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The Setonian
News

Amherst, Bowdoin first-ever NESCAC Tourney champs

March 31

Heading into this weekend's semifinals of the inaugural NESCAC men's and women's basketball tournament, the odds were strongly in favor of at least one Amherst Lord Jeffs team winning and claiming the automatic bid to the NCAA Div. III Tournament. And that's exactly what happened on Saturday night. But the way that it happened couldn't have been more unexpected. The Amherst Lady Jeffs (22-4, 8-1 NESCAC) entered the title game against Bowdoin (19-7, 7-2) riding a ten-game winning streak that had propelled it to the top of the NESCAC, as well as the most wins in school history. But it was the men's team - only the fourth best in the conference - that came away victorious on Saturday. In that game, Amherst (21-5, 6-3) scored a minor upset over top-seeded Trinity (18-6, 6-3). The men's game featured exciting, back and forth basketball, with Amherst emerging triumphant, 86-75. The game was close until the Lord Jeffs pulled away late in the second half. A 7-0 run swung the game in favor of Amherst, turning a 74-71 nail-biter into a comfortable 81-71 lead. From that point on, Trinity got no closer than six points. Before the Amherst run both teams had looked sharp, exchanging leads throughout the first half. Trinity appeared to have control in the early going, taking a 12-7 lead just over five minutes into the game. But after Trinity took a 35-29 lead on a pair of three-pointers, the Lord Jeffs went on an 11-4 run to grab a 40-39 lead with 52 seconds remaining in the half. A Bantams' three-pointer, however, restored Trinity's momentum, making it 42-40 at the intermission. The game remained tight until Amherst put together its decisive run, giving it the victory and an automatic NCAA Division III Tournament berth. Trinity is now left to hope for an at-large bid to the tournament. Amherst's attack was sparked by senior guard Brian Daoust's 24 points - including six three-pointers - and sophomore center Pat Fitzsimmons, who added 22 points and 14 rebounds. For Fitzsimmons, it was his second consecutive double-double, as he posted 11 points and 16 boards in a 61-46 semifinal win over Colby on Friday night. The celebratory atmosphere surrounding the men's win, however, did not find its way to the Amherst campus. That's because the heavily favored women's team, which was hosting third-seeded Bowdoin, fell on its face, thanks to a suffocating Polar Bears' defense that never let the Lady Jeffs get on track. The game may well have been decided early in the first half, which featured play perhaps as ugly as any you'll see in a conference title game. Bowdoin jumped to an early 9-0 lead, almost solely on the strength of its defense. In fact, the Lady Jeffs wouldn't even get on the scoreboard until almost seven minutes had gone by. From that point on, Amherst was forced to play catch-up, but shot just 11.5 percent in the half. While the Polar Bears' 22.7 percent clip was not much better, it was enough to give them a 16-8 halftime lead.But Lady Jeffs have made a habit of engineering second-half comebacks all season. In their semifinal game against Bates, they fell behind 16-0 to start the contest and saw the deficit balloon to 20-3 before putting together a second half rally to win the game, 57-53. There was little surprise, then, when Amherst needed less than four minutes to match its first half point total and trimmed the deficit to 19-17 with 15:24 to play. Unlike most opponents Amherst had seen all year, however, Bowdoin never let the Jeffs pull away. The Polar Bears stepped up their defense again, and after Amherst got back within two, at 23-21, Bowdoin took control for good, scoring five consecutive points and never letting its lead shrink below four. Freshman guard Lora Trenkle, who scored a game-high 15 points, iced the game on a pair of free throws with just over a minute left, making the score 47-39. Bowdoin would go on to win by a 54-41 margin, leading from wire to wire and spoiling Amherst's dream season. The win gives Bowdoin its second-ever trip to the NCAAs and leaves Amherst hoping to earn an at-large bid to the Tournament.

The Setonian
News

Keeping the hall intact

March 31

The hardest working people on campus may very well be your next door neighbors, but you would never know watching them on a average day. These diligent folks may be sleeping through their 9:30 classes or might have sprinted in the Naked Quad Run back in December, just like you. Resident Assistants (RAs) often find their "work" overlooked, as they put on the mask of regular students and friends. And they wouldn't have it any other way. RAs have the difficult task of balancing the already stressful life of a college student while ensuring that life in the dorms - the majority of students' home-away-from-home - stays under control, maintaining the sanity and safety of the residents. The job of an RA isn't something that starts and ends with a single day on duty, and students might often wonder why some of their friends have chosen to give themselves over to what can often be a thankless job of peer chastising and calling Tufts Emergency Medical Services (TEMS). Believe it or not, it isn't the housing or the monetary stipend. "It's so much beyond the compensation," explained senior and third-year RA Shou Min Tan. "If that's the only thing you want, there are other ways to get a job.... There has to be some personal satisfaction you're getting out of it. If not, you're going to be wiped out." For Tan, choosing to participate in the RA program was about a selfless dedication to people. "It was this job that really interested me my freshman year when I first got to campus," Tan explained. "I like the peer-helper aspect of the job, I like the responsibility, I liked the programming aspect of it. "Your personality plays a part of it, big time. The way you approach things, the way you handle people. I like that," he added. For junior Erik Moskowitz, personality (not his own, but someone else's) played a large role in his decision to become an RA. "My RA freshman year was a big deciding factor of why I wanted to be an RA. I terribly disliked [him] and I thought I could do a better job," Moskowitz said with a laugh. After finding out a little more about what the job entailed, Moskowitz was ready for the challenge. "It looked like I could definitely do a better job than my RA freshman year. Whether to prove to him or to myself, I decided to do it," he said. Junior first-year RA Alethea Pieters grew up as the youngest in her family, and the prospect of being a "big sister" figure in the dorm was a new and exciting experience for her. "I love listening to people and giving advice and being a mentor," Pieters said. Like Tan and Moskowitz, Pieters did not just want a free room. "I think that a lot of people want good housing, and they think that RA is just another housing option... then it's not going to be a fulfilling and rewarding job," Pieters explained. "I think it's important to put in the time. I think half the fun is interacting with the kids." Being an RA can also expand opportunities for students. Senior Megan Thurber was looking for a way to extend herself past her sports career as a runner on the women's cross country and track teams. "I wasn't involved in any other organizations on campus. I was just looking for another way to meet people and be involved with underclassmen and sharing my experience that I had as a freshman and sophomore in the dorms," Thurber said. Thurber had worked with students in high school and missed those interactions when she got to college. "I was looking for the one piece I was missing from high school: to get involved with more people," she said. In Tilton Hall, the all-freshman dorm, a new dimension is added to the RA experience. Sophomore Sarah Sandison was enthusiastic about introducing new students to Tufts. When she submitted her RA application last year, Sandison specifically requested to work in Tilton. This way, she would have the chance to bring her residents together as friends, as well as teach them about the inner workings of the University. Sandison had lots of practice interacting with others growing up with three younger sisters. Yet she is the first to admit that sometimes home experiences can't quite prepare you for what lies ahead for an RA. "I think that sometimes people don't realize the challenge inherent in the job... you have to be a disciplinary figure for your peers and that's a very difficult thing," Sandison explained. "On top of that, you want people to talk to you about their problems. I had a lot of trouble with that first semester." Since RAs can't leave their job behind when they're in the classroom or eating in the dining halls, the dual role of peer and authority figure often becomes an issue. RAs aren't expected to give up their social lives and become examples of boring, unamusing perfection. "I was able, somehow, to balance out the RA position - the friendship aspect of it and the authority figure of it," Moskowitz said. Those on the "inside," though, recognize the difficulty and significance of the job. "They are the hardest working and most dedicated staff on this campus," said Bob Clark, assistant director of Residential Life. "It's the toughest student job you can find on this campus, but in the long run, it's the most rewarding." Moskowitz agreed: "I love it," he said. "I was scared when I first started, as a sophomore knowing that you have people on your floor that [are] older than you is daunting, to say the least, but it's a lot of fun." Sandison finds it amusing that her position as an RA follows her everywhere on campus. "My freshmen see me at a party or something and I don't stop hearing about it for months," she joked. "One time I got locked out of my room and people from other floors were talking about it." Setting an example is indeed an important part of an RAs job. "People don't like to be told what to do," Tan explained. "As an RA, you have a job to fulfill, which is to tell people not to do something. You have to handle people in such a way that you do your job and you don't get them pissed off too. There's a big balance. "It draws upon a lot of interpersonal skills. I think that's one of the more important aspects of the job," he added. This includes building a sort of community, one of the most important aspects of dorm life. RAs must keep the residences safe as well as attempt to make things fun for students. Creating a social atmosphere at the beginning of the school year is considered the best way for an RA to encourage interactions between residents. RAs attempt to enhance the social atmosphere in the dorms by creating and running programs, like classics such as hall snacks, that attempt to bring students together at least once a week for food and talk. Some programs are timely, though, such as Sandison's and Moskowitz's "Welcome Back" barbecue that introduced the new residents of Tilton and Haskell at the start of the school year. "We just try to address the issues that we think our residents are facing at the time," Thurber said. "You have to expand your residents' mind by bringing them topics that they don't get in the classroom," Tan added. And most importantly, "you definitely don't do it... for the power trip," Moskowitz explained. "I don't do it for the feedback from my residents. The only time they've really seen me doing what they consider an RA job is when I have to yell at them. "I don't look for the residents to say 'Ok, you're doing a good job, you hung up these signs.' It's more - as long as they're getting along and they're having a good time, [that's what] matters," he added. Behind the scenes of RA life, constant and intense training tries to prepare students for any issue and situation that might arise. "They give you the week before school starts, which is good helping with mediation between people," Thurber said. "You just know all the resources that are available on campus." Training covers issues that some RAs may not intuitively know how to handle. "A lot of the problems that I've dealt with already, I've drawn on a lot of personal experience," Moskowitz said. "The training definitely helps. Coming in as a first-year RA, no matter how much you think you know, you don't." "From things like suicide to eating disorders, the training covers so much stuff that you hope you don't have to deal with most of it, and you don't," Moskowitz continues. Thankfully, Thurber also hasn't had to use everything she learned in training. "I've been pretty lucky that I haven't had any major problems with personal things with people... the most that I've had are roommate conflicts," she said. And although training is informational, it doesn't quite make an RA. "I think the training program prepares RAs well, in terms of getting them up to speed of what the rules and regulations are, but a lot of it comes down to being an RA on the field," Tan said. "You also have to use your judgment." "When you approach a situation, you have to size it up: 'What did they teach me at RA school and how do I use it her?'," Tan added. After three years on the job, Tan has the opportunity to both share his own insights over the years and learn from the other RAs on his team about ways to constantly improve. "It's good to hear other peoples' approaches and to bounce ideas off people. That's one of the good things about the job - you never feel like you're alone," Tan said. "Obviously there have been some difficult times and some difficult situations... some residents have come to me and told me some confidential stuff... but I think I was impressed that they came to me," Pieters said. "It was a good feeling to know that they trusted me and would come to me to talk to about personal stuff." Thurber's residents recognize that her status as an RA supersedes her role as a friend. "Whether you want them to or not, you're always going to be the RA. It's very hard to separate yourself from that when you're interacting with people," Thurber said. Pieters has formed a real bond with her residents, who she thinks of more like hallmates than wards. "I think that when I first went in, I was really worried about how I was going to balance being a friend and being an authority figure. I think I've achieved the balance where they know not to do certain things," Pieters said. "They're just the greatest." Although Sandison, like most of her sophomore peers, has yet to choose a life career, she believes that her RA experience will help her in whatever she decides to do in the future. "I think it enhances your skills, being able to get along with people, being able to be a manager. You have to make some decisions sometimes that you don't always like," Sandison explained. "I think it's definitely worth the challenge." For all RAs, the residents' happiness and well-being is the number one priority. According to a recent Residential Life survey of over 1,000 students, 87 percent of respondents reported that they were satisfied with the overall performance of their RA. "This information is very encouraging to me because it shows me we're on the right track with who we hire and how they do their job," Clark said. As a whole, Moskowitz finds the RA experience fulfilling. "It's definitely time consuming, it's definitely a lot of responsibility. I hope that in the two years I've had here, that I've helped people out. Whether it is my doing or not, I hope that everyone has had a great time living on my floor."

