Dot-coms struggle despite apparent appeal Online booksellers Amazon.com (AMZN) and BarnesandNoble.com (BNBN) are struggling after a sharp decline in the Nasdaq, despite their popularity among college students seeking to purchase textbooks for spring semester. Amazon closed Wednesday at 18.375, down from 64.125 the year before. Barnes and Noble closed Wednesday at 2.1875, nearly 85 percent lower than last year.
The Hainan incident occurred with a collision in midair over the Chinese exclusive economic zone (EEZ) on April 1. Ten days later, China released the US crew under "humanitarian consideration" without obtaining a formal apology, on which China had insisted. The lack of an apology by the US suggested that the US would not take international responsibility, at least for reconnaissance flight over Chinese EEZ. It also indicates that the US would not stop such flights over the Chinese EEZ in the future.In the early official protests and statements made by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, China accused the US of violating the UN Convention on Law of Sea (UNCLOS) in the reconnaissance flight over Chinese EEZ. They also accused the US of abusing "freedom of overflight," since the flight infringed on Chinese rights in the Chinese EEZ and threatened Chinese security interests. From the beginning, the US government refuted the Chinese accusation by asserting that the place of collision was international airspace and that the US can enjoy "freedom of overflight" over the Chinese EEZ. The EEZ regime, acknowledged by the international community in 1982 by UNCLOS, in many respects, was a product of a compromise between developing countries and industrialized countries. The EEZ regime itself has established some rights for coastal states protecting its off-shore natural resources. It reserves for the coastal nation jurisdiction over economic and environmental activities taking place up to 200 nautical miles offshore. The US, which has the strongest sea power in the world, agreed to some preferential status for coastal states in natural resources (the US set up its own EEZ in 1983) but strongly opposed any restrictions on traditional "freedom of navigation" or "freedom of overflight" in EEZ. (The US signed the UNCLOS but did not ratify it because of other reasons). The US regarded these freedoms as "high sea freedoms" (1983 Reagan Proclaim). Developing countries, on the other hand, tried to extend their jurisdiction in EEZ and to restrict these "freedoms." Brazil and some of the other 77-group states (a group composed primarily of economically-developing nations) claimed that any military exercises or maneuvers in EEZ should be subject to prior consent of the coastal states.These controversies did not even end after the conclusion of UNCLOS. Article 58, paragraph 1 explicitly stipulates that all states can enjoy freedoms as referred to in Article 87 (High sea freedoms, including freedom of overflight). But developing states also got their points in paragraph three of the same article, which says that when exercising these freedoms, states have "due regard to the rights and duties of the coastal states." However, it is not very clear in UNCLOS that "security interests" (which are irrelevant to natural resources and environment protection) should be included in the rights of coastal states in their EEZ. Hypocritically, the US, which opposed extension of coastal states' rights and jurisdictions in EEZ, by establishing Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) under its domestic law (US code 14 title 99), extended its jurisdiction on the air space beyond its territorial water. Chinese ambassadors, in an April 4 interview on CNN, argued that if a Chinese military aircraft did the same reconnaissance flight over US offshore, that the US would be opposed to such actions. So far, no one has refuted this argument. It is clear that coastal states can take self-defense countermeasures under national security considerations not withstanding UNCLOS provisions. The US should respect Chinese security considerations, as well as Chinese should respect American's near the US seashore. China avoided connecting his argument to the self-defense notion. China believes that if there were no US military presence in Asia, Taiwan Problem, the highest priority in Chinese foreign policy agenda, would have already been settled. In May 1999, the Japanese parliament enacted a law concerning the "emergency" around Japan that would influence Japanese security, and authorize the Japanese government under proper legal procedural to assist the US military forces in handling the "emergent situation." In such an environment, the Chinese government was reluctant to rely on self-defense notion that stands merely on the "national security interests" but to refer an international convention to which the US is not a party and the legal basis for Chinese argument in that convention is not consolidate. This dilemma indicates that today's China, like the United States' resisting European powers in the 19th century, does not want America to interfere with its regional or domestic affairs (Monroe doctrine, Chinese version). But this position for legal status of the air space over EEZ may change under two conditions: first, that China get stronger both in economic and in military terms. And secondly, China has national interests far beyond its mainland. This February and March, the Chinese foreign ministry criticized the Philippines for killing a Chinese fisherman and detaining Chinese fishing vessels in the water near Huanyan island, an area where China asserts sovereignty. Unfortunately, Huanyan, Nansha (Spratly) and other islands scattered in South China Sea, are all located within the EEZ of this one or the other Southeast Asian States (Vietnam, Philippine, Malaysia). It is thus hard to believe that China in future will accept a customary rule to outlaw "reconnaissance" flight over EEZ (when China get its own aircraft carrier). Any unilateral expansion of jurisdiction by coastal states is thus not only in violation to UNCLOS but also against Chinese maritime interests in the longer term. This is perhaps the real reason why China did not insist on a US apology for its reconnaissance flight. As an emerging power in world politics, China may find it even more convenient to share its views with the US rather than with "developing countries." Of course, this process of changing its perspectives on the international legal order is not an easy job and the timing for change needs to be well-calculated. China lost a pilot in the tragedy and its position on EEZ regime, and also got lost somehow in midair. Xinjung Zhang is a Chinese exchange student from Kyoto University in Japan. He is studying international relations at Tufts.
Journalists and friends Wendy Zoba and Dave Cullen spoke to eager but pensive students Tuesday night about the tense relations that exist between the American homosexual community and the Evangelical Christian community. The discussion was co-sponsored by the Tufts Christian Fellowship (TCF) and Tufts Transgendered, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Collective (TTLGBC) in an effort to facilitate reconciliation between the groups after the conflict between the two last fall. Zoba and Cullen discussed the need for respect and communication between the communities. Tolerance is not enough, they said. Zoba, a journalist for Christianity Today, attacked the notion of "how the Evangelical community has failed the gay community." Cullen, a gay journalist, agreed and spoke about his own wariness of the Evangelical Christian community, which he said lessened after he became friends with many Evangelicals while doing research for an article a few years ago. "We are not called to tolerance, we are called to love," Zoba said. Both Cullen and Zoba spoke about their experiences and misconceptions in dealing with the other's respective community. They also provided some solutions to the problems of communication that they have used in the growth of their own friendship. "We don't have to compromise any beliefs on either side," Cullen said. Event organizer and TTLGBC Co-Coordinator Mike Lambert said the two journalists' friendship was one of the main reasons they were chosen. Their bond, he said, would hopefully bring about similar feelings among Tufts students. "We can't let things stagnate. The way they were was unacceptable," Lambert said. Both TCF and TTLGBC leaders said they felt that the event was successful. They expressed the essential need to have the groups interact on at least the most basic levels. "Just because it is controversial, it should happen," Lambert said. TCF Senior Leader Jonathan Crowe said that both groups must now analyze and discuss the effectiveness of this event and what implications it will have on future programs and relationships. "We have clear goals to create understanding and respect," Crowe said. The idea for the event - the first the two groups have co-sponsored together - came last fall during the annual activities fair, according to Lambert, who said he received a suspicious note under the table saying "TCF wants to talk." During the question-and-answer session, students asked more about the "terms" of Zoba and Cullen's relationship and whether they avoid certain topics of conversation. Both Zoba and Cullen recalled times of disagreement and tension because of their differing beliefs, but said they do not let these differences become the end-all and be-all of their friendship. "Getting to know Dave, however, I have come to appreciate the emotional struggles and the feelings of isolation many in the LGBT community feel. I have also come to appreciate how much our two communities actually have in common," Zoba said. Zoba and Cullen both urged greater interaction between the Evangelical and LGBT communities to combat tension by fostering friendship, respect, and understanding. "Most gay people I know don't know any [Evangelicals]," Cullen said, highlighting the lack of interaction between the groups. One student expressed how the LGBT community is oppressed and discriminated against in a way that the Evangelical community can never understand, and that this was a unifying force among them in the same way that Evangelical Christianity's moral and religious beliefs unite its followers.
