The Tufts Daily - Tuesday, January 25, 2022

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2022

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS.

Somerville recognized as one of 95 global climate action leaders

by Ella Kamm News Editor

Somerville was recently recognized as a global leader in the fight against climate change.

The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) ranked Somerville as one of just 95 cities around the globe working transparently to stave off the effects of climate change in 2021.

The organization, which helps companies and cities measure and reduce their environmental impact, awards top honors to the cities that publicly disclose their emissions, set emissions reduction and renewable energy targets for the future and publish a climate action plan, among other indicators.

Fewer than 10% of the cities scored by the CDP were listed on the charity’s “A List.” Boston and Lexington, MA also made the list.

“By reporting climate data through CDP each year, Somerville is being transparent about its climate action, tracking progress, monitoring risks and benchmarking against other cities facing similar challenges,” Christine Blais, acting director of sustainability and environment for the City of Somerville, wrote in a state-

ment to the Daily. “In doing so, Somerville is able to learn from and collaborate with other cities and organizations to accelerate its climate action.”

Blais explained that beyond the criteria the CDP uses to curate its list of global climate leaders, Somerville has taken a number of steps to reduce emissions and promote sustainability. Among them is the Community Choice Electricity Program, which provides utility users with vetted options for which to source their electricity supply. The city is also a founding member of the Resilient Mystic Collaborative, a regional partnership among communities in Greater Boston working to protect the area from climate-intensified risks.

Somerville Climate Forward, announced in 2018, is the city’s first comprehensive climate change plan. Its goals include reducing the city’s negative environmental impacts and preparing for the inevitable consequences of climate change. Blais said that the plan also considers the unequal burden of climate change on different populations and aims to fairly distribute the opportunities created by climate action.

“The plan represents the next step of a multi-year plan-

EVAN SAYLES / THE TUFTS DAILY

A student biking on Tufts campus is pictured. ning process that began with Mayor Joseph Curtatone’s commitment to making Somerville carbon neutral or having a net-zero release of GHG emissions, by 2050,” she said. “Now, Mayor Ballantyne is going a step further. She has set a goal for Somerville to become net-zero carbon negative by 2050.”

Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne stressed the impor-

tance of climate action in her inaugural address earlier this month.

“We face unprecedented pressures to act boldly and swiftly on climate change,” she said. “My administration will get straight to work on environmental sustainability and climate change initiatives. I have two daughters, and, like many of you, the world they will inherit from us is a huge concern for me.”

Ballantyne, who proposed Somerville’s Green New Deal in 2019, has revealed that her environmental goals for the city include electrifying infrastructure like buildings and vehicles, creating more green space and supporting green jobs in Somerville.

Action items on Ballantyne’s 100-Day Agenda include estabsee CLIMATE, page 2

Tufts alumni develop residential coding University Chaplaincy hosts Rev. Carrington program for women and nonbinary Moore for virtual event people of color honoring MLK

by Amelia Colafati Contributing Writer

Three university alumni are working to convert a 4,000-square-foot home in Roxbury into a tech training hub for young minority women and nonbinary people. The 122-year-old house on Hutchings Street, set to open

this year following a multimillion-dollar renovation, will house 18–25-year-olds looking to gain experience in and build careers in STEM-related fields.

The organization spearheading the house’s design and programming is G{Code}, a Bostonbased nonprofit that provides financial support, technical training and professional expe-

Coding software on a laptop is pictured.

SOPHIE DOLAN / THE TUFTS DAILY

rience for women and nonbinary people of color interested in careers in tech.

The project is run by Bridgette Wallace, an urban planner and 2011 graduate from Tufts’ Master of Public Policy program.

Wallace said the house will be a “safe place to live, a safe place to dream, to create, to think.”

G{Code} was founded several years ago and now runs a 10-week program called Intro to G{Code}, which trains young women and nonbinary people of color in HTML, CSS and Javascript while offering workshops for personal and professional development, according to the organization’s website.