The Setonian
News

A Deep Purple disappointment

March 31

Name one song by Deep Purple. If you said, "Smoke on the Water," give yourself half a point. Now name another. Deep Purple remains the ultimate, head-shaking example of a one-hit wonder that made it big and stayed there. Somehow, it managed to sneeze its way into the elite ranks of rock n' roll and never leave. The group has released dozens of records - along with several upcoming live sets - and its 1972 album Machine Head remains a recognized "classic," but you'll be hard pressed to find anyone who has the gall to claim to be a Deep Purple fan. For a group that's so well known as a '70s heavy metal powerhouse, the band doesn't have a whole lot going for it. Deep Purple has seen significant changes in its line-up, to the extent that the reunion tour (which yielded yet another album) had to feature the "most successful" of the many musicians who had once called themselves Purple band members. Style changes were swift and dramatic, from a fusion of rock and classical fusion recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to such prototypical heavy metal that the Guinness Book of World Records touted Deep Purple as the world's loudest band. With Machine Head, Deep Purple credits itself with "forging heavy metal." This is worth a laugh when one realizes that "to forge" means both "to give shape to" and "to counterfeit." It's not that Deep Purple is bad at what it does - the guitar falls into a nice groove that surely worked nicely at concerts. But the overall sound is as indistinct as you could ask for. Rather than the prototypical heavy metal band, Deep Purple seems more a precursor to modern jam bands - a group with talented guitars and no appreciable songwriting ability. But the guitarists involved have been some of the most talented around. Ritchie Blackmore, Deep Purple's original and most enduring guitarist, can rip fast chords with the best of them, and experimental guitarist Joe Satriani (who replaced Blackmore briefly on one of the reunion tours) has produced some of the world's most confusing, intricate, beautiful guitar sequences. The songs on Machine Head run the gamut from slow to uninteresting, with the group's one "gem" hidden somewhere in the middle. Never has a seven-track, 37-minute album felt so long and incoherent. Songs like "Pictures of Home" and "Never Before" blur into a headachy drone. After listening through, one feels certain that there must have been some "air-guitar" worthy solos but disappointed that you can't remember them at all. The bright, shining moment that brought the band to fame? "Smoke on the Water," a song with one of the most simple and memorable guitar hooks ever seen in rock n' roll. It is on the strength of this 12-note sequence that Deep Purple has floated across the radio for nearly three decades. The more you hear it, though, the less impact it has. Sure, it's amazing that the song's still punchy and cool after 29 years. Give it a few spins, though, and soon, hearing the first minute of the song (and maybe the chorus once or twice) will be plenty - you'll remember the hook and move on. Besides those 12 magic notes, everything on Machine Head has been done elsewhere to more distinctive effect - not unrelated to the fact that everyone keeps ditching the group for other (often better) things. When the '80s and hair-metal beckoned, who would have wanted to keep playing for an ever-unenthusiastic fan base? Nostalgia can only grease things so far along, and the only reason Deep Purple has been such a fixture since 1968 is its ability to replace its members at will. The band is like a poor sports franchise, and that's not the most complementary association to give a band - few people would ask the Red Sox to record album after album for 33 years. You like keyboards in your classic rock? Listen to the Doors. You like epic ballads? Listen to Whitesnake, featuring former Deep Purple singer David Coverdale. You like heavy metal? Quit playing around and just buy some Metallica already. If you were convinced to buy Machine Head based on the apparent strength of "Smoke on the Water," you'll have to live with it - good luck finding anyone to take it off your hands.

The Setonian
News

Pennant fever grips Hill

March 31

Spring fever was evident everywhere on campus this weekend as the student body soaked in beats in the April sun, but it was pennant fever that gripped Huskins Field on Friday and Saturday. The baseball team clinched the NESCAC East title, winning two out of three games against Bowdoin College. Tufts squeaked out an 8-7 victory on Friday afternoon before splitting two games on Saturday, losing 4-2 and winning 6-5. "They were probably more of a middle of the pack team," senior Corey Dolich said of Bowdoin. "But they were a scrappy team, they had a tenacious heart that we have not seen in any of our other opponents." In both wins, Tufts had to stave off late Polar Bear comebacks. Tufts was 7-1 prior to the weekend, and needed two victories to top Trinity College's 9-3 mark and clinch first place. The Jumbos still would have had a chance to win the NESCAC East should they have lost all three games to Bowdoin, though it would have depended on the outcome of today's game against Bates. After winning on Friday and losing the opener Saturday, the final game proved the most important. In that contest, the pitching star was sophomore Dave Martin, who threw six innings, giving up one run on three hits to help stake the Jumbos to a 6-1 lead. Junior Dan Callahan was the offensive star all weekend, driving in three runs in Saturday's second game, including a home run. It was the fourth homer of the year for the NESCAC's leading hitter (.443 batting average), who also had seven RBIs on the weekend. "He kept us in all the games this weekend," sophomore shortstop Brian Shapiro said of Callahan. "Homeruns, RBIs; he carried us." Shapiro entered in relief to close it out in the seventh but ran into some problems. The sophomore walked two of the first three batters he faced, and then gave up a three-run homer to Bowdoin junior Seth Paradis. But Shapiro settled down after that to retire the next two hitters, collect his second save of the weekend, and clinch the NESCAC East title for the Jumbos. "I like closing," Shapiro said. "It gives me a chance to play shortstop. It's the best of both worlds; I get to play everyday and pitch." The win wouldn't have mattered had the Jumbos managed a victory in an extremely close opener on Saturday. In that game, junior pitcher Steve Lapham was a workhorse, throwing ten innings in the loss. Tufts jumped out to a 2-0 lead when Shapiro doubled and Ayers singled him in and then scored on an RBI groundout by senior Corey Dolich. Bowdoin evened the score in the fifth when Workman jacked a two-run homer to left. Neither team scored again until the top of the tenth, when Polar Bear junior Randy Metzler drove in freshman T.J. Macleod. Metzler then scored on a Jumbo error. Bowdoin reliever Scott Boruchow allowed two Tufts base-runners in the bottom of the inning, but the Jumbos could not score. In ten innings, Lapham gave up only eight hits, but suffered the loss. "He definitely looked really great," Shapiro said of Lapham. "We wanted to get the win for him but we just couldn't get enough runs." "The pitching was great," Dolich said. "You really can't ask for much more than they gave us this weekend. They were throwing strikes, doing what coach asked." In Friday's game, sophomore Jon Lee threw eight and two-thirds innings to get the win. Through the eighth inning, Lee had given up only three runs, but ran into some trouble in the ninth. The Polar Bears got three runs on a bases-loaded double by freshman Andy Workman, and were within one run with a runner on second when Shapiro entered in relief to shut the door. Shapiro threw only one pitch, inducing a ground ball to end the game. It was his second save of the season. Offensively, Callahan was the star for the Jumbos on Friday. Callahan went 3-3 with two homers and four RBIs. His three-run homer in the first gave the Jumbos the lead for good, and his solo shot in the fifth made the game 5-3. Sophomore Jon Herbert added two RBIs of his own, and sophomore Evan Zupancic knocked in a run on a double in the eighth. Tufts has one more NESCAC East game, a home game against the Bates Bobcats this afternoon at 3:30. Since Tufts swept Trinity in three games this season, today's results will not affect the conference standings. "We're still focusing on it like any game," Dolich said. "If we win then there is no doubt that we are the division champs. It's a 10-2 record against a 9-3 record. We want to win it outright."

