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The Setonian
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Classless

October 22

It's been a rough couple of weeks for me, sports-wise. The Red Sox issue, which we needn't get into (although I could write about 5,000 words ranting on that topic, rest assured), left me glum, depressed, melancholy, put out, forlorn, and contemplating the meaning of life. Let's just say that Friday was a rough day, and leave it at that. But what better way to top off that wonderful dejected feeling than watch four teams from my school get pounded by none other than Evil Empire Jr., known to the layman as Williams College. Imagine my delight when, two days after watching my team suffer one of the most heartbreaking losses in sports history to the bastion of all things evil, I watched the Tufts football, field hockey, and men's and women's soccer teams get creamed by the Division III equivalent of the New York Yankees. Super. Williams and the Yankees have a lot in common. They both win EVERYTHING, they both suck up all of the best available talent, their fans both stink, and they both beat up on my teams every single year. Hell, George Steinbrenner even went to Williams. I guess it was only fitting that at half time of Saturday's football game, Williams' sorry excuse for a marching band tried to play the Imperial March from Star Wars. It would have been a nice touch if the talent-less band members (who wear capes) hadn't butchered the song. My hatred for Yankee fans and Yankee ownership is well documented. I hate their smugness, their arrogance, the way they pretend to be better than everybody else, and I hate the way Steinbrenner flaunts his money just because he can. My Williams hatred is quite a bit different. I had never even heard of Williams until I went to Tufts, so I've only had about three-and-a-half years to develop this distaste. In fact, I can honestly say that up until last weekend, I didn't even really hate Williams that much. But last weekend's events cleared up any doubt in my mind that Williams College is a veritable smorgasbord of nastiness. Now, I can deal with losing. That's not my problem. I live in New England. I'm a Red Sox and Patriots fan. Trust me, I'm used to it. So it's not the fact that I traveled the three hours out to Williamstown on Saturday just to see my teams get crapped on that's bothering me. I can deal with that. And never mind the ridiculously lackluster taunts that got thrown at me while I was photographing the football game. "Go back to Tufts, camera boy!" "Yeah, get the hell out of here camera boy!" Are you absolutely serious? That's the best that you could come up with? I've heard better trash talk at T-ball games. Whatever your parents are spending on your education, it's way too much. I can look past the losing and the stupid taunting, but what I can't look past is intentionally injuring someone, and then celebrating in their face. With 48 seconds left in Saturday's football game, with Williams up 23-10, Jason Casey heaved a desperation pass for the end zone that Williams picked off. As if it wasn't classless enough to actually run the thing back with under a minute left, up by two scores, Williams decided they'd try to kill some people while they were at it. Tufts wide receiver Ed Casabian was about ten yards behind the play, and clearly in no position to make a tackle. That didn't seem to matter to Williams reserve linebacker Richard Counts IV though. Counts came out of nowhere and blind-sided Casabian, knocking him unconscious. And because this wasn't enough, Counts and another teammate decided it was necessary to jump up and down and celebrate the hit, right over the spot where Casabian was lying motionless on the grass. And make no mistake, they weren't celebrating the game sealing interception, and they weren't celebrating the win. They were celebrating the fact that Counts had just obliterated another player. I was standing right next to them. I know. I'll forget about the rumors that the Williams players were making jokes in their huddle while Casabian was still lying on the ground, because I don't know if they're true. But what I won't forget, and what I won't forgive, is needlessly knocking somebody out and then celebrating while they're on the ground. Neither player ever checked to see if Casabian was OK, even though they were the only two around him for about 15 to 20 seconds. They were too busy celebrating. Maybe they were just too stupid to realize that when a player is lying motionless on the field, breathing heavily, it means that he's hurt. In my book it doesn't matter either way. I don't forgive stupidity, either. No, the play wasn't illegal, but it also wasn't necessary. And I doubt if Counts got any sort of reprimand for it. All it shows is that Williams football has no class, plain and simple. So my hatred of Williams is set. Whatever doubt there was before is gone -- a late hit and a stupid celebration took care of that. I'm not wishy-washy anymore. I feel confident and secure when I say that Williams sucks.

The Setonian
News

Luis Valdez talks to Tufts

October 22

The "father of modern Chicano theater," recounted how his life experiences have contributed to his art - in the process imparting his unique perspective on societal and individual interactions, on Tuesday evening. Film maker, playwright and activist in the Chicano Civil Rights Movement Luis Valdez spoke to a nearly full Braker auditorium, giving a speech entitled "21st Century Education: Accounting for the Past and Future." Valdez's speech reflected what he has been taught by his life experiences. Although the title of the lecture concerns education, much of his speech was about understanding, peace, and bringing people together -- rather than tearing them apart through hate, war, and conflict. Valdez began by explaining his own past and how it led him to become a playwright and filmmaker. He told a story of how he was deprived of his role in the school Christmas play in first grade. "When cotton season was over, we were evicted from the farm, so we had to leave and I was never in the Christmas play," he said. "But for the last 50 years I've been filling that gap. I used to direct the other farm worker kids and began to write plays when I was eight or nine. It was something I had to do." This is a story "of deprivation but fulfillment at the same time...for every loss there is a gain," Valdez said. "The things you've been denied, you've been given back in some way." Valdez's ability to put his experiences in a positive light has allowed him to contribute to both the fields of theater and education. His primary message throughout the speech was that "love conquers all" and that he is critical of the lack of love, art, and culture in American society. "I believe in the power of love," he said. "You can make your children smarter if you love them more." Valdez asserted that the United States is in a very bad situation -- educationally, socially, and politically. People do not value the heart or love enough, he believes. "What is the heart?" Valdez questioned. "We have serious problems with coronary disease. Is it just because of the hamburgers, the whoppers we eat? Or because of our emotional state?" Valdez's greatest problems with the American educational system and culture in general is his lack of knowledge and value of ancient cultures that have added much to modern society. Greatly knowledgeable about the ancient peoples of the Americas, such as the Mayans and the Aztecs, Valdez spoke of his concern that the America taught in the United States' educational system begins with Christopher Columbus, negating the fact that these ancient peoples created art, culture, and knowledge well beyond their time. "No one has ever taught you about the Aztecs or the Mayans. There's a world that remains to be discovered. We say that America became in 1492 with Christopher Columbus but there was a civilization here ... there was high civilization and no one knows anything about it," Valdez said. "The idea of America has been shortchanged ... it's as if we went to Europe and no one knew about the ancient Greeks and Romans." He believes in the importance of looking at other cultures' history. "Every culture has contributed something to the world...this is why I became a writer and a storyteller. All of our roots lead back to [the past] ... We don't know this America and we need to redefine it in order to know ourselves." Valdez spoke of this lack of reverence for past cultures, and people who are different, as a prime reason for the world's current state. "We're on the verge of world war on another level," he said. "I am a child of the Cold War, I grew up under the specter of the nuclear age and we are still there. We need to not flex our muscles but touch the Middle East with our hearts." Valdez returned to the subject of education at the conclusion of his speech, stating that it is a combination of love, understanding, art, and different cultures. "I speak of a new kind of education," he said. "We need to revise our vision of America ... we can move forward to improve the sense of who we are. That huge wave of people from Asia and Latin America, that is our future." Response to Valdez's speech was mostly positive, as students were impressed at the messages he conveyed. "I didn't expect it to be so spiritual," sophomore Ruben Sanchez said. "He made it seem like wherever we're headed [as a society], it will bring people together." Freshman Gena Davis agreed. "Like we're headed toward something instead of the end." The level of Valdez's commitment and knowledge also impressed students. "There was a lot of passion in his voice, it was great to listen to the way he talked about native peoples and their contributions to America," sophomore Ben Byrd said. Valdez concluded by stressing the importance for Americans to expand their view of the world. "Your life is there to live in hate and misunderstanding or in love and understanding ... this can be learned from the Mayans. We can envision our future only as far back as we can go in the past. Western education has to become East and West, North and South education -- global education." A great contributor to the worlds of theater and film, Valdez came from humble beginnings as a Mexican American migrant farm worker in California. He is currently a professor at California State University. He directed such acclaimed films as La Bamba, Zoot Suit, and Cisco Kid. Additionally Valdez founded El Teatro Campesino (The Farmworkers Theater) a movement meant to reflect the Chicano experience. The lecture was sponsored by the Association of Latin American Students and the Latino Center, as Latino Heritage Month event.

