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VOLUME LVI, NUMBER 39
THE TUFTS DAILY
After a nearly 48-hour delay, the Philadelphia Phillies completed a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays to win Game 5 of the World Series and
seal the Phillies’ first title since 1980. Cole Hamels, who was lifted from the game when it resumed last night in the sixth inning, earned
Series MVP honors for his 13 innings of four-run work. He was also named NLCS MVP last week. For the Phillies, it was just the second
title in the franchise’s 125-year history; the Rays came up short in the team’s first-ever Series appearance.
Six university
presidents
traveling to Iran
by Tessa Gellerson
Contributing Writer
A delegation of six U.S. university presi-
dents will visit Iran thanks to an invita-
tion from Sharif University of Technology
President Saeed Sohrabpour in Tehran.
With the sponsorship of the National
Academy of Sciences, American sci-
entists have been participating in an
exchange program with Iran recently,
establishing a forum for communica-
tion and a basis for understanding. The
presidents’ trip seeks to expand on these
exchanges and further the progression of
the two nations’ educational ties.
The trip has been sanctioned by the U.S.
Department of State and is being organized
by the Association of American Universities,
a non-profit organization that concentrates
on issues important to research universities.
The Richard Lounsbery Foundation, which
has been involved in the National Academy
of Sciences’ exchanges, will cover all the
delegation’s travel expenses.
The presidents come from three private
and three public institutions: Carnegie
Mellon University; Cornell University; Rice
University; the University of California,
Davis; the University of Florida; and the
University of Maryland, College Park. All
schools have had some type of previous
contact with Iranian educators.
While the visit comes at a time of mount-
ing tension between the U.S. administra-
tion and the Iranian government, Tufts
University President Lawrence Bacow said
this type of academic exchange between
rivaling nations is not unprecedented.
“Even during the Cold War, U.S. academ-
ics met with their colleagues in the Soviet
Union,” Bacow said in an e-mail. “Such
contacts can pave the way for other diplo-
see IRAN, page 2
Inside this issue
The Daily undresses
the Jumbo TV show
“Mouthwash,” a fictional
series about the college
hookup culture.
see WEEKENDER, page 5
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Phil Classic: Philadelphia
takes World Series in
Grant to finance wind turbine
Medford approves $100,000 for elementary school
Toka Beech
by
Contributing Writer
The Medford City Council voted
on Oct. 14 to approve a $100,000
grant from a private organization to
finance the construction of the city’s
first wind turbine.
The Massachusetts Energy
Consumers Alliance (Mass Energy)
provided the grant to the Medford
Clean Energy Committee, which will
oversee the turbine project as part of
Jalal speaks on contemporary meaning of jihad
by Jeremy White
Daily Editorial Board
Professor of History Ayesha Jalal spoke in
the Coolidge Room yesterday on the historical
evolution of the concept of jihad and its impli-
cations for modern Islam.
Jalal couched her largely historical lecture in
a modern context, saying that the word jihad
“has come to signify the tension between
Muslims and the West.”
She added, “There is a popular notion that
while not all Muslims are terrorists somehow
all terrorists are Muslim.”
Jalal was the keynote speaker for the Dean
of Arts and Sciences Robert Sternberg’s Faculty
Forum, an annual talk that features prominent
Tufts professors. Past speakers have included
Professor of Philosophy Daniel Dennett.
Beginning her lecture by explaining that
jihad literally means “to strive,” Jalal distin-
guished between an interpretation of the term
that focuses on a personal attempt to subdue
the ego and the more widely used, contempo-
rary meaning that emphasizes armed struggle
against “the enemies of Islam.”
Modern interpretations of jihad break with
the fundamental teachings of Islam by focus-
ing on a concept that is not an intrinsic facet
see JIHAD, page 2
Grade inflation is a recent
trend in private schools
across the nation.
see FEATURES, page 3
five games
MCT
a larger, city-wide initiative to “pro-
mote clean power options … and clean
energy in Massachusetts,” according
to the committee’s Web site. The tur-
bine will be installed behind the John
J. McGlynn School complex on Mystic
Valley Parkway.
According to Patricia Barry, director
of the city’s Energy and Environment
Office, the turbine will produce
170,000 kilowatt hours in electric-
see TURBINE, page 2
History Professor Ayesha Jalal said last night that divisions within the Islamic faith lead to
misconceptions. She spoke about the meaning of the word jihad, touching on some of its
many interpretations.
Today’s Sections
News 1
Features 3
Weekender 5
Editorial | Letters 10
Where You
Read It First
Est. 1980
TUFTSDAILY.COM
BC launches
$1.5 billion
capital campaign
by Gillian Javetski
Daily Editorial Board
Despite the looming threat of a
national recession, Boston College (BC)
recently announced its most ambitious
capital campaign in history, aiming to
raise $1.5 billion by 2015.
The “Light the World” campaign
will help fund BC’s strategic academic
plan, which draws on feedback from
BC community members, according to
BC spokesperson Jack Dunn.
“Three years ago, the university com-
pleted a strategic plan that involved
the input of 200 BC students, employ-
ees, staff and alumni, all of whom
helped set goals to address the school’s
most important needs,” Dunn told the
Daily. “This new capital campaign is
the public announcement to support
these strategic goals.”
According to Dunn, the plan will
first target increasing financial aid and
continuing to improve academic excel-
lence, both of which will receive the
most money.
“Five hundred and seventy-five mil-
lion dollars will be allocated towards
academic excellence that will allow BC
to hire 100 new faculty and fund more
than a dozen new centers of learn-
ing,” Dunn said. “In addition, $300
million will be allocated to financial
aid, which the strategic plan indicated
was another major priority to the BC
community.”
Dunn added that over $225 million
will be used to pay for new facilities,
construction and renovation projects
on campus. These projects include
building four new academic buildings,
a student center, a recreation complex
and dormitories that will enable BC to
house all of its undergraduate students
see BC, page 2
AALOK KANANI/Tufts daily
Op-Ed 11
Comics 12
Classifieds 13
Sports Back
2 The Tufts Daily
Examining Berlin’s
growing Jewish
presence
Professor Thorsten Wagner of Berlin’s Humboldt University stopped at Tufts’ Hillel Center last night to
offer insights into why Germany is home to the world’s fastest-growing national Jewish population. He
put a specific emphasis on the modern restoration of Berlin’s Jewish community.
Sikes: Univ. presidents’ Iran trip is not political
IrAN
continued from page 1
matic initiatives.” Bacow credited
these meetings with the eventu-
ally successful negotiations of the
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
University of Florida spokesper-
son Janine Sikes told the Daily that
this trip is about more than politi-
cal tensions.
“This is not a political trip,”
Sikes said in an e-mail. “Rather, it is
about strengthening scientific and
educational ties.”
But the plan has drawn some
criticism. The trip’s press release on
Jalal: Different Muslim beliefs breed confusion
JIHAD
continued from page 1
of faith, or iman, but is a manifes-
tation of personal belief, or aqida,
Jalal said.
“Jihad in the modern Islamic
world has become a weapon with
which to threaten believers and
nonbelievers alike,” which is con-
tradictory to the “high ethical val-
ues that derive from submission to
Allah,” Jalal said.
Much of Jalal’s speech centered
on developments in South Asia.
She said that although the cur-
rent conflict between the West and
religious extremists plays out on a
global stage, and its “spatial center
lies in Pakistan.”
Jalal highlighted the town of
Balakot, situated in the northwest
of Pakistan, as “the epicenter of
jihad in South Asia.” She called
it the site of “the only real jihad
ever to be fought on the sub-
continent,” describing the 1831
Battle of Balakot that pitted Sikhs
against Muslims in an armed
struggle still meaningful to con-
temporary militants.
While Balakot has been used
as a base for the terrorist orga-
nization Jamaat-ud-Dawa, when
the earthquake of Oct. 8, 2005
struck, factional considerations
were cast aside in the name of
saving fellow Muslims from the
devastation, Jalal said.
“Where men had failed, could
an act of God change the form
of jihad in Pakistan?” Jalal asked,
painting the incident as analogous
to divergent interpretations of the
term jihad and one that suggested
a “new way to struggle in the name
of Allah.”
Jalal said that the persistent diffi-
culty of attaching an absolute defi-
nition to the word is representative
of a larger split in theology and
practice in the world of Islam.
“The contested and fluid mean-
ings of jihad in Muslim history sug-
gest that the issue is not a settled
one,” Jalal said, adding that this
the Chronicle of Higher Education’s
Web site reveals a variety of senti-
ments on the issue. “Would they
have visited South African univer-
sities under apartheid?” wrote one
commenter named, “Alan.”
In addition to visiting various
universities, the teachers will hold
meetings with Iranian scientists
and engineers, and conduct an
open forum with the students of
Sharif University.
Robert Berdahl, president
of the Association of American
Universities, said in a press
release, “Prior to the Iranian
ambiguity “underscores the imper-
ative of continuing debates in the
present and also the future.”
Jalal said that this internal strug-
gle continues to diffuse the aims of
contemporary militant groups and
foster debates about the validity of
movements such as the Taliban.
The interpretation of jihad as
warfare against infidels draws on
a “wholly arbitrary distinction”
between the concept of dar-ul-
Islam, or Islam as “the abode
of peace,” and a violent con-
cept that has no sanction in the
Koran, Jalal said.
Rejecting a “false dichotomy”
between subjective context and
immutable textual backing in intel-
lectual history as “untenable,” Jalal
emphasized the nature of interpre-
tations as varying between regions
and eras.
“It’s not merely a question of
Muslims diverging from theory in
their practice, but even the theory
changed in different historical cir-
cumstances,” Jalal said.
Jalal said that the concept of
jihad as armed warfare became
“far less salient” after the resolu-
tion of brutal conflicts that shook
Islam in its formative years, as the
perceived threat of enemies to the
faith lessened.
Focusing on South Asia as a
focal point for contemporary
debates regarding the nature of
Islam and jihad, Jalal said that pre-
independence India helped define
the boundaries of Indian identity.
“The revitalized concept of jihad
as an ethical struggle” emerged
in modern-day India in the 19th
century, helping to foment anti-
colonial sentiment and in cases
draw together India’s varied and
disparate ethnic groups, Jalal said.
Jalal said that the current under-
standing of jihad’s meaning issues
from the struggle of Afghan muja-
hideen against Soviet aggressors.
“The decisive transformation in
both the theory and practice in
Southeast Asia was triggered by the
News
Meredith Klein/Tufts Daily
revolution in 1979, a very high
percentage of the faculty at
Iranian universities was edu-
cated in the United States;
since that time, and espe-
cially since 9/11, that num-
ber has declined dramatically.
We believe it is important to
maintain and renew academic
ties between our two coun-
tries as a means of laying
the groundwork for greater
understanding and rebuilding
what was once a very healthy
collaboration in science and
higher education.”
Soviet invasion,” she said.
Jalal ended by urging a form of
Islam that promotes “respect for
fellow human beings, regardless
of their ideological, or even reli-
gious, beliefs.”
Vali Nasr, a professor of inter-
national politics at the Fletcher
School, followed Jalal’s talk. Nasr
also serves as an adjunct senior
fellow on the Council of Foreign
Relations, an online resource on
international affairs.
Nasr cautioned against rigid
examinations of complex concepts
like jihad as if they are “context-free,
as if the historical circumstances
have been uniform.”
“We are where we are with jihad
... not because of Muslim certitude
about jihad but exactly because of
the incertitude that exists,” he said.
Given the mutability of the con-
cept, Nasr said that the Muslim
world should be adapting the word
to give it a more progressive mean-
ing that could play into the chang-
ing nature of the faith as a whole.
“The solution for Muslims is
not another interpretation in con-
text but a reformation,” Nasr said.
“They ought to think about these
issues very seriously.”
Nasr said that “the modern con-
cept of Jihad was defined against
the West in many ways” as a source
of both ideological and political
opposition and this construction
must be rethought.
Nasr also suggested that the
ascension of Osama Bin Laden,
whom he characterized as “the son
of a Saudi billionaire with no real
background in Islam,” represents
a democratization of the idea of
Jihad making it so that “anyone can
declare what are the laws and who
is the target.”
As a result, the structure of
Islamic authority hangs in the bal-
ance, Nasr said.
“You might have a restoration
of authority as to who interprets
Islam, and you might have a com-
plete breakdown,” he said.
BC launches major fundraising
campaign amidst financial crisis
BC
continued from page 1
in university housing.
In addition, $175 million
will go toward ongoing annu-
al programs, $100 million to
athletics and $125 million to
student leadership programs,
which according to Dunn are
an important part of BC’s iden-
tity.
“A portion of the money
from this campaign will help
BC with many of our ongoing
programs that help provide
safe exploration opportuni-
ties for student leaders,” Dunn
said. “One of the many things
that this will include is retreats
that provide an intersection
between intellectual and reli-
gious dimensions of the uni-
versity.”
Along with raising financial
capital, “Light the World” also
seeks to almost double the
number of alumni who give
to BC from 23,000 to 40,000
alumni, Dunn said. Currently,
Boston College has over
150,000 alumni.
While the recent financial
crisis may reduce alumni giv-
ing rates, Dunn remains con-
fident that BC’s capital cam-
paign will meet its goal on
time.
“Obviously, the financial
situation now is a daunting
challenge for all institutions,
but we think that there will
be an economic recovery fol-
lowing this downturn,” Dunn
said. “We have confidence that
our alumni over the course of
seven years will allow us to
meet our goal.”
Like Dunn, Tufts’ Director
of Donor Relations Christine
Sanni is confident that Tufts
Turbine to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions at Medford school
TURBINE
continued from page 1
ity per year. It will provide
10 percent of the McGlynn
School’s energy and save the
city $25,000 in annual energy
costs.
The turbine will also reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by
133 tons per year, which “is
equivalent to burning about
13,700 gallons less gasoline,”
according to the committee’s
Web site.
Barry said lessons on the
turbine will be integrated
into the McGlynn School’s
curriculum, helping to edu-
cate elementary and middle
school students about alterna-
tive energy sources. McGlynn
administrators purchased a
program called Smartview that
will allow children to track the
wind turbine’s progress.
“[ With Smartview,] the
kids will be able to view right
online what the wind speed
[of the turbine] is and how
much electricity we’re pro-
ducing from the wind,” Barry
told the Daily. “We’ve already
started putting it into the cur-
riculum.”
Construction of the turbine
has already begun. “We’ve
already installed the electrical
structure, we’re working on the
foundation now,” Barry said. If
all goes well, Barry anticipates
that the project will be com-
pleted by Dec. 31.
In order to receive the grant
from Mass Energy, Medford
had to agree to certain condi-
tions regarding the city’s ener-
gy budget, including investing
$100,000 in solar energy over
five years. Barry said these
stipulations were enacted to
Thursday, October 30, 2008
will reach its goal in “Beyond
Boundaries,” its capital cam-
paign that is shooting to bring
in $1.2 billion by 2011.
“So far, we haven’t seen a
change in giving this year;
we’re still on track for the $1.2
billion by the end of the cam-
paign,” Sanni said. “We have
many donors who have not
been impacted [by the finan-
cial crisis] and feel more
obligated to give back to the
university because they feel
incredibly fortunate.”
Tufts’ “Beyond Boundaries”
campaign has raised $919
million to date. According to
Sanni, the funds are desig-
nated to fall into three main
areas, including additions to
the university endowment,
expendable gifts for immedi-
ate use and capital funds for
construction of new buildings
and enhancement of facilities.
While Sanni noted that Tufts
and BC have “slightly differ-
ent” goals, she added that the
two schools’ campaigns both
encourage a shared commit-
ment to advancing public ser-
vice.
“One similarity between
BC and Tufts is that there is
definitely a commitment to
the community on the part of
students and administrators,”
Sanni said. “Just as Tufts is rec-
ognized for emphasizing the
importance of active citizen-
ship, BC also promotes a com-
mitment to public service.”
Over the past two years,
BC’s “Light the World” cam-
paign has raised over $520 mil-
lion during its “quiet phase.”
Boston College’s last financial
campaign, which ended in
2003, raised over $440 million.
encourage the city to contin-
ue funding alternative energy
sources.
“Mass Energy wanted to see
that the funding they gave us
would be continually invest-
ed into other renewable proj-
ects,” Barry said, describing
one stipulation.
The second stipulation
is that the city must sell the
turbine’s Renewable Energy
Credits (RECs) to Mass Energy,
as opposed to other organiza-
tions. RECs, which are sell-
able certificates that provide
proof that electricity has been
generated from a renewable
energy resource, are expected
to pay for $53,550 of the tur-
bine’s funding.
According to an article in
the Medford Transcript, city
council members were initially
apprehensive about the grants
conditions.
City Councilor Paul Camuso
was among them. “We have
to be careful,” Camuso said
in the article. “We basically
sign our rights away with Mass
Energy here.”
But Barry is not worried.
“There’s really only two main
provisions, and really, we
should be doing this anyway,”
she said.
Medford Mayor Michael
McGlynn shares Barry’s feel-
ings. “The city shares Mass
Energy’s goal to promote
alternative sources of energy,”
McGlynn told the Transcript.
“These conditions were similar
to ideas already being explored
by city officials.”
“It’s really a brilliant con-
cept, the idea of continual
investing in renewable ener-
gy,” Barry said.

