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The Setonian
News

Goodman,Shapiro ready for more

August 31

Both of last year's NESCAC Rookie of the Year recipients ? Brain Shapiro and Emily Goodman ? are back on the Hill to prove that their freshman seasons were no fluke. And neither one should have a hard time doing it. Goodman, who lists at 5'10", wasted no time as she burst on the scene last November. The Briar Manor Cliff, NY native scored 24 points in her debut as a Jumbo and never looked back. When all was said and done, Goodman ranked second in the NESCAC with a scoring average of 17.2 points per game, while her season point total of 396 was the fourth best in 28 seasons of Tufts women's basketball. She also led the NESCAC in free throw percentage (76.9) and shot at the third-best clip from the field (53.9). The NESCAC Rookie of the Year trophy was not the only hardware Goodman took home last year, as she was named New England Women's Basketball Association (NEWBA) Rookie of the Year and to the All-NESCAC first team. She was also named conference player of the week on Feb. 8, after averaging 25.7 points and 7.7 rebounds over a three-game stretch. Goodman scored 20 or more points on eight different occassions, highlighted by a 36-point performance against at Clark on Feb. 3, the third highest single game total in team history. "Emily is a presence," coach Janice Savitz said. "She has great footwork. Every time she is balanced, she scores. She is very hard to defend one-on-one in the post. She is the best post player in the NESCAC. She's tough and has a number of moves." Although she is known primarily as a scorer, Goodman is a force at the other end of the court as well. Last season, the Jumbos center grabbed 160 rebounds, good for a 7.0 average, was second on the team in steals (29), and tied for third in blocks (11). "I like playing defense almost better than playing offense," she said. "I can't have a good offensive game if I'm not having a good defensive game. What was perhaps most impressive about Goodman's play during her rookie season, though, was the fact that she did it all in an average of 23.7 minutes per contest. In other words, she was only on the court for just over half the game. "I definitely was not prepared for the running last year," she said. "I played 23 minutes last year, and that will increase. This summer I worked out, lifting weights and running, and that definitely helped me. I feel like my stamina is better. I'm definitely in better shape... I won't get as tired as easily." "It will be interesting to see how she responds to being the focal point of other team's attention," point guard Hillary Dunn said. "Teams are going to have to double team her. If teams play her one-on-one, she'll score all day. No one can guard her by them self." The added pressure doesn't seem to be much of a hindrance so far, with Goodman having already been named NESCAC Player of the Week after scoring 31 points and collecting nine rebounds in the season opener. Her efforts helped the Jumbos to a 70-62 win over Johnson & Wales. "I like it when there is that pressure," Goodman said. "I always play better when it's there. I don't really mind it. It is going to be harder to have the season I had last year. I'm just going to take it game by game. I just want to play hard in each game, that's my number one priority." Shapiro's rise to stardom, on the other hand, was a bit more gradual. The Swampscott (Mass.) High School and Phillips Exeter Academy product saw limited minutes in the early part of the season due to an ankle injury, before finally getting his break in a home game against conference rival Wesleyan on Feb. 11. "I started out real slow and wasn't playing much," Shapiro said. "I felt like I was in over my head, but the older guys on the team made me feel more comfortable. By the middle of the season, I felt normal." Playing against the Cardinals in a crucial game with postseason implications, Shapiro emerged from his shell, erupting for eight of the Jumbos' 14 points in overtime to lift the team to an 86-84 win. The 6'3" swingman was 2-5 from downtown and finished with 13 points, including a pivotal three-point play that put Tufts up by two with 1:39 to go. "I think that was the turning point for me as far as my confidence went," Shapiro said about the Wesleyan game. "I felt like I belonged out there. I wasn't second-guessing. Once I knew the coach had the confidence in me, I felt a lot more comfortable out there and just played my game." Shapiro turned in several more impressive performances down the stretch, all the while playing an integral role in the Jumbos march to the ECAC Tournament Title. Against Brandeis on Feb. 24, he netted 16 points, including four three-pointers, in an 89-77 Tufts victory. Two nights later, Shapiro stole two consecutive passes and converted the ensuing breakaways to put his team ahead to stay with 7:30 to go at Bowdoin in the regular season finale. The 78-75 win was the Jumbos' fourth in a row, and 13th in their last 15 games, and guaranteed the fourth seed in the ECAC Tournament. The freshman phenom made his presence felt there as well, averaging 8.3 points in three games, including ten in the championship game. "He missed the first two weeks of practice because of his ankle," Sheldon said. "So it wasn't that we held him back, but more of a physical thing. By the end of the season, though, he was playing 20-25 minutes per game." This season, Shapiro has quickly adjusted to his new role as a member of the starting five, after coming off the bench in every game but one last year. "Last year really prepared me a lot [to start]," Shapiro said. "I got a lot of minutes towards the end. The only difference between this year and last is that I play at the beginning. It's an honor. We have a lot of good players on this team." Another difference from last year is that Shapiro has added some new weapons to his offensive game, such as a pull-up jumper. He also worked in the off-season to improve his quickness and defensive skills. "After last year, I wanted to focus on my defense, and get quicker from side to side," Shapiro said. "I don't want to be one-dimensional on offense. All the teams scout, so they know that I like to shoot the three. I think the pull-up jumper will be a good addition, and will keep the defenses guessing." But the biggest difference, though, according to Sheldon, is not a physical one. "He has a year under his belt and is playing more mature," Sheldon said. "That's the biggest change - his maturity. He's doing more than just scoring: playing a little defense, making some passes." Sheldon was full of praise for his young star's other attributes as well. "Part of his thing is that he's just a great athlete," Sheldon said. "He's a team player, but he knows he has to take some shots for us, too. He's got a great attitude... he's a good person and really meshes well with the other players." Shapiro, on the other hand, remains modest. "I just want to be an important part of the team," he said. "Numbers-wise, I don't have any goals like that."

The Setonian
News

Disciplining the protesters

August 31

Two weeks ago, 16 students occupied Bendetson Hall for 35 hours. While there, the police threatened them with arrest for disturbing the peace and trespassing. However, since the sit-in, neither the police nor the administration has followed up with TSAD members regarding disciplinary or legal action. One student, who stayed in Bendetson for the full 35 hours, said she not heard anything and did not expect any disciplinary charges. TSAD's protest drew another type of protest, which is now being investigated for possible disciplinary action. While students holed up in Bendetson, senior Mark Sutherland took on a campaign of his own. Irked by what he saw as the moral corruption of the campus and society, and bothered by what he perceived as clear violations of university policies against hanging signs in trees, he began ripping down TSAD (formerly known as Tufts Students Against Discrimination) signs hanging from trees on the academic quad. Sutherland passed by the protest at Bendetson twice. Both times, he tore down signs. The first time, a student confronted him. The student, a senior, asked him what he was doing and why. The student later filed a report with the police, accusing Sutherland of justifying his actions by saying, "Because I hate niggers, fags, and dykes and this has gone too far." The accuser goes on to report that Sutherland then asked, "You know how you can soften me up? Have you and one of your dyke friends have sex with me." Sutherland denies that he said these things, and maintains that, while he did speak with someone on the quad, he did not say any of what the student alleges. He fears that because no one heard the entire conversation, the accuser will make up witnesses. A spokesman for the dean of student's office declined comment on Sutherland, saying only that the office is investigating, and no charges have been brought. Likewise, no charges have been brought by the Dean of Students office against those who participated in the TSAD sit-in. Tearing down the signs and speaking with a TSAD activist about his motives were not Sutherland's only troubling actions. In his fight against obscenity and for a safer community, Sutherland has occupied the Tisch women's bathroom, and delivered a scathing editorial in his Spanish class. Two days after the incident on the quad, Sutherland delivered an editorial presentation in his Spanish 22 class. His subject was gays in the military. In his report Sutherland, who served in the Marine Corps, referred to gays as "homos" and discussed sleeping in a pup tent with another gay man. "It [was] part of my campaign of self-expression. I gave a radical presentation in Spanish class on Friday," Sutherland said. According to two complaints filed with the Dean of Students office by students in the class, Sutherland started his report with a joke, asking in Spanish which girl in the class would like to taste his nuts. He then displayed a bag of peanuts. Sutherland does not deny allegations made in either complaint. "I started by saying how many girls would like to taste my nuts," he said. "Now, this is in Spanish, of course. And then I pulled out a bag of peanuts." He only takes issue with the translation from Spanish to English. "It's all in Spanish, so what we meant to say maybe different from what we did say," he said. Throughout his presentation Sutherland referred to gays as both "homos" and "maric??nes." Beatriz Iffland, Sutherland's Spanish professor, defines "maric??n" as "faggot." Although the word was used in literature read by the class, she explained to her students that the word was used in a certain literary context. "I'm not saying you can't use those words." Iffland said. "I have to accept several points of view in class, but I also have to teach my students how to use the words."Sutherland pointed out several times that he only used terms he learned from reading chalkings around campus and from class readings. "These words, homo, dyke, and queer are part of my Tuftonian vocabulary. Not to mention throughout this course we've learned vulgar words in Spanish," he said. The two students who filed reports with the Dean of Students were so affected by the presentation that they left the classroom. In addition to the incidents on the academic quad and in his Spanish class, Sutherland staged a protest at Tisch library. The day after a video camera was found in the men's lower level bathroom in Tisch Library on Sept. 26, Sutherland said he waited outside the women's bathroom until it was entirely empty. He asked one women as she left to make certain the room was empty. He then asked her to report to the circulation desk that a man was in the women's bathroom. He waited in the bathroom until police arrived. Once they did, he explained that he no longer felt safe using the men's room after the discovery of a video camera in the stalls. Instead, he opted for the women's. Sutherland then says that the police and a library administrator talked him out of being arrested.

