THE TUFTS DAILY Est

Where You

Partly Cloudy Read It First 63/34 THE TUFTS DAILY Est. 1980 VOLUME LXI, NUMBER 35 Friday, March 18, 2011 TUFTSDAILY.COM Agler wins Wendell Phillips, will speak at commencement b y Ma r t h a Sh a n a h a n Downes remarked that the overall Daily Editorial Board caliber of the students’ presentations was particularly high this year, making Senior Brian Agler is the winner of the judges’ decision difficult. this year’s Wendell Phillips Memorial “All the finalists were truly excellent, Scholarship, giving him the oppor- so … for the committee it was a pretty tunity to speak at the Baccalaureate hard decision,” he said. Commencement Ceremony in May, “I think what struck the committee the Office for Campus Life announced about Brian’s speech was how effective yesterday. his delivery was, how well constructed The Committee on Student Life the speech was, that … how effectively (CSL) presents the award each year to he used humor, and how good a job a junior or senior who demonstrates he did making a deep and important public speaking ability and a com- point,” Downes said. mitment to public service. Agler beat The Wendell Phillips Memorial out four other finalists for the award, Scholarship, first awarded in 1896, is juniors Michael Hawley, Nan Lin, one of two prizes given by the Wendell Melissa Reifers and Tomas Valdes. Phillips Memorial Fund Association in The finalists delivered speeches on honor of the Boston preacher and abo- Wednesday before a panel of judges litionist for which it is named. chose Agler as the winner, according to The field was narrowed down to 19 CSL Co-Chair and Associate Professor of Economics Thomas Downes. see AGLER, page 3

Bruce Wang/Tufts Daily Two members of the TCU Senate are helping draft a constitution for the Boston Intercollegiate Leadership Council. Bubs sing on ‘Glee’ album Senate to help plan constitution to be released next month for intercollegiate council b y Mi c h a e l Ma r k s show’s Dalton Academy Warblers, Daily Staff Writer accompanying lead vocals performed b y Ra c h e l Ra m p i n o resentative, told the Daily. “We decided by “Glee” cast member Darren Criss. Daily Editorial Board to form a constitutional convention An album to be released by Columbia The yet-to-be-named album is set to where two representatives from each Records next month will feature songs be released before the end of season two The Tufts Community Union Senate school come together to draft the con- performed by the Tufts Beelzebubs on of “Glee” sometime next month, accord- is one of five members of the Boston stitution.” the current season of Fox’s “Glee.” ing to Powell. Songs to be featured Intercollegiate Leadership Council A constitution will create a structure The album release marks the first time include covers from the show of Train’s (BILC) selected this month to help draft by which BILC representatives can vote the Bubs have been featured on a major “Hey Soul Sister,” Maroon 5’s “Misery,” the body’s constitution, an attempt on these topics, Thorpe said. record label, according to junior Evan Destiny Child’s “Bills, Bills, Bills” and to further legitimize the organization Representatives from the Tufts Powell, the Bubs’ business manager. Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream.” and help it move from discussion to Community Union (TCU) Senate “Our motto is fun through song, and The album release comes on the action. will join students from BC, Boston this has been a great way to spread our heels of several recent public appear- BILC is a network of college and uni- University, Bentley University and music — not just the [Bubs’] music ances by the Bubs, including a stint on versity student government associa- Suffolk University in drafting the con- but a cappella in general,” Powell said. NBC’s reality show “The Sing-Off” and tions from the Boston area founded to stitution over the next two months, “We have been really thrilled with the a performance at the White House in encourage intercollegiate cooperation. according to freshman Allie Can Lei, response.” December. “We look at it as a UN of student gov- one of the two TCU Senate BILC rep- On this season’s program, the Bubs ernments in Boston. … Right now, it’s resentatives. They expect to have the provided background vocals for the see BUBS, page 3 just a conference and we don’t do any- constitution ready for the council’s fall thing after that,” Boston College (BC) sophomore David Thorpe, a BILC rep- see BILC, page 2 Medical students meet their match at ‘Match Day’ Northeastern sees greater pool of applicants, selectivity b y Ma r g a r e t Yo u n g to the Boston Globe. For an institution of Daily Staff Writer Northeastern’s size, that constitutes a formidable horde of interested students. If you can reach back into the recesses Ronne Turner, associate vice president of your memory and recall the days of col- of enrollment and dean of admissions and lege applications, you may remember the marketing at Northeastern, explained just term “safety school,” that institution you how formidable this increase is. were sure would overlook your sub-par “We had 43,250 applicants and admitted SAT II score or that one C+ you got fresh- 35 percent,” Turner told the Daily. “[Last man year before understanding what a year] we had an entering freshman class GPA was. Schools that high-school seniors of 2,800, and that has been our goal for the even recently relegated to the “safety” list, past 10 years.” however, have seen a surge in applicants Not only has the number of applicants to over the past year, perhaps none more so Northeastern skyrocketed, but the caliber than Tufts’ neighbor across the Charles of Northeastern’s applicant pool has also River, Northeastern University. has also increased, Turner said. Although many colleges in the Boston “We have students who were the stron- Meredith Klein/Tufts Daily area, including Tufts, Harvard and Brandeis, gest in their high school applying, and that Fourth-year medical students at Tufts School of Medicine react yesterday morning during have had an increase in applications in the is a change,” she said. national “Match Day,” when medical students throughout the country learn where they past year, Northeastern has experienced Additionally, Turner said that the diver- will serve their first medical residencies. The 177 medical school seniors were sorted into the most drastic jump — 15 percent since teaching hospitals nationwide after starting the application process in the fall. last college application season, according see NORTHEASTERN, page 3

Inside this issue Today’s Sections

Character develop- “Paul” may not do well News | Features 1 Classifieds 7 ment in latest sea- at the box office, but son proves “Fringe” it’s funny start to finish Comics 4 Sports Back deserves a second and is sure to become Arts | Living 5 chance. a cult favorite.

