Where You Mostly Sunny Read It First 43/33 THE TUFTS DAILY Est. 1980 VOLUME LXVII, NUMBER 40 THURsday, MARCH 27, 2014 TUFTSDAILY.COM Genocide survivors share experiences BY JOSH WEINE R sion, his parents, a Jewish cou- Daily Editorial Board ple living in the Netherlands, sensed that the situation in Tufts Against Genocide and their country was growing dire. the Cummings/Hillel Program In 1942, his parents decided for Holocaust and Genocide to send their three-month-old Education hosted their annual son to live on a farm with a Survivors Speak panel last night, Protestant family, while they in which genocide survivors went into hiding in southern shared their stories with mem- Holland. The family was not bers of the Tufts community. reunited until the country was The panel was moderated by liberated at the war’s end. University Chaplain Reverend “At the end of the war, when Gregory McGonigle, who [my father] found me, I looked thanked the five panelists for like a poster boy for starvation,” their courage. Trompetter said. “I had lived in “I think we can all agree hiding for three years.” that genocide is one of the Trompetter said that it was most difficult issues for us to important for today’s genera- talk about, which also makes tion to hear from survivors of it one of the most important,” the Holocaust, a dwindling McGonigle said. community of which he is one Isaac Jack Trompetter spoke of the youngest members. He first, describing his family’s expressed hope that their sto- history with the Holocaust. Following the German inva- see GENOCIDE, page 2 JUSTIN RHEINGOLD / THE TUFTS DAILY City of Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone discusses the ongoing redevelopment process for the vacant Powder House Community School property. Somerville Mayor discusses Powder House School development BY JUSTIN RHEINGOLD would instead be used to it suddenly became clear to Daily Editorial Board address community concerns us that Tufts was hedging on about the planning process. those three years,” Curtatone Over 50 Somerville, Mass., After responding to a said. “We asked for clarifica- residents, neighbors and elected Request for Proposals (RFP), tion, and it was made explicitly officials gathered at a communi- Tufts was initially selected by clear to me by their administra- ty meeting yesterday to discuss the city as the preferred devel- tors that [they would] not build the ongoing redevelopment oper. The two parties entered within five years and are more process of the vacant Powder into an Exclusive Negotiating than likely never going to build NICK PFOSI / THE TUFTS DAILY El-Fadel Arbab shares his story of surviving the genocide in Darfur during House Community School. Agreement. The RFP required within 10 ... We were not going the Tufts Against Genocide Survivor’s Speak event at the Hillel Center. Somerville Mayor Joseph the developer complete the to allow anybody to mothball Curtatone told community construction process within the area.” members that the meeting, three years — but Tufts deter- According to Curtatone, previously scheduled to dis- mined it would be unable to Tufts’ removal from the rede- cuss the redevelopment pro- follow through. Film classes document posal submitted by Tufts, “Over the last three weeks see POWDER HOUSE, page 2 women’s history BY ANN A BELLE ROBE R TS according to Burton. Because Somerville considers Curbside Daily Editorial Board the film does not have an end date, future classes will also The Independent Film work on the project. Compost Initiative Production class is filming a “The point is to be able to promotional trailer on the give a teaser for what is to come BY ALEX A HO R WITZ and residents to compost their waste removal, Gewirtz said. Academic Quad this Sunday for later and to show that there are Daily Editorial Board leftover food. She explained that City of a series about American women lots of women who did amaz- “Food scraps that fall into the Somerville residents generate in history. The series, “Half the ing things, and we don’t even The City of Somerville recent- trash go to landfills and emit 5,200 tons in food waste every History,” was created in col- know what their names are,” ly created a new task force to significant carbon in the atmo- year and the city estimated laboration with Five Sisters Maya Zeigler, a sophomore in review options for the develop- sphere which is a component of that it costs roughly $750,000 Production Company and the Burton’s class, said. ment of a Curbside Composting our global warming problem,” to remove and dispose of this Tufts Department of Drama and While the first episode will Initiative. she said. waste. She said that other cities Dance. be completed after the end of The idea was announced Gewirtz