Reasons to Celebrate

1) It's Mardi Gras! Jocelyn, my housemate, just returned from New Orleans last night. I've yet to hear her about her exploits but she better have procured some beads...2) ...so, in honor of gluttony, I'm currently eating Dunkin Donuts in the basement of the Eaton Computer Lab instead of writing my Senior Honors Thesis.3) Super Tuesday. Barack Obama and John McCain visited Boston yesterday; Hillary Clinton (whom I saw speak at Tufts when I was a freshman) spoke in Worcester and Dorchester, MA. Mitt Romney hails from Belmont, MA (also home to the aforementioned Jocelyn). For many Tufts students, it's our first or second presidential primary as eligible voters, and the campus is buzzing with heated political debate.4) Super Bowl/Tufts alum connections. It was pretty quiet in Boston after the Giants upset the Patriots, but I maintain my Jumbo pride: after all, Tufts alumni own both teams.

Daniel Kraft, A'87, is a Director of the Kraft Group, which owns the New England Patriots. His father, Robert, is the Chairman and Owner. Kraft Field, home of the Tufts soccer team, was a gift to the university from the Kraft family.

Jonathan Tisch, A'76, is Chairman and CEO of of Loews Hotels. He is on the Board and is the Treasurer of the New York Giants. In the early 1990's, a $10 million gift from the Tisch family supported the expansion and renovation of Tufts' Tisch Library. In 2006, he gave an endowed gift of $40 million dollars to fund the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service at Tufts.

Steve Tisch A’71, Academy Award-winning film producer and Chairman and Executive Vice President of the Giants, has recently made a commitment of $10 million to support Tufts’ planned $30-million athletics and fitness facilities expansion and renovation. Tufts will name the Steve Tisch Sports and Fitness Center in recognition of his generous support.

Both Daniel Kraft and Jonathan Tisch currently serve on the Tufts University Board of Trustees.
5) Let's not forget about those all-important Super Bowl ads! The SoBe Life Water spot featuring Naomi Campbell and lizards dancing to "Thriller" was considered to be among the best of the bunch.

John Bello, A'68, is the Co-Founder and former CEO of the South Beach Beverage Co--best known for marketing products under the brand name SoBe. In 2004, he and his wife, Nancy, A'69, provided a $1 million naming gift to complete construction of an artificial turf field for Tufts athletics. Today, Bello Field is home to the field hockey and lacrosse teams.