With rising grade point averages, the once-elusive A+ may be becoming more commonplace.
Inflation: It’s not just for the economy anymore
GPAs get better, but not necessarily because of students’ quality work
by Robin Carol
Daily Editorial Board
Students love to hate them, professors
hate to give them, most colleges refuse to
part with them ... and they are rampantly
on the rise. Grades — the catch-22 of
the modern university — have steadily
increased in recent decades, and grade
inflation is now a larger concern in the
academic community than ever.
A recent Boston Globe article by
Experimental College professor Phil
Primack outlined the grade inflation epi-
demic. Featured in the Globe’s College Issue,
the article’s headline, “Doesn’t Anybody Get
a C Anymore?” reflects Primack’s senti-
ments, as well as those of some of his col-
leagues, on the source of contention.
“For teachers, it’s been an issue for quite
a while,” Primack said. “Grading has always
been important both to faculty and stu-
dents but this resonated so much. The
issue of grade inflation is nothing new, but
it has certainly gotten significantly more
pronounced in the last decade.”
A study of 29 institutions, excluding Tufts,
showed that grade point averages at pri-
vate schools increased from 3.11 in 1992 to
3.26 in 2002. The Tufts average GPA on the
other hand, has been consistently higher.
It rose from 3.26 for 1997-1998 to 3.39 last
year; according to Dean of Undergraduate
Education James Glaser, an average that
took into account over 39,000 grades from all
courses. The School of Engineering average
Tufts’ Cummings School seeing a steady
climb in number of female applicants
Females compose 79 percent of vet school students in nation’s 28 schools
by Kathy Seim
Contributing Writer
In veterinary medicine, a field once
dominated by men, females are not
merely increasing in number — they
are also showing signs of becoming the
majority gender.
The admissions statistics at Tufts’
Cummings School of Veterinary
Medicine reveal that the most recent-
ly accepted class is composed of 82
students, only 10 of whom are male.
The gender ratio imbalance has simi-
larly characterized the last four years of
enrollment.
Claims of gender bias in the admis-
sions process, though, are unwarranted,
according to Rebecca Russo, director of
admissions at the Cummings School.
Russo confirmed that the applicant
pool reflects the same gender dispro-
Features
was slightly lower at 3.25.
Primack cited a number of possible fac-
tors contributing to the rising number of
high grades.
“There’s some competitive pressure
to get into the best medical school or
law school that drives pressure for good
grades,” he said.
But Primack said this was secondary to
another factor concerning the relationship of
student and faculty. “Most faculty don’t want
to deal with whining students,” he said.
Still, the most concerning aspect of the
trend is that rising grades could reflect an
overall cultural shift, according to Primack.
“You could get into a broader societal
issue — the whole issue of entitlement,”
Primack said. “[Today’s students] grew up
in an environment where you were the best
at everything, the best at soccer, the smart-
est kid in the class … and to be told you’re
not superbly excellent — you’re not an A,
you’re a B” bothers people.
While no one can argue with the fact that
grades have risen, not everyone agrees with
Primack that inflation is a problem that needs
to be addressed.
“I think there’s been grade inflation. I
don’t think it’s a problem. Grades have
gone up; I think there are reasons perhaps,”
University Professor Sol Gittleman said.
Gittleman explained that Tufts offers many
more general education courses now than
it did in the past. These courses have fewer
prerequisites, so the expectation is that every
student can master the material, he said.
portion and said that the dramatic
increase in female applicants in the last
15 years is the primary source of the
demographic shift.
The influx of aspiring female veteri-
narians is not restricted to Tufts; out of
the 28 veterinary schools in the country,
79 percent of students are female.
This is a drastic change from the
composition of veterinary schools a few
decades back. In the 1960s, 95 percent
of veterinary students were male. By the
1980s, female applications to veterinary
programs outnumbered male applica-
tions.
Although there are more male veteri-
narians practicing presently, the gender
discrepancy may soon see a reversal
as a surge of female students graduate
from veterinary school in upcoming
years.
Many different theories have been
tuftsdaily.com
Annie Wermiel/Tufts Daily
“Our students are smart and smarter. You
give them a body of knowledge; they acquire
knowledge. You test them on it and they
demonstrate it,” he said. “Faculty expecta-
tions are not lower, but more positive. We
think the students should do well in our
courses and I’m personally disappointed
when they don’t. I like giving good grades.”
Sophomore Maxx Caicedo also shared
the belief that meeting faculty expectations
should merit high grades.
“If the teacher has the standards, and if
people reach that, then good work for the
kids,” he said.
Even if, overall, more students are success-
fully demonstrating their knowledge, Primack
argued this does not mean that grade infla-
tion is acceptable.
“You hear, ‘We got a lot smarter stu-
dents, therefore the grades are better.’ Sure,
I agree, but if your overall caliber student
is higher, are you telling me that students
are therefore all the same caliber? There are
distinctions to be made in an overall higher
tier,” Primack said.
The lack of these distinctions implies
that it can be difficult to determine the
actual meaning of an A, an A- or a B+. The
lines between “above average,” “satisfac-
tory” and “poor” are increasingly blurry.
“For the student who works hard and
really puts their all into a class and gets an
A or A-, because of grade inflation, there
isn’t much distinction between that A and a
see GRADES, page 4
proposed by administrators and stu-
dents alike regarding the phenomenon,
including the low number of malprac-
tice suits filed against those in the vet-
erinary field.
Mark Fagan, a senior and veteri-
nary school applicant, agreed that the
reduced risk of occupational legal bat-
tles is enticing.
“[Doctors practicing human medi-
cine] are kind of limited by insurance
and malpractice suits. There are a lot of
headaches to deal with,” Fagan said.
He also suggested that veterinary
medicine has a more feminine conno-
tation to it than other sects of the medi-
cal field. Because of this, he faced some
condescension from male friends when
he told them of his plans to become a
veterinarian.
see VET SCHOOL, page 4
3
Michael Sherry | Political Animal
The Palin
Effect
A
lmost two months ago, when John
McCain plucked Sarah Palin from
obscurity to be his running mate, I
wrote that the choice had sent the
2008 presidential race into “uncharted territo-
ry.” Palin was such an unknown figure to most
of the national political media that nobody
was quite sure how the pick would play out
or what effect she’d have on her party or the
country at large. And when I say nobody, I
mean nobody — even McCain had only met
her twice, briefly, before deciding “McCain-
Palin ’08” had a nice ring to it.
So in the two months since she’s been cho-
sen, what have we learned about the Thrilla
from Wasilla? The picture isn’t entirely clear
yet, but we’re starting to get a pretty good
handle on the political implications of the
Palin pick — both in terms of this upcoming
election and down the road in 2012.
First of all, she hasn’t proven to be the
electoral silver bullet her most ardent backers
have made her out to be. It now appears clear
that the spike in McCain’s poll numbers fol-
lowing his pick was a combination of the stan-
dard VP announcement bounce and the party
convention bounce — the fact that McCain
announced her the day before his convention
simply meant that the two bounces coincided
and magnified one another. The VP and con-
vention bounces faded, like they always do.
Secondly, Palin’s cringe-worthy perfor-
mances in her first two high-stakes interviews
with Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric did
lasting damage to her ability to be effective
with moderate and independent voters. Tina
Fey’s widely viewed impersonation of Palin as
a ditzy Jesus freak will undoubtedly be many
voters’ final impression of the Alaska gover-
nor. Seeking to capitalize on the widespread
perception that Palin simply isn’t up to the job
of filling in as president, the Obama campaign
released a devastating new ad yesterday. It fea-
tures year-old quotes from McCain admitting
to not understanding the economy as well as
he should, and then saying he might need to
rely on his vice president for economic advice.
The screen then cuts to one of Sarah Palin’s
famous wink-and-grins from the VP debate.
No words are added, nor are they needed. The
implication is clear.
This gets to the heart of the curious war
over her reputation that will be waged if the
Republicans lose next week. Palin is tremen-
dously popular with the Republican base, and
most of the party will be inclined to support
her and blame McCain, who they never much
liked anyway, for the loss. A smaller contin-
gent of Republicans view her as a disaster for
their party, and they despair at the love for her
among the base.
The Palin-lovers tend to be the party’s grass-
roots activists and evangelicals in rural areas
of the country, while the Palin-o-phobes tend
to be the Republican “elite”: figures like New
York Times columnist David Brooks, George
H.W. Bush, Reagan speechwriters David Frum
and Peggy Noonan and conservative colum-
nist George Will. These Republicans, the Palin
fans sniff, are East Coast, big-city “profession-
al” conservatives who aren’t in tune with the
real base of the party and its love for Sarah
Palin. One of the defining battles within the
Republican Party, especially if McCain-Palin
goes down to defeat next week, will pit the
evangelicals and small-town party activists
against the party’s business and professional
wing in New York and D.C. The former have
manpower and energy, while the latter have
the money, influence and intellectual fire-
power behind the Republican Party. It will be
a fascinating fight.
One last thing — don’t think you’ve seen
the last of Sarah Palin if she loses next week.
She knows she has allies in the party. She’s
tremendously ambitious, and her political his-
tory in Alaska is one of using senior figures to
advance her own agenda and then discard-
ing them once they cease to be useful to her.
McCain might simply be the latest name to be
added to that list.
Michael Sherry is a senior majoring in
political science. He can be reached at
Michael.Sherry@tufts.edu.
4 The Tufts Daily Features Thursday, October 30, 2008

Increase in introductory level courses

may drive increasing grade inflation
GRADES
continued from page 3
B+ or a B. The person who busts their butt
doesn’t get the credit they deserve. It all
gets lost in the mix,” Primack said.
Senior Amanda Ruud said that in
many of her classes, converging grades
are the norm.
“I often feel like if you do that which
is minimally required with the smallest
amount of inspiration, there’s no reason
you shouldn’t be able to get an A,” she said.
“That is the inflation. I don’t feel you have
to do supremely excellent work to get an A.
You have to do passable work that’s cleanly
constructed and has some creativity.”
Ruud’s comments came with a caveat
— “I take a lot of subjective classes” —
but she said that the highest grades are
not reserved solely for students who go
above and beyond.
“Most students give as much as they feel
they need to give, though I can understand
why professors do it, because there’s prob-
ably indignation if students have done the
most cursory amount and they don’t get the
grade they want,” she said.
The grade system allows for the avoid-
ance of low grades as well, as students are
able to drop courses up until the last day
of the semester and receive a W rather than
a grade on their transcript. The ability of
students to make such decisions without
consequence to GPAs may also contribute
to grade inflation, or at least contribute to
greater difficulty in its regulation.
“One big issue that keeps coming up in
our department is ‘We don’t want grade
inflation,’” said a philosophy teaching
assistant who requested anonymity.
“Grade inflation is equated with having
too many A’s.”
Having a large number of high grades
is unavoidable, she said, when students
doing poorly in a class inevitably drop it.
“What happens is that the major-
ity of students left are the ones who are
doing well,” she said. “It seems unfair for
the people grading to somehow change
around the grading scale at the end of the
Domestic Politics
semester so there’s no accusation of grade
inflation. Students who have been doing
well throughout the course … these people
earned their A’s, and we’re stuck between a
rock and a hard place.”
Perhaps most revealing in the discussion
of grade inflation is not the rise in good
grades, but the amount of importance
placed on them.
“The inherent flaw in any system of grad-
ing is it becomes more about the system of
designating the grade than what you actually
know,” Ruud said. “I guess it is status or self-
affirmation or competition. I definitely feel
that at the end of a course, a lot of students
are more satisfied by an A than by a tangible
amount of knowledge they’ve attained.”
“Tufts students are obviously hard work-
ers, so it’s important to them to get the good
grades. Once they figure out what they
need to do in order to achieve them, they’ll
do that much. I don’t know if it’s grade
inflation as much as Tufts students doing
everything they can to get the grades they
want,” senior Ashley Pandya said.
Professors acknowledge that letter grades
may not be the best way to evaluate stu-
dents, but some assessment is beneficial.
“I hate grading. [Professors] don’t mind
making judgments, but I don’t like to put
a grade on it. We need the judgmental
part. I don’t like putting A, B, C, D, F on
it, but we haven’t figured out another sys-
tem,” Gittleman said. “I don’t know what
to do about that. The faculty despises
having to put grades on exams.”
“Grading, at least for me, is the worst part MCT
of teaching — not so much giving grades as A growing numbers of female applicants to veterinary school are causing a major shift
anticipating the complaints,” Primack said. in demographics.
As Primack’s Globe article points out,
the fear of these complaints is exactly what
may be leading some professors to give
Minorities also underrepresented in
veterinary schools across the country
higher-than-deserved grades — but this is
not the case for Gittleman.
“People have expectations as [if they
were] consumers or clients. The one thing VET SCHOOL so it shouldn’t matter what ratio of men
I do not like is to be thought of as a clerk continued from page 3 to women there is in the classroom. The
in a haberdashery, with students saying ‘I “I got a lot of ‘Aww ... that’s too cute’ process of learning is still the same,”
want an A,’” he said. “I’m sorry; we don’t from my guy friends,” Fagan said. Etedali said.
have your size.” Senior Nicole Cardona, president of Harry Bernheim, an associate profes-
the Pre-Vet Society at Tufts, estimated sor of biology at Tufts, said that there
that of the group’s 20-30 active partici- is not a noticeable difference between
pants, only around 30 percent are male. genders in their motivation to pursue a
“Females are naturally seen as ‘more degree in veterinary medicine.
nurturing,’” Cardona said. She also said “[Male and female responses] are
that men may be more attracted to the nearly identical. Male or female, there’s
higher salaries that careers in human a strong history of interest in animal
medicine provide. care. Vet schools make sure that stu-
According to the American Medical dents aren’t doing it on a whim or
Association, a doctor’s annual salary impulse,” he said.
averages $200,000, while the U.S. Bureau Rather than being worried about the
of Labor Statistics reports that the aver- gender discrepancy in veterinary medi-
age annual salary for a veterinarian is cine, some individuals are more con-
around $75,000. cerned with the under-representation
Apart from possible explanations, of minorities in the field. Statistics pro-
the schism between genders appears to vided by the Association of American
manifest itself at an early age. Veterinary Medical Colleges show that in

