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The Setonian
News

Bobcats squash Jumbos 8-1

March 31

Tonight, as it takes on Connecticut College, the women's squash team (6-5) will try to move past its disappointing loss to the Bates Bobcats, and focus on important upcoming challenges. On Friday night, the Jumbos found themselves in Lewiston, Maine getting pushed around by the Bobcats, unable to muster the effort they needed to beat the strong Bates squad. "Bates has unique courts that are tough to prepare for," head coach Doug Eng said. He attributes his team's poor statistical performance on the court size and on the fact that the ball just did not bounce Tufts' way. "We had a lot of winnable matches," Eng said. "But the team needs to learn how to finish off its opponents when it gets the opportunity. Most of the matches were winnable." The lone bright spot was sophomore Eileen Connor's 3-1 win over Bates' number six player. Sophomore Iffy Saeed and senior Lani Radford had especially tight matches and put up courageous efforts. Saeed's match went to five games and she actually had a match point, but eventually lost 10-8 in the fifth game. "I was really tired and our match had gone on for a while," Saeed said. "The two games I had lost were definitely mental. Hopefully I will get a chance to play her [opponent] in nationals. I can definitely beat her." According to the latest national poll, which is still in the appeal phase, Bates is ranked 13th - one spot ahead of Tufts. Therefore, the Jumbos did not lose any ground on Friday but missed an opportunity to move up in the rankings. The team is confident that if it meets Bates again in the nationals next week, it will be a much closer match. "We just want to put [the Bates match] behind us and move on," assistant coach Missy Meo said of the team's focus for this week. Coming off a successful weekend at the Mt. Holyoke Invitational, this Friday's match was a downer for the Tufts team. The Jumbos hope to improve team morale tonight when they take on rival Conn. College at the Harvard courts at 6:30 p.m. "It would be nice to get a 9-0 win going into nationals," Eng said. "We are a little bit stronger at every position." The 11-8 Camels have won three straight, and may make a shutout a very challenging feat. After the Connecticut College match, the Jumbos will focus entirely on nationals, which will be held this weekend at Yale. Most likely, the Jumbos will face Colby in the first round, the only team in Division B against which the Jumbos have not competed. Eng said that his team has a shot against every team in the division except for the top two, Bowdoin and Williams (ranked ninth and tenth respectively). "This year since we are playing Division II, it is going to be really tough," Saeed said. "We are going to be playing some tough teams. Hopefully we can step up to the occasion. It should be a good weekend." "We're all psyched for nationals," captain Justine Kurland said.

The Setonian
News

Teaching social consciousness

March 31

I don't think MTV will be filming its Spring Break special from Detroit any time soon. Far from the tropical destinations of many Jumbos, Motown seems like a strange place to choose to spend a week traditionally viewed as a mass exodus from the Northeast to sunnier locations. As a participant in LCS' Volunteer Vacations, I gave up my time on the beach for an entirely different experience. With a group of eleven amazing Tufts students, I volunteered with an organization called Save Our Sons and Daughters (SOSAD) for a week. SOSAD was founded by several parents in Detroit who lost their children to the gun violence that ravages this poverty-stricken city. These mothers and fathers have dedicated their lives to healing the wounds of the city that buries more than one hundred slain children a year and trying to prevent more heartbreaking losses. With SOSAD, we ventured into four Detroit-area schools armed with lessons about peace and conflict resolution. (As we crossed the border from Canada into Detroit, the customs officer recommended we bring pistols when we went to the schools. Talk about a friendly welcome.) For the twelve of us, "inner city schools" were something we had only seen on TV and in the movies - we really had no idea what to expect. The schools themselves varied in pedagogical theory and overall quality. But they had one thing in common: They were full of children who are trying to learn to read and write just like their suburban counterparts. "Inner city schools" has become such a political buzzword that an urban war zone full of thugs and drug dealers has become the mental picture for middle class America. But just like everywhere we went to school, art work adorns the hallways, recess is still everyone's favorite subject, and kids want to grow up to be athletes, actors, doctors, and astronauts. After a week in the schools, this Viewpoint could easily turn into a tirade about guns in this country. No right to bear arms should mean that seven-year-olds should go to sleep with a lullaby of gunshots outside their windows. I think no matter what side of the gun control debate you find yourself on, everyone can agree that guns and children don't mix. In the fourteen classes I spoke to, nearly every student, starting as young as first grade, agreed that they very easily could get a hold of a gun. Many knew where guns were located in their houses or where to get them elsewhere. Over 80 percent knew someone who had been shot and many had lost their brothers, sisters, parents, and cousins to senseless violence. Guns aren't the only problem in the area, either. The week we were there, the team from SOSAD was counseling three children who had watched their father slit their mother's throat. After hearing such traumatic stories, it is so easy to get frustrated and want to do nothing more than walk away. But through the course of the week there were so many moments that gave me hope. It was amazing what a difference a good teacher made in those classrooms. Where it was obvious that the teacher cared the students were attentive, engaged, and excited. One teacher at the most depressing school said that new teachers were informed of an unofficial school policy: "help the ones you can." It is horrifying to me that people are ready to deem a first grader a lost cause. Education is the only thing that is going to help break the endless cycle of poverty and violence. Somewhere along the way our generation lost the idea that teaching is the noblest profession. Between college loan debts and a driving force to make money as an investment banker or corporate lawyer, a paltry $30,000 making houses out of Popsicle sticks or teaching 5th graders the Gettysburg Address is not our definition of success. At some point we stopped measuring success by the impact you have on the world and started counting dollar bills instead. Studies have shown that our generation measures money as a symbol of success far more than any before us. And it is not our fault; we were raised in the eighties where we were taught overindulgence and the importance of the fast car and the big house. But it isn't too late to change all that. As we enter the work force in the next few years we can go in with a new attitude. Teach for America and other AmericaCorps programs give graduating students an opportunity to play a real role in improving the community before they move on to graduate school or "real world" jobs. We need to work to erase the stigma that there is something undesirable about being a teacher. Teaching a child to read is one of the greatest impacts one human being can have on the world. Somehow negotiating a merger seems frivolous in comparison. Unless bright motivated students like the ones Tufts produces every year take the charge to change things, kids like the ones I encountered in Detroit will be written off in a continuing circle of drugs, poverty, and violence. I know that the work I did in one week is simply not enough. These kids need positive reinforcement everyday, not only when a group of college students show up for a class period. We need to make these children aware of the opportunities available to them, not only the obstacles they will have to overcome. My spring break opened my eyes to a reality that I could only imagine before. I know it will affect the decisions I make about my future when I start my job hunt next year. And for those of you still currently unemployed with 50 days left until graduation -don't discount Popsicle stick houses. They are more satisfying than consulting any day.Erin Ross is a junior majoring in political science. She is a member of the Leonard Carmichael Society.

The Setonian
News

Dining Services to reorganize managerial structure

March 31

After years of understaffed meals, miscommunication, and general discontinuity, Dining Services is dishing up a new bureaucratic program. Next fall, Tufts' private food service will reorganize its managerial structure to enable workers in each facility to function as cohesive teams, and create new leadership positions for students. Each dining hall will operate with greater autonomy, which should eliminate the cumbersome managerial structure. The new plan features a more defined chain of command, with workers focusing their efforts at one dining hall and student managers answering to unit managers, who will report to higher Dining Services administrators. The change was spurred by the diminishing supply of workers that Dining Services has experienced over the past few years. "With the way the economy boomed, service jobs in general have been more difficult to fill, and we certainly have felt that pressure," Dining Services Director Patti Lee Klos said. "Tufts students are less inclined to work for us, so part of this program is to invest more in the work force and create more opportunities for leadership and advancement, so that [students] are able to make a decent wage, develop leadership skills, and become more invested in the program." The decentralized management structure was tested in the Campus Center Commons, Brown and Brew this year. Presently, student managers and a professional unit manager run the dining hall program, operating "parallel" to each other. Student workers report to student managers, and both student and unit managers report to Dining Services administrators. While this program has been in place for over a decade, it has often led to miscommunication and the frequent transfer of workers. When problem arose, students were forced to navigate a complicated managerial structure, in which managers reported to different bosses. The two student manager positions in each dining hall will be eliminated, and replaced by four student coordinators. The coordinators will be responsible for hiring, scheduling, evaluating, and reporting workers' hours for their unit. Dining Services hopes that increasing the leadership opportunities will entice students to work in the dining halls. "In recent years, [Dining Services] has had a lot of trouble hiring Tufts students as employees, and they have had to resort more to high school students," said Melinda Coolidge, a member of the Tufts Community Union Senate Services Committee. "This new program is trying to attract more student employees by offering them more of a leadership role. It gives them a leadership position to put on their resume." The remodeled structure is similar to many other university dining programs, according to Lee Klos, which is why Dining Services is confident it will be successful. Lee Klos said she has been considering a change to Tufts' atypical structure since she was hired in 1989. The new plan is "the most common structure you'll find in food service today. We want all the workers in the dining hall to be part of one team," she said. While Dining Services seems confident in the changes, some students and workers are concerned that the transition will be difficult. While the new managerial structure will be streamlined, it will also eliminate the unity of the Dining Services team, and some students say they will miss the large, overarching Dining Services community. "A lot of my friends are in Dining Services. They work for Carmichael; I work for Dewick. But because we have joint meetings together I get to see them, and it is better in terms of students working with each other and meeting other people," said Dewick Student Manager Melissa Passino, a senior. The restructuring plan is still in its developmental stages, and there has been little communication between the Dining Services administration -which is initiating the program - and the workers and managers. Some student managers fear that the new program will eliminate jobs, though the plan is to expand employment opportunities. Dining hall workers are concerned that adjusting to the new program will disrupt their short-term efficiency. "After you work with people for a long time you get to know their names. It's hard to change when you're used to doing things one way," said Maria Salvo, a Dewick worker and Medford resident. But Lee Klos says the transition period will not be drastically different from training new workers at the beginning of each year. "Change requires adjustment, especially when a program has been in a place for a long time," she said. "I'm anticipating that [workers and managers] will put the same level of energy and care into the new program. We're looking out for the overall good of the program, as well as the individuals who work in the program." Despite difficulties associated with the restructuring, such as changing job descriptions, new responsibilities, and altered working relationships, managers seem optimistic that the plan will achieve its goals. "It's harder to manage a larger organization," Passino said. "As a manager, I work on a small scale, similar to the new program. I've had a chance to interact more closely with all the other employees at the dining hall, to get to know Medford residents, and get another perspective."

