Where You Sunny Read It First 41/26 THE TUFTS DAILY Est. 1980 VOLUME LXIV, NUMBER 52 THURsday, NOVEMBER 29, 2012 TUFTSDAILY.COM Tufts looks to improve pedestrian safety BY NINA GOLD M AN ment any recommendations Daily Editorial Board they get.” Maguire said that Tufts is push- Tufts administrators are cur- ing the consultant to complete rently working with the City of the pedestrian safety study with- Somerville to improve pedes- in a month, but Champion said trian safety at the intersection the factors that contributed to of Powderhouse Boulevard and the Nov. 8 accident — important Packard Avenue, where a student information for making future was struck by a car and seriously improvements — would not injured on Nov. 8. become clear until the Somerville Immediately following the Police Department releases an accident, the city added a radar incident report. Somerville police feedback sign on Powderhouse are still investigating the accident, Blvd., put pedestrian cross- and they could not be reached for ing signs in the intersection, a comment. updated the traffic light with Improvements to the intersec- LED technology to improve vis- tion following the accident come COURTESY ETHAN FINKELSTEIN ibility and updated signage in in addition to several updates that The confetti used at the parade appeared to be shredded police documents containing Social Security numbers the area, according to Somerville were made there last spring and and other classified information. Director of Communications summer, including a repainted Tom Champion. crosswalk and double yellow traf- “The City of Somerville is fic lines, as well as several new looking at that entire intersec- signs warning vehicles of crossing Thanksgiving parade confetti tion, and we’re going to help pedestrians and reinforcing park- them do that,” Tufts Director ing laws. The city also cleared tree BY MARTHA SHANAHAN of confetti paper landed on his plate numbers, car descriptions, of Public and Environmental branches to improve visibility and TuftsDaily student Editorial Board discoversfriend’s coat. classified informationnames of detectives in the in Nassau Safety Kevin Maguire said. replaced the faded signs at the “On the block we were stand- County Police Department and “Somerville has been a very intersection. The discovery made by fresh- ing on ... someone was throwing the phrase “Romney motorcade.” good neighbor with this.” “These changes were not to man Ethan Finkelstein that all these white shreds of paper,” “We didn’t know what to make Other improvements are yet bring into compliance but to add shreds of highly classified police Finkelstein said. “It was every- of it at all,” Finkelstein said. to come, according to Maguire. additional margins of safety,” documents were used as con- where, thousands of these pieces Finkelstein and his fam- The university has hired a traf- Champion said. fetti during last week’s Macy’s of paper.” ily contacted a local New York fic engineering consultant from The earlier improvements, Thanksgiving Day Parade has Finkelstein said that one of the television news station, WPIX- Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. although funded by the City, prompted an internal investiga- pieces that landed on another TV, about the strips in the hope to examine the intersections included input from the univer- tion in the Nassau County Police parade-goer caught his eye. of bringing to light the story of around the Tufts campus. sity as well, according to Maguire. Department and a review of how “It said SSN, and there was how such sensitive information “They will be looking at the “We worked directly with the the department disposes of its a number on it,” he said. “We ended up flying through the air intersections all around the City of Somerville to facilitate documents. didn’t think much of it at first. We at the Macy’s parade. perimeter of the Tufts cam- those changes,” he said. Finkelstein, who is from thought it was like a one in a mil- “We thought that maybe they pus, in Medford as well as According to Champion, Manhattan and attends the lion thing.” would look into the story,” he Somerville,” Champion said. Somerville frequently consults parade every year, was standing They picked up more of the said. WPIX reported Monday that “Now we will be working with with his family at 65th St. and pieces of paper and found more them to review and imple- see SAFETY, page 2 Central Park West when a strip Social Security numbers, license see CONFETTI, page 2 ‘Fast Food Nation’ author speaks Paperclip Challenge to kick off tomorrow on food injustice Tomorrow, the Tufts Venture The judges will determine The inspiration for bring- Fund and Entrepreneurs which teams win prizes for the ing this challenge to Tufts was BY NINA GOLD M AN be changed without