Even without previously having a home base for its programs, the team has seen interest skyrocket since introducing the program a few years ago.

“We’ve had really, really great success so far,” Bailey Siber, director of operations and part-

see GCODE, page 2

by Tess Harmon

Assistant News Editor

The University Chaplaincy hosted Rev. Carrington Moore in a virtual lunchtime event on Jan. 21 ahead of its annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration planned for Jan. 26. Moore offered his thoughts on King’s life as an activist and preacher and discussed his 1962 sermon “A Knock at Midnight.” Using the sermon as a foundation for discussion, Moore, members of the University Chaplaincy and event attendees discussed the power of community and the necessity for hope and faith in the face of injustice.

University Chaplain Rev. Elyse Nelson Winger opened the event with a reflection on the power of sermons and the need for collaborative reflection on Dr. King’s legacy.

SPORTS / back

ARTS / page 4

OPINION / page 6

Men’s basketball bounces back against Bates

Call her controversial: Alex Cooper interviews Jamie Lynn Spears

NATO must support Ukraine in the face of a growing Russian threat

Moore is the director of community organizing at King Boston, a program of the Boston Foundation that works to create a more equitable city and honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King.

Moore also serves as the assistant pastor of discipleship and families at Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Boston.

Moore opened the discussion with a short poem before reading an excerpt from “A Knock at Midnight.” He discussed how Dr. King was prophetic in his sermon, capturing the elements of darkness that persist in today’s society. “‘A Knock at Midnight’ acknowledges and shares that it is midnight in our world and we can hardly see which way to turn,” Moore said. “And indeed, it is midnight in our social order, see MLK, page 2 NEWS

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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Tuesday, January 25, 2022

THE TUFTS DAILY Alexander Janoff Editor in Chief

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Ballantyne looks to further Somerville's climate commitments during first 100 days CLIMATE

continued from page 1 lishing a Climate Justice Summer Youth Jobs Program, setting a goal to create the most ecologically restorative city landscape in the region and increasing equal access within the Blue Bikes bike-share program.

According to Jennifer Reilly, a spokesperson for Tufts’ Office of Sustainability, the office and the university at large interact with Somerville’s sustainabil-

ity efforts in numerous ways.

In 2018, for example, Tufts ran a workshop with community members and staff from local municipalities on the Medford/Somerville campus to identify potential climate emergencies and create recommendations for solutions and strategies.

“Many departments and student groups at Tufts collaborate with the surrounding community to educate and support sus-

tainable action at the local level.”

The Office of Sustainability encourages sustainable commuting to our campuses and has a Bluebikes partnership available in Somerville, Cambridge, Boston, Brookline and Everett,” Reilly wrote in an email to the Daily. “Tufts Government and Community Relations offers Tufts Community Grants and other programs to support sustainability in many forms in our communities.”

Blais urged communities to come together to mitigate and prepare for the effects of climate change in urban areas.

“Cities cover less than 2% of the world’s surface, yet they are home to 55% of the world’s population and account for 70% of global emissions,” Blais said. “To change everything it takes everyone. Somerville’s success would not be possible without the support of the community.”

Victorian-era Roxbury home chosen as site of inclusive technology hub GCODE

continued from page 1 nerships and a 2018 graduate of Tufts, said.

The organization just welcomed its fourth cohort to the program. Of more than 500 applicants, only 25 were selected, according to Siber.

“There’s a lot of interest and a lot of need for a program like this,” Siber said.

The house, which will provide a home for the organization’s Intro to G{Code} program, will be remodeled in phases. This first phase, set to be completed this year, includes the refurbishment of a carriage house that sits behind the main Victorian home, according to David Supple (LA’02), an architect overseeing the redesign.

Supple said the first floor of the carriage house will resemble a classroom and the second will include residential space.

The choice to rehab and remodel a home in Roxbury for this program was a conscious one. The home is for women and nonbinary people of color, and the team wanted their organization to be a catalyst for positive change in the local community.