The Setonian
News

Along came an awful film

March 31

If the best thing you can say about a movie is that it had a really cool car crash, then maybe it's best not to say anything at all. In what was already a pretty blah year, here's another one to throw on the mediocre pile. Along Came A Spider - cousin to 3,000 Miles to Graceland and Sweet November in the department of "Titles That Make No Sense" - is a thriller in which the solution would be pretty clever if you were still interested by the time the movie ends. I don't mean to be callous, but this is one of those movies where you actually invite comments from fellow audience members, and maybe a cell phone call or two. Anything to break the tedium. The plot, such as it is: The daughter of a fairly unknown senator is kidnapped by her teacher. The teacher is a very sick, methodical man who has been following this girl for years. Maybe. There are a few twists along the way that make you question what the teacher actually wants (and how he ever got the teaching job in the first place) and, more importantly, why he's doing what he's doing. An explanation is provided later, but it's not a very good one. Speaking of not very good explanations, enter Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman), disgraced detective who is suddenly brought back on the case when the kidnapper randomly calls him and gives him a piece of evidence. If this sounds like Hannibal, don't worry; there are many other things in Spider that are also ripped off - poorly. Also enter Jezzie Flanagan, the Secret Service agent, played by Monica Potter with as much pouting as possible. She is assigned to protect the little girl, and, in yet another unexplained circumstance, teams up with Cross to find the girl. Since she is thrown into the plot for no reason, you must assume that she is either: (1) The Love Interest (but Freeman's getting a bit old for that), (2) The Daughter He Never Had (3) Hiding Something, (4)Damsel in Distress or (5) All of the Above. And so it goes that there are chases, twists and turns, many cell phones that give specific instructions (again, like Hannibal), superior officers who berate our heroes, the concerned parents, and, of course, the major "twist" that reveals that there is more than one kidnapper... and on and on. Even if you didn't like the plot and gross-out factor of Hannibal, at least you could appreciate how well it was made. The cinematography was lush and inventive, and Hopkins' performance was amazing. In Along Came a Spider, the camera work is flat and uninspiring... much like the script and Freeman's performance. He holds your attention, but since no one gives him anything interesting to do or say, it's a lost cause. Oh, and the car crash; it happens early in the movie, in a sequence that is pretty tasteless and has little to do with the rest of the movie. But the car crash was really, really, cool and made me wish the director had made a movie about car chases instead of kidnapping and profilers. At least I had some inspired movie-goers around me, who yelled out helpful things like, "Blow her brains out!" and "Oh, damn! It's the other guy!" and "That wasn't in the book." My personal favorite, however, was during The Big Showdown, where the real killer says to Freeman, "You know how you said you are what you do? Well, I'm living proof!" The person next to me replied, "I yam what I yam."

The Setonian
News

Reporting or opinion?

March 31

To the Editor:The Tufts Daily article about the talk delivered at Tufts last week by the prominent MIT economist, Alice Amsden, ("NAME OF THE ARTICLE," 2/16), blurs the line between reporting and opinion. The Daily interviewed me after the talk because I was the student who brought Dr. Amsden to campus. When asked why I picked Amsden, I replied that Dr. Amsden was one of the most famous development economists in the area and that she had a new book out that had conclusions about the development process that run counter to conventional wisdom. However, the Daily summarized my remarks as "Amsden's anti-competitive perspective is vastly different from the pro-open-market message taught at Tufts." The article went on to criticize certain departments here on campus that it thinks manifest that statement. The Daily mischaracterized Dr. Amsdens's talk, my comment, and Tufts as a whole. Kevin Gallagher, Global Development and Environment Institute

The Setonian
News

The road to higher education

March 31

Students who think professors can't understand the stress of the college application process should ask their teachers what they went through to be hired at Tufts. The evaluation process, both for the initial hire and for tenure, is extensive: There are interviews and essays, recommendations and personal statements. And only after a careful, lengthy review, is the final decision made. At Tufts, any department looking to fill a position must first obtain permission from the faculty dean to search for applicants. Once permission has been granted, the department can then proceed in its candidate search. The outreach period lasts between two and six months, during which time departments place advertisements in mainstream journals and newspapers, as well on the Internet. The period of reviewing applications then begins, and a preliminary list of candidates is formed with all applicants that have made the first cut. That list - the demographics of the original applicant pool - must be submitted to the faculty dean and Affirmative Action Officer Margery Davies, who oversees the hiring of professors to ensure the University does not exclude certain demographic or minority groups. "If [a department's] pool is half women but no women made it to the preliminary list, the sheet of statistics shows that, and we might then engage in a conversation with the department about why no women made it past the first cut or why no people of color made it past the first cut," Davies said. The department next makes its second cut, after which the remaining candidates are interviewed by faculty members, which can last up to a full day. The process involves giving seminars, meeting with people from the department in both formal and social settings, and having a meeting with the faculty dean. After all interviews have been conducted, the department decides which candidate it wants to hire - but only after meeting with Davies and the faculty dean. "The bottom line is there are a lot of checkpoints where the department has to get approval from the administration to keep going," Davies said.Tenure As nervous as first-time instructors seeking employment may be, the process is no less taxing for experienced instructors seeking a higher position. Throw in tenure, and things get even more interesting. Teaching, scholarship, and service are the three criteria on which Tufts bases its tenure decision. Professors beginning the tenure process are first offered a contract for a period of two years, after which there is a "second-year review," in which the department examines the instructor's performance and decides whether or not to offer a second two-year contract. After that period, another review is undertaken. "The fourth year review tends to be a somewhat more thorough-going review in which really this is getting close to the time in which the person is going to come up for tenure. If they are making really good progress towards tenure and everything seems on track and good then they will be told that," Davies said. A candidate for tenure may need to produce more than just a reputable teaching record. In some departments, tenure depends on whether or not a professor has published a book, articles, or reviews in a journal, or has received a substantial grant. It is becoming increasingly difficult to receive tenure if these or other substantive works have not been formally recognized. The sixth year is traditionally the tenure review year. A faculty member up for tenure prepares a dossier of his or her accomplishments in teaching, service, and scholarship, as well as an essay on career goals. After considering the materials, the department votes on whether to recommend the candidate and sends an evaluation to the faculty dean. "It is a very, very, very thorough-going review. It is not some kind of rubber stamp," Davies said. The Tenure and Promotion Committee, which includes members from all departments, is a faculty committee that reviews all tenure cases. When the committee completes its work, it votes on whether the candidate should receive tenure. Once committee members have completed their evaluation, the decision goes to the faculty deans and then on up the academic hierarchy - from the deans right up to the president and finally to the University's trustees. "There are a lot of people who have been involved in thinking about whether or not this faculty member should be granted tenure. Even if it is yes all along, the person doesn't actually get tenure until the trustees say yes," Davies said. Before receiving tenure, a faculty member's rank is always given as assistant professor. Once tenure has been granted, however, one automatically becomes an associate professor. The ladder from associate to full professor is no smaller than those preceding it. "Not all associate professors are promoted to full professors. This again is a whole series of recommendations that are exactly like the steps for the tenure decision," Davies said. "That's the top. There is no top above that."