Lunchtime Speakers
Seminar in American Politics: Decision
2008, Campaign for the Presidency
Ambassador John Shattuck, former
Assistant Secretary of State for
Democracy, Human Rights and Labor;
former Ambassador to the Czech
Republic; Tisch College Senior Fellow;
and Institute for Global Leadership
Advisory Board Member
Thursday, October 30, Noon-1:15
RSVP required to Douglas.Foote@gmail.com.
For information on the remaining fall speakers,
visit the calendar at activecitizen.tufts.edu
“We see the same trend among middle
schoolers that we talk to, students 10-13
years old,” Russo said.
Some universities perceive this gen-
der discrepancy to be a problem and
are taking action to recruit more male
students.
An article in The Boston Globe
cited University of Georgia’s College of
Veterinary Medicine and the College
of Veterinary Medicine at Western
University of Health Sciences as two
such schools.
Many at Tufts, though, view the
increase in female students as benign
and without cause for concern.
Carol Baffi-Dugan, Tufts’ program
director for health professions advis-
ing, does not find anything wrong with
the gender imbalance in the veterinary
profession.
“For decades, and even in the early
’80s when I began advising, women
were discouraged from going into vet-
erinary medicine. Since so many girls
and women were led to believe that they
could not do this, most did not. Now
they can and they are. I certainly do not
see it as a problem that many women
are interested in veterinary medicine.
I think it is terrific that they have this
opportunity available to them now, and
are pursuing it,” Baffi-Dugan said in an
e-mail.
Nahv Etedali, a senior who received
early admission to the Cummings School
as a sophomore, echoed this sentiment.
“Everyone has the same purpose or
goal in mind. Everyone [studying veteri-
nary medicine] wants to become a vet,
2006, only 9.7 percent of all the students
enrolled in U.S. veterinary schools were
minorities.
“[People should] confront that espe-
cially, as opposed to the gender discrep-
ancy,” Cardona said.
Baffi-Dugan agreed.
“Every profession benefits from a
diverse workforce. The profession of vet-
erinary medicine has very few minor-
ity practitioners and is working hard to
try and address that problem. My own
sense is that the gender gap is not nearly
the concern that the racial and ethnic
underrepresentation is, and that would
be my personal view as well,” she said.
Russo said that veterinary schools
around the country notice this phe-
nomenon.
“There’s been some talk nationally
about the issue. The shortage of minor-
ity individuals is a greater concern than
the male-to-female ratio at this point.
We need to figure out why minority
students are not applying to this profes-
sion and if there’s anything we can do to
change that. That’s the main concern for
vet schools currently,” she said.
Whether it is in regards to gender or
race, Fagan thinks that a change in pub-
lic opinion about the field will ultimately
balance it out.
“The demographics in population
don’t necessarily need to be actively
changed, but the overall conception of
the profession by people in academia
and people in general needs to be
changed. I think if that happens, the
change in demographics will naturally
follow,” he said.

Weekender Feature
Students hook up to produce Jumbo TV series
‘Mouthwash,’ a look into the college culture
by Catherine Scott
Daily Editorial Board
The set of “Mouthwash,” a TV show
about college students and the hookup
culture, looks different from what one
might expect. If not for the masses of
equipment lying around, it would seem
as if some friends were just hanging out
on the weekend. According to sopho-
more Lily Zahn, who is also a copy edi-
tor for the Daily, filming “Mouthwash”
actually does mostly involve just hang-
ing out and having fun, with a few
breaks in between to shoot scenes and
produce the only Tufts television show
with a fictional narrative.
The project began last year after
sophomore Eric Nichols, creator and
co-director, had the idea to create a
show specifically for college students.
Discussing his initial venture into the
television world, Nichols said, “I was
in film school for a year before I trans-
ferred to Tufts, and I wanted to con-
tinue working in the medium. I decided
to make a television show about some-
thing we all know and can relate to.”
Nichols said he went around trying
to get people involved one-by-one until
he had enough interested in audition-
ing. “We put up an announcement on
TuftsLife[.com] for casting calls, and
a surprising amount of people turned
up. It was kind of a snowball effect as to
how the thing got rolling,” he said.
What he ended up with was a cast of
five students. After one girl graduated last
year, another female cast member, soph-
omore Marielle Hampton, was added to
the mix this season. Sophomores Alec
Ernest, Paige Haverstock, Jack Esposito,
Lily Zahn and Hampton make up the
five main characters for Season Two of
“Mouthwash.”
The show’s plot is about a group of
friends in college making their way
through the perils of the hookup cul-
Weekender
Arts & Living
ture. The title of the show references our
generation’s obsession with the quick
hook-up and how a swish of mouth-
wash is all someone needs for a good
experience. “Mouthwash” chronicles
the exploits of friends Jess, Travis, Owen
and Rosie, as well as the newly created
character of Scarlett.
Jess, played by Haverstock, is a typi-
cal college-aged girl; she’s interested in
hooking up, but is also looking for a more
meaningful connection. She seems to
take interest in her friend Travis, played
by Esposito, and at the end of the last
season, they finally hooked up, both
cheating on their significant others, in
the finale.
Meanwhile, Owen, played by Ernest,
is the resident ladies’ man, seemingly
interested only in the casual romance,
until he hooks up with Rosie (played by
Zahn), Travis’ girlfriend. Yes, Rosie and
Travis cheat on each other on the same
night. Scarlett is Jess’ new roommate
for this season, and she seems to have
no problem with the casual hookup
either.
For many of the cast members, this is
their first time doing film acting. “This is
different from anything I’ve ever done,”
Haverstock said. “You don’t always go in
order while filming, so there might be
multiple scenes in different episodes all
shot in one dorm room over the course
of one or two days. You have to feel
different emotions and act in different
situations very quickly, whereas in a
play, everything builds and you can find
the motivation for the character more
easily.”
Haverstock auditioned after Esposito,
a friend from her dorm at the time,
encouraged her to try out for a part. In
Haverstock’s eyes, Jess seemed to be the
epitome of an average girl in her col-
lege years. “It’s really not too hard to get
into the character of Jess,” she said. “We
have a lot of similarities, and I’ve been
tuftsdaily.com
playing her for almost two semesters
now, so I think she’s a more solid char-
acter now.”
Travis is Jess’ counterpart in that he
also appears to be the typical college
guy, according to Esposito. “Travis is
definitely the kind of guy that anyone
can find something to identify with,” he
said.
While acknowledging the differences
between the stage and film, Esposito
cited increased creative freedom as a
major benefit to working in the foreign
medium. “This is the first time I’ve had
a continuously developing character,”
he said. “We’re also given a lot of free-
dom and [are] allowed to give our ideas
on the script, which makes for a fun and
enjoyable environment.”
The character with the most
punchlines on the show is Owen, played
by Ernest. Though Ernest, unlike the
others, had never performed theater,
after taking Acting one, he decided to
give the auditions for “Mouthwash” a
shot, and found the character of Owen
to be a perfect fit. “Everybody thinks
that I’m just like him,” he said, “but
there’s only a part of me that’s like
that. While it’s easy for me to play him,
there’s definitely more to me than there
is to Owen.”
The character of Rosie came on a little
later in the first season as “T Girl,” a girl
that Travis meets in the Davis Square T
station. Zahn emphasized how acting in
“Mouthwash” has cast her Tufts experi-
ence in a new light. “It’s sometimes sati-
rizing the awkward moments of college
life, but other times, it really tries to
capture those moments that all college
kids go through,” she said. “What’s great
is that sometimes you can laugh at it,
and sometimes you can relate to it.”
The newest member of the cast,
Hampton added, “The most fun is
bonding with everyone and just getting
to know each person individually.”
5
This year, Nichols added sophomore
Alorah Kwock as co-director. Since his
expertise lies in the area of techni-
cal filmmaking, she walks through the
scenes with the actors and helps them
relate to their characters and to the
other actors. As Nichols gets ready to
shoot a scene, Kwock explains to the
cast how the scene should go in terms
of interaction and spacing.
During the filming process, the cast
and crew go through lots of trial and
error. For example, in one session, the
actors discussed whether Owen should
be wearing a leather jacket — lots of
Fonzi jokes ensued — before Nichols
called, “Quiet on the set, rolling and
action.” The scene went well until
Scarlett had to run in, pushing both Jess
and Rosie out of the way. In doing so,
Hampton nearly took out both girls and
some of the lighting equipment as well.
Everybody laughed, and they started
over for a second take.
Senior Harry Waksberg wrote the
script, which has become more com-
plex and nuanced since the first season.
“A lot of the storyline comes from the
characters,” Waksberg said. “Eric has
created solid two-dimensional charac-
ters. I personally have a tendency to
make the characters really mean, and
they just end up insulting each other.
But, after a while, I got them to interact
the way real people do, and in the end,
you end up caring about the charac-
ters.”
The second season has no short-
age of surprises and twists in store.
Audiences will find out exactly what
happened between Jess and Travis,
as well as Rosie and Owen. There’s a
trip to Cape Cod, and, of course, lots
of hooking up. But most of all, it’s a
chance to watch fellow Jumbos’ artis-
tic endeavors. “Mouthwash” season two
premieres today on the show’s website,
Mouthwashtheshow.com.
6 The Tufts Daily
Weekender Interview | Kevin Smith
Smith: ‘Zack and Miri’ reflects my own start in filmmaking
by Emei Meg Willis
Daily Editorial Board
Already famous for his creation of many
cult figures, including the dynamic duo of
“hetero lifemates” Jay and Silent Bob, writer/
director Kevin Smith pushes the limits of
awesome with his newest film, “Zack and Miri
Make a Porno,” which stars key members of
the Judd Apatow hit-making crew Seth Rogen
and Elizabeth Banks. The Daily sat down to
discuss what it takes to make it in comedy, as
well as a few other, less-appropriate topics…
Question: It is pretty apparent that Jason
Mewes is kind of a crazy guy, but I was won-
dering what it was like when you told him he
was gong to have to do frontal in “Zack and
Miri Make a Porno?”
Kevin Smith: I thought Mewes would say
yes immediately, because this is a dude who
shows his cock quite readily to anybody he
knows for maybe a little over five minutes. I
have known the dude for 18 years and I have
seen his dick more than I have seen my own,
so I didn’t think it would be any big deal for
him to whip it out. When I said, “OK, when
you come out of the room, I think you should
be completely naked,” he balked. For the first
time in years he balked, because he’s got a
fiancée and what not. It is one thing to show
you my dick all the time, but film is forever.
And it will be on DVD and whatnot, and [he
didn’t] want to be picked on and crap. I said,
“Don’t worry about it, man, ask your lady.”
And he asks his lady, and she said she was
OK with it. And the weird thing is, he comes
out of the room, and mind you I am used to
seeing his dick, and I never saw it like this.
He came out looking like he was sporting
prosthetics from “Boogie Nights” [1997]. And
I was kind of flabbergasted. I didn’t know how
he had gotten that big. I got it confirmed by
me months later when Ben Affleck came over
to the house to watch the movie for the first
time. The third thing he said about the movie
was, “You realize Mewes is one pump away
from total liftoff. He kind of looks engorged.”
And Affleck said, “I have seen that dude’s dick
so many times; it has never looked that big.
Kevin Smith is visibly taken aback after getting a good glimpse of Jason Mewes’ penis.
It is usually all veg and no meat” ... We were
both impressed. I told Mewes that Ben had
said that, and he said, “You tell Ben from me
that it was not me on the way up but on the
way down.”
Q: How much of this film is autobiographical,
with a group of high school friends doing a
do-it-yourself film?
KS: If you scrap away the pornography and
the kind of overt trappings of the story in
terms of a bunch of people getting together
to make porn, it is kind of the story about
how we made “Clerks” [1994] to some degree:
a bunch of knuckleheads who don’t know
anything getting together and making a fea-
Weekender
thehollywoodnews.com
ture. There just happens to have a lot of
dicks and tits in it. The experience of mak-
ing “Clerks” 15 years ago definitely inspired
the plot of this movie. But have I ever made
homemade porn with a bunch of people? No.
I have never even made one with the wife. [I
have] certainly never made one with myself.
No one needs to see me f--k, and I know I
never need to see me f--k. The moment I see
myself f--k, it will put me off [from] having
sex, and it will put me off [from] sex in gen-
eral. Period. I am disgusting. I am grotesque
and morbidly obese. I don’t need to see that
many rolls moving around at one time. The
closest I ever got was taking a picture of my
dick with an iPhone to send to my wife when
I was on the road. And I couldn’t even do that,
Thursday, October 30, 2008
because how do you hold the camera and
lift the gut at the same time and kind of get
the dick looking impressive enough to take
a picture of it? So me and porn: not a good
mix. I like to watch; I don’t like to make or be
involved. If I were thin, I would totally do it.
But looking the way I do now, hell no.
Q: How do think this new romanticized idea
of porn will affect college students?
KS: I think most people will take this movie
for what it is. I don’t think people will look at
it and say, “Suddenly this is changing every-
thing I felt about the porn industry.” I am not
looking to convert people; I am just looking
to entertain them with this one story. There
are a bunch of people who find pornogra-
phy offensive, and I get that. And there are a
bunch of people, mostly dudes, who see it as
an essential part of their day. I don’t think the
movie will affect that.
Q: How did growing up in New Jersey affect
your filmmaking style?
KS: I think the area in Jersey I grew up in
certainly affected the dialogue I write: rather
frank and candid dialogue, peppered with
vulgarity. That was my circle of my friends,
that was how I grew up and that is how we
all speak. I imagine if I grew up somewhere
else, it wouldn’t be that much different. I can’t
say the great state of New Jersey necessarily
influenced that as much as the people I hung
out with definitely did. You grow up in NJ and
you grow up in the shadow of NY and you are
the butt of many jokes because it is NJ. All the
toxic-waste jokes have calmed down over the
years … Growing up in Jersey is like growing
up fat. You just try harder. You just always
try to outdo the thin people. Not just outdo
them, but just be accepted.
Q: Can you discuss the different styles Seth
Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Craig Robinson and
all of them bring with the Apatow group to
your little group of Jason Mewes and Jeff
Anderson?
see SMITH, page 8
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Movie Review
‘Frontrunners’ explores the
cynical side of teenage politics
by Evans Clinchy
Daily Editorial Board
At its core, high-school politics is really
nothing more than a microcosm of the
real thing. Whether the candidates are
Frontrunners
Starring Hannah Freiman, Matt
Polazzo, Michael Zaytsev
Directed by Caroline Suh
16 or 60, the process is essentially the
same — the electorate is shallow and
superficial, the candidates are manipu-
lative and political, and blatant pander-
ing often reigns supreme.
One should expect nothing differ-
ent from Manhattan’s Stuyvesant High
School, one of the most competitive
private schools in America and the
subject of “Frontrunners,” an 80-min-
ute documentary by first-time director
Caroline Suh. Suh follows the four can-
didates in the school’s 2006 election for
student council president from begin-
ning to end, starting with the first day
of primary season and finishing with a
fiercely contested general election.
Suh opens with a quote from Dick
Morris, a former Clinton advisor and
1964 Stuyvesant graduate, who called
the school’s presidential race “the hard-
est race I ever fought.” That opening, to
borrow a line from a campaign speech
made later in the film by a boy a quarter
of Morris’ age, “sets the bar high.”
Despite the brilliance of many of
Stuyvesant’s students, the election itself
is really nothing extraordinary. Just as
in any other election, the candidates
look to pander to as many social and
ethnic groups as possible, trying to
compile “tickets” that blend presiden-
tial candidates and running mates who
are white, black, Asian, Jewish, male,
female, jocks, nerds, cheerleaders, what
have you. The goal is simple: pull in as
many groups as possible.
But just as in all other American
politics, the running mate is mostly an
afterthought. The three stars of this film
are the three presidential candidates.
There is Mike, the council’s CFO and
Theater Preview
Performance of ‘The Madwoman of Chaillot’
juggles current economic and ecological issues
by Emma Bushnell
Daily Editorial Board
Due to the financial crisis in America
these days, no one seems to have much
to smile about. Lately, it seems like
the country has engaged in a tug-of-
war about who is to blame and what
went wrong. Jean Giraudoux’s “The
Madwoman of Chaillot,” though written
in France in 1945, is a surprisingly keen
commentary on modern economic and
ecological concerns here in America. It
is a call to action about solving environ-
mental and financial issues, but at the
same time an entertaining comedy.
Director Downing Cless, an associ-
ate professor in the drama department,
decided to emphasize the circus-like
aspect of the play when he chose it
and was surprised to find his vision
corroborated by the entire design staff
at their first meeting. “I have never
seen such unanimity during the first
production meeting,” he said.
The play centers on a scheme to drill
for oil under the city of Paris, which a
band of madwomen and vagabonds
plan to thwart. With modern chants
of “drill, baby, drill!” it’s easy to for-
get that this play was written over 60
years ago. “Madwoman” has been per-
formed stateside on Broadway before,
but as an adaptation. Tufts’ production
is a direct translation by Professor of
The Tufts Daily
The candidates in this high-school election channel their best game faces.
the former sophomore class president,
who tries and fails miserably to shirk
his label as “the cocky one.” There’s
Hannah, the government outsider,
actress and cheerleading captain. And
then there’s George, the current chief
of staff, who has ambitious visions of
fiscal reform in student government.
(There is also a fourth candidate, a jock
named Alex who’s a little too lazy to
bother with campaigning. When asked
about his lack of campaign posters, he
deadpans, “Saves paper. I’m all for the
environment.”)
Suh depends on three non-actor high
school juniors to carry the drama of a
feature-length film. The results is that
certain parts of “Frontrunners” seem a
little lacking in the dramatic, suspense-
ful element one would expect given the
subject manner. Suh has an awkward
way of shying away from the plot’s cru-
Drama Laurence Senelick of the origi-
nal French version.
Working with an original transla-
tion offers many unique opportuni-
ties for this production. The material
is already closely relevant to modern
issues, but some references have been
added to speak to modern audienc-
es; Southern flood victims and hedge
funds are mentioned, for example.
Though the play is set in Paris, the
time period is deliberately unspecified
in this production. “It could take place
anywhere from the 19th century to the
present,” Cless said. The hazy time
period adds to the whimsical, circus-
like feel of the show. The arena space
also suggests the appearance of a one-
ring circus — characters are constantly
entering and exiting the “ring,” jug-
gling or dancing over the dialogue.
“The play is a fantasy; it deals with the
Madwoman eliminating [the corporate oil
prospectors]. It is something for the audi-
ence to enjoy vicariously,” Cless said.
Another prominent feature of the show
is the relationship of humans to nature,
and the way that relationship comes into
conflict with corporate excess and eco-
nomic expansion. “[The Madwoman]
definitely has eco-feminist undertones,”
said junior Emily Code, who plays the
title character. “The play centers on very
relevant issues in our current economy
and environmental conditions.”
Weekender
firstshowing.net
cial moments; for example, avoiding
the candidates’ faces as their winning
or losing vote totals are announced.
While the directing in “Frontrunners”
is not ideal, a compelling story remains
because of the strength of the character
development. It’s jarring to see the ever-
confident Mike advising voters to “Make
the right move” and select him. It’s funny
to see the visionary George talk about
investing student funds “in our country’s
trusty banking system” (irony to come
two years later), only to prompt his own
running mate to ask, “Are we even allowed
to do that?” And it’s thought-provoking to
see Hannah, making her first foray into
student government, tell voters that the
outsider is the best candidate for change.
These speeches sound vaguely familiar,
don’t they?
see FRONTRUNNERS, page 8
The Madwoman is not so much mad as
she is an eccentric character who is called
to action by one of the vagabonds of
Chaillot, the Ragpicker (played by senior
Ben Samuels). “The show is a circus,
and the Ragpicker is the painted clown,”
Samuels said. “He is the nostalgic who
was alive when we were treating the earth
well. Though he is a coward on many lev-
els because he can’t elicit change on his
own, he later proves to be the catalyst for
the Madwoman’s change.”
Code agreed. “He has the drive, she
has the ability,” she said.
This politically charged play has
proven a challenge for the small cast
in many ways, one of which being
the direct emphasis on language and
plot. “The play is very French,” Code
said. “Plot progression, not character
progression, is the main focus. It’s all
about the words.”
Working with an original translation
has also been a challenge, though a
pleasant one. “It’s exciting to be the
character the first time it’s seen by
the public. Of course, it’s also kind of
scary!” Samuels said.
“The Madwoman of Chaillot” opens
tonight at the Balch Arena Theater and has
additional performances this Friday and
Saturday as well as next Thursday through
Saturday. Tickets are $12 or $7 with a Tufts
ID on all nights, with the exception of a
$1-ticket performance on Nov. 6.
7
Mikey Goralnik | Paint The Town
Brown
10.28.2008
Leo Kottke
S
omeone once told me that see-
ing Tom Waits in concert is like
meeting God but not having to
pay for the DMT or LSD. I’ve
seen Tom Waits twice, and I’m going to
tell you that if this sage-like analysis is
true, then seeing Leo Kottke is like dis-
covering the Holy Grail in Atlantis sur-
rounded by intelligent extraterrestrial
life who are boys with Amelia Earhart
— and getting free DMT or LSD while
you’re there.
I tend to get really worked up about
performances by young-gun electron-
ica producers and high-energy bands
with standout rhythm sections. Kottke,
the 63-year-old Oklahoma-raised gui-
tar veteran, is neither of these things,
but his was still the best show I’ve
seen all year. Musically jaw-dropping
and emotionally sublime, the guitarist
reminded me (as if I could forget) why
he will die one of the most significant
figures in both American music history
and my life.
So much has been said by more
knowledgeable people about Kottke’s
guitar abilities that I really have no
place talking about it again, but what-
ever — it’s my column, I do what I
want. I know and have seen a lot of
guitar players and even played for a
spell myself, so it’s hard for me to really
wrap my head around how much bet-
ter he is than virtually almost everyone
else I have ever heard.
Simply watching his hands and see-
ing these painfully intricate phrases
take form in front of my eyes, I felt
much the same as I did seeing LeBron
James beat the Detroit Pistons in game
5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference finals:
Either I’m watching some kind of elab-
orate hoax, or this is a display of skill
and creativity more incredible than
any I’ve ever seen.
With the 12-stringed “Gewerbegebiet,”
it was the composition: part black
dirge, part multi-colored flamenco-
esque; the song waltzes, then explodes
in two totally different but somehow
similar sections. With “Ants,” which
he prefaced with a rambling, hilarious
review of his favorite illustrated ant
biology textbook, it was the left hand,
frantically running along the fretboard
and precisely pressing on the dispa-
rate notes with spidery dexterity. Other
times, it was his open or unorthodoxly
dropped tunings, his battered, bari-
tone voice, or his commanding pres-
ence on stage. Whatever it was, every
single second of the show coursed with
an elite level of technical prowess that
I’m neither the first nor the last to geek
over.
Kottke’s skills aside, on an auto-
biographical level, I haven’t been as
moved at a show as I was at the Sanders
Theatre. Not only is he the endearing
grandfather figure that I always want-
ed, but he’s also a powerfully patho-
logical force for me. When I was 12,
my parents took me to see Kottke at
the Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis.
Ever since, his music — particularly
his voice — has evoked not only that
night, but my parents, my city and
my adolescence as well. Seeing and
hearing him in that beautifully inti-
mate room brought all of that rush-
ing back in a swell of nostalgia, and
for a Midwestern boy who has never
been that comfortable in New England,
that’s a pretty powerful and important
effect.
But even if you don’t share my per-
sonal attachment to the man, Kottke
gave his legion of fans many, many
other things to smile about on their
way home. Personally, I left both know-
ing beyond a doubt that I just sat sec-
ond row center away from one of folk
music’s ageless legends, and having
taken a poignant trip through the more
treasured areas of my pathos. And I
wasn’t even tripping!
Mikey Goralnik is a senior majoring in
American history. He can be reached at
Michael.Goralnik@tufts.edu
8 The Tufts Daily Weekender Thursday, October 30, 2008