The Setonian
News

Students gather on president's lawn, protest police crackdown

August 31

Over 350 students gathered on the President's Lawn last night, taking an hour out of their studying to protest the overall downturn in Tufts' social scene and the recent administrative crackdown on parties. The peaceful yet outspoken crowd, assembled shortly after 11 p.m., shout chants from "Students have rights," to "Let's get drunk." Several Tufts University Police Department officers loitered on the patio, and Captain Mark Keith mingled surreptitiously in plainclothes, but the protest did not escalate beyond a half-hearted showing of discontent.

The Setonian
News

Student donations benefit ADL

August 31

The Tufts community was asked to take a stance against hate crimes last Tuesday night, when volunteers from Tufts Men Against Violence (TMAV) sponsored the annual Cause Dinner. Members asked students entering the Dewick and Carmichael dining halls to donate a meal to raise money for the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). In total, $2,775 was earned and over 1,000 students, faculty, and administrators supported the effort. It was a triumph for TMAV and the entire Tufts community in its efforts to eradicate hate on campus and worldwide. "While no one event can aspire to end hate on campus, we at least feel that awareness is a strong start and we hope that our donation to the ADL makes a powerful statement for stopping the hate at Tufts," said TMAV member Kenny William. The Cause Dinner is an annual event in which the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate gives one student organization the chance to sponsor the dining hall fundraiser for a cause of its choice. The topic of hate crimes is especially poignant this semester, as the University has seen a dramatic rise in the number of incidents of intolerance on campus. Among those pledging money and support for the ADL were Tufts President John DiBiaggio, Provost Sol Gittleman, and Mel Bernstein, vice president for arts, sciences, and engineering. "We had convincing support from the administration and this is very empowering for Tufts," said William. Dining Services agreed to give the two dollar profit it makes off each meal to ADL via TMAV. Manager of Dining Services David Kelley said he had to patrol the lobby of Dewick at times because the large number of volunteers were bombarding the students, asking them to donate money for this good cause. "We're more than happy to have them. This is the best turn out of volunteers I've seen in years," said Kelley. "Thank you, good work" was a common response from those donating meals, but many were not sure where exactly their dining dollars were going. William said that getting students to understand the cause was a real effort, as most students were primarily concerned about whether they could still eat that evening or whether they could afford to sacrifice a meal. "It's tough, and it really is tiring. By the end of the night I was ready to cry or pass out. I didn't know which," said William. All in all, their sales tactics paid off, and the Cause Dinner was hailed as wildly successful by TMAV. "In light of the incidents that have happened recently, I felt this was a good way to help the cause," said freshman Justin Freedman.

The Setonian
News

Fraternity leaders plead case in Somerville court hearing

August 31

Two Sigma Phi Epsilon (Sig Ep) fraternity brothers appeared yesterday before a clerk at the Somerville District Court to answer criminal charges that they had provided alcohol to a minor. The hearing produced no official ruling, but the clerk told the students that if they stay out of trouble for a year, all charges will be erased from their records. "I would be surprised if there was a trial," said Dan Rabinovitz, a lawyer for Dwyer and Callora, who represented former Sig Ep president Eric Feigenbaum. Senior Chris Albert was charged with the offense after police saw him serve alcohol to a minor at a party at his fraternity house. The Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) was investigating the gathering after encountering an intoxicated area-college student who said she had been served at Sig Ep. Feigenbaum, who was president of Sig Ep at the time, was also held responsible. "It's kind of a slap on the wrist, but we do have to be careful from now on," Albert said. "[The clerk] gave us the impression that we were getting off easy, but the people after us wouldn't.... He actually said that he wanted this in the paper, so people know about it and get scared." Although the issue appears resolved, charges against a second fraternity president are pending. And the precedent of charging fraternity presidents for criminal violations committed in their houses continues to affect the fraternity leadership structure and social life at Tufts. According to Albert, the TUPD used Sig Ep to set an example for the Tufts Greek system. He and Feigenbaum are scapegoats, he said. "I'm pissed because they had set a precedent," he said. "For them to go and do things differently without even giving us a warning, that's wrong. If they had taken us aside and said the next time they would press charges, that would have been fine." Tufts' effort to hold fraternity presidents responsible for what happens at their parties was extended when the TUPD filed charges against the president of Theta Delta Chi, the fraternity commonly referred to as "123." The criminal charges against the 123 president result from a Sept. 30 incident when TUPD officers encountered an intoxicated student who said that she attended a party at the 123 house. The charges were filed in early October, and the Somerville District Court will hear the case on Nov. 28. Although similar, the two cases differ in the evidence the TUPD could present against the fraternity presidents. In the 123 incident, the police did not witness a 123 brother serve alcohol to a minor, but rather relied on the inebriated student's account. And although the president is not charged with having personally served alcohol, the TUPD is holding him responsible. The implications of these two cases are taking a toll on campus social life, as fraternities are hosting smaller parties, and holding them less frequently, in an effort to avoid liability. The leadership structure of fraternities could be altered as well, since other presidents worry that they, too, are at risk of going to court. "In my opinion, not many people will want to be house presidents if they are held liable for underage drinking or allegations of underage drinking in their house," said the president of 123, who requested anonymity. "The fact is that this could happen to any house at Tufts," he said, The 123 president said he will not resign, explaining that leaving his post would not absolve him of the charges. It has been rumored that Alpha Epsilon Pi president David Singer resigned out of fear of prosecution, but Singer said that this was only a minor factor in his decision. "It was definitely a thought and a concern, but it was not a focal point of why I resigned," he said. "I think liability is a strong consideration that fraternity presidents are going to have to take into account before they assume that position." Director of Public Safety John King said that the University is not using these cases to set a precedent to deter fraternities from serving alcohol to minors. "I see these as two separate situations, and a set of facts and circumstances that are unique to each complaint," he said. "I don't think anyone could read into this that there are any messages being sent to any fraternities. There's no planned action to be bringing charges against all fraternity presidents." However, there is a marked difference in the way the administration is dealing with fraternity responsibility issues this year, in part because of MIT's admission of liability in the death, due to drinking, of a freshman at the school in 1997. "I guess that two [cases] does make somewhat of a pattern," Dean of Students Bruce Reitman said. "[The TUPD has] always had the ability to draw the line about whether to deal with the case internally. This year, that line includes situations where individuals have gotten seriously hurt." King contends that there is no concerted crackdown on parties, and that the number of TUPD responses to reported disturbances this fall is nearly equivalent to last year. Between Sept. 1 and Oct. 17, there were three more replies than in the same period last year, and the total number of responses on campus has actually decreased. While underage drinking has always existed at fraternities, the presidents have never been held legally responsible for students who drink in their houses. The 123 president said he thinks it is fair for the University to expect fraternity presidents to control their parties, but that Tufts should have informed fraternities of what he called a change in enforcement policy. "In my opinion, every house president should have been informed by the administration that this year the school was cracking down on underage drinking to the extent that we would be held liable," he said. "That would have given me and every other president on this campus a chance to increase control of underage drinking at parties."

The Setonian
News

Class of 2004 welcomed with refurbished campus

August 31

While the phrase "the best and brightest ever" could probably be heard in any university president's matriculation speech, it's a clich?© that fits when describing the 1,185 freshmen that are unpacking their belongings and moving onto campus for the first time this morning. While most of the class of 2004 moves in today, many have already been on campus for several days, including those who came early for athletics, international orientation, and wilderness orientation.

