Where You Rainy Read It First 56/35 THE TUFTS DAILY Est. 1980 VOLUME LXI, NUMBER 41 TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2011 TUFTSDAILY.COM Conn-gratulations: Huskies best in show Greek houses reach out to LGBT community at Tufts BY CORINNE SEGAL audience at the presentation filled Cabot Daily Editorial Board Auditorium, Bourdon said. New members of the Greek community The Greek community has in the past were required to attend the lecture as part month stepped up cooperation with cam- of their member education following rush, pus lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender which also includes seminars on hazing (LGBT) students and organizations after and alcohol policy education, Interim members of both groups expressed the Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs need for better mutual understanding. Jamie Engle said. The widespread discussion began as “By working with our newest members, a result of several incidences of verbal we set a new precedent for the house, and abuse that occurred within fraternity we’re able to build off of each new class,” houses, Tom Bourdon, director of the Theta Delta Chi (123) Vice-President Aaron LGBT Center, said. Tartakovsky, a junior, said. “The younger “Some of the incidents were based guys help make the future of the house.” around language and things being said “These are issues that we feel, as a com- to people that definitely don’t work as far munity, are important,” Engle added. “We as creating a safe environment on this want to educate our new members on campus,” he said. these issues and hopefully shift the culture “We thought it was time to create a bet- in the direction of being more inclusive.” ter understanding between the two com- Logan Cotton, a 123 brother who helped munities,” Bourdon said. to organize the event, said that one of The Greek and LGBT communities ear- the event’s goals was to bridge the gap MCT lier this month hosted Shane Windmeyer, between the two communities. The University of Connecticut (UConn) men’s basketball team ended Butler’s Cinderella an activist for improving LGBT life on col- “It’s an opportune first step in the larger run last night, holding the No. 8-seed Bulldogs to a paltry 18.8 shooting percentage lege campuses nationwide. considered effort between the LGBT cen- in a 53-41 win in the NCAA Tournament final at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. Windmeyer’s lecture, the centerpiece of ter, LGBT community, progressive stu- UConn pulled away in the second half for its 11th consecutive win, a streak that a larger attempt at cultural change on the dents and Greek life,” Cotton, a soph- includes five straight wins, to take home the Big East Tournament title. Junior Kemba part of the Greek community, was entitled omore, said. “We’re trying to make the Walker, the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, led the Huskies with 16 points. “Pledging Acceptance: The Intersection UConn coach Jim Calhoun won his third NCAA championship, becoming at age 68 of LGBT and Greek Life at Tufts.” The the oldest coach to win a title. see GREEK, page 2 TuftsLife proposes SMS Professor receives Indian award for short code for the Hill excellence in chemical sciences BY MARIE SCHOW provisions for the Senate to BY MINYOUNG SONG The organization’s Award for this fundamental work would Daily Staff Writer explore how to continue fund- Daily Editorial Board Excellence in Chemical Sciences have significant implications ing the system if it is deemed honors scientists across the and applications towards drug Students this month may be a success at the end of the trial Krishna Kumar, a profes- globe who have made extraor- development and understanding voting on a referendum call- period. sor of chemistry in the School dinary accomplishments in the diseases that result from mis- ing for the purchase of a uni- Before the referendum can of Arts and Sciences and an field of chemical sciences. folding of proteins, such as in versity SMS code to facilitate be put to a vote, it must first adjunct professor of biomedi- Professor of Chemistry David Alzheimer’s disease,” Walt said. communication and informa- pass several TCU committees. cal engineering in the School Walt praised the accomplish- Walt nominated Kumar for the tion dissemination on the Tufts The Committee on Student of Engineering, was in February ments that earned Kumar the award, marking the first time he Medford/Somerville campus. Life is currently reviewing it to honored by the Indian Society of recent recognition. formally recommended an indi- An SMS code is a shortened ensure that it is consistent with Chemists and Biologists (ISCB) “Professor Kumar has devel- vidual for the honor. telephone number made