see ARTS, page 5 see ARTS, page 5 2 Th e Tu f t s Da i l y News | Features Friday, March 18, 2011 THE TUFTS DAILY New scholarship is exclusive to white males Al e x a n d r a W. Bo g u s Editor-in-Chief Editorial b y An g e l i n a Ro t m a n Mick Brinkman Krever Daily Editorial Board Saumya Vaishampayan SponsoringScholarships come in nonprofit a myriad of shapes says its cause is unrelated to white supremacy Managing Editors and sizes. There are scholarships based on Martha Shanahan Executive News Editor Michael Del Moro News Editors gender, ethnicity, geographic location and Nina Ford even height. The one demographic lacking Ben Gittleson in scholarship opportunities, according to Amelie Hecht Ellen Kan a Texas nonprofit organization, is — believe Daphne Kolios it or not — white males. Kathryn Olson Matt Repka The Former Majority Association for Corinne Segal Equality, founded last March, is looking to Jenny White Brent Yarnell fill this gap. The group takes its name from Elizabeth McKay Assistant News Editors data reported by the U.S. Census stating Laina Piera that non-Hispanic whites now make up Rachel Rampino Minyoung Song only 45 percent of Texas’ population. Derek Schlom Executive Features Editor Colby Bohannan, founder and president Jon Cheng Features Editors of the organization, first came up with the Sarah Korones Emilia Luna idea for an ethnically based scholarship for Romy Oltuski white men when he himself was a student Alexa Sasanow looking for scholarship opportunities. Falcon Reese Assistant Features Editors Angelina Rotman “It really started back in 2002 when I was Sarah Strand working full-time and going to school, as Amelia Quinn was my cousin,” Bohannan told the Daily. Ben Phelps Executive Arts Editor “We were trying to find scholarships, and Emma Bushnell Arts Editors Daily File Photo Mitchell Geller we did find a couple we could apply to. We The Former Majority Association for Equality has established a scholarship open only to white males, Rebecca Santiago kept coming across all these ethnically or a demographic that often gets overlooked for scholarship opportunities, according to its founder. Matthew Welch Allison Dempsey Assistant Arts Editors gender-based scholarships. There were no Andrew Padgett scholarships out there racially based for face, and that’s tough to hear,” Bohannan those who have money set aside for tuition, Joseph Stile our demographic.” said. “What we’re trying to do has abso- books, room and board,” he said. “The real Ashley Wood Others, however, like sophomore Eliza lutely nothing to do with white supremacy majority are the people who have to work Rebekah Liebermann Executive Op-Ed Editor Ziegler, do not share Bohannan’s opinions or racial bigotry.” to sustain themselves and borrow money Bhushan Deshpande Op-Ed Editors Larissa Gibbs about the necessity for exclusively white, According to Van Meter, the problem and go into debt to afford an education. I David Kellogg male scholarships, given the demographic’s with Bohannan’s cause is not one of racism; think we need scholarships all across the Rachel Oldfield Jeremy Ravinsky already high presence at most universities. it’s one of senselessness. board for every student, both genders.” Daniel Stock “I think the point of having minority- “I don’t think the scholarship itself is rac- While Ziegler agreed that scholarships Elaine Sun based financial aid or minority-based ist,” Van Meter said. “But I don’t think the are lacking all around, she noted that those Devon Colmer Cartoonists Erin Marshall scholarships is to raise attendance rates people behind it are progressive. I just don’t most in need are often non-whites. Alex Miller of these racial groups and ethnic groups, understand the justification. If you’re appeal- “I think a much fairer way would be to Louie Zong Craig Frucht Editorialists which are disproportionately low,” she ing to fairness, it doesn’t make any sense.” do it purely need-based. It’s also true that Kerianne Okie said. “Should everyone be allowed to go to According to Bohannan, the dearth a large percentage of those not having Michael Restiano Joshua Youner college? Yeah, if they want to. If the purpose of scholarships for white males is due to enough income to attend institutions of Ben Kochman Executive Sports Editor of scholarships is to help equalize, then I the sensitivity associated with the United higher education are disproportionately Philip Dear Sports Editors don’t think they’ve accomplished that yet. States’ racial past. black or Hispanic,” she said. “I sort of see Lauren Flament Claire Kemp Especially looking at Tufts — it’s mostly “If you hear the term ‘white only’ or it like the upper-middle class. Even if we’re Alex Lach white, upper-to-middle-class, privileged ‘white man only’ it brings back the embar- claiming to be a post-racial and post-gen- Alex Prewitt individuals.” rassing episodes of our country’s past,” he der society, there’s still a sense of entitle- Daniel Rathman Noah Schumer Still, others feel that granting scholar- said. “Not only slavery and segregation — ment for white men, as I see it, but it’s not Ethan Sturm ships based on ethnicity alone — white or these are embarrassing atrocities. Maybe so limited or explicit that the thought pro- Matthew Berger Assistant Sports Editors Aaron Leibowitz otherwise — is nonsensical. no one wanted to ruffle up any feathers. cess is ‘I’m a white man; I deserve this.’” David McIntyre “You give a scholarship for being poor, Maybe they didn’t want to appear [like] Currently, the Former Majority for Ann Sloan for being physically or mentally disabled or they were a racist.” Equality is offering five $500 scholar- Meredith Klein Executive Photo Editor a merit scholarship,” sophomore Ben Van For Ziegler, the issues presented ships for the fall 2011 semester and plans Virginia Bledsoe Photo Editors Meter said. “Rewarding being white doesn’t by Bohannan and the Former Majority on increasing that amount to $1,000 for Jodi Bosin Danai Macridi make much sense.” Association for Equality point not to a case future semesters. While $500 is not a huge Dilys Ong Bohannan is aware that he is walking of racism but rather to a larger, problematic sum in the scope of educational expens- James Choca Assistant Photo Editors Lane Florsheim a social tightrope and maintains that his societal mindset. es, Bohannan hopes to continually aug- Meagan Maher reasons for founding the organization have “The thing that’s really poignant and strik- ment the scholarship over time, taking the Justin McCallum Oliver Porter nothing to do with white supremacy. ing to me is the ‘us against them’ mentality Ron Brown Foundation, which provides Ashley Seenauth “We weren’t naive going into this,” he said. that pervades in our society that claims to African-American scholars with $40,000 of Aalok Kanani Staff Photographers “We knew we were going to get some attacks be post-racist,” she said. “It’s not productive scholarship money over the course of four Andrew Morgenthaler from different people who didn’t understand to think in that context because the point years, as his model. Kristiina Yang Executive New Media Editor who we are and what we’re trying to do.” of scholarships and financial aid is to even “We’ve done a lot of research on other While Bohannan says the feedback he the gap between the educated and the not ethnically-based scholarships. My ultimate PRODUCTION has received in person has been largely educated. It’s not about race or gender.” goal is to get as close to the Ron Brown Andrew Petrone positive, national media attention has been Bohannan himself echoed this point, Foundation as possible,” Bohannan said. Production Director a different story. stressing that the real minorities and “I would love to be able to change the Sarah Davis Executive Layout Editor “The feedback has been a big thing. majorities in the United States are not lives of 10 to 12 hard-working, low-income Leanne Brotsky Layout Editors Adam Gardner They either love you and your idea, or they defined by their ethnicities but by their students — give them an opportunity to Jason Huang hate you and your idea. There have been socio-economic situations. change their lives, make a difference in Jennifer Iassogna Sarah Kester TV pundits who’ve called me a racist to my “The true minority in this country are their community and succeed.” Alyssa Kutner Steven Smith Rebecca Alpert Assistant Layout Editors Jennifer Betts Shoshanna Kahne Mackenzie Loy Alexia Moustroufi Emily Rourke BILC ed the most recent conference this meets once a semester.” Chao said. Alexandra Husted Executive Copy Editor continued from page 1 month at Suffolk University, though “The goal is to formalize actions and Sara Eisemann Copy Editors conference, she said. not all of these schools are official make meetings more frequent.” Niki Krieg Thorpe said the new constitution members yet, Thorpe said. Thorpe agreed that a governing doc- Andrew Paseltiner With constitution, college council hopes to gain legitimacy Zehava Robbins will help legitimize the council, boost- Representatives working on the orga- ument is a priority for the council. Elisha Sum ing its ability to turn conversation into nization’s first constitution will take the The constitution needs to be draft- Ashley Cheng Assistant Copy Editors Benjamin Considine action. It will give member schools drafted version back to their respective ed before the council can begin to Linh Dang equal representation to vote on proj- schools for approval, but they have the act on policy suggestions, he said. A Patrick Donnelly Lauren Greenberg ects, he said. official final vote, Lei said. constitution will allow students to do Drew Lewis “I think all the schools should be “After we draft the constitution, we something with the conversations and Rebecca Raskind equally represented so that everyone will ask all schools to take it to their ideas from the conferences, he said. Melissa Roberts Alexandra Salerno has a fair say,” Thorpe said. senates to approve it. Then we will “We need a constitution to cement Alison Williams The five groups of representatives have a meeting to discuss what to do things in place,” Thorpe said. “It’s Stefanie Yeung were invited from schools that have from there,” Lei said. great to come together and talk but Darcy Mann Executive Online Editor been active on the council since its Tufts was one of the three founding unless something comes out of it Emily Denton Online Editors William Wong beginning and have attended a mini- members of the council, according to there’s no point.” Ammar Khaku Executive Technical Manager mum of three consecutive conferenc- senior Edward Chao, who was involved Once a constitution is in place, the Michael Vastola Technical Manager es, Thorpe said. in the BILC’s creation in 2009. The council plans to put on its agenda “These are the five core schools first conference was held at BC, and support of the reinstatement of an BUSINESS that have been with the council since Tufts hosted a conference in the fall MBTA-run Night Owl bus service and Benjamin Hubbell-Engler the beginning,” Thorpe said. “They’ve of 2009. Creating a constitution was a discussion of housing rates in down- Executive Business Director been to all the meetings and confer- goal from the beginning, he said. town Boston, Thorpe said. Laura Moreno Advertising Director ences.” “There’s always been discussions to “A constitution will make the coun- Dwijo Goswami Receivables Manager Thirteen colleges and universities formalize the BILC, to make it more of cil a more formal body that can offer P.O. Box 53018, Medford, MA 02155 with five representatives each attend- a day-to-day council than a group that things it couldn’t before,” he said. 617 627 3090 FAX 617 627 3910 [email protected]