“Having folks surrounded by people who look like them, who have similar life experiences as them, is one factor that we considered,” Wallace said.

The team in charge of designing the Roxbury house accounted for the importance of creating a safe space for people who have may have faced discrimination and the impact their organization’s presence will have on the Roxbury community.

“The whole intention of G{Code} is placemaking and place-keeping, so concepts that not everyone is familiar with; but the idea is that we have to claim physical space in communities,

[and] build opportunities … to reinvigorate social and economic fibers in the Roxbury neighborhood,” Siber said.

Beyond being a place for the Intro to G{Code} participants to reside and study, the house is envisioned as a community hub that will host events open to the surrounding community.

“We want the G{Code} house to kind of be a symbol of the opportunity that’s available within Roxbury for everyone,” Siber said.

As G{Code} continues to remodel the Roxbury house, the organization has been running a series of fundraising campaigns. The cost of renovations will exceed millions, according to G{Code}’s website. Donations, the team said, will go toward everything from providing computers and Wi-Fi hotspots to current participants to giving out gift cards for food.

“Everything, everything counts,” Siber said.

Siber added that those who don’t have the financial means to donate can support the organization’s efforts by getting involved in other ways.

“We can always use more mentors,” Siber said. “And then, in the future, … we’re gonna have opportunities for folks to come on site and … be a part of building the space.”

Wallace said she is excited by the idea that G{Code} — and its forthcoming home — is the brainchild of three Tufts alumni, all with different backgrounds, who came together to address a community need.

“We were able to work together — and what does that mean for other Tufts alums, from different disciplines, coming together to address a social issue?” Wallace said. “I think that’s exciting, and that should be praised and talked about.”

Moore offers love, community as antidotes to inequity, individualism MLK

continued from page 1 our politics, our schools, our religious institutions. We are surrounded by the spirit of perpetual darkness.”

However, Moore also found reasons for hope in King’s sermon.

“Midnight has the presence to powerfully provoke the sublime madness of your own soul to emerge to fight against the social plundering of minoritized bodies and the limiting of human flourishing caused by the intersection of capitalism, white supremacy, culture, sexism and anti-Black racism,” Moore said.

Moore connected Dr. King’s sermon on the prevalence of social injustice to present-day inequities, including inequitable COVID-19 vaccine distribution.

“Multinational pharmaceutical companies have been able to expedite the making of multiple vaccinations,” Moore said.

“However, … those vaccines that are now saving the lives of millions and millions in this country are not made available to other countries that cannot afford it. … We have hoarded the knowledge that can save millions of lives across the world.”

Moore emphasized the importance of leaving behind radical individualism and instead embracing community.

“The only way we can ‘build back better’ our broken institutions and communities is a renewed faith in ourselves and our fellow neighbors, and that can only happen through radical community,” Moore said. “Radical community care means the creative space where we all can be vulnerable.”

Moore recalled Dr. King’s emphasis on all peoples’ inherent worthiness of love.

“I would submit to you: When was the last time that you reminded yourself that you are loved, not because of your gifts or your talents, not because of your dashing good looks and your poetic charm, not because you are a student at this prestigious university, but simply because you are you?” Moore said.

Moore concluded from King’s sermon that love needs to be embedded in institutions in order to fight systemic injustice.

“We have learned to love people and groups that fit into the right race and the right

AVA IANNUCCILLO / THE TUFTS DAILY

Goddard Chapel is photographed during snowfall. sexual orientation in the right social class,” Moore said. “We have economically and culturally plundered those that have not resembled the right shade of skin and deemed them unlovable, but justice is what love looks like in public; therefore, love must be manifested in our social policy and our educational system, our justice system and our religious institutions, even our political system.”

After Moore spoke, event attendees split into small

groups to discuss and reflect.

Moore gave concluding remarks on Dr. King’s legacy and the importance of community.

