The Tufts Daily Volume Lxx, Number 55

ors: Part three TUfts Janit A Tufts Daily Feature

Outsourcing in higher education Pg. 4

the independent student newspaper of Tufts university est. 1980 THE TUFTS DAILY VOLUME LXX, NUMBER 55

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS. Thursday, December 3, 2015 tuftsdaily.com Tufts Recycles! ResLife seeks to counter lottery to bring fraud with housing policy changes composting to by Liam Knox all on-campus Staff Writer The Office of Residential Life and Learning apartments (ResLife) is considering new strategies to address problems with the housing lottery by Hannah Uebele system in light of cases of housing lottery Staff Writer fraud this past spring. According to Director of ResLife Yolanda Tufts Recycles! will launch a new initiative King, last semester, some students last spring to bring composting to all on-campus apart- applied for housing in groups with upper- Belinda Xian / the Tufts Daily ments at a composting education event this classmen, who have higher lottery numbers, boost their group average to increase their able for students planning to travel abroad Friday at the Mayer Campus Center. in order to boost their lottery number averag- chances for getting an appointment time to or transfer the following semester, according The event, which will be held in col- es and place into more popular on-campus select,” King told the Daily in an email. “This to the general information booklet. In 2010, laboration with the Tufts Sustainability housing. These upperclassmen, who actually did create an unfair and stressful situation for this commitment fee was raised from $500 to Collective, will take place from 2 p.m. to 4 intended to live off campus, would then drop many students.” its current amount in response to concerns p.m. in Room 112 of the center, according out of the on-campus housing group, leaving This year’s “Housing Lottery Selection that students were increasingly abusing the to Savannah Christiansen, a Tufts Recycles! the other members of the group with the General Information” booklet, compiled by housing system, the Daily reported. intern and special interest housing supervi- housing option they wanted. ResLife, states that students may not “buy, King said she is considering various sor for Tufts Eco-Reps. “During last year’s group apartment lot- sell or trade [their] lottery number.” strategies to prevent housing fraud in the “Tufts Recycles! and the Tufts tery, it was brought to my attention that rising Students living on campus are required future, including mandating that all apart- Sustainability Collective are collaborating to sophomores were applying to the six-person to secure their housing with a $750 commit- have a compost education event…to talk apartments with one rising junior in order to ment fee — a payment that is only refund- see HOUSING, page 2 about compost to people,” Christiansen, a senior, said. “[The event will cover] how to keep [compost containers] clean and how Three School of Medicine faculty members to maintain [them], and that will include the kickstart to the on-campus apartment composting [effects].” awarded Dean’s Medals for research Christiansen said the push for composting by Isha Fahad at on-campus apartments such as Hillsides Staff Writer Apartments, Latin Way Dormitory and Sophia Gordon Hall this semester will expand exist- Three faculty members at the School ing composting spots in on-campus housing, of Medicine were awarded Dean’s Medals which currently include Carmichael Hall, — given to individuals who have made Haskell Hall, Houston Hall, Hodgdon Hall, extraordinary accomplishments in the Metcalf Hall, Miller Hall, South Hall, Wilson medical field — on Nov. 5. House and Wren Hall. The recipients of the awards “Right now, the Eco-Reps maintain com- were Te-Wen Chang, a former associate post bins for all the dorms, and what we professor of public health and communi- were thinking is that it makes more sense ty medicine; Sherwood Gorbach, a former to have compost bins in places where there professor of public health and community are kitchens, so our hope is that we get bins medicine and Stuart Levy, a current a pro- in apartments like in Latin Way, Sophia fessor of molecular biology and the direc- Gordon and…Hillsides,” she said. tor of the Center for Adaptation Genetics Christiansen explained that the bene- and Drug Resistance. The three were rec- fit of having composting at these new sites ognized at a reception for area alumni at will be a decrease in campus food waste, the Wellesley Country Club, which over 200 since fewer kitchen food scraps will end up people attended, according to Dr. Harris Matthew Healey for Tufts University in landfills as waste. Berman, the dean of the School of Medicine. From left, Te-Wen Chang, Sherwood Gorbach and Stuart Levy of the School of Medicine According to Liora Silkes, another Tufts Berman said the medals — rarely receive Dean’s Medals awards during a Nov. 5 reception at the Wellesley Country Club. Recycles! intern, the Tufts dining halls com- awarded at Tufts — were presented to the post all food waste, but many upperclassmen three individuals for their contributions seminal discoveries in infectious diseases, Gorbach said that before receiving are creating separate food waste of their own. to the field of infectious disease research. which not only have been a great credit the Dean’s Medal, he had no idea that “A lot of upperclassmen aren’t eating in The research conducted by the three award to Tufts, but also a major contribution to such an award existed at Tufts. The Dean’s the dining halls as much,” Silkes, a first- recipients on Clostridium difficile (C. diffi- improve the health of people all over the Medal represents recognition of his whole year, said. “They have their own kitchen right cile) bacteria, which causes diarrhea and world,” Berman said. life’s work, not merely of one achievement, there, so they’re creating a lot of food waste. colon inflammation and is linked to around Berman said the last time a Dean’s he said. If you’re not eating in the dining halls, your 29,000 deaths in the U.S. annually, has led Medal was awarded was four years ago, Gorbach explained that most of his food [probably] isn’t getting composted, so to further related research at the School of when it was given to Dr. Vivian Pinn, a for- research is about infections in the intes- Medicine, he said. mer faculty member in the department of see TUFTS RECYCLES, page 2 “Each of these researchers has made pathology. see DEAN'S MEDALS, page 2

Contact Us P.O. Box 53018, News...... 1 WEEKENDER...... 7 Medford, MA 02155 For breaking news, our content /thetuftsdaily 617 627 3090 Features...... 4 OPINION...... 10 Partly Cloud archive and exclusive content, visit FAX 617 627 3910 Comics...... 6 Sports...... Back 48 / 33 TUFTSDAILY.COM @tuftsdaily [email protected] 2 THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Thursday, December 3, 2015 tuftsdaily.com News News

THE TUFTS DAILY Tufts Recycles! to hold event to kick off composting initiative Joe Palandrani TUFTS RECYCLES Silkes explained that anyone can use the Christiansen said another goal that Tufts Editor-in-Chief continued from page 1 composting sites around campus, even if they Recycles! has for the semester is to start up Editorial we’re trying to step in and get more of that didn’t sign up to have their own compost bin. their website and maintain a social media Lancy Downs composted.” “The bins are there, anyone can dump presence. She said she hopes people will Abigail Feldman Silkes explained how Tufts Recycles! has compost if you see the yellow bins around,” check the group’s website and ask them any Managing Editors reached out to students currently living in she said. “Or if you wanted to start your own questions they may have about recycling and on-campus apartments to gauge their inter- compost in your room, you can dump it in composting. Sarah Zheng Executive News Editor Marianna Athanassiou News Editors est in the new composting initiative. [the campus bins] and it will get picked up.” Silkes said Tufts Recycles! hopes their Melissa Kain “We’re going to give everyone who’s inter- In addition to composting, Tufts Recycles! Friday launch event will garner more sup- Reena Karasin Arin Kerstein ested a little container to put their compost is also in charge of maintaining and enhanc- port for their composting initiative by mak- Safiya Nanji in,” she said. “We’ll teach them everything ing the recycling system on campus, and also ing people more knowledgeable and excit- Sophie Lehrenbaum Emma Steiner they need to know, and they’ll be able to col- organizing collections of old battery and ink ed about composting, and ready to imple- Annabelle Roberts lect it on their own and then dump it outside cartridges, according to Silkes. The group ment it in their apartments. Roy Yang Isha Fahad Assistant News Editors in composting bins nearby all three of the also does outreach to help events on campus “Everyone should compost,” Silkes said. Miranda Willson apartments.” become zero-waste events, she said. “It’s great and it’s easy.”