Top Ten | Characters who should face off
In keeping with
Halloween spirit, we couldn’t
the
help but notice that rival films
are getting bigger and bigger
these days, such as “Alien vs.
Predator” (2004) and “Freddy
vs. Jason” (2003). With that
in mind, we set out to decide
what other famous faces
should duke it out.
10. WALL-E vs. E.T.: If WALL-E
had come out of the clos-
et with E.T. dressed in Drew
Barrymore’s clothes, we might
understand his obsession with
“Hello, Dolly!” a little more
clearly.
9. Jigsaw vs. Steve Stifler:
One is named after a tool,
one is a tool. It’s not really fair,
though;, Jigsaw is dying (or
is he already dead?) anyway,
though I guess Stifler is dead
inside.
8. Miley Cyrus vs. Ashley
Tisdale: Ashley Tisdale and her
updated nose would be no
match for Cyrus, who, in case
you hadn’t already guessed,
is a cyborg, hell-bent on the
destruction of the human race.
7. Passion of the Christ vs.
Little Nicky: The only thing
that could make this worse
is if it were written by Adam
Sandler and directed by Mel
Gibson. Sandler isn’t Jewish,
right?
6. Edward Scissorhands vs.
The Rock vs. The Paperboy:
Talk about the ultimate rosham-
bo. Pit these three against each
other and call it the best out of
three. Although, if Johnny Depp
beats the Paperboy in round
one, there might not be much
of him left, and nobody really
wants to see The Paperboy
resort to suffocation.
5. The 40-Year-Old Virgin vs.
Josie Grossie (Never-Been-
Kissed Girl): Imagine the heat-
ed, cherry-poppin’ competition
between Steve Carrell and
Drew Barrymore as they play
the lengthiest game of Never
Have I Ever and fight to win at
Spin the Bottle.
‘Frontrunners’ compares politics
to high school popularity contest
FRONTRUNNERS
continued from page 7
While many among
Stuyvesant’s electorate are
shallow teenagers, with most
of them readily admitting that
high-school politics is a pop-
ularity contest, they are also
savvy. They understand politics
on a level far more cynical than
the average high-schooler. The
way these students talk about
race, class and money, one can
tell this is no ordinary election.
But it is Suh’s job to show, not
just tell, how extraordinary this
story is, and something about
“Frontrunners” — the cinema-
tography, the music, maybe just
the pacing — isn’t quite right.
4. Beverly Hills Cop vs.
Chihuahua vs. Ninja vs.
Hillbillies: In Beverly Hills,
amongst all of the huge hous-
es, flashy cars and designer
clothes, there are bound to be
some outcasts ... and plenty of
movies about them. Between
Beverly Hills Cop, Ninja,
Hillbillies and most recently
Chihuahua, characters are
going to have to start fighting
for the “King of Beverly Hills”
title.  Now that the applica-
tion is open to other species,
the brawl is bound to escalate
into an epic battle, extending
beyond 90210 borders.
3. LOLcats vs. Faildogs: When
Internet memes collide, every-
body wins. The cutest kittens
face off against the dumb-
est dogs in a battle that will
leave you saying “Awwwww,
how cute. Brutal rampage, but
cute.” Let’s hope that Numa
Numa Guy and Tron Guy don’t
team up for a sequel.
2. The Yes Man vs. Liar Liar:
It’s Jim Carrey versus himself in
the epic battle between resist-
ing the urge to say no and
telling lies. Imagine the possi-
bilities: “Honey, does this make
me look fat?” / “Yes, it cer-
tainly does! (D’Oh)” The film
will most likely end with “the
claw” savagely killing them
both — or perhaps just the fact
that someone asked him if he
wanted to try self-immolation.
1. Zombie Strippers vs.
Striptease: Sure, Demi
Moore has been the reigning
Hollywood stripper since the
mid-’90s, but the soft-core film
got shaken up when Jenna
Jameson proved that strippers
can actually strip better and
make more money post-zombi-
fication. One has to strip so she
can get her kids back; the other
has a thirst for human flesh.
Really, who cares which one
of them wins, so long as the
battle takes place with plenty
of chairs, lights and poles at
their disposal?
—compiled by the Daily Arts
Department
This story in general, how-
ever, is certainly enjoyable.
The twists and turns in this
plot cannot be scripted; these
characters’ arcs seem as fickle
as the teenagers themselves.
That’s part of the fun of this
film; perhaps it’s fitting that the
campaign theme music blast-
ing from one candidate’s boom
box features Pete Townshend
singing about a “teenage waste-
land.”
Not to spoil the ending, but
one of the three candidates is
elected, fulfills all of his or her
campaign promises and parlays
the presidency into a fat enve-
lope from Harvard. Did you
expect anything less?
Smith battles with MPAA over ‘Zack and Miri’
NC-17 rating; nothing new for the director
SMITH a NC-17. We tried to work with Q: Were there any filmmakers
continued from page 6 them, but they were kicking it who influenced you?
KS: It really combined rather back as NC-17. I [prefer to] take
well. At the end of the day, they the appeals route; I was not com- KS: When I was a kid, I never
are consummate professionals fortably cutting into the movie thought I wanted to be a film-
who love to act and they all honor anymore. The appeals process maker. It was a Hollywood
the script. It is not like they get allows you to have this final bite thing, and I never thought of
there and say, “Well, we won’t be at the apple, so we put everything it as an option. But then I saw
needing this anymore.” We did in the movie that we wanted in Richard Linklater’s “Slacker”
everything that was in the script. the movie and then took it to [1991], which opened me up
What Seth is kind of genius at, he the appeals screening, where it is to the world of independent
is innately talented at ad-libbing … taken out of the hands of the film. So I started to go back
material that sounds like it is MPAA rating boards and placed to early Spike Lee and Martin
organic to the film or, more spe- in front of an audience that is Scorsese films. I loved the
cifically, to the character. When made [up] of 50 percent … MPAA movies, and there are defi-
you are on take eight or nine on members and 50 percent mem- nitely filmmakers like John
a set, even if you are doing what bers of NATO — The National Hughes that were influential
was really funny material on the Association of Theatre Owners. down the road. But definitely
page, after the cast and crew has They watch the movie, the film- “Slacker” was the one that got
heard it eight or nine times, the maker gets 15 minutes to plead me off my ass.
laughs start dying down. At that their case for why it should be an
point you just have to say one R-rated, and then the head of the Q: What do you have planned
funny thing to get people laugh- MPAA gets 15 minutes for why for the future?
ing. But none of that is good it should be an NC-17 and why
for the story; it doesn’t help you that shouldn’t be overturned. KS: Hopefully, in the spring I
propel the story. It is great for You get 10 minutes to rebut her, will be shooting this flick “Red
the deleted scene section or the she gets 10 minutes to rebut you, State,” this little political horror
outtakes of a DVD, but it doesn’t which sounds dirty but it isn’t. movie that I wrote right after
propel the story forward. Seth, Then, by secret ballot, they vote “Zack and Miri.” I am looking
however, is brilliant at being able on whether or not it should be R forward to it because I don’t
to ad-lib material that is abso- or NC-17. I had done this twice really feel like a filmmaker most
lutely usable. When he makes before. “Clerks” had gotten an days, I just feel like a guy who
a joke that wasn’t there in the NC-17, and I got it to be an R. writes, and directs the stuff he
script, it sounds like it is coming “Jersey Girl” [2004] had gotten an happens to write. With “Red
out of the character’s mouth, not R, and I got it down to a PG-13. State,” I get to switch genres
Seth’s mouth. But this time I wasn’t feeling it. altogether. There are no laughs
This was the first flick where they in the movie whatsoever. I feel
Q: “Zack and Miri” was origi- could point to visual sequences if I could pull this off, I would
nally [rated] NC-17. How much and say you can’t show that in feel more like a filmmaker. If I
did you have to edit out of it? an R-rated movie. But they over- don’t get it, then I will have real-
turned it to an R rating. So all the ized I am the dick-and-fart joke
KS: I actually didn’t edit anything sequences I wanted in the movie guy and do that for the rest of
out. Initially, the MPAA gave us are there. my life.
From the Office of the Tufts Daily
Dear Beyoncé,
We at the Daily are rather befuddled by your recent decision to change your
name — or, at least, stage name — to Sasha Fierce. Since your marriage to
long-time bf Jay-Z, it seems that you can no longer associate your real name
with your overly sexed stage presence. This sudden split personality is not only
silly, but downright confusing. Next time you tell us to “Say My Name,” we
won’t know which one you mean, because, frankly, “you actin’ kinda crazy.”
Did you hit yourself on the head with one of your big, metal Grammy awards?
If you’re going to choose an alter ego, at least make it something catchy. You’ve
really spoiled the single-name, Madonna-like fame you had going for you by
choosing a title only Tyra Banks would find empowering. You don’t need to
adopt a porn-star persona to establish that you’re bootylicious.
We had hoped you wouldn’t follow the clichéd path of the fallen sex symbol, á
la your gurlz Britney Spears and Mariah Carey, but with this name change,
it frankly doesn’t look good. Be careful, or the next thing you know, you’ll be
starring in a “fictional” movie thinly masking your own music career, entitled
“Sparkle.”
On the plus side, your attempt at creativity has inspired us to adjust our
image at the Daily. We ask that you now refer to each of us as “Editor Sassy”
in an effort to recognize our wittier, sexy writer personalities. What’s that? You
think the name is ridiculous? Clearly, you just aren’t ready for this jelly.
Sincerely, The Daily Arts Department