“My prayer for Tufts University is that you all continue to love each other well, that you be able to see yourself at the midnight moment,” Moore said. “I always remind people that you are liked, and you are loved, and you are divine. I think that’s important for us to know, particularly for minoritized bodies.”

tuftsdaily.com

Features

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First-years return from Tufts Civic Semester in US Southwest Executive Features Editor

​​ In the fall of 2021, Tufts conducted its second Civic Semester, where incoming students can participate in their first semester abroad or in the Southwestern United States rather than starting their college experience on Tufts’ Medford/ Somerville campus.

Civic Semester was first launched in the fall of 2019.

Jessye Crowe-Rothstein, Tufts’ first-year global programs manager, outlined some of the major changes between the program’s first Civic Semester and its fall 2021 session in an email to the Daily.

“In 2019 we were in Peru, while this year we explored a different location, right here in the US,” Crowe-Rothstein wrote.

“The program design had to shift significantly as well, from students living with host families and working in individual placements with nonprofits in Peru, to students living, and working with and learning from organizations, as a group in the [Southwest].”

This semester, first-year students accepted into the program traveled to New Mexico, Texas and Arizona, where they focused on immigrant rights, environmental sustainability and Indigenous sovereignty.

Living between Boston and Nigeria, first-year Biani Ebie has always loved traveling. It was this passion that prompted them to partake in Tufts’ Civic Semester program.

“I really like to explore and try new things,” Ebie said. “I felt like the Civic Semester was a great opportunity for that because I’d never been to New Mexico or Arizona.”

Differing from a typical firstyear dorm experience, Ebie explained that the group stayed in different houses for a month or so, Airbnb style.

The first part of the program took place in Truchas, a town in northern New Mexico near Santa Fe. Here, the group met with different organizations and learned about themes relating to immigration and indigeneity within the region.

Isaac Leib, a first-year who hails from Somerville, MA, joined the program due to both his interest in environmentalism and as a chance to get away from his hometown before returning to it for college.

Leib explained that one of the activities during the group’s time in northern New Mexico included a conversation with Dr. Christina Castro, co-founder of the Three Sisters Collective, who met with them in Santa Fe to talk about Indigenous sovereignty.

Castro spoke about the history of Santa Fe as well as major issues within the city, such as gentrification.

“Hearing her talk was not at all anything I expected from this trip in general, because it was just so personal and detailed about everything she’s experienced,” Leib said.

Wevhu Tokwe, a first-year, joined the Civic Semester program because they wanted to learn more about the influence of gender in the Southwest.

Tokwe grew up in Zimbabwe, where they witnessed instances of gender inequality and gender-based violence.

“I grew up experiencing, you know, witnessing, domestic violence. … These social predicaments, they really impacted my life,” Tokwe said. “So when I saw the program developing people to be civic leaders, I felt like … I should try it and maybe develop into a leader, maybe come back home and spread some change with regards to the social predicament that I grew up experiencing.”

Tokwe describes meeting with Dr. Castro as particularly meaningful due to her leadership skills. “[Castro’s] the best leader that I’ve seen in my life,” Tokwe said. “She would talk about [these] experiences with this energy, with this passion, … talking about the treatment of Indigenous people, how colonization incapacitates them and how the [Three Sisters Collective] is trying to create change.”

They also explained that they were impacted by the way Castro spoke about gender, noting how the organizational structure for certain Indigenous communities is more matriarchal. “[It was] quite contrary to where I come from, which is like a patriarchal society. … It made me think of gender as more of a construct,” Tokwe said.

On the environmental side, the first-year students, such as Ben Chisam, learned about food sovereignty and the long-lasting effects of the nuclear test sites in Los Alamos, NM. “There’s a modern movement globally I think, but definitely

in Northern Mexico, to reclaim food sovereignty and be able to grow traditional foods, healthy foods, to detach from the biotech industry which has sort of taken over agriculture,” Chisam, a first-year, said.

Chisam explained that learning about the intersectionality of environmental issues was particularly impactful.

