THE TUFTS DAILY Est
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Where You Partly Cloudy Read It First 63/47 THE TUFTS DAILY Est. 1980 VOLUME LXVI, NUMBER 24 WEDNEsday, OctoBER 9, 2013 TUFTSDAILY.COM DTD to support DPES continues to address pedestrian safety leukemia patients BY VICTORIA LEISTMAN in charity walk Daily Editorial Board The Department of Public and BY DENA L I TIETJEN Environmental Safety (DPES) this Daily Editorial Board semester has continued to make pedes- trian and public safety on the Medford/ The brothers of Tufts’ Delta Tau Delta Somerville campus a priority. (DTD) fraternity will participate in the The department partnered with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Tufts University Police Department annual Light The Night Walk tomorrow at the (TUPD), the cities of Somerville and Boston Common. Medford and transportation profes- Brothers will hold red balloons as they walk sionals to examine safety on campus, together for a second year in support of chap- according to a Sept. 27 email that DPES ter president Matt Roy who is in the midst of Director Kevin Maguire sent out to the Leukemia treatment, according to DTD phi- Tufts community. lanthropy co-chair Montane Silverman. DPES plans to meet several goals, “We’re [participating] to show our sup- including reducing the number of port for him and for the cause in general,” crashes involving motor vehicles and Silverman, a sophomore, said. “These guys pedestrians, creating a safer pedestrian have a cancer that’s not really common in climate in and around campus and rais- young people and we want to help and sup- ing awareness about the importance of port this organization that is dedicated to pedestrian safety. funding cures to help people.” “After accidents last year, we looked KYRA STURGILL / THE TUFTS DAILY Proceeds from the Light The Night Walk around to see what we could do to help The Department of Public and Environmental Safety this year aims to examine various help provide financial assistance for patient improve safety and actually to improve intersections on campus to improve safety for pedestrians. treatments, support government advocacy visibility to drivers as to where pedes- and fund research towards curing lymphoma trians might be,” TUPD Deputy Chief plan to meet with Weisse again to dis- the Packard and Powderhouse inter- and leukemia, according to the LLS website. Mark Keith said. cuss holding safety weeks during both section early in fall 2012, prompting “A lot of people have a really distorted Student-TUPD liaison Becky Goldberg, semesters this school year. the school to hire a traffic safety engi- idea of what it means to be in a fraternity, a junior, said that TUPD is dedicated to “Working with TUPD and ensuring neer in November, Maguire said. Nitsch and this is a really good example of what a working with students to enhance safety all of our safety is something that I care Engineering, a local Boston engineer- brotherhood really is,” Roy, a junior, said. “It’s on campus. Last fall, Goldberg and Tufts very deeply about,” Goldberg said. ing firm, studied the site of the accident about having 70 people that have your back. Community Union (TCU) senator Darien The intersection at Powderhouse and has assisted the university in deter- I happen to be battling leukemia and they all Headen, a junior, worked with TUPD Boulevard and Packard Avenue mining how best to approach safety at support me.” Sergeant Darren Weisse to facilitate con- received specific attention following a intersections. Roy explained that his brothers’ support versations between TUPD and the stu- series of accidents involving pedestri- The university funded the employ- throughout his diagnosis is typical of the dent body. ans in the spring of 2012. The city of ment of the firm, he added. brotherhood. “Overall, TUPD is incredibly wonder- Somerville implemented a number of “The [university] president, the “When I was first diagnosed I was in the ful in taking what we have to say and improvements to the intersection in [Board of] Trustees, the executive lead- middle of pledging and it was difficult,” Roy, a really listening to it, being approach- close collaboration with the univer- ership of the university and DPES are junior, said. “They’ve never made me feel like able and wanting to make sure we feel sity, Maguire said, including increased committed to the safety and security I’m different.” safe,” Goldberg said. “Their main pur- attention from the Somerville Police of our community, including the safety The event’s name derives from the illumi- pose is not to get people into trouble Department’s Traffic Unit, the trimming and security of community members as nated balloons participants hold as they walk but to prevent that from happening.” of tree branches and upgrades to traffic they travel on and immediately around laps around the commons, Roy said. The bal- The TCU Senate last February