On the morning of March 8, one of my hallmates told me to log on to Brian's Rumors Daily, a popular website that provided, among many other things, an anonymous forum in which Tufts students could voice their opinions. I expected to see some sort of scandalous story on the page, but instead found a page devoted to Rembrandt Brown, a character from the television show Sliders. I came to the conclusion that someone had hacked Brian Finkelstein's website. I later found out that Brian himself had shut down his creation, ending a two-and-a-half year stay. I later discovered a "secret message," posted by Finkelstein explaining to his "devoted fans" why he decided to shut down the site. In his statement, Finkelstein blamed the downfall of his site on campus "riff raff" and frat boys. I began logging on to Brian's Rumors Daily at the beginning of the spring semester, because I found the anonymous forum to be amusing. I never read any of the weekly columns posted on the site; I went straight to the forum. The premise of the forum was simple: it was a place for Tufts students to anonymously voice their opinions on any matter that they chose. I enjoyed the witty replies and the conflicts which arose among those who posted their opinions. I even enjoyed the trivial subjects discussed on the forum, such as which frat was the worst or who threw the best party. I rarely replied to the forum; I just sat back and watched the rumors unfold. Although some of the posts were offensive and ignorant, I appreciated the forum as a whole. For this reason, I am upset that Finkelstein's disappointment in the anonymous forum led to the downfall of the website. Finkelstein cited many valid reasons for his decision to put an end to Rumors Daily. I sympathized with Finkelstein at times during his message, for he had to deal with many problems concerning the site. I understand his frustration. Many people on the forum had insulted Finkelstein without provocation. He was constantly blamed for the content on the forum, despite the disclaimer he posted. His simple requests were often disregarded, especially concerning public figures at Tufts. He had been threatened with lawsuits concerning the forum. In one particular incident concerning the forum, Finkelstein was confronted by the Secret Service, for a student had threatened the life of Al Gore on the forum. I understand Finkelstein's frustration over the results of his creation, but such problems were inevitable. After reading his message, though, I was more disappointed than sympathetic. Finkelstein also pointed out particular members of the student body who contributed to the end of Rumors Daily. Specifically, he pointed out the direct correlation between the decline in quality of his website and the increased use of the forum by fraternity brothers. In the final post of Rumors Daily, Finkelstein chose to bash the fraternity system himself. It seemed that a major theme of the secret message posted by Finkelstein was how the fraternities ruined his "beautiful" creation. It seemed hypocritical that he would cite fraternity-bashing as one of the more boring topics presented on his forum, yet he participated in it in the final post of Brian's Rumors Daily. Finkelstein devoted much of his time and effort to the Tufts student body, giving students a place to speak out on whatever issue they chose. I am thankful for all he has contributed to the Tufts community. However, I could not help but feel disappointed in the closing of Rumors Daily. The arrogant manner in which he chose to address the fans of the website in the end was discouraging. It seemed as if Finkelstein chose to set himself above the average student attending Tufts University; it seemed as if he chose to belittle the students of Tufts University in his final address. Thank you, Brian Finkelstein, for giving up your time, effort, and money for giving us a chance to debate on what we pleased. However, I will not thank you for insulting our taste in conversation, no matter how juvenile it may sometimes be.Christopher Carril is a freshman who has not yet declared a major.
It's that time of the year again - when foreign letters and acronyms take on a whole new meaning. Rush is underway for sororities and starting next week for fraternities, and soon, many students will decide whether they want to go Greek. The prospective pledges have already begun taking house trips and getting to know the people that may soon become their brothers or sisters in Tufts' ten fraternities, three sororities, or one co-ed house. This also marks the beginning of two weeks of a virtually party-free campus - Tufts institutes a no-alcohol policy for the duration, creating what is known as "dry rush." While Tufts may enforce the policy on campus, fraternities and sororities must abide by more than university regulations. The Risk Management Policy instituted by the Fraternity Insurance Purchasing Group (FIPG), which provides insurance for most houses nationwide, specifically delineates the dry rush rule as part of its insurance agreement. Dean of Students Bruce Reitman does not recall any serious problems with dry rush in the past years. "There have been very, very few violations of dry rush that have been found," he said, adding that the fraternities' governing bodies, not the Tufts University Police Department (TUPD), have generally discovered most of the infractions. Reitman also suggested that fraternities might willingly accept dry rush because they don't want alcohol to interfere with a possible pledge's choice. "I think the reason the fraternities adopted [the policy] is because [rush] became an issue of who had the best alcohol in their house," he said. Fraternities and sororities differ slightly in their approaches to rush. A student looking to join a fraternity must first decide which fraternity he would like to rush. At the end of the recruitment period, the fraternity decides whether or not to grant a bid to each candidate. The three sororities on campus operate differently. Students interested in joining a sorority are required to rush all three, and are encouraged to attend events for each house. Jessica Boschee, a sorority sister and former president of the Pan-Hellenic Council, describes the bid process as a sort of "mutual agreement" between each particular house and each girl, emphasizing that the process involves many factors to ensure that the selection process is unbiased. Sorority rush began this past Sunday, and events will continue throughout the week and into the beginning of next, when bids will be offered. While rush events for fraternities have not officially started, students are eager to begin. Freshman Gidi Fisher has already decided to rush Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi). His reasons for wanting to join are simple. "I like the idea of always having something to do," he said, while also expressing discontent with the dry rush process. For sororities, the issue seems to be moot. According to Massachusetts law, they cannot host parties with alcohol present regardless, so the sisters don't seem to mind the dry rush policy. "For me personally, and for the girls that are rushing, it doesn't make a difference," Boschee said. While AEPi member Sam Schwartz didn't particularly take issue with the concept of dry rush - most fraternity brothers view the policy as something by which they must abide - he is concerned that it may do more harm than good. "It's well known that cases of alcohol poisoning increase during dry rush periods, since students that want to drink are forced to do it in their rooms," he said. Without parties, the fraternities host other events for their potential pledges to get them in the spirit. "In the past, we've gone to restaurants or gone bowling...we had fun ways for people to meet each other and interact," Schwartz said.
Remember the episode when Bart lost his soul by trading it to Milhouse? Or the one when Homer went into space? Or that episode where Bart and his friends found themselves in a Lord of the Flies parody? If you can remember any of these episodes, or keep a running tally on how many times Homer Simpson has exclaimed "D'oh!", then maybe you should get a hobby. That is, a hobby that satiates your quest for Simpsons trivia and introduces you to others who have memorized scenes, dialogues, or entire episodes of the show. Such a hobby is now available at Tufts with the No Homers Club. Tufts' newest student organization boasts an e-mail list of 95 interested students, an affinity for people with yellow skin and blue hair, and a devotion to an American family that appears on the longest-running primetime show in TV history - The Simpsons. Matt Groening, the mastermind behind the cartoon, created The Simpsons to satirize the American family and culture. The show first aired in January 1990 and has since attracted quite a following. Any true American college student has seen at least one episode, and at one point has probably owned a Bart Simpson video game, a Lisa Simpson nightshirt, or a Simpsons lunchbox. Freshmen Josh Belkin and Richard Kalmank, the founders of the No Homers Club, were inspired by a Metcalf Bridge program last November. During the program, approximately 40 students met with chemistry professor and Simpsons fan Christopher Morse to reminisce and discuss favorite episodes. "We realized that the passion was there, the [Simpsons] following just needed its own organization," Kalman said. The two quickly began forming what would eventually become the "No Homers Club," an organization for Homer-lovers and all fans of The Simpsons in general. The club received temporary recognition by the Tufts Community Union Judiciary (TCUJ) in December and held its first organizational meeting before final exams. The meeting was well attended and generated much enthusiasm. On Jan. 22, the TCUJ granted the No Homers official recognition. At last week's student activities fair, 60 people signed up to join the Simpsons-centered club. "Basically, the club brings the fans together," Kalman said of the booming interest. He described the significance behind the club's name as "a joke from an episode, something that more of the dedicated members would know." Club members agree. "[I joined because] I love the show," said sophomore Belkiss Murati. "We (her and her friends) gather to watch TheSimpsons every night at 11 [p.m.]... it's interesting what the show comes up with and how they weave in things from real life," Murati said. The show critiques schools, government, religion, and parodies American culture, such as movies like The Godfather and Pulp Fiction, and the Lollapalooza concert series. To explain why she signed up for the No Homers Club at the Activities Fair, senior Deborah Steinberg put it best: "I like the Simpsons and I like people who like The Simpsons," she said. The club plans to show two episodes at every meeting and follow the viewing with a discussion on the episode's themes. Members will volunteer to lead the discussions, touching on subjects such as the portrayal of the Kennedy family and the alcohol industry. In addition to meetings, the club plans to welcome other Simpson enthusiasts and even cast members into its community. Actor Dan Castellaneta, who lends his voice to Homer, the boorish yet loveable patriarch of the Simpson family, is among the list of guest speakers that the club hopes to bring to campus. In March, the No Homers Club will view some older Simpsons episodes during a Sunday night screening in Hotung, in addition to a brand-new episode. Following the screening, the group will hold a discussion of the new episode, what people think of this season, and where members think the series is heading in general. The club will have its first general interest meeting tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. in the Large Conference Room in the Campus Center.
