Liberal arts students studying Hebrew now have the opportunity to add the language as a minor after the School of Arts and Sciences unanimously supported a proposal that would institutionalize a program of Hebrew-based study.
The Perseus Digital Library Project recently received a $285,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to use government supercomputers to research methods of automatically analyzing ancient languages.
After emerging from a high-stakes showdown against the state's largest insurance provider, Tufts Medical Center officials remain tight-lipped about a deal expected to stave off widespread patient disruption.
I n last semester's installment of The Cultural Culinarian, I shared quite a few things about myself as I discussed culinary topics from soup to nuts — literally. I have a spontaneous peanut allergy; I get sick every October like clockwork and crave my grandma's chicken noodle soup; Anthony Bourdain is my culinary Buddha and Rachael Freaking Ray is my bête noire. So, in the interest of sharing, I'd like to divulge a new piece of information: I am pretty fashion illiterate. My winter wardrobe consists of lots of jeans, Tufts sweatshirts and down vests; I choose warmth and comfort over style. As I was channel surfing one night over winter break, I came upon a segment on my local news station that asked viewers to "go nuts with their clothing" this season. I was intrigued and decided to tune in for some pointers. The segment took place in a Footlocker in New York City. A very peppy correspondent was discussing the latest trends in exercise gear and loungewear. I've got the whole pajama bottoms and sweatpants thing down pat, so I was about to change the channel when things got interesting. It turns out the woman literally meant using nuts for fashion. The segment focused on apparel made from CoCoNa, an eco-friendly fabric that contains charcoal made from coconut shells. New Balance has been using CoCoNa in their running gear since 2007, and now several of their running shoes feature liners made with the fabric. There are many benefits to CoCoNa over other natural fabrics: it's odor resistant; it has cooling properties; it is a natural anti-microbial; and it has high levels of UV protection. If you think about it, CoCoNa does the same thing to you as a coconut shell does to coconut flesh — it keeps you cool, protected and free from harmful microbes and UV rays. Clearly, this is a far cry from your average coconut bra. I starting flicking through the channels again once the CoCoNa segment was over, and when I landed on a Style Network montage of the annual Chocolate Show, my heart skipped a beat. It was like the perfect night of TV. To understand my excitement, you need to know another thing about me: even though I am hopeless with my own fashion choices, I love fashion-themed reality TV. I don't answer my phone during "Project Runway" and I want Stacy and Clinton from "What Not to Wear" to give me a makeover. The Chocolate Show is my all-time favorite fashion TV experience. Like CoCoNa products, it combines the culinary and textile arts — fashion designers are paired with pastry chefs and chocolatiers to design avant-garde gowns made entirely from chocolate. It's part culinary demonstration, part fashion show, part fundraiser that travels to major fashion meccas around the world. The show draws big names from both industries each year; Carmen Marc Valvo was a guest designer in 2007 and Jacques Torres is a perennial collaborator. The gowns are extraordinary and usually look like they are designed from fabrics and not chocolate. Watching highlights from the Chocolate Show every year is like satisfying my TV sweet tooth. Food and fashion may not seem like an obvious match. Most people think that if you want to indulge in one, you need to cut back on the other. CoCoNa and the Chocolate Show, however, prove that food and fashion are the perfect mix — both involve cutting-edge techniques and constant innovation. Even though I will never become a fashionista, if wearing your food is in, I'm all for it.
This article is the third in a four-part series about how the recession has affected different parts of the university. As the economic situation remains gloomy, students are buying fewer high-end food products, utilizing the dining halls more and spending less on food in general. But Dining Services is trying to ensure that empty pockets do not result in empty stomachs. The recession impacted campus food services noticeably "across the board," influencing customers, employees and vendors, and Dining Services has made cuts to try to keep prices down while ensuring food quality, according to Associate Director of Dining Services Ralph Perrotto. "It certainly impacts the way our customers choose to spend money," Perrotto said. "Since we're customer-focused, we need to do a lot of adapting." While food prices in general have been increasing for nearly a year, prices on campus have remained unchanged. In fact, Dining Services has begun to offer lower-cost options in the campus center, including a ten-item value menu in the Commons, with the hope of appealing to more customers. But even though Dining Services has worked to keep food prices on campus consistent, campus eateries like Brown and Brew, Tower Café and those located in the Mayer Campus Center have all experienced decreases in business, according to Perrotto. Brown and Brew has been hit the hardest, he said, explaining that a combination of causes, including the eatery's location and uncooperative weather have impacted revenue. Perrotto added that the effects are compounded by "the fact folks are spending less to begin with." Students have begun decreasing their use of JumboCash, especially toward the purchase of more expensive, luxury food products. Sales of higher-end goods — such as sushi, Odwalla products and all-natural vegetarian meals available at a number of eateries — have declined. On the other hand, the number of students enrolling in meal plans this semester has increased, Perrotto said. He could not say, however, whether this change was a result of the economic downturn or of this year's changes to the meal plan structure. To combat the decrease in business, Dining Services has followed multiple strategies, including looking carefully at decisions regarding which products it should buy, reigning in costs by suspending certain services and making staff adjustments. A food cart in the Tufts building at 80 George Street and a small lunchroom in the Tufts Administration Building were closed over break. In addition, the faculty and staff luncheon buffet service in the Chase Center in Carmichael Hall was suspended this month. Dining Services has not laid off any of its employees, but the department has made changes to employees' hours and locations. "We may have employees who typically work in one operation on campus working in other operations depending on where the customer flow is at that time," Perrotto said. The recession's reach is not limited to dining on campus though; student business at several restaurants that are part of the Merchant Off-Campus Partners (MOPs) system has declined as well. At Andrea's House of Pizza in Watertown, business in general has slowed down almost 30 percent due to the economic downturn, according to owner Bob Iliopoulos. Business from Tufts students is down by about 15 percent from last year, he told the Daily, attributing the smaller decline to the fact that Tufts students continue to make purchases using JumboCash. Zeynep Sutlu, a manager at Wing Works in Somerville, has seen an even greater decrease in student business. "There's definitely probably like a 40 to 50 percent difference in the sales totals from last year to this year from Tufts students," he told the Daily.
