Where You Rain Read It First 53/45 THE TUFTS DAILY Est. 1980 VOLUME LVII, NUMBER 49 MONday, APRIL 6, 2009 TUFTSDAILY.COM TCU Senate approves funding for Trips Cabin construction BY BEN GITTLESON stipulation that TMC lower its prices for the Daily Editorial Board weekend retreat center, which is open to all undergraduate Tufts students and groups but The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate which is discounted for TMC members. As approved $230,000 in funding last night to go a result, certain costs for individuals, groups toward a Trips Cabin to be constructed along- and TMC members will drop by $5. side the Tufts Mountain Club’s (TMC) Loj in “We want to keep our prices down, we want North Woodstock, N.H. more people to come up, and Senate wanted The body voted 20-5 in favor of allocating that as well,” Bond said. money from the TCU recovered funds to the The debate at yesterday’s meeting centered project, which will involve building a small on the merits of funding such a large expen- structure that will sleep around 30 people who diture — the costliest of this academic year desire quieter nighttime accommodations at — when the extent to which the student body the Tufts-owned, TMC-operated Loj property. at large would benefit from an off-campus The cost for the cabin could hit a maxi- structure located a two-hour drive from cam- mum of $237,500, and TMC has already raised pus remained unclear. $11,854 for the project from members and But TMC plans to launch a publicity cam- alumni. At minimum, it may cost around paign centered around the Loj in the fall. Last $200,000; TMC plans to repay the Senate any night, members of the group’s executive board The Decemberists are coming unused funds if the project ends up below the also pledged to make rides to the property current budget. much more accessible. “We’ve been trying so long to get this, and “Right now, it’s kind of a free-for-all getting up it was amazing to see all our time and effort to the Loj,” TMC Vice President Brian Gilling, a NYMAG.COM come to fruition,” TMC President Katie Bond, sophomore who is also the director of the Trips Concert Board announced that indie rock band The Decemberists will be performing a junior, told the Daily last night. at Spring Fling later this month. For more information, see Arts, page 5. The disbursement of the funds includes a see TRIPS CABIN, page 2 TSR gets loan to renovate The Rez BY TESSA GELLERSON Daily Editorial Board BY ALEXANDRA BO G US The OTMF began in 2005 with a TuftsDaily Microfinance Editorial Board $100 Fund million donation sees to the uni- versity from eBay founder Pierre The Tufts Community Union strongEven as thereturns global eco in- fiscalOmidyar (E year’88) and his 2008 wife Pam (TCU) Senate last Sunday approved nomic downturn continues to (LA ’89). Though the fund is part of a request from Tufts Student upend the financial sector, the Tufts’ endowment, it was designed Resources (TSR) for a $100,000 loan Omidyar-Tufts Microfinance to be solely targeted toward the to revamp The Rez. Fund (OTMF) has seen a solid microfinance sector, which pro- The project is part of a larger streak of success, according to vides loans for entrepreneurs in the effort to renovate and modernize the most recent numbers. developing world in an effort to the campus center. Administrators and industry alleviate global poverty. Senators voted 24-1-1 in favor of experts remain unsure, however, as A blended fund, the OTMF granting the loan. The money will to the economy’s long-term effects invests in a variety of asset classes have to be paid back to the Senate on the fund and the microfinance that carry a range of risk and poten- on a monthly basis over the next industry in general. tial return. All of its investments four academic years. Payouts to Tufts from the fund’s directly or indirectly benefit micro- “The Senate is committed to earnings totaled $6.6 million in fis- finance initiatives. improving the campus center cal year 2008, significantly more Joan Trant, the executive direc- any way we can, and if improv- than the $2.63 million and $1.38 tor of the International Association ing The Rez is part of that, we’re million returned to the universi- of Microfinance Investors, of happy to help,” TCU Treasurer Matt ty in fiscal years 2007 and 2006, which the OTMF is a member, Shapanka, a senior, said. respectively, according to Director said she is impressed by the fund’s TSR will put the majority of the of Public Relations Kim Thurler. 