The Setonian
News

Jumbos crews among hundreds at Head of the Charles

October 21

The men's and women's crew teams hit the Charles River this weekend for their most important race of the fall season. Hundreds of crews from around the world gathered at the Head of the Charles for this almost three mile race. The women's crew team had two boats in the races this year. The Varsity-A boat raced in the Collegiate Eight on Sunday while the Varsity-B boat raced in the Club Eight a day earlier. The Varsity-A squad put on a strong showing in the Collegiate Eight race, finishing with a time of 17:49.20, which placed it 15th out of 38 teams. Queen's University of Canada finished first with a time of 16:47:32. "The Collegiate Eight race features schools from Division I to Division III, which is good because it enables us to see a lot of the schools we will see during the spring season," senior captain Maggie Denes said. The team's performance was impressive considering the natural obstacles. "It's a really hard course to cox," Denes said. "It's a really curvy river. There are lots of turns and lots of boats. Also, because there are so many bridges, it is really hard to pass." Denes also gave high praise to senior coxswain Beth Grosart for her performance and attitude, which kept the team going. "The entire time we were rowing she kept saying we could do it, we could do it," Denes said. "Towards the end she told us how many strokes we needed to pass the boat ahead of us." Grosart's praiseworthy coxing coupled with her encouraging attitude proved to be just what the A Boat needed. Coming up to the final bridge, the A squad knew what it had to do, pulled together, and passed the Army boat. "We were chasing them the entire race," Denes said. "It felt great." In Saturday's race, the Varsity-B boat managed a 35th place finish out of 42 finishers. Coming off of a strong start, the Varsity-B boat was able to make a strong pass, overpowering the Hamilton crew to finish with a time of 19:08.97. The Club Eight is seen as a much more difficult race because it features club teams with older, strong, more experienced women from all over the world. "It's really hard to place well in that race," Denes said. "But they had a wonderful race, and when they got off the water, they were really, happy about how they did." The women's team, however, was not the only team pleased with how it performed this weekend, as the men's teams raced two firm races as well. On Sunday, the University of Minnesota took the men's Collegiate Eight first place spot with a time of 14:54.17. Tufts' varsity boat finished 24th out of 40 competitors with a time of 16:09.31. "We passed the Washington College crew at the Western Ave. Bridge, clashing oars and pushing them out of the way," junior captain Robbie Goldstein said. At the Harvard Boathouse, Tufts led the pack of Belfast Crew, UNH, UMass Amherst and Washington College. Despite the Jumbos' hard fighting around the turns and the bends, the Belfast crew took a tight line on the Eliot Curve and passed Tufts within the last mile. On Saturday, the Second Varsity (2V) boat looked to redeem itself after last year's last place finish. With a time of 16:32.47 in the Crew Eight, the Jumbos earned a more than respectable 28th place finish out of a total of 53 crews finishing. The squad's mark was only 1:19 off the first place boat of Melbourne University Boat Club (15:13.093). The Second Varsity boat beat out rivals Bates, Boston College and University of New Hampshire, and finished just 1.2 seconds behind Worchester Polytechnic Institute. "We raced some ridiculously powerful teams from across the world," sophomore Jonathan Gais said. "We took one of the most aggressive lines for the course, which put us in a position to go out and really put some power behind our oars with the confidence that our coxswain was taking the best course he could." Goldstein was caught up in the atmosphere of the event. "This was the most fun I have ever had at the Head of the Charles. The constant battling and fighting back made the race exciting to watch--and to race."

The Setonian
News

A Jumbo Dose of T.L.C.

October 21

Previous to my first trip to the gynecologist, I lived in the blissful ignorance that "stirrups" were things only associated with equestrians, and "duck lips" were simply the beaks of water foul. Oh, boy, was I mistaken. There's nothing quite like the experience of your first pelvic exam: laying spread eagle on the exam table with a doctor poking and prodding inside you as though you were a dead animal on the side of the road. And all you can do is stare at their face framed between your knees and ask "doc... you done yet"? My first experience was traumatic to say the least. No one warned me about how invaded I was going to feel, and I can remember balling the entire time I was driving home. Given my first encounter with the wonderful world of gynecology, I was pretty reluctant to schedule another appointment, and waited two years, as opposed to the recommended one. But because it's important to get regularly tested for cervical cancer, I finally mustered up the courage to make a second appointment. At least this time I had the wherewithal to make it with a trained professional, and not just a doctor who owned a spare set of metal tongs. Initially I was opposed to the idea of using Tufts services for my annual vaginal visit. Much in the same way we don't expect the university cafeteria to have good tasting food, I didn't expect university health services would be capable of giving good pelvic exams. But because in the end my laziness always wins, I decided to take the plunge, and test out the finest of what Heath Services had to offer. And I must say that I was very pleasantly surprised. This time, I decided to prepare myself mentally for the exam. "OK, this is their job. It's not like I'm showing them something they haven't seen 100 times before. In an hour this will all be over, and the vision of my vagina will blur into the 30 others they've seen this week." I walked into the exam internally repeating my pep talk, "this isn't weird, it's just another part of my body, this isn't weird, this isn't weird, this isn't..." And you know what? It wasn't. The last thing I expected from my pelvic exam was for it to be enjoyable, but the nurse was so personable that not only was it not weird, but it was almost kinda fun. Her inquiry into my sexual history became a half hour conversation about my past relationships. She eased my nerves not only by launching me into a drawn out monologue about my views on sexuality, but also by explaining exactly what she was doing as she was doing it. "Touching your leg, touching your leg, touching your leg, ok, here we go," was much less abrupt than my previous experience of, "what did you say your name was again?" Bam. Metal object in vagina. As impressed as I was with the nurse, I was equally as impressed by the utensils. The stirrups were covered in fabric, and the duck lips were plastic, and run under warm water before being inserted. This was a far cry from the cold metal ones used in my first pelvic exam. After all the time and energy I spent stressing out over getting this exam, it turned out to be not so bad If you find a quality institution (and I would recommend Health Services) to perform your annual pelvic exam, it's really pretty tolerable. And hey, if your nurse is as good as mine, it can double for therapy. So if it has been a year since your last exam, or if you've never had one, or hell, if you're just plain lonely and feel like your cervix is missing out on all the action, call 617-627-3350 and ask for Leslie. I assure you, you won't be disappointed.

The Setonian
News

Tufts gets decisive win over Keene State

October 21

The sweet smell of revenge emanated over Kraft field yesterday afternoon as the women's soccer team handily defeated the Keene State Owls 3-0 in non-conference action. The win comes nearly 11 months after the Jumbos came out on the short end of a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to the Owls in the regional semifinals of the 2002 NCAA tournament. "It feels unbelievable," coach Martha Whiting said. "It just feels really good to win, especially because we've been waiting 11 months for this one. People are starting to get healthy again, so we have more girls coming off the bench. Today was a total team effort." The win keeps the Jumbos undefeated in non-conference play, upping their record to 8-4 overall and keeping them at 3-4 in the NESCAC heading into this weekend's bout with the Middlebury Panthers. From the opening whistle, the Jumbos controlled the tempo, beat Keene to every loose ball, and won the majority of the 50-50 balls in the air. They came out firing on junior goalie Michelle Mason, and it was only a matter of time before they scored. "Today was amazing," senior co-captain Abby Herzberg said. "We really wanted the shutout because it's been too long since we lost to them. We played together, moved together, and just did everything on the field as a team. When we play the way we played today, the sky is the limit." That time soon came, with 33:12 left to play in the first. Tufts executed its corner kick once again to perfection. Junior Becky Greenstein took a short corner to classmate and leading scorer Jen Baldwin, who took it up the sideline. She drew a defender and sent the ball back to Greenstein, who sent a cross to senior Jessica Trombly, who was looming with her back to the net. Trombly rolled the ball under her foot through her defender's legs to freshman Jenny Muller, who was waiting uncovered on the goal line. Muller ripped a shot into the back of the net that Mason could do nothing to stop to give Tufts a 1-0 lead on the first goal of her collegiate career. "It's kind of a relief, because I scored a lot in high school, but I have more of a playmaking role on this team," Muller said. "It was good to finally score and help out the team. The Jumbos continued to control every aspect of the game, and seemed to get all the shooting opportunities they wanted on Mason. The defense pushed the Keene State attackers back and was able to easily clear any and all attempts the Owls made in the Tufts zone. With nine minutes left, the Jumbos were inches away from making it 2-0 when sophomore speedster Sarah Callaghan took the ball down the endline and sent a low cross to freshman Sage Graham who deflected the shot barely an inch above the crossbar and out of bounds. Tufts' incessant pressure continued until the final buzzer of the first half, and the 1-0 score was not indicative of the way the two teams matched up. Tufts came out in the second half with much of the same fire, poised to maintain the shutout and run up the score. With 36:14 left in the left in the second, Muller struck again. She gained control of the ball on a poor clear by the Owls and knifed through the defense, faking passes to Baldwin and Callaghan. With only the goalie to beat, she sent a perfect chip shot through the air into the side of the net. Mason stood there, stunned that the ball didn't sail wide, as Muller and the rest of the squad celebrated. "It was great," Whiting said. "We've all seen potential for her to score goals, and for it to happen today, it was very special." Despite a 2-0 lead, the Jumbos weren't about to stop the onslaught of the slow, tired Owls. With 23:38 left in regulation, Greenstein and junior Sarah Gelb added one more. Greenstein hustled to the ball and sent a perfect cross to Gelb, who was waiting wide open in front of the net. Gelb dribbled past Mason and tapped the ball into the net to put the icing on the cake for Tufts. With 13:40 left in the game, Tufts almost made it 4-0. Trombly sprinted past everybody and sent a holy cross to Baldwin, who drilled it into the back of the net but the goal was taken away as the ref called Baldwin offside. Over the next 1:40, Trombly and the Jumbos had three golden opportunities to add to their lead, but Mason and the defense sent all back. As the final buzzer sounded, the Jumbos had picked up their most decisive victory of the season, 3-0. The Jumbos look to get back on track in the NESCAC this Saturday at home against the fifth place Middlebury Panthers.