Whoever devised the old proverb "You may pick your friends, but you can't pick your family," has clearly never experienced Greek life at Tufts.
When students launched their Web browsers Monday night, something unexpected greeted them: "TuftsLife 2.1," the newly revamped version of Tufts' popular informational Web site.
WEDNESDAY "Beyond Politics: Voices from the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict" Details: A panel of students will speak about their personal experiences living amidst conflict in the Middle East, and an open discussion will follow. This is the third installment in a collaborative effort among student groups following the conflict in the Gaza Strip in southern Israel. When and Where: 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.; Crane Room, Paige Hall Sponsors: The New Initiative for Middle East Peace, Arab Student Association, Pathways, Tufts Friends of Israel, Muslim Student Association, and Tufts Hillel "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Annual Celebration" Details: A celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s work and legacy will include a presentation by Wayne Budd, a former U.S. associate attorney general. When and Where: 5:15 p.m.; Goddard Chapel Sponsors: Office of the President, Office of the Provost, Office of Institutional Diversity, the Africana Center, the Office of the University Chaplains, the Protestant Chaplaincy, the Catholic Center, Tufts Hillel, Peace and Justice Studies department, Office of Equal Opportunity THURSDAY "EPIIC Film Series: WALL·e" Details: The first installment of a film series preceding the upcoming 2009 EPIIC International Symposium on Global Cities. The popular movie "WALL·E" will be shown. When and Where: 7:30 p.m.; Braker 001 Sponsors: EPIIC: Global Cities, the Institute for Global Leadership
This is the first article in a two-part series that will examine the increasingly popular communications and media studies minor at Tufts. The first installment will focus on the dissatisfaction that some students have with the program's lack of marketing-related classes, while the second part, to run in tomorrow's issue, will take a look at the role of the ExCollege and internships in the minor, as well as some of its limitations the program has as a résumé builder for students' futures.
French Ambassador to the United States Pierre Vimont spoke yesterday of the importance of American and European relations in combating the challenges of a changing world in a lecture at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
This article is the second in a four-part series about how the recession has affected different parts of the university.
As the semester -- and this column -- gets started up, I hope you'll enjoy reading. This column will focus on the Tufts community and things that students really enjoy.
Tufts Community Union (TCU) President Duncan Pickard began the Senate's spring term on Sunday with a focus on how the body should adapt to the deteriorating financial climate. Pickard specifically highlighted the need to reevaluate campus-wide expenses and to preserve the student body's socioeconomic and cultural diversity.
While many Jumbos remained on the Hill yesterday, flooding the campus center to watch inauguration speeches and grumpily sitting through classes, hoping to be released early, some Tufts students braved the snowy highways and traveled to Washington, D.C., to witness President Barack Obama's acceptance speech and absorb the atmosphere of the historic day.
Many students who remained on campus throughout the 2008 presidential race felt that there could have been no better way to ring in inauguration than with the hundreds of other Jumbos who gathered in Hotung and celebrated together on the quad.
Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, shared her hopes for the future of women's reproductive health care in the new Obama administration in a speech in Cabot Auditorium on Friday.