2008 returns. loan toward bringing The Rez up Since half of the returns each “The performance really speaks to code. “That’s something that we year are reinvested in the fund, the to the quality, the terrific work of felt Tufts should really pick up. A lot OTMF earned a total of $13.2 mil- [OTMF Director Tryfan Evans] and of the code updates we’re actually lion in fiscal year 2008, which rep- SEAN SMITH/TUFTS DAILY resents a 12 percent return rate. see MICROFINANCE, page 2 Sophomore Laura Bernescu and junior Allison Turrill at work at The Rez. see REZ, page 2 BY MICHAEL DEL MORO Rice is fortified with vitamin A. and said that all of the trials should be sus- the study prior to the use of experimental Daily Editorial Board According to the 32 scientists who pended until the researchers can prove that animals,” Cummins told the Daily. “That signed the letter, the study violated the they followed medical ethical guidelines. seems backwards to me. … It shouldn’t FriedmanResearchers at the researchers’ Friedman School of Nuremberg ethics Code, questioned a set of ethical research for feedingTufts issued a formalchildren response togenetically the really be a jump modified directly from the rice crop to Nutrition Science and Policy have come principles for experiments conducted on letter stating that the university “fully sup- the children without adequate testing.” under fire for a study involving feeding humans, because it was conducted on chil- ports its researchers and their work with Russell said that animal testing would genetically modified food to children. dren between the ages of six and 10 and did Golden Rice.” The statement also said that have been “meaningless” because animals In February, a group of 32 scientists not take into account risks associated with the entire study followed the necessary break down beta-carotene, the precursor from around the world sent an open letter excessive vitamin A in the body. research procedures and received approval to vitamin A, in a much different way than to the school, citing code violations and The letter was addressed to Professor from internal review boards in the United humans do, making the study of the animal inadequate preparatory research. A Wales- Emeritus Robert Russell, who stepped States and China. process inapplicable to the human case. based group against genetically modified down in July as director of the Jean Mayer Joe Cummins, a professor emeritus Humans do not directly digest vitamin food coordinated the initiative. United States Department of Agriculture of genetics at the University of Western A but rather produce it as a result of the The study, which took place last year, Human Nutrition Research Center on Ontario and one of the signatories of the metabolizing of beta-carotene. The precur- studied the extent to which a genetically Aging. He denied that Tufts had violated letter, said he would not have opposed the sor is present in many vegetables naturally, modified form of rice, known as Golden any ethical boundaries. study if animal testing had been conducted including carrots and spinach, but these Rice, can be used to combat vitamin A The scientists called the use of human before feeding the rice to children. foods are not widely available for some deficiency, which may be responsible for subjects for genetically-modified feeding “I found it rather outrageous in the 500,000 cases of blindness per year. Golden experiments “completely unacceptable” sense that the children were brought into see GOLDEN RICE, page 2 Inside this issue Today’s Sections Senior Mara Gittleman The men’s lacrosse team traveled to Ethiopia to dropped its first contest News 1 Editorial | Letters 10 study urban agricul- of the season to unranked Features 3 Op-Ed 11 ture over winter break. Trinity in Hartford, Conn. Arts & Living 5Classifieds 13 Saturday. Puzzles 9 Sports Back see FEATURES, page 3 see SPORTS, back page 2 THE TUF T S DAILY NEWS Monday, April 6, 2009 Kairos Society brings dozens of Jumbos to NYC Upgrade to The Rez will be part of Forty Tufts students interested in entre- people that may help me find an intern- larger campus center renovations preneurship spent this past weekend on ship in New York this summer. Overall, it REZ Their third priority is the large first floor an aircraft carrier with many prominent was a great experience.” continued from page 1 conference room, which hosts weekly Senate executives and representatives from the For members of the Tufts chapter going to do are [Americans with Disabilities meetings. Senators are thinking about remov- nation’s biggest companies, as part of a of Kairos, the conference provided an Act] requirements,” TSR President Ali Osman, ing the divider in the room and installing new conference on entrepreneurship. opportunity to establish connections a junior, said. “We want to be up to code with furniture and a projector.