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163423 Tufts_Erin Brok_Lecture_Daily:Layout 1 10/23/08 10:03 AM Page 1
Thursday, October 30, 2008 The Tufts Daily advertisement 9

2008 – 2009

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

TUFTS HILLEL PRESENTS A LECTURE BY:

ERIN BROCKOVICH
An unemployed single mother becomes a legal
assistant and almost single-handedly brings down
a California power company accused of polluting
a city's water supply.

ERIN BROCKOVICH WILL BE SPEAKING IN COHEN

AUDITORIUM ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17TH AT 8:00 P.M.

Tickets will be available for the lecture at the Cohen Box Office
beginning on Monday, November 3rd at 9 a.m.

One ticket per Tufts ID. Up to two IDs per student.

TICKETS TO THE LECTURE ARE FREE!

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Essay Contest Lecture by a Holocaust survivor
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Thursday, October 30, 2008 The Tufts Daily Editorial | Letters 10
EDITORIAL
THE TUFTS DAILY A problematic trend
Robert S. Silverblatt
Editor-in-Chief What is an A? Or a B, C, D or F? These five trators, and yes, even us, the students. grades will become meaningless. It is
Editorial designations have dominated the lives of Grade inflation is a self-perpetuating already beginning. Whereas A’s used to
students since they entered schooling. problem, a vicious cycle. Universities be a mark of perfection or excellence,
Rachel Dolin Managing Editors
However, according to a recent Boston want their students to be accepted to the they are becoming standard. A’s should
Kristin Gorman
Globe article by Experimental College most prestigious medical and law schools be reserved for those students that go
Vittoria Elliott Editorial Page Editors professor Phil Primack, Tufts, along with so they do not restrict the amount of high above and beyond what is asked of them.
Harrison Jacobs
Jacob Maccoby most other universities, has all but elimi- grades professors can give out. The last Those that simply meet the minimum
Jason Richards nated those last three letters. It seems thing professors want is to gain a reputa- requirements should be given B’s or C’s.
that professors, facing complaints from tion for giving out a heavy workload and Students need to realize that grades are
Giovanni Russonello Executive News Editor
students and their parents, have become lots of low grades. Additionally, profes- not everything and that by forcing grades
Sarah Butrymowicz News Editors as hesitant to give out C’s and D’s as they sors do not want to incur the wrath of to become inflated as such, the grades
Pranai Cheroo used to be about giving A’s and B’s. Of spurned students and their increasingly become worthless.
Nina Ford
Ben Gittleson course, we’re talking about grade infla- omnipresent parents, who are shelling The key here is that everyone (stu-
Gillian Javetski tion, the big elephant in the room. out tens of thousands of dollars to attend dents, professors, administrators) is too
Jeremy White Grade inflation is running rampant University X. concerned with how others perceive
Alexandra Bogus Assistant News Editors on college campuses and has been for Grade inflation would be a fixable them, while underplaying what college
Michael Del Moro quite some time. A study encompassing problem if it were localized. But it is not. is all about: learning. Although we can-
29 colleges and universities (not includ- In addition to all grade inflation cre- not advocate Tufts setting out on a cru-
Carrie Battan Executive Features Editor
ing Tufts) revealed an average GPA jump ated by the tenuous relationship between sade alone to eliminate grade inflation,
Jessica Bidgood Features Editors from 3.11 in 1992 to 3.26 in 2002. Tufts students and professors, competition as this would undoubtedly hurt stu-
Robin Carol has an even higher average GPA: 3.39 for between universities creates even more dents in the short term, we believe it is
Kerianne Okie
Charlotte Steinway the 2007-2008 academic year. inflation. If University X thinks it sees the responsibility of universities across
Why are universities inflating grades? University Y inflating grades, the natu- America to come together to set stan-
Sarah Bliss Assistant Features Editors The simple answer is to please their stu- ral reaction is for University X to inflate dards to eliminate grade inflation. One
Meghan Pesch
dents. However, the inflation does not just grades as well. With everyone looking college or university eliminating grade
Mike Adams Executive Arts Editor happen because of one person or on one over each other’s shoulders, grade infla- inflation does not solve the problem, but
level. Instead, the problem of grade infla- tion is hard to stop. if enough join together, then real reform
Jessica Bal Arts Editors
Grant Beighley tion can be traced to professors, adminis- If the trend that is in place continues, can be effective.
Sarah Cowan
Catherine Scott
Jwala gandhi
Emma Bushnell Assistant Arts Editors
Matthew DiGirolamo

Jyll Saskin Executive Op-Ed Editor

Jwala Gandhi Assistant Op-Ed Editors
Nina Grossman
Harrison Jacobs
Ellen Kan
Andrew Rohrberger
Molly Rubin

Thomas Eager Executive Sports Editor

Sapna Bansil Sports Editors
Evans Clinchy
Philip Dear
David Heck
Carly Helfand
Noah Schumer

Scott Janes Assistant Sports Editor

Jo Duara Executive Photo Editor
Alex Schmieder Photo Editors
Laura Schultz
Rebekah Sokol
Annie Wermiel

James Choca Assistant Photo Editors

Emily Eisenberg
Aalok Kanani
Meredith Klein
Danai Macridi
Tim Straub

PRODUCTION Off the Hill | Cornell University

Marianna Bender
Emily Neger
Production Director
Executive Layout Editor
World, not just nation, watching election closely
Kelsey Anderson Layout Editors by Rob Coniglio about consulting with allies and bringing cize the American system and look cyni-
Leanne Brotsky
Jennifer Iassogna Cornell Daily Sun American diplomacy back within a mul- cally at American democracy. But with
Julia Izumi tilateral framework — this is what people Obama comes the rebirth of the very
Andrew Petrone One of the things that has made hear internationally. On the other hand, idea that has made the United States
Muhammad Qadri
Daniel Simon this election especially interesting is the however, Obama never rejects unilat- appealing since its founding, the power
Amani Smathers extent to which it has been followed eralism, even going so far as to support of the ability of individuals to build their
Steven Smith around the world. Even excluding  the a unilateral American attack against al own lives and destinies. It’s hard to imag-
Katie Tausanovitch
candidates’  international tours, world- Qaeda in Pakistan, if necessary. ine a British-Pakistani prime minister of
Adam Raczkowski Executive Technical Manager wide expectations and interest are at Personally, I’m of the opinion that the UK, a French-Algerian president of
an unusual high. This phenomenon can such a policy may at some point be France or a German-Turkish chancellor
Michael Vastola Technical Manager
be traced to a variety of factors, but necessary, if unfortunate, although it of Germany. With the constant specter
Hena Kapadia Online Editors the events of the last eight years under certainly makes our policy less amend- of far-right political parties throughout
Minah Kim President George W. Bush probably lie at able to European interests. But during most of Europe, I think Obama embodies
Matt Skibinski New Media Editor the core of foreign interest. International the campaign Obama has also criti- what many wish the world could be.
figures have made their endorsements, cized NAFTA and free trade, populist It should come as no surprise that
Kelly Moran Webmaster from the mayor of London to Iranian rhetoric that might have a negative the country that most strongly sup-
Caryn Horowitz Executive Copy Editor officials, with even al Qaeda weighing effect on at least several world econo- ports Obama is Kenya, the country of
in. More generally, polls have recorded mies. So it seems as if that the world his father’s birth. For Kenyans and oth-
Grace Lamb-Atkinson Copy Editors candidate preferences around the world, has convinced itself that Obama would ers in the developing world, Obama
Michelle Hochberg
Ben Smith with Gallup releasing a comprehensive restore multilateralism. More realisti- embodies the opportunities the United
Christopher Snyder cross-country poll. cally, maybe they are just convinced States can provide.
Elisha Sum What’s absolutely striking in the Gallup that an Obama administration would For Americans, I think Obama’s inher-
Ricky Zimmerman
poll is just how strong support for Sen. be better than one under McCain, or at ent appeal is a combination of both
Brianna Beehler Assistant Copy Editors Barack Obama is around the world. In the least couldn’t be worse than the one in European and the developing world’s
Casey Burrows 70 countries where the poll was conduct- power for the last eight years. rationales. He exemplifies the best of
Alison Lisnow
Rachel Oldfield ed, only four had a plurality of respon- An alternative explanation for the sup- what we imagine our country to be and
Mary Jo Pham dents supporting Sen. John McCain. This port for Obama could lie in what his can- helps validate us as Americans when we
Lily Zahn is not to say that Obama was a clear and didacy says about the United States and have begun to lose faith. Maybe these
BUSINESS decisive winner in the rest — often the American democracy, which is a  more impressions have roots in our naïveté
“don’t know/refused to answer” option appealing rationale than foreign self- or senseless optimism, but having the
Malcolm Charles Executive Business Director outpolled both Obama and McCain. delusion. Obama presents a rosy pic- opportunity to succeed in our dreams is
Dwijo Goswami Receivables Manager But taken at face value, the polls seem ture of the fulfilled potential of America. also what makes our system and politics
to present a global consensus that a A multi-racial child with an immigrant so alluring, and sometimes even refresh-
Brenna Duncan Head Ad Manager
President Obama would be better for the father, he is now one win away from ing, to outsiders.
The Tufts Daily is a nonprofit, independent newspaper, pub- world at large than a President McCain. being the most powerful man in the While the world can’t vote on Tuesday,
lished Monday through Friday during the academic year, and But on what information do respon- country and perhaps the world, all due make sure if you can, you do. For moti-
distributed free to the Tufts community. dents base these decisions? If I could have to his own hard work and talent. vation, just think of those in Nairobi,
P.O. Box 53018, Medford, MA 02155 my guess, they’re guided in part by a bit of Over the past eight years, it has been Singapore and London who would cast
617 627 3090 FAX 617 627 3910 self-delusion. On one hand, Obama talks easy for people around the world to criti- your vote if they could.
daily@tuftsdaily.com