Mengqi Sun Executive Features Editor Kendall Todd Features Editors Arin Kerstein Housing lottery fraud cases could impact housing shortage, Nicole Brooks Becca Leibowitz Nina Joung Assistant Features Editors compound class divisions among students HOUSING cases have come before the judiciary com- tion everyone’s relationships within housing Joshua Podolsky Executive Arts Editor Anjali Nair Arts Editors continued from page 1 mittee since he became the judicial affairs groups,” she said. Yotam Bentov Assistant Arts Editors ment group members belong to a single administrator last year. Cases that do come On the other hand, Zhong also noted that Merilla Michael John Gallagher graduating class. This would prevent under- before the Judicial Affairs office may lead to the housing fraud process can alienate Ascher Kulich classmen from enlisting upperclassmen probation, he said. students in lower-class communities. She Justin Krakoff with higher lottery numbers to sign up for “Fraudulence, or misrepresentation, is a explained that underclassmen who attempt on-campus housing with the intention of violation of…university [policy] and that’s to game the lottery system often agree to Yuki Zaninovich Executive Op-Ed Editor Nick Golden Op-Ed Editor dropping out of the system, she explained. because we [at Tufts] value honesty, and split the cost of the upperclassman’s $750 Erin Sifre King said she is also thinking of punish- a violation like this might warrant pro- drop-out fee in exchange for better-quality Katie Matejcak Hannah Hoang ing all members of any group suspected of bation,” he said. “While context might be housing. This practice can exacerbate class Ty Enos Cartoonists attempting lottery fraud, and only allowing important, I think we would take any sort divides, since students who can afford the fee Fury Sheron Natasha Khwaja Editorialist housing groups to verify their housing plans of fraud seriously.” have more access to better housing, she said. Nick Golden one time. Toogood explained that lottery-rigging “Not all students are easily able to shell “If students select an apartment, and a impacts other students trying to secure out extra money to cover the dropout fee,” Alison Kuah Executive Sports Editor member with a high lottery number cancels housing, and feared that abuse of the hous- Zhong said. “Many students are on financial Ross Dember Sports Editors Alex Schroeder for reasons other than studying abroad, all ing system could exacerbate the shortage of aid, and some of these conversations can Chris Warren remaining members would lose the apart- campus housing. make students uncomfortable. It seems like Steven Hefter Phillip Goldberg ment and be re-assigned based on what is “If five students agree to go in together those who don’t have to worry about finances Ray-Paul Biron available later,” she said. on a room and one of them is never really are able to buy their way into more desirable Josh Slavin Sophomore Vivian Zhong said that lot- intending to live in that room, it could have housing.”

Evan Sayles Executive Photo Editor tery-rigging has been common practice a real impact on someone else’s ability to live Toogood added that, disregarding the fact Sofie Hecht Photo Administrator among students throughout her time at Tufts. on campus in a place where they want to be, that lottery fraud violates university code, Caroline Ambros Picture Tufts Editor “[Lottery fraud] was pretty prevalent last or even on campus at all,” he said. “So its a students should consider the impact that year,” Zhong said. “I was a freshman and there very concrete problem.” their actions have on their peers. Merilla Michael Executive Jumbo Beat Editors Rachel Allen was such a scramble to find sophomore hous- Zhong expressed concerns “We’re all part of the same community, ing, especially in Hillsides or Latin Way. Almost about ResLife possibly increasing its so I would hope that they’d want to respect half of the people I talked to about housing at involvement in student housing. that and not want to disadvantage anyone least considered [fraud] at one point.” “I’m sure some people legitimately want just because five members of a certain group PRODUCTION Judicial Affairs Administrator Mickey to live with their upperclassmen friends and wanted to live together or something like Andrew M. Stephens Production Director Toogood said that, though lottery fraud it may be overstepping some privacy bound- that,” he said. “It could have a real impact on cases have been brought to his attention, no aries to have ResLife investigate and ques- someone’s experience.” David Westby Executive Layout Editors Nick Golden Julie Doten Layout Editors Molly Harrower Allie Merola Annabelle Roberts School of Medicine faculty recognized for research on Emily Sharp Natasha Statz-Geary Sebastian Torrente Clostridium difficile Astrid Weng DEAN'S MEDALS that sometimes occurs after antibiotic a regulatory locus in the bacterial chromo- Shirley Wang Creative Director continued from page 1 treatment — according to a Nov. 13 Tufts some called mar, which influences drug tinal tract, which he started studying as a Now article. In addition to this discov- resistance and organism virulence. Alison Epstein Executive Copy Editors young researcher back in 1964. He cited ery, Chang conducted over 200 studies on “Multiple drug resistance, by whatever Sophie Lehrenbaum Iqra Asghar Copy Editors his experience as a student at the Medical the C. difficile pathogen and other related mechanism, leads to the overproduction Arthur Beckel School from 1958 to 1962 as a motivating infectious diseases. of the pump and other resistance mecha- Noah Habeeb Jonathan Heutmaker factor behind his research. Levy, a researcher, health policy advo- nisms,” Levy said. “The region of the cell Andrew Kager “During those days I was inspired by my cate and co-founder of the Alliance for which bears the multiple drug resistance Melissa Kain Reena Karasin teacher, Dr. Louis Weinstein, who taught at the Prudent Use of Antibiotics — an gene allows the cell to circumvent the anti- Serena Kassam Tufts from 1957 till 1975,” he said. “It was international nonprofit organization that biotic activity by various mechanisms for Claire Mullany Rachel Salzberg Dr. Weinstein who made me realize how aims to fortify defense against infectious resistance in the bacterial cell.” Caroline Watson interesting and challenging this field was.” diseases on a local scale by promoting In another study, Levy and his Kayla Williamson Assistant Copy Editors Sarah Kalinowski Throughout his career, Gorbach trav- appropriate and effective use of antibi- team investigated whether or not feeding elled to various places to conduct research, otics — joined the Tufts faculty in 1971 farm animals low doses of antibiotics could Nitesh Gupta Executive Online Editor Max Bernstein Executive Tech Manager including Calcutta, India, where he stayed and continues his research on infectious lead to the appearance of drug-resistant for a year and a half to research diarrhea. diseases to this day. bacteria in the animals and farm workers. “In 1978, the research in my lab led “My research is studying antibiotic “Before our studies, people thought that to the discovery of Australian Clostridium resistance at the molecular, genetic and the farm animals had different kinds of Difficile, a form of diarrhea caused by anti- biochemical level … as they impact pub- bacteria and resistance genes that they BUSINESS Kristie Le biotics,” he said. lic health nationally and international- carry,” Levy said. “However, we showed Executive Business Director Chang, who is now 95, was award- ly,” Levy said. that as the animals move from farms to ed the Dean’s Medal for his contribu- He explained that his research has led retail markets, they carry with them bacte- Chris Chininis Ad Director Yiran Xu Receivables Manager tions to the field of infectious disease to two major discoveries. His team was ria, which are selected for antibiotic resis- Eva Sachar Ad Manager research, particularly for his work in the first to demonstrate how efflux mecha- tance during the use of antibiotics and Evan Sayles Jahlyn Hayes understanding C. difficile. He discov- nisms, or cell pumps, expel antibiotics out raising of the animals.” Qinyue Yu ered in 1978, working in a Tufts lab of a cell to prevent them from interfering According to Levy, his team’s studies