The Tufts Daily is a nonprofit, independent newspaper, published Monday through Friday during the aca- LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters must be submitted by 2 p.m. and ADVERTISING POLICY All advertising copy demic year, and distributed free to the Tufts community. EDITORIAL POLICY Editorials represent the position of should be handed into the Daily office or sent to [email protected]. is subject to the approval of the Editor- The Tufts Daily. Individual editors are not necessarily responsible for, or in agreement with, the policies and All letters must be word processed and include the writer’s name and in-Chief, Executive Board and Executive editorials of The Tufts Daily. The content of letters, advertisements, signed columns, cartoons and graphics telephone number. There is a 450-word limit and letters must be verified. Business Director. A publication schedule does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Tufts Daily editorial board. The editors reserve the right to edit letters for clarity, space and length. and rate card are available upon request. Friday, March 18, 2011 Th e Tu f t s Da i l y News | Features 3 Award-winner Agler to speak at baccalaureate ceremony Northeastern sees AGLER continued from page 1 spike in applica- semi-finalists in February, and the committee chose five finalists based on a tions, reputation résumé, a writing sample, an initial short speech and list of activities. NORTHEASTERN The speech prompt for Wednesday’s continued from page 1 final presentation asked applicants to sity of Husky hopefuls is increasing. describe a situation they have faced “There has been a significant increase while at Tufts that exemplifies the con- in international applicants — 40 percent sequences of the gap between self-per- — and we’ve seen increases from the West ception and real-life ability. and Midwest regions [of the United States]. Caroline Howe, a freshman student [There have also been] strong increases representative on the CSL involved in in African-American, Asian and Hispanic selecting the winner, was impressed with [applicants]. Application increases have Agler’s interpretation of the question. been reflective of the type of environment “He talked about the fact that those we’re trying to create.” two things don’t have to be separate,” As the quantity, caliber and diversity Howe said. “It was really creative and I of applicants increases, Northeastern can think everyone was blown away.” afford to be more selective, hence the rela- “I got the sense from him that no tively slender 35 percent acceptance rate of matter what topic he decided to write this past year. about, no matter what he did … would So does this increase in selectivity indi- be really creative,” Howe said. “He’s a cate an increase in the prestige and value really good public speaker — he tied of a Northeastern degree? everything together in a really interest- “As Northeastern has become more ing way.” well-known, as those outside entities think In his speech, Agler said that people’s about us and rank us, and people look at perception and real-life ability may not us differently, then it helps our graduates be so separate. in getting into graduate school and getting “People who do great things do so jobs,” Turner said. when other people are telling them they Still, she added, Northeastern’s increased can,” Agler told the Daily. selectivity might not be the most important Agler cited to the Daily an experi- aspect that employers or headhunters con- ence he had while working as a video sider when they encounter a graduate. editor on a political campaign. When “Employers would say that it’s the edu- the campaign’s manager asked him to cation that they get here and the co-ops leave during a private campaign-related program,” Turner said. “That is what fur- discussion, Agler said he realized he had ther develops the value of the degree. Your overestimated his importance. reputation is based upon how well your “I got a little ahead of myself, I thought students do.” I was higher up in the campaign than I The Cooperative Education (co-op) really was,” he said. program is precisely what draws students Downes said the applicants’ public to Northeastern, according to Turner. service experience was an important Northeastern’s two unique programs — a consideration in choosing the finalists. five-year, three-co-op program and four- “When we received the applications year, two-co-op program — requires stu- … we asked them to both submit a résu- dents to intersperse their classroom stud- mé and a general statement of activi- ies with practical experience gained by ties. Part of the process of coming up doing up to three “co-op”-style internships with the finalists is balancing off what with organizations pertaining to their area we learn about students’ activities both of study. within and outside of Tufts… with their “Experiential learning and co-ops are answers,” Downes said. “All of the final- justin mccallum/tufts daily becoming more appealing in this economy ists [were] strong in the area of activi- Senior Brian Agler is the winner of this year’s Wendell Phillips award and will speak at the and folks are realizing the benefits of being ties,” he added. Baccalaureate Commencement ceremony in May. out in the real world and having experience,” she said. Northeastern freshman Anna Neumann agreed. “The vast majority of Northeastern stu- With new album, Bubs call national exposure ‘surreal’ dents do up to three co-ops — six months BUBS “It was really a pretty low-key, under- classes in the fall to record the songs for of working somewhere related to your continued from page 1 ground process. To see our work in the the show, following directions from the field,” Neumann told the Daily. “I think that The Bubs have been surprised by studio broadcast on national television producers, Powell said. The recordings if Northeastern wants to maintain their increased publicity resulting from their was pretty surreal,” Kwon said. “To have were then sent to Los Angeles where prestigious rep, then the co-op program involvement in “Glee,” despite the fact an exclusive Warblers album is even they were synced with Criss’s vocals. should be their biggest focus. It’s a big rea- that the show’s producers have generally more special.” Kwon said the Bubs have never met son why a lot of kids come here.” refrained from specifically identifying The group recorded all of their songs Criss or any of the other “Glee” cast Jean Papalia, director of Career Services the group, according to Powell. for “Glee” in September at Q Division members and have only interacted with at Tufts, also emphasized the importance “Oftentimes, we’ll be advertised [for Studios in Davis Square. Although it may one of the show’s producers. of prior practical knowledge in finding a a gig] with something like ‘As heard have been easier to record with Criss and The group is looking forward to the job after college. on “Glee”’ without us even knowing,” the rest of the “Glee” cast in New York or release of the album, Powell said. “We find that gaining experience through Powell said. Los Angeles, the Bubs had academic obli- “We’re all really excited for the internships, volunteer work, extra-curricu- Despite increased publicity, the Bubs gations to fulfill, according to Kwon. album,” Powell said. “This year has lar activities, class work and part-time jobs managed to keep the recording process “We could go out there, but it would be been a surprise and a wild ride for us, has a great impact on a job search and relatively subdued, according to fresh- a hassle. We are students first,” he said. but we are glad it gets to go on for a helps students be competitive candidates,” man Bubs member John Kwon. The Bubs met at the studio between little while longer.” Papalia said in an e-mail. Colin Riley, executive director of media relations at Boston University, which in the past year has seen a nine-percent increase in applicants, agreed. “Employers are very aware of the pre- paredness and achievement level [of alum- ni],” Riley told the Daily. “That reflects more on the school than this notion that if you get more applications, you are more desir- able. [Employers] are looking at how strong employees are — are they able to make a transition.” Whether the prestige of a university matters to employers is one thing, though. Whether it matters to prospective students is an entirely different story. Neumann thinks it does. “[Prestige] definitely was a big factor,” she said. “I definitely considered that specifically because of Northeastern’s reputation, even though I was offered better financial aid and such at other universities.” Tufts freshman and tour guide Joe Thibodeau thinks otherwise. “That didn’t really matter to me,” he said. “It was more about the vibe that I was looking for. I didn’t really pay attention to ranking because I thought that each school is different for each person, so what would Courtesy Jared Charney be the best school for me might not be the The Beelzebubs will appear on a new “Glee” album featuring music from the show’s Dalton Academy Warblers. best for somebody else.” 4 Th e Tu f t s Da i l y Comics Friday, March 18, 2011