The Setonian
News

Candidates spar at mayoral debate

October 21

Somerville's mayoral candidates swapped dirt about opponents' personal lives and the consistency of their platforms in a debate Monday night. With two weeks left in the campaign, Alderman Joseph Curtatone also emphasized his plans to end the gridlock of the current administration while businessman Tony LaFuente expressed a desire to overhaul the city with new blood. The debate was moderated by local comedian Jimmy Tingle and will air on Somerville Cable Access today. LaFuente opened the debate by attacking Curtatone for being part of "good old boy network" at City Hall. Curtatone has served on the Board of Alderman for eight years. Curtatone, who won 115 more votes than LaFuente in last month's preliminary election, swiped back at his opponent's lack of political experience. "This election is about change, but there is only one of us running that has the experience and a detailed plan," he said. The debate was filled with personal attacks. Curtatone, a Democrat, criticized LaFuente's history with the Republican Party -- he was a registered member until two years ago, when he became a Democrat -- and for making his primary residence outside of Somerville until two years ago. LaFuente in turn blasted Curtatone for taking out a Wakefield mortgage six years ago, even though Curtatone's campaign played up a life-long residency in the city. Monday's debate was cast under the cloud of Somerville's perilous financial situation. Cuts in federal and state aid this year cost the city $5 million in lost funding, and the city was forced to cut services and raise taxes to compensate. LaFuente accused the current administration, including the Board of Alderman, of mismanagement. "In 2001 and 2002, we spent of all our money instead of planning for the future," LaFuente said. "Now we've used up our reserves and are short." One option of easing the deficit is to collect money from Tufts, a tax-exempt organization. The candidates agreed that the University should contribute money to the community, but LaFuente stopped short of endorsing a formal payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT). "We need to establish a business-like, professional relationship with the [Tufts] administration," LaFuente said. He suggested an agreement with the school might include a targeted payment, which would be earmarked for education or another specific cause. Calling himself a long-time advocate for a PILOT, Curtatone said Tufts' relatively small endowment would prevent the school from making a large payment to the city. "We want to see how we can make the university grow and help the town at the same time," he said. Candidates repeatedly mentioned development at Assembly Square as a way to increase revenue, as the project would expand the city's tax base. But both candidates struggled to qualify their views on its development, which Tingle called "the single most important economic issue in the city." The project has been stalled by divided opinions and LaFuente proposed bringing all sides back to negotiate and meditate problems. He predicted that development would begin in two to three years. Curtatone blasted LaFuente's proposal and cited figures from City Assessor Richard Brescia which claim that the city loses $5 million every year in potential revenue while the land remains undeveloped. "How much more will Tony LaFuente cost taxpayers if he becomes mayor?" Curtatone said in a statement. LaFuente questioned Curtatone's stance on developing Assembly Square and pointed out that he was a member of the Mystic View Task Force, which filed lawsuits to delay construction of large commercial properties at the site. Both candidates discussed plans to tighten the city's budget and criticized current policies. LaFuente said he will bring in an auditor to eliminate waste in the budget. If forced to make budget cuts, "we should start cutting at the top," said LaFuente, who condemned the city's decision to eliminate ten percent of the teaching staff in the school system this year. "We need to keep the people who deliver the services employed." Curtatone plans to control administrative waste by introducing zero-based budgeting, which requires officials to justify programs from the ground up every fiscal year. Every two weeks, city officials would be required to report line-item expenses, which Curtatone said will help to allocate resources effectively. "We would have performance measures to justify every dollar spent," Curtatone said. Monday's debate was the third with mayoral candidates, and the first since the elimination of incumbent Dorothy Kelly Gay in the primary election. Candidates answered a mixture of questions posed by Tingle, journalists, and each other. The audience, which comprised city officials, campaign workers, and citizens, was instructed to remain silent during the taping. Somerville Cable Access will air the debate at 8 p.m. tonight, with reruns appearing several times before the election.

The Setonian
News

Powders that pump you up

October 21

It sounds like something from a fairy tale: powders that can make you stronger. Between constant ads in men's magazines and spam e-mails promising bigger bodies, protein supplements seem like the easy way to grow from a scrawny freshman lightweight to a bulked up senior within a shorter period than four years. For sure, these supplements are popular, but how effective are they? Junior Luke Snyder attributes his gain in muscle and increase in strength to the addition of protein supplements to his exercise routine. "It definitely helped me gain muscle mass," he said. Snyder explains that a change in lifestyle provoked him to look into the dietary supplements. "I was pretty fat for awhile, and I decided to lose weight and get in shape," Snyder said. "I didn't know much about protein. I was eating a normal diet [and working out]... eventually I lost 70 lbs., but I lost a lot of muscle tissue -- at that point I wanted to gain back muscle. So I looked on the internet and found out [about] protein supplements." Snyder uses two kinds of supplements: whey protein, a fast absorbing type that he takes right before and after working out, and calcium caseinate, made from milk, which is slower to digest. Sndyer is just one of many male students who take protein supplements that they've found on the Internet. And finding them on the Internet is easy: according to the Whey Protein institute, there are at least 73 different manufacturer websites for whey protein alone. Snyder purchases his supplements for five to six dollars a pound, but they can cost almost 23 dollars for a 2.1 lbs. canister, according to www.netrition.com, where Snyder purchases his powders. The powders last a while and are easy to use, says Snyder, who adds his chocolate or vanilla flavored protein powders to milk or water. "It actually tastes good," he added. Freshman Peter Orth added protein supplements in the form of powders or energy bars to his regimen before and during wrestling season in high school. "I started off like maxing at 160 [lbs.] bench pressing, [then was able to do] 200, and gained five pounds of muscle," Orth said. "It definitely worked. I got a lot stronger on it." As a member of the Tufts cross-country team, Orth no longer takes protein because he does not want to gain more weight and does not lift enough to necessitate taking extra protein. He does, however, see the value of protein supplements. "If you really want to get bigger, lift hard, [then] do more heavier weight, more repetitions, and [take] a lot of protein. The protein is really necessary if you want to gain muscles," Orth said. Both Snyder and Orth do not see any major risks in taking the supplements. "If you aren't dehydrated, it shouldn't be a problem," Snyder said. "As long as you are relatively careful and don't hurt yourself with weights, I don't think [protein supplements] are a problem on their own." The University's Health Services Nutritionist Patti Engel, MRSD, would strongly disagree. Engel says that protein should be made a part of each meal or snack, not taken as a powder, which may not provide the same nutritional value as would eating a variety of foods. "Putting whey powder in a shake, its just whey protein; it's not the same thing as having a piece of meat," Engel said. "There's no iron [for example], unless the powder is supplemented with other minerals." According to Engel, the heavy marketing of protein supplements is responsible for their popularity. That popularity, however, does not mean that protein supplements are essential to a good diet or exercise routine. In fact, Engel says that protein supplements can cause undesired weight gain. A healthy diet is comprised of a certain percentage of protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Protein should never make up more than 20-25 percent of a diet, Engel says. Unless a person lifts more to make up for it, increasing any one of those percentages will cause extra weight gain that will be stored as fat, she explained. Protein has four calories per gram, which is the same amount as carbohydrates except that the sources are different; carbohydrates are broken into glucose, proteins into amino acid. Student success from taking supplements is really due to a more rigorous fitness regimen, says Engel. She warns students not to equate taking powder to bulking up. "What's helping them getting more muscular is the work they're doing, lifting weights," she said. Engel does admit that protein powders are highly convenient, which for many students is part of their appeal. Snyder takes slower absorbing protein powder when he can't find a meat he likes at the dining hall. For him, the powder is a cheap and easy alternative to other protein sources. As far as health risks, taking protein supplements has not been proven to be dangerous. According to Engel, it is hard to say what the negative effects to protein supplements are, but "you can reach a level where it is too high when kidneys aren't able to get rid of the byproducts of protein metabolism as well," she said, adding that it is very individualized, so it is difficult to discern what a dangerous level of protein would be. Director of the Center on Nutrition Communication Jeanne Goldberg, Ph.D., says that although the issue has been studied at length it is still undetermined whether an excess of protein will wear out the kidney. "The evidence has been inconsistent," she said. "I think the real issue here is that they really don't need them, the only benefit is psychological." According to Goldberg, research from the Longitudinal Health Study and diaries from undergraduate students in Nutrition classes indicate that protein intake for college males is very high. Goldberg said that in a typical college diet, male students receive enough protein: "As a generalization, they do not need protein supplements," she said. More serious health risks have been reported in the usage of the muscle enhancer creatine, a synthetic protein, and the diet pill Xenadrine (containing caffeine and ephedra). Studies have shown that ephedra may have damaging side effects that include insomnia, high blood pressure, and heart attacks. Neither Snyder nor Orth have used those enhancers because of those health concerns. Engel suggests examining one's diet before taking any kind of dietary supplement. "My recommendations would be... look to see if there's balance in your diet, what your carbohydrate sources are, your fat sources, your protein sources, if you're maintaining your needs and maintaining your weight... then it might not be necessary to take protein powders," she said. "You might be getting everything you need." Other students remain skeptical about adding protein supplements to their diets. As an athlete, junior cross-country runner Mike Don doesn't believe in taking supplements. "I don't take anything, ingest anything, that enhances performance, by rule of thumb," Don said. Don echoes Engel in explaining his reasoning: "One, you can gain enough muscle and have enough energy in a well balanced diet, it's the most natural way to be healthy. And two, I don't really trust them... I don't feel like I can use them to replace natural food," he said. "I just stay away from that stuff."