Caroline Talbert Marketing Director under Gorbach’s direction, that clostridia, with cell growth — research that shed light were the first to show transfer of drug resis- Qinyue Yu Marketing Manager a toxin-producing bacteria, is the cause on drug resistance in bacteria. His other tance genes from animals to humans and Scott Geldzahler Social Media Editor of antibiotic-associated pseudo-membra- major discovery, which resulted from his vice-versa. He said it was this research that Vera Masterson nous colitis — inflammation of the colon work in multiple drug resistance, concerns ultimately won him the Dean’s Medal. tuftsdaily.com Thursday, December 3, 2015 | ADVERTISEMENT | THE TUFTS DAILY 3

Final Exams 1/4Got You Down? AD 1/8 AD

Call us when you don’t know who to talk to. Anonymous and Conden�al 7:00PM to 7:00AM (617)1/2 627‐3888 AIM: ADtu�sE4P For more informa�on: h�p://ase.tu�s.edu/earsforpeers/ To join e‐mail [email protected] 4 Features tuftsdaily.com Thursday, December 3, 2015

Miranda Willson Janitorial Restructuring Ecofeminism for All Jobs for whom? his summer, I wrote an article for a small newspaper about natural gas extraction and production in Chautauqua County, N.Y., interviewing atT least half a dozen people from local indus- tries, governments and activist organizations. Natural gas is an influential yet contentious industry in this rural, economically depressed area. Though high-volume hydraulic fracturing (fracking) has been banned in New York state, there are plenty of individuals trying to frack around that ban or overturn it completely. While writing the article, I was so busy researching, interviewing and putting together quotes and concepts that I didn’t put time into reflecting on the actual people with whom I spoke. Looking back on it, I realize now that all of the climate change activists and anti-frac- tivists I talked to for this article were women. The representatives from local industry and government, on the other hand, were all men. While natural gas may have brought revenue into the county, most of that money was con- centrated in the hands of a few men in the industry who weren’t even from the area. While my sample size was small, I think these details are telling. What does it mean Nicholas Pfosi / Tufts Daily archive DTZ employees protest feared cuts to janitorial staff outside of Ballou Hall on Feb. 26. when the politicians running a local community are men, when local business owners are men and the activists fighting for environmental justice, silenced in town hall meetings and Outsourcing in Higher Education pushed out of the decision-making process, are women? by Nicholas Pfosi in 2011, had increased the number of ing strategies and optimized research What does it mean when worldwide, Staff Writer full-time administrators by roughly 29% administration services. women are disproportionately hurt by climate and full-time professional staff by rough- “More than 600 people were involved change and other environmental issues, par- The company from which Tufts con- ly 119 percent since 1987, during which in the budget process, which was ticularly women of color in the developing tracts its custodial services, DTZ, for- time student enrollment increased by time-consuming and inefficient,” the world, yet they often aren’t represented in their merly UGL Unicco, has had a business 51 percent. However, at the end of 2012, TEAM website says. governments? What does it mean when envi- relationship with Tufts since 2011. Tufts launched its Tufts Effectiveness The decision to reorganize custodi- ronmental degradation is justified in the name “[The Tufts administration] asked in Administrative Management (TEAM) al labor was a part of this cost-saving of “economic growth” and “job creation” but [DTZ] to put more resources into clean- initiative, a project intended to stream- measure. While effects of streamlining the vast majority of those jobs aren’t helping the ing busier areas of campus with high line some administrative practices so on administrative staff were achieved women in the communities in which extraction student activity, such as dorms, ath- that annual expenses would be reduced “mostly through managed attrition, the takes place, and sometimes don’t even serve letics facilities and libraries, and fewer by about $15 million, according to the process of not filling voluntarily vacat- the men in those communities either? resources into cleaning administrative TEAM website. ed positions that are no longer need- We’ve created an economic system that offices,” Executive Director of Public ed,” according to the TEAM website, the exploits the earth in the same way that it Relations Kim Thurler told the Daily in change in the university’s contract with exploits certain people. When more Americans an email. “However, it was up to DTZ to DTZ ultimately displaced 18 custodians, started to embrace environmentalism in the come up with a detailed plan and spe- as was reported in Part One of this series. 1960s, this connection was not made explicit, cific recommendations.” “The basic rationale for at least not among mainstream environmen- In the second part of this series, the Decision to Outsource talists. But today, with climate change killing Daily charted the periodic shifts in cus- a college or university to Tufts President emeritus John more people worldwide than terrorists, and todial labor at Tufts, and the ensuing stu- outsource to a vendor DiBiaggio said outsourcing to the uni- with most of these victims already burdened dent and worker demonstrations, since versity’s contractor saved the school by other economic and social injustices, no Tufts first outsourced its janitorial staff in could be summed up this nearly $1 million annually, according to environmentalist can ignore these deep con- 1994. In this installment, we examine the way: I can’t do this, others a 2001 Daily article. According to a study nections any longer. financial contexts for such decisions at by the Institute for Higher Education The fights for gender equality (and against Tufts and at universities nationwide. can, I think I’ll let them.” Policy, 65 percent of institutions had racism and colonialism) are intrinsically linked made similar decisions by the same to the fight for climate justice. The economic Rising University Costs time, outsourcing between two and five systems in place today — capitalism, neoliberal A story in the September/October of their services. Over a two-year period and neocolonial attitudes about development 2011 Washington Monthly cited rising “Expense growth has exceeded rev- (2000–2002), outsourcing increased by and trade — have given rise to great injustices administrative costs as a major factor in enue growth most years since 2008, eight percent nation-wide. to people and to the planet. The concept of increased university expenditure across which, combined with one-time invest- “The basic rationale for a college environmental justice often focuses on who is American colleges between 1998 and ments in systems and TEAM implemen- or university to outsource to a vendor hurt most by environmental degradation, but 2008. The article pointed to a 36 percent tation, resulted in a projected deficit in could be summed up this way: I can’t a sometimes-forgotten element is who ben- increase in administrative spending by [Fiscal Year 2015],” the TEAM website do this, others can, I think I’ll let them,” efits most from environmental degradation. America’s private colleges. says. a February 2005 University Business The answer is almost always the white, male, A follow-up report by Rita Kirshstein, The projected deficit for Fiscal Year Magazine said. Western ruling class. director of the Delta Cost Project, whose 2015, which lasted from July 2014 to University of Wisconsin-Superior There was never a more misleading concept data was included in the Washington June 2015, was $9.7 million, but the uni- decided to outsource their custodial than the so-called trade-off between environ- Monthly article, found that “administra- versity ended the term with a $1.1 mil- staff in 2014, resulting in a projected mental protection and “job creation.” When tive bloat” occurred mostly in mid-level lion surplus, according to a September $500,000 in annual savings, according only some people get the jobs, and only some professional positions. announcement by University President to a Nov. 19, 2014 Wisconsin Public deal with the environmental destruction, the “[M]any of these administrators are Anthony Monaco. Radio story, and a Feb. 21, 2013 report questions we should ask are “jobs for which performing services that both faculty The implementation of TEAM is slat- from the Daily Texan stated that The people?” and “environmental destruction for and students have come to expect,” ed for completion in July 2016, accord- University of Texas (UT) Committee on which people?” Kirschstein said in the report, citing ing to a message on the TEAM website. Business Productivity estimates a sav- responsibilities related to tutoring, Its projects have included the inte- ings of over $92 million over 10 years Miranda Willson is an assistant news editor financial aid and information technol- gration of Tufts’ IT services into Tufts due to outsourcing services related to and features columnist at the Tufts Daily. She is a junior majoring in environmental studies ogy (IT). Technology Services, the consolidation on-campus food, parking and housing and urban policy & development and can be The New England Center for of budget management responsibilities, services. The latter decision followed a reached at [email protected]. Investigative Reporting found that Tufts, the implementation of new purchas- 2005 cost-saving effort by the univer- tuftsdaily.com Thursday, December 3, 2015 | Features | THE TUFTS DAILY 5 Features Features sity, in which it outsourced its Central Receiving and Delivery division to a company called MagRabbit. “The measure is expected to save the university about $200,000 annually for services that include receiving products from vendors and trans- portation companies, inspecting them for quantity and damage, delivering to departments on campus and providing other shipment and delivery services,” a University of Texas news article said.