The Setonian
News

Seasoned professors Brooke, Trout say goodbye to Tufts

August 31

Veteran professors Dennis Trout and John Brooke have both decided to leave Tufts for other institutions, citing the better resources at the other universities as reasons for their departures. Trout, an associate professor of Classics, left Tufts over the summer for a position at the University of Missouri at Columbia. Brooke, who holds an endowed chair in the History department, will be leaving by 2002 for Ohio State University. Among his reasons for departing, Trout mentioned the resources that the stronger and larger Classics department at the University of Missouri will provide. "I wanted to be at a place where there was a Ph.D. program, where there would be a greater concentration of people from various disciplines with interests in my general field, and where I could more closely and consistently match my research and teaching," he said. Trout called the Boston area both a blessing and a curse, saying that it provides a wealth of opportunities and connections with other schools but is a difficult place to live on a professor's salary. "The Boston area presents so many opportunities and such logistical problems that the campus too often felt to me like a "commuter" school where faculty show up, teach, and then go elsewhere," he said. "I think this may be the biggest challenge faced by the administration - attracting and retaining faculty with relatively scant resources." Brooke said that while he loves Tufts, Ohio State offered him a package he could not refuse. He applauded the developments in Ohio State's History department, which he says will bring him further challenges and opportunities. He will receive increased research funds as well as better research facilities. The departure of these two seasoned professors for bigger schools may add ongoing fuel to the discussion of whether Tufts does a good job in retaining its faculty. However, Dean of Natural and Social Sciences Susan Ernst said that the departure of these two professors is not representative of a larger problem with faculty retention. She cited the size of the institution and the excellent students as factors that attract professors to Tufts and said that retaining an excellent faculty is one of the top three priorities of the University. Ernst also explained that the University will continue to lose and gain faculty as long as the market has a high demand for outstanding, reputable professors. "It is unrealistic for us or any university to think that every faculty member will spend their whole life here," said Ernst. While Ernst admitted that several good professors were lost, she highlighted the talent in recent lateral hires. "I don't think overall we're losing," she said. Both Brooke and Trout praised the academic atmosphere at Tufts and said that they are sorry to leave. "These have been 18 pretty amazing years. I have a great community of friends and colleagues," Brooke said. "I'm not so much leaving Tufts as I am trying something new." Trout explained how Tufts was always supportive of his research and teaching initiatives, including his opportunity to co-direct the "Writing Across the Curriculum" program and admitted that he will miss his friends and colleagues who supported him. Acting Chair of the history department Gerald Gill said that Brooke's decision to leave was a personal one, but that his departure will be felt by the department. "One has to look at John for his scholarship," he said. "He will be sorely missed as a colleague, as a professor, and by all of us in the department who look at him as a friend." Brooke has been teaching at Tufts since 1983. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1982 with a Ph.D. in history and taught at Amherst College for a year before coming to Tufts. His research focuses is on society, religion, and political culture in pre-modern America, specifically from 1607-1861. He teaches a sequence of three classes that cover the period from the founding of the US to the beginning of the Civil War as well as one of the History departments' most popular classes, "Time, Nature, and Humanity." "It's kind of like boot camp for a lot of people," Brooke said of the class. "Time, Nature, and Humanity" is unique, as the themes of the course range from geology to human origins to pertinent issues today like sustainability and technology. Brooke is the author of several publications, particularly the award winning "The Heart of the Commonwealth: Society and Political Culture in Worcester County, MA 1713-1861" and "The Refiner's Tale," which discusses the origins of the Mormons. Trout came to Tufts in 1989 after receiving his Ph.D. From Duke University. He taught a wide range of both graduate and undergraduate courses at Tufts and specializes in history and literature of the late Antiquity. He is the author of Paulinus of Nola: Life, Letters, and Poems.

The Setonian
News

Money, logistics slow MOPS expansion

August 31

For over a year, Tufts students and administrators have worked to add a fifth restaurant to the popular Merchants on Points (MOPS) program, which lets students charge meals from four local restaurants to their Points Plus account. The major push from students is for the inclusion of a local Chinese eatery, open late, that will compliment the established MOPS restaurants - Espresso's Pizza, Wing Works, Near East Caf?©, and Urban Gourmet. However, according to the Director of Dining Services Patti Lee, expanding the MOPS program is a less-than simple process. Dating back to the 1999 spring semester, Lee has worked closely with the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate Services Committee on this project. Along the way, the group encountered many obstacles in its efforts to add a fifth restaurant. Dining Services' computer system cannot handle another restaurant with its current capabilities, said Lee. The computer system restriction, coupled with apparent funding issues within Dining Services, further complicated the process. "We would like it now, but there are steps that we have to take to make sure that it can actually happen before they make commitments. A funding source will have to be identified," Lee said. Dining Services faces a number of budgetary restrictions that might not accommodate increased MOPS business. "Dining services has a quota of money that they have to bring in every year," TCU Senate Services Committee Chair Melinda Coolidge said. "If [Dining Services] encouraged money that would be spent on food on campus to be spent off campus, then it puts them in debt. So basically, [Lee] has to evaluate if Dining Services can handle that money going off campus." After a significant delay, Coolidge thinks there seems to be some movement toward a resolution. "It's sort of interesting because I think that there seems to be some confusion about how we would get upgraded. In the spring of 1999 [the upgrade problem was the reason] why [Lee] told us we couldn't get another restaurant on MOPS. Then she said the system wasn't a problem, but there's a funds issue. "The last time I met with [Lee]... she was excited because she seemed confident that she could get the upgrade," Coolidge said. Lee also noted that Dining Services has been working on a number of initiatives, and that they cannot all happen simultaneously. This year, adding a Chinese restaurant to MOPS is a Dining Services priority, she said. And it may be just in time, especially considering that Dining Services' new revisions on meal plans rely heavily on points and dining dollars. "Last Sunday night, a delivery guy was arriving at the dorm every five minutes," sophomore Anabella Nieves said. "With MOPS it's easier to spend the dining dollars you have, because it's money you don't see. If the money's already available, and I don't use it, it's going to go to waste. It can be used only for food," Nieves said. The MOPS plan began approximately five years ago, when Lee, along with the Senate, sought a way for students to use their points to purchase food from local restaurants when cafeterias and other campus eating facilities are closed. Today, students can order a delivery from any of the four restaurants after 7 p.m. on weeknights and 1 p.m. on weekends. In order to join the program restaurants have to acquire special computer hardware. "The restaurant has to be able to identify the student in order to know if he or she had enough money to pay for the order," Lee explained. Each restaurant pays a 15 percent commission to Tufts for every MOPS order. The arrangement draws both positive and negative feedback from restaurants and students. The exact commission charge was arrived upon after a focus group at which Lee spoke with students and restaurant owners interested in instituting the MOPS program. Over 12 restaurants were invited to the meeting and the four that responded - College Pizza, China Inn, Espresso's, and Wing Works - became the MOPS pioneers. In organizing the program and choosing the commission charge, Lee looked to Duke University, as it was one of the first places to offer students a similar option. Taking commission "is a standard practice when you outsource a service," Lee said. "There is a shared profit." The Near East Caf?© manager commented that its business at Tufts has increased "substantially" since joining MOPS. However, he complained that the 15 percent commission is "a lot." The University has 12 dining options, of which 11 are available to students. The 15 percent commission from MOPS helps pay for the overhead lights, maintenance, cleaning, replaced articles, and food that is needed to feed the Tufts community.