The Setonian
News

But is it art?

March 31

On April 2, the Tufts University permanent collection was taken down to make way for a new collection - the Masters' thesis projects of several students in the MFA/Tufts joint degree program. The exhibit, which will remain open during regular Aidekman hours until May 1, includes a nook and cranny to house each student's design, and is sprawled among the two floors of the Tisch family and Koppleman galleries. The exhibit includes new artwork and photography from MA degree candidates Steve Aishman, James Blanco, Margaret Jannino, Hiroko Kikuchi, Lisa Magnarelli, Lazaro Montano, Amy Sharp, and Youngsuk Suh. Each exhibit offers the artists' unique interpretations of various ideas, including sexuality, hunger, thirst, inclusion, immersion, and death; they are far from the classical concept of "art." Like most modern art, the exhibit is easy to either love or hate, inciting disgust or intrigue. The different topics explored are explained by each artist in a note next that accompanies the artwork. Comments are encouraged on a notepad next to the comment book, but in most of the notebooks, there is precious little written. The lack of commentary can be attributed to one of the largest problems that the Tufts art gallery faces- few students actually know it exists. Due to Tufts' close proximity to the MFA, most students consider the artwork of fellow Tuftonians sub-par - it is not. Each exhibit is filled with profound thought and expression. Whether it is to look at the artwork of friends or to merely see how some students interpret "art," the gallery is definitely worth a visit. In the current exhibit, visitors to the Aidekman gallery are warned by placards that the art they are about to witness may be offensive - and that is certainly true of some exhibits. Magnarelli's section includes two portraits of female figures, and three large panoramas filled with the tops of women's erect-nippled breasts. A nearby projector shows a woman stripping off her clothing to make love with one of the portraits. The exhibit is at both times shocking and stark, repulsing some and captivating others, but it is intriguing to all. Montano's art features strong social commentary in the form of direct messages embroidered onto plain white shirts and all the possible shades of Cover Girl foundation make-up plastered against wooden planks. There is also a wall tiled with representations of a pornography production studio's 936 top gay porn stars' hair colors, in alphabetical order. Kikuchi's art features oriental paper screens made of thinly cut foods, surrounding nine live nude actors, eating from nine tables on the floor. The piece is a commentary on modern preconceptions of dietary habits and body images. Jannino also discusses food, with a wall of button candy (feel free to try some) and fruits and vegetables wearing knit hats, forming a message about childhood ideals alongside squares of Crayola crayon tips stuck to the walls in various patterns and colors. Sharp's "Thirst" exhibit features aquariums filled with both water and water bottles, and video monitors showing images of fountains and water droplets. Some viewers, of course, will not see Jannino's exhibit as relating to childhood, but perhaps as relating to structure and conformity. Like all modern art, each exhibit is open to the viewer's free interpretation. The final three exhibits are devoted to new forms of art. Suh's photography is filled with wide landscapes, showcasing lush forests and barren plains, and shot from such angles that they seem to draw in the viewer, including him in the landscape. Blanco's art is a series of five monitors and headsets, flashing various sounds and images from five late 19th century silent war documentaries. Aishman's photography is more traditional, and is a series of rather poignant photos of his father being treated for prostate cancer. It includes several images of masculinity, including hunting and woodcrafting, as well as pages of commentary on the different situations from the artist. Overall, with many different forms of modern art and many different ideas from several artists, the casual visitor will be met with enough thought-provoking matter to last at least a month. The low levels of publicity that the Aidekman art galleries receive should definitely be remedied, and this intriguing series of exhibits provides the perfect opportunity for students to finally visit.

The Setonian
News

Jumbos back in stride after loss to Wesleyan

March 31

After a torrid 7-0 fall season, where every puck seemed to bounce its way, the last thing the men's hockey team wanted was a vacation. And unfortunately the break did cool the team off a bit, as the Jumbos lost their return to the ice against Wesleyan on Jan 9. The 7-6 shootout against the future NESCAC rival pitted Tufts against their toughest competition of the year. "We were definitely rusty coming off of the long break," senior tri-captain Natan Obed said. "It's tough to go from playing every day to having a month off. Wesleyan is a decent team, but they are definitely a team that we should beat." Entering the game, Tufts' defense was leading the ECAC Northeast in fewest goals allowed, but the speedy Cardinals were able break through the zone and find the net over and over again. "We just didn't play good defense," senior tri-captain Scott Hayes said. "There were a couple of defense lapses, and it lead to some bad breaks. We scored six goals, so the offense was there - we just let up defensively. They were mistakes we couldn't make against a team like that." "Wesleyan can score, they have decent goaltending, but there is nothing that overpowers us," Obed said. "We are not intimidated by the NESCAC teams. The league we are in now [ECAC Northeast] is physically tougher, so we have very good stick-handling skills." The loss was disheartening, as it snapped a seven-game winning streak, and showed that the Jumbos, who were ranked 12th in the nation entering the game, were in fact mortal. Next on the slate was a Jan. 11 showdown against a struggling Assumption team, which entered the game having scored only 21 goals during the entire season, compared to the Jumbos' 57. With the Jumbos' defense still not clicking, Assumption actually gave Tufts a run for its money, with the score tied 4-4 at the end of the second period. Clearly not on the top of his game, freshman goalkeeper Ben Crapser was pulled from the net during an Assumption power play and was replaced with senior Alex Scerbo. Scerbo held his ground in the face of the Assumption attack, and the Jumbos escaped with an 8-5 win. "Scerbo came in and had some big saves," defenseman, senior Justin Picone said. "Crapser is a great goalie for us, and everyone will have a bad night at some point," Obed added. "He is doing fine, and the team has great confidence in Scerbo." During the victory, junior center Jason Boudrow tallied seven points (three goals, four assists), and currently leads all of Division III in scoring. Despite Boudrow's third-period heroics, which prevented what would have been an embarrassing loss, the team was discouraged about its sloppy play against a weak opponent. "In the Assumption game, we were the better team, but we struggled," Picone said. "In the first two games, we had defensive lapses. The second half of the year is like a whole new season. Any momentum you had is lost." The first two games left some serious doubts in the Jumbos' minds, as their previously impenetrable goalie gave up 12 goals in two games, after only relinquishing 15 in the previous seven games. After a day of practice, the Jumbos finally returned to typical form, in the 5-2 thumping of Western New England College on Jan 13. Crapser proved that his performance against Assumption was an aberration as he made 15 saves, and the potent Tufts' offense never let their opponents into the game. "Crapser is doing fine," Hayes said. "He played a great game against New England. It's just something that happens to all goalies. Back on track after a few rough games, the Jumbos are once again confident in their pursuit of the ECAC Northeast title. However, the Jumbos have their work cut out for them, as they will face the strongest opponents on the schedule in the upcoming weeks. "We are doing fine," Hayes said. "We had a little lapse, and we just have to fight through. Since that loss, we have been picking up the intensity. We are still making a couple mistakes and we haven't been executing some of the systems, but if we keep up the intensity we should be ok." The team will be focusing on team defense, the most glaring problem so far in their 9-1 campaign, where scoring goals has never been a problem. "In the three games we scored at least five goals," Picone said. "Our team defense still needs some work though. Games are a lot different than practice. Lots of small unexpected things can happen, which lead to a goal by the other team. It just takes a little while to get back in the swing of things."

The Setonian
News

Greenberg emerges victorious amidst procedural controversy

March 31

After a grueling campaign and a seemingly endless election night, at 3:30 a.m. Eric Greenberg was officially named Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate president, defeating Treasurer Michele Shelton by a sound margin. "I think it's because we ran a really good campaign, we stuck to the issues," Greenberg said. "From the very beginning, right after the nominations meeting, we went dorm to dorm, we hit a lot of people. But next year, I'm going to try to go back to the people we talked to during the campaign and talk to them about their issues. "We still have some work to do reconnecting with the people, and I'm looking forward to doing it," Greenberg said. Shelton, for her part, said the campaign issues were not the deciding factor in the election. "I think it was all about name recognition," she said. "I think it was who people knew more, and people knew Eric because of all the social stuff. It's like the Daily said; being treasurer is kind of a thankless, behind-the-scenes job." Shelton said she plans to stay on the Senate and continue her work on several projects, particularly increasing student input on student-faculty committees, one of her campaign focuses. The Greenberg victory is slightly clouded by senior Emily Stewart's allegations of election tampering at the polling station in Dewick/MacPhie. Once the polls closed at 11 p.m., ELBO members spent hours deliberating on how to deal with her complaint and eventually decided they would allow the election results to stand as long as the margin of victory was greater than eight percent. A differential of more than eight percent, ELBO said, would theoretically be large enough to render irrelevant the limited tampering Stewart claims to have witnessed. "The margin of victory was sufficiently large to quell any fears that the integrity of the election may have been comprised," ELBO Chair Shane Mason said. Stewart will still receive a formal hearing, although the date has not yet been determined. The votes cast on the other issues on the ballot - a revised Senate constitution and a pair of amendments that give culture group representatives full voting rights in the Senate and another that prohibits student groups from discriminating on the basis of self-acceptance of identity - are frozen until the TCU Judiciary can adjudicate the dispute over the campus-wide e-mail sent on Tuesday. The presidential vote total of 1,616 - which does not include votes cast from abroad or ballots cast only for the constitutional amendments - was by far the highest in recent memory. The roughly 33 percent turnout eclipses those of the last two years, which were approximately 23 percent and 28 percent, respectively. Now that the students have elected a president, the new Senate must elect its general board and Allocations Board - the body's last task for the academic year.

