Today: Windy THE TUFTS High 17 Low 6 Tufts’ Student Tomorrow: Newspaper Partly Cloudy Since 1980 High 24 Low 17 VOLUME LIII, NUMBER 27 DAILY TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2007 Beck wins annual Wendell Phillips award TV producer and BY JENNA NISSAN Daily Editorial Board non-profit activist Tufts senior Casey Beck was selected offers career advice yesterday out of five student finalists as the recipient of this year’s Wendell BY JULIE SCHINDALL Phillips Memorial Scholarship based on Senior Staff Writer her ability as a speaker and her devotion to public service. Tufts alumna Robin Smalley (J’77), The Wendell Phillips Memorial a Hollywood producer and non-prof- Scholarship, which was established it activist, offered her inspirational in 1896 in honor of Boston abolition- story and career advice to Tufts stu- ist Wendell Phillips, is a prize awarded dents yesterday afternoon. annually to one junior or senior from Her talk, which was entitled, “From Tufts and one from Harvard. As this Television to a Global Vision: A Life’s year’s Tufts winner, Beck will receive a Adventure,” was held over lunch in small financial award and will be able to the Rabb Room of Lincoln-Filene. speak at this year’s graduation ceremony Smalley described her leap from about a topic of her choice . a producer of the ’90s TV show The Committee on Student Life select- “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” ed Beck, as well as seniors Elizabeth to an international director for Manno, Sarah Newton, Aditya Nochur mothers2mothers, a grassroots non- and Shanti Sattler as finalists from a pool profit organization in Africa. She of applicants last semester. emphasized the importance of pas- Applicants either nominated them- sion and flexibility in professional selves or were nominated by others. They choices. were asked to demonstrate their public According to Smalley, her interest activism through responses, one written in both communications and public and one oral, to two questions. service developed during her time as The finalists were then asked to give a a Tufts undergrad. speech applying a Shakespeare quote to “I really chose television because I public service. felt it was the most powerful medium The quote, which came from “Measure that was available to influence and to for Measure,” was: “Our doubts are trai- educate,” she said in a phone inter- tors, And make us lose the good we oft view with the Daily. might win, By fearing to attempt.” At that time, however, Smalley Yesterday afternoon in the Coolidge remembers most of her peers head- Room, the seniors delivered their speech- ing for careers in law, medicine or es to peers, parents and the committee, business. “I felt like a dilettante,” she and were scored on their presentation said. and demonstration of service. After a few years doing public rela- “We were really impressed with all tions in Boston, Smalley moved to of the speakers,” Barbara Grossman, Los Angeles, where, through contacts the chair of both the Department of built at Tufts, she found a job. Dance and Drama and the Committee Relying on her self-described quali- on Student Life, told the Daily. “They REBEKAH SOKOL/TUFTS DAILY ties of flexibility, passion for commu- were incredibly thoughtful, engaging Casey Beck spoke yesterday in Ballou Hall before being awarded the Wendell Phillips nication and “a short attention span,” and impressive. We thought they were Memorial Scholarship. Smalley went on to work in daytime terrific.” television. She later won an Emmy Beck spoke about her study abroad tion to the genocide in Darfur, Pangea ways I was motivated to reach outside Award and became a member of the experience in Mongolia, where she cre- plans to create a makeshift refugee camp myself,” she said. Writer’s Guild of America and the ated a documentary film on illegal gold on the academic quad. “Pangea works to Manno then traced the psychological Director’s Guild of America. mining. Beck said that she subjected her- cause change not by telling, but rather by development of empathy in children. As time passed, however, Smalley self to this difficult experience in order showing,” she said. “Empathy develops normally and natu- became frustrated with her career. to achieve connection with people in an Beck said that connecting students to rally in us all, whether we choose to sup- Television was becoming “less sub- unfamiliar setting. “We all have a ten- the situation helps create empathy. “In press it or be transformed by it,” she said. stantive,” she said. “I felt like I was dency to stay within our comfort zone,” order to enact change, we do not need to Manno said that empathy will motivate polluting the air.” she said. sympathize. We need to empathize,” she people to engage in public service, find Smalley was inspired by an arti- Beck, who in her freshman year co- said. solutions