The Setonian
News

Lots of pretty faces, no dice

March 31

At the beginning of the romantic comedy Someone Like You, Jane Goodale's (Ashley Judd) life is finally coming together - she has a high-powered job with a daytime talk show and is in a serious relationship with coworker Ray Brown (Greg Kinnear). But when Ray dumps his girlfriend without an explanation, Jane is left with nowhere to live and moves in with womanizing friend Eddie Alden (Hugh Jackman) while she tries to figure out what went wrong. What Jane comes up with is the "New Cow theory," a singular idea based on the biological imperatives of various male animals. In particular, Jane studies the refusal of bull cows to mate more than once with a female, and concludes that, like cows, men lose interest with women once they've been with them. She takes as evidence the dastardly Ray and her fickle housemate Eddie. Jane shares the theory with her best friend Liz (Marisa Tomei), who convinces her to write a column based on the idea. Before long, Jane's column is syndicated in over 300 magazines and newspapers across the country, and the anonymous author is an elusive media darling. But as Jane tries to come to grips with Ray's rejection and gets closer to her friend Eddie, she begins to realize that she may have been looking for happiness in the wrong place entirely. Based on Laura Zigman's best-selling book Animal Husbandry and directed by Tony Goldwyn (A Walk on the Moon), the directing and acting in Someone Like You is generally clever - some scenes are downright hilarious. Hearing Hugh Jackman tell Judd "I bit myself shaving" to explain a hickey on his neck is worth the price of admission all by itself, and is not by any measure his only standout moment in the film. Ashley Judd - primarily known for her roles in action thrillers such as Kiss the Girls (1997) - proves to have unerring comedic timing. Pair the two with Greg Kinnear (As Good as it Gets), playing the sensitive, slightly sleazy type he does so well, and such supporting actresses as Marisa Tomei and Ellen Barkin, and Someone Like You, despite its rather ho-hum title, seems destined for success. That being said, it is only the cast that saves this movie from being genuinely bad. Hugh Jackman (X-Men's Wolverine) gives a terrific performance, saving a stereotypical bad-boy character from total oblivion and lending some heart and humanity - as well as hilarity - to an otherwise flat part. Judd is likewise funny and believable as the struggling Jane Goodale. Both Jackman and Judd, however, have very little script to work with in their admirable performances. Judd plays a neurotic career woman whose self-identity seems to revolve around the men, or lack thereof, in her life, while Jackman plays a lady-killer tough guy who chain smokes and sleeps around. According to the trailer, Goodale "finds love where she least expects it"- as if anyone in the audience has any doubt with whom she's going to end up. Stellar performances and some hilarious scenes are all that save this film from being ranked with the worst of the generic romantic comedy flicks. Feminists might feel ashamed for finding this movie funny at all. The New Cow theory Jane espouses is nothing more than a reversed, souped-up version of the good-old biological imperative idea - the notion that women and men act the way they do because they have to. Should women stay home and have babies? Well, they can't do anything else - females of nearly all species are caregivers, the raisers of the young. Is your husband cheating on you? Not his fault, it's a biological imperative. He just wants a New Cow. Considering this sexist plot element, in addition to a storyline that is distinctly, as Jane would put it, Old Cow (we've all seen it before, we don't want to put up with it anymore), you might not expect to enjoy the film at all. It was so funny, however, and Judd and Jackman are just talented enough, that one can't help liking it a little bit. If you're looking for a light-hearted comedy with some good laughs, or if you happen to be a fan of Judd or Jackman, this may be what you're looking for. Perhaps the aforementioned plot deficiencies won't bother you. But if you don't tend to forgive sexist character developments or an astoundingly unoriginal storyline, Someone Like You was probably made for someone else.

The Setonian
News

Men's volleyball can't repeat New England success

March 31

Last weekend, the men's club volleyball team competed in the New England Regional Championships at the University of New Hampshire. After coming into the tournament ranked fourth in New England, the team lost a tough match against Boston College in the semi-finals and finished a disappointing third place overall for the weekend. "It [BC] was the worst match we've played in a real long time" senior captain David Chang said. "With the exception of a few moments, we played pretty poorly," senior captain Adam Goldfarb added. "But we have to give credit to BC. They played really well and should be ranked in the top five at nationals." On Saturday, the team started the tournament as the top seed in its five-team pool. In a best of three matches format, Tufts beat Wesleyan, Providence College, and Amherst College before losing to Boston University. The team's finished second in the pool with a 3-1 record, qualifying for the playoffs on Sunday. On Sunday morning, Tufts beat Plymouth State College in a preliminary round match, securing a spot in the quarterfinals against Yale. After winning that game, the team found itself up against BC - which it had defeated last year to win the New England championship - in the semis. This year, however, the team could not get by the Eagles, despite beating them twice during the regular season. "Last year was our golden year; we were undefeated and won New England's," Goldfarb said. "This year was a little tough; we did a lot of reshuffling of players." The team, under the leadership of senior captains Goldfarb, Chang, and Charlie Beckman, departed yesterday for the National Tournament in Kansas City, MO. The squad left Tufts ranked in the top 15 of the 64 teams.A tale of two teammates Chang and Goldfarb have played together for the last four years and are not only teammates and leaders on the court, but great friends as well.Goldfarb, who played two years of competitive volleyball in high school, came to Tufts because of its location and because he was an aspiring pre-veterinary major.Chang played recreational volleyball before coming to Tufts to be an International Relations and Quantitative Economics major. Living in Monte Carlo and then Paris, he grew up playing beach volleyball. It wasn't until his junior and senior year of high schools, when he came to the United States, that he first took part in organized volleyball. Both Chang and Goldfarb were unsure at first if they were going to play volleyball at Tufts. Goldfarb, after playing with the team outdoors, started going to practices and eventually joined. Both he and Chang enjoy the club atmosphere grew attached to the team from the start. Chang started freshman year as defensive specialist, but has been a right side hitter from his sophomore year to now, earning All New England honors sophomore and junior years. Sophomore and junior years went well for Goldfarb, as he played solidly in the middle hitter position. During the tandem's sophomore and junior years, the team won New Englands and finished ninth at nationals both seasons. In preparation for this year, both seniors trained regularly during summer and winter breaks.This year has gone well for Goldfarb, Chang, and the volleyball team. Although disappointed about the outcome of New Englands, the team hopes to finish strongly at Nationals. "This season we were flying high on our performance from last year, and we were expecting to repeat it," Chang said. "But the dynamics just weren't there."

The Setonian
News

Grad School News

March 31

Students present research at Graduate SymposiumThe Graduate Student Council's 5th Annual Graduate Symposium was held on Saturday, affording students from several disciplines the opportunity to present their research projects to faculty and community members. "The Graduate Student Symposium is a great chance for our graduate students to get the credit and exposure they so richly deserve," said Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Robert Hollister in an interview with the Graduate Matters newsletter. "I am impressed by the preparation, diligence, and knowledge that our students bring to the symposium." Students delivered 15-minute talks about their work and took questions from the audience. Awards were distributed based on the quality of the presentations, rather than the content of the research.Occupational therapy graduate student Dan Craig took home an award for the presentation of his project, titled "The Relationship between Meaningfulness and Emotional Responses to Music.""I was the only presenter from the Boston School of Occupational Therapy, though my research had a strong music focus," he said. Other fields represented at the symposium included drama and dance, engineering, math, biology, English, and history. Faculty members from the represented departments served as judges.Medical students "matched" with resident positionsStudents at Tufts' School of Medicine anxiously took part in a 40-year-old annual ritual called "Match Day" last month when they received letters of admittance to medical residency programs. The process is described by Medical School Dean John Harrington as the 'test' of the school's educational mission, which includes the creation of physicians and the perpetuation of knowledge.Harrington's students did exceptionally well, according to the dean, with 74 percent of the fourth-year students receiving letters from one of their top two choices. Almost 90 percent matched with their third or fourth choices. Nearly 30 students will be residents at teaching affiliates of Tufts, including Lahey, New England Medical Center, Baystate, St. Elizabeth's, and Newton Wellesley hospitals. Others will work at hospitals affiliated with Boston University, Cornell, Yale, Northwestern, and other prominent institutions.New award recognizes student teaching at Sackler Two student teachers at the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences will become the first recipients of the Norman and Susan Krinsky Excellence in Teaching Award this afternoon. Michael Perloff and Jill Warrington study pharmacology at the Sackler school. Perloff has been a student at Sackler since 1996 and has researched topics such as alterations in drug absorption and distribution in the intestine and brain. Warrington began her studies at Sackler in 1998 and has focused on in the effects of aging on drug metabolism. The teaching award was established by Norman Krinsky, a professor emeritus of biochemistry, and his wife Susan, to mark Mr. Krinsky's 40 years of involvement with Tufts.

The Setonian
News

Geek rock that grew in the midst of grunge

March 31

Some things change in nine years, and some things just remain the same. That said, don't judge the Barenaked Ladies' 1992 debut, Gordon, by what you may think of them now. Even if you hate what you hear of the band on the radio, what you dislike now might have sounded a bit different back then. Now on tour supporting their newest album, Maroon, the Barenaked Ladies are playing in huge arenas across the country. A decade ago, however, the Ladies were only playing small venues and beginning to build a following in their native Canada - the band picked its name to attract people who might not have showed up for a gig by five goofy-looking Canadian men playing what has been described as "geek rock." Most fans will tell you that the band's live performances are the key to appreciating its music, from the ridiculous sets and pranks to the improvised musical numbers to the spoken comedy that sometimes erupts in the middle of a song. Those same fans, however, are likely to tell you that short of a live recording (like 1996's Rock Spectacle), Gordon is the purest Barenaked experience on the market. While some more recent albums have gotten a bit louder and rockier, Gordon is full of the group's distinctive sound and humor. There aren't many attempts to be taken seriously - the group takes pride in being ridiculous and poking fun at love, other musicians, and anything else that comes to mind. Riding not only the humor and catchiness of the songs but also guitarist Ed Robertson's fast fingers and singer Steven Page's instantly recognizable voice, Gordon became a Canadian bestseller and an eventual American crossover. Most of Gordon can't be called timeless, beautiful music; with songs like "Be My Yoko Ono," lyrics like "I like soup, and I like ice cream sandwiches, too/I like fish sticks, but I love you," the Ladies don't aim for musical immortality. "Grade 9" details the stresses and clich?©s in the life of a high school freshman and is meant solely to make the listener smile and laugh. The Barenaked Ladies hit up the New Kids on the Block, Milli Vanilli, and even "Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto" for cheap pop-culture references - a trend continued with the Barenaked Ladies first true American hit, 1998's "One Week" - admit it, Milli Vanilli is always funny. This doesn't mean that there is no legitimate music on Gordon, however. The band can be beautiful and sad, as in the yearning classic "What a Good Boy," and clever without being outright funny, as in "Hello City." Moreover, funny songs can still be done well or done poorly, and the Barenaked Ladies definitely pull it off. Unabashedly fun songs like "If I had $1,000,000" may not be meant seriously, but Robertson and Page are so good at what they do that they're still impressive.Gordon is almost a relic of a lost band - much has changed with the Barenaked Ladies since 1992. Pianist/vocalist/percussionist Andy Creeggan has moved on, and keyboardist Kevin Hearn has recently jumped on board. Six more CDs, nine years of touring, and undeniable fame has brought some changes to the group, and many fans of early albums like Gordon and Maybe You Should Drive express distaste for more recent (and more popular) albums like Stunt. What's more, Gordon includes plenty of talented and eclectic guest artists, a feature lacking on later albums and in concert. "Hello City" and "Enid" are still popular live tunes, but they lack a bit without the horn sections used on the album. The guest credits themselves are worth a smile: from bagpipes to Michael Philip-Wijewoda playing "Secret noises" to the "Suburban Tabernacle Choir." As for the songs... the band still plays many of these fan favorites in concert, but some of them rock a little harder now. Gordon's more relaxed versions of "Brian Wilson," "What a Good Boy," and "If I had $1,000,000" may seem slow-paced or gentle to fans of the live versions that are usually played on the radio. Clever songwriting and a big cheesy grin go a long way on Gordon. If you're a fan of the Barenaked Ladies' recent work, check this one out and see what you think. If you're not... maybe you're destined to join the cadre of fans who liked Gordon more than anything that followed.