The Setonian
News

Musical! The Musical' puts a different spin on musical theater

August 31

It was eerie. It was scary. But most of all, it was downright ridiculous. Exorcist! The Musical, that is. But wait a minute... you might not remember this one. No, it wasn't a Broadway flop or some ill-conceived amateur product of a musical workshop. As a matter of fact, Exorcist! The Musical was conceived and performed this past Friday evening at the intimate Works Theater in Davis Square by the Portal Theater Company. "It's Halloween, who knows what will happen?" sang ensemble member Cherly Singleton in the opening number, with a ghoulish look on her face. Her fellow cast members soon joined her on stage, setting the scene for a rather interesting but entertaining evening. The concept of spontaneous musical theater seems a bit bizarre in our world of pre-packaged, slick musicals such as Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon. But if we stand aside for a moment and look at the skeleton of any musical, we will soon find many structural similarities among them all. Nancy Howland Walker, former artistic director of ImprovBoston, originally developed the show's format in Chicago. The ensemble members of Musical! The Musical, who hails from a range of the top improvisational troupes in town, realized that the age-old art form of musical theater was the perfect subject for improv comedy. Once they got the basic structure of the musical down, performing a fully improvised, 90-minute, two-act musical became as easy as pie. Before the show starts, the cast members ask the audience for suggestions as to what the topic of their musical should be for the evening. Audience members shouted out Survivor! The Musical, Election 2000! The Musical, Indiana Jones! The Musical, The Blair Witch Project! The Musical, The Hobbit! The Musical, and Exorcist! The Musical. The cast had the audience vote on what they wanted the ensemble to perform. It was a close tie between Indiana Jones! The Musical, and Exorcist! The Musical, but the latter won in the end. Many of the people in the audience didn't even know the story of the film Exorcist, but the cast explained to the audience what they knew of the story, so they wouldn't be confused. Some of the cast said they hadn't even watched the film before. Audience members threw in some of their random knowledge about the film. "Her head turns 180 degrees," said the British man behind me, "And green snot comes out of her nose." Important details. The musical director chooses an audience member to play three notes on the keyboard that would set up the key for the overture, which, of course, he improvises on the spot. The chosen woman plucked out a major chord, which was a bit unfortunate, considering that the rather dark Exorcist story deserves a more eerie minor chord. He made do, however, and the creepy overture brilliantly set the scene for the musical. Christine Cannavo played the role of the possessed little girl, Karra. Her performance was the highlight of the entire evening. She had perfect comic timing and played off all of her fellow cast members with equal skill.Don Schuerman and TC Cheever played the role of the older priest and younger priest, respectively. They worked well together and were hysterical in songs such as "Exorcism is Not a Game," and "Prepare the Sacrament." Their low and commanding bass voices were perfect for their priestly parts. Schuerman was particularly engaging as the older priest because he was able to show off a great deal of film-specific knowledge. During the sacrament scene, he managed to recite Latin on the spot. Cheever, not as well-versed in Latin, decided to make up his own, unique version of Latin otherwise affectionately known as babble. The musical tended to drag a bit towards the end, especially during the introspective moments. Elaine Theodore, who played the role of Karra's mother, did a good job with her part. Unfortunately, we had to listen to her belt out a few too many times her feelings of frustration and confusion about her daughter's strange condition during songs such as "I Have to Have Faith," among others. Overall, though, the musical was a great deal of fun. One of the highlights was in the second act, when Satan, played by Larry Coen, commanded the priests in the song "All You Have to Do is Win." The ensemble members showed off their dancing skills in this song with a sultry and ridiculous tango.The exorcism scene was priceless. Don't even ask how they managed to have one of the priest's heads rolls off. Yes, it was silly. But, how could you not love a show whose closing number is a rousing rendition of "Possession is Good for the Soul." The cast members of Musical! The Musical really knew how to work together and play off each other. They were not afraid to take risks, no matter how silly they might seem to the audience. Some of the tunes they made up on the spot were actually quite good... a pretty impressive feat. You might even find yourself humming some of the songs on the way out. Musical! The Musical is a must see if you are a musical theater aficionado. You will, guaranteed, laugh yourself silly.Musical! The Musical will be playing at the Works Theatre (255 Elm Street) in Davis Square on Fridays & Saturdays at 8 p.m. through Oct. 28. Tickets are $12 with a student ID. Call (617) 776-8383 for more information.

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Crew anticipate season full of changes

August 31

The theme of the 2000-2001 crew program will definitely be one of overcoming rough waters. With the nucleus of the team still intact and with a strong sophomore class, the women's varsity is likely to rebound from last year's shaky 3-7 performance. The men's team, however, having lost half of its boat to graduation and juniors studying abroad, will need rowers to step up to match last season's success. The women's team is looking forward to a season of improvement, and in hopes to rebound from the loss of ten graduating seniors, 19 sophomores will move up this year to fill the void. "We had a good novice squad last year, there is a lot of room for improvement," coach Gary Caldwell said. "[We have] a very youthful squad." Thirty-one women comprise the varsity squad, including four coxswains. The team will be racing three boats with eight rowers each, including one light weight boat. The women's team prides itself on its cohesiveness. "Crew is not about individual efforts," Caldwell said. "It's the ultimate team sport. Another key to this year's success will be the squad's depth. There are 15 novices from last year that have all ascended to the varsity level. These sophomores will look to continue their winning ways, as both novice eight boats last year boasted winning records. The first few weeks of practice have excited the team about the fast start that they have had this year. "We are optimistic," said Sarah Lecain, a senior and varsity captain. "We started off very strong and dove right into workouts." Still, the team is reluctant to make any predictions. "Asking me to make a prediction now is like asking the baseball coach [now] to make a prediction for the spring," Caldwell said. "The real racing season isn't till the spring." The largest race this fall will be the Head of the Charles Regatta, which will be held on the Charles River Oct. 21-22. It features some of the top collegiate rowers from around the world. This five kilometer race is more typical of fall races, which tend to be longer than the two kilometer sprints of the spring. Last year the varsity women finished 13th in the event. The men's team, on the other hand, will be fighting an uphill battle to fill the gaps left by last year's graduating seniors and this year's juniors studying abroad. The team has lost four of its eight varsity rowers from last year. "We are starting from a blank slate," senior coxswain Jeff Lindy said. The chemistry of this year's team can at best be described as unstable. Despite these losses, Lindy remains hopeful. "If last year's JV rowers step up to fill the shoes that were left them, then we can go fast and win races," he said. The men's team will be putting out one varsity eight and possibly an additional boat of four. The team's success is largely dependant upon the performance of the sophomores, including Nate Rolander and Mike Friedburg, who should provide some added strength to the team. The squad may also be aided by the strength of a few strong recruited freshmen. "There are a couple of freshmen who are strong enough to be on varsity," senior Grady Knight said. "The question is whether the varsity coach will get around to incorporating them into the first boat." Another uncertainty for the men's program is the addition of a new coach, Ben Foster. Foster, the novice coach last year, spent four years rowing at Hobart College and hopes to help jump start the team. The first big challenge of the season will come on Oct. 1 at the Textile Regatta in Lowell, Mass. This race will be an early test for a team with an uncertain future. Still, it will be difficult for this year's team to overcome its losses. "This season is more about training," Knight said.

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Upperclassmen and freshmen bond in Explorations

August 31

"I love my class," senior Margery Yeager said enthusiastically about the Explorations class - "Political Domination and Student Activism" - she co-teaches with fellow senior David Moon. The atypical learning environment of the Explorations program, in which upperclassmen teach a seminar class to incoming freshmen, has proved to be a rewarding experience for many group leaders and their students. The Explorations program, an initiative of the Experimental College, was founded in 1972 as a new freshman advising program. "Explorations offers first-year students advising, learning, and a sense of community within the context of credit-bearing seminars designed and led by upper-level undergraduates," according to the Ex College's Fall Bulletin. The program also provides a unique opportunity for student leaders to take on the triple roles of professor, advisor, and friend to their group of freshmen. The idea for senior Lauren Maggio and junior Chelsea Davenport's Explorations class, "Cultivating Peace: Exploring International Children's Literature," came from an idea to include an interdisciplinary seminar for the incoming freshmen. Last spring, "the Peace and Justice Studies Department was trying to work with Explorations under the umbrella of the Decade for Peace" Davenport said. She and Maggio, both self-proclaimed literary-minded people, decided to approach this larger theme through the world of children's literature with their seminar. "We divided [the course] into four major international conflicts that involve children," Davenport said. The conflicts include World War II traveling to Johannesburg to find their mother. Students paired up to study a chapter of the book and examine the aspects of apartheid it addresses, including socio-economic class differences, racism, and domestic issues. In addition to studying the relationships between international conflicts and children's literature, the members of Maggio and Davenport's class share their "roses and thorns," or their ups and downs of the week. Students find relief in sharing the little things that get them through the week - going to see Almost Famous with friends, doing well on a Calculus exam - and commiserating over their endless homework and lack of sleep. Maggio and Davenport also set aside time each class to help students navigate Tufts' unusual calendar ("So we have Friday's schedule on a Wednesday?!") and the always-confusing block schedule. Other Explorations leaders take approaches similar to that of Maggio and Davenport by trying to incorporate advising into the academic environment. Junior Jenn Sapp and her co-leader Michelle Kahn, who teach a class titled "Alcohol and Society," always begin class by discussing the highs and lows of everyone's week. Seniors Greg Propper and Megan Dooley, who teach "The Making of a President: the 2000 Election," also try to both advise and teach their students. "We make sure we set aside at least a half an hour each week to go over advising stuff," Propper said. Explorations leaders must strike a balance between maintaining control of their classes and conserving a feeling of social equality in the classroom. Many leaders discover that they must simultaneously be teachers, advisors, and friends to the freshmen in their classes. "We were the first upperclassmen [our freshmen] met at Tufts," said senior Mike Glassman, who teaches a class titled "Creating Television" with fellow senior Jason Wang. Leaders act not only as academic advisors to their students, but also as mentors; freshmen often consider their leaders to be guides to social life at Tufts. "Although this is an academic class, it's a class that helps adjust the freshmen to college," Sapp said. "You're not only their teacher, but you're their peer leader," Yeager said. She suggested that maintaining an atmosphere of mutual respect often helps to incorporate these roles more easily. Many Explorations leaders find that their new positions as teachers allow them to greater appreciate the time and effort professors put into teaching courses. Each week leaders spend two to three hours researching and collecting material for class discussion and creating a lesson plan. "It's a lot of work - we get a whole new perspective of how much professors put [into their classes]," Propper said. Leaders usually begin planning and researching the classes during the spring semester and continue organizing over the summer. Yeager said she and Moon "spent hours and hours on the proposal [for our class]." According to Associate Director of the Ex College Howard Woolf, the Ex College runs two informational meetings - one in November and one in February - for those upperclassmen interested in leading an Explorations class. He said the most important consideration in leading a class is the time commitment. The Explorations program carries as much academic weight as any other course at Tufts. According to the Ex College Bulletin, in addition to teaching class each week, leaders also attend a credit-bearing methods course in which they "are exposed to a range of teaching techniques and learning theories, asked to articulate their course goals, and give a forum for discussing the unique problems that inexperienced teachers often encounter." Robyn Gittleman, Director of the Ex College and Explorations coordinator, serves as a resource for the student leaders. "[She] acts as a mentor to the two leaders, specifically around the teaching method," Woolf said. Gittleman and Woolf help student leaders find material, deal with problems, and synthesize ideas. Most leaders agree that the Ex College administration is helpful and supportive throughout the planning and teaching process. "They've been great," Propper said. Explorations classes benefit both the freshmen and the leaders. "I think this entire program on a whole is a great experience for [incoming freshmen] and for us," Glassman said.