Upon entering a bowling alley, you feel immediate nostalgia for one of America's finest pastimes. The unmistakable blast and resonating explosion of ten 15-inch pins scattered forcibly about a lane produces a rush of adrenaline as you cross the threshold. The pungent aroma from the cloud of disinfectant spray used to renew the tattered rental shoes brings back memories of your first strike. Was it so long ago that you went to Bobby So-and-so's birthday party at the local Bowl-O-Rama and first became interested in the sport? Whether you're reliving youthful days of blissful bowling or just looking to satisfy a craving for a new entertainment source, the greater Boston area abounds with a variety of bowling "houses" for both novices and experts. Newfound devotees and old-hat enthusiasts alike will find that the Internet also provides a cache of information on coaching, finding a local alley, and working on your mental game. Bowling, in some form or other, has been around for quite a while. A version of recreational gaming resembling bowling can be traced back as far as early Egyptian times. According to the online Encyclopedia Britannica, the sport we now recognize as bowling at pins probably originated in Germany during the 3rd or 4th century AD as a ceremony of religious cleansing. From there, the sport evolved into several different recreational pastimes, including lawn bowling, which became a craze for the European upper classes in the 14th century. But by the 15th and 16th century, following the advent of indoor alleys, bowling became outlawed in many countries for encouraging "unlawful assembly" and gambling behavior. In the US, bowling alleys were for a long time associated with taverns and crime. Through the years, the game developed from its "nine-pin" origins into a game with ten pins, in order to avoid the laws banning the play of "nine-pin." After these legal regulations were done away with, and after the American Bowling Congress was formed in 1895, ten-pin bowling flourished in the US throughout the 20th century. And few states offer such bowling exuberance than the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In fact, along with Maine, Massachusetts voluminously boasts one of the New England states' claim to fame: Candlepin bowling. Often called "duckpin bowling," this variation on the more widely recognized ten-pin form involves a small ball with no holes. The bowler is given three chances to roll the palm-able ball at a triangle formation of tall slender pins in each of the "frames," or new ten-pin settings. In the slightly different "big ball bowling" - or "real bowling," as it is often called - the fallen pins are removed from the lane between rolls by the pin-setting mechanism. In duckpin bowling, fallen pins are not removed and can be used to knock down others. This, in the parlance of our times, is called "playing with the dead wood." With such a history of being well-received by young and old, rich and poor, bowling must be easy, right? Wrong. Not everyone who bowls ten-pin has the skill to roll with the big boys and girls. For those with deficiencies in the ability department, many online coaches and advice columns come to the rescue. A number sites can provide insight into tinkering with your approach and perfecting your hook - but be careful in accepting advice. Some of the best bowling sites on the Internet will provide video advice for technique suggestions. By paying heed to this form of aid, you can observe how the pros handle the ball and stare in bewilderment. How they could possibly get the ball to spin that way. For some cool video tips to work on your game, take a look at ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/kennmelvin. And for links to over a thousand other bowling sites, visit www.kolumbus.fi/bowwwling. These pros have their form down, and some of their tips can even prove useful to a first timer. Many bowling fanatics also stress the importance of the mental game and use terms like: "self talk" and "self imagery." Countless articles can be found online, but for one of the finest, go here: www.icubed.com/users/allereb/faq3.html. For those seeking a nearby bowling establishment that provides both popular bowling options, Lanes and Games, located on Route 2 East, delivers. Along with a lounge for food and drinks and a full arcade with pinball and video games, the bowling experience is heightened by this double-floored extravaganza of 20 ten-pin lanes and 34 candlepin lanes. Games are priced at $3.50 per game/per person, a seemingly steep, but actually average price to pay for a game of ten-pin in Boston.
The women's softball team enters the 2001 season as defending NCAA New England Champs, a distinction which in part can be attributed to the play of a certain sophomore. Among the reasons for last year's success and eventual number ten national ranking was the outstanding play of then freshman catcher Elisabeth "Lis" Drake, who ranked at the top or near the top in most offensive categories for the Jumbos, and earned a spot on the Louisville Slugger/National Fast Pitch Coach's Association (NFPCA) All-America Third Team. Though entering this spring with just a year's experience under her belt, Drake's hitting credentials are already notable, and her improved work behind the plate make her one of the keys to the team's success. Drake, a native of Chelmsford, Mass., accumulated impressive numbers in her inaugural year at Tufts and finished last season as the team leader in all Triple Crown categories, posting a .374 batting, with seven home runs and 29 RBIs. "Our opponents will definitely be looking at her differently," coach Kris Talon said. "She won't get a lot of pitches to hit. But then again, we have good hitters around her." While Drake's offensive numbers were impressive enough, it was her combination of offensive and defensive prowess that earned her First Team All-Northeast Region, Second Team All-New England, and First Team All-NESCAC selections. The sophomore's powerful arm, her ability to throw out opposing runners, and her almost error-free play (she committed only three errors in all of the 2000 season) distinguished her among the best Division III catchers in the nation. Drake's play behind the plate was also recognized when the NCAA selected her asone of only seven catchers nationwide to be named to All-American regional teams. "She is a tremendously talented athlete. What she adds to the team both physically and mentally is tremendous," Talon said. "In addition to her athletic ability, the way she prepares and the way she gets ready for the game improves the entire team." Drake's accomplishments and talent on the field have received rave reviews from her teammates as well. "Just generally speaking, her physical strength is unbelievable," senior co-captain and fellow all-star RandeeMcArdle said. "The strength in her throws, and her strength as a hitter make her an all-around player." Just weeks before the Jumbos' 2001 season opener, the squad is looking to defend its New England NCAA title. Much of the pressure associated with the team's quest for success will fall on the shoulders of Drake, but despite being only a sophomore, teammates feel she will handle the responsibility well. "[Lis] handled the pressure very well last year," McArdle said. "Coming from a teammate's perspective, I have absolute confidence that she will do the same this year." "I don't think her role on the team will be any different," Talon said. "She puts pressure on herself, sets lofty goals, and always wants to do things better, but not in a way that will affect her play." Much of the team's confidence in its star catcher comes not necessarily from her performance on the diamond, but from her overall attitude as a team player. "Besides her physical strength, her personality is great," McArdle said. "She is such a great teammate...she makes everyone on the team laugh."
In her Viewpoint "Good luck Ariel Sharon," (2/8) Florice Engler tries to explain to the reader why Ariel Sharon won't be a bad Israeli prime minister, and also tends to enlighten the reader with some of her comments on the situation in the Middle East. This article explores some of the problematic issues that Engler stressed, while taking a glance at Ariel Sharon. There are just some points that I would like to clarify. It has been endlessly said that Ehud Barak made very generous compromises and concessions, and that the Palestinian authority always rejected them. Where was sovereignty over Arab Jerusalem in these concessions? Where was the right of return in these concessions? How could such a generous and peace-loving man expand settlement building on occupied lands? How could such a peace-loving man be responsible for the death of 350 people while still acting in "restraint"? Does anybody know that this peace-lover led one of the biggest terrorist operations himself, when he disguised himself as a woman and went into Beirut, Lebanon (thus infringing on the sovereignty of a country) and personally assassinated three leaders of the PLO (the names of these leaders were Kamal Nasser, Kamal Adwan and Abu-Yousif Al-Najjar) in 1973? It is obvious that this man not only has blood on his hands from recent incidents, but also has a long history of terrorism. Furthermore, Engler mentions that "even if a deal had been made between Barak and Arafat, it is doubtful that it would have been honored" implying that the Palestinian side would fall short on their implementation. News flash to Ms. Engler - it is Israel that has not honored UN Security Council Resolutions, International Human Rights conventions, and even the peace deals themselves by refusing to dismantle its troops from occupied territories. Engler also mentions that it is "unfeasible" and "insulting" for the Palestinians to ask for a right of return. She also doesn't seem to have accurate figures, as the number of Palestinian refugees is six million, not four million. Whether it is feasible or not, I wouldn't know, but I would like to raise a question here - how is it feasible that Israel has the ability to absorb any number of Jewish immigrants, but would find it hard to absorb these people? Only recently Israel has absorbed a huge number of Russian Jewish immigrants. Doesn't this raise doubts about this "unfeasibility" statement? As for the insulting part, let me tell Engler a little about "insulting". It is insulting to be held at gunpoint and asked to leave your house. It is insulting to be made a refugee in a country where you have never lived before. It is insulting to live in tents where you don't have electricity, water, a sewage removal system, or telephones. It is insulting to lose your identity and it is insulting not to be allowed into any country in the world. It is insulting to be occupied, to be uprooted, to be deported, to be tortured, and to be subjugated. It is insulting to ask someone who has taken your land by force if you can have your land back. You do not know the extent of "insult" that the Palestinian refugees have lived with, so before calling them insulting for refusing the "generous" offer, try to view the word "insulting" in the way they see it. As for Sharon, a brief history of the man is worth examining: El-Burj, 1953, 15 dead. Qibiya 1953, 73 dead, "pacification" in Gaza, 1972, unknown number of dead. Finally, Sabra and Chatila, 1982, hundreds dead. These massacres are all on Sharon's resume, and if they do not depict him as a murderer and an inhuman butcher then I don't know what does. I wonder if this is the "strength" Engler refers to in her article when she says "we need a strong leader who can restore the calm." While Engler "prays for peace," she wants Ariel Sharon to deal with the Arabs at the moment, simply because peace cannot be attained for the time being. Saying I want peace and I support Ariel Sharon is like saying I am a liberal and I am a fan of Stalin. Obviously, the two don't fit together in the same sentence. Finally, I do not believe it is bad that Ariel Sharon is the prime minister of Israel; I am convinced that the situation is at the nadir of its downfall and nothing can get worse. However, the mere concept of having a bloodstained murderer like Sharon becoming a head of a state reflects a lot about what that particular state has come to. I ask the members of the Tufts community and all who are reading this - is this a man fit to lead a country with such a sensitive position at this pivotal time in history? Abdul-Wahab Kayyali is a freshman who has not yet declared a major.
