (4:47.40). She had compiled a better time (4:43.85), though, in the trials. "The trial I just ran well enough to make it to the final. I'm disappointed in how it went. I really feel like I had the potential to run better than I did," Crofton said. "I guess you can't always run your best race. I wish that could've gone better." Coach Kristen Morwick has pushed her team to continually work harder with each passing week of the season. Team members feel this enthusiasm helped them come so far in the winter months. "Kristen was very supportive. She was happy with us overall with how we did," Trombly said. "I had a really fun time. I'm glad that I was able to go." "Everybody just stepped up to the challenge," Aaron said. "It's very exciting to see Tufts people running and doing so well." With only one season left in her career, Crofton is enthusiastic about the possibilities the spring will bring for herself and her team. "I'm looking forward to the outdoor season," Crofton said. "We just want to place well in New England and get as many people into nationals as we can."

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Police details at parties to begin next weekend

March 31

The specifics have been worked out on last semester's plan to provide detail officers for on-campus parties, and fraternities and other organizations are being asked to register their events starting next Friday. Two detail officers will be provided on each weekend night in an effort to balance the student discontent with the social scene with the administration's concern with liability for what happens at fraternity parties. Having detail officers at weekend events will add new life to the social scene because officers will be less likely to shut parties if they know they are under control, according to Dean of Students Bruce Reitman. The detail officers is to communicate with the hosts of parties throughout the evening to ensure the safety of the students in attendance and will inspect locations for violations beforehand. "It's more of a cooperative venture," Dean of Students Bruce Reitman said. "It's not replacing the hosts' responsibilities or liabilities by having the police step in. It's the police working with the hosts to make sure there is ongoing communication and feedback so none of the small things build up to be dramatic enough for closure." For every event registered with the Tufts University Police Department (TUPD), the host and the detail officer sign a contract which states that both parties will work with each other throughout the evening to provide a safe environment for the students, which should result in a longer duration of parties. The detail officers will also ensure that the host has an organized plan for controlling the party through measures such as checking identification at the door. There are also plans to begin using bracelets to identify minors at parties, but these have not been finalized. The plan was put together by numerous student groups and administrative offices, including Inter-Greek Council (IGC), the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate, the Committee on Fraternities and Sororities, the Department of Public Safety, and the Dean of Students office. Leaders of Greek organizations have responded positively to the idea of having detail officers. "I really want to stress that this is not a school trying to exert an increased influence on the students," said Robert Greene, president of 123 and the Inter-Fraternity Council. "I think this is an honest effort from the administration to maintain a healthy social life on campus." "This is totally endorsed enthusiastically by the Inter-Greek Council," Reitman said. "I think that with their enthusiasm they can sell it to the chapters." While registering parties is optional, those behind the plan feel that the benefits of doing so will entice fraternities to comply. Police will continue to shut down parties that have not been registered if they feel they get out of control. Police will also not be allowed to enter the houses they are patrolling during their parties unless they have probable cause. "The fact that it's optional and not forced is a good thing," TCU Senate vice-president Eric Greenberg said Greene said that he hopes having detail officers will cause fraternities to be used more as an outlet to be with friends, dance, and listen to music, and not for drinking. "I think it's more or less a restoration to an old-school fraternity party," Greene said. "I think the reason why people go to fraternities is for the atmosphere." However, he acknowledged that, while detail officers may help cut down on the underage drinking that occurs in fraternities, they will have little effect on what goes on in the dorms or in other places on campus. Even though police details are not yet in effect, fraternities feel their parties have been more controlled in recent weeks, according to former IGC vice-president Louis Reines. "It gives the Greek scene a good image as we go into rush," he said.

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Baseball and softball leading NESCAC going into final week

March 31

With one week remaining in the regular season, both the baseball and softball teams are perched atop their respective NESCAC divisions, having already secured postseason playoff berths. If both teams can maintain this solid level of conference play, Tufts will be hosting both tournaments in early May. The softball team (20-8-1, 6-0) remained undefeated in conference play as the Jumbos topped Colby 8-0 twice this weekend. This dominance over conference rivals has been typical of the 2001 campaign, as the team has outscored opponents 45-4 in its six NESCAC games. The only remaining NESCAC East games of the season will come against the Bowdoin Polar Bears (10-4, 2-0) this weekend in Maine. "Without a doubt the NESCAC games are key," sophomore Nikki Blotner said. "Bowdoin is the only other undefeated team, and we play them next weekend. We are the better team, we just need to play hard and focus." Although it is mathematically possible, Bowdoin will have its hands full if it hopes to knock Tufts out of the top spot. On Monday, the Polar Bears will play a doubleheader against Colby (6-7, 2-2), and on Wednesday, they play two against Bates (7-10, 0-2). Assuming Bowdoin sweeps all of these games, it would still need to sweep Tufts this weekend in order to finish first in the conference. "We try to play our best every time we go out, but the NESCAC games are always important." coach Kris Talon said. "We want to host the tournament this year, and we are in pretty good shape for that." The top seed in the East will host the four-team tournament on May 4-6, which is comprised of the top two teams from both the East and West divisions. Currently on a tear where they have won 13 of their past 14 games, it would take nothing short of a natural disaster to prevent the women's team from hosting this year's tournament. The men's baseball team is also in a similar situation, as it took two of three from the Colby White Mules this weekend, boosting its record to a conference-leading 7-1 mark. With three games remaining in the NESCAC schedule, the Jumbos would have to lose two of three for second-place Trinity (21-5, 8-3) to have any chance of usurping the lead. While the 4-1 loss to Colby on Friday was the first blemish on its conference mark, Tufts rebounded with two resounding victories, out-scoring the White Mules 28-7 in the final two contests. Setting the tone for the season, Tufts swept a three-game weekend series against Trinity, obliterating the Bantams and taking over sole possession of first place last weekend. Just as in softball, the top seed from the East will host the postseason tournament. While Tufts and Trinity are the clear favorites coming out of the East, Williams (18-3, 6-1) and Amherst (12-8, 3-1) are currently holding the top two spots in the West. The tournament will take place on May 11-13.

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