Opposition to Outsourcing Tufts’ 1994 decision to outsource its custodial staff was one of several such financial choices by Boston-area universities that drew community backlash. On April 29, 2008, the Daily Free Press, Boston University’s independent student newspaper, published a story about a protest demanding higher payer for janitors at Northeastern University. In the article, Roxana Rivera —the current Vice President of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 32BJ, which represents custodians who work on Tufts’ campuses—attribut- ed unsatisfactory pay to outsourcing practices. “One of the protesters, Roxana Rivera, said Boston University janitors receive far better treatment [than Northeastern University janitors], par- Nicholas Pfosi / Tufts Daily archive Mark Niedergang, Somerville alderman for Ward 5, voices his opposition to the university’s proposed layoffs during the open forum event tially because BU does not outsource on the administration’s plan for the janitorial staff in Braker Hall on March 27. its hiring, resulting in more ‘livable’ wages,” the article said. “There is nothing fair or right workforce,” three Wisconsin lawmak- walkout, and 10 entered into a sever- The University of Wisconsin- about eliminating these hard-workers wrote in a statement quoted in the al-week-long hunger strike along with Superior (UW-Superior) also ing employees who made decent but story. five students, according to an April announced a plan to outsource its cus- hardly excessive wages and replace In 2006, at the University of Miami, 18, 2006 New York Times article. The todial and ground services in 2014 them with employees who will receive over 200 outsourced janitors— non-unionized, majority Cuban and despite community protests, according low wages and few benefits paid for employed by UGL Unicco, which was Haitian immigrant workforce protested to a Nov. 19, 2014 Wisconsin Public by an out-of-state corporation which affiliated with DTZ until late 2014— earning roughly $6.40 per hour without Radio story. will profit from the downsizing of our participated in a seven-week-long health care benefits. 6 THE TUFTS DAILY | Comics | Thursday, December 3, 2015 tuftsdaily.com Late Night at the Daily Comics Abby: “You’re not invited to my Bat Mitzvah!” Comics FOR RELEASE DECEMBER 3, 2015 Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis Crossword ACROSS 1 Game piece associated with 71-Across 8 “C’mon, Let’s Play” store 15 Estate planner’s suggestion 16 Chess grandmaster Karpov 17 Cancún’s peninsula 18 Copied 19 “Nurse Jackie” network, briefly 20 Attempt 22 Org. concerned with the AQI 23 VW hatchback 24 Way out 26 Selective socializer, perhaps 29 Geologic periods 31 Soulful Franklin 33 Catch 34 Swallow up 36 Asks for more 38 Fish used as bait By Don Gagliardo & C.C. Burnikel 12/3/15 in bass fishing 5 Word with press Wednesday’sWednesday’s Puzzle Solution Solved 40 Dagger of yore or mess 41 Apple music 6 Historic stretches player 7 Many a talk show 45 Chess ploy caller 49 __ Mahal 8 Wage earners’ 50 Much of Oceania concerns 52 Cut with teeth 9 Person 53 Pass over 10 Easily 55 Recital numbers maneuvered, at 56 Cool one sea 57 Tampa NFLer 11 Bus schedule 59 Polynesian listings beverage 12 1987 film loosely 61 Spam holder based on “Cyrano 62 Like some skinny de Bergerac” jeans 13 Suffix with glob 65 The United States, 14 Australian airport, to Mexicans in itineraries 68 Carrier to Tehran 21 “Timber!” yeller 69 Critical 23 Awe-full ©2015 Tribune Content Agency, LLC 12/3/15 70 Training units expression? 71 Word that can 25 Revealing 37 Reps. counterparts 54 Chances to play precede the word beachwear 39 Hoodwinks 58 Trendy hi in each set of 27 Wake maker 41 Jurist Lance 60 Six-time All-Star puzzle circles 28 Small shot 42 Spray on a pan Moises 30 Sought damages 43 Lake Huron 61 Firm: Abbr. DOWN 31 Repeated notes in natives 62 Rap name 1 Sound from a crib Chopin’s 44 Earthenware pot adjective 2 Fourth-most “Raindrop” prelude 46 Martini & Rossi 63 Mine output populous U.S. 32 Square measure parent company 64 Committed city 35 Dunham who 47 “Include me” thing 3 Dürer work created and stars 48 Demolition stuff 66 __ de plume 4 Former Labor in the HBO series 51 Dance music 67 Neurologist’s tool, secretary Elaine “Girls” provider briefly

SUDOKU THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME JUMBLEby David L. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek Unscramble these four Jumbles, one letter to each square, to form four ordinary words. GEDWE

WHYROT Check out the new, free JUSTfree new, the out Check app JUMBLE

HORYNT Now arrange the circled letters to form the surprise answer, as suggested by the above cartoon.