Concrete steps have been taken to examine the feasibility of changing the block schedule after over a year of speculative discussion. The Educational Policy Committee (EPC) has released a prototype for a new schedule, and faculty will be asked for input in the coming months. The prototype would eliminate overlapping class times by having all classes meet for a 50-minute period every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday or for an extended 75-minute period each Tuesday and Thursday. Seminar classes would use successive 75-minute blocks. To evaluate the proposed changes, departments have been asked to participate in an experimental simulation by plugging their course offerings for this semester into the new model. The simulation began last week and will last until the beginning of April, at which point administrators will meet with department chairs to discuss the findings. A similar experiment using next fall's course offerings is scheduled to take place in June. The EPC hopes to go to the faculty in November with plans for the new schedule, with fall 2002 being the earliest date of implementation. "Whether this model suits our needs remains to be seen," Vice President of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering Mel Bernstein said in a letter to the faculty last week. "Until we plug in classes in a simulation of at least two semesters worth of courses, we will not know which particular configuration will work best for all departments." Proponents of the new plan say it will eliminate woes such as overlapping and irregular time blocks, and will allow for more efficient use of classroom space while enabling the University to utilize a comprehensive computerized scheduling system. "We're trying to keep some of the good things, concentrate research time and teaching time without cramming everything in," said EPC member and Dean of the Colleges Charles Inouye, who is leading the effort for change. Several departments, particularly foreign languages and mathematics, have expressed concerns about the proposal. Because learning a language requires continuity and consistent exposure, most language courses would have to be offered on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. All language literature courses would then meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which would unevenly split the resources of the foreign language departments. "It's pedagogically terrible to have classes meeting twice a week in teaching a language... [therefore] 70-80 percent of our courses will be offered Monday-Wednesday- Friday, while only 20 percent will be offered Tuesday-Thursday," said a language professor who asked not to be identified. "[Because of the separation] some faculty will never see each other... [It also] puts a strain on our building." Math classes are traditionally scheduled during 50-minute blocks, and professors in the department anticipate difficulties in keeping students attentive during extended blocks on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The proposed movement of the open block, which currently lasts from 11:30 a.m. until 1:05 p.m., to a 4 p.m. start is also an issue, as math tests are usually administered during this block. "Our problem is that we don't think it's educationally sound to teach mathematics two times a week. Its just too much math in a row and there's too much time between classes," math department chair Richard Weiss said. One of the biggest issues with the existing block schedule is that an estimated 25 percent of all courses, excluding labs, are arranged by professors and/or the registrar's office at times not specified by any regular block. This complicates the already confusing system, and is often the main culprit of scheduling conflicts. "Personally I think that our current schedule would work well if we had a clear and well-monitored scheduling policy," said Todd Quinto, a mathematics professor who also serves as the co-chair of the EPC. Such a policy would force departments to adhere to the block schedule and keep them from arranging their own times. The current block schedule actually evolved because professors continued to add blocks that eventually became a regular part of the schedule. "[Originally] the block schedule served to help people so they wouldn't have to take classes on Saturday," Inouye said. "Over the years, people have added blocks here and there... [which] encouraged a little too much choice." Portions of several blocks do indeed conflict. For example, a student taking a class or lab in the Z3 block would be unable to enroll in any courses that meet in the 7, 8, 9, C, or E blocks. "The bottom line of all of this is creating the highest quality of education possible, and included in this is the choice for students to take the courses they want to take," Inouye said. "Students are so conditioned to not getting what they want that they don't complain about it. What sense does that make?" Students have expressed satisfaction with the block schedule for the most part. "I've heard mixed things from students - most don't want any change, they're pretty attached to it," sophomore senator and EPC member Abbey Wilson said. "It's something that makes Tufts special." Some students say that a more consistent schedule would assist in allotting time for internships. "But there's a reverse side," Wilson said. "Students like be able to schedule a full day off to work." Students enrolled in dual-degree programs with the Museum School and the New England Conservatory could be severely affected by a change to the block schedule, as many classes at these schools can last up to six hours. "It would make flexibility worse... [and] it will be harder to work Museum School classes into the schedule," Museum School student Alissa Kempler said. The length of classes and the hour-and-a-half commute each way between Tufts and the Museum School might make it impossible for students like Kempler to take any classes at Tufts on certain days if the new schedule is implemented. Despite the student and faculty concerns, the EPC is going forth with the experimentation process. 'It's a tradeoff between having everything in convenient times and making a choice between everything you want to take," Inouye said. "It's foolish not to try [an alternative system], but it requires everyone's cooperation."
Men's track coach Connie Putnam had hoped his team would finish in the top eight at last weekend's New England Division III Championships. The Jumbos met their coach's expectations and then some, putting together one of their strongest performances of the year in coming away with a fifth place finish. The team's feat was all the more impressive considering the strength of the competition and the loss of one of its strongest runners, sophomore Greg Devine. Injuring his hamstring in a preliminary event, Devine was unable to race, though he had been scheduled for the 55 meter High Hurdles, the 200 dash, and as a member of the 4x400 relay team. "Losing Greg probably cost us fourth place," said Putnam, who was still satisfied with his team's performance. "I'm thrilled we were fifth," the coach said. "It was all a matter of our hard work." "At the beginning of the day I wouldn't have thought that we would place fifth," junior Ben Smith said. "But I was impressed by the number of ways the team pulled together. The overall team support was better than I've ever seen it," Leading the Jumbos was senior co-captain David Patterson. Scoring 18 of the team's 36 points, Patterson placed second in the 1500 in 3:55.04 - a provisional NCAA qualifying mark - and won the 5000 (14:55.64). Patterson's performance at the Div. III meet impressed his coach and teammates alike. "He's so good that every time you think he can't get better, he just surprises you with how much heart he has," Smith said. "Dave virtually put on a show for everyone there," Putnam said. "He demonstrated just how advanced our distance program has become." Junior J.R Cruz provided another highlight in the distance events. Placing fourth in the 5000, Cruz's points proved to be crucial to the Jumbos' success. Sophomore Bryan Pitko also helped the team by placing third in the 55 high hurdles with a time of 7.74, tying a school record. Placing third, the men's distance medley team (DMR) had one of its strongest performances of the season (10:43.55). Comprised of sophomores Adam Sharp, Jake Berman, and juniors Jason Mann and Andy Benedict, each member ran one of his fastest times on the season. Team members attributed the strong performance to the Jumbos' depth and consistency. "We had a fairly all-around performance because everybody stepped up," Patterson said. "We had to fight for every point." Among the more surprising events of the day was the Tufts' surpassing of Bowdoin College. While the Jumbos lost to the Polar Bears earlier in the season, Bowdoin fell to ninth place at Regionals. Lacking consistency from its runners, Putnam said that Bowdoin "just didn't get it done." After this past weekend's hard work, the Jumbos enter the All New-England Championships this weekend at Boston University. Among the competition will be Div. I squads from the region, meaning the Jumbos will not focus so much on team placing. Putnam says the Jumbos will approach the meet with a more relaxed outlook than at Div. III's. Among the goals for the weekend is to put together an NCAA-qualifying DMR team. Putnam will reconfigure the squad for the meet, using juniors Smith and Adam Barrer, senior Patterson, and sophomore Bryant Coen. Putnam feels that the squad will have to increase its speed by about 30 seconds to meet a provisional time. Patterson will have a final attempt at breaking Mark Hardie's 1983 school record in the 3000, which stands at 8:31.44. Patterson has come close, running 8:32.44 earlier in the season, and Putnam hopes he will crack the mark this weekend.