address- Society will hold the Red items that they bring back. Entrepreneurial Leadership Daily Editorial Board ing the underlying problems,” Paperclip Challenge for “We’ll have a few different Program Director James Schlosser said. the first time. The 24-hour categories, like most ridiculous, Barlow’s experience with orga- Author and journalist Eric Schlosser’s focus throughout national event involves teams biggest, most expensive, most nizing a similar event at the Schlosser discussed mistreat- the talk was the racism, poverty of up to five participants who impressive,” Peckham said. University of Bristol in England. ment of the poor laborers who and the unchecked corporate begin the competition with The challenge has no con- At the end of that event, one power the food industry in a sold- power surrounding the treat- a red paperclip and trade it crete rules and originality is team came back with two live out lecture in Cohen Auditorium ment of workers on the pro- up for more valuable items, encouraged, Halbeck said. sheep and another brought Tuesday night. duce farms and in the slaugh- according to Tufts Venture “We just want people back a kayak, Peckham said. The talk was part of Tufts terhouses that feed America. Fund Co-founder and senior to get creative,” she said. “It’s a pretty grassroots effort Hillel’s Moral Voices Merrin “Discussions about sustain- Eric Peckham. “Entrepreneurship always in terms of us having just a Distinguished Lecture Series, ability usually neglect to men- The race will begin at the seems so inaccessible and we bunch of students who got which this year is focusing on tion human beings and human Mayer Campus Center at 6 just want to show people that together and thought that this food justice. Junior Rose Pollard, rights,” he said. “We have to p.m. Teams will then photo- anyone can have an idea and would be a fun idea,” he said. who chaired the committee ask ourselves as a society why graph their trades and post the make something happen.” “The challenge has a goofy and organizing the program, intro- is it we seem to care more photos to a running Twitter Junior Glendon Gong, who adventurous spirit and that just duced Schlosser by referencing about the animals we eat than feed for the duration of the plans to participate in the chal- fit with the spirit of our two the impact his 2001 book, “Fast about the poor people that event, Peckham explained. lenge, expressed excitement about organizations.” Food Nation,” had on the rise of feed us.” Teams have to return by the opportunity to compete with The Paperclip Challenge the food movement during the His concern with the abuse 6 p.m. the following day to other students who have similar was first inspired by Canadian last decade. of food industry workers began showcase their final item to entrepreneurial mindsets. blogger Kyle MacDonald, who “This book helped start a rev- in the early 1990s as Californian a panel of celebrity Jumbos, “My team’s strategy is to be made 15 trades in one year, olution about how Americans politicians were decrying including famous professors, eager and persistent,” Gong beginning with exchanging his think about what they eat,” undocumented immigrants as deans or well-known students said. “Some items could be seen paperclip and eventually end- Pollard said. “parasites.” Schlosser started like the president of the Tufts as garbage in other people’s ing up with a house. However, Schlosser had not examining the role immigrants Community Union Senate, eyes, but it could be precious “We’re looking for creativity come to talk about organic food play in California’s economy, according to Tufts Venture and a worthy trade to us.” and wildness,” Halbeck said. or abuse of livestock, although he eventually following strawberry Fund Co-founder and junior “It’s a very interesting chal- “Our goal is just to get as many acknowledged these as impor- harvesters for a full year. Alexandra Halbeck. lenge and idea,” Gong added. students as possible to meet tant aspects of food justice. “It totally opened my eyes to “We’re working on putting “I can’t wait to collaborate with up and exercise their entrepre- “The injustices in today’s see where food is coming from,” together a panel of judges — fun some of my best friends to try neurial spirit.” food system are merely symp- he said. people connected with Tufts in to do something impossible to toms, and they cannot be various ways,” Peckham said. unimaginable.” —by Sarah Zheng understood and they cannot see SCHLOSSER, page 2 Inside this issue Today’s sections The Tufts Venture Graffiti jumps from News 1 Op-Ed 11 Fund seeks to encour- the streets to the gal- age new ideas and the leries as the once- Features 3 Comics 12 development of stu- fringe art form rises Weekender 5Classifieds 13 dent businesses. in popularity.