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No Grades for You

March 31

Since it takes weeks for printed grade reports to be mailed home (those pesky library fines come quickly, though), using exiting technology to expeditiously provide final grades online should be a University priority. Yet this year, Tufts took a leap in the wrong direction, discontinuing the 800-number system that partially mitigated frustration caused by SIS online (which, although located on the Internet, moves at the speed of molasses). But even in the short run, Tufts should not have to rely on the phone as a means of information transfer; telephones are fast becoming an anachronism, and should rightfully seem out of place at a "Research I" institution. The technology to get grades to students quickly currently exists and any administrative statement to the contrary would be misleading.At universities that Tufts regards as its chief competitors for both students and prestige, and even those that we consider beneath us, grades are readily accessible online. At SUNY Binghamton, grades are posted as received on the day they are submitted by a professor. At Boston University, students can order updated transcripts well before the New Year, and can see their final grades almost as soon as they return home from their first semester. Other schools - Emory, University of Florida, Washington University, and Brown among them - post grades on the Web long before Jan. 1, well in advance of Tufts, which supplies the information a mere week before classes resume. No one seriously argues that Tufts lacks the capability to publish grades as they are handed in by professors. Since the implementation of online registration, in fact, students can easily check their schedules on SIS Online to ensure that they have registered for the right courses. Address changes and other assorted functions are processed immediately by the site and can be reviewed nearly instantaneously. But with final grades, the "Grades" option is actually blocked by the Registrar's office, and does not allow students even to review their grades from prior semesters. Despite the ample and efficient technology, this year's grades were not available for Tufts students until Jan. 8. Last year, the wait was comparably long as the Registrar deemed Jan. 4 the first day students could obtain the results of their semester's work. Thankfully, a major loophole was benignly neglected in the past, allowing anxiously awaiting students to hear their grades well before the "official" date. The 800-number, provided by the school and paid for by promotions from outside vendors, made grades available a few days after final exams. Even though the official date when it was supposed to come into service was similar to that of the website, the phone system always allowed anxiously awaiting students to check grades well before the New Year. The discontinuation of this option was a mistake, considering that outside vendors defrayed much of the cost and the system clearly benefited students. With the phone system not in service, the school's official information website, SIS Online, was the only vehicle for obtaining grades. But the system blocked students from receiving their grades and transcripts until well into January. The wait became aggravatingly long, especially since no email told students the date when they could obtain grades until after New Years. On the day that grades were supposed to be posted on the website, the server was down, returning online late in the day. When grades finally did make their debut, barely a week remained before the new semester. Simply having online technology, as Tufts does, is not sufficient. The capabilities that Tufts has acquired with services like SIS Online are certainly helpful, but they must be used to their full potential, lest they resemble the phantom TCU Senate Tufts Polls. The idea behind implementing (and paying for) improved technology was to speed up the transfer of information, not to slow it down. Last year, grades were available four days earlier, leaving people to wonder how technology actually slowed down the grade retrieval process and whether competent people are working on these projects. This past semester provides bleak answers to these questions.Craig Waldman is a senior majoring in political science.

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Miami is back in a big way

March 31

Just when you thought you had this NBA season figured out, Alonzo Mourning and the Miami Heat decided they'd try to mix things up. Last night, the five-time All-Star center Mourning returned to action against the Toronto Raptors despite a kidney ailment that has sidelined him all season and threatened to end his career. Mourning, 31, has been out of action since doctors found, during a routine training-camp physical in October, that he has focal glomerulosclerosis, an illness that leads to kidney failure in about half of all cases. That result would have led to dialysis or a transplant for Mourning. Mourning said he will be monitored closely by doctors, and his return will be on a game-to-game basis. The decision came after doctors told him that his status might not change for a year. He has been taking up to 11 pills a day to treat his kidneys and control his blood pressure and cholesterol, and is also following a strict low-sodium diet. Mourning last played Oct. 1 in the US Olympic team's gold-medal victory over France, but has practiced with the Heat in recent weeks. As of Tuesday afternoon, Miami was 42-27 and tied for second with New York Knicks in the Atlantic Division with 13 games left in the regular season. That also put them six games behind the conference-leading Philadelphia 76ers. While it is unrealistic to expect the Heat to catch the 76ers in that span, the team's playoff hopes are sky high. Last season, the 6'10", 258-lb. Mourning averaged 21.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and an astounding 3.7 blocks per game. Those numbers were competitive for MVP honors, and good enough to garner Defensive Player of the Year accolades. Mourning's presence, even if it is short of his superstar form, will have a dramatic impact on both ends of the court for the Heat. To this point in the season, the center position has been a major defensive liability for Miami. The team has been starting 6'9" Brian Grant in the center slot, and occasionally allowing him to slide back to his natural position (power forward), inserting journeyman Duane Causwell at center. Grant has done a formidable job, averaging 15.8 points and 9.2 points per game, but would undoubtedly be more productive at the four. Meanwhile, no one on the Heat squad is averaging as much as a single blocked shot a game. The Heat got by with this arrangement because there are very few dominant centers left in the NBA. But with Mourning's return, they'll once again have one of them. Mourning's decision to rejoin the club marks yet another turn in its roller-coaster season. The year began with title hopes high as ever in Miami. With the acquisition of the sparkplug Grant from Portland Trailblazers and versatile guard Eddie Jones from the Charlotte Hornets, it seemed like the team would finally have all the compliments for tenacious coach Pat Riley to get back to his favorite pastime - winning championships. But they don't give out trophies for having a good off-season. When fate intervened and Mourning got news of his illness, a good deal of mystery surrounded a Miami team that was almost entirely different from that of the preceding year. That mystery quickly turned to doubt when the Heat went 6-9 through its first month of play. One major reason the Heat were able to climb back from their slow start was the play of forward Anthony Mason. When the Heat acquired Jones, Mason was little more than the afterthought that made the deal work out under the league's salary cap. This season, Mason is second only to Jones in scoring, putting up 15.9 points per game while pulling down a team leading 9.8 boards. These numbers, on top of his all-out hustle, earned him his first appearance in the NBA all-star game. Now the missing link is Jones, the team's leading scorer. Jones went on the injured list with a dislocated shoulder earlier this month, and may not return for several weeks. Despite the absence of Jones, Miami heads into Tuesday night on a four game winning streak, including a major victory over Western Conference leader San Antonio Spurs on Sunday. As dominant as Philadelphia and the entire Western Conference have been, a healthy Heat club could realistically shake up the league's balance of power. Suddenly, the team that has managed to win without its leader, then without its scorer, could have both returning in time for the playoffs. Every other team in the NBA just cringed.

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Greek system in jeopardy at Dartmouth

March 31

When people think of fraternity life and college in general, many conjure up images from the movie Animal House. The movie's inspiration, Dartmouth College, has a longstanding reputation for the crazy parties and even crazier antics of its Greek Community. But this reputation was put in jeopardy this February when the Dartmouth administration announced plans to eliminate the school's fraternity and sorority system. In a February interview with The Dartmouth, Dartmouth President James Wright said the school's Board of Trustees' decision will mean an "end to the Greek system as we know it." The Greek system at Dartmouth has long been criticized by students and faculty as an exclusive system that promotes alcohol abuse as well as politically incorrect views. But the single-sex fraternity and sorority network at Dartmouth has existed for more than 150 years and involves more than 50 percent of eligible students (sophomores, juniors, and seniors) in 25 single-sex fraternities and sororities. The school also has three coed houses. While the fraternities and sororities are independent from the school, Dartmouth is set to outlaw houses that do not comply with the rule changes and prohibit their members from registering at the College, according to The Dartmouth Review (the school's independent newspaper). The president and the Board of Trustees plan to revolutionize a social scene that is based primarily on private student associations. But it is unclear what will replace the current social and residential set-up. The announcement sparked student debate on both sides and produced plenty of student and alumni protest. Although the issue is "dying down," according to Dartmouth sophomore Kathy Valerin, the campus was in turmoil at the onset. Emergency meetings were held by members of the Greek system, and acts of protests were widespread - hanging the American flag upside down, fraternity houses blasting Bob Marley's 'Get Up/Stand Up (For Your Rights)'." The Coed-Fraternity-Sorority Council (CFS) canceled the Greek system's participation in the school's annual Winter Carnival, leaving the carnival with merely a snow sculpture and a ski race. Protestors shouting pro-Greek chants tried to drown out Wright's speech at the official inauguration of the Winter Carnival weekend. The issue was even brought up in classes by professors. Valerin, a student not directly involved in the Greek system (known there as an "independent"), describes the Greek scene at Dartmouth as "huge." "Whether you're in [the Greek system] or not, it affects you daily," she said. Valerin said she is split on the issue - while she does not like some of the fraternities on campus, she says there aren't many forms of entertainment other than frat parties. "I don't really like the Greek system because of the mentality of guys there... I've had a good time [at frat parties], but I've also felt uncomfortable. Some are worse than others," she said. Indeed, controversy has arisen over many fraternities' views of women, which are sometimes considered sexist. In particular, two cases involving the degradation of women added fuel to the anti-Greek system fire. Dartmouth's Zeta Psi fraternity published "sex papers" that explicitly described the sexual adventures of fraternity - the document included the names of various female students. One story focused on a female who had sexual relations with several members of the fraternity, all of whom were competing to be in the "Manwhore Hall of Shame." Zeta Psi now faces the possibility of derecognition. Another incident that enraged students and faculty occurred late last semester, when racist and sexist remarks were shouted at female passerby by members of the school's Psi Upsilon fraternity. Psi Upsilon publicly apologized for the incident and condemned the remarks, but a similar incident occurred in March when Psi Upsilon members yelled "Wah-hoo-wah, scalp those bitches!" at a passing female student (the Dartmouth Indian was the school's mascot until 1974, when it was replaced by a less offensive mascot). Psi Upsilon now faces two terms of social probation.These incidents, as well as others that have occurred at Dartmouth, have led some to favor ending the Greek system. "I liked [the Greek system] at first," Valerin said. "But it does strain the relationship between men and women on this campus." But Valerin has some reservations about ending the Greek system school-wide. "There are nice guys [in fraternities] that don't deserve to be kicked out," she said. Dartmouth's Greek system's dominance is what the administration ultimately wants to change. While it remains unclear how the administration will replace the fraternities' contribution to students' social life, they have been clear that the old system must go. In Wright's interview with The Dartmouth, the president enumerated his administration's goal: to increase social options at the school via decentralized dining, to create more social space, and to reduce the number of students living off-campus. "The trustees are giving the students the opportunity to re-imagine social life and residential life at the College," Wright said. "And the trustees are prepared to invest the money to meet [their] inspirations." In other words, Dartmouth trustees are willing to spend "tens of millions of dollars" to buy back the land and buildings privately owned by the fraternities in order to create new living spaces. Most of the sororities are already owned by Dartmouth and will be the first affected by the new policy. However, while Dartmouth's administration has plans to overhaul the school's social and residential life, they do not plan to make it a "dry campus." "I wouldn't even fantasize how to make a dry campus here," Wright told The Dartmouth.