The Setonian
News

A school without grades

October 21

To me, the goal of education is to foster a sense of curiosity in the students, to encourage them to explore the world around them and try to find ways to make it better. I think that this has been forgotten in many of the universities in the United States today. Too many times education boils down to competition for the best letter grade. And this should not be what education is about. I have recently transferred from Tufts to a small school in Florida. Having the chance to compare the different education styles of these two schools is an amazing opportunity that I am very grateful for. The school that I am at now does not give grades; instead professors are required to write detailed evaluations of each student's strengths and weaknesses and how they can improve. At this school, the students have much greater control over their own curriculum than at Tufts. There are only a few general requirements that can be filled quickly so that students can take what they are interested in for the majority of their time. If there is something a student wants to learn about that is not offered as a class, they can do a semester long research project on the subject that will count as a class. You are allowed to design your own classes as long as there is a professor willing to work with you on whatever subject you choose. For example, I designed a class on animal learning, which consists of me and a professor, one on one. The majority of my classes are under 10 people. During my two years at Tufts, I constantly felt pressure to get the best letter grade possible. Being compared to other students through letters only is an unfair way of evaluation, as each student is different and has different strengths and weaknesses. It does not help the student improve because it does not tell you how you can improve. It only tells you what you got right and what you got wrong. In many cases, I would study my hardest, go get as much help before a test as I could, and still only come out with a B because I was being compared to other students totally different than me. This was extremely frustrating for me. At Tufts there seem to be endless requirements that students continue to fill many times throughout their senior year. This left me little room to take classes that I was interested in if they did not count towards a requirement or my major. My two years at Tufts left me constantly discouraged, unhappy, and frustrated. I was studying constantly, and never actually thinking about what I was learning and what good it would do for me. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life because the school left me little time to explore my own personal interests. It diminished whatever curiosity I had. Now, after only a few months at my new school, I am once again curious about the world around me. My professors tell me what I am doing well, and what I can improve on. I do not feel pressure to have the "A" anymore, and this only makes me want to work harder. I have realized that education is about learning, and not about getting grades. For some people, Tufts works. Some people don't need the personal attention that I need from my professors and administrators. Some people find the pressure of letter grades to be encouraging. But on the whole, a Tufts education, as the majority of universities in the country, is missing something vital. The purpose of education is to train tomorrow's leaders. If students are not allowed to participate in their own education, they may never learn to question the world around them. If they do not learn constructive ways of improving themselves, they may never have the interest in improving the world around them for future generations. "The proper aim of education is to promote significant learning. Significant learning entails development. Development means successively asking broader and deeper questions of the relationship between oneself and the world. This is as true for first graders as graduate students, for fledging artists as graying accountants." - Laurent A. Daloz (20th century), U.S. educator. Sara Crowell is now a junior at New College in Florida after spending two years at Tufts.

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Kerry talks policy with Boston students

October 21

John Kerry, Democratic primary presidential candidate, addressed approximately 200 Boston area students at Harvard's Kirkland House on Monday. This group of Boston students, said coordinator of Students for Kerry at Northeastern Makeese Motley, "sends a communal message that we believe in John Kerry". The organization of Tufts Students for Kerry, was well-represented. "We really try to energize students, get them active in realizing how important this race is," senior Liz Richardson said. Although the Tufts Democrats does not specifically endorse a primary candidate, many members attended the event to generate interest and enthusiasm. The reception served as a unique student opportunity before each of the primary candidates is interviewed by Chris Matthews for "Hardball", a MSNBC program to be filmed at Harvard this week. Kerry discussed his presidential platform and encouraged students to participate in politics. Conscious of his audience, Kerry outlined his policy toward college students. First, he discussed his plan to make $4000 worth of tuition tax credit available to any student for use in college. While acknowledging that this money would not fund the cost of private university education, he noted that the $4000 figure was the American average in-state public school tuition. He also proposed that the federal government would pay a full four years of in-state tuition to any student who completed two years of community service between high school and college. Kerry said his plan would ease the financial burden on graduates and help them enter more innovative careers that are not necessarily lucrative, such as teaching in inner city schools. He noted that many graduates do not pursue careers of interest due to financial constraints and paying off large student loans. Kerry also described some of the shortcomings he perceived with the current administration. "[George W. Bush] has no plan for welfare, outsourcing of labor, no leadership with respect to AIDS in Africa, no respect for global environmental disasters," he said. "It's an anti-science administration that refuses to push the curve of discovery." Bush, said Kerry, "[has only] asked us to support the war on terror and to shop after 9/11. The best leaders are the ones who ask Americans to dream a bit. We need a [politician] that begins to ask 'why not' and to make the tough choices that really define patriotism." Kerry then opened the floor for questions, exhorting the students to "really grill" him. "You deserve answers from those who seek to lead," he said. Kerry said that he hopes to "empower local communities" through education, discussing how varying resource allocation among communities of differing socioeconomic status has resulted in wide disparities in public education. Kerry proposed both a domestic and international agenda when asked what his priorities would be if he were to take office in a month. His major priorities domestically were reversing the Bush tax cuts and expanding on the Clinton health care plan. Internationally, Kerry said he would "go to the United Nations with humility, reality, sensitivity, and vision" to lessen the American authoritarian image and the targeting of American troops in Iraq. When questioned on his opposition of civil unions, in spite of his previous support of gay rights, Kerry said that this element of legalization of gay marriage was a state responsibility. At a time when states are slow to change, he said, he preferred to focus on legislation against hate crimes and to raise awareness. Kerry attended Yale University, but decided to enlist to fight in Vietnam. After returning extremely opposed to the war, he embarked on an activist agenda of protest, citing pride in "being on Nixon's enemies' list at age 27". "His story really resonated with me," said Tufts senior Liz Richardson. "He graduated from a top school, could have gone on to law school, but decided to go to war. [When he got back]... he didn't sit on his haunches and go get a job on Wall Street, but became one of the most powerful and responsible activists in history. He couldn't help but move and shake his generation." "This is the first time that many college students will be old enough to vote in a Presidential election," said Tufts sophomore Jenna Dreher, coordinator of Tufts Students for Kerry. "It was wonderful that we had an opportunity to learn more about [him] on a first hand level."

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Punks, leather, and rock in the Renaissance