(Answers tomorrow) Jumbles: RELIC STYLE USEFUL TOWARD Difficulty Level: Making it to the gym on a regular basis after Thanksgiving. Yesterday’s Answer: The doctor was puzzled by the woman’s illness. He’d find a remedy. He was very — “CURE-IOUS” Wednesday’s Solution

Non Sequitur By Wiley Miller 12.03.15 weekender Creating and changing the game Independent game development in 2015: A conversation with Arnold Rauers of Tinytouchtales

By John Gallagher my inability to program. Once I discovered [Stencyl], it crowded, and you have no chance of self-promoting a Assistant Arts Editor was pretty clear to me that I had to start [creating] my paid game in any kind of substantial way.” own [games], and since then, I have worked to save up “Card Crawl” also received a great deal of support Independently developed or “indie” video games — money to pursue this goal.” from an unlikely demographic: board game fans, who games created by small teams or individuals without Rauers said that before beginning to develop “Card were attracted to the game’s aesthetic and discussed it the financial support of a publisher — have become Crawl” in August 2014, he released eight independently avidly online. an integral part of the gaming landscape over the past developed titles that never quite took off. Beyond a solid promotional strategy, Rauers believes decade. The rise of digital distribution on the tradition- Rauers used savings he accumulated during his that his game’s success is also rooted in its niche appeal. al PC and console markets, as well as the proliferation three years of working for large game companies to He said that the so-called “goldmine” period of mobile of smartphones and their accompanying app stores, support himself during the seven-month-long devel- gaming — when all potential players were up for grabs have allowed smaller developers to sell directly to con- opment of “Card Crawl,” as he had quit his job to work — is over and that it is now very difficult to compete with sumers and have largely negated the need to produce on the project. He also enlisted the help of artist (and large gaming companies. a physical product. Rauers’ former university professor) Max Fiedler and Despite these challenges, Rauers has found an alter- As a consequence of these market changes, sound designer Oliver Salkic. Initially, both Fiedler and native way to court the mass of prospective players. indie titles now compete with big publisher backed Salkic worked for free in exchange for a share of the “What you…should do is make a very niche game, releases for gamers’ dollars — and often succeed. eventual revenues from “Card Crawl.” Because “Card where you try and innovate on something and target a “Minecraft”(2009) for instance, an independently Crawl” was a hit, this arrangement turned out to be, in really small niche of a niche,” he said. developed title originally created by Swedish game Rauers’ words, “a very good deal” for both Fiedler and Tinytouchtales, a small video game company Rauers developer Markus “Notch” Persson, is one of the best- Salkic, but was not without risks. As Rauers pointed founded, has followed this strategy closely in producing selling video games of all time and was purchased by out, “if the game had bombed it would have been a very “Card Crawl.” The game combines a relatively complex Microsoft for $2.5 billion in 2014. On mobile platforms, bad deal for them”. card game with a dungeon crawler, a medley of genres “Flappy Bird” (2013), a mechanically simple game by “Card Crawl” was first released in March of 2015 on that appeals to a very small, but very passionate, subset Vietnamese developer Dong Nguyen, became a sen- Apple’s App Store, which Rauers described as a chal- of the mobile games market. sation in early 2014 and was reportedly generating lenging marketplace to break into. Many players are The success of “Card Crawl” has enabled Rauers to $50,000 per day at the peak of its popularity before it only interested in offerings by large companies with the continue working as an independent game developer, was abruptly removed from Apple’s App Store. promotional muscle to publicize their games, he said. which he describes as his dream job. Tinytouchtales For every story of outrageous indie success however, “The mobile market is super skewed towards the is currently working on a follow-up — though not a there are thousands of independent developers who top, [toward games produced by these big companies],” sequel — to “Card Crawl.” Rauers hopes that the new toil in obscurity but still produce interesting, innovative Rauers said. “A lot of reports [say there are] about 10 to game will appeal to the same players who loved the titles. One such developer who has managed to carve out 15 games that make about 60 to 70 percent of all the original and that he will be able to innovate the estab- a niche for himself is Berlin-based game designer Arnold money that is generated … There are a few games like lished single-player/card game base. A more detailed Rauers of Tinytouchtales — the company behind “Card “Clash of Clans” [2012] that make millions a day, and on announcement of the new game’s theme and mechanics Crawl” (2015), a solitaire-inspired dungeon crawler. the other hand, there are millions of games that make is expected in early 2016. “I started working [generally] in games in 2011, but as nothing a day.” of 2014, I’m independent,” he said. In this hyper-competitive environment, where even a Before becoming an independent developer, Rauers high-quality game like “Card Crawl” may go unnoticed, worked at larger game companies as an interface design- “Card Crawl” has managed to succeed; Rauers estimates er for mobile games, most notably on the free-to-play that “Card Crawl” has made roughly $75,000 to date title “Pearl’s Peril” (2013 – present). After getting started across both the App Store and Google Play. in the industry, Rauers soon realized that it was feasi- Rauers attributes a good deal of the success of “Card ble for him to make his own games after he discovered Crawl” to his promotional strategy, which was com- the game creation tool Stencyl, which, according to its prised of maintaining a development blog and regu- website, allows developers with no coding knowledge to larly posting about the game on social media. He also create games. stressed the importance of having a contact at Apple Rauers said that Stencyl’s accessibility appealed to him. who helped him get “Card Crawl” featured on the App “I discovered the tool in 2012, I think, and from then Store during its first week on sale. on, it totally took over my mind,” he said. “I always had “[A contact at Apple] is the biggest thing you have to the desire to create my own stuff, but I was blocked by have,” he said. “These days on the App Store, [it] is so 8 THE TUFTS DAILY | Arts & Living | Thursday, December 3, 2015 tuftsdaily.com A&L ARTS& LIVING

Artsy Nugget Lara LoBrutto Sinoscope Panic! At the Disco releases spirited new single My encounters ‘LA Devotee’ from forthcoming album by Anjali Nair with ‘face’ Arts Editor