“Environmental issues aren’t just something really macroscopic like climate change or … eye-grabbing like an oil spill,” Chisam said. “Environmental issues are baked into things like housing and food sovereignty and all sorts of daily aspects of life and then also they’re baked into big systems, like the carceral system, or just general processes of colonization and capitalism.”

After spending the first five weeks in Truchas, the cohort moved on to El Paso, a city whose proximity to the U.S.Mexico border shifted conversations toward immigrant rights.

Ebie explained that the group learned about the militarization of the border wall and how it has become more difficult to cross the border, taking a major toll on migrants. They explained that visiting the border wall in El Paso was an impactful experience.

“Seeing the border for the first time in El Paso was very shocking because I had never seen the border and being so close to it and being able to touch it was very surreal,” Ebie said.

The cohort met with an organization called Casa Carmelita, a shelter for transgender migrants, which is located right next to the border wall.

“Juarez on the other side [of the border], and El Paso, to a certain extent, has some of the highest rates of femicide in the world, and it’s especially bad with trans women,” Chisam said. “Casa Carmelita does a lot of different things to try and help who they can and when they can.”

After visiting El Paso, the cohort drove further into East Texas, where they spent roughly four days at Big Bend State Park.

They then went to southern New Mexico, staying a few minutes away from the Arizona border.

In Canelo, AZ, Leib recalled meeting with an organization called the Canelo Project, a homestead that emphasizes its applied education center and

COURTESY ISAAC LEIB

The 2021 Civic Semester cohort is pictured in Saguaro National Park in southern Arizona. family-centered community, according to its website.

Tokwe found this part of the trip to be quite impactful. A woman from the Canelo Project explained that her children have had successful lives without much schooling.

“It was interesting because, growing up, education has always been presented as the only way to make it in life, but … she was so philosophical,” Tokwe said. “She was saying, ‘As a child you are just like a plant, but the education system nowadays is treating people like these holes that have to be filled.’”

The cohorts themselves received an unconventional approach to schooling this semester. Although the students attended online Tufts courses, much of their learning experience came from group discussions and hands-on activities.

Chisam explained that the experience he had this semester would encourage him to learn more outside of the context of a classroom.

“For me, personally, I love learning, I love school, and it’s really easy for me to get lost in academia and lose sight of [the] stuff happening outside of the classroom,” Chisam said.

As Leib returns to campus, he is also looking for ways to inte-

grate what he learned during this semester into his life in Somerville. He described how visiting an urban farm in Tucson, AZ was particularly impactful.

“It was just this community-run farm where they grow stuff in the middle of Tucson, and they grow just like vegetables and … have feasts and community gatherings and celebrations,” Leib said. “The whole time I was thinking, I can do that in Somerville, there’s got to be somewhere to do that in Somerville.”

Ebie is also looking to get involved with organizations that are similar to those that they interacted with during the program.

“Coming back, I look forward to being part of organizations that, in some ways, have the same themes as the program,” Ebie said.

Reflecting on the semester, Tokwe mentioned that they felt they have grown in both their views on education and as a leader.

“I can’t think of a better way of coming to campus … because I now have a different way of viewing education, and I now have this skeleton of how I want to develop my leadership skills,” Tokwe said. “I formed this community. You know, I now call it family, this cohort.”

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Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Jamie Lynn Spears on ‘Call Her Daddy’ spurs conversations on feminism

by Lola Owett

Contributing Writer

“Call her daddy” — a plea to empower women in the (heteronormative) bedroom.

Having trouble with your sex life? Alexandra Cooper, host of the podcast “Call Her Daddy” (2018–), which releases episodes every Wednesday, aims to please — and to provoke. Cooper disrupts placated views of female sexuality, whether dismantling or fueling patriarchy. Call her controversial.

On Jan. 18, Cooper interviewed Jamie Lynn Spears, Britney Spears’ younger sister with whom she feuds, in a two-part series.

Throughout Britney’s 13-year conservatorship, Jamie’s actions have been widely perceived as destructive and counterproductive to the #FreeBritney movement. The movement grew from popular outrage about Britney Spears’s father’s abuse of power during the conservatorship, during which he administered drugs to her without her consent and prevented her from having more children.

