Where You Read It First Clear 77/55 THE TUFTS DAILY Est. 1980 VOLUME LVI, NUMBER 1 AUGUST 27, 2008 TUFTSDAILY.COM Cost of attending Tufts increases by 5.33 percent Rate of increase continues to climb, outpace inflation BY BEN GITTLESON board and other expenses contin- than last year’s 5.30-percent jump. Daily Editorial Board ued to climb. Dean of Undergraduate Education The $2,498 jump, to $49,358, tops James Glaser listed this year’s soar- The cost of attending Tufts as an off a five-year period in which Tufts ing energy costs and Tufts’ altered undergraduate rose 5.33 percent has raised annual undergraduate “financial aid profile” as the primary this year, as the amount the univer- charges by over five percent each sity charges for tuition, room and year. This year’s rise is slightly higher see TUITION, page 3 MATT SKIBINSKI/TUFTS DAILY Former Tufts administrator Jodie Nealley leaves court with her lawyer. Alleged embezzlers arraigned BY ROB SILVERBLATT alleged after the proceedings that Daily Editorial Board Rodriguez, out of spite, called in the anonymous tip last year that led Former Tufts administrators Jodie auditors to investigate Nealley. Nealley and Ray Rodriguez pled Nealley served as director of the not guilty during an Office of Student Activities, which Aug. 12 arraignment has since been renamed the Office to charges that they for Campus Life, from 1996 until she embezzled nearly was fired in 2007. Rodriguez was the $1 million from office’s budget and fiscal coordinator EMBEZZLEMENT CASE the university. In from 2001 to 2007. the scandal’s most recent plot twist, Nealley’s lawyer see EMBEZZLEMENT, page 3 Statistics compiled by Ben Gittleson, graph created by Marianna Bender. Bacow joins group for BY SARAH BUTRYMO W ICZ the organization says it is satisfied Square on June 10 that drew press Daily Editorial Board that highlights of the new contract coverage from the Somerville include higher wages and more Journal. The protesters went so far debate on drinking age A student organization founded benefits for all janitors at Tufts. as to block traffic, delaying motor- BY JEREMY WHITE bility, which is currently focus- last year to promote support for The JJA held rallies and protests ists and leading some drivers to Daily Editorial Board ing its effort on waiving or Tufts’JJA janitors, claims the Jumbo Janitor success on campus last inschool fightyear and usefor profanity. janitors removing a clause in the 1984 Alliance (JJA), says it had a sig- continued its advocacy over the “Sometimes people just don’t University President Lawrence National Minimum Drinking nificant impact in determining the summer. The group’s former co- get it; we’ve impeded their right to Bacow has joined 127 other col- Age Act that withholds 10 outcome of this summer’s contract chair, senior Kevin Dillon, claimed drive for a minute,” JJA Secretary lege presidents and chancel- percent of federal transporta- negotiations between Tufts’ jani- that Tufts purposely scheduled and Treasurer Max Goldman, a lors in signing onto a project tion funding from states that tors and their employer, American negotiations during the summer junior, told the Daily. “I think it encouraging discussion about do not set the legal age at Building Maintenance (ABM) to avoid pressure from the stu- was a really good idea because it lowering the national drinking 21, the Amethyst Initiative Industries. dents. got our point across.” age to 18. advocates mere discussion While the JJA did not success- But students and janitors, orga- Even though they were blocking The recently unveiled move- rather than explicit legislative fully convince the administration nized by the labor union SEIU ment, known as the Amethyst action. Its members are exclu- to get involved in the negotiations, Local 615, held a rally in Davis see JANITORS, page 2 Initiative, calls for more vigor- sively college presidents and ous deb- chancellors. ate about Noting a “worsening situa- the strin- tion” in reference to alcohol- Major lender cuts private loans gency of related fatalities among 18-to- d r i n k i n g 24-year-olds, Kronenberg said BY SARAH BUTRYMO W ICZ laws, which the steadily growing support Daily Editorial Board have failed for the Amethyst Initiative to effect among leaders in higher edu- When Massachusetts’ larg- “signifi- cation signals a willingness to est student-loan company cant con- try a different approach. announced last month that s t r u c t i v e “By signing this statement, it would no longer be able behavior- they are not raising a white to offer private student loans al change” flag,” Kronenberg said. “They because of the credit crunch, and have are stepping up and saying DAILY FILE PHOTO 40,000 in-state students and fed a we need to pursue other solu- Lawrence Bacow Massachusetts families scram- “culture