hile I was in Beijing this sum- Earlier this year, Panic! At The Disco mer, I reached out to a friend drummer Spencer Smith wrote a long, of a friend who I was hoping heartfelt letter announcing his departure would give me some insight from the band, leaving frontman Brendon Winto her industry. When my friend sent Urie as the band’s sole remaining original an email introducing the two of us, she member. While a lesser musician may responded immediately with an invitation have struggled to keep the band’s aura and to her office. When I arrived in Beijing, I music intact, Urie has had no such trou- sent her a follow-up email. Five weeks and ble. The multi-instrumentalist is some- two emails later, I finally got a reply. She thing of a powerhouse and fronts the was so glad to hear from me, but unfortu- band with aplomb. Yes, Panic! At the Disco nately, she was flying to the United States has definitely turned into the Brendon in two days and could probably squeeze Urie project, but his decision to chan- me in tomorrow. nel his talent into the band rather than I was confused and frustrated. Why a solo album is a sound one. Panic! At would she immediately extend an invi- the Disco has been moving at full speed StormOfGenius via Flickr Panic! At the Disco’s newly released single “LA Devotee” is a dizzying ode to the City of tation and then not respond until five since Smith’s departure, and its new music Angels. weeks later, when she had only one day retains much of the theatrical brilliance to spare? I shared the situation with a of the its debut “A Fever You Can’t Sweat “LA Devotee” starts out with upbeat energetic beat that does not relent. Most friend, who was also puzzled, until she Out” (2005), while evolving a catchy, pop drums and an unremarkable pop vocal interesting is its dark interlude, during came to a conclusion: it was about face. backbone that fans of heavier rock n’ roll line, both of which set expectations low. which the instruments quiet down and I had heard about the concept of can appreciate as well. Not even 30 seconds later, however, layers take on a tense vibe as eerie vocals coo “LA “mianzi,” or face, plenty of times in my In anticipation of the band’s forth- of harmonies and horns join in, creat- Devotee” and crescendo. Climaxing with study of Chinese politics and culture, coming album, “Death of a Bachelor,” ing a sweeping effect, which blasts the an on-point falsetto note, the song then but I did not truly understand it until which is set for release in January 2016, song into its infectious chorus. Urie sings, slams into the final chorus, which makes this moment. To gain face is to gain five singles have already been released: “The black magic of Mulholland Drive quite an impact. respect and honor, and to lose face is “Hallelujah” in April, “Victorious” in / Swimming pools under desert skies / Clearly, Urie knows what he’s doing to experience shame beyond what most September, “Emperor’s New Clothes” Drinking white wine in the blushing light when it comes to songwriting, and the Westerners can imagine. Face manifests in October and the titular track in / Just another LA Devotee” — he is clear- singles released thus far bode very well for as a strong sensitivity to the opinions November. Now, the band has released ly enamored with the city. The rest of “Death of a Bachelor” as a whole, which of friends, co-workers, family and the “LA Devotee,” a dizzying ode to the City the track continues with trumpet–tinged makes the album an especially exciting general public. of Angels. verses, Queen-like vocal overdubs and an one to look forward to in the new year. It seems to me that “mianzi” is con- nected to a community-based view of the self. Whereas Western ideology is all Top 10 about individualism and the self-made man, Chinese ideology is more about Top 10 dos and don’ts for surviving finals examining oneself through the eyes of others. Success is not standing out, but by Merilla Michael 5. Don’t pull all-nighters. This goes rather shaping oneself to the mold of Assistant Arts Editor hand-in-hand with the previous tip: if you expectations. This means that main- plan your study schedule ahead of time taining face, and not diverging from As much as we’d all like to pretend they and balance everything out, you presum- the expected path, is all part of what it aren’t happening, finals are coming. Finals ably won’t need to stay up all night. If you means to live an accomplished life. The start in less than two weeks, right after the absolutely have to, make sure you don’t closest Western equivalent, I would say, incredibly generous single reading day pull one close to an exam! That way, you’ll is the concept of popularity, because that Tufts has given us. Some of us will not have time to get your sleeping schedule Westerners place a similar premium come out of finals week the same, but here back to what it used to be. on this. Even popularity, though, is not are some tips for surviving the week we’ve associated with such high stakes. been dreading all semester, most of which 6. Do — especially if you’re on a low Via tourange.us Coffee may drag you through your all-night- Of course, Americans are not entirely come from bitter experience. meal plan and can handle studying with ers during finals week. impervious to caring about face. As I noise — take advantage of the dining pondered whether or not I would have 1. Don’t take a “nap” at 10 p.m. and halls. You could have all three meals for under your pillow will somehow magi- encountered a similar situation in the expect yourself to be up early the next the price of one swipe and, though spend- cally transmit this information into your United States, though, I realized that morning. Naps after 4 p.m. are no longer ing 10 hours a day for a week in Dewick brain. That’s not how life works. Flipping this was unlikely. The fact is, American naps — that’s just called “going to bed early.” may be sad to some, the most important through pages of your genetics textbook culture is less likely than Chinese cul- part of surviving finals is keeping your without blinking doesn’t mean that you’ll ture to make one care about what a 2. Do give yourself a few personal energy and motivation levels up. What suddenly understand how DNA replica- stranger thinks of them. In my case, hours throughout the day. Your brain better way to do this than with various tion works — it just means that your eyes the woman might have responded by can only take in so much information forms of potatoes and an endless stream will get very dry and start to water. If you saying that she has a packed schedule, before facts and formulas start to go right of coffee? want to really review (or learn in case you but that I should reach out later to see over your head. An episode of “How to Get dozed off during that particular lecture), if she could squeeze me in. She had, on Away with Murder” (2014 – present) will 7. Don’t lose hope. If Frodo, the most you actually have to read the material. the other hand, gone out of her way to simultaneously provide you with some annoying “Lord of the Rings” character extend an invitation even though she study relief and help you study for your ever (seriously, he couldn’t do anything 10. Finally, do, in the immortal words was clearly too busy to make the time Constitutional Law class. and was always falling), can take the ring of Donna (Rhetta) and Tom (Aziz Ansari) for my visit. Face seemed to be the best to Mordor, you can also make a valiant from “Parks and Recreation” (2009 – explanation. 3. Don’t be indecisive when it comes to effort to get through finals week. 2015), “treat yo self” when your last final So does “mianzi” tell us that many going to the library. If you plan on going, is over. Order that celebratory Blue Zone, in China go around saying what they get there when it opens or don’t go at all. 8. Do ingest things other than caf- have a party with your close friends, watch don’t really mean? That may be how a Otherwise, you’ll spend an hour and a half feine. You might be so hopped up on caf- the entirety of the “Lord of the Rings” Westerner would see it. But those living roaming around campus just to discover feine that by the time it’s 7 p.m. you real- trilogy (2001 – 2003) by yourself and cry in that context understand their words that Tisch, Ginn, Eaton, Lilly — as well as all ize the only thing you’ve consumed that profusely during Sam’s monologue at the as custom, just as Americans might say, the empty classrooms — are already in use. day has been three cups of black coffee. If end of “The Two Towers” (2002) — what- “what’s up?” to a friend in passing with- you tend to be sensitive to caffeine, take it ever floats your boat. And just remember, out anticipating a rundown on their life. 4. Do organize your study schedule easy with some black tea instead. winter break is only a few days away! Clearly, cultural context is key. before finals week so that you know what you have to accomplish each day. If you 9. Don’t trust that little voice in your Good luck to all, and may the finals Lara LoBrutto is a junior majoring in international relations and minoring in don’t have any goals for the day, chances are head telling you that just looking at your odds be ever in your favor (but not all of Chinese. She may be reached at lara. you will get much less done than you need to. notes, smelling them or putting them you — we still need that curve). [email protected]. tuftsdaily.com Thursday, December 3, 2015 | ADVERTISEMENT | THE TUFTS DAILY 9

Interested in supporting on the ground peace efforts between Palestinians and Israelis?

Looking for leadership opportunities? 1/4 Visions of Peace AD General Interest Meeting:1/8 12/4 at noon – free lunch!

