The Tufts Climbing Team, now in its fourth year, trains officially with a coach twice a week, with separate advanced and novice practice days. They primarily train and compete in bouldering, which is rock climbing without any ropes. The moves and skills required in bouldering are generally more concentrated and complicated versions of rope climbs that test both your brains and muscles. Although the team trains indoors at Metro Rock in Everett, most of the athletes also enjoy climbing outside and will go on spring break and weekend trips to climb on real rock.

Current members, Theo Friedman, A14, Carolyn Pace, E12, and Emily Kaplan, A13 share their thoughts on the team and how the sport has become an integral part of their day-to-day.

Rock climbing at Tufts is definitely not limited to the climbing team, as there is a vibrant group of alumni and students at the gym every day. Check out the Tufts Mountain Club’s website for information on how to learn climbing safety and get rides to the gym and crags around New England.

Whether you are light on your feet or feel you have two left ones, you may want to look into Tufts Ballroom. With both a competitive team and just for fun club version, there is an outlet for all interested in learning and perfecting their moves.

One of the many classes of dance that falls under the overarching classification of ballroom dancing is the ever popular waltz. Current team members Alex Freedman, A12, and Dana Burton, A12, walk us through the basic steps.

Video by Gene Buonaccorsi, A13.

In the days leading up to Tufts’ World AIDS Day celebration, members and friends of Tufts LGBT took over the Crafts Center hoping to make their mark on the world’s largest ongoing community art project: The AIDS Memorial Quilt. Founded in 1987, the quilt and its more than 40,000 colorful panels, memorializes the lives of those lost to AIDS.

In honor of the actual day, Dec. 1, community health lecturer Kevin Irwin gave a talk on “The Medicalization of HIV/AIDS: Prospects and Consequences.” Share in a recap of both these events here:

Video by Gene Buonaccorsi, A13.

When Kevin Ballou, A94, petitioned to start a Tae Kwon Do club in 1990, he had no prior martial arts experience. Partnering with Young Kim, A94, a black belt, the two formed the student-run club that currently has nearly 100 members.

For those unfamiliar with the sport, current president Hyomi Carty, A12, runs through some of the basic components of competition and preparation.

If what you’ve seen here interests you, be sure to attend the next club practice. They are open to everyone!

Video by Gene Buonaccorsi, A13.

On October 21, 2011, Tufts University inaugurated Dr. Anthony P. Monaco, officially welcoming him and his family to the university. In celebration of the event, faculty, staff, students and alums came out to wish him well and enjoy in this exciting day in Tufts history.

Watch as a few members of the community share their well-wishes.

Video by Veronica Richter, A13.

Each year, Tufts Queer-Straight Alliance brings together members from both the gay and straight communities to rally in support of the LGBT community as part of National Coming Out Day. The rally is just one of a number of events committed to maintaining LGBT visibility on campus and providing campus-wide education on sexual and gender identity and the effects of homophobia and transphobia.

Now in its 20th year, the event, held on the Campus Center’s lower patio, continues to grow and draw crowds much greater than its original celebration, which had only 18 participants.

Check out some of the highlights from this year’s event:

Video by Gene Buonaccorsi, A13.

What’s that noise you hear echoing across campus? Probably just an impromptu jam session with Tufts’ only student-run percussion group: B.E.A.T.S.

B.E.A.T.S. (which stands for Bangin’ Everything At TuftS) has been rockin’ steady for almost 10 years now, creating organic drum sounds from unorthodox objects. Occasionally their shows are planned, but it’s not unlikely that they will break out into a rhythm when you least expect it.

Over the years they have chosen their instruments wisely and learned how to use them most effectively. We convinced a few members (whose identities are kept safe by their creative nicknames) to let us in on the time-tested B.E.A.T.S. secrets.

Enjoy the video and see if you can spot the extremely special guest who appears briefly in the video.

You can also follow B.E.A.T.S. on Twitter.

Video by Gene Buonaccorsi, A13.

While most people probably don’t spend much time thinking about the packaging their food comes in, for the last week of September, that was pretty much all that was on the minds of the Tufts Eco-Representatives.

For an entire week, Eco-Reps, a group of students working to raise awareness of environmental issues among their peers, participated in the Office of Sustainability‘s  Zero Waste Challenge. As part of the challenge, participants carried their un-recyclable trash around with them in a one-gallon plastic bag, providing visual reminder of how much waste an individual produces per day.

Eco-Rep co-coordinators Rachael Wolber, A12, and Jessie Pearl, A13, discuss how the challenge works and what they hope to accomplish.

Check out the Eco-Reps blog for participants’ thoughts on the day-to-day experience of this year’s challenge.

Video by Gene Buonaccorsi, A13

Each year, the men’s ultimate Frisbee team proves to be very popular among club sports at Tufts. Currently made up of about 75 people, the program is comprised of an A team, a B team and a C team.

The A team, known as the Elephant Men, finished 10th overall at last May’s USA Ultimate College National tournament. Competing against traditional Division 1 athletics programs like the University of Pittsburgh, University of Iowa and University of Illinois, the Elephant Men joined the likes of Carleton College and Colorado College as one of the smallest schools in attendance.

Junior Robby Perkins-High joined the program as a freshman and was named co-captain of the team after last spring’s season. Here he walks us through the three throws that he and his co-captain Alex Cooper, A12, are focusing on teaching new members of the program this fall.

For more information about the team, contact Robby Perkins-High and Alex Cooper.

Video by Gene Buonaccorsi, A13

Lloyd Olson, E12, took full advantage of the nearly empty campus this summer, turning the President’s Lawn into his personal practice space. His skill: slacklining.

Slacklining is a form of tightrope walking that uses a flexible, trampoline-like nylon webbing, often anchored between two trees as a balance beam. Unlike a traditional tightrope, which is rigidly taut, the flexible, bouncy nature of the line allows for some impressive footwork and stunts.

At Tufts, Olson says the activity is quite popular among his fellow members of the Tufts Mountain Club. If you are interested in learning more about the TMC, you can meet some of the members at the activities fair, Sept. 13, 5-7 p.m. on the Residential Quad.

For a better idea of what slacklining looks like, watch Olson in action.

Video by Gene Buonaccorsi, A13