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Thursday, October 30, 2008
Hard work, grit and determination: It’s not just for chemistry labs
by Jack Miszencin
There are less than five days left until the election.
A series of events that started back in December of
2006 is finally about to come to a conclusion. By next
Tuesday, we will know which candidate is headed to the
White House.
While Tufts is in a solidly blue state, students’
efforts in New Hampshire are undoubtedly important.
Consider this: In 2000, former presidential candidate
Al Gore lost New Hampshire by 7,211 votes. Had Gore’s
campaign been able to get more voters out to the polls,
this country would have never faced eight agonizing
years of a Bush presidency.
Fast-forward seven and a half years. Sen. Barack
Obama is slated to win January’s New Hampshire pri-
mary given the momentum from his unexpected Iowa
victory. All of the polls have him leading. Former Sen.
John Edwards has even gone so far as to say that Sen.
Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) is no longer a contender in
the race. Against all odds, Hillary defeats him hand-
ily, shocking voters and the media alike. This unlikely
outcome changed the face of the entire primary sea-
son, and nearly prevented Obama from achieving the
democratic nomination.
The point is that no matter what the poll numbers
are, and no matter how large the electorate is, the
actions of individual volunteers are essential to an
electoral victory. Take a look at this example, when grit
and determination translated into success. During
the primaries, I volunteered to knock on doors for
Obama’s campaign in my home state of Pennsylvania.
I partnered up with a man named John Toth, who had
helped run our newly elected congressman Patrick
Murphy’s (D-Penn.) successful 2006 campaign. The
win had come as a shock to the local media: Suburban
Bucks County had been absolutely dominated by
Republican candidates for decades without a hint of a
Democratic comeback.
So, naturally I was curious as to how Murphy — an
Iraq War veteran — and his relatively greenhorn cam-
paign team had managed to unseat a popular, char-
ismatic congressman with backing from the county’s
political establishment. Most would say it was dis-
satisfaction with the war and the President that year,
but Toth disagreed. “We just plain worked harder,” he
explained. According to Toth, every day Murphy’s team
would canvass from morning till sundown and then
do office work late into the night, often not leaving
until around 10 p.m. “I used to drive by Fitzpatrick’s
[Murphy’s opponent] place and see people leaving at
five,” John said, “You can’t run a campaign like that.”
Indeed, the local papers had made a point of cover-
ing the campaign’s steadfastness throughout the sea-
son, with the Bucks County Courier Times running a
story on the veteran’s determined canvassing routine,
including a photo of Murphy taking a break from the
brutal regime in his office, feet up on the desk, holes in
shoes á la Adlai Stevenson.
When Murphy did win in November, he did it by the
Your election, your voice
by Matt Kaufman
The 18-25 year old demographic is often bemoaned
for its apathetic nature when it comes to politics.
Efforts like MTV’s Rock the Vote or Sean Combs’ Vote
or Die campaign are specifically targeted at getting
out the youth vote, thereby increasing their level of
political engagement. It is fair to say that it appears
that the American youth have been motivated by
the 2008 election between Sens. Barack Obama and
John McCain. Therefore, it is only appropriate that a
student group provide coverage of such an historic
event.
On election night, JumboCast will produce a news-
cast, live from the campus center, the site of the
Experimental College’s Election Night Extravaganza
(an event in which students can gather, watch vari-
ous news feeds and discuss the election as a com-
munity). Our student-run production will feature a
news desk, field reporters, interviews with students,
student groups and faculty, a panel of experts dis-
cussing the election as the evening progresses, a con-
tinuously updated electoral map and a video package
documenting the timeline of the election.
Primarily an organization devoted to webcast-
ing Tufts athletics, JumboCast decided that, due to
the importance of the 2008 election, specifically
as it relates to the collegiate population, we would
venture into new territory. When presented with
this opportunity, the members of JumboCast were
instantly enthusiastic and began devoting their time
to making our election night coverage a success
by doing research, sending out press releases and
generating ideas to make our production better and
Op-ed Policy The Op-Ed section of the Tufts Daily, an open forum for campus editorial commentary, is printed Monday through Thursday. Op-Ed welcomes submissions from all members of the Tufts community. Opinion articles
on campus, national and international issues should be 800 to 1,200 words in length. Editorial cartoons and Op-Eds in the form of cartoons are also welcome. All material is subject to editorial discretion, and is not guaranteed to
appear in the Tufts Daily. All material should be submitted by no later than 1 p.m. on the day prior to the desired day of publication. Material must be submitted via e-mail (oped@tuftsdaily.com) attached in .doc or .docx format.
Questions and concerns should be directed to the Op-Ed editors. The opinions expressed in the Op-Ed section do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Tufts Daily itself.
The Tufts Daily Op-Ed
slimmest of margins, just 1,518 votes. To give some per-
spective, that’s out of 249,817 votes in total. Gore lost
by about five times that margin in a state with about
double the population. The point is, as Toth told me,
“People lose when they get lazy.”
As of early October this year, predictions had
placed the Electoral College at a 269-269 tie, with New
Hampshire in Sen. John McCain’s column. This only
goes to show that we as students at Tufts have both
an opportunity and a responsibility to take action in
influencing this election. This could be the state on
which the entire election hinges, and our efforts could
be just as pivotal. Take into consideration the 7,211
votes by which Gore lost, or the 1,518 by which Murphy
won, and at the same time picture the roughly 1,000
houses that Tufts and Brandeis students canvassed on
Saturday alone.
And, while I speak to all Tufts students, regardless
of political orientation, I would particularly like to
appeal to fellow Obama supporters. It utterly surprises
me how many students I talk to are adamant in their
support for Obama, yet how few of those students have
taken action in this election. Opportunities abound for
participation. In this coming week, there will be even
more, with both the Tufts Democrats and Students for
Barack Obama asking students to act, be it spending
a few hours making phone calls or a day knocking on
doors in New Hampshire.
better. The fact that these individuals would devote
so much of their time to one project alone demon-
strates that students on this campus care about this
election.
I’ve been asked: “Why would you choose to watch
JumboCast’s election night coverage as opposed
to one on national television?” The answer is that
nowhere on your television can you find live cover-
age of a national event influencing individuals on
such a local level. On election night, none of the
national television stations covering the election
— CNN, FOX, MSNBC — will be discussing what is
going on at Tufts University, the place where we all
spend the vast majority of our time. The economy
affects Tufts students. Energy policy affects Tufts stu-
dents. Foreign policy affects Tufts students. No major
network will be addressing these issues; JumboCast
will. There is no one better to discuss major topics
relating to college students than college students
themselves.
Furthermore, we aim to document history. The
Experimental College has held this event several
times in the past, but never has it been covered in
this manner. JumboCast will be capturing student
reactions to the most important election of our time.
For many current Tufts students, this is the first
time they will get to vote, the first time they have
been active in a political campaign, or the first time
they’ve taken an issue such as abortion, the environ-
ment or voter apathy to heart and have done some-
thing about it. It may even be the first time someone
has cared about an election. We want to talk to these
students about their actions, opinions and feelings
regarding the election. And moreover, we want the
community and anyone who tunes into JumboCast
11
mct
Tufts, with less than a week left until this election,
keep in mind the historical importance of this process.
Seldom have we seen so much enthusiasm or so much
at stake in a single campaign. The election of ’08 will
be etched in history along with ’80, ’68 and ’60. Obama
and McCain will be names tantamount to Kennedy,
Roosevelt and Reagan.
Contributing does not require an agonizing com-
mitment. No matter what level of participation you
have, the feeling of participating is amazing, and every
volunteer you meet will be overwhelmingly grateful
and welcoming of your support. Even if you are not a
member of either the Tufts Democrats or the Students
for Obama groups; even if you have never done any
political volunteer work before, you are more than wel-
come to take part in campaign activities. This is one of
those rare opportunities to have a once-in-a-lifetime
experience that is both free and without prerequisites.
Visit the Tufts Democrats website if you are interested
in volunteering for Obama. Whether you come to New
Hampshire for a day or for the weekend, whether you
make three calls or three hundred, you will be able to
say you had an impact on an event that will have an
immortal presence in American history.
Jack Miszencin is a freshman majoring in political
science.
that night to see what Tufts students have to say
about this election. There is no national media out-
let, or even a locally based Boston outlet, that will be
providing such coverage.
JumboCast is aiming to accomplish many things on
Nov. 4. We aim to illustrate that student activism is alive
and well on the Tufts campus, not just in the politi-
cal realm, but the media realm as well. We are deter-
mined to provide informative coverage of the election
throughout the evening until a winner is declared. We
intend to show those who cannot be at the campus
center on election night just what they are missing. We
intend to record an important part of Tufts history for
future generations. Perhaps most importantly, we want
to give a voice to the Tufts community that anyone with
a computer and an Internet connection can access.
JumboCast is perfect for such a task.
JumboCast invites you to join us by visiting www.
JumboCast.com at 7:15 pm on Nov. 4. Or come down
to the campus center and get your voice heard —we
want to hear it and will listen. We further encourage
you to tell your family, friends, neighbors, employers
— whoever cares about this election — that they will
have the opportunity to see the Tufts student body
in action as a community witnessing, discussing and
taking part in one of the most important events in
our lives. The decisions made by the American public
on Election Day will have a profound effect on the
students of Tufts University. This is your election,
and who better to report on this important event
than your classmates?
Matt Kaufman is a senior majoring in political science and
economics. He is the General Manager of JumboCast.
Thursday, October 30, 2008 The Tufts Daily Comics 12
Crossword
Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau

Non Sequitur by Wiley

solutions

Married to the Sea

www.marriedtothesea.com

SUDOKU
Level: Not embarrassing yourself at Senior Pub Night

Late Night at the Daily

Solution to Wednesday’s puzzle On bringing Cappy, the Daily dog, in the car:
Carly: “Just sit in the back with him while Rob
drives. Wait, that sounds terrible. Why are you
letting him drive you?
Kristin: “Because I really need cigarettes.”
Tom: “Told you one day it would kill you.”

Please recycle this Daily

Thursday, October 30, 2008
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The Tufts Daily
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classifieds policy All Tufts students must submit classifieds in person, prepaid with check, money order, or exact cash
only. All classifieds submitted by mail must be accompanied by a check. Classifieds are $10 per week with Tufts ID or $20 per
week without. The Tufts Daily is not liable for any damages due to typographical errors or misprintings except the cost of the
insertion, which is fully refundable. We reserve the right to refuse to print any classifieds which contain obscenity, are of an
overly sexual nature, or are used expressly to denigrate a person or group. Questions? Email business@tuftsdaily.com.

Jumbos hope to treat themselves to win

VOLLEYBALL
continued from page 16 Tufts Department of Drama and Dance presents
away points and give up the momentum.”
Tufts’ hitting struggled against Springfield,

AUDITIONS FOR
as the attack had 17 errors. The Jumbos are
third overall in hitting percentage in the
NESCAC at .229. They trail the Cardinals, who
lead the conference at a .235 clip.
Wesleyan is headed by senior co-captain

ANYTHING TO
Lisa Drennan, who appears to be well on
her way to her second conference Player of
the Year award. Drennan leads the league
by a sizable margin in total attacks, kills and
errors.
“Lisa Drennan is a phenomenal player,”

DECLARE?
Thompson said. “She is their offense. She has
a great vertical, and they’ll set her wherever
she is, even if it’s the back row. We need to
force her off the net and make her hit down
balls. Their setter also loves to be a part of the
offense, and she’ll hit at times. It will be a true
test of how disciplined we are.”
Drennan’s 4.63 kills-per-set are far ahead
of the 3.34 kills per set that ranks Tufts sopho-
more Dawson Joyce-Mendive second in the
By Maurice Hennequin & Pierre Véber
NESCAC. Joyce-Mendive — who sat out dur-
ing last night’s contest — hit an impressive
Translated & Directed by Laurence Senelick
58 kills in three matches at the Hall of Fame
Laura Schultz/Tufts Daily
Tournament.

Auditions: November 2 & 3

“Hopefully it’s not our last home game,”
said Filocco, who has had the most attacking
opportunities for any Jumbo hitter this year.
“It’s still the regular season, but it feels like all
games from here on out mean a lot to the rest
of the season. We know this is a big game.”
Both Wesleyan and Tufts run their offenses
through junior setters, who find themselves
tied at the top of the conference in assists per
set with 10. Jumbo setter Dena Feiger racked
up another 37 assists in the match against the
Lancers and was named to the Hall of Fame
Tournament’s All-Tournament team over the
weekend, the second time she has received
such an honor this season.
The two squads’ liberos also rank in the
top five in the conference in digs per set, as
Goldstein has done every year during her
collegiate career. The senior tri-captain also
recently surpassed 2,000 digs in her career.
The only Cardinal loss in NESCAC play
came against Williams, whom Tufts has
already defeated twice this season, including
Oct. 18’s NESCAC matchup. Wesleyan will
Junior Dena Feiger executes one of her 37
sets from last night’s 25-14, 25-13, 25-15
victory over the Worcester State Lancers.
enter the match with a four-match winning
streak and is 7-1 at home in Middletown,
Conn.
An added wrinkle to the match will be its
Callbacks: November 4
time slot — Halloween night.
“I anticipate Wesleyan will probably have
a decent fan base with people dressing up for
Halloween,” Ripecky said. “It’ll be an interest-
ing experience. I’ve never played before on
All audition info and sign up times are posted on
Halloween, so it’ll be fun.”
On Saturday, Tufts will face Trinity (2-7 the callboard in the Balch Arena Theater lobby,
NESCAC) at Wesleyan in the final match of
the regular season, while Wesleyan will face Aidekman Arts Center.
Amherst. If either Tufts or Wesleyan wins
both matches, that would be enough to lock
Questions?contactBalchArenaTheaterBoxOfficeat
up home court for the postseason.
“It’d be an amazing experience,” Ripecky
X7Ǧ3493.
said. “No Tufts team has ever hosted in
Cousens before, so it would be great in that
kind of sense. Of course, it’s always great to
have some more games at home.”

Editors' Challenge | Week 9

Boo! That’s right, Editors’ Challenge is running on Thursday this week and
every week hereafter because the NFL, in its infinite wisdom, has decided to have
a game played on Thursdays from now until the end of the season (on a channel
not offered by all cable providers nationwide, either).
But no matter, us Eds are adept and can easily handle this kind of curve ball,
and we trust that you can live with this move too.
Sapna “Bowdoin-bound” Bansil successfully fended off Phil “up the tank”
Dear to continue her hold of first place for the second straight week. After post-
ing matching 9-5 records, Bansil remains one game ahead.
But neither better get too comfortable as Carly “Better Late Than Never”
Helfand has joined the fun, tying Dear at 72-44 following her 10-4 mark to win
the week.
After remaining in the thick of things for most of the year, Rachel “F.W.”
Dolin “Language Center” slipped a few games back of the pack leaders but con-
tinues to maintain her one-game edge on Evans “Ambivalent” Clinchy.
The bottom of the standings remain unchanged, as both Dave “Called the
Phils” Heck and Tom “The Carpenter” Eager posted workweek scores, going 9-5.
Meanwhile Noah Schu-”Fly Don’t Bother”-Mer remains set at his second-to-last
position but has certainly been hungrily eyeing Heck and Eager from three games
back.
And bringing up the rear for the second straight week with a mediocre 58-58
record is Scott “I’m Into Nugggets, Y’all” Janes, who managed to notch the only
sub-.500 showing last week.
Joining the Eds this edition is Executive Arts Editor Mike Adams, who takes a
hiatus from reviewing movies to give a thumbs-up or thumbs-down to NFL teams
this weekend.

Sapna Carly Phil Rachel Evans Dave Tom Noah Scott GUEST
OVERALL RECORD 73-43 72-44 72-44 69-47 68-48 64-52 64-52 61-55 58-58 Mike Adams
LAST WEEK 9-5 10-4 9-5 8-6 8-6 9-5 9-5 9-5 6-8

Green Bay at Tennessee Tennessee Tennessee Tennessee Tennessee Tennessee Green Bay Tennessee Tennessee Tennessee Green Bay
Tampa Bay at Kansas City Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Tampa Bay
Jacksonville at Cincinnati Jacksonville Jacksonville Jacksonville Jacksonville Jacksonville Jacksonville Jacksonville Jacksonville Jacksonville Jacksonville
NY Jets at Buffalo Buffalo NY Jets Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo NY Jets
Houston at Minnesota Houston Minnesota Minnesota Minnesota Houston Houston Minnesota Houston Houston Minnesota
Arizona at St. Louis St. Louis Arizona St. Louis Arizona Arizona Arizona St. Louis St. Louis St. Louis Arizona
Baltimore at Cleveland Baltimore Baltimore Baltimore Baltimore Baltimore Baltimore Baltimore Baltimore Cleveland Baltimore
Detroit at Chicago Chicago Chicago Chicago Chicago Chicago Chicago Chicago Chicago Chicago Chicago
Miami at Denver Denver Denver Denver Denver Denver Miami Denver Denver Denver Denver
Atlanta at Oakland Atlanta Atlanta Atlanta Atlanta Oakland Atlanta Atlanta Atlanta Atlanta Atlanta
Dallas at NY Giants NY Giants NY Giants NY Giants NY Giants NY Giants NY Giants NY Giants NY Giants NY Giants Dallas
Philadelphia at Seattle Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia
New England at Indianapolis Indianapolis Indianapolis New England Indianapolis Indianapolis Indianapolis Indianapolis New England New England New England
Pittsburgh at Washington Pittsburgh PIttsburgh Washington Washington Pittsburgh Washington Washington Washington Washington Washington