The Setonian
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The final buzzer sounds on an era

March 31

When Conn. College's Rich Futia tipped in Isaiah Curtis' missed three-point attempt, not only did he end the men's basketball season, but he also ended an era. Senior co-captains Dan Flaherty and Bobby Mpuku began playing basketball together as eighth graders in Fairfield, Connecticut for a youth traveling team. Over the next nine years, the two would evolve from mere teammates to best friends. "Although we became good friends through basketball, our friendship is a lot more than basketball," Mpuku said. "We are both going to miss [basketball], but our friendship will not be affected." In the duo's freshman year at Fairfield Prep, an all-boys Jesuit school with approximately 1,000 students, they were relegated to the freshman team. However, by sophomore year, the two had established themselves as big-time players, and led their varsity team to a 15-9 record and a trip to the state tournament. Eleventh grade was a disappointing one for Flaherty and Mpuku, as Flaherty broke his foot in the midst of the season and the team struggled. For the high school student, senior year is where lifetime memories are made, and for Flaherty and Mpuku, the two made Fairfield Prep history during their final season. As two of the three captains, the big center and the svelte point guard utilized the inside out game, which they would perfect at Tufts, and guided their team to a 22-4 record and the Connecticut State championship. "I think I was the leading scorer," Flaherty said. "I started at center; [Mpuku] started at the point. We were definitely the focus" "That was a really great experience," Mpuku said. "It's one of my fondest memories. We were able to provide leadership. It was one of the most memorable times, knocking off teams that maybe were a little more talented." That year, the team lost the league tournament, but was able to regroup and win the state championship. "In high school you play the regular season and then league tournaments," Flaherty said. "And we lost the league tournament and then we turned it around in states. We won 12 in a row at one point. In the quarterfinals of the state championships, we were down by 20 and we came back and won by 15." While numerous Division III schools recruited the 6' 7" Flaherty for their basketball teams, Mpuku did not receive as much attention, and could not decide whether he wanted to play basketball or soccer in college. "I was recruited by some schools to play soccer," Mpuku said. "I was trying to go the best academic school, and wherever it was I wanted to play a sport there. Tufts ended up being the best fit for me and basketball came after that." Mpuku was the first of the two to chose Tufts. The highly touted Flaherty had difficulty coming to a final decision about where he would continue his athletic and academic careers. "I knew about Tufts since the end of my junior year," Flaherty said. "I had been looking to play basketball at a lot of Division III schools. It came down to between Tufts and NYU. I wanted to go to a school in a city and this was definitely near a city. I didn't decide until the end of April of my senior year." Interestingly, Flaherty's exploits on the court may have sparked Tufts' interests in Mpuku. "The Tufts basketball coach had been to a couple of our basketball games," Flaherty said. "When the coach found out [Mpuku] was okay, he told him that he should come down to the school and play. He had done really well at the end of [senior year]. Bobby applied to Tufts without even speaking to the basketball coach. He applied because he wanted to play soccer and he thought he could at Tufts." While the duo did not plan to attend college together, once they discovered that they were both going to Tufts, they were elated. "We both decided we were going to go, and it was kind of a strange coincidence. We figured that we'd been good friends and that it would be great to try and live together," Mpuku said. Prior to their freshman year, Flaherty and Mpuku requested to be roommates, and it worked out so well that they ended up being roommates as sophomores too. They would have continued to be roommates were it not for the Tufts rule that prevents juniors from receiving doubles. "It definitely got us a lot tighter living together," Flaherty said. "You see the whole person when you live together. It backfires with some, but it worked really well for us. It made us not worry about a lot of problems. You hear horror stories about how people hate their roommate. We definitely became really close when we came to school. We have become best friends. Maybe we weren't in high school, but in college we are." As their friendship developed, so did their basketball games. As freshman, the duo had to adjust to secondary roles after having stared in high school for so many years. "Everyone on the team was good," Flaherty recalled. "It was just different because the season was longer and it was a lot more intense. We had to adjust to a whole new system. It was not comfortable. The adjustment was playing with new guys. [Mpuku] ended up starting a couple games in the beginning of the year (when the point guard got injured) and then I played a lot more at the end than I did at the beginning. We had games where at least one of us would play 20 or 30 minutes" "I knew we had a great point guard here and I wasn't heavily recruited, and I knew that I wasn't going to play that much," Mpuku said. "As far as Dan, he was heavily recruited and I looked to encourage him whenever I could, and contribute as well." By their sophomore years, Mpuku and Flaherty were once again ready to take over the leadership roles on the team, positions they had filled so successfully during their high school days. "Sophomore year I thought that, even though we were only sophomores, we were kind of leaders again," Flaherty said. "There was nobody a year ahead of us and the seniors were good guys but not true leaders. [Sophomore year] kind of defined how the next two years would go." "We really had the opportunity to get in early and shape the team for the next few years," Mpuku said. Their junior year at Tufts was eerily reminiscent of their senior year at Fairfield Prep _ everything fell together perfectly as the team overachieved on its way to a championship. While not expected to be powerhouse in the tough ECAC, the young Jumbo squad with one senior (Paul Smith) somehow managed to put together a 21-6 record and win the ECAC title in a 74-73 thriller against Colby. As they had in high school, co-captains Flaherty and Mpuku were instrumental in their team's success. Flaherty led the team in scoring and rebounds (14.1 ppg and 8.2 rpg), while Mpuku averaged eight points and was first on the team in assists with 4.4 per game. "It was definitely so reminiscent of high school," Mpuku said about their junior season. "Going into that year nobody expected a lot out of us, like our high school team. We really came together as a team. Being captain in high school was more of a title than an active role being captain in college is a lot more than just showing up for games. Off court you have to provide leadership and make sure everyone is showing up for lifts and runs" "It was great," Flaherty said. "It was just like high school. We were captains and Bob won so many games at the buzzer." Sadly, for the two stars, they were unable to follow up their junior year success with another extended playoff run in their final year together. After opening up the season 12-2, the Jumbos stumbled during the second half to finish 15-9, and missed qualifying for the NESCAC tournament. Despite their teams struggles, Flaherty and Mpuku still ended their odyssey with successful individual seasons. Flaherty once again headed the Jumbos in scoring (19.1 ppg) and rebounding (7.7), and Mpuku upped his scoring to 8.9 ppg, while once again leading the team in assists with 5.0 per game. While their basketball careers ended with a fatal tip in, Mpuku and Flaherty discovered more than winning and losing on the basketball court _ they found camaraderie and friendship that will last a lifetime. "We will definitely be friends," Flaherty said. "We almost new where each other would be on the court. Whenever we get older we will remember that."

The Setonian
News

Genetic engineering of food: For the test tube or your dinner plate?