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Playoff situation heats up in wild, wild west

March 31

We all knew that the NBA Western Conference would be tough, but we had no idea it was going to be this tough. This season has been exceptional in terms of balance, and while the playoff picture should be taking shape, there is instead a tight jumble of nine teams fighting over eight spots. As for picking the seeds, it's anybody's guess.Currently battling for the last two of the eight playoff spots, the Phoenix Suns, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Houston Rockets all have winning percentages close to .600. The Suns and Timberwolves are tied for eighth, six and a half games back of the conference-leading San Antonio Spurs. Meanwhile, the Rockets are on the outside looking in, three games out of the final spot.If the playoffs started today, every series would look like a semifinal. The Spurs, up by a half-game on the Jazz, would play the Timberwolves in the 1-8 match up. The Sacramento Kings would take the two seed as Pacific Division champs, and host the Suns in a 2-7 pairing, while the Jazz and Mavericks, with three and a half games separating them, would play in the 3-6 game. Last year's conference championship would be this year's opening round 4-5 match-up, with the Portland TrailBlazers holding on to home court advantage by a half-game over the Los Angeles Lakers. The Rockets, despite a 35-29 record (and 11 wins in their last 14 tries), would be crossing their fingers when the lottery balls are drawn. If they were competing in the East, they would be in a dead heat for the six seed. This indicates the high potential for upset in the Western Conference playoffs - at least, according to seeding. There is little disparity in winning percentage, let alone talent, among the elite eight, all of which legitimately have their sights fixed on winning the trophy.But lets be fair to the teams unhappy with their current position. The seeds are tight and are certain to shuffle between now and the season's end. The final seeding could largely depend on who is streaking, and what teams' schedules have in store for them during the stretch run.Present Western Conference leader San Antonio is in good shape. The Spurs have won seven straight, including road victories over Portland and Los Angeles on consecutive nights. Tim Duncan and guard Derek Anderson have stepped up their games enormously of late, and other contributors such as Sean Elliot are getting healthy. While the Spurs' lead is slim, they are still the favorite to come away with the first spot. They play the T-Wolves tonight on TNT.The two seed, Sacramento, is also looking sharp. The Kings survived a series of games without star forward Chris Webber, who was out with an ankle sprain, managing a 6-4 record during his absence. Since returning to the line up, C-Webb has been on a tear. Webber poured in 41 points in consecutive games, including last Wednesday's 28-point comeback win over the Suns. The Kings have won four straight since Webber's return.Utah has been right on pace with the competition, reeling off 11 wins in its last 14 games. Furthermore, the Jazz have a reasonable schedule, give or take a few tough conference matches. The Jazz will face the L.A. Clippers, Vancouver Grizzlies, and Chicago Bulls all in the month of April leading into the playoffs. The Trailblazers are one of the few West teams in a mild slump. Sitting atop the West just a week ago, the Blazers have lost three straight, following the infamous Rod Strickland acquisition. The Blazers will finish the season with LA and San Antonio, which should keep things interesting if the race comes down to the wire as it well might.The defending champion Lakers aren't at the top of their game right now, coming off two straight overtime defeats (one to San Antonio). Center Shaquille O'Neal and guard Kobe Bryant have been nagged with injuries all season. The team finally got some good news, though, as point guard Derek Fisher will return to the lineup. What the team really needs, though, is rest. The last nine of the Lakers' 11 games will be against playoff caliber teams, but regardless of the seed, they're the champs until someone proves otherwise.Going down the playoff board, the Mavericks held on to the six seed, sitting four games out of first. While they have been playing well, winning nine of 12, all of the losses have been at the hands of key conference opponents San Antonio and Los Angeles. The acquisition of Juwan Howard may start to pay off down the stretch, but the Mavs will face a number of other conference opponents in ten of their last 13 games from late March until the end of the season.The last two teams on the list of eight, the Suns and T-Wolves, have been playing .500 ball lately, which isn't enough to advance them into the upper echelon. The T-Wolves have been more aggressive, however, and may pull ahead in the coming weeks.Despite the abundance of questions, though, there's still a month left before the book is closed on the 2000-2001 regular season, which leaves plenty of time for more excitement.

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Men's squash defeats MIT for first time in six years

March 31

The men's squash team experienced both success and setback this past week, as coach Doug Eng's squad battled to a 6-3 victory over rival MIT Thursday, only to fall two days later to the Bates Polar Bears 9-0 on Saturday. "We had to beat [MIT] because they were only a spot below us," junior Colin O'Higgins explained. "We haven't beat them in years, so for us to come out with a victory was a great feeling." Freshman Arman Kamenov echoed his teammate's sentiments about the victory. "Its been six years since we beat them," Kamenov noted. "It was a crazy feeling." Kamenov's performance was a main reason behind Tufts' success Thursday, as the freshman battled through a five-game match to secure a victory for the Jumbos. After falling behind two games to one, Kamenov won the last two games 15-12, and 13-12 to take the victory at the number four spot. "I started off slowly but then was more aggressive on the court," Kamenov noted. "I usually tend to be a defensive player. But [Thursday] I started to challenge my opponent. And it seemed that at the end it was whomever was not as tired." Despite losses at the first three spots, Kamenov's success was matched by the lower half of the ladder. Seniors Dylan McPhetres and Bennet Kolansinski, along with Bennet's younger brother Jordan, a freshman, enjoyed 3-0 victories. Junior Shayan Hague and freshman Nathan Anderson each took their matches with little difficulty as well and rounded out the victories for Tufts. The bottom half of the squad sealed the win for the Jumbos Thursday, but the efforts at the top three spots did not go unnoticed. MIT's Eric Hong defeated Tufts' junior Neil Pallaver in a tough, five game match at the top spot. Sophomore Chris Choi and O'Higgins also succumbed to their Engineer opponents. Their consistent play at the top spots, however, has allowed the players in the lower half of the bracket to grab multiple victories for the team throughout the season. "Chris [Choi] and Neil [Pallaver] have played well all season," Kamenov explained. "They have been facing some of the top players in the country and have done very well against them." Unfortunately, none of the Jumbos could hold on to Thursday's successes when they traveled to meet Bates in Lewiston, Maine two days later. Bates, ranked five spots ahead of Tufts, won the match easily nine to zero. "We expected them to be strong," O'Higgins said. On Saturday, "strong" proved to be an understatement, as the Jumbos were simply overcome by a stronger Bates squad. Although the Bobcats are positioned several spots ahead of Tufts in the national rankings, a realigned Tufts lineup also figured in the loss. Eng was forced to move each player up the ladder one spot to compensate for Choi, who missed the meet due to personal reasons. The loss dropped the Jumbos' record to 8-8 just over two weeks before nationals. The loss to the higher-ranked Bates team, however, will not likely affect Tufts standing for the nationals. In men's squash, the 40 teams in the country are separated into five different national tournaments, each with its own champion. Eng and his squad expect to go into the tournament ranked as a fourth seed in the third division of nationals, provided the Jumbos are able to secure a few more solid victories over the next two weeks. Their first chance to do that will come tonight, when they square off against a formidable Conn. College team at Harvard. "Conn. College is close to us in the rankings, but I think we can take them as a team," Kamenov said. "They are much better than last year, but I think if we play well we will pull out a victory."