avail- university policy and state law, for his chemical research work oped methods for modifying “I am thrilled to be able to able to a particular group of Vastola said. The TCU Judiciary with proteins that colleagues proteins in a way that helps people, such as members of must then approve the lan- call “significant.” understand their function, and see KUMAR, page 2 Tufts’ Medford/Somerville guage, after which TuftsLife campus, according to senior must collect 250 signatures Michael Vastola, chief operat- from the student body in order ing officer of TuftsLife, which is for the proposal to be voted on, sponsoring the referendum. he added. Students will either be able If all of these conditions to text the number to receive are met, the referendum will information — in a way similar appear on the April 26 presi- to how FindJoey works — or dential election ballot. sign up to be part of a group that A majority of voters, and receives text updates, he said. at least a sixth of the student “The idea is that you’ll be body, must approve the refer- able to get information back endum for it to pass, accord- just by quickly texting a num- ing to Senator Dan Pasternack, ber,” Vastola, who is also a senior. a technical manager for the “We really hope it passes,” Daily, said. Vastola said. “We think it’s going TuftsLife’s proposal would to be valuable to the school.” mandate that the Tufts The organization started to Community Union (TCU) pursue the purchase of an SMS Senate disburse $20,000 to code for Tufts after a meet- TuftsLife to fund the purchase ing with the university’s Web of such an SMS short code for Communications Department, a one-year trial period. The sys- according to Vastola. tem, if adopted permanently, “We realized it could have a would cost $20,000 annually. lot of features for students on “We want to see if it gets the go,” he said. used before we make a commit- A central feature of the new COURTESY KRISHNA KUMAR ment,” Vastola said. Chemistry professor Krishna Kumar in February won the 2011 Indian Society of Chemists and Biologists Award The referendum includes see SMS, page 2 for Excellence in Chemical Sciences. Inside this issue Today’s sections Adolescents and teen- “Body of Proof,” the News 1 Op-Ed 11 agers are ahead of the latest drama from game in safe sex prac- ABC, is little more than Features 3 Comics 12 tices relative to adults, a carbon copy of other Arts | Living 7Sports 13 a national survey finds. crime shows. Editorial | Letters 10 Classifieds 15 see FEATURES, page 3 see ARTS, page 7 2 THE TUF T S DAILY NEWS Tuesday, April 5, 2011 Greek and LGBT communities continue LGBT OUTREACH noted, is not limited to the fra- would think it would be the continued from page 1 ternity or sorority opposite,” Bourdon said. environment as accepting as we “If anything, it’s something “Whatever the basis might have collaborativepossibly can.” efforts;that’s sort of a nationwideTheta thing, Chi been to before,host whether dinner you’re Bourdon said that Greek Life that the LGBT movement, and talking a hundred years ago will continue to play a more especially the gay community, or twenty years ago, that’s not active role in LGBT outreach haven’t always been welcomed where we’re going today.” this semester, citing specifi- into larger society as much as Tartakovsky said the separa- cally the fourth-annual Ally they should be,” he said. tion between the two commu- Appreciation Soulfood Dinner, Engle said that stereotypes nities is not as drastic as some which he said Theta Chi will that typically surround fraternity people perceive. host on April 10. This marks culture are no longer applicable. “If they came into these hous- the first time not only that the “I think that’s an old view of es, they’d see that we are very dinner has occurred in a frater- fraternities,” she said. “I think open,” he said. “We do have a lot nity, but also that it has been fraternities and their national to work on, but especially on the held outside of the LGBT center, organizations are moving in a Tufts campus, we have a pretty Bourdon said. direction of inclusion.” intelligent and progressive stu- “They’re helping us celebrate The media has often perpetu- dent body. The gap between our being an ally,” he said. “[Theta ated a negative view of Greek two communities is not as wide Chi] is another chapter that’s houses, Tartakovsky said. “We as a lot of people may think.” really stepping up.” want to demonstrate to the Bourdon and Engle agreed Tartakovsky said that the inci- wider Tufts community that the that they are optimistic about dents that prompted the discus- Greek system is not at all the future efforts at outreach sion mainly consisted of inap- stereotype you see at movies between the two communities.