March 31

"Biotechnology's been around almost since the beginning of time. It's the cavemen saving seeds of a high-yielding plant. It's Gregor Mendel, the father of genetics, cross-pollinating his garden peas. It's a diabetic's insulin, and the enzymes in your yogurt.... Without exception, the biotech products on our shelves have proven safe," said United States Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman (March 13, 1997). We've all eaten them, and most of us probably eat them every day because, according to the Grocery Manufacturers of America, 60 to 70 percent of all processed foods contain them. This abundant, yet mysterious, source of food is known as genetically modified (GM) food. Food safety is of great concern to the general public, so when new technology like genetic engineering, which plays with the food items on your local grocer's shelves, is introduced, the public is going to be very concerned. It is common practice for the general public to fear scientific innovations as soon as the story hits newsstands. We have seen it with the birth of the microwave, the television, the airplane, and now genetic engineering. With the birth of genetic engineering, another modern science invention, consumers were skeptical - and are still very uncertain of the consequences of the science. According to the most recent poll in January 2001, 60 percent of people surveyed said they did not want genetically engineered crops introduced into the food supply. Since the agricultural revolution 10,000 years ago, humans have cultivated plants so that they grow with desired characteristics. Even back then, farmers used genetic manipulation to grow new and improved crops of food. Nearly 7,500 years ago farmers domesticated maize (corn) by manipulating a grass called teosinte. In 1983, 18 years ago, the first transgenic plant was cultivated. This plant was a tobacco plant that was resistant to an antibiotic. In 1985, genetically engineered plants resistant to insects, viruses, and bacteria were field-tested for the first time. Crops of this kind have been available to the US for 18 years, yet we have seen no adverse health or environmental effects whatsoever. To give a real example of the long-term usage of a GM food, consider cheese. Most cheese in the US is produced using a genetically engineered enzyme that was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1990 - it has been almost 11 years since Americans began eating GM cheese. Opponents to genetically modified food claim that the process by which these foods are produced is unnatural and unsafe to human health and the environment. There is, however, no scientific evidence to prove this. In general, genetic engineering is a very safe and direct technique that allows scientists to transfer genes between organisms that would normally not interbreed. The "conventional" manner of selecting the best crops is by crossbreeding, or interbreeding two parent plants. Traditional crossbreeding transfers thousands of genes, which is an inefficient and imprecise way to cultivate crops. Bioengineers have more control with current technology than scientists used to in that they can crossbreed with only single genes - a more precise process. There are many benefits of GM foods. Genetic engineering can provide more nutritious and higher-yielding crops. For example, "golden rice" was just recently created to have higher levels of (-carotene (a form of vitamin A). This rice has the potential to fight vitamin A deficiency and malnutrition in Asia, Africa, and South America. We need genetic engineering to feed the world's hungry because, as Usha Barwale-Zehr, joint director of research for an Indian seed company, wrote to the Christian Science Monitor in October 2000, "the conventional approaches have not provided a solution... we cannot afford to ignore the potential application of biotechnology." With genetic engineering, scientists can make plants pest-resistant, which has decreased the need for pesticide use. This has huge potential benefits for the environment. Dumping highly toxic chemicals on our land is very devastating to nature. In 1998, 8.2 million fewer pounds of active pesticide were used on corn, cotton, and soybeans than in the previous year because of the use of genetically engineered crops. And, since 1995 when genetically engineered crops were commercially available, farmers have saved $100 million in the reduction of pesticide use. Additionally, GM herbicide-tolerant soybeans have saved farmers about $200 million a year by reducing the amount of herbicide needed to grow their crops. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the FDA have been charged by the US government to regulate pesticide usage and ensure food safety, respectively. In May 2000, the FDA restated its belief that GM foods are not only safe, but they are as safe as their conventional counterparts. Currently, the EPA is completing its first comprehensive review of the country's major genetically engineered crops: corn, cotton, and potato plants that contain pesticide genes. The governmental regulatory agency is expected to release the document this summer after it is reviewed by a group of independent scientists. In September 2000, after its initial assessment, the EPA concluded that there were no "unreasonable adverse effects" of biotech crops. The EPA found that corn, cotton, and potato crops pose no threat to human health or the environment. Although scientists have uncovered many potential risks and benefits of genetically engineered foods, their data are neither certain, universal, nor complete. Key experiments of environmental risks and benefits are lacking - in part because it is very difficult to assess ecological systems due to their complexity. There are a number of things that are needed in order for consumers to feel and remain confident about GM food. There is a need for the continual assessment of the safety of genetically modified foods, the development of greater techniques for genetically modified food safety assessment, the development of more effective technology to avoid antibiotic and pesticide resistance of crop pests, and a greater emphasis on the research of potential food allergens in GM foods. The problem with the genetic engineering of food does not lie in the science - it is in the lack of education of the people. The public does not know what a genetically engineered food is, let alone what the potential risks and benefits are of such technology. For this reason, the federal government needs to make a greater effort to educate the public on genetically modified crops, with an emphasis on providing unbiased information. Furthermore, the government should take a greater responsibility to make the scientific research on GM foods publicly available.

The Setonian
News

Sex, wine, death, and... sand?

March 31

There's definitely something up at the Balch, and it's got something to do with crazed women, joyrods, and 11-and-a-half tons of sand. No, it's not Fetish Night at Man Ray or even Spring Break in Cancun, but it does include cross-dressing, homoeroticism, and the dismemberment of a family member. The Drama Department's winter show, Crazed Women (The Bakkhai) of Euripides opens this Thursday, depicting bacchanalian (literally) festivals centered around sex, wine, and destruction. Acclaimed faculty member Laurence Senelick directs his own translation from the original Greek, and puts on what promises to be an eye-catching show - if you're into sex, wine, and death. "Go, and be archaic," Senelick said to his cast minutes before calling "Places!" at a rehearsal last Friday night. By archaic, he does not mean dated, since so many of the themes explored in Euripides' The Bakkhai are surprisingly contemporary, considering the age of the text. Rather, what he asks of his cast is for them to behave as they would during the time when Euripides wrote the play, a time when the gods ruled the mortals from Olympus and worshippers of Dionysos worked themselves into drunken frenzies in his honor. In the play, Dionysos disguises himself as a mortal and returns to Thebes, the city of his birth, where the people deny that he is a god. Though his father is Zeus, his mother was a mortal who died in childbirth, which leaves a glimmer of doubt about his authenticity in the minds of the Thebians, and gives Dionysos reason enough to descend upon the town in the shape of a mortal to wreak havoc. He intends to prove to the mortals that he is the son of a god, and restore his reputation by taking the most severe revenge on the worst perpetrators. "We love vengeance," says Heather Edwards who designed the set for the production. She says that the idea to bring in tons of sand was both hers and Senelick's, explaining that she thought about it, decided it was too outrageous, and was delighted when Senelick himself brought it up as a possibility. "It was so exciting, I almost fainted," she jokes. In addition to the sand, the set consists of stone faces inspired by a French battlefield, a Greek tomb, and a Syrian palace. All of these elements are used at various points in the play both for choreography and symbolism, as well as for their aesthetic value. Make no mistake, though, this is no romp by the seashore or stroll through the desert. "The show is all about destroying things, breaking things, tearing things up," Edwards explained. The destruction fits the theme of chaos, or the threat that Dionysian chaos poses to military authority. The character most threatened by the adoring masses entranced by Dionysos is Pentheus, played by Aron Epstein. The possibility of aggressive women, effeminate men, and sex for pleasure astounds this militant leader, and he attempts to imprison Dionysos, who of course escapes. Dionysos, played by TJ Derham, naturally exacts the most violent revenge on Pentheus and his family. Dionysos calls upon his "adoring sorority" to act as the chorus of women who narrate the play and forward the plot. They also add to the dynamics of the play, playing instruments and making primal noises to serve as the soundtrack to some scenes, and as punctuation in others. It is through these women that the audience glimpses what goes on at the Dionysian festivals, during which people dress in fawn skins, wear ivy on their heads, and carry joyrods - odd phallic sticks used rather creatively in the choreography. These joyrods do much to dispel the belief that every reference to an erect penis refers to fertility, as they often refer to simple pleasure in this production. Dionysos, still disguised as a mortal, exploits Pentheus' repressed urge for pleasure by convincing him to dress as a woman in order to observe one of his rituals. In perhaps the most homoerotic scene in the play, Pentheus' vulnerability and tendency toward voyeurism is exposed, making him a well-rounded character while at the same time leaving him at the mercy of Dionysos, who is hungry to make an example of him. Meanwhile, Pentheus' own mother Agaue is entranced by the Dionysian rituals and, convinced that he is a lion threatening her band of worshippers, strikes the first of many blows which kill Pentheus and scatter his body all over the mountain. Chiara De Luca plays Agaue, and parades her son's head on a stake back to her house where her father, Kadmos (Andy Roth) entices her out of her trance and helps her to realize what sin she has committed. As Agaue sings dirges and re-assembles her son's dismembered body, Dionysos reveals his identity and delivers his punishments to Agaue and Kadmos. For being arrogant and insulting, and for not recognizing him as a god, they are exiled from their native land. The worst part of the punishment is the extermination of their line, since Pentheus was the male who would carry on their lineage. Senelick's production will prove that sex and violence are indeed age-old themes not limited to the silver screen or MTV. The translation is arguably racier than much new material written for today's audiences, and is full of euphemism and innuendo, while remaining as comedic as it is tragic. Whether you go for the history or for the scantily clad and often drunk chorus of women brandishing joyrods as they traipse around the countryside having orgies and spilling wine, check out what's up at the Balch. You might be surprised.