MONDAY "Superheroes in a Globally-Connected World" Details: Naif al-Mutawa (LA '94), who created the most popular comic book series in the Middle East, "The 99," will discuss how children learn about ethnicity in media in a panel discussion. Associate Professor of Child Development Calvin "Chip" Gidney and graduate student Neil Cohn will also sit on the panel. When and Where: 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.; Tisch 304 Sponsors: Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service, Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development and the Communications and Media Studies Program "Relay for Life 2009 Kick-Off Extravaganza" Details: A kick-off event for the annual Tufts Relay For Life, to take place in a couple months. Pizza and drinks will be available for students who register in advance. The event will include performances from various student groups, including B.E.A.T.S, and presentations by speakers who have had personal experience with cancer or who have participated in the relay in the past. When and Where: 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Mayer Campus Center Sponsor: Relay for Life 2009 TUESDAY "Leonard Carmichael Society Blood Drive" Details: Donate blood as part of the Leonard Carmichael Society's regular blood drive with the Red Cross. Donors will receive free Dunkin' Donuts coffee and other free refreshments and giveaways. Register online at TuftsLife.com. When and Where: Tuesday 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Wednesday 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Thursday 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Friday 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Hodgdon Hall lounge Sponsor: Leonard Carmichael Society
This is the first article in a two-part series that will explore the conflicts in Israel and its effects on students. This installment will focus on students who are either from Israel or who are currently studying in Israel and their lives amidst war; the second piece, which will run later this week, will discuss how the events in Israel affect students at Tufts. When the stars began to appear, marking the end of the Sabbath on December 27, Boston University freshman Amy Woogmaster was preparing to board her plane to Israel; Bat Yam Yeshiva student Jonathan Ganzarski was on Jerusalem's famous bar-filled Ben-Yehuda Street; Rochester University junior Bat-Hen Sayag was in her Jerusalem apartment watching television. Aside from the 130 Qassam rockets firing into southern Israel and the Israeli Defense Forces' military operation launching in the Gaza Strip, it was an average Saturday night. Sayag explained that although Israelis have not become callous to the violence that threatens their everyday lives, there are only so many ways in which one can take precaution when the danger zone is at home. Stay away from Sderot and other frequently bombed territories, keep out of the old city in case of rioting, change your bus routes, avoid public transportation — these are all warnings that Israeli residents and visitors hear regularly and frequently choose to take into account. But at some point, daily life must — and does — go on. "Honestly, I don't feel like I'm living through a war," said Sayag, who lives in Jerusalem and is relatively remote from the recent attacks. "Two years ago when we were at war with Lebanon, I felt it. But now it's far away from me." But for those who live in the south, home to Israel's border with Gaza and the target of over 3,000 Qassam rocket and mortar shell attacks over the past year, life has been more significantly altered. People live under the highest warnings and know that the sound of a siren indicates that they have 15 seconds to run to the nearest bomb shelter before a predicted attack. And the sirens are not an unfamiliar sound. "Life in the south is almost non-existent — they spend half the time there in shelters," David Kashi, a student at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya said. Kashi, whose cousins are students at the Ben-Gurion University in the southern city of Be'er-Sheva, explained that life in that territory has been put on hold for college students. "The university there is closed, and my cousins are home, waiting to go back to school and finish the semester," he said. Sarah Belfer, an American student at Barnard College, visited Israel over her winter break despite the rapid breakdown of the six-month cease-fire and the declaration of war. While she remained in Jerusalem for the duration of her trip, Belfer's friends and family in Yavneh were much closer to the conflict. "One of the times the siren went off [in Yavneh], my friend was in her car on the way to a doctor appointment," Belfer said. "She said she had no idea what to do, as she really didn't know where the closest shelter was. She just got out and lay beneath the car on the ground — waiting." Israel is a relatively small country, and if students like Belfer and Kashi are not directly affected by the fighting, then friends, family or acquaintances typically are. And in many cases, even areas that were once deemed safe from attack no longer guarantee that kind of invulnerability. Still, those in Israel breathe in and move on. "As the missile range grew, my area of restriction grew," Ganzarski said. "But my day-to-day life is completely the same." As they have shown, those who wish to visit Israel from abroad will not let the bloodshed stop them. For non-Jewish foreigners, however, the decision is potentially more difficult since their tie to the land is less potent and the danger no less severe. Belfer was faced with this dilemma in her layover in Rome. "There was a family behind me [in] line, and I heard the mother say to the rest of the family, ‘I met a guy on the flight who is going from Rome to Israel!' I thought to myself, is this crazy?" she said. Hesitations aside, Belfer made it to Jerusalem confident that in spite of all the violence, now is the time to visit. "It's really important to go to Israel during challenging times in order to show solidarity," she said. Woogmaster, who also spent her break in Israel, agreed. "It is important to be in Israel and to stand side by side with the Israelis who have to be there," she said. "I landed in Israel the day after the war broke out, and all I felt was happy — happy that I would be there during this crisis."
Barack Obama took the oath of office to become the 44th president of the United States yesterday, pledging to millions in Washington, D.C. and around the world that America would emerge triumphant over its formidable challenges and remake itself in the years to come.
2 million: people at the National Mall 1861: year in which Lincoln was sworn in, with the same Bible Obama used 15: number of times Obama used the word nation in his address 72: percent of Americans that say the country will be better off in four years 34: percent approval rating for George W. Bush 8,000: police officers present 10,000: National Guard troops present 1,000: FBI personnel present 200: guests who attended the inaugural luncheon 67: percent of Americans that said they planned to watch the ceremony 710: days since Obama announced his bid for the presidency 27: degrees outside in Washington, D.C. 10: number of official inaugural balls throughout the night —compiled from CNN.com, USAtoday.com, Gallop and the Pew Research Center by Sarah Butrymowicz