Although Jumbos are not typically known for their aggressiveness, over the past two weeks, sophomore Emily Goodman has done her best imitation of a T-Rex - powering her way to 90 points and 31 rebounds over four games. For her efforts, Goodman earned her second consecutive New England Women's Basketball Association (NEWBA) Player of the Week award and willed her team to a NESCAC Tournament berth. Needing to win at least one of two games this past weekend for Tufts to clinch a spot in the NESCAC Tournament, Goodman stepped up to the challenge, putting in a season-high 35 points in the Jumbos' 65-61 come-from-behind victory over Wesleyan last Friday night. In addition to her scoring prowess, Goodman also grabbed six boards, picked up two steals, and blocked two shots. On the night, Goodman shot 11-18 from the field for a whopping 61.1 shooting percentage, connected on 13-14 free throw attempts, and more importantly, carried her team into the playoffs. "I always play better under pressure, and obviously there was a huge amount for us to win," Goodman said. "I just had it set in my mind that we weren't going to get beat. " Prior to the contest, Goodman got herself psyched up. "Right before the game I watched the Larry Bird tape - Larry Bird a Legend," Goodman revealed. "Usually before I go to sleep [the night before a game] I see my self doing things on the court." While sequels typically cannot compare to the original, Goodman did her best to obliterate that theory in her encore performance on Saturday against the Connecticut College Camels. Having already produced one blockbuster hit in her playoff clinching showing on Friday, Goodman lit it up again to the tune of 20 points, eight rebounds, and a startling 56.3 shooting percentage from the field. "Those were the most important games of the season in our eyes," Goodman said. "If we didn't beat Wesleyan, I don't think we would have made it to the tournament. It was crucial." Goodman's second NEWBA Player of the Week award of the season came a mere seven days after her first. Goodman walked away with her inaugural Player of the Week award for her play between Feb. 5-11, when the Briarcliff, New York native averaged 22.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in Tufts' matchups with Williams and Middlebury. Unfortunately for the Jumbos, in their first round showdown with second-seeded Colby on Tuesday night, Tufts could not replicate its success from the previous weekend, falling 65-54, despite 14 points and 13 rebounds from Goodman. "The worst part about it is that, once again, we could have won," Goodman said. "It wasn't a blowout by any means. We didn't do the things that it took to win. If the game had lasted a little longer we would have had it. It wasn't consistent." While the Jumbos' season did not have the heart warming ending, Goodman is determined to fix that next year. "I'm just gonna try and be in better shape," Goodman said. "The hardest thing for me is the running and I need to work on my ball handling and develop more of an outside game. I will have an easier time if I can move everywhere on court and not just be limited to boxes."
Towards its end, the historic and chaotic 2000 election seemed to be spiraling out of control. The two candidates, who only weeks earlier crisscrossed the nation smiling for cameras and begging for votes, became reclusive. While Bush found himself locked in his Crawford ranch like a child in his room, Gore slowly joined Humphrey, Dukakis, and Mondale as Democratic losers, a club in which membership is hardly desirable. Meanwhile, the contested state of Florida was teeming with extremists, both Democrats and Republicans, shouting political obscenities and displaying signs with questionable and illegible syntax. Once obscure individuals were vaulted into the media spotlight, and the nation found a woman whose appearance practically made Linda Tripp appear attractive - Secretary of State Katherine Harris. And thus, an election that began as a yawn became an unappealing yet exciting wrestling match, causing the aged James Baker and the sedated Warren Christopher to come out of retirement for one last battle. And who can forget the plight of the elderly Floridians, whose worries quickly shifted from deciding whether to order the chicken or the fish to whether they voted for Al Gore or that ragamuffin Rutherford B. Hayes. Let's all be thankful that the passive and unbiased Supreme Court rendered a palatable decision based on principles, not politics, snuffing out the spark that nearly set America ablaze. Yet only one person could have saved us from this electoral debacle: Al Gore, the man who lost by getting nearly 500,000 more votes than his opponent. With Herculean heroism, Gore could have easily "got the Bushes out." A strong economy, widespread approval of the previous administration, and a general aura of complacency hovered around the nation, yet Gore was never able to attach himself with the beating heart of the body electorate. Conventional wisdom suggests that he should have finished this election by riding through America on the golden chariot of victory. Instead, the chariot was commandeered by the successful Bush campaign, leaving Gore to choke on the cloud of dirt kicked up by the laughing and cocky "W." Where the Gore campaign faltered and floundered will be analyzed and written about for years to come. Though some Democrats may argue vehemently to the contrary, Gore did not lose because the Republicans stopped the Florida recount. In fact, this seems to be one of the largest delusions of the 2000 election. Sure, Gore would have won if the nearly 14,000 elderly voters in Palm Beach had worn their bifocals on Election Day. But stating this is just like saying Gore would have won had his former boss not "had sexual relations with that woman." Certain variables are wholly impossible to predict and unable to be explained and thus are not sufficient explanations for why Gore lost. Rather, Gore's inability to defeat Bush comes down to the former vice president's campaign decisions and strategies. Gore's weaknesses, rather than Bush's strengths, tilted this election in Bush's favor. In both '92 and '96, the first thing Clinton did as a candidate was ensure that his support base was not only mobilized but also inspired. In fact, one of his greatest assets was transforming all sectors of the Democratic Party into staunch Clintonites. This was a weak area for Gore. Though he was raised amidst politics, Gore lacks the natural political abilities that enhanced Clinton's campaigns. For Gore, it took longer to secure the votes of certain factions within the Democratic Party. He failed to inspire the left as Clinton had done. Even in the waning days of the campaign, many Democratic supporters were scrambling to mobilize African-American and urban voters.True, Gore gained the largest percentage of African-American voters of any candidate, but it took him the entire campaign to secure their support. And early in the primaries, there was some question of whether labor would strongly support Gore. Labor - usually one of the strongest supporters of the Democratic Party - was weary of Gore's stance on trade. Gore had to work hard to ensure that labor would be on his side. Even when labor threw its weight behind him, Gore never had the same support that Clinton once enjoyed. Thus, Gore had to work in both the early and later days of the campaign to ensure that he could win traditional Democratic strongholds like Michigan, Illinois, and Minnesota. Because he failed to lock up these states early in the campaign, Gore had to make up for lost time late in the campaign when he should have been focused solely on voters in the ideological center. By the end, he was attempting to appease both the left and the center, a feat which would have been impossible even for the most seasoned candidate.This leads to the question of Ralph Nader, whose candidacy represents Gore's failure to secure the votes of the typically loyal left wing of his party. Early in the general election campaign, Gore seemed to ignore the effect Nader might have on the election. Nader didn't cost Gore the election, for if Gore had appeased the left wing of his party early on, he would not have lost these votes. What Bush did is the opposite of what Gore did. Early on, during the primaries and during the general election campaign, Bush ensured that he would have the votes of the Republican right by advocating traditional conservative ideas. Gore was afraid to appease the left for fear he might alienate the center; Bush showed that a candidate could simultaneously appease both. The difference here was that Bush had the extreme wing of his party securely in his favor, whereas Gore did not. On the Democratic side, it wasn't that Nader was a popular candidate, but rather that Gore failed to mobilize that segment of his party.Gore's geographic strategy can also be questioned. The first flaw was that he didn't spend any time in the South, save for Florida. The ever-changing Southern political landscape is undergoing yet another transition, one that Gore could have successfully exploited. Georgia has one of the largest populations of African Americans in the US. Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Louisiana all have either a Democratic governor, or legislator, or senator, or some combination therein. Clearly Gore could have influenced the races in these states through focused campaigning. Plus, being a man from the South, Gore could have effectively campaigned in at least some of these regions.Also in the South, Gore should have let Clinton loose in Arkansas, among other areas. Clinton would have been a great asset, but Gore's calculated and methodological campaign decided against it, possibly costing him the election. The so-called "Clinton factor" was more a myth than a reality. Failing to see this, Gore did not use the greatest politician/campaigner of the 20th century. Seems like a bad mistake.Another geographic error was spending so much money and time in California towards the end of the campaign. Credit Bush with this misstep, for he created the aura that California was still in play even though Bush never had a chance. The then-Texas governor successfully diverted Gore's attention from such critical states as Missouri and Florida by creating the California mirage. In such a close race, this seems to have made a significant difference. Gore's campaign was also too calculated, deliberate, and pandering. He failed to come off as natural, especially in his debate debacles. Though the majority of America agreed with Gore on the issues, he failed to present these issues in a smooth, natural manner. His rigid mannerisms were unappealing, and his vacillating personality turned voters off. Gore lacked the ability to appear natural on TV. In this and other ways, he was the anti-Clinton. If he had campaigned in the manner in which he gave his final speech, the one in which he conceded the race, Gore would have won this election hands down. Instead, he gave the nation about eight different personalities; he was the schizophrenic candidate. The 2000 election was Gore's election to lose, and he did so, handing the nation over to George W. Bush. Hopefully he learned from his mistakes, and can return in 2004 enlightened, energized, and ready to steal back what was rightfully his: the presidency. Adam Blickstein is a freshman who has not yet declared a major. He is the communications director of the Tufts Democrats.