Crossword Do o n e s b u r y b y Ga r r y Tr u d e a u

No n Se q u i t u r b y Wi l e y

thursday’s Solution

Ma r r i e d t o t h e Se a

www.marriedtothesea.com

SUDOKU Level: Winning your pool

Late Night at the Daily

Thursday’s Solution

Derek: “Beastiality’s really in right now.”

Please recycle this Daily. 5

Arts & Livingtuftsdaily.com

Second Chances On the bubble for cancellation, ‘Fringe’ deserves a second shot Fox series proves to be more than just sci-fi with character development, mythology

b y Be n Ph e l p s time travel and electromagnetic energy as Daily Editorial Board about its characters. All of this is to say that “Fringe” has had This article is the latest edition of “Second its work cut out for it since it premiered in Chances,” a semi-recurring feature that fall 2008. The series follows the FBI’s Fringe looks at TV shows that deserve a second Division, which is responsible for inves- chance from viewers. Their ratings may be tigating out-of-the-ordinary cases relating low, but their quality is high, so if you tuned to fringe science. This includes everything out early on, here’s our case for why you from shape-shifting to stolen dreams to should give each show another try. Up this vanishing buildings due to a riff between time: Fox’s “Fringe.” our universe and a parallel one, where each person in our world has an alternate version Fringe of themselves, where Sept. 11 never hap- pened and where a copper Statue of Liberty Starring Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, houses the Department of Defense. John Noble, Lance Reddick Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) is the field Airs Fridays at 9 p.m. on Fox agent who leads the team, which includes Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble), a brilliant Sci-fi is a tough genre to get right, espe- if somewhat crazy scientist, and his son cially on television. Scientific jargon about Peter (Joshua Jackson). Phillip Broyles aliens and other dimensions doesn’t sit (Lance Reddick) is the special agent in well with the average audience, so sci- charge, while Astrid Farnsworth (Jasika fi shows have to carefully balance their Nicole) stays primarily in the lab to assist genre roots with more exciting action and Dr. Bishop. characters to rope viewers in and keep When the series began, it assumed a them watching. fairly straightforward procedural identity. “The X-Files” (1993-2002) did it quite There was some overarching mythology successfully (though arguably less so in involving a string of events dubbed The Courtesy Fox its later years), and “Lost” (2004-10) was Pattern, but most episodes featured a case- Lance Reddick, Anna Torv, John Noble and Joshua Jackson star in Fox’s sci-fi gem ‘Fringe,’ ABC’s flagship series for the duration of its of-the-week storyline that was neatly tied airing Fridays at 9 p.m. run. But then there are cases, like “Firefly” up by the end of the episode. (2002-03), which barely last a season. Even By the end of the first season, though, the drug Cortexiphan, and by the middle while there were still cases each week, the “Lost,” well, lost a good chunk of its view- more important pieces of mythology started of the second season, the groundwork had writers took care to link them all back to the ership once it embraced its sci-fi side to be inserted. It was revealed that, as a child, been laid for the parallel universes. The and revealed itself to be as much about Olivia had been a test subject of Walter’s for story became much more serialized, and see FRINGE, page 6

Movie Review Opera Review ‘Paul’ as out of this world as Hollywood allows ‘Agrippina’ offers Pegg and Frost deftly combine action and comedy in this sure cult hit a gripping opera b y Mi t c h e l l Ge l l e r experience Daily Editorial Board b y Em m a Bu s h n e l l “Paul” has all the hallmarks of a cult hit: Daily Editorial Board It’s a road-trip movie starring, and written by, fan favorites Simon Pegg and Nick Frost It is a popular saying in theater that “dying is easy, comedy is hard.” In Boston Lyric Opera’s Paul (BLO) “Agrippina,” the actors have to do both. Fortunately for audiences, they do it well.

Starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Agrippina Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig Directed by Greg Mottola Written by George Frideric Handel (“Shaun of the Dead” (2004) and “Hot Fuzz” Directed by Lillian Groag (2007)), about two nerds who team up with At the Citi Performing Arts Center a wiseacre alien while traveling through the American West. It has a stellar cast, great Shubert Theatre through March 22 special effects, strong jokes and a clever Tickets $34 to $195 plot. But it will almost definitely fail at the box office, and it’s a damn shame. The opera is one of composer George Following a visit to Comic-Con, two Frideric Handel’s firsts and often considered British nerds, Graeme Willy (Pegg) and Clive one of his best. The baroque composer is Gollings (Frost), continue a geek’s dream known for putting music above plot and vacation by renting an R.V. and trekking to libretto — his operas sometimes nonsensi- various sites of UFO-related significance in cally pair a story with a piece of music sim- the United States. On their adventure, the ply to showcase his work and the incredibly Brits happen across Paul (Seth Rogan), an acrobatic and impressive vocals he puts his alien on an escape mission. After 60 years singers through. of helping the government and influencing “Agrippina,” however, is incredibly plot- pop culture (a great subplot involves Paul driven, and the libretto is just as rewarding as lending Spielberg — who literally phones the accompanying music. in a cameo — ideas for his movies, mainly BLO’s production offers stunning visuals, 1982’s “E.T.”), Paul finds out that the govern- tightly polished music and hysterical com- ment plans to harvest his brain. So naturally edy. Despite its legendary and epic charac- he chooses to escape. ters, “Agrippina” is essentially a bedroom Cue dramatic tension. farce that is saved from banality by a satiric, Hot on the heels of Paul and his new dark twist. friends are government agents and angry The plot, minus all its twists and turns, is citizens, including Zoil (Jason Bateman), this: Agrippina, the mother of Nerone, does the lead agent, and his incompetent under- everything in her power to put her son on lings, Haggard (Bill Hader) and O’Reilley the throne. (Joe Lo Truglio). Wacko Christian Moses The twists and turns along the way make Buggs (John Carroll Lynch) joins the chase the opera intensely enjoyable. too, thinking he’s trying to save his daughter True to its status as a comedic opera, Ruth (Kristen Wiig), who was originally kid- director Lillian Groag has included physi- napped by Paul and Co. (by accident) but cal comedy and little quirks and jokes to eventually joins their cause. great effect. The plot is fairly simple and straightfor- It is a somewhat anachronistic production. ward, but the cast — a veritable who’s-who One could place it roughly in the 1930s, but whatispaul.com see PAUL, page 6 Simon Pegg and Nick Frost team up again for a new action-comedy. see AGRIPPINA, page 6 6 Th e Tu f t s Da i l y Arts & Living Friday, March 18, 2011 Although unlikely to be a commercial win, ‘Paul’ hits all the right marks PAUL The greatest knock against “Paul” is no fault continued from page 5 of the filmmakers, but rather an issue with of comedy — runs with the sharp script. roots in the current Hollywood system: “Paul” It is jam-packed with jokes, geeky-as-hell has earned an “R” rating. Its audience has cultural references and some great reoccur- been severely impinged on by this rating. ring gags — a standout of which is Wiig’s At heart it’s a family adventure movie as character, a reforming born-again Christian, written by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, two learning to curse. men who are definitely poster boys (empha- Paul himself is computer-generated, but sis on “boys”) for the concept of rejuveniles. the effects are so well-done that it’s easy to There’s a scene where Paul dances around suspend disbelief and forget that the cast isn’t the question of whether Graeme and Clive actually interacting with a little green man. are lovers by pantomiming various sexual Pegg and Frost play close to their tried- acts, and it isn’t hard to imagine that the and-true character beats, switching things up guys made the movie just to be able to slightly to let Frost shine rather than play sec- spend millions of dollars to have a CGI alien ond fiddle. The biggest revelation of the film, mime fellatio. however, is Hader as an action hero: Besides The alien-demonstrated B.J. and some salty being achingly funny, he manages to run and language (the F-bomb is dropped far more gun with the best of them. Hader, a current often than the arbitrary two times allowed in “Saturday Night Live” cast member, has had a PG-13 movie) aside, “Paul” deserves a wide small roles in a number of recent films, but audience. It isn’t free of flaws — some seg- his scene-stealing turn as Haggard in “Paul” ments feel superfluous, and the twist ending proves that he has the chops to carry a movie. makes no difference to the preceding two The film strikes a good balance between hours — but it’s a fun, strong adventure com- Jeffrey Dunn for Boston Lyric Opera © 2011 action and comedy, allowing director Greg edy. I won’t go as far as to say that “Paul” is out Agrippina (Soprano Caroline Worra) prepares to crown her son Nerone (Countertenor Mottola to expand his oeuvre. Things explode of this world, but it’s pretty close. David Trudgen) the new emperor of Rome. Pallante (Baritone David McFerrin) and Narciso real good, cars drive quite quickly and many I had the opportunity to talk to Pegg and (Countertenor José Álvarez) cower on either side. a gun is fired. The action feels akin to early Frost a week before the film’s U.S. release, and Spielberg, clearly a major influence on the they were clearly proud of what they accom- film (“Duel” (1971)) is seen playing at a movie plished. I asked about the possibility of a Lillian Groag’s direction, talented theater, and a number of references are made sequel, to which Frost first jokingly responded to “Sugarland Express” (1974)). “Pauls,” but then admitted that it probably They really don’t make movies like “Paul” won’t happen. cast bolsters the BLO’s ‘Agrippina’ anymore; it’s a deceptively simple affair. A lot I’m not holding my breath either. happens but it isn’t an event of a movie. It’s At the end of the day