The Setonian
News

Regarding stillborn prayers

March 31

In recent weeks, Viewpoints have presented a battery of arguments in defense of Israel's military "response" in the occupied territories. Some of these op-eds (such as Florice Engler's "Good Luck Ariel Sharon," 2/8) have assumed a pitch of indignation at Palestinian audacity, while others (such as E.B. Solomont's "Two sides of the Mideast conflict," 2/20) and Debra Steinberg's "Unparalleled," 2/13) have taken a cooler tone in their "balanced" approach to the issue. All three of these lines of defense however lead to the same morally enervating and politically complacent conclusions - there is no real "fault" to be assigned (to Israel) in the recent violence and that there's nothing to be done about the situation (except of course what Israeli troops are already doing). These conclusions - and the piecemeal arguments that produce them - are deeply flawed, deaf to history, and morally reprehensible. Neglecting to question the historical injustice and continuing immorality of Israeli colonialism, Solomont, Steinberg, and Engler all doom themselves to pose as apologists for an occupying army that opens fire on rock-hurling civilians protesting in their very own streets. "The facts are these," Solomont tells us. "The Israelis have weapons and the Palestinians have weapons.... The Palestinians have killed innocent bystanders and so have the Israelis.... It occurs on both sides." While such reductive claims are not exactly lies, they are so terribly misleading as to be damn close. For if the Palestinians have weapons - mainly rocks and small arms - the Israeli's have weapons - helicopters, missiles, tanks, machine guns, and riot gear. If the Palestinians have killed bystanders, the Israeli forces have killed ten times as many. Then there are the facts that slip Solomont's mind altogether. For instance, the fact that the Palestinians are using violence to resist an army of occupation, while the Israeli forces are using arms to repress the general population. By repressing these important underlying facts behind the "facts," Solomont makes the historical background of the recent uprising unintelligible, and this highly lop-sided violence seem balanced. Thus she may claim, "no one group is to blame - they both are." Debra Steinberg on the other hand, blankets renowned international institutions that have condemned Israel's "excessive use of force" - such as the UN Security Council - with alleged "bias." According to this scattershot argument, the UN Security Council Resolution 1322 is to be taken with a grain of salt because it "was passed only as a result of the fact that the US abstained rather than veto the resolution." The fact still remains, however, that 14 out of 15 UNSC nations voted in favor of the resolution condemning Israel, signifying an international consensus. Not even the US can reverse world opinion. Further dramatizing the violence in the West Bank, Steinberg shows us how "when one, two, or three people are confronted with an angry mob throwing stones, the only possible recourse of action for the soldiers' self-defense - as well as the security of their post - is to use gunfire." However, Steinberg, like most US commentators, fixes on the moment of Palestinian uprising and the Israeli "response;" the Palestinian "mob" spontaneously and without reason, grows and attacks, and the Israelis merely defend themselves - they have no choice. Certainly, such accounts do have a certain credence, as the subjective experience of the Israeli soldier stuck in the occupied territories (on pain of court martial). But we at Tufts are not post-bound police, and if what we are trying to do is understand the situation, so that we can find the best possible solution and advocate to make such a solution possible, we simply cannot limit our vision to the "moment of violence" itself. Why after all is the mob so angry? Do they have reasons worth discussing? From Steinberg's account I suppose we are simply to assume that it is of the nature of Palestinians to form malicious and malcontented mobs. To think in such limiting frames, however, is to start our story at the end, after alternatives have been foreclosed, and choices made. Florice Engler, likewise ignoring the history of how the Palestinians came to be so dissatisfied, blames them for being obstinate. She deems the Palestinians' continued demands to return or receive compensation not just "unfeasible," but "insulting... not only is there not room for these people in the places where their homes existed before they left, but more importantly, there is not room for more people in Israel. Israel is a small country; she has neither the space nor the resources to accommodate that many new immigrants." But may I ask: Why is there no room for these people where their homes existed? Or for that matter, why did the Palestinians "leave" in the first place? These simple questions elude us. And so now Engler's Israel has "no room" for them at all. No room for the Palestinians on land they once owned. No room for the people whose land has been ripped from them, whose economy has been starved and strangled. Where does such thinking lead us? "I am not advocating war," Engler writes. "In America, we tend to think of either being in a state of war or peace. In Israel, however, there is a third option... an agreement to live peacefully until the time for a real peace presents itself...." However, what Engler's "third option," as well as other "wait and see" patient propositions, ignores is the fact that even when "peaceful living" does reign in the occupied territories, the illegal Jewish settlements and military installations continue to expand. Settlers continue to consolidate past expropriations of Palestinian land and the Israeli state lays the basis for new ones. This "program for peaceful living" of course, does not make CBS News or The New York Times, but it does drive the Palestinian people deep and deeper into economic misery, political desperation, and social despair. Death for the occupied does not come only in a rain of bullets. To Palestinians living in filthy, crowded shacks, death comes in the form of the sewage that drains from the latrine into puddles in the alleys where their children must play. Death comes daily; poverty and oppression snuff out life, steadily, suffocating, strangling slowly, all of course, codified, that is "peaceful." There's your "third option." Shhh. Only the Palestinians refuse to go orderly into the gutter. Don't be fooled, though, there are those who would like nothing better. "I pray for peace daily," writes Sharon-supporter Engler, "But now is not the time for any true peace deal... Sharon has taken office. Things will most likely get worse before they get better. But they will eventually get better." Reader, when you get a spare moment, take a look at a map, and you can start to see how the situation is "getting better" already: Specks and clots of Palestinian communities shaded in red, choked by ropes of blue and corridors of white - the stripes of an invader tightening its fist, controlling streets, sealing blockades, preparing their forces to "keep the peace" and make "things get better" "Until then - [when things get better,]" concludes Engler, "we continue to pray." Prayers however, are made of words, and when the words we use conceal murder and theft and oppression - when we ignore history, equate stones with bombs, and resistance with repression - when we call original inhabitants "new immigrants," orderly occupation "peaceful living," and justice "insulting"- our perverted prayers insult whomever may be listening. Bowing our heads to the tune of white-washed words won't keep the blood from splattering on our palms. It just keeps us from seeing the stains. But there's a pattern in those colors, and it's worth noticing. Open your eyes. You can't have an effective right-wing hard-liner like Ariel Sharon without hardware. And the hardware comes chiefly from the US. Billions of dollars worth. We fund the force that makes negotiation unnecessary. And so long as we do, so long as we allow the Israeli state to steal Palestinian land and sweep the streets of protesters with Blackhawks, the Palestinian people will be forced to stake their claim to sovereignty by whatever means they can. There are other means of course, but that would require something of us. Something more, I'm afraid, than the stillborn prayers we gush with.Joe Ramsey is studying English in Tufts' Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

The Setonian
News

Postage due: the failure of campus mail

March 31

The United States Postal Service is considering cutting Saturday delivery. Here at Tufts University, Sunday is not the only day we don't get mail. In fact, we don't just wait until Monday; sometimes it's weeks before we see our mail. On March 1, I received a letter, mailed on campus through the campus delivery service, that had been sent February 2. That's one month for a letter to move down the hill. Not only that, but because of the delay, I was prevented from submitting an application to be eligible for certain academic awards. After four years here, the only thing I've decided to write a Viewpoint about is the mail. Overall, I've been happy with my time at Tufts. So to have an award opportunity taken away from me because of poor mail delivery is ridiculous. Cleary, our campus mail system needs revision. My case is clearly not at the extreme. Over the course of a student's time at Tufts, he will undoubtedly apply for various jobs, scholarships, and other programs. If someone requests that an application be sent to him, will he get it in time to apply? In addition, bills sent to students have deadlines. When these are not met, a student's credit rating can be affected. Should students have their bills sent to their dorms? Forgetting letters for a moment, how often do people receive notices to pick up packages by a date three days before they received the note? Aren't the notices supposed to arrive with ample time for students to actually get their packages? How long are those packages sitting there? If they contain anything perishable or important, you can forget about seeing them in time. So why are there so many problems? A large number of problems come from mail being delivered to the wrong place. I live in Hall House. Granted, this is not the wisest choice of names for a house when there are many residential halls on campus, but that's another issue. We get countless amounts of letters addressed to Hill Hall. I'm afraid to know how much of my mail goes to Hill and other dorms. Other friends of mine live on Curtis Street in Tufts housing. They receive mail for Curtis Hall on a regular basis. All I'm asking is that the people sorting the campus mail take an extra minute to actually read the address labels. Clearly, there are a number of workers in the mailroom, but maybe there aren't enough. Given the large number of students on work-study, there doesn't seem to be a shortage of available workers. If the volume of mail is too high for the current staff, more people should be hired. Last year, a number of proposals were suggested to improve the service, but so far, I haven't seen any change. With the candidates for yesterday's Tufts Community Union Senate's presidential election claiming they want to improve life at Tufts, this is an issue they need to examine. Administrators and professors send letters out to other places on campus all the time, so campus delivery service affects them, too. If the student government, with its connections to the administration, would get involved and speak to the right people, I think improvement is possible. I won't pretend that bad delivery service will affect the number of new applications received each year, a main concern of many administrators. But what if the letters to those accepted were sent through campus mail? They might never receive them and be able to accept their admission, leaving a very small freshman class and a confused administration. I hope that both students and administrators realize the impact of the campus delivery service. We may live in a highly technological age where e-mail replaces much of the traditional mail service, but the physical mail is still important. If the United States Postal Service can effectively reevaluate its system, then so can Tufts.Karen Forseter is a senior majoring in quantitative economics. She is a copy editor for the Daily.

The Setonian
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Three riders qualify for Zone Championships

March 31

Eight members of the equestrian team headed to the Holly Hill Farm in Hanover, MA on Sunday to compete in the Zone 1, Region 1 Championships of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). Despite strong efforts, only three of the riders qualified for the Zone Championships this coming Saturday. Junior co-captain Hally Phillips will compete in the open flat, sophomore Heather Foster in the novice flat, and junior Melissa Faubert in the walk/trot. "Regionals went pretty well," said Phillips, who along with Foster and Faubert will have a chance to qualify for the national championships at next weekend's show. "Three of us qualified for Zones. It would have been nicer to have more, especially since everyone rode well." Phillips finished second in the open flat - the highest class in the show routine - after failing to qualify for open over fences (the jumping routine) the day before, at the last show of the regular season. Still, she remains excited about next weekend. "I was satisfied with my ride," Phillips said. "I made a careless error, which was disappointing, but I still made it [to Zones], so hopefully I won't make the same mistake this weekend." Despite having to perform more commands than usual, Foster and Faubert came in first place in their respective classes after competing in grueling shows. "They both rode very well, and the judges were having a hard time deciding on who they liked best," Phillips said. "The judges were testing them a lot. They held strong during their whole class, even though they were both very long - especially Melissa's." In equestrian shows, only one rider represents the team in each class. While more than one person can compete, the rider whose score counts is called the "point bearer." Phillips, Foster, and Faubert were the only three point bearers who even came close to qualifying for Zones. After Phillips' second place, the next best finish was fifth. The Regionals came only a day after the team had finished its regular season, at a show also hosted by BU and held at the Holly Hill Farm. The group finished fifth out of ten teams in the region. "It wasn't our best show," Phillips said. "We didn't pick the right point bearers, and the horses can be finicky at times." But spirits remain high, and the three riders are getting in last-second practices in preparation for this weekend's show. "The riders are training hard," Phillips said. "[They're practicing] at least twice, if not three times, this week, working on a variety of difficult commands and getting as strong as possible. Everyone who is going has a strong chance to make it to Nationals. We're hoping to do well." Zone Championships will take place this Saturday at the Stoneleigh Burnham School in Greenfield, MA, and are hosted by Mount Holyoke College.Women's ultimate team drops tournament to Bucknell While many headed home this past weekend for Passover, some members of the women's ultimate team battled its way to a second place finish at the Chesapeake Invitational in Maryland, losing to Bucknell, 15-7, in the finals. Since many players were out due to the holiday, the E-women ran a ten-member team, which proved too much of an obstacle to overcome. Also working against the squad was the half-hour wait it had to endure after beating the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the semifinals, while Bucknell worked through a long match against Swarthmore. When the break ended, the team was forced to play following a period of down time. The Bucknell women, meanwhile, were fired up following a close, 13-10 victory. "They just ran out of gas," senior Sally Mimms said. "The limited team didn't allow the players to have enough depth to win the match. One more person could have changed the game a lot." This weekend, the E-women will head to the last tournament of the regular season, the Yale Cup. Sixteen teams, including Bucknell, will be present. "We'll be looking to return the favor [to Bucknell]," Mimms commented. "We're taking a full squad. I expect that we'll have a good game against them." Other notables competing in the tournament include Brown, the University of Pennsylvania, Williams, Swarthmore, and Cornell. "This tournament is basically an East Coast showdown," Mimms said. "Most of the more prominent East Coast teams are there. It is also a good indication of what we can expect at Regionals, since a lot of the same teams are in our region. It's always an informative tournament in that way." Tufts will head into the tournament most likely in the number one or two seed, depending on how last weekend's defeat is considered. Should the loss be weighed heavily, the squad would find itself behind Bucknell. Following this tournament, the team will compete in the April 21-22 Metro Boston Sectionals, to take place at Tufts. Regionals will be on May 5-6 at Williams College.