of tions, because the status quo bled to find other lenders. dangerous, isn’t working.” While almost all of the 250 clandestine “binge-drinking,” Bacow wrote in an e-mail to Tufts families who were affect- according to the Initiative’s the Daily that efforts to com- ed have managed to secure online mission statement. bat binge drinking on cam- other funding, questions The Amethyst Initiative pus and enforce the current remain about the fate of the is a recent offshoot of the drinking age “have not been company, the Massachusetts nonprofit group Choose effective,” and have poten- Educational Financing Responsibility (CR), which tially caused the unintended JO DUARA/TUFTS DAILY Authority (MEFA). former Middlebury College side effect of “driving drink- MEFA released an explor- atory statement on Thursday MEFA’s recent announce- President John McCardell ing underground, and in the to gauge consumer interest ment about private loans fol- founded in December 2006 to process, may have put more in purchasing MEFA bonds. If lows one made in the spring, begin examining the conse- students at risk.” tuftsdaily.com the company is successful in when the company revealed quences of the current drinking Although he has endorsed Visit our Web site for an audio attracting investors, it will be it would no longer be offering age, said Grace Kronenberg, the Amethyst Initiative’s aim feature on the state’s decision able to provide loans again as federal loans. Choose Responsibility’s assis- of opening a national debate, not to bail out MEFA. soon as September, spokes- tant to the director. person Jessica Belt said. see LOANS, page 2 Unlike Choose Responsi- see DRINKING, page 2 Inside this issue tuftsdaily.com Today’s Sections A group of diverse high Athletes from the Class News 1 Arts | Living 13 schools serve as feed- of 2011 prove that the Features 5 Sports Back ers for Tufts. transition to college Editorial | Letters 10 can be quick and easy. Comics 11 see FEATURES, page 5 see SPORTS, back page 2 THE TUF T S DAILY NEWS Wednesday, August 27, 2008 Initiative’s critics: stats prove current JANITORS an impact in our community.” tative Roxanna Rivera said. “[The tracts would have been reached continued from page 1 After the tabling, a number new contract] was ratified over- without the alliance’s efforts,” cars, the students were “making of aldermen signed a letter to whelmingly by the membership.” Dillon said. He added that although drinking age works Wageway for the spiritincreases of justice and Universitymight President not Lawrence keep upDillon andwith Goldman inflation, both agree the university Dillon never playedsays an for fair treatment in the area,” Bacow expressing their support for that the new contract is a success active role in the negotiations, the DRINKING Goldman said. the janitors, Gewirtz said. for the janitors and the JJA. “We “enormous amount of pressure” continued from page 1 The JJA gained the support The workers, who had only won a lot of the major things that Tufts received was what ensured Bacow expressed uncertainty of local politicians this summer, three personal days last year, now the workers wanted to see taken the successful outcome. about whether lowering the including state Rep. Carl Sciortino have nine. care of,” Goldman said. “I think it shows that the univer- drinking age is the “correct (LA ’00) and state Sen. Pat sity, if pushed and pressured, answer.” Jehlen. they’ll make the decisions they The initiative has been met The alliance also enlist- need to make,” Dillon said. with criticism from many poli- ed the aid of Somerville “You have to be willing to push ticians, newspapers and orga- Alderman Rebekah Gewirtz, strong enough in order to get nizations, notably the group who got involved after look- them to change.” Mothers Against Drunk Driving ing at how the wages Tufts Roberto stands by his past (MADD). janitors earn relative to the statement that a “mutually David DeIuliis, a spokesper- endowment of the univer- satisfactory agreement” would son for the organization, said sity compare with those have been reached regardless, that his organization is recep- of neighboring schools. but commends the group for tive to dialogue about poten- Before the new contract making the community at tial new methods of allaying was ratified on Aug. 11, all Tufts more conscious of its alcohol abuse, but he called Tufts janitors earned $13.85 janitors. lowering the drinking age a an hour. Tufts’ endow- “There is no doubt that stu- “failed experiment.” ment is approximately dent involvement increased He noted a correlative spike $1.5 billion. awareness on campus,” in motor vehicle fatalities in Boston University, a Roberto said, adding that the states that set the legal age school with an endowment efforts of the JJA amounted to below 21 prior to 1984.