though, “Paul” is a AGRIPPINA lenged to give a complete performance fun the whole way through but isn’t necessar- nice movie. It’s lacking something, but its very continued from page 5 rather than rely on beautiful vocals and ily the movie that people are expecting. The existence is still thrilling. Pegg and Frost made masked servants appear in attire more fit- musicality alone. trailers, the concept, the actors involved: The the exact movie — or as close to it as possible ting with Handel’s own 18th-century garb. Groag also knows when to rein in the package seems to promise one thing while in Hollywood — that they wanted to. The playful costumes and modernizations humor in deference to moments of poi- “Paul” presents something else. So go see “Paul.” But then, if you don’t, you’ll serve to suit the show’s humor to a modern gnancy. One of the best moments was in But it happens to be an equally enjoyable probably be able to catch it constantly on audience and almost never cheapen the fact not comical at all. Act two’s second aria, replacement, if not more so. basic cable in a few years. product itself. There may be some cheap “Voi che udite il mio lamento,” features laughs in the stage direction, but on the the good-hearted General Ottone (Anthony whole it is a very self-aware production — Roth Costanzo) as he despairs that he has any liberties taken are done out of love, and lost everything and does not know why. an overall feeling of great respect for the Ottone’s tragedy, sung and acted with ener- piece remains. gy and wonderful attention to detail by The production — imported by BLO from countertenor Costanzo, is delivered with Glimmerglass opera — is beautiful not only palpable feeling and cleverly restrained to hear but also to see. John Conklin’s simple stage direction. and bold sets, Jess Goldstein’s whimsical yet Emotionally gripping scenes, as well as appropriate costumes and Robert Wierzel’s Handel’s wicked little runs, are mercifully cerebral and effective lighting all combine left, for the most part, without gimmicks. to display cinematic visuals over fine-tuned Caroline Worra, who plays the titular moth- baroque music. Indeed, much of the pro- er, is most notably adept at these com- duction feels a little borrowed from the cine- plicated, difficult and incredibly fun-to- ma: Some of the slapstick, particularly in the hear musical moments. Her commanding bedroom scenes, is reminiscent of the antics soprano and delicate trills fit the demand- seen in musical comedies such as “Top Hat” ing role perfectly, and she delivers difficult (1935) or “Singin’ in the Rain” (1952). arias such as “Pensieri, voi mi tormentate,” Though “Agrippina” is a very physical which the character deftly and expertly production, it is certainly apparent that it sings during her “mad scene.” has been directed by someone who knows “Agrippina” is a funny little show — very what it’s like to be directed. Groag’s experi- darkly comic and not widely known. An ence directing straight plays are clear in her extreme amount of care has gone into the effective and humorous additions, but it is creation of this production, though, and the also evident that she does not demand too result is something innovative and deeply much of her actors. The singers are asked enjoyable. For practiced opera-goers and Courtesy Fox to be more physical than one usually sees newcomers alike, Boston Lyric Opera’s Anna Torv turns in consistently stunning work on Fox’s ‘Fringe’ as Agent Olivia Dunham. in an opera, but they are not put upon to “Agrippina” is an appropriate and worth- be impossibly so. Instead, they are chal- while production to make time to see. Strong acting and character focus thrusts ‘Fringe’ into upper echelon FRINGE under the guise that it was actually Olivia, continued from page 5 but when our real heroine returned, the broader interuniverse struggle. reveal shattered their realities. Reading this over, I realize I’m making The relationship drama is heading toward “Fringe” seem like a hardcore sci-fi show, soapy territory, as we recently learned that which has a tendency to turn people off. the fate of the two universes depends on But really, what’s special about “Fringe” is which version of Olivia Peter ultimately that it works best when it goes for broke. chooses, but most of this saga draws on In the early episodes, it was clear the show great acting work from Torv, as both ver- was struggling to find its identity, toeing sions of her character, and Jackson. Torv in the line between procedural and serial particular started off as the weak link in the mythology. Once it committed itself to the cast but has now developed into a strong latter, “Fringe” became an exponentially leading lady who is just as adept at playing better series. the action bits as the emotional notes. But it’s not the science-fiction concepts Similarly, Noble has always been ter- that make “Fringe” exciting (although it rific as the eccentric Dr. Bishop, but the does make for some great action and alternate universe story has added another visual effects). What makes it stand out layer to his character. It was revealed late as one of the best shows currently on last season that Walter actually stole Peter network television is its devotion to its from the other universe and raised him as characters and the honesty with which his own after his own son died. That one it handles their relationships amid the action has colored all his others, and Noble impending war between Over Here and is brilliant in showing the emotional toll his Over There. selfishness has had on him. Olivia, Walter and Peter always func- “Fringe” now airs on Friday nights, and tioned as a quasi-family unit, but it has its ratings have dropped since the move gone a step further this season. After Olivia from Thursday. Its future does not look got stuck on the other side during a mis- too promising. But whether you’re a fan of Jeffrey Dunn for Boston Lyric Opera © 2011 sion, her alternate “Fauxlivia” assumed her sci-fi, character-driven drama or just good Nerone (Countertenor David Trudgen) almost acts upon his love/hate relationship with his identity and took her place Over Here. She television, give “Fringe” a chance because detached mother, Agrippina (Soprano Caroline Worra). and Peter began a romantic relationship as of now, there’s really nothing else like it. Friday, March 18, 2011 Th e Tu f t s Da i l y Sports 7