October 21

What would it take for you to sell your soul? In the case of Doctor Faustus, 24 years of mystical knowledge and power is sufficient. With devils and angels, a 25 ft tall set, and 'lots of leather,' Christopher Marlow's Doctor Faustus will come alive in its premiere performance this Thursday night in Balch Arena Theater. The age-old production, which dates back to 1590, has been given a modern twist via director Downing Cless who stated that the production was "bridging the gap between the Renaissance and modern culture." Racy new-age costumes, a night club setting, far-out hairstyles, and an MC chorus all constitute modern additions to the classic play. The collective performance represents a "Moulin Rouge" type clash that is aided by a soundtrack that includes the alternative rock talent of Nine Inch Nails -- not the typical Renaissance ambiance. Cless said that this "highly theatrical performance" includes over 200 sound and light cues intended to embellish the play - which lead actress Lisa Birnbaum pointed out is hardly "modern theater." This metamorphosis of Doctor Faustus into the 21st century is strictly the work of Cless and Assistant Director, Jenn Jarecki. Last weekend started the initial tech rehearsals, which brought sounds, lights, and staging together for the first time. Monday night, the costumes were added to produce final touches before opening night. In preparing for the performance of Doctor Faustus, all actors underwent a two week intensive 'Renaissance theater' workshop where they mastered their characters and refined their sense of the play. According to Jarecki, producing a Renaissance play brings multiple opportunities to not only educate actors about Renaissance theater, but also to decipher "modern themes present within classic works." These modern themes are presented through acting that visibly portrays the action of the play, even though the lines themselves are in Renaissance language and might sometimes be difficult for a modern audience to decipher. Graham Outerbridge plays Doctor Faustus -- a character that Cless describes as a "foolish figure who sells his soul intentionally for sweet pleasures," and captures over 50 percent of the lines. "I think there is a bit of Faustus in everybody -- a bit of that person who wants it all," Outerbridge said. Lisa Birnbaum, who starred in last year's A Little Night Music and Twelfth Night, plays Mephistopheles (written as a male role), a devil whose job is to capture Faustus's soul and carry it off to hell. When speaking of the difficulties of her role, Birnbaum joked "it's really hard to be androgynous in three-inch heals." On a more serious note, she added that her character flirts with "The Renaissance idea of hell... hell is everywhere; you get what you make of it." Assistant Director Jenn Jarecki stated unequivocally that Faustus "is a classic play with modern themes." In reference to what insights the play provided her, Jarecki said that is "exasperated what I already knew," with regards to elements of greed and self promotion prevalent throughout American society. One of the principle goals of the directors was "to express how in each and every scene excess is manifested," said Jarecki. This is executed through minor characters grappling for self promotion and the common overriding theme of Faustus wanting it all. Through Cless's contextualization of the themes of Faustus via a night club setting, he brings unfamiliar language to familiar themes. It is a tragic comedy, in which Cless aims to bring out the more comic parts. Cless makes Faustus' character a "funny and pathetic guy -- a guy who gave his soul to the devil."

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Al Jazeera co-founder speaks at Tufts

October 21

Combining wit, sarcasm, and an extensive knowledge of Middle Eastern affairs, famed journalist and Al-Jazeera co-founder Omar al-Issawi addressed a nearly full Cabot Auditorium on Monday. In his presentation, which included a lecture and an extensive question and answer session, al-Issawi incorporated his personal experiences within the unique Middle Eastern media atmosphere to entertain the audience for nearly two hours. Americans need to make real efforts to understand the minutiae of the Middle East if they hope to make intervention effective, al-Issawi said. "Understanding doesn't come from listening to the views of top officials. It comes from understanding the intricacies of the personal side of the conflict," he said. According to al-Issawi, Americans have the technology to be fully informed, but lack the motivation. "[There is a] great degree of disinterest on the part of the American public about what is going on in the rest of the world," he said. Al-Issawi became familiar to the Western world during the conflict in Iraq by sharing his knowledge with the world and becoming what lecture mediator Professor Jerry Meldon called a "guru for international journalists." Until very recently, according to al-Issawi, the Arab world did not have access to an objective media source. Experiences with skewed or government controlled media sources taught people to assume that what the media confirmed was false and what the media denied was true and journalists and citizens who dared openly express their opinions ran the risk of being imprisoned or killed, he said. Al-Issawi credits al-Jazeera with opening a forum in which people of all backgrounds can express their thoughts. "[Al Jazeera] has become a phenomenon in the Middle East because it is the first network to break the taboo of not being able to express opinions on air," he said. Despite efforts to open the Arab world to a variety of opinions, al-Jazeera has been heavily criticized for its apparent bias toward people and organizations which the US government has accused of supporting terrorism. While al-Issawi admits that al-Jazeera has conveyed the messages of such controversial figures as Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden, he asserts that al-Jazeera is not acting as a "mouthpiece" through which these people can distribute their ideas. "Al-Jazeera is more than bin Laden tapes. Al-Jazeera is more than Saddam Hussein appearing on our screens," al-Issawi said. Al-Jazeera's commitment to including these diverse views is central to its ability to remain objective. "To us this is the news business. This is the reality business. We're not in the business of hiding facts," he said. "If we don't broadcast it, I guarantee someone else will." Al-Jazeera's broadcast of these radical ideas is not harmful, al-Issawi insisted. "We haven't seen the negative effects of our programming," he said. "Our viewers are not people who are influenced by bin Laden -- they're smarter than that. We give them more credit than that." Others question al-Jazeera's professionalism, criticizing its notoriously disorderly debates and its sometimes inaccurate reports. "We don't do anything out of malicious intent," al-Issawi said. "We're just trying to do our jobs in a very difficult environment." Journalists lack support in the volatile political environment of the Middle East that is aggravated by deficits in knowledge, freedom, and women's empowerment, according to al-Issawi. Because many of these deficits result from huge gaps created by flawed and incomplete leadership, many people turn to extremist groups for answers, al- Issawi said. "Extremist groups do more than kill and maim. They build schools. They provide food ... This is how people are attracted [to these groups]. They meet the basic needs of human beings" that many governments ignore, he explained. Al-Issawi said that the Western world must "bear a great responsibility" in solving these problems. In an increasingly global society, al-Issawi stressed the importance of global cooperation. "We [the Middle East] need the rest of the world as much as the rest of the world will need us," he said. "We're all human beings. We need to work together." Al-Issawi's lecture was sponsored by Tufts Coalition to Oppose War in Iraq (TCOWI).

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TSA should pay more attention to e-mail

October 21

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) should check its e-mail more closely. In mid-September, a junior at Guilford College in Greensboro, NC sent the TSA an e-mail with the subject heading "Information Regarding 6 Recent Security Breaches". While most of us might dismiss such a message as spam, a government organization working during one of the most paranoid periods of the nation's history should certainly investigate an e-mail that proffers such specific information about security breaches on commercial airplanes. Nathaniel T. Heatwole, the young man who dreamed up and executed the plan to test airport security, may face hefty fines and up to ten years in prison for violating a federal law which prohibits carrying a concealed dangerous weapon aboard an aircraft. Heatwole wrote in his e-mails that his actions were "an act of civil disobedience with the aim of improving public safety for the air-traveling public." Clearly Heatwole's actions were well-intentioned, as he made no attempts to conceal his identity -- to the contrary, he made every effort to identify himself and his actions to the proper authorities. Though the manner Heatwole chose to make his point is perhaps questionable, he has undoubtedly called attention to a very serious problem. The 20-year-old student was able to smuggle box cutters in ziplock baggies, bleach in sunblock bottles, and faux-plastic explosives through security in not one, but two airports. Further, he secured them in the airplanes with affixed notes where they remained unidentified until the TSA finally decided to look into Heatwole's claims. The TSA is chagrinned, as well it should be, because a student was able to expose existing security weaknesses. But exacting revenge against this student would be absurd. At most, Heatwole should get a slap on the wrist, but any jail time would be excessive. Perhaps the TSA or FBI should enlist Heatwole in their army of creative specialists charged with the task of making this nation's airports and planes more secure. It may actually make us safer.

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Look for Oklahoma vs. Big East champ in title game

October 21

Finally, after nine grueling weeks of the Division I-A college football season, coaches, players, and fans alike get to see how the top teams in the country stand in terms of major bowls. On Monday afternoon, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) standings were released with the Oklahoma Sooners, Miami Hurricanes, and Virginia Tech Hokies atop the list. The remaining two undefeated teams in the country, North Illinois and Texas Christian, stand at tenth and 14th, respectively. The way each team's remaining schedule appears, the National Championship game is looking like a showdown between Oklahoma and either Miami or Virginia Tech. Oklahoma has a bunch of Twinkies remaining on its schedule, including Colorado, Baylor, and the high octane offense, but low octane defense of Texas Tech. Of its remaining five games, only the Oklahoma State Cowboys, who are ranked 19th in the country, and Texas A&M, have any sort of credibility. If history repeats itself, Oklahoma should beware of its in-state rival and A&M. Last year, after dispatching then 14th ranked Colorado, the Sooners were 8-0. Oklahoma then proceeded to suffer a heartbreaking 30-26 loss at Texas A&M and then lost 38-28 three weeks later to the Cowboys. Oklahoma finished up at 12-2. This year Oklahoma will be on the lookout for upsets and should perform better against the latter half of its Big 12 competition. If anything is on Miami's side, it is luck. Somehow the Hurricanes maneuvered an improbable comeback against Florida in their second game of the season. With that game behind them, Miami looked to be in position to dominate the rest of its competition, but a near-loss to West Virginia and tough game at Florida State has exposed some weaknesses. The third of the three major unbeaten teams is Virginia Tech. The Hokies have been untouchable this year partially because of the team's overall talent and partially because of the weak schedule they have played to date. They are ranked 60th in terms of strength of schedule by the BCS rankings, which means they most likely will have to go undefeated to get a shot at the National Championship. There are three teams remaining on Virginia Tech's schedule that could pose a challenge. On November 1, the Hokies host the ever-dangerous Hurricanes. The winner of this game will most likely find themselves playing for the National Championship. But not so fast. If the Hokies survive Miami's attack, the following week they face the high powered Pittsburgh Panthers offense. To conclude its season, Virginia Tech plays at in-state rival Virginia, which is always a tough game to win. Running back and Heisman hopeful Kevin Jones and quarterback Bryan Randall will have to continue to play out of their minds if the Hokies have any chance at remaining undefeated. Other teams with an outside shot at the National Championship are Georgia, Florida State, and Ohio State. Out of those three one-loss teams Georgia definitely has the toughest road remaining. Not only must the Bulldogs fight through the Southeastern Conference (SEC), arguably the toughest conference in college football, but if successful they will have to play in the make-or-break conference championship game. This season, only the SEC and Big 12 have conference championship games, with the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) to follow suit in two years. While the game is a veritable money generator, it does make the road longer for any potential national championship contender. The winner of the game does receive an automatic BCS bid, but it could also lose and play itself out of the National Championship game. With that said, Oklahoma will have a much tougher time going undefeated than the winner of the Miami/Virginia Tech game. The final two remaining undefeated teams in D-IA college football, Northern Illinois and TCU, pretty much have no shot at the national championship. If either team ends up finishing the season undefeated, the BCS would feel pressure to give either an at-large bid, but a National Championship seems out of the question since the two have a strength of schedule of 100 and 96 respectively.