BYES: 49ers, Chargers,

Panthers, Saints
14 The Tufts Daily Sports Thursday, October 30, 2008

Faller is a favorite
at NESCAC meet
Laura Schultz/Tufts Daily
The men’s cross country team heads to the NESCAC
Championship this weekend, where it will face
some of the toughest competition in the region.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
continued from page 16
“If we have a great day, but other teams
also have a great day, then we might do as
well as if a team has a bad day and we catch
a lucky break,” he continued. “Sometimes,
with big championship races, things can go
either way because it’s only one race, so any-
thing can really happen.”
A pack-running strategy will be key for
the Jumbos as they look to prevent opposing
runners from passing members of the Tufts
squad.
“We’re in a good position to have our [No.]
3 through [No.] 8 runners have the ability to
stay in a pack for a majority of the race, and if
we’re able to do that, then I think we will have
accomplished our strategy,” Carberry said.
On Nov. 15, the Jumbos will move on
to the NCAA New England Championship,
from which the top two teams will advance
to NCAA Championships. Outside of the top
two teams, the NCAA also grants at-large
tickets to Nationals. After the Regionals meet,
the NESCAC Championships will be the sec-
ond race the selection committee looks at as
a deciding factor.
“[NESCACs] is definitely important …
Some people say that you’ve got to be in the
top five to really have a shot to go to Nationals,
and they’re probably right,” Carberry said.
“[The NESCAC Championships] is going to
be a good testing ground to see if we have the
manpower to get us to Nationals.”
But the standings after NESCAC
Championships don’t always predict finishes
at Regionals. After placing fifth in NESCAC
Championships last year, the Jumbos placed
third at NCAA New England Championships
and qualified for the national meet.
“I don’t think that I would expect to go to
Nationals,” Faller said. “However, I believe
that we definitely can go to Nationals, seeing
as how last year we qualified. Tufts has quali-
fied four of the past five years, and I think this
year will be no different.”
Tufts hopes to gain respect after battle with Bowdoin
FIELD HOCKEY
continued from page 16
schools.
A victory would earn the Jumbos their first-
ever regular season conference crown and the
No. 1 seed in the NESCAC Tournament. A loss
would leave Tufts and Bowdoin with identical
8-1 conference records, but the Polar Bears
would take the title by virtue of the head-to-
head tiebreaker — namely, Friday’s contest.
“At the beginning of the season, it was
one of my goals to see us host the NESCAC
Tournament,” senior tri-captain Tess Jasinski
said. “Now we’re just one game away. It just
feels so within our grasp. We’re all just really
excited to show everybody that we deserve to
be in that top spot and to get that No. 1 seed.”
The top-ranked Polar Bears, who know
a thing or two about undefeated seasons
and conference championships, won’t by
any means provide the Jumbos with an easy
path to history. Last year’s Polar Bears squad
compiled the seventh perfect season in Div.
III history, winning all 20 of its games en
route to a national championship. Along the
way, Bowdoin swept the regular season and
NESCAC Tournament crowns for the third
consecutive year.
This time around, the Polar Bears have one
imperfection in their armor, courtesy of a 2-0
loss to Trinity on Oct. 18 that snapped their
31-game winning streak. But any doubts
about Bowdoin being rattled by the setback
were quickly put to rest the following week-
end when the Polar Bears blew out Colby 8-1
for their 32nd win in their last 33 games.
“There’s nothing weak about them: They’re
a good offensive team, a good defensive
team, they have good goalkeeping,” junior
midfielder Margi Scholtes said. “They always
come to play and never have a below-average
game.”
But Tufts appears primed to carry out a
changing of the guard atop the standings.
Already having won games over Middlebury,
Trinity and perennial contender Williams this
SCHEDULE | Oct. 30 - Nov. 5
Thu
Football
Field Hockey
Women’s
Soccer
Men’s
Soccer
NESCAC Open
Cross Invitational at
Country Wesleyan 5 p.m.
Volleyball
JumboCast
Andrew Morgenthaler/Tufts Daily
Sophomore midfielder Jess Perkins dribbles down the field in a 6-1 win over Endicott
Tuesday. The field hockey team travels to Bowdoin tomorrow for a battle of two top-five
nationally ranked teams in Brunswick, Maine.
season, the Jumbos know that a victory over up only one spot to fourth, where they still sit
the Polar Bears would cement their status as behind a third-ranked Ursinus team with two
a true conference powerhouse. losses.
“The rankings definitely could make it “All along, we haven’t had respect, par-
seem like we’re the underdog,” Jasinski said. ticularly in the coaches’ poll,” Scholtes said.
“But I just feel like this year, we’ve had so “We’re the only team in NCAA Div. I, II
many successes this season, coming through and III to be undefeated, yet we’re ranked
with big wins over Trinity and Middlebury. fourth in the coaches’ poll. It’s not like that
We’re just ready to prove that we can beat means anything as far as getting an at-large
Bowdoin. I don’t think that we feel intimi- bid to the NCAA Tournament, but it’s just a
dated at all.” respect issue.”
At the very least, an appearance in the A victory tomorrow would certainly go
marquee matchup will give the Jumbos some a long way toward changing some of those
national exposure in a season where, for all perceptions.
their success, they’ve flown mostly under the “The last couple weeks with the rankings,
radar. Despite maintaining the only unde- we’ve been a little disappointed at not being
feated record across all three divisions of col- ranked higher,” Jasinski said. “But if we beat
lege field hockey, Tufts was stuck at the No. 5 Bowdoin, I think we’ll be able to gain the
spot in the national rankings for the weeks of respect that we deserve for the season that
Oct. 14 and 21. Even after knocking off then- we’ve had so far.”
No. 9 Trinity on Saturday, the Jumbos moved
fri sat sun mon tue wed
vs. Colby
12:30 p.m.
at Bowdoin
NESCAC Playoffs
5 p.m. TBD
at Bowdoin NESCAC Playoffs
2 p.m. TBD
at Bowdoin NESCAC Playoffs
2 p.m. TBD
NESCAC
Championships at
Bates 12 p.m.
vs. Trinity (at
at Wesleyan
Wesleyan)
8 p.m. 12 p.m.
Football

StatISTICS | Standings
Field Hockey Women's Soccer Men's Soccer Volleyball Football NCAA Div. III Field Hockey
(13-0, 8-0 NESCAC) (7-5-0, 4-4-0 NESCAC) (7-5-1, 3-5-0 NESCAC) (25-2, 8-0 NESCAC) (3-3, 3-3 NESCAC) (Oct. 28, 2008)
NESCAC OVERALL NESCAC OVERALL NESCAC OVERALL NESCAC OVERALL
W L PF PA Points (First-place votes)
W L W L T W L T W L T W L T W L T W L W L 1. Bowdoin, 637 (8)
Trinity 6 0 159 113
Tufts 8 0 13 0 0 Williams 7 0 1 12 0 1 Middlebury 5 1 2 10 1 2 Tufts 8 0 25 2
Amherst 5 1 139 90 2. Messiah, 631 (9)
Bowdoin 7 1 12 1 0 Amherst 6 0 2 8 1 3 Trinity 5 3 0 10 3 0 Amherst 7 1 19 6
Williams 4 2 143 103 3. Ursinus, 630 (8)
Middlebury 6 2 11 2 0 2 0 7 4 2 Amherst 4 3 1 8 3 2 Wesleyan 7 1 19 5
Middlebury 6 Colby 3 3 76 121 4. Tufts, 598 (8)
6 2 11 2 0 Conn. Coll. 6 3 18 10
Trinity Bowdoin 4 2 2 7 3 3 Williams 4 3 1 7 4 2 Middlebury 3 3 206 164 5. TCNJ, 584 (2)
Williams 4 3 19 12
Amherst 5 3 9 4 0 Tufts 4 4 0 7 5 0 Bowdoin 4 4 0 6 6 0 Tufts 3 3 141 108
Bowdoin 3 4 15 14 6. Middlebury, 522
Williams 3 5 6 7 0 Trinity 4 4 0 9 4 0 Colby 3 4 1 7 5 1 Bowdoin 2 4 130 177
Middlebury 3 4 12 10 7. Lebanon Valley, 465
Colby 2 6 5 8 0 Wesleyan 2 5 1 6 5 1 Conn. Coll. 3 4 1 5 6 1 Hamilton 2 4 86 104
Trinity 2 7 13 11 8. Trinity (Conn.), 416
Bates 1 7 5 8 0 5 0 5 0 Bates 1 5 81 172
Bates 2 6 0 6 7 0 Bates 3 8 Bates 1 6 14 15 9. Salisbury, 404
Wesleyan 1 5 83 92
Conn. Coll. 1 7 5 8 0 Colby 1 6 1 4 8 1 Tufts 3 5 0 7 5 1 Colby 1 6 11 13 10. Johns Hopkins, 392
Wesleyan 1 7 3 10 0 Conn. Coll. 0 7 1 4 7 1 Wesleyan 2 4 2 4 7 2 Hamilton 0 7 10 19
NCAA Div. III New England
G A Pts G A Pts G A Pts Offensive Kills SA Rushing Att. Yds. Avg. TD Volleyball
T. Brown 18 2 38 J. Love-Nichols 4 1 9 D. Schoening 6 1 13 D. Joyce-Mendive 227 0 W. Forde 144 691 4.8 6 (Oct. 29, 2008)
R. Coleman 3 1 7 S. Filocco 210 29 K. Anderson 27 108 4.0 1
A. Russo 10 8 28 S. Nolet 3 3 9 1. Tufts
B. Helgeson 169 1 D. Ferguson 8 66 8.2 0
M. Kelly 10 2 22 A. Maxwell 4 0 8 P. DeGregorio 2 3 7
C. Updike 142 5 2. Springfield
M. Burke 5 1 11 C. Cadigan 3 1 7 A. Lach 1 4 6 K. Denniston 133 18 Passing Pct. Yds TD INT
F. Gamal M. Fitzgerald 2 1 5 3. Wellesley
B. Holiday 4 3 11 2 3 7 L. Nicholas 115 6 A. Fucillo 57.1 1231 11 4
M. Scholtes 2 5 9 B. Morgan 2 0 4 P. Doherty 2 0 4 4. Wesleyan
C. Spieler 63 18
I. Lewnard 4 0 8 W. Hardy 1 2 4 M. Blumenthal 1 1 3 Receiving No. Yds Avg. TD 5. Amherst
L. Griffith 3 0 6 A. Michael 0 3 3 B. Green 1 0 2 Defensive B Digs D. Halas 28 416 14.9 8 6. Williams
T. Guttadauro 2 1 5 A. Puttkammer 1 0 2 N. Muakkassa 0 1 1 N. Goldstein 0 430 S. Black 17 384 22.6 1 7. Colby-Sawyer
D. Feiger 29 280 8. Conn. College
M. Ripecky 0 279 Defense Tack INT Sack
Goalkeeping GA S S% Goalkeeping GA S S% Goalkeeping GA S S% T. Reynoso 45.0 0 0
S. Filocco 22 261
M. Zak 6 27 .818 K. Minnehan 3 15 .833 P. Tonelli 2 16 .889 C. Spieler 5 207 T. Tassinari 37.0 2 0
K. Hyder 4 5 .556 H. Jacobs 6 27 .818 D. McKeon 12 63 .840 A. Kuan 0 106 R. Crisco 37.0 0 2
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Inside the NHL
Hyping young guns could bring fans to NHL
by Korin Hasegawa-John
Senior Staff Writer
Every season, Commissioner Gary
Bettman-inspired rumblings start again:
We need to increase scoring! In order to
attract more fans, we need to get some
more excitement, and goals sure are excit-
ing. Let’s get some more!
It’s nothing new. The rule changes fol-
lowing the lockout were
intended to impede
defensive clutching and
grabbing to open the ice
for smaller, skilled players
like Denis Savard. Letting
the skill guys run free from
lumbering defensemen
and Finnish checking-line
forwards was intended to inject some scoring
excitement into a league in desperate need of
fan base revitalization.
The rule changes worked well. In 2005-
06, the number of goals per game increased
from 5.14 before the lockout to 6.17 after it.
That was the highest level since 1995, when
goaltending standards were much lower than
they are today. In successive years, however,
the number of goals per game has dropped
to levels dangerously close to those of the
pre-lockout era. The latest victim of this scor-
ing disease is Montreal Canadiens General
Manager Bob Gainey.
Gainey made his name in the 1970s and
80s as an excellent defensive forward who
had some offensive skill. Soviet national
coach Anatoli Tarasov famously called him
the best all-around player in the world. The
Selke Award for defensive excellence was
essentially invented for him. Despite his
reputation as a defensive player, Gainey pro-
posed a limitation on shot-blocking at the
general managers’ meeting last week.
There are two ways to block a shot. The
first occurs when a player stays on his
skates, lines up the puck and attempts to
block the shooting lane while standing or
going to one knee. This allows the player to
recover quickly and easily. The disadvan-
tage, though, is that this approach inhibits
the player from covering a lot of area, and, as
Patrick Thoresen would attest, it also opens
the player to the frightening possibility of
getting drilled in the groin with a slap shot.
The second shot block involves diving onto
the ice. Although hard to recover from, this
enables the player to cut off passing lanes.
Gainey wants to ban the latter type of
block by requiring players to keep one skate
blade on the ice when blocking shots.
Aside from the obvious enforceability prob-
lems, it’s a ridiculous proposal. Shot blocking
is an important part of any defenseman or
forward’s defensive arsenal, engrained into
many players’ games. In any event, Gainey’s
proposal and the general Bettman-inspired
Ranked sixth in the region, Tufts must surpass NESCAC foes
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
continued from page 16
of the teams they’re eyeing — No. 10
Amherst and No. 17 Colby — this week-
end.
“I think we’d be happy with fifth, but I
think we’d be thrilled with third,” Morwick
said. “I think Amherst looks vulnerable,
and certainly Colby … is within reach.
[We’ll] keep our eye on them during the
race … [and] at the end, if we can be with-
in striking difference and close enough, I
think that will make the difference.”
“I definitely would consider Tufts
a threat to us,” Colby coach Debbie
Aitken said. “They have … very strong
frontrunners, and it’s hard to ignore
that. We’re certainly keeping our eye on
them and doing what we can to be in
the thick of things. We’re also keeping
our eye on Amherst, as Tufts is, and try-
ing not to assume that anyone is really
out of the picture.”
The Jumbos will pay particular atten-
tion to the Mules, who field a very differ-
ent-looking team than Tufts does. Over
the past couple of seasons, the Jumbos
have boasted some of the league’s best
runners in front but suffered from a drop-
off after the lead group.
The Mules, on the other hand, finished
their No. 1 through 4 runners within 25
seconds of each other at Oct. 11’s All-New
England Championships, although their
top runner landed in 56th place overall.
The Tufts Daily
Florida Panthers goalie Tomas Vokoun deflects a shot in the team’s 4-3 win against the San
Jose Sharks. The NHL has chosen to focus on rule changes that increase the number of
goals scored per game as a way to raise fan interest in the league.
flap about goal scoring is totally misplaced.
The NHL doesn’t need more goals. There
is virtually no difference in the quality of
hockey presented at six total goals per game
versus five or even seven versus five.
The NHL will never get to the point where
hockey scores look like football scores.
Hockey is the fastest and most violent of all
the major sports. It should sell itself.
The real way forward is to not worry about
the size of a goalie’s pads, how people can
block shots, or the number of goals scored
per game. If the NHL delivers a consistently
exciting product, people will be interested.
Hockey is better than ever: Players shoot
harder, skate faster and hit harder and more
often. Goalies are more athletic and make
superior saves. Even a Hall of Fame goalten-
der like Ken Dryden might find himself fight-
ing for a starting job in the current NHL. The
league is doing better, but not well enough.
The problem is not with the on-ice
product but the off-ice promotion. The
league’s attempts to increase scoring or
to appeal to some mythical average fan
demographic are hurting the league. Half-
empty arenas in Columbus, Ohio and
Nashville, Tenn. encourage the perception
that hockey is a niche sport and is eas-
ily ignorable. The league’s television deal
with Versus instead of ESPN for national
games hurts the NHL more than the num-
“Part of our concern is that our front-
runner, at least at Open New Englands,
still had [14] other NESCAC runners in
front of her,” Aitken said. “Obviously, part
of our concern is moving our frontrun-
ners up further in that front pack. That’s
one of the things we have to do.”
Leading the pack certainly hasn’t been
a problem for the Jumbos this year thanks
to sophomore Stephanie McNamara,
whose breakout race came at this time
last year when she established herself
as one of the NESCAC’s elite by taking
15th place in the conference champion-
ship. This year, with a talented group
of seniors having graduated around the
league — including two of Tufts’ own in
Cat Beck (LA ’08) and Katy O’Brien (E ’08)
— McNamara has a good chance to win it
all. At All-New England Championships,
in terms of conference competitors, she
trailed only Amherst senior quad-captain
Elise Tropiano. goal of every game is to score goals and
Sophomore Amy Wilfert will also have
a chance to break some ground for the
Jumbos as part of a largely successful
2008 campaign.
“On a good day, we could have another
NESCAC winner,” Morwick said. “Who
knows what Amy can do? She’s been look-
ing great in practice, and she might sneak
into the top four.”
The key for Tufts will be its third
through fifth runners, senior Amy
Hopkins, freshman Anya Price and junior
Sports
MCT
ber of goals scored each game.
To its credit, the league is making a better
effort to promote its stars. Sidney Crosby and
Alexander Ovechkin are getting their due as
two of the most exciting young players in the
league. But Mario Lemieux and Cam Neeley
are still more widely known than the cur-
rent crop of stars. Other incredibly talented
players like Rick Nash, Jarome Iginla and
Tomas Vokoun languish in relative obscu-
rity because they play in Columbus, Ohio;
Calgary or Florida.
If the NHL wants to stay in nontradi-
tional markets, the players who are on
those teams need to be promoted. People
may not want to see the Florida Panthers,
but seeing Jay Bouwmeester and Vokoun
may be worth the price of admission.
Nobody will go check out the talent if they
have no idea that the talent exists.
The NHL is interested in complicated solu-
tions to simple problems. The league needs
better exposure, not elaborate rule changes
that are difficult to enforce or are completely
ridiculous (curved nets, for example). The
NHL can start by pushing its star players
nationally, even if the stars play for mediocre
teams. The Washington Capitals are medio-
cre, and the NHL seemed to have no dif-
ficulty promoting Ovechkin. Crosby alone
can’t save hockey, but fortunately there are
plenty of other young guys available to help.
Lisa Picascia. For the Jumbos, however,
the gap between No. 2 and No. 3 has been
steadily narrowing over the course of the
last few weeks.
“Both Amy Hopkins and Anya have
been practicing really well,” Morwick said.
“For at least parts of workouts, they’ve
been right there, [and] that’s encourag-
ing. They’re improving every week. It’s
always different in a race, but I think
everyone has made little improvements
… Lisa has also been running great.”
Despite these gains, the Jumbos are
well-aware that it’s impossible to predict
the results of a NESCAC race.
“Every week is so different in cross
country,” Morwick said. “The courses are
different, the goals for every team are
different ... you don’t know what a team’s
strategy is going into a race. Maybe their
top runner is dropping back to help the
pack. It’s not like a team sport where the
win — you don’t strategize to help the
weaker members of your team.
“We’re moving in the right direction,
but so much of it is the stuff we can’t con-
trol,” Morwick continued. “We can have
the best plan and another team can just
race out of their minds. It’s just an unpre-
dictable sport … our team knows that
anything can happen. If they’re smart
about their strategy and can execute their
plan, I think it gives us a really good
chance to be successful.”
15
Dave Heck | The Sauce
Did you see
these
coming?
W
ith the baseball season com-
ing to an end and the bas-
ketball season just beginning,
this feels like a time for a sig-
nificant, meaningful column.
I would do a baseball wrap-up …
but considering that I’m writing this on
Wednesday morning and the World Series
is still stuck in limbo, I guess that’s out of
the question.
I’ve wanted to write something about
my Knicks, but not before they play a few
regular season games. (Though I must
say, I am ecstatic that Eddy Curry recent-
ly moved from starting center to deep
bench.)
I could go for a more general, Bill
Simmons-type basketball preview … but
predictions are just not my thing (and
frankly, neither is Bill Simmons).
So what to write about? Well, I may
not be very good at predicting what will
be happening in a few months, but I can
definitely tell you what’s going on today.
Let’s take a look at some surprise teams
that only a few months ago would have
made for some pretty bold predictions (to
hell with significance and meaning).
Phillies-Rays: I wrote enough about
them last week — this is mostly just oblig-
atory. If you predicted Rays in the World
Series a couple months ago, people proba-
bly wouldn’t have looked at you that crazy.
They’ve been “the best story in baseball”
all year. But the Phillies? Did anyone really
think they had it in them? Philly is still
short for Philadelphia, right?
Giants: Yes, they make the list because
it’s my column and I get to do what I want.
I know that they won the Super Bowl, but
even I thought that was probably just a
lucky run, not a sign of things to come.
But there they sit at 6-1 and first in the
NFC. Their skill positions are deep and
Eli is showing some balls — twice he’s
attempted left-handed throws while being
tackled, and twice it has worked.
The biggest surprise, though, has been
the play of the defense. Last year, the unit
was built around the pass rushing of Osi
and Strahan, neither of whom are playing
this season. And yet, they currently leads
the NFL in sacks. Five points if you saw
that coming.
Titans: And 20 points if you saw Kerry
Collins replacing Vince Young, then lead-
ing the team to a 7-0 start to the season.
Really, the only undefeated QB in the NFL
is Kerry Collins? The former Giant? The
guy who used to have problems with the
sauce (not this sauce)? Dan Orlovsky has
a better quarterback rating, as well as
more yards per pass attempt. Guess that
Tennessee’s D must be pretty good.
Redskins: A lot of people pegged the
NFC East as the best division in football,
but few had the ’Skins at second in the
division. Through half the season, they’re
tied for the third-best record in football.
Jason Campbell is sporting a cool 100.5
quarterback rating and still has yet to
throw an interception on the season. He
threw 11 in 13 games last year.
Tufts field hockey: That’s right, Tufts
sports. If you haven’t heard what the field
hockey team has done this season, I sug-
gest you keep reading. Ranked No. 16
nationally in preseason polls, the Jumbos
have climbed all the way up to No. 4 on the
strength of their perfect 13-0 record. Some
people feel that is still too low, as Tufts is
the only undefeated team in the nation.
What’s more impressive, though, is the
way the team simply dominates games.
Not only have the Jumbos outscored
their opponents 59-10 on the season, but
they’ve also outshot opponents 355-73.
Let me state that another way: Through 13
games, they’ve scored six times as many
goals as their opponents and taken almost
300 more shots.
That’s just silly. Their final and most
important game of the regular season
comes tomorrow when they travel to
Bowdoin to take on the No. 1 Polar Bears.
So start paying attention; this may be
Tufts’ best shot at an NCAA title in your
four years here.
Dave Heck is a junior majoring in phi-
losophy. He can be reached at David.Heck@
tufts.edu.