explained that the have demonstrated a signifi- “There is a growing realization the semester, Burton said she Feb. 25 by Somerville Mayor creation of a program is not cant decrease in the weight of that in order to really under- hopes the trailer will be finished Joseph Curtatone and will be a new idea, and one already trash and hopes that Somerville stand our history fully and know and released in May. co-chaired by Ward 6 Alderman exists in the neighboring City of will make similar progress. all of the things that women have Burton got the idea for the first Rebekah Gewirtz, who is the Cambridge. According to Gewirtz, the been doing [throughout] history, episode from Jill Lepore’s “Book vice chairperson of the Board “The City of Cambridge does program will be developed we need to look at other kinds of Ages,” which describes the life of Alderman’s Committee on it so once residents bring their by a Curbside Composting of stories and look at history and opinions of Jane Franklin, Energy and Environment. compost to a designated spot, Task Force, which is currently in a different way,” Professor of according to Natasha Lee, a According to Gewirtz, the in the spring they can pick up seeking applicants from the Filmmaking and Film Studies sophomore working on the proj- program would work toward the composted soil for their Somerville community. Jennifer Burton said. ect in the advanced film class. the city’s sustainability and garden,” she said. Members of the task force “Half the History” will tell Franklin’s story provides an environmental goals. The ini- The city could also save do not necessarily have to be the narrative of Jane Franklin, tiative is part of a broader money through such a pro- Benjamin Franklin’s sister, see WOMEN’S HISTORY, page 2 move to require businesses gram due to reduced costs in see COMPOST, page 2 Inside this issue Today’s sections Tufts students debate ‘Veronica Mars’ movie News 1 Op-Ed 15 NSA surveillance as leaps ahead in time, Capitol Hill weighs but revives old char- Features 3 Comics 16 new legislation. acters. Weekender 11 Classifieds 19 Editorial 14 Sports Back see FEATURES, page 3 see ARTS, page 12 2 THE TUF T S DAILY NEWS Thursday, March 27, 2014 Curbside Composting Initiative would Film trailer seeks to show untold story of women in history COMPOST The university, however, does not WOMEN’S HISTORY provided information for the script, continued from page 1 have composting available in public continued from page 1 Zeigler said. experts on this initiative, but will instead spaces like the Mayer Campus Center, example of how gender has shaped Once the film is finished, the class reachconsist of people students with varying interests, living Goel off explained. campus people’s lives throughout history, will give back to the partner organi- Gewirtz said. “We are working on expanding the Burton explained. zations by sharing the film, which “We’ve heard for some time that program,” she said. “The more students “[The story] is really about how [Jane they can then show to others for edu- Somerville residents want to find a bet- compost in dorms, the greater worth the Franklin] spends a lot of time being cational purposes, Zeigler explained. ter way [to deal with this issue] than university would see in installing com- pregnant and taking care of her kids She hopes the film will help people sending our food scraps off to a landfill posting all over campus.” as opposed to Ben Franklin who is out realize that the current version of his- or incinerator,” she said. According to Goel, Somerville’s there working on his career, so it is a tory is incomplete. Tufts’ Waste Reduction Program Curbside Composting Initiative would nice comparison,” Lee said. “At the same “I think the fact that we are working Manager Dawn Quirk said the city’s ini- not directly affect the majority of Tufts time, the book doesn’t present Jane as a on a project that is run by students, tiative is an important step in improv- students, but would benefit those who victim — she is her own person.” students are acting in it and what it is ing recycling. do not live in dorms. The male-focused narrative of his- about — which is telling the stories of “I would advocate for Somerville’s “I live off campus, and we pay a com- tory has left out stories, including Jane people who haven’t been able to tell effort to include a marketing compo- posting company to take our compost Franklin’s, which are representative of them over the course of time ... I believe nent to encourage food conservation twice a month,” she said. “If Somerville how America became the country it is that it makes people think,” Zeigler and waste reduction [because] estimates actually begins curbside composting it today, according to Lee.