The gendered violence inflicted upon Britney’s body, mind, career and legacy is neither new nor fleeting. Britney has not yet been able to fully share her experiences, yet Jamie capitalizes on Britney’s struggles through the promotion of her book. As Cooper’s most publicized contribution to #FreeBritney discourse, her decision to platform Jamie faces criticism.

“Call Her Daddy” is not new to controversy. Critics claim she prioritizes male pleasure, promotes patriarchal beauty standards and objectifies women. Before Cooper took the show to Spotify, Barstool controlled its production, bringing the controversy around its founder Dave Portnoy to Cooper and former co-host Sofia Franklyn. Now the sole host, Cooper utilizes the press coverage of the legal battle to appear feminist in her triumphs in a male-dominated industry.

She now markets the show as a space for women to explore their sexuality, relationships and femininity while centering mental health. Yet Cooper’s Jamie Lynn Spears interview discredits Britney Spears as a woman who struggles with mental health and whose father seized control over her body, family planning, voice and career. The Spears episodes are also the most downloaded in “Call Her Daddy” history.

Father Cooper — as the host invites listeners to call her — claims power in her assertion of a male role. Her listeners revere her just as they would their fathers, but she actively chooses this position of power. Lawyer and gender politics author Linda Hirshman’s term “choice feminism” neatly defines Cooper’s message: A woman is liberated if she is the one making the choices, no matter what they are. Albeit still subscribing to heteronormative gender roles, feminism is upheld when she is “daddy.”

Wednesdays are for ignoring the stark reality of patriarchy that conditions women to think they really enjoy being “daddy.”

On Jan. 21, Cooper released a mini-episode titled “Cancel Call Her Daddy” to address the Spears interview.

“It’s always like don’t give people platforms, silence them. … I think someone has a story that can be interesting and entertaining to be told even if it’s controversial, even if it makes you uneasy, that is the beauty of media,” Cooper said.

Cooper embraces controversy and asks us to step into the uneasiness of listening to stories with which we disagree. Many disagree with Jamie, and just as many disagree with “Call Her Daddy.” Does Cooper want her audience to revere her as their “daddy,” or should they question her just as many women and gender minorities aim to challenge the power cisgender men assert as their “daddies”?

Cooper fogs the feminist vision for intersectional progress, though she is a masterful ophthalmologist for the male gaze. But the criticism surrounding Cooper’s media perhaps usurps women’s power itself.

The podcast is not categorized as a political or social justice-oriented show, but rather a comedy — a form of entertainment that is often offensive in nature. “Call Her Daddy” is almost always a controversy, and maybe that’s the point.

The question becomes: Does “Call Her Daddy” need to be feminist?

COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The cover image for the podcast “Call Her Daddy” is pictured.

“Call Her Daddy” perhaps constitutes its own sect of feminism, like that of the “girlboss,” a neologism popularized by Nasty Gal founder Sophia Amoruso.

The idea of a girlboss is a woman who, rather than liberating herself from the capitalist patriarchy, decides to sit atop it. In “Call Her Daddy” feminist practice, the woman is still chained by the patriarchy, sitting atop the man who chains her.

But “Call Her Daddy’s” girlboss feminism does not entirely fail. We can never fully decenter men. After all, feminism is a reaction against male systems

of power. Feminist thought was not always mainstream, but the declawed form of feminism embodied by the girlboss helped popularize it. But we have evolved past it, and the girlboss has become an archetype: an accidental satire.

“Call Her Daddy” can feel like listening to Cooper’s internalized male gaze narrate her life, but it began as a critique of sexism.

So it goes: We critique society, and then we critique the ways that we critiqued society. So, no, “Call Her Daddy” need not be feminist, but the ways we listen to it can be.