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Playoff Wednesday at Tufts

August 31

Now this is how to get over the hump day. Tufts will play host to not one, but two playoff games this afternoon, as the both the women's soccer and field hockey teams host first-round postseason games today. First up will be the women's soccer team, which takes the field at 1 p.m. against the University of New England in an NCAA Division III Tournament first-round game. The Jumbos, who enter the tournament sporting a 14-3 record, are ranked third in New England and 20th nationally, are coming off an appearance in the finals of the NESCAC Tournament. This is the team's second time in the NCAAs; in the first, two years ago, Tufts won the New England title and advanced to the national quarterfinals before falling to Ithaca College, 1-0 at home. The New England Nor'easters are first-timers, earning a trip to the National Tournament after winning the Commonwealth Coast Conference with a 2-0 home win over Anna Maria. They enter at 13-5-1 and are currently ranked 15th in the region. The team, which is in just its second season as a part of Division III, has won five straight games coming into this one. Tufts' loss to Middlebury in the NESCAC finals ended a seven-game winning streak. That stretch included a 3-1 win over Bowdoin, which was ranked third in the nation at the time, in the NESCAC semifinals. Following the win over the Polar Bears, the team had also won 12 of its last 13 games. The team hopes to use a stellar defense, keyed by goalkeeper Randee McArdle, who owns an all-time Tufts record with 21 shutouts, to its advantage. Also important will be the play of Sara Yeatman, an All-American candidate at midfield who has ten goals on the season. The Jumbos come in as favorites, as UNE was blown out by the three NESCAC opponents it faced this fall. The Jumbos were 4-1 against those teams. The winner of today's game advances to the New England Regional Tournament at Middlebury this weekend, where it will face off with Bowdoin. Meanwhile, the field hockey team begins the ECAC New England Division III Tournament at 2 p.m. with the top seed. That, however, doesn't guarantee anything, as the Jumbos advanced to the championship game as the eighth seed a year ago. The first-round opponent for the Jumbos, who finished 9-7 overall, will be Bates. With a win, the team would advance to the quarterfinals against either Wesleyan or Connecticut. Tufts hopes to rebound after losing in the semi-finals of the NESCAC Tournament to Bowdoin on Saturday.

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Take a 'limbic trip' with Ellipsis

August 31

Mike Sempert and Ellipsis, a local jazz/funk band, recently had a demo CD put out by Telepathy Records, a local label run by Tufts student Elio DeLuca. They can be seen on campus at Oxfam on Nov. 3, and Brown and Brew on Nov. 29. Their CD, The Limbic Trip, is available at the campus bookstore and through the distributor's web site, www.telepathyrecords.com. I talked to Mike, a sophomore at Tufts, about the band, playing on campus, and the limbic system. What are your musical influences? My foremost influence in terms of being affected personally by music is John Coltrane, although the music that I play in my band is not so influenced by him. Another guy who I'd rank way up there would be Thomas Mapfumo, a Zimbabwean pop musician who was a big part of the anti-colonial upheaval of the '60s and '70s - music played a very big part in that.What does Zimbabwean pop sound like? It's beautiful. It's breathtaking. It's amazing. It's very rooted in tradition. He originally started out as just kind of what a lot of folks in Africa were doing in the early '60s. He was singing Motown - he had short cropped hair, and he was doing American music, rock 'n roll, in Zimbabwe. And then he kind of went through a personal transition and ended up going back to imbira music and Zimbabwean-rooted music, but instead of playing with imbiras, he had guitars. I'm also really into hip-hop, really into The Roots, A Tribe Called Quest... I'm into electronic music a little bit, Square Pusher, Ronnie Size, even Aphex Twin, and that's the stuff that is kind of coming out in this music. I'm trying to listen to Drum & Bass, because I feel like Drum & Bass has a lot in common with jazz playing, jazz drumming, so we're kind of integrating that. Composition-wise, Thelonius Monk and Wayne Shorter are two composers that I look up to more than most.How much of your playing is improvised? That's actually been happening a lot the past couple gigs - we've just been playing, and we'll start with a tune of mine, and it'll just turn into its own thing, and it's funny, 'cause the CD is so different from what we're doing nowIn what way? I think that we've all, in the short span since we made that record, gotten better, which is remarkable. That's kind of the phase that a lot of people are at: making leaps, stutter steps and then leaps, and it's incredible to watch. These guys who you played with a couple months ago, and then you play with them again and they sound incredible. It's great. So they all sound better, we've all improved a lot, we've been working a lot, but as a group we're better. And I think that's about us getting to know each other, and playing together.The last gig we played - we played at the Crafts House - I advertised it as "live psychedelic improvised dance music," 'cause that's kind of what we've been playing, and my goal with this music is to create... I feel like a lot of people forget that jazz is about sweat and moving and getting into it, and it's about sex, and having a good time, and it's a really, really fun and heavy and exciting music and I think a lot of people forget that and associate with the cocktail party vibe, and it's not like that, it's.... The word jazz, it's debated where it comes from, but the two options are that it either comes from the word Jasmine, which was a really cheap perfume that whores used to wear, or jizz. Directly from jizz. So either way, it's all about sex, and people kind of forget that and get wrapped up in this really uptight vibe, and we want to bring back the fun, and the excitement, and make people comfortable dancing to jazz. So a lot of times, we're playing more funk-oriented beats that are more danceable. The idea is that this music is supposed to be exciting. What's a 'limbic trip' [referring to the title of the album]? "Limbic" refers to the part of your brain, the limbic system, that controls motivational and emotional behavior. And "trip" is just to signify experience. In some ways, it's drug-related, but it doesn't have to be. It's a trip: it's its own experience. It just flowed right, and honestly, a lot of the titles to my tunes are just words that I think sound nice together."Cosmo's Tazmanian Deviltry?" [the title of one of the group's songs] That one and "Rusky Dusky Neon Dust" are both titles from [Hunter Thompson's book] The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. So in that way, it is somewhat associated with the psychedelic, but mostly just because I read that book, and I remembered thinking, "God, these chapter titles are so great, I'm gonna have to use these for tune titles." There was a while where I was writing a couple tunes a week, and it wasn't about sitting down, and somehow encompassing an experience into a song, it was like, "I'm writing music because this is what I do, I'm a composer, and I'll put titles on these so I remember which one's which, and these are cool words." Or "Ashley's Mechanical Pencil." I was in the practice rooms down in Aidekman - which are very uninspiring places - and I wrote a tune out, and I didn't have a pencil. My friend Ashley was walking by, and I borrowed her pencil. And it turned out not even to be hers, it was this girl Sara's, so it's pretty much a complete misnomer.What actions is Ellipsis taking to save Tufts's ailing social scene? Well, that's a good question. The idea is to create an experience where people can come and dance, and experience something new. I think it's tough now. The thing about it is that for a while there was such a heavy frat scene - and that's cool, and I don't have any problem with people who enjoy going to frats. But I personally don't enjoy going to frats, and I know a lot of people who don't, and I really like the idea of creating a new experience for people, where people are like, "Wow, this is totally different, and I have no idea what's happening to me, and I don't care, I'm just gonna dance and have fun." And that's what I'm constantly trying to do, as a musician and a composer, trying to do something new, something that people haven't quite heard before. So this is kind of a house party atmosphere: people can drink - if they want to, they can eat some mushrooms - and come down, and we're going to create that kind of experience... but because the frat scene itself is kind of fading as well, it's not so much an alternative as it might be the only option. And there are a lot of people who just aren't going to go in for that. Yeah, it's true, Tufts University is not dominated by people who would be like, "Wow, live psychedelic hip-hop improvised jazz dance music, yeah!" There are a lot of people who are going to be like, "What the f--k?" And that's cool too. But I definitely think there's a population at Tufts that needs to go and hear a live jam band, if that's what you want to call it, and have a good time.