collab- control devices. campus, by foot, by bike or by motor loons are symbolic to the walkers’ relationship orated with TUPD to hold the first ever In addition, “stop ahead” signs vehicle,” Maguire said. with the cause — white balloons symbolize Safety Awareness Week, designed to were installed on both approaches to Before making recommendations, survivors and current patients, gold symbol- address safety-related issues and start Packard Avenue, and all crosswalks Nitsch collected information about ize lost family or friends to cancer and red discussions about possible improve- were repainted, according to Maguire. vehicle travel speeds at peak hours, ments on campus. Despite these changes, a student see LIGHT, page 2 Goldberg said that she and Headen was involved in a serious accident at see SAFETY, page 2 Students examine divestment policy before referendum vote Student groups speak out for social justice BY ABIGAIL FE L DMAN Tufts Divest member Will Pearl Daily Editorial Board opened the event with a revolu- tion song. The 40 or so students Members of various on-cam- who were present joined Pearl pus student activism groups in singing the repeated refrain promoted social engagement “We will rise up,” while Pearl on the upper patio of the sang the verses. Mayer Campus Center yester- Pearl then opened the dis- day evening in an event titled cussion with a few introduc- “Building the Revolution: A tory words. Speak-Out for Justice.” “I joined Tufts Divest because I The event, which was part of really wanted to not think about Tufts Divest For Our Future’s week theoretical changes but actually of action leading up to today’s stu- build camaraderie with people dent-wide referendum on wheth- who thought that another future er or not the university should was possible,” Pearl, a sopho- divest from fossil fuels, featured more, said. “If I can do anything speakers from the Tufts chapter to help that cause, I can start right of Students for Justice in Palestine now where I am.” (SJP), Consent Culture Network Carolyn Flax, president of SSDP, (CCN), Tufts Labor Coalition spoke next about the benefits of (TLC), Tufts Coalition Against legalizing all drugs in the United KYRA STURGILL / THE TUFTS DAILY Religious Exclusion (CARE), States. While many students con- Tufts Divest for Our Future last night hosted a question-and-answer panel about fossil fuel divestment in Students for Sensible Drug Policy note the word “prohibition” solely Cabot Auditorium. The event featured local climate activist speakers and prefaced today’s student vote (SSDP) and United for Immigrant on whether or not the university should divest. Justice (UIJ). see REVOLUTION, page 2 Inside this issue Today’s sections Student musicians News 1 Op-Ed 11 build up interaction The Boston Ballet on campus by forming brings new choreogra- Features 5 Comics 12 bands and collectives. phy to the stage. Arts & Living 7Classifieds 15 Editorial | Letters 10 Sports Back see FEATURES, page 5 see ARTS, page 7 2 THE TUF T S DAILY NEWS Wednesday, October 9, 2013 TUPD, DPES collaborate with safety initiatives SAFETY out a lot of those signs to upgrade continued from page 1 them to the more visible, lime pedestrians crossing at peak green florescent signage,” he hours, bike traffic, slopes and said. “I think those high visibility grades of roadways and inter- signs really helped bring that to secting ways, lines of sight, the drivers’ attention.” lighting and visibility. The data Pedestrian safety initia- was then analyzed to develop a tives will continue in the com- plan of action, Maguire said. ing months with similar traf- Although the firm could fic engineering studies for the not recommend a full traffic Powderhouse corridor (from light at the intersection since Powder House Square to Packard it did not meet the engineer- Avenue), Professors Row (from ing requirements for that type Curtis Street to College Avenue), of traffic control, Nitsch pro- the intersection of Boston posed the conversion of the Avenue and College Avenue, the intersection into a four-way — College Avenue corridor (from rather than a two-way — stop, Boston Avenue to beyond Talbot according to Maguire. Avenue) and Boston Avenue “This recommendation was (from College Avenue to Harvard accepted and acted upon within Street), according to Maguire. one day by the City of Somerville,” He noted that pedestrian he said. safety on and around campus Reconstruction of the inter- has improved since the DPES section, including the installa- began these projects. tion of curb extensions on all “We’ve seen a significant decline COURTESY TODD FRITZ four corners, was also encour- in the numbers of motor vehicle Delta Tau Delta (DTD) brothers will walk in tomorrow’s annual Light The Night Walk, organized by the aged, Maguire said. crashes involving pedestrians and Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) in the Boston Common, to support its chapter president.