‘Scream’ and the remake’s dilemma: legacy vs. imitation

by Miranda Feinberg Staff Writer

“What’s your favorite scary movie?” asks the iconic question from the original “Scream” (1996), which is answered by itself; the satirical horror classic has become a staple in the genre, kickstarting the popularity of meta-horror comedy. “Scream” is not just a good movie but a

COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The promotional poster for the movie “Scream” (2022) is pictured.

bloody love letter to horror as a genre. No other horror satire had hit quite the same as the first “Scream” movie and, despite the newest installment’s heavy-handed attempt, no other movie has since. “Scream” (2022), directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, is marketed as an ode to Wes Craven. While the majority of the film is genuinely fun and scary (really milking its R rating for all it’s worth), it is hard to talk about without first discussing the problem within the movie’s very core. As ironic as it sounds when talking about this movie in particular (especially within the larger franchise’s canon), this newest “Scream” remake is too focused on being its predecessor. It is obsessed with telling its audience over and over again, through visuals and dialogue and references and character names, that this movie is meta enough to contend with the original.

With the original “Scream,” the novelty of a movie referencing its own horror framework was exciting because it showed that the movie loved horror just

as much as its audience. It knew what we wanted, and it was in on the jokes. While the newest “Scream” clearly has a love for the genre, which shines through in a lot of fun gags, references and tropes, it doesn’t have that same sense of in. It is not just a meta-horror movie; it focuses sometimes too strongly on emphasizing its own meta-ness.

In “Scream,” everyone treats their situation as if they are actively living inside of a horror movie, but the whole point of the original was that real life isn’t like the movies. ‘Blaming it on the movies’ is, throughout the franchise, an excuse which covers up the gruesome crimes. This commentary on the characters’ situations has been a way for the characters to comment on trends and norms within the genre, while still acknowledging that movies are not their reality. There is a fine line to walk between reference and obsession. While within the “Scream” universe, these killings have indeed happened four previous times (and have spawned a whopping eight “Stab” movies), the film seems

to forget that these characters are living through these bloody crimes for the first time, even though it may be a murder spree inspired by past murder sprees and movies.

Furthermore, there is a lot of discussion about the modern state of horror and the pointlessness of many reboots and sequels of horror classics. These discussions tend to center on the fact that many of these horror movie remakes are produced solely for the point of further profit, not to continue the plot, so they often result in poorly construed storylines and unbelievable characters. But in “Scream,” somehow this realm of criticism becomes central to the killer’s explanation for their own spree, which doesn’t really make sense. The film is so focused on commenting on the state of horror, whether that be differentiating between the lovable “lower brow” slashers and the new trend of social commentary horror or lamenting the ruination of movies which started the audience’s love of horror, that it ends up falling into lots of pitfalls of the horror genre.

Though there are a lot of criticisms of the repetitive “Scream”-ness of “Scream,” it was a genuinely enjoyable film, with a cast of interesting and enjoyable characters, an R-rated excess of blood and violence and nods galore to past pillars of the franchise.

Jenna Ortega (Tara Carpenter) and Jack Quaid (Richie Kirsch) stood out as captivating leads, and Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding (the MeeksMartin twins) were such charismatic supporting characters.

The returning “Scream” stars were amazing, of course, and there were so many great nods to modern horror. From the names of characters ( Wes Hicks and the Carpenter sisters) to the comparison of slashers to recent movies like “The Babadook” (2014) and “Hereditary” (2018), the film was fun from start to finish and satisfying for horror fans.

Despite its heavy-handedness, the filmmakers effectively captured that love for the current state of horror and the nostalgia for past horror greats.

Tuesday, January 25, 2022 | Fun & Games | THE TUFTS DAILY

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LINDA C. BLACK ASTROLOGY

Aquarius (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) Consider opportunities. Review plans and possibilities with Mercury in Capricorn. Dreams could seem prophetic.

Enjoy introspection and meditation. Appreciate rituals, traditions and gratitude.

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Opinion

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Ukraine: What will it take for the West to react?

by Makram Bekdache Staff Writer

The fall and dismantling of the Soviet Union humiliated the newly created Russian Federation and left it in grave economic trouble. The countries that emerged from this process chose diverging paths when it came to relations with Russia.