Interfaith Center, MeetingAD Room

Questions? Contact: [email protected]

1/2 AD 10 Opinion tuftsdaily.com Thursday, December 3, 2015

Off the Hill The Orange County Register Kevin Lawson The Tufts Daily Climate conference at odds with reality Show President Barack Obama, on the Although some sort of agreement the high-speed rail boondoggle. And opening day of the United Nations likely will be hammered out in Paris, the Schwarzenegger's landmark legislation Climate Change Conference in Paris only real turning point at hand is that and other laws have increased energy Trump feels ter- earlier this week, said the event was "a Obama soon will be gone from office. costs so high that 15 percent of peo- turning point ... the moment we finally Then there's the difficulty of get- ple in the central county of Tulare and determined we would save our planet." ting an agreement with developing other counties suffer "energy pover- rorism in his gut; French President Francois Hollande was nations, who need fossil fuels to lift ty," meaning 10 percent or more of more apocalyptic, warning the world their peoples out of poverty. Last week, their incomes go to energy, according turns out to be gas was at a "breaking point" on climate Secretary of State John Kerry branded to a recent Manhattan Institute report. our days after the Paris attacks, change. India and its 1.25 billion people a "chal- That's a major reason California now Donald Trump explained to a Also jetting in to attend the confer- lenge" on climate change because they has the nation's highest poverty rate. crowd in Tennessee that he has ence are former California Gov. Arnold keep building carbon-spewing power Such is the reality beyond the green- an uncanny ability to see terror- Schwarzenegger, who signed the land- plants. Arvind Subramanian, the Indian house-gas emitting conference in Paris. Fism coming. He pointed to the fact that mark Global Warming Solutions Act of government's chief economic advis- in his 2000 book, he described Osama Bin 2006, which has greatly increased ener- er, replied that such an attitude was This piece was originally published Laden as a “shadowy figure.” His unique gy costs, and current Gov. Jerry Brown, "carbon imperialism" that would "spell as an editorial in the Orange County ability to identify villains is the reason who, before leaving California, blasted disaster for India and other developing Register on Dec. 2. no one likes to go to movies with him — Republican governors and members of countries." In California, residents have Copyright 2015, Chicago Tribune. only a few murders into “Friday the 13th” Congress for denying climate change. seen that carbon taxes have funded Distributed by Tribune Content Agency (1980), he had already divined that the guy in the mask was the bad guy (ironically, though, he took until the end of “Zero Dark Thirty” (2009) to figure that one out). He explained to the screaming crowd of extreme conservatives and alternative students looking to be ironic, “I predicted ter- rorism because I can feel it. I can feel it like a good location.” That gut feeling Trump referred to turned out to be indigestion, but his prediction of terror was actualized when Editorial Cartoon he soon after released a deadly gas attack. by Allie Merola Elaborating on his prediction, Trump continued, “No sensible analyst rejects this possibility.” How bold Trump once was, having the chops to come out and publicly say something that no sensible analyst rejected. Since that strategy failed in the 2000 elec- tions, he’s trying something new this time around: saying exclusively things that every sensible analyst rejects. For example, sensible people gasped last week when he crudely impersonated the physical disability of a New York Times reporter. The same people have also been taken aback by his campaign-long imper- sonation of a candidate with severe mental issues. Bigots, egomaniacs and people who are just generally huge dicks are offended that Trump has carried out such a carica- ture of them. But Trump isn’t backing down. When the New York Times called his impression “outrageous,” he responded by assailing them in a Twitter rant, saying, “The failing @nytimes published…yesterday three boring articles, today two!” Shocking, I know — Donald Trump read five articles! Among the stories that bored Trump was probably the one showing him to have installed a plaque at his golf club, inscribed with a 100 percent fabricated story com- memorating Civil War soldiers dying at that location. He’s right to be bored by it– stories about him making things up have become mundane. He’d prefer something more unex- pected, like “Sun Rises in East, Sets in West,” or less elitist — “Liberal News Media Too High, Mighty to Use Word ‘And.’” Trump explained to the Tennessee crowd: “It’s about vision, folks. It’s about vision,” and he’s the only presidential candidate with 20/20 hindsight foresight — the unique ability to look back in time and predict things that have already happened. A word from our sponsors: Support Trump today! All contributions show up on The Tufts Daily is a nonprofit, independent newspaper, published Monday through Friday during the academic year, and distributed free to the Tufts community. your credit card statement as “1-800-POR- The content of letters, advertisements, signed columns, cartoons and graphics does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Tufts Daily editorial board. Editorials Editorials represent the position of The Tufts Daily. Individual editors are not necessarily responsible for, or in agreement with, the policies and editorials of NHUB,” so you’ll have an easier time explain- The Tufts Daily. ing to your spouse that you actually paid for Op-Eds The Op-Ed section of The Tufts Daily, an open forum for campus editorial commentary, is printed Monday through Thursday. The Daily welcomes submissions this. Help us Make America Great Again! from all members of the Tufts community; the opinions expressed in the Op-Ed section do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Daily itself. Opinion articles on campus, national and international issues should be 600 to 1,200 words in length and submitted to [email protected]. The editors reserve the right to edit letters for Kevin Lawson is a junior majoring in polit- clarity, space and length. All material is subject to editorial discretion and is not guaranteed to appear in the Daily. Authors must submit their telephone numbers and ical science. He can be reached at kevin. day-of availability for editing questions. [email protected]. Advertising All advertising copy is subject to the approval of the Editor-in-Chief, Executive Board and Executive Business Director. tuftsdaily.com Thursday, December 3, 2015 | ADVERTISEMENT | THE TUFTS DAILY 11

B"H Chabad at Tufts Presents E i g h t L i g h t s o n t h e H i l l Join community leaders to light a JUMBO -sized 8 Foot Menorah!

Hot Latkes!

Jelly Donuts!

Chanukah Music Tufts Pep Band! by

SUNDAY DEC. 6, 5pm Mayer Campus Featuring a display of toys Center Purchased through the Light Up a Life Tufts Chanukah Toy Drive 2015 to brighten the holidays for children with life-threatening illnesses co-sponsored by; Chi Omega, Delta Tau Delta, Delta Upsilon, "92", Zeta Beta Tau www.JewishJumbo.com

[email protected] Facebook.com/ChabadTufts

Summer Opportunities for Pre-Health Students

December 4 and 5, 2015 Interested in a health profession? The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy 160 Packard Ave. Want an internship this summer Medford, MA that will give you experience?

Concepts such as “Gender Mainstreaming” and “Gender Analysis” have risen on the agenda of international and nongovernmental organizations. There is a growing recognition that gender perspectives are essential: not only for moving towards greater gender equality, but for realizing effective change across issues as diverse as Come listen as students discuss the internships microfinance, health policy and peacebuilding. they have done and how they found them.list A This conference aims to bring together students, faculty, and professionals in the Greater Boston Area to examine what these potential ‘avenues for change’ entail for of helpful websites will be distributed andtips for policy, research and practice. finding internships will be offered. Speakers include Dr. Cynthia Enloe (Clark University), Dr. Janet Halley (Harvard Law School), Loretta J. Ross (SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective), Jamie Dobie (Peace is Loud), Dr. Alivelu M. Ramisetty (Oxfam), Dr. Mindy Roseman (Harvard Law School), and many others. For more information and to register: https://sites.tufts.edu/genderconference2015/ Friday, December 4th, 2 PM Dowling 745 Cosponsors: The Institute for Global Leadership; Fletcher International Security Studies Program; The Fares Center; Hitachi Center; Fletcher Office of the Executive Associate Dean; Fletcher Office of Student Affairs; Diplomacy Club; Fletcher LGBTQA; Global Health Group; Human Rights Project; Humanitarian Action Society; International Migration Group; Praxis, the Fletcher Journal of Human Security; Ralph Bunche Society Sponsored by Health Professions Advising for Diversity in International Relations; Tech @ Fletcher