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Late goal sinks soccer team

August 31

The men's soccer team fell to the Amherst Lord Jeffs yesterday at Kraft Field, as a late goal knocked the fourth-seeded Jumbos out of the first-ever postseason NESCAC Tournament. Fifth-seeded Amherst escaped with the victory by virtue of a surprise header goal off a corner kick with 2:29 to go in regulation, amidst muddy, drizzly and cold playing conditions. "We made a lot of good chances," coach Ralph Ferrigno said. "But we didn't put the ball in. I thought we played well all game." Throughout the match, players from both sides slipped and slid all over the field, which was covered with mud and puddles. Freshman midfielder Brian Mikel was also forced to leave the game early on, when he collided with another player in the air and suffered a nasty gash in his head. "You aren't going to play a perfect game on a field like this," Ferrigno said. The loss also marks the second time this year that Tufts has fallen victim to the Lord Jeffs, with both setbacks coming in Medford. Coach Ferrigno's squad also dropped a 2-0 decision to Amherst during the regular season on Sept. 27. "Amherst is a poor team," Ferrigno said. "They didn't play well but they won. That's soccer." The Brown and Blue saw their hopes of winning the NESCAC tournament slip away when Amherst junior defender Ryan Goodband rose above the pack in front of the Tufts goal to get his head on a corner kick from sophomore midfielder Piercario Valdesolo. The kick went to the middle of the box, catching several Tufts defenders off guard, before Goodband punched it in to the middle of the net. "I don't think we were prepared," sophomore defender Rupak Datta said. "We were just watching the ball as it went it." In a performance that mimicked their last meeting with the pesky Lord Jeffs, the Jumbos dominated possession for the majority of the game, but could not convert on a number of quality scoring opportunities. Junior tri-captain and midfielder Brad Stitchberry nearly gave his team the lead before the intermission, when he ripped a shot to the lower right corner from point blank range. But Amherst junior keeper Bill Orum dropped to his right and turned it back to keep Tufts at bay. Orum continued his mastery of the hosts, earning his second shutout against the Jumbos and fifth overall this season. "We dominated the game," Datta said. "We really controlled, that's what's frustrating...it's too bad it had to end like that." The second half featured a much more tenacious Lord Jeff squad, as they poured on the pressure. Senior keeper and tri-captain Steve McDermid was credited with five saves on the afternoon, as he dove all over the goal at various points in the contest. Seconds before giving up the winning score, the four-year starter blocked what appeared to sure goal. Amherst freshman midfielder Vivian Johnson dribbled into the box after beating two Jumbo defenders and fired a shot to the lower part of the net. McDermid extended his fingertips just far enough to tip the ball out of bounds, after diving to his left. "Steve made some huge saves," Datta said. "He came up big so many times, it's too bad it had to end like that." Tufts had its share of chances in the second half as well, highlighted by two near misses on open shots by sophomore midfielder Garrett Dale. The best of those two came with 16:30 to go in the game, when Dale cocked and fired after taking a pass from Stitchberry. The shot looked to be on target to clear the inside of the far post, but ended up rolling just wide and out of bounds. For the afternoon, the Jumbos were outshot by an 8-5 margin, while each team had five corner kicks. "They took advantage of their chances...we didn't," junior midfielder Pat Brophy said. "In the second half they put a lot more pressure on. They were good in the air so it was tough to defend. Brophy and the rest of the Jumbos now stand at 8-5-2 overall, as they await a likely ECAC Tournament bid. This fall will be the last time that any NESCAC team is invited to the ECAC Tournament, as a result of the new conference playoff format. "We have a few injuries that we will be able to rest in the next week to get ready," Ferrigno said.

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Students debate going abroad to Israel

August 31

Junior Naomi Brown was planning to spend her spring semester at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She had already been to Israel three times and felt safe there, but she began to rethink her decision when fighting in the area escalated at the beginning of October. Brown made her decision after viewing CNN coverage of a marketplace bombing. She was shocked - she had been to that marketplace in the past, and the report was the last straw. She decided to withdraw from the program, but not without some regret. "I've always wanted to live there rather than being a tourist," Brown said. Some students still plan to study abroad in Israel next semester, though, and others are there now. They all face a difficult decision, and need to balance media reports of increasing violence with Israeli claims that the current situation is not out of the ordinary. Junior Howard Wolke is currently spending his fall semester in Jerusalem at the Rothberg School for Overseas Students at Hebrew University. Wolke, like Brown, chose to study in Israel because he feels a strong connection to the country. Also, as a double major in comparative religion and history, he felt that Jerusalem would be the ideal study abroad destination due to its strong religious and historical background. "This is my fourth time being here, and each time I feel that I get closer to my heritage," Wolke said. Wolke claimed that he has felt safe during his previous trips to Israel, and he sees no reason not to feel safe during this one. "Basically, the main way I look at it - and all Israelis that I've talked to agree with me on this - I have a better chance of being hit by a bus than being blown up on one," Wolke said. "The only point when I would have even considered leaving would have been if [Tufts] had told me that I should. They still haven't, nor do I expect them to." While Wolke knows many people who have left in the middle of the semester to return home, he does not plan on leaving Israel until the semester is complete. "If I had to decide again, or if I was going next semester, then I would definitely still go," he said. "However, there are people who felt [that], when the whole situation began, they needed to return to the States. I definitely respect them for this decision. It is definitely a personal decision." The current situation not only influences those who plan to study abroad in the Middle East. It also affects Birthright Israel, a national program locally sponsored through Hillel, which allows students from schools around the country travel, expenses paid, to Israel over winter break. This year, 16 of the 40 Tufts students who planned to go on the Birthright Israel program withdrew. According to Rabbi Jeffrey Summit, Hillel has not yet decided whether students on the waiting list for the trip should be considered to fill the vacated spots. The program's itinerary will be different from past years. Students will only visit "secure" parts of Israel, not the West Bank or the Gaza Strip. Certain areas remain unaffected - even in Jerusalem. "I am not letting the current situation really change my life here," Wolke said. "I am still traveling where I want to travel, and still doing whatever it is I want to do. The current situation is nowhere near as bad as the foreign media make it out to be." Wolke's study abroad program holds a weekly "situation update" about the recent violence and has decided to cancel some field trips. Other than that, they have not done much to respond to the current situation. "Basically, the way I look at it is that this is my homeland. I feel very comfortable here, and very safe to be in this country," Wolke said. As for the Birthright trip, Summit said National Hillel and Birthright Israel have been in touch with senior security officials in Israel. "They really believe they can run a safe and secure trip," Summit said. "Of course, life comes with no guarantees." Brown received a letter last month from her study abroad program, informing her that, despite the current situation in Israel, the program would continue as planned. The Rothberg School currently enrolls almost 1,000 students, and, according to the letter, 96 percent plan to stay. The letter also stated that students or parents with concerns should contact school officials - but by this time, Brown had already decided not to go to Israel. Brown supports her friends who will still be going to Israel next semester, however. "I think it's their decision and I'm sure they'll be safe there," Brown said. Wolke agreed that now might not be the best time for some students to go to Israel, simply because their fear might hinder their experience. According to Summit, Israel has maintained a general calm for several years, and the current condition mirrors the situation that has existed in past decades. He said that students who travel to Israel might get a better idea of the way of life in the past. Last year, students on the Birthright Israel trip held talks with both Israelis and Palestinians, and Summit hopes that will occur this year. Of course, Brown could study abroad in a different location next semester. She feels, however, that the purpose of going abroad is for students to live in countries that they feel connections to - and she does not feel that connection to anywhere but Israel. "There's no other country where I really felt like I was being pulled to live... for six months," Brown said.

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Fencing cannot foil competition

August 31

Despite a mild setback in its last meet at the MIT invitational last Saturday, the women's fencing team is maintaining its optimistic outlook for the season. "Learning to fence is a lot like learning a new language," coach Jason Sachs said. "You can't expect to pick it up immediately. It takes some time." After going 3-3 in the last meet, it is clear that the Jumbos are not yet fluent in the language of fencing, though they are getting there. The team traveled to MIT and faced some of its toughest competition of the season at the last meet in the forms of Brandeis, MIT, Harvard, and Brown. While scoring an encouraging 7-2 victory over Brown, the Jumbos were not so fortunate against the other three powerhouses. The Jumbos fell to all three schools, each by a score of 3-6. Despite these key losses, the team did manage a final score of 3-3 on the day, as they handily disposed of Boston University and Dartmouth by convincing scores of 6-3 and 8-1, respectively. This gives the Jumbos a solid record of 7-4 on the year. Although the teams did not pull out wins against the stronger opposition, their play remained encouraging. "We lost a lot of bouts 5-4." Sachs said. "The meet was very close the whole way."The play of the sabre and foil teams remains the team's strong point, while the epee team, however, is still somewhat shaky. While the play of Amy Dickinson, the lone senior for the jumbos and leader of the epee team, remains strong, the rest of the group is still in learning stages. This is partially responsible for the number of very close losses at the meet. "I have such high expectations of what the epee should be," Dickinson said, "so it's hard to see us lose. I feel that I have to win all three of my bouts if we are going to win." "Once the players gain more experience they will know what to do in those close situations." Sachs said. The team refuses to be discouraged by their losses to the bigger teams. It is still very early in the season, and the team boasts a strong 7-4 record. "We're almost there, but not quite yet." Sachs said. "We have to get over that hump." The team's goals for the season remain the same, as well as the goal of qualifying one or more fencers for the national competition. With a little time and some patience the team is confident they can master this language of fencing. Other encouraging news for the team was the results from the Junior Olympic qualifying meet this past weekend. The under-20 year old members of the team traveled with Sachs to the meet and returned having qualified three individuals for the Junior Olympic meet later this year. Freshman Emily Finn of the foil team qualified along with sophomore Diana Deluca and freshman Casara Williams of the sabre team.