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Baseball fever takes over Tufts

October 21

The Red Sox may not have made it to the World Series, but with arguably the most exciting series in baseball history between the two biggest rivals of the Major Leagues taking place right here in Boston, playoff fever swept over the Tufts campus. As a school highly populated by both Boston and New York natives, the intensity of the Yankees and Red Sox rivalry enlivened the student body, as students sported their team's gear and dropped everything to catch the games. So, what exactly makes a good fan? And where do these loyalties come from? Other than rooting for the home team, team loyalties are often a part of a family tradition. Senior Sara Burrill explains that being a Red Sox fan is in her blood. "I started playing tee ball when I was three, and the first thing I learned about baseball from my dad was to hate the Yankees." Junior Marny Rosenbloom, says her being a Cubs fan doesn't require a big explanation: "I grew up a Cubs fan and I will always be one." Living in Boston -- although temporarily as a student -- has made some new fans out of non-locals at Tufts. "As an out-of-towner with[out] a great baseball team, I feel as though I've adopted the Red Sox as my team and am now a fan," junior and Colorado native Sarah Hoffman said. Red Sox loyalty has sparked Hoffman's interest in baseball itself. "I'll always watch the Red Sox because now I know the team." Sophomore and Colorado native Preston Dickey was also impressed by the loyalty of Red Sox fans. "Seeing the fan loyalty even for the underdogs has made me much more interested in baseball," Dickey said. Watching the games last week reinforced his belief. "I was very surprised by the fan intensity. The near riot was pretty crazy and there were some streakers outside of my dorm, but I was a spectator of both the game and the streaking." Dickey says that his loyalty toward the Red Sox, which he admits is in large part an intense loyalty against the Yankees, has sparked his desire to watch the World Series. "Watching the World Series would not have been as fun if I wasn't watching it in Boston," he said. "Now I am rooting for the Marlins just so the Yankees won't win." But the Boston spirit has not infected all Tufts students. Going to school in New England has not changed junior Marny Rosenbloom's Chicago Cubs loyalties. "I check the stats, watch every Cubs game and talk to my dad, who is usually at the game, while he is there. Basically, I try to keep up the spirit even if I am not there," she said. Watching the games last week in Boston has not changed her opinion of the Red Sox or Yankees either. "I have no loyalty towards the Red Sox or the Yankees. Last week I rooted for the Red Sox only because I knew it would make for interesting events around campus." Students from the New York area, who can relish life in the post-season, found it hard to ignore the Red Sox fever taking place all over campus. But for many students the Boston spirit only fueled their love for the Yankees. "I am not going to lie, being in Boston has only made me more loyal to my home team," sophomore Tiffany Frank said. "Before I had no opinion of the Red Sox, now I just don't like them." Mike Kougelman, a graduate student originally from New Jersey, is a fan of the Bronx Bombers as well. "I haven't gotten much sleep for the past week." he admits. Since coming to Tufts his loyalty to the Yankees has increased. "If you identify with a group, when you are suddenly removed from it in a different situation, the whole environment makes you feel closer to that group." As much as Kougelman roots for the Yankees, he admits that after seeing their loyalty he has gained sympathy for Red Sox fans. "After game seven, which was such a great game, I was really caught up in the win," Kougelman said. "But I felt for the Red Sox fans just given what they had gone through. Under different circumstances the game easily could have gone the other way." "I felt for the fans, not the players," Kougelman added. Not all students see loyalty as binding them to only one team. Ashley Berman, a California native and Dodgers fan, is also a fan of the Red Sox. "Since I am from L.A. I am a Dodgers fan, but since I moved here I have started getting into the Red Sox games and have started [rooting for] them," Berman said, adding that "it's not too difficult to divide your loyalties if [you are] not a completely die-hard fan." "I don't feel weird rooting for other teams like die-hard fans do," she said. "Once you are loyal to a team you should be loyal for life, but I feel that its fun to get into the games wherever you are."

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Depth gives Jumbos results

October 21

The Jumbos sailed to a second place finish behind number two nationally ranked Harvard at the Navy Fall Intersectional Regatta at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD on Sunday. The two-day event featured some of the top teams in the country, including sixth-ranked Hobart William Smith (third with 575 points), fifth-ranked Kings Point (fourth with 586) and first-ranked Dartmouth (fifth with 598). Tufts ended the weekend with 526 points, 78 behind the Crimson. The regatta featured four divisions consisting of two double-handed and two single-handed sections, rather than the usual two divisions seen at most college meets. Senior women's captain AJ Crane and her boatmate, senior Kristen Tysell, ran ninth in the A division, finishing with six top-five finishes in 20 races. In the B division, sophomore skipper Dave Siegal and senior Katie Shuman came in second behind Dartmouth, six points ahead of Dartmouth thanks to three wins and eight other top-five finishes from 20 races. "We were definitely happy with it because it's a regatta that has so many divisions. It really shows that our team has a lot of depth, and is strong overall," Shuman said. "It would have been nice to beat Harvard. We were leading them after the first day, but we were still happy with the finish." Sophomore Zander Kirkland (C division) and senior co-ed captain Joel Hanneman (D division) placed third and fourth in their respective classes in the single-handed events. Both sailors placed amongst the top five in 11 of their 20 races. The regatta is scored on the total of all four divisions, with each score contributing equally to the final result. "It was big, we sent our very best team down there," coach Ken Legler said. "They did very, very well. The winds were light on Saturday. On Sunday the conditions were moderate to windy, and Harvard was faster in those conditions." The Jumbos also sent four double-handed crews to the Jack Wood Trophy at Dartmouth on Sunday, another four-division regatta. Tufts won the event by seven points, running before the light breeze and an under-performing host Dartmouth squad, which placed second. "Dartmouth didn't have their best team," Legler said. "However it was nice to go up there and take that one." The four-division format adds interest to the regatta, according to senior Ariel Fromer, who crewed for sophomore skipper Jeff Cruise in the A division. The pair won one of seven races, placing third in three others. "It's always a really interesting event because there are four divisions," Fromer said. "It shows that our team has a lot more depth -- that we could do well in all four divisions and still win the event." Sophomores Bryan Prior and Rachel Filip competed in the B division while classmates Alex Singer and Eric Morley took to the waters in the C division. Freshmen Stephen Cox and Anna Martin rounded out the group in D division. The A, B and C division crews from the Jack Wood Trophy also raced to a third place finish at the Lane Trophy Team Race at Tufts on Saturday, finishing with a 4-3 record behind Dartmouth (7-0) and MIT (5-2). Team racing involves three boats from each competing team facing off against each other, much like three-on-three basketball. According to Fromer, who had hoped for a better finish, the conditions were not ideal and the breeze was unpredictable. "I thought we might win [the Lane Trophy]," Legler added. "But Dartmouth was just too strong." The Jumbos also won the BC Bowl Team Race on Saturday in rather fickle conditions, winning all eight of their races. Junior Sebastian Reeve, sophomore Katie Mims, seniors Garin Pace and Hatsy Hoder and freshmen MacKenzie Kigin and Cox handily won the event over BC. "Team racing is a big part of [our] team," Reeve said. "We tend to do pretty well in it, and it's an important part of something we also enjoy doing. The BC Bowl certainly went well. It was a rainy event but things were good." Tufts now turns its attention to qualification for the mid-November Atlantic Coast Championships. "The Schell Trophy at MIT [in two weeks] is sort of an informal New England Championship, but it's also a qualifier for the Atlantic Coast," Legler said. "First and foremost we want to qualify for the Championships. In the process we'd like to win [the Schell] if possible. Harvard and Dartmouth are both stronger teams right now but we're not to be completely discounted." Fromer agreed, saying that the team will now concentrate its efforts on championship qualifications. "Now that midterms are over, we can focus a lot more in practice and really put some time into make sure that we really have it centered for New England's." Shuman also noted that while Tufts is a strong team, the next couple weeks will see the team add to that strength. "We need to work on being able to transition into windier or heavier conditions," Shuman said. "As a team we're pretty small, and sometimes when it gets windier we have to sail with heavier crews that aren't our regular crews. It's a difficult transition, sailing with somebody new. A lot of other teams do it more seamlessly than we do." Tufts will also send Kirkland and Hanneman to this weekend's New England Single-handed Laser Championships, held at Dartmouth. Both have strong chances to qualify for the North American Single-handed Championships at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida in late November. "Only four sailors will qualify from New England to go to Nationals," Legler said. "We've counted at least five really good ones: two from Tufts, two from Harvard, and one from Dartmouth, so somebody's going to be left out."