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Tufts athletics sparking interest again

March 31

Although the dimensions were substantially smaller and the facilities a bit more rustic, Cousens Gymnasium almost felt like Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium last weekend, as the men's basketball team played a pair of thrilling games in front of an enthusiastic, capacity crowd. Two years ago, the Jumbos could not hope for more than a handful of parents and a few disinterested friends in attendance, but recently every home game has brought hordes of bona fide fans, engrossed in the game from tip-off to the closing buzzer. Senior Dan Flaherty, co-captain of the 15-5 team, provided a rather simple explanation. "We didn't have a lot of fans my freshman year," Flaherty said. "That might have been because we weren't a very good team back then, though." "Since then, we've gotten some great recruits," teammate, junior Bobby MacMannis added. "Back then, we were young and learning, but we are playing so much better now. People come out because we are an exciting team; it increases our level of play when the fans get into the game." For the men's basketball team, the turning point in fan support came last year, when they only lost one home game the entire season. That stretch of home dominance included two exciting ECAC playoff games, during which the eventual tournament champs brought in so many fans that even standing room was hard to come by. While the correlation between number of fans and number of wins is evident, it is difficult to pinpoint which came first. Tufts Sports Information Director Paul Sweeney has noticed an oscillating fan base over the eight years that he has worked here, noting that success usually brings in the crowds. "Teams at Tufts have always drawn crowds, but it is really based on the success of the team," Sweeney said. "Anytime basketball has a good season and has the potential to make the playoffs, there are big crowds." The dynamics of the crowd also help power success. Members of the basketball team realize the effect a raucous crowd can have on a close game. "It definitely gets you more fired up to play when you have a big home crowd," Flaherty said. "It's a two-way street though. The crowd wants to see interesting games. When we are playing at home, it's not only an advantage for us, but it's even more of a disadvantage for the other team." The team, which has relied on emotion and energetic offensive scoring spurts to win games, finds that their play on the road is much more inconsistent. "When we are on the road and there is no one there, it is easy for us to do our thing," Flaherty said. "It is harder to play well when it is packed and someone is yelling at you from the stands. When we go to Williams, the place is always packed. That can really take you out of the game." "On road games we have to depend on ourselves a lot more," MacMannis said. "After a tough loss, we don't always get up like we should. It is a lot tougher without a home crowd." Enthusiastic crowds and Division III sports do not always go hand-in-hand, but the past year has provided ample opportunities for students to get involved. The women's soccer team, most notably, hosted the NCAA Final Four back in November. "The entire school came out for the women's soccer team, and that was awesome," Flaherty said. "Who knows when Tufts will ever host a Final Four again? Basically, our big campus activities at Tufts are frat parties. It is nice to have other events on campus like athletic events that all Tufts students can go to." "I think that was a great showing by the campus at the women's soccer game," Sweeney added. "Tufts came across looking great; the crowd was a huge part of that." In the past few years, attendance at athletic events has greatly increased, but this is by no means the first time that students and faculty have supported teams. In 1994, the men's soccer team made it to the NCAA quarterfinals, and throngs of fans followed for the next few seasons. The men's basketball team has also drawn sizable crowds in the past decade, as Tufts has traditionally been one of the stronger teams in New England. "Cousens is one of the best places to watch small college games," Sweeney said. "Both games last weekend were big crowd pleasers. It's exciting when the fans can bring that kind of atmosphere. It was big-time basketball in a small college environment." Most recently, in March 1997, the men's basketball team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after beating UMass-Dartmouth in the opener. After lobbying the administration for transportation, over 500 Tufts students boarded buses and trekked out to Salem State, where they easily out-numbered the home crowd. Although Tufts lost the game 83-63, many of the Jumbos in attendance still remember the day as one of the greatest expressions of school spirit ever seen. Sweeney also maintains the university's athletic website, which has received a surprisingly high number of hits for a Division III school; in the past week alone, the site landed over 4000 visitors. "I knew that a lot of parents and students visit the website," Sweeney said. "It's nice to know that people are interested in sports here." The recent success of the majority of athletic teams at Tufts has brought about a renewed interest among students. Despite this success, student athletes find that they still remain students during the week, and that athletic events only add to the community, and do not take away from it. "I don't think that athletes are treated any differently here," MacMannis said. "Strong athletics bring out the community aspect, seeing the kids in class and on the weekend playing in games. It makes life on campus more exciting having more competitive teams, and it makes the campus life more enjoyable."

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Letters from the old country

March 31

I am taking a break from my usual subjects this week and will instead write about writing. I have thought often about what constitutes good style, but have never come to a ready answer. Good writing should be clear, concise, and simple to understand. The author's goal is to make a text easy to understand using the fewest possible words. But beyond this, good writing is difficult to define. Here are a few simple rules that may help, especially for those who routinely split their infinitives or dangle their participles. In general, specificity is best. Nobody likes reading endless sentences about this and that, which never seem to be going anywhere in particular. Run-on sentences, which go on and on and line after line, can be extremely tedious to read as the reader gets more easily distracted with each passing phrase and with each new idea, like watching the houses and trees go by when you are speeding through the desert on your way to somewhere far away until you are hopelessly lost in the middle of nowhere 500 miles from Podunk, Arkansas and have no conception of the original point the author was attempting to make. Using words twice in a sentence is almost always inadvisable, unless those words are of particular importance in the sentence. Mixed metaphors should be avoided like the plague over the hill. This is a rule our president could use: speaking of Senator McCain, Mr. Bush said, "He's trying to ride the high horse down the low road." Or referring to the economy, "We ought to make the pie higher." What exactly does he mean? Mixing tenses is also incorrect. I forget sometimes how important this was. Everyone should beware of mixing singular and plural in their writing. To quote Mr. Bush again, "Laura and I really don't realize how bright our children is sometime until we get an objective analysis."It is said that analogies in writing are as pointless as a fifth wheel, though I think they can help convey ideas more effectively. I always attempt to avoid alliteration. It becomes banteringly banal and boring when each word begins with the same letter. Sesquipedalian language, which uses interminably long and obsolescent words, is egregious gobbledygook and should be eschewed. Nothing sounds more pompous than an amateur rhetorician, ostentatiously constructing clause upon clause as if he were pontificating before some auspicious parliament. Take a lesson from Hemingway: think what you are trying to say, and say it. Do not try to dress it up. Also, it's probably not too good an idea to write in the same way you'd talk. If you fail to avoid this, you don't have to worry about not using double negatives. I hope I am not being a Tiresias saying that classical references are pass?©. Like the statue of Ozymandias, writing that relies on its readers being familiar with mythology is built on feet of clay. Similarly, it is usually not apropos to use too many foreign words - that would be a faux pas vis-? -vis good writing. Although using Latin is not inadvisable per se, authors - especially in academia - carry it on ad nauseam. Another rule many professors have forgotten is that the passive voice should not be used. Few things are as soporific as text in which this style is utilized. Sentences that are redundant, repetitive, and make the same point several times using different words must be eliminated. Finally, is it ever really appropriate to use a rhetorical question?A major grammatical error is the one-word sentence. Avoid! Never use contractions or abbreviations. They're too informal and chatty for most types of writing. Also, using lots of colloquialisms is like way too flaky. In voicing an opinion, it is better to wear a crown of thorns and carry a wooden cross than excessively use hyperbole. Even so, it is trillions of times better to exaggerate than equivocate. Do not phrase statements in the negative. Above all else, the superlative must be used with caution. Lastly, be careful about overusing the exclamation point!!!Sentence order is crucially important. Prepositions are not what sentences should be ended with! Proper structure is vital, in all types of writing, whether formal or informal, which, no matter where, should never, with any exceptions, utilize too many subordinate clauses. Remember that pronouns, especially in long-winded sentences, which may take up an entire paragraph of your writing, should be placed near their antecedents. If there is a worse way to end a sentence that a preposition, a linking verb is. I have been told it is wrong to ever split an infinitive, though this rule is a bit outdated. And there is that old grade school dogma: never start a sentence with a conjunction. This is another rule that can be broken for good cause. The use of punctuation (like parenthesis), although helpful - if used correctly - can be problematic: it becomes too difficult to follow the flow; to understand the point when numerous symbols break up the words. Writing intelligently, one must eliminate dangling participles.I have noticed in Dublin that the Irish have a tendency to overuse the reflexive. Myself and my other American friends think this is wrong, despite it being a part of the local vernacular.Finally, multiple proofreads are essential. That is the only way to sure you left words out. Proofreading also helps catch problems with homophones. To many college students neglect to do this.I hope these rules are helpful, and maybe even entertaining. Writing, like architecture, is somewhere between an art and a craft. Although the author's creativity and inspiration always takes precedent, the guidelines of good style should never be ignored. Good writing takes time. Hemingway would spend days agonizing over one sentence. And good writing takes practice. To paraphrase Alexander Pope, the wit, unlike a knife, becomes sharper with use. Following these guidelines and learning from your mistakes is essential to help you write good.

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Taking another look at Apollo 11

March 31

"When a friend of mine first told me that Australia played a part in the Apollo 11 mission, well, frankly I didn't believe it," says Rob Sitch. "We really don't have that big of a space program." He shuffles his feet nervously, pacing around rows of seats. Sitch's new film, The Dish, has just been screened for critics and friends. Proud and yet a little uncomfortable so far from home, he talks fast and easily goes off on tangents. "That was... wow... five, six years ago," he asks no one in particular. He shakes his head, "That long ago." He has a lot to wonder about. The film has not only become the 5th largest grossing film of all time in Australia (alongside such heavyweights as The Matrix and Gladiator) but has also won awards and acclaim across his country. And it's only the second film his creative team Working Dog has made. Working Dog is composed of Santo Cliauro, Tom Gleisner, Jane Kennedy, and Sitch. Their first film was The Castle, which Sitch describes as "an exercise in low budget-filmmaking." It was finished over a ten-day shooting schedule, and was a runaway hit in its home country. After a warm reception at Sundance, the film was acquired by Miramax for worldwide distribution. Unfortunately, a marketing campaign comparing the film to The Full Monty was largely unsuccessful and the film failed to break one million dollars in its US run. But Sitch is not an easily discouraged person. "Working on this film has been simply amazing. Receiving Fed-Ex packages from NASA every week was one of the coolest experiences of my life," he said. The film has garnered audience appeal in the most unlikely of places, and Sitch hopes its success will continue in America. "There are so many stories and experiences coming out of a live broadcast from Australia 30 years ago, of all things," he said. "Last year they couldn't even broadcast the Olympics live from Sydney! And yet, out it went, to 600 million people around the world. We've gotten letters all over Australia from people who lived in Parks, who used to work on the station, or who remember where they were when they saw the landing on the moon. Of course, the problem is you pick up anecdotes that you wish you knew before you filmed." He goes on to recall the true origin of the girl who brought the scientists food, and a letter from the first private citizen who received a telegram from space. Whenever anyone brings up a small detail or question ("Did it really happen that way?") he responds with an even crazier account of what actually happened, and often ends his stories with, "We thought people simply wouldn't believe it." "There was actually a team of German astronomers who were using the Dish at the same time as the characters in the film, and they helped them with some of the positioning drama that occurred. But when we tried to add them into the script, it came off as a little too sitcom-ish. People read it and thought we made up these crazy characters, when it fact it was completely authentic." Someone from the audience asks if the astronauts have seen the film: "I'm not sure about Neil Armstrong, but we screened it for Buzz Aldrin yesterday. He liked it, although, we re-edited it and showed him a version where he walks on the moon first," he adds with a smile "It's amazing how casually we can mention that," he adds quickly, "I mean, we're talking about walking on the moon." He pauses for emphasis, then gestures wildly, "That's the craziest thing science has ever done! And yet, for most Americans, it's fairly ho-hum. Nowadays, when a space shuttle lands, people say, 'I didn't even know one went up.' I'm convinced that the easiest way for aliens to invade unnoticed would be to just sneak aboard the space shuttle. The marines would even tow it in for them!" He laughs and recomposes himself. "For Australia, the film is about celebrating a small part of our role in the Apollo 11 mission. I think it is always interesting to view an event this major through another country's eyes. Instead of having bias from patriotism or politics, you just get caught up in it. [The Dish] is a more objective prism for Americans to review their history, and I hope there's a certain appeal there." The theater manager interrupts, announcing that the theater is needed for a showing of Double Take. Sitch is thrown off guard, and mutters a confused "Thank you for coming" before the representatives from Warner Brothers whisk him away. There is a feeling of confusion and abruptness, as he certainly had more to say but wasn't allowed to finish. But the summation that concludes the press kit may convey his final thoughts about the film better than he could have in person. "The mission ultimately became something that was not about rockets at all. It transcended those television pictures live from the moon. It became about our spirits soaring. [I think] the film celebrates that achievement and the striving for greatness... things worth celebrating."