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Judicial procedures under scrutiny after Brandeis case

August 31

When David Schaer sued Brandeis University for denying him a fair hearing before the school's judicial board, ten area colleges filed briefs in Brandeis' defense. Tufts was among them. In late September, the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled against Schaer, and convicted him of sexual misconduct. Tufts officials breathed a collective sigh of relief at first news of the decision. If successful, Schaer's case would have called into question the very foundation of Tufts' form of justice: specifically, the right of a private institution to conduct hearings and mete out punishments when students are accused of criminal charges. "It was a victory for us," said Veronica Carter, Tufts' associate dean of students and the head of judicial affairs. Schaer was convicted of "unwanted sexual activity" after a former girlfriend filed charges against him with the university. According to the plaintiff, who was admittedly inebriated at the time of the incident, Schaer engaged in forced intercourse with her while she slept. He denied the charges, arguing at the hearing that the sex was consensual. When the verdict came down, Schaer found himself banned from campus for the summer, on disciplinary probation, and ordered to undergo counseling. The subsequent lawsuit initially concerned the technicalities of the Brandeis judicial system. Were the school's own rules followed by the disciplinary board of four students and two faculty members? The Supreme Court's ruling, however, has set broad guidelines for all private universities in its jurisdiction. The 3-2 majority opinion ruled that "a university is not required to adhere to standards of due process guaranteed to criminal defendants." That decision, written by Justice Ruth Abrams, allows university administrators to construct unique standards of justice, which may or may not reflect the norms of the American criminal justice system. The laws of the Commonwealth have long supported this precedent, only permitting student appeals of university disciplinary findings in cases where the school's own rules were applied in an "arbitrary or capricious" manner. It is rare that the university procedures themselves come under scrutiny, and the recent ruling further strengthened the hand of academic judicial officers. "The ruling says that private schools have the right to create their own judicial systems," Dean of Students Bruce Reitman said. "[Tufts] made a decision way back that we have a moral obligation to pursue [criminal-level] cases. It's probably nice that the Court affirmed that right." But critics of the power of collegiate judiciaries, both at Tufts and throughout Massachusetts, argue against the latitude afforded to universities in their ever-evolving establishment of a disciplinary structure. Accusations range from a pro-victim bias to amateur hearings to overly ambiguous statutes. Daniel Lewis (LA, '00), a former member of the Tufts Community Union Judiciary (TCUJ), sat on a sexual assault case last year and emerged highly skeptical of Tufts' justice. Since then, he has been active in efforts to defend civil liberties on college campuses. "The system has its problems," Lewis said. "When dealing with real crimes, I don't think the University has the wherewithal to handle these cases. It's better to leave it to real police." On the Tufts campus, Lewis argued, there is an inherent bias towards the victim that can potentially taint the objectivity of collegiate judicial panels. "At Tufts, being accused is step one to being guilty," he said.Schaer was not alone in his lawsuit, which named seven Brandeis administrators as defendants in addition to the university. The Massachusetts chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union filed an amicus (friend-of-the-court) brief on Schaer's behalf. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), an organization that has been highly critical of Tufts in the past, filed one as well.For attorney Harvey Silverglate, FIRE's vice president and co-founder, universities throughout the nation do not protect the rights of accused students. "We don't happen to know any university that has a system that is adequate to the task," Silverglate said. "We do have a suggestion for how to deal with this problem. If there is a charge against a student where it constitutes serious criminal conduct, the university would be better off letting the criminal justice system take its course and letting the student judiciary follow-up. "I haven't found anyone on any campus who is professional about this. They pride themselves on the fact that these proceedings are not legal proceedings," he said.Reitman disagrees. When addressing the topic, he cited a situation in which a student accused of rape was permitted to remain on campus. There was no university intervention prior to the findings of the criminal court and raped again before his conviction and sentencing. "What do you do with a person when you're waiting for the court for a year and half?" he asked. His answer: "To the best of your ability, you go forward with the procedure." Reitman has much confidence in the procedure. Since 1987, there have been 26 student-to-student rape charges filed with the Tufts administration. Thirteen times, the accused student voluntarily left Tufts. One quarter of the cases were resolved in formal mediation and only about six ever reached the hearing stage. Of those, the guilty to not-guilty ratio is exactly even. That last statistic, Reitman said, "hopefully demonstrates that there's some fairness." According to Reitman, approximately 40 percent of cases are appealed, but the student almost always objects to the severity of the punishment rather than any procedural improprieties. "I think it is very professional. It's very well organized," said Jessica Branco (LA, '00), former co-chair of the TCUJ. Branco, who was in charge of the TCUJ when the Tufts Christian Fellowship controversy broke last year, sat on three disciplinary panels during her time at Tufts, including the case Lewis characterized as unjust. "I do believe that justice was served [in that case]," she said. "I think it's a very effective judicial system for the University to have in place." The state Supreme Court seems to agree with Branco. In fact, its ruling almost takes for granted the ability of college administrators to create disciplinary procedures that do not resemble criminal law, but nonetheless maintain appropriate levels of fairness. Carter spoke with a Brandeis attorney about the case after the Court handed down the Brandeis decision, and has since modified Tufts procedures to eliminate any legalistic terminology that would give students the false impression that University due process mirrors state criminal justice. "We update the booklet every summer," she said. "We did try to change our wording after the case."

The Setonian
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The Tufts' smile

August 31

The best time at Tufts is when the sun is shining, the leaves are changing color, and the temperature is cold enough that you're not sweating in the Massachusetts' humidity but warm enough that you're not required to wear a multitude of J. Crew fleece. That is when faces are still fresh from the summer. That was my first impression of Tufts, freshman year. Then, as the seasons changed and the weather grew colder, I shivered as I began to see a different side of Tufts. I'm heading up the library steps, and there is a lone person walking down towards me. I see her in her black boots and flared pants. Our paths converge at a singular point, in front of the library perhaps, and I look at her but she looks up or away. No eye contact. It's impossible that she missed me - the moving mass of atoms closing in on her. What risk would she have taken if she looked at me? Was she afraid? Was she too busy? Why is that people walk by me but won't look me in the eye? Perhaps it's too much to ask that someone might acknowledge a fellow human being walking by. That's what I used to think. When walking to classes, I used to look at people and offer a smile they wouldn't return. A na??ve freshman, I once counted on my way to Latin class: twenty people I passed that morning didn't look at me. I confided in a fellow classmate how upset I was that no one would look at me. Keith, a junior at the time, shook his head sympathetically and said, "Jenn, I hate to say it, but I think most people's averages are better than that."That made me consider the thought that maybe I'm too painfully hideous to look at. I was sad at first; what was so awful that people didn't want to look at me? They avoided me. Then, I realized through talking with friends that people "out here" don't do that. Exasperated with my disappointment they would say, "Jenn, you don't just look at people when you walk by them - and smile?" Okay, so I couldn't expect most people to take the initiative but I could expect them to be polite. Civility isn't a favor, in most cases, anyway. Then, it became a game to see how long I could smile at someone before he/she would awkwardly and ever so slightly turn his/her head in a jerking motion to covertly make eye contact. I found a deranged satisfaction when I could make them uncomfortable enough that they felt they had to look at me. But soon, I tired of the game. It lost its novelty, or I became less satiable. So I grew bitter. If they couldn't look at me, or smile, then I wouldn't bother to look at them. But then the campus just seemed so lonely. Five thousand people meandering around the hill and no one looking at each other. Its an odd world: black boots, cellular phones, messenger bags, and no smiles. So, I told myself to let go of the fact that people who didn't know me wouldn't smile at me. I had bigger beef. I'd sit next to someone for an entire semester in a small class. We were discussion group partners or I had made small talk because apparently, I'm "weird and friendly;" we had interacted. For a whole semester this person would say hi to me when we crossed paths on campus. And then, once the semester ended and the next one began, we were strangers again. It's exceedingly frustrating that I know that they know that I know that they know me and yet, they won't smile at me or offer a flicker of recognition. Have they suddenly been struck with temporary amnesia?; have they become too good for me?Unfriendly hall mates is another problem. People who I saw every morning running down the hall half-naked in their bathrobes or towels, whose name I knew because of the colorful nametag on their door, or with whom I ate cookies at hall snacks. But they couldn't say hi to me. It was as if they didn't recognize me. I began to wonder if I was indistinguishable. There is a large number of Asians on campus, perhaps I just blended. But that was impossible: I weigh more than 90 pounds, I don't have shiny straight Asian hair, I don't have high cheekbones or porcelain skin.Eventually, I concluded that the only solution was that I had to know everyone. I had to know everyone well enough that they wouldn't be able to walk by me without an obligatory hello or nod of acknowledgement. Then I realized that meeting five thousand people, including incoming freshmen every year, might prove to be a futile task. The answer was evasive; it escaped my grasp every time I walked through the quad. Each time I smiled with no return. Alas, two and almost-a-half-years on the hill have brought but a few friendly faces. A bittersweet minority due to the impending sadness of knowing that on a bad day, I most likely won't get a smile from a stranger. I won't be on the receiving end of a pleasant split-second connection with someone I don't know - but someone who is a fellow human being, a fellow student. Isn't college about meeting people? Aren't we all on the same hill? Aren't we all Jumbos? What would happen if we all acknowledged each other when we passed around campus? What would happen? Would the skies open up and Charles Tufts descend on campus ranting, "No! We must be unfriendly and indifferent! No smiling on this hill!" ? Granted, I've been harsh. Maybe it's not unfriendliness. Perhaps it is rooted in insecurity, shyness, or the defense mechanism of not making oneself vulnerable to rejection. I have little sympathy for those that are too afraid to meet the world face up and head on. Perhaps it's just oblivion that causes the glassy-eyed-looking-past-me-while-I-smile-at-you incident. I'll admit, there are friendly people on this hill. There exists a small and diluted group of people who return my smile with a smile of their own. It excites me when we share that special moment - that moment when two people are connected by a simultaneous muscle contraction - a smile. And yes, we all have bad days when we'd rather scowl and not see anyone's face. But it's hard to be angry when you are smiling. It's like keeping your eyes open when you sneeze.Maybe it's my West Coast upbringing, perhaps it's my annoying ability to never forget a face, or my hopeless idealism, my over-sensitivity, or maybe it's just me alone in this world smiling like an idiot. Regardless, if you're walking around campus and you see a not-so-petite Asian girl with frizzy hair and you're pretty sure that you've never met her before or you have only a vague recognition, and she smiles at you - could you just smile back? You never know, it just might make her day. Sunshine and Smiles, JennJennifer Marsidi is a junior majoring in English and child development.