Administrators and students who are leading efforts to address a deficiency of on-campus housing for undergraduates will take their case to the Board of Trustees this weekend. Vice President for Arts, Sciences, and Engineering Mel Bernstein will give a presentation to the Board of Trustees this weekend outlining the need for a new dorm and pressing trustees to consent to the construction of a 150-bed facility. Student Trustee Representative Jesse Levey will also address the trustees, outlining Tufts' housing problems and evaluating the short-term solutions that the University has been using to alleviate them. Various administrative committees have identified three possible locations for a new dorm: Off the side of Hill Hall with a bridge connecting the two buildings, on Talbot Ave., next to Stratton Hall and across from Aidekman, or behind Metcalf Hall where the Start House and Alumni House are located. Plans for a new facility, however, are still in the preliminary stages and more details need to be fine-tuned before a final proposal can be presented to the trustees for approval, according to Levey. "We're not at the point where we're presenting a specific plan," he said. "It's very important to the student body that we get this right. We're not going to rush through something so that we end up with a sub-par facility." Housing issues were discussed briefly at the last trustee meeting, and according to Trustee Secretary Linda Dixon, the trustees are aware of student and administrative concerns. But according to Dixon, it is the administration's responsibility to work out the details of any construction proposal. "The administration has to figure out the way to pay for it," she said. "At some point, when a plan is in place for funding and financially supporting the building, it will be presented to the trustees for approval." While some assessments measure the demand for on-campus housing to be at or around 300 students, spatial limitations and the varying demand for on-campus housing have led to plans for a 150-person dorm. Some people involved in the negotiations are concerned that demand for on-campus housing would drop if area apartment prices go down. In 1991, after the construction of South Hall, off-campus housing became more affordable and many students were lured away from dorms, said Dean of Academic Services and Student Affairs Kristine Dillon, who heads a student-faculty housing task force.. Administrators and students who are involved with the efforts agree that the University is taking the housing issue seriously. "The trustees are very well aware of the problem with the housing crunch, in my opinion. I believe that the senior administration is very committed to building a new dorm," Levey said. Funding for the new dormitory is also a major concern. Tufts is in the midst of two major construction projects: the Psychology Resource Center on the Medford/Somerville campus and the Jaharis Center in downtown Boston. These projects serve to heighten worries over the availability of money for a dorm. Plans to build a new music building on Professors' Row are also in the works, and Tufts' modest endowment means that there are limited funds available for large-scale projects. According to Levey, however, the issue is not how many facilities are being built but how much money is being borrowed. "If we get a donor to give us a large sum of money to build a dorm, it's not so much of an issue," he said. The amount of our budget that goes to debt service is an issue. Tufts doesn't want to spend too much money paying off its debts." While a large part of the housing task force's work so far has focused on making the case for a new dormitory, it also wants to create a dialogue on the residential experience as a whole and its importance to the Tufts education. Dillon suggested that a new dormitory might feature special programming, such as the activities offered in Bridge-Metcalf and Tilton. "I don't think we have any fixed model in mind, but we think that the residences offer an opportunity that is not fully developed yet," she said. Graduate student housing is another issue that those behind the efforts to build a new dorm hope will be addressed in the near future. Tufts offers only 39 beds to graduates, and high housing costs in the Boston area can serve as a deterrent to prospective students.
Gavel in hand, junior Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate Treasurer and Allocations Board (ALBO) Chair Michele Shelton reviewed recommended funds for Concert Board and Environmental Consciousness Outreach (ECO). In the large conference room of the campus center, the home of weekly Senate meetings, official decisions for ECO spending and Spring Fling's budget were made at this meeting, culminating in unanimous votes from all Senate members. Nine ALBO council chairmen had previously approved the recommended $10,000 fund for the Spring Fling concert. This amount comes from the "buffer fund," an additional source of money that complements a group's yearly budget. February always demands action from ALBO - budgets for the coming academic year are typically settled during this time. Every recognized Tufts organization must present ALBO with a detailed proposal that accounts for everything - down to the number of ads envisioned for the coming year - to be included in their desired budget. The groups must also describe the benefits they expect to gain from each item on the proposed budget. Each club must meet with the ALBO chair responsible for representing their council to the greater Senate body. The largest student organizations (over 300 members), the Leonard Carmichael Society (LCS), for example, belongs to the community service council, while the Concert Board falls under the social programming council. Other councils cover areas such as culture, media, religion, or pre-professional organizations.After budget proposals are submitted, the ALBO chairmen, with the exception of the TCU treasurer, vote on the actual amount that each club should receive. Voting occurs on a weekly basis, and each meeting centers on a particular budget, such as buffer funding, capital expenditure (all budgets over $100), or new group funding. When groups make their particular request, ALBO asks for a copy of their potential budget for inspection. Of course, budgets must be reasonable. Clubs normally request funds in excess of their actual need, and ALBO determines which items it considers unnecessary. For example, the Concert Board's originally requested $15,000 this year, but ALBO lowered that amount. Last year's sum was only $6,600. Decisions are difficult, and according to a member of LCS, take much too long. The budget process for LCS began two weeks ago and will continue until the end of March, with money amounts going back and forth many times between club representatives and ALBO chairs. Another member of LCS, who asked to remain anonymous, said she was frustrated with the length of the process and the final amount granted. However, LCS has incremented its current budget request for good reason - club expansion. The money ALBO determines to distribute comes from the students themselves. Sophomore Sarah Sandison, TCU assistant treasurer, explained that funds are drawn from the student activity fee, which all undergraduates are required to pay. "It's not our money, but everyone's money - we're just the people that are elected to make sure it's distributed fairly," she said. Shelton agrees. "ALBO is a fair body to groups," she said. In fact, no appeals resulting from ALBO decisions have been raised in the past two years, and ALBO has not denied funding to any group this year. Sophomore Raji Iyer, who handles the budgets of the Pan African Alliance, Tufts Association of South Asians, and other culture groups, says that chair members must be equitable and cannot let their personal opinions on whether a club should be recognized influence their decisions. "We cannot tell them how to spend it," Iyer added. Both Shelton and Sandison agree that funding decisions are a cooperative effort, not a one-on-one battle among representatives. It involves preparation and organization brought about with weekly conferences. Though the tasks that ALBO faces may seem a bit dry, Shelton's enjoys her work. "It's a combination of money and politics. People come in everyday - I love it," she said., adding that her interest in the treasury began freshman year with her orientation Perspectives leader, the TCU treasurer at the time.In addition to the money and power, Sandison enjoys the social aspect of ALBO. "Interacting with us are so many people you would not meet in any other situation," she said.
Tufts' popularity remains on the rise, as a record number of prospective students applied for admission to the class of 2005 under the University's Early Decision I plan. In response to the increase in early decision applications, the admissions department for the first time rejected - instead of deferring - a portion of the early applicants. Historically, early applicants have either received an acceptance letter or one deferring their application into the regular applicant pool. While the change gives admissions officers the opportunity to discard a number of students earlier than in the past, only a few students will receive rejection letters until the University becomes accustomed to the new policy, admissions officials said. The change is also not expected to affect the percentage of deferred students who are ultimately admitted. "We want to be fair to those students who we know probably won't get in during regular admissions, to let them know that they should be making other plans," Dean of Admissions David Cuttino said. According to Cuttino, eight to ten percent of deferred applicants are eventually admitted. "It basically depends on who else applies," he said. "We try to have the students who are admitted early mirror the talents and abilities of the class that we ultimately enroll." This year, 357 students out of a pool of 702 were granted admission in the first round of the Early Decision program, which stipulates that they must attend Tufts if they are accepted. The number of applicants for Early Decision has increased by 63 percent since 1995, and the actual number of students admitted early has consequently increased 109 percent over the same six-year period. The average high school rank of the students admitted through Early Decision I is in the top nine percent. Students were admitted from 31 states and territories, the same number of states represented last year. Admitted students hail from 11 foreign countries, compared to three last year. "Part of what we look for is people who take advantage of the opportunities given to them.... We are preparing people for careers that haven't been invented yet," Cuttino said. Because some students are not ready or do not have access to adequate advising to make a binding decision by Nov. 15, Tufts offers a second round of early decision with a Jan. 1 deadline. The number of applications for the second round jumped this year by 14 percent, and according to Cuttino, it's "the largest we've ever had." College admissions around the country have become more competitive in recent years, a factor which Cuttino feels contributes to the appeal of applying early. "Students have found that they are at a strategic advantage by applying early - a higher percentage of students are admitted, as well as a higher percentage of the class." Early Decision I applicant Deepka Chattaram, who lives in Great Neck, N.Y., said that Tufts' reputation for being a diverse community attracted her to the school. "The campus, general atmosphere, a good economics program, and especially the diversity encouraged me to apply," she said. "I also liked the idea of being able to meet new cultures and to be close to a city." The biggest difference between the early and regular applicant pools is the binding nature of early decision. "These students have done their research and have decided that Tufts is where they want to be," Cuttino said. "Having two rounds allows us to separate the pools and also makes it easier for us to review applications," he explained. "They are still essentially the same program." Early decision applicants account for 35 percent of the class of 2003, and 37 percent of the class of 2004. The number of students applying to Tufts under regular decision has also jumped to record levels in recent years, and applications are currently trickling in for the Class of 2005. "The question with the regular group is 'will they love us as much as we love them,'" Cuttino said. "We usually shoot under where we want to be on May 1, and then move to the waitlist."