The Setonian
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Women's basketball splits weekend NESCAC games

March 31

Heading into this past weekend, the women's basketball team understood the crucial nature of its games against Middlebury and Williams. At the minimum, a split was needed. And that's exactly what the Jumbos got, staying alive in the NESCAC after downing Williams 75-64 on Friday night and giving up a ten-point lead in a 69-67 loss to Middlebury the following afternoon. Unfortunately for the Jumbos, they were just one-three pointer away from sending the latter game into overtime. Down 67-61 in the closing seconds on Saturday, the Jumbos had a brief chance to finish the weekend undefeated. Sophomore guard Hillary Dunn's three-pointer at the 0:25 mark brought Tufts within three, and the Jumbos' press then forced the Panthers to lose the ball out of bounds. The home crowd on its feet and 17 seconds remaining in the game, the ball wound up in the hands of Katie Kehrberger, whose three-pointer with six seconds on the clock hit the back of the rim. The Panther rebound sealed the victory, though junior Jayme Busnengo tossed in a three pointer with :01 left to make the final score 69-67. The Jumbos are still very much alive in the playoff picture, however, and can clinch a spot in the NESCAC Tournament by winning both of their games next weekend. Throughout the first half and much of the second on Saturday, things had been looking up for Tufts. Riding high following the win over Williams, the team came out strong against Middlebury. Sophomore Emily Goodman was all over the court from the opening tip, scoring 13 first-half point on her way to a game-high 23, grabbing five rebounds, and diving on the Cousens floor for several loose balls. With 14:20 left, Goodman hauled in a long rebound and sprinted down the court on the break to finish on a pass from junior Katie Kehrberger. Goodman added a free throw to complete the old-fashioned three-point play. Busnengo completed a short jumper less than a minute later, and the Jumbos had their biggest lead of the half at 14-8. But as they would all afternoon, the Panthers came right back, even briefly taking the lead at the ten-minute mark. A steal by senior point guard Shira Fishman a few minutes later led to a transition bucket by freshman Maritsa Christoudias. On the next possession, fellow freshman Kate Gluckman came flying out of nowhere to grab her own rebound and stake Tufts to a 27-24 lead with 5:45 to play. From there, Middlebury went on a short six-point run to take a three-point lead of its own, later heading into halftime with a 32-31 advantage. The one-point lead lasted only one possession into the second half. Kehrberger hit a short jumper, followed by a three-pointer, Tufts' first of the game, and then proceeded to hit Goodman with a nice feed as Tufts ripped off nine unanswered points in the first two minutes of the second half. Freshman Erin Buckley, who tied her career high with eight points in the game, hit a turnaround jumper with 13:56 left to push the Jumbos' lead to 46-36. Unfortunately for Tufts, the Panthers answered right back. Junior captain Megan McCosker (who was sent to the sidelines with an ankle injury in the first half) hit two consecutive three pointers to pull Middlebury back within four at the 8:55 mark. Buckley hit a lay-up and the ensuing free throw to push the now not-so-jumbo lead to six, but Middlebury went on another run, highlighted by sophomore Kristin Hanley's three-point basket from the right side to give Middlebury the lead. Six Hanley points later - a baseline drive and four free throws - the Jumbos were in dire straits, down 67-61 with 0:41 to play. Dunn then connected on a three, and the game came down to Kehrberger's last-second attempt. "I don't think Middlebury did anything outstanding," Goodman said afterwards. "They just hit it when it counted." "It's disappointing," coach Janice Savitz said. "Middlebury hit some big shots. They hit some threes that they usually wouldn't even take." The Jumbos faced their usual rebounding deficit, getting beaten 43-36 on the boards, and most critically losing the battle of offensive rebounds 16-7. Against Williams there was no such letdown, as Tufts emerged victorious 75-64, though the game was close most of the way. Four straight points by Busnengo gave Tufts a 31-28 lead at the half, and that lead would hold up the rest of the way as the Jumbos shot a blistering 58.6 percent from the field in the second half. Goodman, who led the way with 23 points and ten rebounds, scored seven of the Jumbos' first nine points in the second half as Tufts pushed its advantage to seven, just over three minutes into the half. From there, the Jumbos would cruise until the 7:10 mark, getting two three pointers from Dunn and six points from Kehrberger. Williams managed to crawl back within striking distance when sophomore Kate Stumpo connected on a three-point play and a three-point jumper on consecutive possessions, cutting the Tufts lead to seven. Eph freshman Bridget McDonough then hit a free throw to cut the lead to six at 59-53. The Jumbos did not fold, however, and Christoudias hit two consecutive jumpers to effectively put the game out of reach. Tufts drew one of its best home crowds of the year for the Williams game, including a number of particularly boisterous individuals. "It makes such a difference when we hear a burst of cheering," Goodman said. "It makes us play harder." The Jumbos also outrebounded the undersized Ephs, 42-34. While the loss to Middlebury was disappointing, the overall effect of this weekend's games on Tufts' NESCAC standing was of a positive nature. The Wesleyan Cardinal lost both of its games over the weekend and is currently tied for fifth with Tufts and Trinity College - if Tufts wins its games over Wesleyan and Conn. College next weekend, a tournament berth is guaranteed. "If we can just make it to the tournament, anything could happen," assistant coach Martha Whiting said.

The Setonian
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White Stripes turn the Middle East into their garage

March 31

Picture this: you're standing in a dank, smoke-filled basement, next to a thousand of your closest friends. You struggle to remain upright as you slip on the beer-battered floor and obnoxious fans try to push their way past you. Suddenly, the stage lights come on, and the crowd erupts so passionately you might thikn you're at a U2 or Dave Matthews concert. You're at the Middle East, and you're about to see the White Stripes. Such was the scene in the early hours of Friday morning, when the White Stripes took the stage just after midnight. Composed only of Jack White on vocals and guitar and his sister, Meg, on drums, the White Stripes play a unique brand of stripped-down garage rock whose mere definition intrigues. The duo has been toiling away in obscurity for the past few years, releasing two full-length albums: an eponymous debut in 1999 as well as last year's critically-lauded De Stijl. There's also been a handful of vinyl-only singles, most of which are updated covers of songs recorded by blues legends of the '20s and '30s, like Blind Willie McTell and Son House. Since Rolling Stone named them one of the Best New Bands of 2000 last month, the duo has been bathing in the attention of several labels. In the midst of this newly established hype, it's their performance that captivates. The White Stripes remain a two-person show: there are no roadies to set up the drum kit or tune the guitars; they simply come onstage and play. Friday night, the Stripes took the stage in their trademark retro clothing: Jack in his bright orange scrubs and Meg in an adorable '60s dress, also orange but highlighted with white lace and buttons. Jack picked up his '60s-vintage Airline guitar, made of more plastic than wood, and launched into "The Big Three Killed My Baby" and "You're Pretty Good Looking," two grungy cult favorites. With long, greasy hair bobbing in his youthful face, Jack White concentrated on his music, shrieking and singing intensely while frantically fingerpicking his guitar. He used two microphones, one with a haunting echo effect. Meanwhile, sister Meg pounded away at the drums garage-style, occasionally sticking out her tongue and rolling her eyes to up the duo's sex appeal. Though there were only two people onstage, playing stripped-down melodies and minimalist drums, the inside of the club resonated with the Stripes' full sound. Jack strapped on his ancient Kay acoustic-electric guitar, patched up with pieces of cardboard, and showed off his slide skills on "Stop Breakin' Down." Teenage girls on the edge of stage tossed peppermint candies onstage, a peculiar trademark at White Stripes shows. Characteristically garage, most songs clocked in around the two-minute mark, and the White Stripes wasted no time with pretentious jamming or useless banter. As soon as one song ended, another began. Included towards the end of the set was a powerful rendition of "Apple Blossom," a bouncy, minor-key love song that silenced the crowd. A cover of Dolly Parton's "Jolene" found Jack White shrieking into his microphone while Meg held her composure and kept the time on her ride cymbal. Though the Stripes returned to the stage for a brief encore, their set only lasted an hour. The crowd chanted and hollered for a second encore, but a stage crewmember motioned they would not return. Disappointed, the crowd booed but left satisfied. Because of the White Stripes' minimalist approach to their music, both their CDs and live shows are relatively inexpensive. For college students, that's an appreciable fact. Go to www.whitestripes.com for more information, and plan to be at their show the next time they come to town.