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Philip Morris to recruit at Fletcher

October 21

Tobacco giant Philip Morris International has brought its graduate recruitment efforts to Tufts. The company will recruit for several open positions at an information session tonight at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Despite controversy surrounding the corporation, its presence is protected under University codes. It is not atypical for private companies to recruit at Fletcher. But Philip Morris' status as the world's second largest tobacco manufacturer -- marketing such brands as Marlboro, Parliament, Benson & Hedges, and Merit -- makes it distinctive. According to Fletcher's director of career services, Susan Ingleby, approximately one third of organizations who collect resumes or recruit at Fletcher are private companies. "Private sector recruiting has been down dramatically the last couple of years because the market has been affected by the economy," she said. According to Ingleby, the positions being offered to Fletcher students by Philip Morris International came through an alumnus in Hong Kong who works for the company. "One of our staff had been in Hong Kong a couple of years ago when the Dean was there and had met him and maintained a relationship," she said. "The positions they had to offer were overseas, so he contacted my staff person and asked if we'd be interested in posting those positions." The positions are in Argentina, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Japan. Though Ingleby acknowledged that Philip Morris is "absolutely" a controversial company, she said that it is the free choice of employees to decide where to work. "As long as the organizations do not violate any laws," the University does not bar corporations from recruiting, Ingleby said. "We're dealing with people who have several years of work experience," she said, adding "this is not an opportunity we went out and looked for." The University Student Services Handbook policy on programs and speakers states that "the University will strive to uphold the right of a campus organization to invite speakers or hold programs, even controversial ones, and to hold them without interruption." The University does not invest in any tobacco-related corporation, but Ingleby said that this does not affect University policy on speakers and presentations. Philip Morris declined to comment for this article and referred queries to the website of its parent company, Altria Group, Inc., which also owns Kraft Foods. The website asks prospective employees: "Are you up to the challenge of supporting our mission to be the most responsible, effective and respected developer, manufacturer and marketer of consumer products intended for adults?" The website also lists the benefits of working at Philip Morris, whose benefits package has been ranked first for the past four years by Money magazine. "Philip Morris is probably a very good employer," said Balbach, who specializes in the tobacco industry. "They have a long history of hiring and promoting women and minorities. There's a lot of company loyalty." "I suspect they have to be a good employer because you have to convince people to work for a company that markets death and illness," she said. A cigarette, Balbach said, is the "only product legally sold that when used as directed, kills." Philip Morris International and Philip Morris USA are second only to China's nationalized tobacco industry in worldwide cigarette production. While the number of smokers is declining in the United States, the international market is still a major source of profit for tobacco companies. Philip Morris' website emphasizes that the company is well-positioned. "Look at our past performance, the quality of our employees and the continuing growth of our business: we feel confident about our future," the website reads. "We believe there will continue to be a market of adult smokers and we feel well placed to meet their needs." Balbach contributed a viewpoint to Monday's Daily that detailed Philip Morris' business practices.

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School of Engineering to hire eight additional faculty

October 21

Responding to departmental restructuring and loss of faculty members, Dean of Engineering Linda Abriola has been authorized to hire eight additional faculty members. The school is seeking eight tenure-track positions in the Biomedical Engineering, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Electrical and Computer Engineering Departments. After a year of transition for the School of Engineering, each department was evaluated by a different external review committee. Each consisted of distinguished experts from various schools. During this time, a school-wide hiring freeze was in effect. After an extensive review, each committee ultimately recommended the new positions now available in those departments. The growth is in response to restructuring of departments last year, not necessarily expansion according to Abriola. She said "for the most part, these positions are to replace faculty who have retired or left the University for various reasons. They do not represent a real growth in numbers. The hiring decisions are purposefully aimed and will result in reinforcing of departments. "We have selected their areas strategically, so that their recruitment will help strengthen areas of research and education that will be important to Tufts engineering in the next decade," Abriola said. Ideally the School of Engineering would like to increase the size of its faculty beyond the recent additions, Abriola said. "Over time we do hope to grow the size of the engineering faculty by 25 percent, but we do not yet have a time line, nor do we have a strategy for where the positions will be added." She hopes to develop such a plan this year. While the criteria for these hires vary in each department, the Engineering School emphasizes research and strong teaching credentials. "We are seeking candidates who have a real dedication to both research and teaching," Abriola said. "The creation of new knowledge and the application of new technologies to address societal problems is at the core of our mission. We want to attract faculty that are excited by what the do, are first-rank scholars, and who which to communicate their excitement and insights to others" Professor Robert Gonsalves, the chair of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department said that he is trying to strengthen the departments after they were left "understaffed by the splits in the Fall of 2002," when "several researchers went to the Biochemical and Computer Science departments." The two new positions will be "viewed as additions" to current faculty. Gonsalves said that while retirements are difficult to anticipate, "if there are retirements, there will be questions about whether another position will be available." The growth of Gonsalves' department is independent of any student growth or increased demand. Gonsalves expects the student population to remain constant. The Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department experienced a very large growth in the late 1990's but then stabilized to about 50 students. The Computer Science department is also seeking new faculty. There are now 12 faculty members and the two additions will be considered both additions and replacements according to Diana Souvaine, chair of the Computer Science Department. Although they split last year, the Computer Science Department and Electrical and Computer Engineering Departments still share much of the same facilities. Both departments are located in Halligan Hall, and share Front Desk administration, Lab Space, and a systems group. Because the Computer Science department has also encountered enormous growth in its Graduate program, Souvaine said that it is "looking to add temporary space" to accommodate current needs in advance of the likely campus-wide space planning that is expected to take place this year. David Kaplan, Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering is also seeking new positions as a result of the reorganization. He echoed Abriola's desire for both research and teaching saying that his department was "looking for a faculty member at an assistant or associate professor level with strong interests in research and teaching." However, unlike the other departments, Kaplan said the hires in Biomedical Engineering are an "addition" as the department only has four members. Kaplan also hopes that the new faculty member will help "add to our capabilities and feel excited about interfacing not only with other departments [in the School of Engineering] but with Arts and Sciences as well." These new positions should begin to be filled in the 2004-2005 academic year, and further examination of needed positions and more facilities is expected to take place this year.

The Setonian
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Red Sox Existentialism

October 21

"The gods had condemned Sisyphus to ceaselessly rolling a rock to the top of a mountain, whence the stone would fall back on its own weight. They had thought with some reason that there is no more dreadful punishment than futile and hopeless labor." Thus starts Albert Camus' Myth of Sisyphus, an exquisite essay that might as well be written about the Boston Red Sox and their tragically heroic fans. There exists a simply irresistible connection between Boston's eternal damnation and existentialist thought. In fact, one can easily draw many parallels linking the Myth of Sisyphus to the Red Sox plight. After all, one must admit that there is an inescapable element of absurdity to Boston's heartbreaking defeat to the New York Yankees last Thursday. Now, it would be easy to write about the initial raw emotions that kicked in when our incredulous eyes observed Aaron Boone's ruinous homerun. Those of us who wanted the Red Sox to win experienced a pitiful mixture of anger, sorrow, helplessness and yes, shame. But it would be a nobler endeavor to write about the sophisticated existentialism of the hard-core fans. At this point, however, I must present a brief disclaimer. No, I am not a lifelong Red Sox fan nor am I a hard-core baseball connoisseur. You could probably then say that it is not my place to write about America's favorite pastime and under normal circumstances I would agree. But the magnitude of Thursday's loss transcends baseball itself, reaching the realms of philosophy and even poetry, not to mention quantum physics and theology. And even if I am no authority on baseball tactics or rules, my lifelong passion for soccer duly entitles me to attempt to heal the wounds of my fellow sports fans. Having properly admitted to my lack of credentials as a baseball commentator I can return Thursday's exhaustive agony. I must say that the relentless and passionate support of Boston fans left an indelible mark on many international observers like myself. You would think that after so many years of jinxed seasons Boston fans should know better than to entertain any hopes. Had they not realized that hope could drive a man insane? Yet, even if unconsciously they are getting ready for an imminent catastrophe, Red Sox followers always have a moment of weakness. I guess this reoccurring moment of weakness is an intricate part of that sublimely painful curse. This time, it came during game seven of the series against the Yankees. Glory seemed tangible, within our reach. Baseball heaven looked, oh, so close! But then the rock of our dreams fell back down the mountain. That is the nature of the curse. It is a cruel joke at a noble fan's expense. As the rock begins to fall, time stops momentarily and a dreadful chill goes down your spine. You are outside yourself, and you are left alone with your thoughts. It is at this point, however, that the Red Sox fan is truly free. That moment of tragic epiphany, when the conscious realization of the absurdity of the situation sinks in, is in itself a triumph. At least that is what Albert Camus thinks. He tells us that as Sisyphus walks back down the mountain, immersed in his own thoughts, he is "superior to his fate. He is stronger than his rock... the lucidity that was to constitute his torture at the same time crowns his victory." We are now walking down the mountain, immersed in our own thoughts just as Sisyphus was. Eventually, we will pick up the rock and start rolling it back up the hill because that's our destiny. We will get excited again, we will be in the verge of victory, and we shall cry again, unless of course the Red Sox break free from their curse. But the true Red Sox fan will embrace this curse in the same way a truly happy man embraces death. A day means nothing without the night, life has no meaning without death, and the elusive taste of triumph will never be sweet without defeat. Camus concludes The Myth of Sisyphus with some truly inspiring words for those brokenhearted Red Sox fans. Referring to Sisyphus' curse, he says: "the struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy."

