Somerville Votes Today an Opposed Election for Ward 6 Alderman by JUDY WEXLER Munity Activist Group
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THE TUFTS Where You Read It First VOLUME L, NUMBER 42 DAILY TUESDAY,NOVEMBER 8, 2005 Somerville votes today An opposed election for Ward 6 alderman BY JUDY WEXLER munity activist group. “What I’m Daily Editorial Board trying to work on is bringing peo- ple together,” she said. Somerville may be a solidly According to Gewirtz’s Web Democratic town, but there is site, her priorities public school still a lot to fight for in today’s city funding, affordable housing and elections. creating a Green Line stop in Ball Voters will decide on the Square and an Orange Line stop makeup of the Board of in Assembly Square. “I’m run- Aldermen, and in some wards, ning because I think our local they will also chose a school government can do better,” board representative. Gewirtz said. She has lived in The Board of Aldermen is the Ward 6 for four years. legislative branch of Somerville’s Connolly said the race would government. It is made up of one come down to the basic issues representative from each of the such as the responsiveness of the seven wards and four at-large government and communica- aldermen. Elections for the tion with the constituency. Board of Aldermen are held “People ... want to be sure that every two years. their elected officials are respon- LISA CHOW/TUFTS DAILY Today there are contested sive and that they get things TCU President Jeff Katzin, left, speaks at Monday’s forum on a proposal for a new housing lottery system. elections for aldermen in four done,” he said. “That is my forte.” wards, including Ward 6, which He said the Davis Square area touches the Tufts campus and has improved during his time in Housing plan discussed by its creators includes Davis Square. office. “Davis Square was really a This is the first contested elec- ghost town,” he said of the time BY BRUCE HAMILTON Reitman, Director of Residential other. tion for current Ward 6 Alderman he entered politics. “There was Daily Editorial Board Life and Learning Yolanda King, “There are people who say to Jack Connolly since 1997. He has not a lot of diversity in the city. and Tufts Community Union us all the time that they have been on the Board for 22 years. People didn’t even really talk to After the weekend’s Board of President Jeff Katzin presented lousy luck,” Reitman said. “It “For me, the real issue is my Tufts students.” Trustees meeting, trustee Brian the proposal, largely to other would be fairer to have some sys- experience,” Connolly said. According to a Nov. 3 article in Golden called on-campus hous- people involved in the project. tem where if you get a lousy Connolly’s opponent is the Somerville Journal, Connolly ing the University’s highest prior- Under the proposed plan, stu- number one year there is a guar- Rebekah Gewirtz, who is running has raised more than $28,000 ity. But a discussion in Metcalf dents would get their sopho- antee of a better number another in her first election. Gewirtz is and spent more than $19,000. Hall Monday of a new housing more, junior and senior housing year.” the vice-chair of the Ward 6 Gewirtz has raised almost proposal, to be voted on by the lottery numbers in November of Because of study abroad com- Democratic City Committee and $26,000 and spent about $9,000. student body Thursday, drew their freshman year. The num- plications, and the limited was the co-founder and former Ward 7 Alderman Robert almost no students. bers for sophomore and senior chair of the Progressive Dean of Students Bruce year would be opposites of each see HOUSING, page 2 Democrats of Somerville, a com- see ELECTION, page 2 After forum, freshmen to run for Lee’s Senate seat BY ANTHONY MCGOVERN They were then asked questions by cur- up the issues of managing finances. Daily Editorial Board rent senators. Coombs said proper funding for clubs — Issues frequently raised by the students especially non-profit groups — would be Seven freshmen got up on stage at included increasing the hours of opera- the first thing he would bring up if he Hotung Café Monday to voice their opin- tion of the Carmichael, Dewick-MacPhie could speak to the Board of Trustees. ions of the major issues facing the student and Hodgdon dining facilities, simplifying Shapanka advocated two projects he is body, but they were often hard to hear the points system and improving student already working on as a walk-on — a non- over the usual weekday crowd ordering ID cards. elected, non-voting member — on the food. Elton said he walked around campus Senate’s administration and budget com- The freshmen are running for the open prior to the forum asking students what mittee. The first is to make