The women's swimming and diving team put in a strong effort on the road last weekend, winning 160-124 on Saturday over Wesleyan, a day after defeating Trinity 130-94. "We had a busy weekend," coach Nancy Bigelow said. "Swimming back to back is tough. They put in a solid performance." Swimming particularly well for the team was freshman Mika Sumiyoshi, who finished first in all three of her events. She won the 200-yard individual medley by nine seconds with a time of 2:16.17, and also won the 200 freestyle (1:59.20) and the 100 fly (1:02.57). As of January 18th, Sumiyoshi held the sixth fastest time in the NESCAC in the 200 individual medley and the 200 freestyle, and the fifth fastest time in the 100 fly. She also made the top ten in a number of other events. Freshman Kierstyn Thayer was another important contributor in the weekend competitions, finishing first in the 100 backstroke (1:04.86) and second in the 100 freestyle (58.35). Thayer has the 14th fastest time in the NESCAC in the 100 backstroke. Another freshman to score big for the team was Amanda Bloom, who registered a 26.76 in the 50 freestyle. Senior co-captain Kristin Horton swam to victory in the 100 breaststroke in 1:12.23 and holds the 13th fastest time in the NESCAC in that event, as well as the eighth fastest time in the 200 breaststroke. As has been the case for most of the season , the divers played an important role in the team's success. Freshman Beth Wecksell continued to lead the group, winning the 1-meter diving competition with a score of 241.57, a huge improvement from her score of 183.60 in the Jumbos' December meet against Bowdoin. Also improving her score was sophomore Angela Russo (226.72), who placed second, an improvement of 77.54 points from her performance against Bowdoin. During Friday's win against Trinity, Sumiyoshi dominated with first place finishes in the 100 freestyle (55.97) and the 400 individual medley (4:52.13). Bloom won important points for the team with a first place finish in the 200 freestyle (2:03.87), as did junior Joan Vollero in the 100 backstroke (1:05.97). Although Tufts won both meets, many of its swimmers' times were slower than they had been earlier in the season. In explaining the slow down, Bigelow pointed to an assortment of illnesses, including head and chest colds, from which her swimmers are suffering. The sicknesses are debilitating to the team, she said, as they take away from crucial training time. "The kids are exhausted and sick," Bigelow said. "Right now it is mind over matter. We need to stay mentally tough in the water and rest out of the water." Another factor was a recent week of intensive training in Aruba, where the team spent more than a week, swimming twice a day. "I was not really happy with my times [at the Wesleyan meet]," Sumiyoshi said, although she thought the Aruba training was useful. "The trip definitely had an impact on everyone," she said. "It was the most difficult and intense training I have ever had." Many NESCAC teams use the week of training to prepare for the remainder of the season. And, though the hard conditioning training detracts from performances in the following meets, it benefits the swimmers when the NESCAC championships come around on the weekend of February 16th. Most of the fastest times in the NESCAC top twenty-five were recorded in the beginning of December. "This is where it is all going," Bigelow said. "This is the reason why we have done everything all year. The people who are going to qualify for nationals will do it at this meet." The team has a few more weeks to go before the NESCACs and will continue to train hard and try to get healthy. This Saturday, the Jumbos will host Bates at 1:00 p.m. in Hamilton pool. On Tuesday, Tufts travels to MIT.
Tufts Collective for Men Against Violence (TCMAV) wants to publicly express some of our views on certain campus events and issues. Many women on our campus have stated their views on recent events, and as a group that primarily consists of men, we feel that more men should get involved. We do not want a rift to form between genders. It's time for some of the men to speak up. The beginning of TCMAV's mission statement reads, "as students concerned with issues surrounding violence, we will explore our identities, educate the community and ourselves, and create social change." Communication is key. We are optimistic, and believe that through discussion the Tufts community will gain further understanding. It is important that we all voice our opinions, and that we respect each other. TCMAV discussions have shown us that everyone has unique views about violence and what it means to be against violence. We hope that our views will encourage dialogue amongst individuals and campus organizations. Recent campus controversies including the DTD Fall Rush poster, Iris Halpern vs. The Primary Source, and assault at the cannon deserve our attention.Delta Tau Delta This semester, the Delta Tau Delta fraternity posted an advertisement for Fall Rush events. However, a prominent picture of a female model posing in her underwear overshadowed the actual events advertised. A message to DTD: What are you promoting? Sex or fraternity? We know sex sells, but we think you can be more creative. We hope that your Fall Rush advertisement does not accurately reflect your principles of brotherhood. We think there's more to being men than sex. You should sell DTD on other merits of the group. (And we're pretty sure that Jaime Pressly is not a DTD member.)Iris Halpern vs. The Primary Source We looked at pages eight, nine, and 14 of the Oct. 11 issue, and found inappropriate and offensive references to both Iris Halpern and the Student Labor Action Movement (SLAM). The Primary Source tried to be funny, but the attempt was not well received. Was this sexual harassment? We support the Committee on Student Life's (CSL) decision: we cannot censor publications, just as we cannot censor complaints about those publications. Our junior co-chair wrote an insightful article about this in the Fall 2001 edition of The Window. The point is that freedom is a double-edged sword - it's frustrating. The verdict was read through clenched teeth: case dismissed; we don't condone The Primary Source, but we must protect its freedom. Has the Tufts community reached the point where we need to restrict a group's right to free speech? Thankfully, we have not. If we censored The Primary Source, we would set a precedent that any student may propose censorship of any group. Coming Out Day chalkings also offended students, but censoring the Tufts Transgendered, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Collective would also be wrong. A message to The Primary Source: Your articles are often informative, rational, and articulate. Why do you tarnish professional journalism with petty insults? "From the Elephant's Mouth," "Fortnight in Review," and "Fool on the Hill" all contain attacks on individuals. Most of these attacks are biting, mean-spirited, and personal. You enjoy humiliating others, but you should consider how this affects your reputation. We feel that all members of our community deserve respect. You should continue to criticize ideas, opinions, and actions, but not people. We know that you can still be funny without targeting individuals.Assault at the cannon This is a clear example of intolerance. Insults, bullying, harassment, and assault took place the morning of Oct. 2. Regardless of the outcome, we are ashamed that this situation happened in the first place. There was a lack of respect for cannon painting rules, and therefore three students were found guilty of harassment. Why did a confrontation have to occur? Additional messages could have been added to the cannon by that evening. Many of the topics that we have addressed are still considered controversial, and we realize that there are many opinions that have yet to be expressed. We hope that our opinions will spark further dialogue.Scott Pherson is a senior majoring in biology and environmental studies. Kenny William is a senior majoring in mechanical engineering. They are both executive officers of Tufts Collective for Men Against Violence.