Housing Housing Housing Housing Housing -

Available June 1 June 1-Chetwynd Street 1 Bedroom Apartment UPLAND RD, 1 BLOCK FROM person without utilities. Available Four or five bedrooms, 1.5 $2,900/month. Chetwynd Street, Gorgeous 1 Bed Apartment. CAMPUS 6/1/11 or may consider 9/1/11 call bath, huge, clean, sunny, well- 4 Bedrooms, parking, porch, yard, 2 Blocks to Tufts, Large Sunny All renovated gorgeous !! new for details. Contact 617-230-0215 maintained, easy walk to campus, hardwood, laundry,gas,heat,qualit Rooms, New Bathroom & Kitchen, e-in kitchen with d/w, modern or email [email protected] $3,000/month. Great deal! Call: y,location,price. Call 617-666-1318 Refinished Hardwood Floor, Huge bath,hardwood floors,new 617-666-1318 for info. Available June 1 Thermal Pane Designer Windows. windows,new gas heating sys- Off Street Parking available 09/01/11. tem, w/d, F+R porches, parking Amazing Apartment No Fees. for 3 cars. Rent is $680.00 per $1,000. Contact (781) 396-4675 classifieds policy All Tufts students must submit classifieds in person, prepaid with check, money order or exact cash only. All classifieds submitted by mail must be accompanied by a check. Classifieds are $15 per week or $4 per day with Tufts ID or $30 per week or $8 per day without. The Tufts Daily is not liable for any damages due to typographical errors or misprintings except the cost of the insertion, which is fully refundable. We reserve the right to refuse to print any classifieds which contain obscenity, are of an overly sexual nature or are used expressly to denigrate a person or group. Questions? Email [email protected].

INSIDE MLB efficiency — the ratio of balls continued from page 8 in play that are converted into Youngranked in the bottompitching half of the staff should benefit from large outfield as A’s hopeouts — for last season, playoffs and this league in virtually every offen- year’s team once again boasts sive category. Although Hideki an above average defender at Matsui, Josh Willingham and every position except left field. David DeJesus aren’t exactly The Athletics may not have superstars, they all bring a pol- the flashiest roster in the AL ished approach that was miss- West, but they have more qual- ing from the A’s order in 2010. ity pieces than any other team in Because they play half of the division. their games in the most pitch- Oakland doesn’t have Felix er-friendly ballpark in the Hernandez at the front of American League, the Athletics its rotation, but the Seattle place a premium on hitters who Mariners lack any semblance get on base. Matsui, Willingham of offense. The A’s can’t keep and DeJesus are all likely to see up with the speedy Los Angeles their home run totals decline as Angels on the base paths, but a result of the Coliseum’s gigan- the Halos’ attempts to bring a tic outfield but each had an on- slugger to Disneyland yielded base percentage over .360 last only Vernon Wells and the four season. Those contributions years, $86 million remaining should be unaffected and will on his contract. And while the make the middle of Oakland’s Rangers’ heart of the order of lineup much harder for oppos- Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz ing pitchers to contend with. and Adrian Beltre may be the As much as the Coliseum’s envy of the division, Texas lost generous dimensions hurt hit- No.1 starter Cliff Lee in free ters, they help the A’s pitchers agency and has question marks MCT — a significant benefit given throughout its pitching staff. Outfielder Hideki Matsui joins an Oakland lineup poised to compete for a division title in 2011. the youth of Geren’s pitch- That gives the Athletics a ing staff. Brett Anderson and McCarthy brings even more tion, posting a 3.29 ERA over The relief corps also boasts elite golden opportunity to bring Trevor Cahill, both just 23 years depth to the impressive young 13.2 innings in spring training specialists in Craig Breslow and postseason baseball back to the old, lead the starting rotation, quartet. Once a top prospect, the while striking out nine batters Brad Ziegler, both of whom hold Coliseum. After years of strug- which also features lefties Gio 27-year-old McCarthy flamed and walking none. like-handed batters barely above gling with decreased attendance Gonzalez and Dallas Braden. out after he was traded from Geren will also have the plea- the Mendoza line. at a ballpark that could reason- Despite injuries to Anderson the Chicago White Sox to the sure of managing one of the And, if their own talents ably be described as a dump, and No. 5 starter Ben Sheets, Rangers but appears to have res- deepest bullpens in the majors, aren’t enough, the A’s pitch- the A’s are on the verge of land- this group had the best rota- urrected his career. Armed with a which already starred closer ers will also benefit from having a new stadium. And on the tion ERA (3.47) in the majors new sinker, McCarthy has surged Andrew Bailey and now has lefty ing the best group of fielders field, Oakland has all the pieces last season. ahead of his competitors for the Brian Fuentes and righty Grant in the league. Oakland ranked in place to ensure the “garbage” The addition of Brandon job at the back of Oakland’s rota- Balfour to handle setup duties. atop the majors in defensive label won’t stick for long.

Freshman diving champ Schmidt, veterans to make trip to NCAAs Tufts may be Div. III, but THE SCORE is No. 1

Andrew Morgenthaler/Tufts Daily Junior Owen Rood will race in the 50-yard freestyle at the Div. III Nationals meet next week.