16
Field Hockey
Clash of the titans: No. 4 Jumbos challenge
No. 1 Polar Bears in title bout tomorrow
by Sapna Bansil
Daily Editorial Board
There’s one final hurdle standing between
the field hockey team and a perfect regular
season: the No. 1 team in the nation.
In one of Tufts Athletics’ most highly antici-
pated regular season events in recent memory,
the nationally ranked No. 4 Jumbos will travel to
Brunswick, Maine tomorrow for a Halloween
night showdown against defending national
champion Bowdoin. The team that emerges
victorious from the battle between the two
league heavyweights will claim the confer-
ence’s regular season crown and earn home-
field advantage for the NESCAC Tournament,
set to begin Sunday.
“I’m just really excited,” coach Tina McDavitt
Men’s Cross Country
Squad to compete
with regional foes
at NESCAC race
by Lauren Flament
Daily Staff Writer
As the NCAA New England Championships
approach, the men’s cross country team will
take on a number of regional foes when it
goes for its fifth Nationals berth in six years.
But first, it will have to get through NESCAC
Championships at Bates this weekend, fac-
ing some of the toughest competition New
England has to offer.
The Jumbos finished fifth in the competi-
tion last year, coming up short of Williams,
Amherst, Bowdoin and Trinity. The Lord
Jeffs and Ephs have proven their contin-
ued strength this year, claiming sixth and
eighth, respectively, at the All-New England
Championship earlier this month. Tufts, the
next-highest-placing NESCAC school of the
seven that attended, took 19th.
“I think we can definitely match [our fifth-
place finish], if not improve on it,” assistant
coach Mark Carberry said. “Clearly, our team
is much different than last year’s team, and
the conference is much different, but I think
that is definitely a possibility. Williams and
Amherst are pretty much head and shoulders
above the rest of the conference. We’ve got
to keep our eyes out for Trinity, Middlebury
and, to a lesser extent, Bowdoin.”
“I think if we performed as well as we did
last year, I’d be really happy,” junior Jesse
Faller said. “In terms of places, [finishing
among the] top five teams would be good,
but I don’t really have any expectations. I
don’t think we have really run up to our
potential yet this year, so because of that,
we’re kind of the underdogs in this meet.”
Faller’s 12th-place finish in a field of 127
runners at last year’s NESCAC Championship
was good for second among his fellow Jumbos.
Then-senior tri-captain Dave Sorensen (LA
’08) posted an impressive ninth-place finish.
“Jesse is definitely a top-three guy in the
conference, if not [a contender to] win the
whole thing, but it all depends on how the
race plays out for him,” Carberry said. “But
he’s healthy, and he’s ready to go.”
Faller’s main opposition will likely come
in the form of Hamilton junior Peter Kosgei,
who won last year’s race by a remarkable
29-second margin.
“It will depend on who’s having a good
day,” Faller said. “There is definitely some
good competition in the race.”
Both Carberry and Faller stressed that mak-
ing definitive predictions about Saturday’s
outcome is nearly impossible.
“If we all run up to our potential, then we
can definitely match a fifth-place finish and
hopefully do better,” Faller said. “That obvi-
ously depends on us running well, and it also
depends on how other teams run.”
see MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY, page 14
Sports
tuftsdaily.com
said. “But we’ve talked about it all year: We take
it one game at a time, and this is just another
game for us. As much as we’re up for it and
we’re excited, we’ve tried not to get too high or
too low throughout the season, and it’s worked
well for us. Bowdoin’s an awesome team, and
we’ve proven that we’re an awesome team. It’s
just going to be a really good hockey game. I
have a good feeling, I’m excited to play, and I
think it’s going to be a battle.”
In the process, the 13-0 Jumbos will be
looking to complete an unbeaten regular sea-
son, something unprecedented both in pro-
gram history and in recent school history.
The last Tufts squad to record an undefeated
campaign was the 1998-99 women’s indoor
track and field team, which won all 17 of its
meets, events much smaller in scale than the
Winter squads to hold first practices Saturday
The women’s basketball team crowds around the rim during a preseason pick-up game
Friday afternoon in Cousens Gym. Coach Carla Berube’s squad and the rest of the
winter sports teams on the Hill will have their first day of official practices on Saturday.
Their regular season schedules will all commence in or around mid-November.
Volleyball
Jumbos pierce Lancers, cast gaze to Cardinals
by Jeremy Greenhouse
Senior Staff Writer
After a smooth straight-set victory over
the Worcester State Lancers last night, the
VOLLEYBALL
(25-2, 8-0 NESCAC)
Cousens Gym, Yesterday
Worcester St. 14 13 15 — 0
Tufts 25 25 25 — 3
volleyball team heads to Wesleyan tomor-
row night for a match that will help deter-
mine whether the Jumbos earn the right
to the NESCAC Tournament. With the
25-14, 25-13, 25-15 thrashing, the Jumbos
improved to 25-2 overall on the season.
It was Senior Night at Cousens Gym, which
large invitationals in which today’s track squad
participates.
In a more traditional sense, Tufts hasn’t
seen a perfect season since 1989, when the
women’s lacrosse team breezed through its
schedule to a 13-0 record. No Jumbo field
hockey team has ever gone an entire season
without a loss.
Also at stake is the NESCAC regular sea-
son title, an especially prestigious distinction
this year given the conference’s unparalleled
strength. In the latest National Field Hockey
Coaches Association (NFHCA) poll released
Tuesday, half of the top eight spots — Bowdoin
at No. 1, Tufts at No. 4, Middlebury at No. 6
and Trinity at No. 8 — belonged to NESCAC
see FIELD HOCKEY, page 14
Jo Duara/Tufts Daily
could be the final home match for four Tufts
seniors — Maya Ripecky and tri-captains
Kate Denniston, Stacy Filocco and Natalie
Goldstein — depending on the outcome
of tomorrow’s duel with the Cardinals. But
with an 8-0 mark in conference play, Tufts
remains the favorite to host the NESCAC
Tournament, which starts Nov. 7.
“It [was] the last regular-season home
game no matter what, and any additional
ones are just a bonus,” Ripecky said.
“We hope it’s not the last match [at
home],” coach Cora Thompson said. “We
have to beat Wesleyan for the chance to host
the NESCACs. We’ve worked hard for it all
season. From the beginning of the season
we’ve always set our goals high. It’s like
‘reach for the stars and settle for the star-
dust.’”
At the Hall of Fame Tournament last
weekend, the Jumbos dropped a back-and-
INSIDE
Inside the NHL 15
The Sauce 15
Editors’ Challenge 13
BLOG @ tuftsdaily.com
It may be Halloween on the for Jumbos
tomorrow for Tufts, but for the field
hockey team, a battle of powerhouses
must first determine a victor before any
trick-or-treating for the Jumbo athletes.
The nationally ranked No. 4 squad heads
to Brunswick, Maine tomorrow at 5 p.m.
to battle the top-ranked Polar Bears of
Bowdoin, and the Daily will be with them
on location, blogging live from the game.
With up-to-the-minute scores and
updates, the Daily will allow the whole
Tufts community to follow this epic
battle between two conference heavy-
weights.
To follow the live blog of this game, visit
TuftsDaily.com tomorrow beginning at
5 p.m.
Women’s Cross Country
Tufts aims for
Colby, Amherst
in league meet
by Carly Helfand
Daily Editorial Board
At last year’s NESCAC Championships,
the Colby Mules stunned the women’s
cross country team, edging it by a point to
push the Jumbos into sixth place.
But this year, as nationally ranked No.
34 Tufts takes on the likes of Williams,
Middlebury, Amherst and Colby, which
are all ranked in the top 20, there shouldn’t
be too many surprises, at least on the
Jumbos’ end.
“The top five will be the top five; it’s
just the order from [No.] 3 to [No.] 5 might
change,” coach Kristen Morwick said. “We
could be third, we could be fifth — we
were a couple of points out of [fourth] last
year and one point out of [fifth], so it’s
probably going to be a pretty close meet
again.”
Needless to say, Tufts will be looking
for an upset. The upcoming NCAA New
England Championships will determine
bids to Nationals, as the top two finish-
ers automatically qualify for the race. But
New England, a historically deep region,
will likely receive up to three at-large bids,
consideration for which will begin with
performances at NESCACs.
Currently ranked sixth in New England,
Tufts will need to upset at least one team
at Regionals to break into the top five,
and they’ll get to take a crack at two
see WOMEN’S XC, page 15
forth five-set match to Springfield, the No.
14 team in New England. Although Tufts, the
top-ranked team in the region, rebounded
with last night’s victory, Thompson is still
looking for what the team can improve on.
“Against Springfield, there was a cham-
pionship at stake and their hitters did really
well,” Thompson said. “Springfield came at
us with a high level of play, but we need to
minimize our errors. We had too many ser-
vice errors, yet we weren’t serving as aggres-
sively as we should. When you’re not serving
well, that allows them to set up and run a
balanced offense.”
“We’re being tested,” she continued. “And
no matter what, win or lose, we have to
ask what we are going to do to get bet-
ter. Minimizing errors is huge. When you’re
exchanging point for point, you can’t give
see VOLLEYBALL, page 13