the book list for spot on the Tufts Community Union their greatest concern was, and repeated- courses available at the time of registra- Senate. The spot was vacated by Andrew ly heard complaints about the dining hall tion, and the second is to implement a Lee, who resigned Oct. 24 because of the hours and the condition of dorm bath- GPS to track the movement of the shuttle time commitment. The election is today. rooms. to Davis Square. Four of the candidates — Kris Coombs, LaPolice also talked about later dining He also said the most important issue is Constantin Sabet D’Acre, Greg Meiselbach hall hours — an issue he said was the most need-blind admissions. and Matt Shapanka — ran and lost in the important. Senator Rafi Goldberg, a senior, agreed. fall general election. Elton Sykes, Daniel Both Coombs and Sykes mentioned “I definitely agree it’s the first priority,” he Hartman and Matt LaPolice have not run problems with student ID cards. said. “I think you’d be hard pressed to find before. Simplification of the points system was someone who didn’t.” The candidates introduced themselves Elton’s primary concern. JAMES HARRIS/TUFTS DAILY and briefly explained their platforms. Coombs and Meiselbach both brought see SENATE, page 2 Kris Coombs INSIDE Thunderbirds are back! A voyage to India for the well-heeled, decision-makers see ARTS, page 5 BY DANIEL AYAT Tufts alumni Davinder Brar, tionships in India, as well as tions and alumni in the area will Daily Staff Writer the chairman of GVK strengthening Tufts’ internation- also help the University raise Biosciences, Bollywood actress al profile. money, he said. The Board of Trustees meeting Amisha Patel, Ashok Misra, the The trustees and administra- Under the auspices of the this weekend was cut short director of the Indian Institute of tors, as well as alumni on the Board of Trustees, there are sev- because many of its members Technology, and United Nations Tufts in the World program, left eral boards of overseers, which had to go on a University trip to Under Secretary General for over the weekend and will return have no authority but make poli- India. Communication and Public Friday. Alumni participating in cy recommendations to the The trip — held in conjunc- Information Shashi Tharoor will the Tufts Travel-Learn program University and help raise money. tion with two alumni travel pro- also speak to the group. left Monday and stay until Nov. There are overseers for each grams — is in part to attend a Before he left, Bharucha said 20. They have more time for school in the University, one for meeting of the International the trip could lead to research sightseeing, including the Taj athletics, and one called the INDEX Board of Overseers. opportunities for students and Mahal and Emperor Akbar’s Agra International Board of Overseers. About 80 people are taking faculty. A small medical school Fort. The International Board of News | Features 1 part in the combined trip, and dental school, he said, could All three groups will fly into Overseers encourages interna- Arts | Living 5 including University President provide Tufts medical and dental Mumbai and fly back from New tional students to apply to Tufts, Editorial | Letters 8 Lawrence Bacow and Provost Viewpoints 9 students opportunities to prac- Delhi. looks for financial aid for inter- and Senior Vice President National 11 tice in different environments. According to Bharucha, the national students, and promotes International 15 Jamshed Bharucha. “We’ll be signing some agree- returns of the trip outweigh the the University’s reputation Comics 20 The group will meet with local ments with different organiza- costs. Last November’s Tufts in abroad, according to Trustees Classifieds 21 alumni, cultural figures and tions,” he said. the World trip to Mexico City, he Secretary Linda Dixon said. Sports Back page members of the government. Bharucha also said the trip said, led to the Mexican govern- The group meets twice a year, Participants will speak to author may result in study abroad pro- ment paying half the tuition of each time in a different country. Jairam Ramesh and Prime grams for students. He empha- Mexican PhD students at Tufts. Minister Manmohan Singh. sized the need to open up rela- The connections with institu- see INDIA, page 2 tuftsdaily.com 2 THE TUFTS DAILY NEWS | FEATURES Tuesday, November 8, 2005 ‘I’m asking you to recognize’ On eve of election, candidates speak SENATE continued from page 1 Sabet D’acre — raising an issue not touched on by the other candidates — said the most important issue was break- ing down cultural and ethnic barriers in the student body and organizing intercul- tural events. He was also the only candidate to men- tion the increasing wireless connectivity on campus.