SWIM and dive ence, and Del Moro’s 100 backstroke time continued from page 8 was fourth in the NESCAC. On the men’s side, the Jumbos will The men tied for 18th place at last year’s compete in nine events during the four- National Championships in Minneapolis. blogs.tuftsdaily.com/thescore day meet. Debbaut, Del Moro, Rood and At that meet, Del Moro, Debbaut and Testa will swim the 200- and 400-yard Rood were on the eighth-place 200-yard medley relays, where they rank 10th and medley relay and 14th-place 400 med- The Daily Sports Department’s place 18th in the nation, respectively, while ley relay teams; Rood, Jenkins and Testa Jenkins, Meyer, Rood and Testa will take earned 11th place in the 200-yard free- for the latest info on all things sports on the 200-, 400- and 800-yard freestyle style relay; and Rood finished ninth in the relays. Their 200 free relay time entering 50-yard freestyle. the meet is 10th nationally. Jenkins is looking forward to his final In individual events, Rood will race NCAA experience. in the 50-yard freestyle, and Del Moro, “It’s a blast,” he said. “Tons of people, who is also a news editor at the Daily, will all the best swimmers in the country swim the 100-yard backstroke. Rood’s 50 will be there. It really brings out the best free time was the fifth-best in the confer- in you.” 8

Sportstuftsdaily.com

Swimming and diving Tufts to send eight swimmers to Tennessee for Nationals b y Aa r o n Leibowitz Daily Editorial Board

Eight Tufts swimmers and divers will head to the University of Tennessee for the NCAA Division III Championships on March 23. Seven of the national qualifiers are from the men’s team, and six were at the national meet last year: seniors Zed Debbaut, Michael Del Moro, David Meyer and tri-captain Gordy Jenkins and juniors Owen Rood and E.J. Testa. This is the third trip to NCAAs for Jenkins, Rood and Testa. Freshman diver Johann Schmidt, who won the 1-meter and 3-meter diving com- petitions at the NESCAC Championships, will make his first appearance at Nationals. Schmidt won 14 of the 16 diving events he entered this season, placing second twice against Div. I BC. Meanwhile, senior tri-captain Megan Kono will represent the women’s squad for a third time. She made her first two trips to Nationals her freshman and sophomore years. The men’s and women’s teams each finished third last month at the NESCAC Championships. For a men’s squad that was fueled all season by team spirit and camaraderie, preparing for Nationals has been a strange experience. “It feels very different,” Jenkins said. “With such a big team like we had during the regular season, it’s kind of odd having so few people around. But it’s a lot of Andrew Morgenthaler/Tufts Daily fun. It’s a little more relaxed, but we’re Senior tri-captain Megan Kono will be the lone representative of the women’s swimming and diving team at Div. III Nationals at the still focused.” University of Tennessee. Kono qualified for NCAAs with a third- place 1,650-yard freestyle performance at “I think she’ll do really well. She’s the hard work will pay off.” 17th. Her time at this year’s conference the conference meet, which ranks her 13th hardest worker on our team,” said sopho- Kono has twice come close to All- meet was eight seconds faster than her in the country. In addition to swimming more Christine Garvey, who has been American honors, which are awarded to 17th-place time in 2009. the 1,650-yard freestyle, she will compete training with Kono every day in prepara- the top 16 finishers in each event. As a in the 200- and 500-yard freestyles. She tion for the national meet. “She’s a huge freshman, she finished 19th in the 1,650 see SWIM AND DIVE, page 7 enters with the 22nd seed in the 500 free. inspiration and role model. I think all the free, and as a sophomore she came in

Women’s Crew Inside MLB Teams use break to train, build camaraderie Oakland b y Sa m a n t h a Ja f f e Contributing Writer ready to bring Far from a tropical locale, the varsity and novice crew squads will spend spring break doing its ‘A’ game three-a-days and eating team dinners. This week’s practices b y Da n i e l Ra t h m a n are crucial, because lineups for Daily Editorial Board each boat are not set yet, and the chemistry necessary for a success- In the minutes after the San ful boat still needs to be formed. Francisco Giants won the 2010 Senior tri-captain Rachel World Series, Tony Siegle, one Steward has been impressed with of the team’s front-office advis- how well the team has done in ers, told the media, “We’ve just practice so far even though they shown ‘Moneyball’ is a bunch of have only been on the water for garbage.” two weeks. If there wasn’t already a front- “Already the boats are moving office rivalry between general well together, which isn’t always manager Brian Sabean’s Giants the case this early in training,” and Billy Beane’s Oakland she said. “Spring break training is Athletics, that quote certainly an opportunity to relax, to focus started one. And whether you on crew and just crew.” agree with Siegle or not, he’s Training week, which starts given the A’s executives some this afternoon, will offer the bulletin-board material. team a chance to make tech- Oakland quietly finished the nical adjustments for the last regular season second in upcoming season, which kicks gillian hodes/tufts daily the American League West divi- off with a home regatta on The women’s crew team will be looking to use spring break as a boost for its long spring season. sion with an even 81-81 record, April 2 against Mount Holyoke, nine games behind the eventual Simmons and the University man after playing soccer in high the relatively young varsity team, and shoulder problems that are pennant-winning Texas Rangers. of Vermont. school, and now, three years later, as the novice eight boat took first common to the sport. After a busy offseason — dur- “This week is really good for she is a varsity captain. place and a gold medal at last “I’m really proud of the girls for ing which three solid hitters, a technical changes, because if you Steward’s goal for the season year’s ECAC meet. Many of the taking the time to understand what pair of reliable relievers and an mess up in the morning you can is to win more races leading Jumbos who excelled at this meet they needed to do for themselves, under-the-radar starter joined apply that immediately in the up to the big regattas, which now make up the varsity team. while still pushing to be competi- the green and gold — the A’s are afternoon,” Steward said. is important both for improve- “I’m really excited to have tive. We need to be ready to race in primed for their first division Spring break, Steward said, is ment and morale. Last year, the some of our hard work pay off two weeks,” Steward said. title and playoff appearance also valuable as a bonding expe- varsity team didn’t perform as at the end of the season, and the After the season starts on April since 2006. rience, especially for the sopho- well as it hoped, finishing eighth new sophomore rowers will help 2, the team will have a regatta once Manager Bob Geren strug- mores who are new to the var- at the ECAC National Invitational us get there,” junior tri-captain every week to prepare for their two gled to put together a lineup sity squad and all of the freshman Champions last spring and land- Kathleen Holec said. biggest regattas, the New England that could score runs consis- rowers, who row novice regard- ing in the bottom half of the The team spent the offseason Rowing Championships on April tently last season, and Oakland less of their skill level. Steward petit finals. working out and staying healthy, 30 and the National Invitational herself was a walk-on as a fresh- But things are looking up for doing its best to avoid the back Collegiate Regatta on May 8. see INSIDE MLB, page 7