The Setonian
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Senate, CSL candidates speak in preparation for Wed. election

March 31

Eight Tufts students gathered on the stage at Hotung Caf?© last night to speak to the student body about why they should be elected to various positions in student government. Though the candidates barely outnumbered their audience, tomorrow's midterm election is the first in recent memory in which voters will be presented with a choice. Three Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate seats - two reserved for juniors and one for a sophomore - opened up in January as three senators left Tufts for the spring semester. One seat on the Committee on Student Life (CSL) also remained open from the first semester. There are three candidates for the two junior Senate seats: Mark Nawfal, Scott Pherson, and former Senator Erin Ross. TCU elections are run in a pluralistic system, so the top two vote getters in the Valentines Day election will automatically join the Senate. Sophomores Kevin Coyne and Joshua Gold are running for the Senate seat vacated by Melissa Carson after the end of last semester. Sophomore Zacki Raheem and former CSL member junior Tal Unrad are both running for the sole CSL seat, which is open to any member of the Tufts community, regardless of class. The candidates spoke about their qualifications and the general interest areas in which they think change is needed. Nawfal advocated going farther on issues that the Senate has already taken steps to address. He advocated keeping at least one room in the Tisch Library open 24 hours a day and improving the registration system so that all add/drop procedures can be done online. Nawfal also said that the University "should introduce business courses into the general curriculum," a prospect which the general faculty has vehemently opposed. Another perennial Senate goal discussed was communication between campus organizations, which Pherson said still needed improvement. "There sometimes is a breakdown between groups. There's been conflicts between TTLGBC and TCF, and there have been other small conflicts as well," he said. Pherson pointed to Feb. 24 - when three semi-formal dances and the annual Parade of Nations are scheduled for the same time - as an example of inadequate communication. Returning from a semester in Washington DC, two-year senator and former Services Committee Chair Erin Ross revisited two goals she has promoted in the past. She said that, if elected, she would continue working to bring anonymous AIDS testing to Tufts, where only confidential testing now exists. She also argued that, while there have been marked improvements in Dining Services, concerns persist. "There is still more work that can be done to get students more bang for their buck," she said. Coyne, who said he would be abroad all next year, told assembled students that as a senator he would concentrate on improving general dorm conditions, as well as space issues at Cousens Gym. Along with some of the other candidates, Coyne suggested ways to continue improving Tufts' nightlife. "Club Hotung seems to be a success on a small degree, I think we should start more things like it," he said. Gold, a member of the Social Policy Task Force, cited community service and "facilitating social opportunities" as his two main objectives. Ross, along with CSL candidate Unrad, are both running for positions they once held. Prior experience can, at times, be an advantage for candidates, said TCU Senate President David Moon. "I think incumbents frequently have an easier time getting reelected, especially if the campus is already familiar with them," he said "However, I think special elections at Tufts are very unpredictable because they are in the middle of the year with less people running and the election isn't as big a deal, which means there will be significantly lower turnout. So, I don't think the other two candidates are at a disadvantage. If they can bring people out, they can pull it off." CSL candidate Raheem, who also said he would be going abroad in the fall, spoke about his interest in political science, as well as his philosophy on judiciaries. The CSL seat that is up for election is the same one that Unrad himself vacated at the end of last year when we went abroad to Argentina. Having remained empty for all of the fall semester, he is trying to win back his position. Unrad said that faculty/student committees should remain largely a background monitoring group. "While the CSL has the power to change policy on campus, I am content with keeping the CSL as its been and being a good moderator for groups on campus," he said. CSL Chair Shou Min Tan said that Unrad's old office may or may not help him in getting reelected. "There's a learning curve that Tal had to deal with when he joined in the first place. It's not that hard, what you need is your common sense and your willingness to learn. So, I don't think that puts the other candidate at a disadvantage," he said.

The Setonian
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Usual suspects will compete for NL East crown

March 31

Following nearly a decade of mediocrity, the New York Mets' 88-win season in 1998 signaled that the Amazin's were back. Since the Mets' revival three years ago, it has become almost as natural to see the Mets and the Atlanta Braves battling it out for the NL East title as it is to toss back a few cold ones at the ballpark on a summer afternoon. Typically, the loser of the battle for first (the Mets for the past two years) has walked away with the Wild Card. This year should be eerily familiar. However, both teams have big question marks. For the first time in years, the Braves rotation, usually a model of stability, looks shaky to say the least. In fact, with Kevin Millwood once again struggling, and John Smoltz headed for the DL, Atlanta's Fulton County is beginning to look more and more like California's San Andreas Fault. Likewise, the Mets have problems of their own. Kevin Appier is being paid to replace erstwhile ace Mike Hampton, who fled to the Colorado Rockies, asking for more money. While Appier did win 15 games last year, the same total as Hampton, the former's ERA was more than a run higher (4.52 to 3.14), and Appier has a history of shoulder injuries. After stripping their team of all their talent after their World Series victory in 1997, the Florida Marlins are nearly back. The Marlins (79-82 record last year) showed their commitment to winning this off-season, bringing back free agent Charles Johnson (lost in the '97 purge) and his 30 home run, 90 RBI bat and by giving budding superstar Preston Wilson a long-term deal. Ryan Dempster (14-10, 209 Ks, 3.66 ERA) leads a young an promising starting rotation. The Marlins could be a dark horse in the NL East race. Similarly, the Montreal Expos have a lot of potential. With Vladimir Guerrero (.345, 44 HR, 123 RBI) leading the attack and with the recent acquisition of Fernando Tatis from the St. Louis Cardinals, the Expos should have a solid lineup. The young pitching staff could hold the key as Carl Pavano, Tony Armas Jr., and Javier Vazquez need to stay healthy and continue to develop in order for the Expos to be competitive. The Philadelphia Phillies do not have quite the potential as the rest of the division. A team that has to sign Jose Mesa and Rheal Cormier to stabilize its pitching staff clearly has some serious problems. It's unfortunate that Scott Rolen (.298, 26 HR, 89 RBI), in an injury-plagued year, has to witness his team's futility.Take it to the bankGreg Maddux and Tom Glavine. Braves fans are spoiled. Krispy Kreme Donuts, Coca-cola, and great starting pitching are available in abundance in Atlanta. Though the decline of Kevin Millwood last season and the injuries to John Smoltz have left the Braves staff not as deep as it once was, Maddux and Glavine are still winning games. Maddux was 19-9 with 3.00 ERA last season, and Glavine was impressive as well, going 21-9 with a 3.40 ERA.Things we have no clue aboutThe Phillies offseason pitching acquisitions. Granted, Rheal Cormier is a useful situational reliever. And, granted, Jose Mesa was a dominant closer for the Indians several years ago. And Ricky Bottalico, well, he's played for the Phillies before. But by throwing a ton of money at these three journeymen, the Phillies paid through the nose to improve their horrendous bullpen by a bit. While Cormier (4.61 ERA in 64 appearances with Boston) is not without value as a lefty out of the pen, Mesa (5.36 ERA with Seattle) and Bottalico (4.83 ERA with Kansas City) had tough seasons in 2000.Rico Brogna. How do you replace Andres' Galaraga's.300 batting average, 28 home runs, and 100 RBI? A-Rod? Manny? Sadly, for Braves fans, A-Rod now resides in Texas, and Manny currently plays in Fenway. According to the Atlanta Braves, the replacement comes in the form of .278, 2 HR, and 21 RBI, otherwise known as Rico Brogna. In Brogna's defense, he has had a few solid years, most recently 1999 when he hit 24 HRs while driving in 104, but the Braves will most certainly miss Galaraga's leadership.Young guns to be testedA.J. Burnett, Brad Penny, Jason Grilli. If the Marlins are to put pressure on the Mets and Braves, they will need two of their young pitchers to overcome injuries and live up to their potential, as Ryan Dempster did last season. Burnett (3-7 4.79 ERA) is a 6-5 fireballer with a "spike curve" that he sometimes has trouble throwing for strikes. After a promising tryout late in the 1999 season, Burnett injured his thumb and missed half of last season. Penny also fought injuries, but managed an 8-7 record and a 4.81 ERA. Grilli has performed well this spring and will likely end up as the Marlins fifth starter. If Burnett and Penny are on, right hander Chuck Smith recovers from a spring injury, and Grilli can effectively fill in, the Marlins should improve by ten games for the third straight season. Jay Payton. The man has heart, and boy has he ever needed it. After missing a cumulative total of nearly three years, battling elbow and shoulder injuries, the Mets' Jay Payton finally managed to stay healthy in 2000, and began to show why he was a number-one pick in the 1994 draft. Payton ranked first among NL rookies in hits (142), was second in home runs (17), and proved himself an above-average defender. Payton has so much potential that the Mets were hesitant to package the sophomore slugger in a deal for LA Dodgers superstar Gary Sheffield. Look for Payton's power numbers to improve as well as his stolen base total. While he has speed to burn, the youngster is often hesitant on the base paths, with only five steals in 16 attempts.Old legs to be retestedJohn Smoltz. Will John Smoltz pitch for the Braves this year? A healthy Smoltz could seal the pennant for the Braves, but the Cy Young award winner has been feeling pain in his elbow and may miss the start of the season. Smoltz went 11-8 with a 3.19 ERA in 1999, his last full season. He missed all of last season to have "Tommy John" surgery on his right elbow.Jump:NL EASTContinue:Mets and Braves will duel it out again in the EastEdits:nt, bo

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