After the men's basketball team's heart wrenching 79-77 victory over Trinity on Friday night, the Jumbos hoped left-over intensity would carry over into their Saturday afternoon match-up with Amherst. Unfortunately, the fatigued Tufts squad could not pull out a third consecutive victory against a NESCAC opponent and fell 72-60, dropping its record to 13-4 (2-1 in the NESCAC). Trouble began early for the Jumbos, when the team learned that they would be without sophomore shooting guard Brian Shapiro for the second game in row. Shapiro sprained his ankle in the loss to UMass-Dartmouth on Wednesday. After sitting on the bench in dress clothes against Trinity, Shapiro suited up against the Amherst Lord Jeffs, but quickly realized that he would be unable to play. "We dressed him, and he was okay [moving] straight but he couldn't go laterally," coach Bob Sheldon said. His absence hurt the team, Sheldon said, blaming the loss on player fatigue and "missing Brian." "We missed him today," senior captain Dan Flaherty said. "It was a low scoring game, and we really could have used his outside shooting." Without Shapiro, senior Bobby Mpuku (1-4 for 2 points) and freshman Phil Barlow (1-12 for 3 points) once again took the bulk of the minutes in the backcourt. Mpuku and Barlow usually alternate at the point guard position when Shapiro is healthy, but with their number two scorer watching from the sidelines, Mpuku moved over to shooting guard for most of the game. After stellar performances against Trinity the previous night, both guards were unable to get going on the offensive end. "We were a little worried with Barlow coming into the game," Sheldon said. "He has to get on the weight program, and then he will [be more equipped to handle back to back games]." "He played a good floor game," Mpuku said of Barlow, who had five assists and only one turnover. "His shots just weren't falling." The first ten minutes of the game made clear that the Jumbos did not have their " A" game on this particular afternoon. With 10:36 left in the first half, the team went down 20-15. Then Flaherty (10-19 for 26 points) went on a tear, scoring seven consecutive points, including a three pointer, to give Tufts a two point advantage, 22-20. The Lord Jeffs' senior guard Brian Daoust emphatically ended the Jumbos run, draining a three pointer at the 4:53 mark to put Amherst back on top by one. With 32 seconds left in the half, sophomore Kyle Van Natta (3-5 for 8 points) drained his second three pointer to give the Jumbos a 32-30 lead. The teams went into halftime with the score tied 32-32. After shooting a paltry 40 percent from the field in the first half, the Jumbos hoped to step up their offense in the second half. For a while, it looked like Tufts would do just that, as they emerged from the locker room with a 10-4 run, capped by a Flaherty put back with 16:15 remaining. But after Flaherty's shot, the Jumbos' shooting went ice cold, as Tufts shot only 25 percent in the second half. Soon, the Lord Jeffs orchestrated a 12-0 run and regained the lead. Amherst held Tufts scoreless for nearly seven minutes until senior forward Fred Pedroletti (2-7 for 6 points) hit a free throw with 9:36 left in the game to narrow the deficit to 48-43. Thirty six seconds later, Van Natta nailed a jumper to bring the score to 50-45. The Jumbos got within four, 60-56, with 2:34 remaining in the game when Mpuku drove hard to the basket and made a spectacular lay-up. With only two minutes to play and the momentum seemingly back on Tufts' side, Lord Jeff freshman Adam Harper calmly swished a three pointer from the left side, quieting the crowd and ostensibly ending the contest. "That killed us," Sheldon said. "That was the shot of the game. We played great defense [on that possession]." "That was a bit of a dagger," Mpuku said. "We cut it to four and [Harper] stepped up." The loss to Amherst came after a memorable victory on Friday against Trinity that featured heroic play from guards Mpuku and Barlow. Mpuku went 6-12 from the floor on his way 15 points in 33 minutes of play. Barlow made the best of his 35 minutes of action, going 7-12 from the field for 17 points, while dishing out six assists. The two guards combined to shoot 6-13 from behind the three-point arc, including a few clutch threes down the stretch. "We definitely missed Brian," Flaherty said. "We didn't address it specifically, but Phil and I looked to score a little more." In the fourth quarter, Mpuku and Barlow played the roles of Batman and Robin, as the dynamic duo lit it up from down town. Mpuku made the first huge three at the 4:42 mark from way behind the arc to bring the Jumbos within four, 74-70. "I wasn't really thinking, but I knew we were down," Mpuku said. "I was just open and took it." The crowd erupted when Mpuku's shot swished through the net, but was quickly silenced when Trinity senior Michael Keohane hit a three pointer of his own to bring the Bantam lead back up to seven, 77-70.On the next Tufts possession, Barlow scored another three-point bucket and the Tufts' defense clamped down. Mpuku's third three pointer of the game with 2:55 remaining put the Jumbos down by one, 77-76. Bernier's two free-throws put the final touches on an 8-0 Tufts fourth quarter run, and the Jumbos took the game 78-77. "Bobby has won four or five games for us," Sheldon said. Tufts shot at a poor 37 percent clip from the field in the first half, before regaining its shooting touch in the second half when the team shot a red-hot 50 percent from the field and in the process won the game. With 2:30 left in the first half and Tufts down by 14 points, 45-31, it appeared Trinity was going to bury the Jumbos. Then at the 2:11 mark, senior Brandon McKenzie (1-4 for 3 points) hit an eight-footer to kick off a 9-0 Tufts that brought the Jumbos within five, 45-40 at the break. "We had to get back in the game," Flaherty said of the Jumbos run to end the first half. "We could have died, but we didn't. The atmosphere was pretty positive [at halftime] because we had just gone on a run." Tufts continues its schedule with a non-conference road game against Keene State on Wednesday night before resuming its NESCAC schedule on Friday evening at home against Colby. According to Mpuku, the battle for the NESCAC championship is going to be a tough one. "It's gonna be a dogfight," Mpuku said. "No team is out of it. Now every game is a big game."
Advocates of black progress typically assume that black Americans have some special responsibility to other blacks, in the US and perhaps elsewhere. This is not so obvious to me. What, after all, is the basis for such a responsibility? Sometimes it is claimed that successful black Americans must "give back to the community." Generally, individuals who have benefited from the support of others may well have a duty to reciprocate. But in many cases, individual black success hardly seems due in any significant measure to a broader black community within which violence, aversion to education, and resentment of mainstream black success is overrepresented. Maybe we owe a debt, say, to a historical black community. This community includes those - Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Marcus Garvey, W.E.B. DuBois, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and many others, along with innumerable ordinary black folk - who greatly struggled and sacrificed in pursuit of the rights and opportunities some of us now enjoy. Still, it remains unclear how the efforts of these people in the past necessarily impose on black Americans today any special responsibility to our contemporaries. These remarks are bound to seem provocative, even reactionary. So let me affirm that I do believe that I and other black Americans can have a special responsibility to other blacks. However, I do not believe this responsibility flows naturally or necessarily from the non-biological fact of blackness. (And race is a sociological, not biological, fact.) Black Americans - when we as individuals identify with others in our sociological race and share a sense of historical community -take on a special commitment of concern for black progress. This concern reaches beyond us as individuals with the aim of helping to improve the quality of life or experience of other blacks. Let us say that racial solidarity of this kind represents substantive racial identification. Clarence Thomas, the reactionary Supreme Court justice, and Ward Connerly, the anti-affirmative crusader, might not share this sense of racial solidarity. Nor should they be viewed as having any special commitment to black America just because they are black, or whatever label they choose for themselves as persons with identifiable African ancestry. Non-identifying African-Americans nonetheless have a general responsibility to black America. Everyone has reason to be concerned about entrenched racial inequity. In this context, whites have an even greater responsibility. Many white Americans, while not themselves perpetrators of racial injustice, have certainly been beneficiaries of it. The relative lack of property and wealth in black America has a history, and the associated suppression of black competition for resources and opportunities has meant, in effect, an affirmative preference system for whites. Of course, non-identifying African-Americans, like many whites, are most likely to shirk this general responsibility. Thus the task of forwarding black progress will, in fact, fall more heavily on those blacks who do feel a sense of racial solidarity, as well as on any whites and others who would make common cause with us. This finally brings me to the subject of diversity. We can distinguish two models of diversity. The first holds that minority representation is good in itself. The second holds that the value of minority representation lies in its promoting not merely a particular individual's interests but, rather, the progress of the group's individuals. The second model is the one African-Americans should care about. Otherwise, we, too, easily become trapped in racial, group-undermining thinking. It is hard realistically to imagine, for example, black progress doing worse than having Clarence Thomas occupy a seat on the Supreme Court. The hope that Thomas, being black himself, would "reconnect with his roots" has proven false and was always foolish. Blacks hostile or indifferent to black progress are correct in one sense - we shouldn't care that they're black. Yet they often embody hypocrisy, using their blackness - claiming both righteous independence and martyrdom as black rightists - to advance their own ambitions, even at the expense of black interests. My criticism of non-identifying African-Americans is not driven by a litmus test of political correctness. The criticism is based on some plausible notion of what black progress consists of and how best to achieve it. Blacks are no less entitled as individuals to be self-serving, profiteering, mediocre, or confused. But this is hardly worth fighting for. Diversity for diversity's sake is as empty as token black representation. That African-Americans have no inherent special responsibility to care about the lives of black folk only supports this view. Everyone, though, has reason to be committed to diversity that would help lift those less advantaged or more subject to discrimination. This moves both black America and the country as a whole toward a better, more fairsociety.Lionel K. McPherson is an assistant professor of philosophy.