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Student leaders mobilize to protest NESCAC playoff system

March 31

Students in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) schools are mobilizing in protest over a policy passed three years ago that will eliminate at-large bids to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship Tournament beginning next fall. Tufts student leaders are organizing a conference of students and athletes from the 11 NESCAC schools to make their opposition known to university presidents. Starting next fall, only the winner of the NESCAC Tournament in each team sport will be able to advance to the NCAA National Championships. However, athletes in individual-oriented sports, such as track and field, will still be allowed to compete in the NCAA Championships. NESCAC teams will also be precluded from participating in the East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament, a smaller, regional end-of-season competition. The policy was voted on by the NESCAC university presidents in 1998, phased in over the last two years - primarily through the inception this past fall of the NESCAC Tournaments for team sports - and is scheduled to go into effect next semester. However, students who are organizing the conference hope they can get the NESCAC presidents to reconsider their decision. "Getting a change made will be an uphill battle, but we are hoping to form a strong coalition for next year," Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate Vice-President Eric Greenberg said. "Next year one team will lose out on a bid. A firestorm will erupt on that campus and we will hold the next meeting there." Each of the 11 NESCAC schools was invited to send three representatives - a student government representative, a campus media person, and as a successful student athlete - to the meeting, which will be held at Tufts on Feb. 24. Greenberg, Daily Editor-In-Chief Ben Oshlag, and varsity men's soccer player Brad Stitchberry will be the Tufts delegates. "We want schools to come to the meeting with instances of when successful teams of theirs wouldn't have even made the playoffs under this new system," Greenberg said. The NESCAC presidents may discuss the issue when they convene for an April meeting. Greenberg and his co-organizers do not expect them to re-vote on the policy at that time, but do hope changes will be made in the future. The change in playoff policy may shorten the season for many Tufts teams, since they will no longer be able to advance to the NCAA playoffs if they do not win the NESCAC Tournament. Through the end of this semester, however, teams can still qualify through at-large bids. That is exactly what happened this past fall, when the Tufts women's soccer team finished third in the NESCAC with a 12-2 regular season and lost to Middlebury in the finals of the NESCAC Tournament. The team was then granted an NCAA at-large bid because of its strong record, and made its to the Division III National Championship game, which was hosted by Tufts. Under the revamped playoff system, this would not be able to happen. "The students came together in the playoffs and rallied behind something very good," women's soccer coach Martha Whiting said. "The publicity Tufts received in the playoffs was very positive. [Under the new policy] you are not allowing some very good teams to play and have that chance we did." Whiting was named the Women's National Coach of the Year in Division III after her team's spectacular season last fall, an award she might not have received were it not for the team's appearance in the NCAA playoffs. "She wouldn't have gained that recognition otherwise. It's all because of the wide exposure the NCAA Tournament gave us," said sophomore Brenna O'Rourke, a member of last fall's team. Changes in the playoff system will not only limit sports teams' opportunities - opponents of the new policy fear that it will cause school spirit to diminish. Postseason games tend to get students excited about their schools' teams and unite them around a single cause. "This policy is clearly bad for the students, teams, coaches, and players," Greenberg said. "It will kill the little school spirit that's out there." The concerns are shared by students and administrators at other schools in the NESCAC. "Cutting back on athletics cuts down on everyone's interest," said Scott Montermerlo, the student government president at Connecticut College. "The coaches are unhappy, but a new policy was voted on and we have to follow it," said Kenneth McBryde, Connecticut College Athletic Director. Student leaders from Amherst, Bates, Connecticut College, and Trinity have already accepted the invitation to the meeting at Tufts. Greenberg said that University President John DiBiaggio will attend if his schedule permits it, and he also hopes that Athletic Director Bill Gehling and several coaches will make appearances. Among the phase-in changes was the 1999 transition to a round-robin system of scheduling so that all conference teams play each other during the regular season. The season was shortened in order to have time for the conference tournament, so teams now play more games in a shorter amount of time. Prior to 1993, NESCAC teams were only allowed berths to the ECAC Championships, and only individuals such as runners could advance to NCAA competition. The policy was changed for a three-year trial period starting that year, and that trial period was extended for three more years in 1995. In 1998, NESCAC presidents changed course, implementing the recent changes and future restrictions. The NESCAC consists of Amherst, Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, Connecticut College, Hamilton, Middlebury, Trinity, Tufts, Wesleyan, and Williams. Over 7,500 athletes participate in its 22 conference championship sports each year.

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TDC shows audience a good time

March 31

The Tufts Dance Collective (TDC) took over Jackson Gym last weekend with its spring show We Like You. Despite a few technical difficulties - and being limited to a 100-member audience - the performance was another outstanding success for the student-run organization. This semester's performance consisted of 24 dances ranging from hip-hop to modern, and featured everything from kick lines to breakdancing. The show opened with artistic directors Amanda Miller and Patrick Girvin explaining to the audience the process of picking a title for the performance. Rejects included Dance with Scissors (you can see the danger in a group of dancers jumping around with scissors) and So Fresh and So Clean (a dance based on the act of showering). Needless to say, the number proved to be a perfect example of the humorous antics that TDC has become infamous for. Miller proved her talents as a choreographer with two of the evening's most memorable dances, "What What" and "cantyouseemydesire@hotmail.com," choreographed in collaboration with Shula Waldoks. Set to the music of Noreaga, "What What" was an upbeat hip-hop number featuring 27 dancers clad in black tee shirts and fatigues. "cantyouseemydesire@hotmail.com" was a slower dance set to the Janet Jackson's sensual "That's the Way Love Goes." While TDC is usually a hip-hop oriented show, We Like You featured a surprising number of slower dances compared to previous performances. Choreographers Leslie Kung and Jolene Stewart's "I Belong to You" stood out as one of the evening's best. The number opened and closed with the dancers creating intricate patterns using small electric blue flashlights. The dance featured a significant amount of interaction between the dancers and some intricate choreography. Other dances that strayed from hip-hop to a more Martha Graham modern dance style included Kate Holohan's "Talk Show Host," set to the music of Radiohead, and Debra Steinberg's "After Hours," set to the incredible vocals of Ella Fitzgerald. "Freestyler," choreographed by Sarah Booth, Kellly Dutton, and Carrie Larson, was one of the best hip-hop numbers of We Like You. With 24 dancers, the piece featured some of the most complicated and intricate hip-hop choreography. The enthusiasm of the dancers in this upbeat piece was contagious. Many of the audience members couldn't help but dance in their seats. The audience took a stroll down memory lane with "Fraggle Rock," choreographed by Rachel Richards. The audience sang along to the unforgettable theme song as the dancers, wearing bright, outrageous costumes complete with yellow hardhats, pranced around the stage. While there wasn't much technical dancing in this piece, it was a good time, just like Fraggle Rock back in the '80s. Most touching were the dances choreographed by graduating seniors. Among these seniors was the artistic director himself, Patrick Girvin. Following a surprise appearance by his mother, the show ended with his number set to the music of Outkast. A dance eight months in the making, it was a testament to Girvin's long-time commitment to TDC and his dedication and love of dance. What makes TDC one of the most anticipated performances of the semester is the fact that, quite simply, it's a good time. In addition to the creativity of TDC members, what makes every performance so memorable is the remarkable enthusiasm of the TDC dancers - they're there to have fun, and they're going to make sure you have fun, too. And you do, time and time again.

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A good reason to be fashionably late

March 31

Not every story is meant to be a ballet. The Boston Ballet's latest production at the Wang Center for the Performing Arts, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, is a testament to this tried and true fact. The company's "dance-drama" adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic story falls short of the tale's usual goal: imparting on the audience the difficulty of escaping fate. (This despite the word "FATE" dramatically set against a sketch of Paris' Cathedral of Notre Dame at the beginning of the ballet's first act.)