The Setonian
News

TCU Senate repeals mandatory meetings

August 31

The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate voted on Sunday to repeal its Spring initiative to hold mandatory meetings for leaders of TCU-funded organizations and penalize groups that do not attend. Instead, the Senate plans to work with campus leaders to create new "leadership and community-building seminars" in hopes of promoting more unity within the TCU. Citing growing dissatisfaction among student groups with the meetings and a pending constitutional referendum to repeal unpopular measures, Senate President David Moon initiated the move to repeal the mandatory attendance requirement and the punitive punishments. Several student organizations found the meetings to be of little use, according to Senate Vice President Eric Greenberg. Clubs like the Strategic Gaming Society with very small budgets claim to be self-contained and do not see any benefits to the "luncheon" style meetings. "I felt that the level of success of the meetings was not what we expected or hoped for," said Greenberg, who co-coordinated the gatherings last year. The Senate did not abolish TCU meetings altogether, but, in two separate motions, stripped them of all authority. In the first vote the body overturned its decision to make the meetings mandatory. The motion passed with an fairly contentious 18-7-1 vote. Once they decided to deregulate the meetings, senators voted unanimously to rescind the punitive measures. A coalition of the new University College of Citizenship and Public Service (UCCPS), the Office of Student Activities, and the TCU Senate will now work to find other ways of developing communications within the TCU. The Senate decided against unilaterally determining the policy for the coalition, particularly because "UCCPS and the Office of Student Activities were much further in the [effort's] planning process than we were," Greenberg said. Regardless of their format, future meetings will most likely reflect many of the original TCU community meetings. "[We] are currently working on assembling a set of meetings, almost exactly in structure to last year's Leadership Alliance meetings. The meetings will be skill-building and community-building leadership workshops, with invitations going out to one member of each student organization," Moon said. The coalition is currently working on a leadership breakfast scheduled for Oct. 25. This year, campus leaders seem less bothered by the new community-building and leadership plans. "The UCCPS definitely has things that student leaders can benefit from," said Sam Dangremond, the co-president of the Tufts Republicans. "I plan to attend. But, I would only do that if it's an open invitation. For me to be mandated to do so because I'm a president is ridiculous." The "TCU Meetings" grew out of former Senate President Larry Harris's Leadership Alliance initiative. After several disappointing meetings, Lincoln Filene Center associate James Weinberg, who co-ran the alliance with the Senate, proposed that the seminars would be more successful if the Senate made them mandatory. The Senate consented, renaming them TCU Meetings, and voted to have the Allocations Board (ALBO) write a bylaw making attendance mandatory. According to Senate Treasurer Michele Shelton, ALBO did just that, specifying that a club "could face Treasury disciplinary proceedings," including defunding, if it failed to attend half the mandatory meetings each semester.

The Setonian
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Fight to strengthen nondiscrimination policy continues

August 31

A banner stating "Thanks for the e-mail. Now where's out policy?" hung from the trees outside Ballou earlier this week compliments of the group formerly known as Tufts Students Against Discrimination. The group, which now refers to itself only as TSAD, is working to strengthen the University's nondiscrimination policy, and continues to clamor for a stronger, University-wide decree against discrimination. Although University President John DiBiaggio addressed the issue in an e-mail to students last week, the group feels that more action needs to be taken to fix what they perceive a holes in the current nondiscrimination policy. Today, the group is launching a student education campaign to garner support for their month-long quest. They will be tabling the dining halls and distributing a fact sheet to the dormitories, among other promotional activities. TSAD is asking that both the administration and student government adopt policies that protect not only a person's identity, but their acceptance of that identity as well. "That will hopefully encourage more mobilization on campus," said TSAD organizer Thea Lavin. "What we're basically asking is that the administration reaffirm the nondiscrimination policy." TSAD was formed last month after the Tufts Community Union Judiciary (TCUJ)'s ruling on a complaint against the Tufts Christian Fellowship (TCF) raised concerns about the strength of Tufts' nondiscrimination policy. The TCUJ ruled that then-junior Julie Catalano was improperly discriminated against last year based on her homosexuality itself, but also stated that the TCF could legitimately exclude her from a leadership position for her belief that homosexuality is biblically acceptable - provided that the group applies that standard equally to all of its members. TSAD, however, feels that individuals cannot separate their identity from acceptance of that identity, and thus believes that this decision legitimizes discrimination on campus. In order to address this issue, TSAD is pushing for change on several fronts, and much of its effort has been focused on getting the administration to revise the current nondiscrimination policy. They feel that DiBiaggio's e-mail to the student body was a step in the right direction, but that it was too vague and that more action needs to be taken to address the issue. "It was good for the administration to write that e-mail, but it wasn't good enough. The administration says that they're against discrimination in terms of sexual orientation, and yet they refuse to take a stand on the issue that the J was confused about," said TSAD member Vanessa Dillen. "They're sort of giving this blanket statement without addressing the central question." "The administration has been deeply disappointing. It took President DiBiaggio over two weeks to respond, and when he did respond, many students found it vague and apathetic," Lavin said. "The administration isn't willing to initiate the reaffirmation." TSAD is taking action outside the administrative channels as well, and wants to prevent student organizations from discriminating by giving the TCUJ clearer guidelines on what constitutes a violation of the University's policy. It is also pushing the Committee on Student Life to adopt a policy that would require all groups applying for recognition or re-recognition to prove that they have a history and constitution that is free from discrimination. It is also working with the TCU Senate's constitutional reform committee to write a nondiscrimination policy into the section of the TCU constitution that deals with the TCUJ, which would give the body more leeway to interpret the policy. The proposed addition would state explicitly that identity and self-acceptance are linked and calls for the automatic derecognition of groups that violate the nondiscrimination policy, according to Senate parliamentarian Benjamin Lee. "By putting the nondiscrimination policy into the constitution, hopefully, when another group came up like this, they would defend the spirit of the policy," Lee said. "Hopefully, this would give them the freedom to be more interpretive. However, the changes to the constitution are still in the discussion stage and will not be voted on by the student body until next April. Members of TSAD say that the issue is no longer about TCF, and that they are simply working to prevent discrimination from occurring in the future. "The decision has been made about TCF, and I don't want to open that at all," said TSAD member Courtney Young. "In the future, I'd like to see a little more action taken. If a group violates the nondiscrimination policy or the Tufts rules, then they shouldn't be recognized. I don't see any reason why they should." Young said that TSAD's work has received a positive response from students who know and care about it, but that many are unaware of the issue and of TSAD in general. "I'm sure there are still people who don't know what's going on," she said. "I think that the issue has so many different aspects that it's hard to get every single person on campus educated."

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