The Setonian
News

Despite troubles, Pats sit pat at 5-2

October 21

In this league of extraordinary gentlemen (known to laymen as the NFL), a chance for redemption or a chance to exorcise any demons can always be just one play away. In the New England Patriots' stunning 19-13 overtime victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, it took three pivotal sequences for the depleted Pats to outduel what many consider the best Miami squad in recent years. In the spirit of the Red Sox letting history get the better of them yet again, the Patriots' "Curse of South Florida" is also well documented. The Pats had never won in Miami in September or October, whether the match ups were at the Orange Bowl or at Joe Robbie/Pro Player Stadium. And it has seemed that in recent years the schedule makers have, sure enough, given the Patriots a chance to rewrite history by plopping them in Miami somewhere in the first eight weeks. And year in and year out, Drew Bledsoe, Tom Brady and co. were sure to have their jocks handed to them as they let sweltering heat get under their skin. Until Sunday. In a back and forth game between the current AFC East front runners, it was special teams which held the key. And the ironic twist for Boston fans is that the Florida Marlins still being in the World Series helped the Pats tremendously. The Dolphins were forced to kick their two deciding field goals on the infield dirt, which does not give ideal footing to either the kicker (normally automatic Olindo Mare) or his linemen. The results were a blocked field goal by Patriot Richard Seymour, who said he was able to get a better push with the linemen unable to get good traction, and a missed 35 yard field goal in overtime that was pushed wide right by the second most accurate kicker of all time. The Pats capitalized with five minutes left in overtime when Brady and Troy Brown connected on an out-of-character 82 yard touchdown pass. Head coach Bill Belichick proceeded to make a Mary Tyler Moore-esque toss of his head phones in the air, as this early Coach of the Year candidate was able to finally exhale. Between the Lawyer Milloy debacle, the embarrassing first game against Buffalo, and the countless injuries to key defensive contributors, the magnitude of this win will resound for some time for this 5-2 team. From teams on the up and up to teams falling fast, a trend that needs to be addressed is the ineptitude of last year's playoff participants. Of the 12, only two (the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts) hold a winning record as we head into Week Eight. While the 1-6 Atlanta Falcons and the 2-4 New York Jets can be excused at least a bit due to injuries to their quarterbacks, the blame is harder to place for others. Brett Favre and his annual cast of characters we call the Green Bay Packers predictably continued their dome woes as they fell to the resurgent St. Louis Rams 34-24. Since winning the Super Bowl in 1996, one good but not great season has rolled into the next for this warrior. Currently at 3-4, neither "good" nor "great" are being considered as appropriate adjectives for Green Bay's 2003 season. The most notable absences from the ranks of the winning, though, are the two teams who played in last year's Chuckie/Super Bowl. At a combined 5-8, last year's treasure has given way to this year's trash. For the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, no loss has been worse in their 3-3 season than Sunday's 24-7 defeat at the hands of the struggling San Francisco 49ers. Terrell Owens dropped three passes and was still able to have a big game (six catches, 152 yards, one TD) against a once infallible defense. And the Oakland Raiders, sitting at 2-5 after a hard fought Monday Night loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, with third year man Marques Tuiasosopo at quarterback, are reeling. They are basically the same unit as last year, but an injury to Jerry Porter, as well as Rich Gannon not being his 2002 MVP self, have rendered the Black Hole useless. One More Thing: Similar to Mr. Irrelevant, the last player selected in each April's draft, the last team to win a game in the League deserves a special notoriety, a hero's pat on the back if you will. Rather than being wined and dined in Newport Beach, CA as the draftee is, this team gets to get back on their 1-5 horse and deal with Marty Schottenheimer for many more weeks to come. Ouch! But a hearty congratulations goes out to the San Diego "Becoming More Super" Chargers, who dismantled the Cleveland Browns 26-20. LaDainian Tomlinson deserves better, and here's hoping he gets it in the coming weeks.

The Setonian
News

A Little off the top

October 20

With Red Sox manager Grady Little taking more heat in Beantown this past week than Joan of Arc, I decided to set the record straight. By the eighth inning of game seven, Little already had less control of the outcome than Shaq at the foul line. Yep, you heard it here first. Johnny Damon's mullet cost the Sox the series. No, not any statistical decline. Damon hit .256 with an on-base plus slugging total of .766 during this year's playoffs, compared with .273 and .750 during the regular season. No, not any physical problems. Damon had fully recovered from his holy-crap-it-looked-like-he-just-got-hit-by-a-truck collision with Damian Jackson in game 5 of the Oakland series. It was that other awesome power - the curse of the mullet, if you will - that truly determined the result of the ALCS. If you don't know what a mullet is, I believe Webster's defines it as, "a hairline on the back of the neck that edges just past human decency; or a hairstyle promoted by Satan; or a tourist attraction in Texas." You knew it wasn't going to go Boston's way the second Tim McCarver said that everyone on the team but Nomahh and Damon had lopped off their domes for good luck during the playoffs. Garciaparra didn't go to the razor because he was getting married to Mia Hamm the next week, and honestly, if he's with Mia Hamm, he's gotta be doing something right. But Damon had no such excuse. I mean, I could understand if his parents were Fabio and Rapunzel, but honestly, what's a scrawny centerfielder from Fort Riley, Kansas doing with a Minnesota Mauler? Had he only looked to the past for advice, Damon would have realized the error of his ways and broken that other curse in the process. Whether you call it the business cut (business in the front, party in the back), the 10-90 cut (10% in front, 90% in the back), or the shlong cut (short in the front, long in the back), the mullet seems to be to baseball teams what kryptonite is to Superman. Example 1: John Kruk - the, um, big-boned Phillies slugger from the early nineties, had a career average of .300 and hit 100 home runs over 10 seasons. Thanks to Kruk's Long Island Iced Tease, though, the Phils got bounced from their only World Series by bald Joe Carter's lowly Blue Jays in 1993. Example 2: Randy Johnson, The Big Unit, was already 143-83 with 2,329 strike outs before he signed with the Diamondbacks in 1999 - but no World Series ring. In Seattle and Houston, he had an Ape Drape that rivaled Andre Agassi's, but since the mullet was axed before the 2001 season, Johnson was able to pick up three wins with a 1.04 ERA against the Yankees in the World Series. Example 3: Mike Piazza, tirelessly heralded as the greatest hitting catcher who has ever played the game, has as many rings as a jewelry store after visits by Liz Taylor and Jennifer Lopez. What else besides a Soccer Rocker could explain the lack of bling-blingage on this 10-time All Star? Example 4: Gary Gaetti played third base for Kirby Puckett's 1987 World Series champion Twins team, but back then his neck didn't have the Sphynx. He played 14 more seasons in the bigs - Neckwarmer included - and he didn't even make it back to another fall classic. Instead of looking back at the Mud Flaps that screwed these guys, sports columnists up the yin-yang have been jumping on Little. Why, they ask, did it take four straight hits off Pedro to send him to the showers? Why, they ask, did four other big league managers call Little and say they would have done the same thing? Why, they ask, didn't Pedro himself know it was time to go? The solution, it seems, is pretty obvious. Damon's Canadian Passport glaring in from center field single-handedly massacred the hopes and dreams of an entire city. So, Theo Epstein, the choice is up to you. You have Damon hooked through the 2005 season, so either you trade Byung-Hyun Kim to Fantastic Sam's so one of their guys can perform the de-mulleting ceremony, or you just get it over with by trading Damon outright. Seeing how Kim's got to be due for some post-season success eventually (hee hee), ship the Hack Job off for a DH under 600 pounds and enough money to buy a lifetime supply of Bics for the entire team.

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