12 Sports tuftsdaily.com Thursday, December 3, 2015

ICE HOCKEY Eddie Samuels Horribly, Terribly Wrong Week 12 ith the playoffs fast approaching, there is no shortage of teams looking to make big plays and earn Wa spot in the postseason, and with that push comes plenty of opportunities for complete and utter failure. This week demonstrated exactly how desperate some teams on the bubble are to salvage their seasons. Browns fans: I’m usually all for pil- ing on the already self-loathing fans of historically terrible football teams, but I honestly cannot in good conscience say anything mean about Browns fans. However, if you, dear reader, would care for a laugh, I recommend you go search- ing for videos of Browns fans following their last-minute loss to the almost equal- ly terrible Ravens. To see your already failed season fall even further into obscurity with a brutal loss to a division rival is Ray Bernoff / Tufts Daily Archive just heartbreaking. Tufts senior defender Brian Oullette clears the puck during Tufts’ 7-2 victory over Trinity at the Malden Forum hockey rink on Nov. 16, 2014. Walt Coleman: While this criticism is specific to the performance of the long- time referee’s crew on Sunday, it is really First-year hockey players make directed at the NFL offices, where there is a continued failure to ensure consistent officiating. As a fan, I should not have college transition on, off ice to listen to commentators go back and forth on an obvious call for five minutes by Isabel Banta to figure out how to be without my family side on top of hockey. Coming to Tufts while the referees deliberate, and then Staff Writer while living with new people.” was definitely an adjustment. In hockey, — most astoundingly — still get the call First-year defenseman Nicholas you are just working a different part of wrong. There was much rejoicing when A cursory glance at any of the first- Abbene also looks at his years in junior your brain. It’s not like solving problems the NFL’s referees in-house would con- year hockey players reveals a physical hockey as a growing experience. in school. [It’s] more about learning how sult with on-site referees when a play was and mental maturity that surpasses that “I learned how to live on my own, cook to communicate with people.” under review, but there are still numerous of most other first-years — undoubtedly for myself, other small things,” he said. “I These communication skills learned blown calls every week that, for whatever a benefit of their being one to three years learned how to develop relationships with during juniors will prove beneficial as the reason, coaches cannot challenge. Make older than their peers. This maturity is a people and grew up in a way that I never first-years begin working with the rest of everything reviewable and the game will plus when playing a competitive contact could have just coming straight into col- the team. According to Norton, senior be much better off. sport such as hockey. This trend of recruit- lege. Being on your own is such a different co-captains forward Stewart Bell and The Patriots: While your dreams of ing older players owes much to junior ice experience.” defensemen Brian Ouellette have worked a perfect season are over, you’re still the hockey, or “juniors” — an opportunity To say playing for juniors is a “different with their new teammates to help them presumptive Super Bowl favorites. Please, to play for either the Tier I United States experience” may even be an understate- find their place on the team. Patriots fans, stop complaining that the Hockey League (USHL) or Tier II North ment; junior players essentially play hock- “They are doing a great job bringing the refs screwed you out of the win. That is all. American Hockey League (NAHL) before ey all day, every day. While being able to new players in and helping them adjust, The Steelers: This has been quite the matriculating to college. play around-the-clock hockey might seem whether the player came right from high season for special teams to make some Rather than transition directly from like a dream for some young players, this school or spent time in the juniors,” memorable plays. First was the Colts’ high school to college, many players with description fails to mention one import- Norton said. “This is a very strong [first- horrendous fake punt, then the Dolphins’ aspirations to play college hockey spend ant aspect: schoolwork. After players are year] class, and since it is my first season run back a kickoff to their own 1-yard line a year or two on a junior team. Playing recruited to college, their biggest transi- too, I look forward to seeing them develop and this Sunday, the Steelers ran what for a junior team has nearly become a tional challenge happens off the ice. as players and contribute more to games must have been the most obvious fake prerequisite to college recruitment. “You’re focusing just on your hock- as the season goes on.” field-goal of all time and got picked off. “Many players don’t get a lot of expo- ey with no other distractions,” Martin For many of the first-years, this could be Heads up, Mike Tomlin: when you have sure in high school,” coach Patrick Norton said.“It’s definitely been hard getting back the last stop of their athletic careers. the backup quarterback take over hold- said. “Junior programs do an excellent into the rhythm [of school because] I “The players are focused more on get- ing duties from the punter for a particular job by allowing the players to be seen by didn’t do any real schoolwork for two ting their degree and a good education play, the other team will notice. coaches and recruiters. This year, we have years.” now, rather than playing professional The Falcons: As a Rams fan born [first-years] coming from both juniors and Although the players assert that they hockey,” Norton said. “They are getting and raised in the city of Atlanta, noth- prep schools.” received a different kind of education ready to move into the professional job ing is more tiresome than the litany of Many players hoping to join a Div. playing junior hockey — one of person- world in whichever field they choose fair-weather Falcons fans that appear I team use the extra playing time al growth — they admit that the lack of after school. It’s just an added bonus every three years when the Falcons start during juniors to up their game and schoolwork made it difficult to start class- that they get to play hockey during col- the season strong, while my team remains hone their skills. es at Tufts. lege. Playing at Tufts is definitely where mediocre. Funnily enough, those fans “Colleges are looking for more expe- Still, Norton finds that the year or two they want to be.” had plenty of team pride when the team rienced and developed players,” first- playing juniors can also add to a player’s Tufts provides student athletes with the was 5-1, but very little in the 1-4 stretch year defenseman Jefferson Martin said. academic experience. opportunity to combine competitive ath- since then. Martin played for the Odessa Jackalopes “Those extra years of maturity can letics with strong academics, and this, in As we reach the home stretch of the in the NAHL and later the Sault Ste. Marie really benefit a freshman on and off the many ways, feels like a more well-rounded NFL season, I look forward to an in-depth Michigan Soo Eagles in the Northern ice,” he said. “They are usually a bit more experience for those who have spent time discussion of the head coaches who will Ontario Junior Hockey League before focused and sure of what they want to do in the juniors. almost certainly be canned this offsea- coming to Tufts this fall. [academically].” “I felt kind of unproductive when I son, as well as the Carolina Panthers, According to Martin, playing junior Some of the players, however, wish was playing in juniors,” Berger said. “Days who at 11-0, remain the worst undefeated hockey, much like the college experience, they had integrated learning into their were monotonous and school feels more team I’ve ever seen. comes with many new freedoms. time in the juniors to lessen the gravity of productive.” “You’re away from home learning a lot the adjustment to college academics. The players who spent time in juniors Eddie Samuels is a sophomore who has on and off the ice,” he said. “I lived with “I [wish I] could go back and give myself are ready to embark on this next, daunting not yet declared a major. He can be two different host families [one in Odessa, advice,” Abbene said. “I realize now that I chapter of college — practice, schoolwork reached at [email protected]. Texas and the other in Michigan] and had should have taken a few classes on the and all.