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Ex-cattle rancher espouses benefits of veganism

March 31

Vegetarians and meat-eaters alike attended an event sponsored by Tufts' Students for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (SETA) on Wednesday night to hear author and activist Howard F. Lyman discuss the dangers of eating meat. Though he spends his days as an animal rights supporter, environmentalist, and vegan, Lyman was not always so opposed to eating meat. Until a medical condition changed his lifestyle, he had been a prosperous fourth-generation cattle rancher and meat-eater. On Wednesday, though, Lyman espoused the benefits of a plant-based diet with no animal byproducts, including eggs and dairy, for numerous health and safety reasons. His speech concentrated less on ethical issues - such as human treatment of animals raised for slaughter - and more on personal health concerns. Lyman raised the possibility that diseases which have spread throughout Europe, such as Mad Cow Disease, may appear or already exist in the US despite the government's reassurance that America's meat is safe. Denouncing animal experimentation as a "sham," Lyman cited numerous statistics and studies that discouraged dairy or meat consumption, such as the fact that 16 pounds of grain are needed to produce one pound of meat. People can unknowingly consume chemicals along with the animal products they eat as a result of both environmental pollution and the use of chemicals by farmers and ranchers, he said. Many students in attendance agreed with Lyman's outlook. "I think Howard Lyman has very well articulated how feeding animals products can be detrimental to our health," sophomore Roger Winn said. "As a health concern, it is helping the Tufts community understand what the effects of eating meat are." With a sense of humor, Lyman incorporated his own life experiences into his speech as testimony to the positive effects of turning vegan. Once a 300-lb. football player raised on meat, Lyman suffered high blood pressure and dangerous levels of cholesterol before deciding to try vegetarianism. The change, he said, saved his life by bringing his blood pressure and cholesterol to healthy levels. But it was not until after he was diagnosed with a potentially paralyzing cancerous tumor on his spinal cord that Lyman felt the need to quit the cattle ranching profession and begin a life of environmental and animal rights activism. As president of both EarthSave and the International Vegetarian Union, Lyman is well-known for his controversial appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show. On the air, he revealed unknown facts about the beef industry, and warned viewers of the potential for diseases like Mad Cow to become epidemics. Because of this, a group of Texas cattlemen filed suit against him, Oprah Winfrey, and her parent company, Harpo Productions, under the Food Disparagement Act. Both Lyman and Winfrey, however, were found not liable for any damages that their words may have caused. Lyman recalled his amazement at being offered a chance to appear on the show and the harrowing experience of fighting a potentially bankrupting lawsuit. After his speech, Lyman signed copies of his book Mad Cowboy: Plain Truth From the Cattle Rancher Who Won't Eat Meat and chatted with audience members about how they could bring about an awareness of veganism in their lives. "This is a perfect issue for Tufts to lead the way in saving this whole community," he said. Most students reacted positively to Lyman's speech. "This is the second talk that I've seen Howard Lyman give, and I think he articulates very well why people should turn to a vegan diet," said Kelly Schroeder, a Brandeis student who attended the speech. "He doesn't really touch on the moral issues very much, which are profound, but I think one of the best things about him is that he really looks at the facts on why it's healthier for the planet and for humans, and I think he makes a well-rounded argument." Liz Monnin, a member of SETA and a vegan, was pleased that both older community members and students attended. "I think that's kind of an important dynamic for us to realize that this is an issue that affects all generations," she said. "It's an issue that's pertinent to everyone. I think, generationally, we look at veganism and vegetarianism from different standpoints, so I think it's important to bring together activists from different generations."

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War on drugs extends to cut off funds for college tuition

March 31

Imagine getting caught with a pipe only containing marijuana residue. Imagine you're also receiving a substantial financial aid package from the federal government so that you can attend Tufts, one of the highest priced universities in the country. Now imagine that the drug charge - often treated as a misdemeanor in Medford and Somerville and punishable by a small fine - will ultimately force you to leave Tufts. For thousands of students, this situation became an alarming reality last year. In 1998, when Congress passed its revised Higher Education Act (HEA) - a bill that has been around and updated every four years since the '60s - it added a little-known provision to the standard fare. The revised bill states that anyone applying for federal student aid, which amounted to over 9.8 million students for the 2000-2001 school year, with a drug conviction of any kind - from possession in trace amounts to high-volume trafficking - would be denied all forms of federal aid. "It's unprecedented legislation," said Shawn Heller, who heads Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), an organization that positions students against supporters of what is known as the War on Drugs. "It's a roadblock to education." The drug provision for federal student aid, devised by Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.), passed fairly easily through the legislative processes in the fall of 1998. Some opponents to the legislation maintain that former president Bill Clinton's sex scandal may have overshadowed what otherwise would have been intense scrutiny of the provision in Congress - the House had just voted to begin an impeachment inquiry against Clinton around the same time. Clinton himself said in a Rolling Stone interview (12/28/00) that he does not support legislation denying college loans to students with drug convictions, though he did not veto the provision. In fact, according to Angela Flood, Souder's chief of staff, the Clinton administration is to blame for what has become a public outcry over denial of federal aid. Souder did not write the provision with the intention of denying aid to students who were not receiving federal assistance at the time of their drug conviction, she said. However, that is the current Department of Education (DOE) policy. "The Department of Education under President Clinton implemented [the provision] incorrectly," Flood said, adding that any concerns of ambiguity by the DOE should have been addressed to Souder. Flood also said that Souder is currently trying to push legislation to effectively clarify the provision. SSDP and its subset, the Coalition for HEA Reform, argue that the provision is still too specifically targeted to do any good - they argue that the law will only affect those that can't afford the full price of college. It also does not make similar exclusion of aid to those with other criminal charges, meaning that convicted rapists and murderers - assuming they're not in jail - will face no similar hurdles in getting the federal government to finance their college educations. Flood claims that, while these are valid concerns, there is nothing stopping anyone else in Congress from writing a bill that would expand the range of crimes to include those of a more heinous variety. Souder, she says, only was interested in targeting drug use. "I think the people that raise that objection are certainly welcome to include [their own] provision," Flood said. Some also argue that the law makes it harder - not easier - to educate the next generation of Americans. A one-time experiment with drugs could stand in the way of a college education, regardless of whether the offender fully carries out the punishment set by the judge. "It's double jeopardy," Heller said. "You already pay your debt to society [with the court sentence]." Heller also takes issue with the racial inequalities he feels the legislation propagates. According to the most recent (1999) National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) survey, the rates of current illicit drug use are 6.6 percent of whites, 7.7 percent of blacks, 10.6 percent of Native Americans, 6.8 percent for Hispanics, 11.2 percent of multi-racial people, and 3.2 percent of Asians. Because whites constitute a larger part of the population, the majority of drug users are white, though blacks account for the majority of drug convictions in the US. According to the Drug Reform Coordination Network, black offenders comprise almost two-thirds of all drug convictions. Some argue that a bill blocking federal aid for these types of convictions will prevent non-whites from access to higher education. "It's extending a bias in the justice system to the educational system," said Coalition representative Adam Eidinger. Flood responds that these remarks are themselves racist. Applying statistics about the race that receives the majority of drug convictions - which Flood says is arguable in any case - to an individual applying for federal aid is a blatant example of racism, according to Flood. "The bottom line is, if you don't use or sell drugs, you have nothing to worry about," she said. Eidinger believes that it is a major problem that the provision has not received sufficient attention across the country. While undoubtedly hard hitting - close to 9,000 students were denied aid based on previous drug charges in the past year alone, according to the Department of Education - the group feels a need to spread the word. Although over 50 student governments nationwide, including nearby Amherst, Wesleyan, Brandeis, and Bates, have recommended a revision of the drug provision, the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate has not yet discussed a resolution. Senate treasurer Michele Shelton was not aware of the provision or the growing movement against it. "As far as I know, it hasn't been brought up in the Senate," she said. Senate president David Moon had also not previously heard of the provision, but believes that it is an issue that the Senate may explore. "I would love to get behind an effort to lobby against [a bill like] that," he said. Eidinger calls SSDP "the fastest-growing group on college campuses." These SSDP chapters, along with the student governments, are also proposing a reform of the Higher Education Act, while maintaining unanimous support of Rep. Barney Frank's (D-MA) legislation calling for a complete repeal of the HEA provision. A similar bill was introduced - but never passed - by Frank last year, though the topic continues to attract attention. Fifteen days after it was introduced this February, Frank's bill had attracted 29 co-sponsors. The congressman remains optimistic in the face of more opposition - generally from Republicans, he says - this time around. "It's always better to repeal something like this after it bites you in the ass, which it has," Frank said, referring to the surprise impact of the provision. "At this point, the dynamic depends on students in their district." But student activists aren't the only ones supporting Frank's legislation. The National Association of Student Financial Administrators (NASFAA), as well as the Massachusetts association (MASFAA), back the proposal. Director of Financial Aid William Eastwood, a member of both organizations, agrees that the drug provision isn't such a great idea. "It puts us in the role of law enforcer, which we're not," he said. Although Eastwood claims he doesn't know anyone at Tufts affected by the provision, he says he will still try to meet a student's financial need, even if he or she was denied federal aid based on a prior drug conviction. "To what extent that we have Tufts funds available, we'd still try to meet their need," Eastwood said. After an editorial against the drug provision ran in USA Today (6/13/00), Souder, the original architect of the legislation, stood by his decision. Souder wrote a letter to the publication, arguing that the American public should not expect its government to use tax money on students associated with drugs. "Students who spend their time and money using drugs or selling them to others obviously aren't focused on learning," he wrote. "[T]he law sends a clear message: Actions have consequences, and using or selling drugs will ruin your future." According to another Rolling Stone article (3/15/01), Robert S. Weiner, spokesman for the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) has ignored the actions of SSDP, saying, "All they want to do is legalize drugs."

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