and reach beyond differences. cle in People Magazine to volunteer founded the student organization Manno, who interned at the Asian Task Newton, who is involved in several for the Hollywood-based Streetlights Pangea, a group dedicated to raising Force Against Domestic Violence in her international relations-related efforts, Production Assistant Program. While awareness about issues facing the inter- sophomore year, also spoke about empa- spoke about her goal to help others there, she trained disadvantaged national community, hopes to connect thy and her experience in an unfamiliar overcome their own doubts. “There are youth to work in production jobs in students with the outside world. situation. the entertainment industry. This year, for example, to bring atten- “My work was a success because of the see WENDELL PHILLIPS, page 2 Her work with Streetlights was the impetus for her decision to leave tele- vision altogether and begin doing media consulting and public rela- tions for non-profit groups. Smalley Georgetown professors argue in favor of affirmative action said that this choice involved a huge BY KRISTYN WILLIAMS to systematically restructure the institutes should be a holistic process rather than a pay cut and a subsequent change in Contributing Writer that foster prejudice. This second mean- numbers game. “Affirmative action is not lifestyle. ing, he said, provides the real justification quotas,” she said. Smalley’s current work with Charles R. Lawrence III and Mari for affirmative action. During the event, some faculty mem- mothers2mothers is the latest chap- Matsuda argued in favor of affirmative At the same time, he said that affirmative bers chimed in with their opinions. ter of her career. She said that she action in the ASEAN Auditorium last night action cannot be “neutral and colorblind” Associate Professor of Political Science was fascinated by the work of the tiny, for an event entitled “We’ve Been Here as long as general college admissions are Pearl Robinson said that Tufts should have Africa-based organization that aims Before: Hate Speech, Affirmative Action, not unbiased. classes that address affirmative action. to create a network for new mothers Structural Inequality.” Matsuda focused her attention on her “Tufts needs affirmative action in its cur- to act as mentors for HIV-positive Both speakers are professors at perception of justice. While many might riculum,” she said. women who are about to become Georgetown University’s Law Center and call acts of hate speech and racism isolat- Associate Professor of English Christina mothers. co-authors of the book “We Won’t Go Back: ed incidents, she said that these “isolated Sharpe voiced similar concerns. “I do not “I fell head over heels,” she said. Making the Case for Affirmative Action.” incidents pile up until they have a visible want students to leave here today without “I called my husband and said ‘We Lawrence spoke first about the two structure.” really knowing what affirmative action is,” have to do this, we have to move to meanings of affirmative action. On a shal- Universities, she said, are becoming she said. Cape Town.’” Smalley moved to South low level, he said that it is a way for the increasingly homogenous and need to The event was sponsored by the School Africa in 2004, acting for one year as elite to justify their previous wrongdoings; employ affirmative action to diversify. of Arts, Sciences and Engineering’s Office on a deeper level, he said that it is a means She said that the affirmative action of Diversity Education and Development. see SMALLEY, page 2 Inside this issue tuftsdaily.com Today’s Sections FACULTY FOCUS SNAKES IN THE SOUTH News 1 Viewpoints 9 The Daily talks movies with Get a dose of the blues with Dave Valdes Greenwood ‘Black Snake Moan’ Features 3 Comics 12 Arts | Living 5Classifieds 13 Editorial | Letters 8 Sports Back see FEATURES, page 3 see ARTS, page 5 2 THE TUFTS DAILY NEWS Tuesday, March 6, 2007 WORLD IN BRIEF IRAN PROVIDING TRAINING A facelift in the works for Hodgdon’s food service TO HAMAS, ISRAEL SAYS BY J.J. EMRU A year-old international campaign to iso- Contributing Writer late the Hamas-led Palestinian government unintentionally has pushed the militant Hodgdon Good-To-Go will have a new Islamic group into a dangerous and grow- layout and menu by the time that stu- ing alliance with Iran, Israel’s top internal- dents return to Tufts in the fall. intelligence chief said Monday. Renovations to the take-out-style din- Yuval Diskin, the director of Israel’s Shin ing hall will begin immediately after Bet security agency, said closer ties between commencement and are slated to end Hamas and Iran were one of the “bad by the third week of August, according to fruits” of a U.S. and Israeli-led economic Director of Dining and Business Services boycott of the Palestinian government.