11 of the 15 ex-USSR countries joined the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), essentially vowing to collaborate and align with Russian politics. Most importantly for Russia, this union was a political successor to the Cold War-era collective defense treaty known as the Warsaw Pact.

The ex-superpower hoped this would prevent its young neighbors from joining NATO and bringing American weaponry to their doorstep.

Ukraine was a founding member of the CIS, although it has never been an official member due to tensions with Russia. The country has been in a permanent, internal tug-of-war between a pro-EU faction largely focused in Western Ukraine asking for membership in the European Union and NATO and a pro-Russia faction concentrated in Southeastern Ukraine advocating for a return to traditional USSRera collaboration and alignment with Moscow. This divide is a legacy of the USSR — many Eastern Ukrainians are Russian speakers and became very integrated during the Soviet period, while many Western Ukrainians saw Soviet Russia as an oppressor and rejected those ties.

The conflict between the two factions came to a head in the Winter of 2013 when Russiabacked President Yanukovych suspended the ratification of an association treaty with the EU. The treaty had been negotiated over many years and approved by both Brussels and Yanukovych’s cabinet. Instead, Yanukovych chose to join the Russia-backed Eurasian Economic Union.

Protests immediately burst in Ukraine’s biggest cities, advocating for an immediate return to EU alignment rather than the continual courting of Russia.

Repression from the Yanukovych regime was brutal. Led by the Berkut special police force, a remnant of the Soviet apparatus, security forces killed almost a hundred protesters at the February climax of the movement. But the opposition held its ground and the movement known as “Euromaidan” proved successful, forcing Yanukovych to sign an agreement mediated by the EU and Russia to end the crisis. He soon fled the country with his government officials.

The EU association treaty took effect in March, and elections held in June 2014 brought the pro-Western Petro Poroshenko to power. But this wasn’t the end of the divide between pro-Western and pro-Russian supporters in Ukraine.

The Russian envoy refused to ratify the agreement at the last minute, saying it amounted to Yanukovych capitulating and accepting all of the opposition’s demands. In response, Russia promptly moved in on the

Ukrainian province of Crimea, annexing it to the Russian Federation and drawing mass international protest. Russia then supported rebels in the Donbass, a strategic region in the Ukrainian East that broke away from Kyiv due to strong pro-Russian sentiment, though Russia denies any involvement in the conflict.

Western response to these acts of aggression was swift but underwhelming. Indeed, the U.S. and EU imposed strict economic sanctions on Russia, provoking immediate inflation of the ruble, but President Vladimir Putin’s regime emerged relatively unscathed. The Ukraine crisis had turned into a very public Russian tour de force. America, under President Obama, had left the Ukrainian situation to be resolved by Europe. Russia had committed a blatant land grab, but the West judged the disputed area too small to warrant supporting a Ukrainian military operation to reclaim its territory. Since then, Ukraine has been stuck in a trench war with Russia-backed separatists, effectively losing control over the Donbass region, alongside most of its access to strategic Black Sea harbors, now host to the Russian navy.

The West has been too lenient with Russia. Economic interests still motivate western countries’ political and military actions towards Russia. Within the EU, France has called for changes in the EU’s approach to the situation, while Germany has remained conservative due

to economic benefits it accrues from relations with Russia. The Nord Stream 2, a gas pipeline that Russia’s Gazprom has been building to continue supplying Europe, terminates in Germany.

It would ensure steady revenues and critical energy supply to the European powerhouse.

Interestingly, Nord Stream 2 would supplant pipelines that currently run through Ukraine and force Russia to pay its neighbor billions in transit fees.

The new pipeline constitutes an economic threat to Ukraine and promises considerable benefits that Germany is not willing to give up.

Recently, emboldened by this ambiguous Western attitude, Russia has led a massive buildup of troops on its border with Ukraine. Western intelligence sources say 127,000 Russian soldiers are massed at the border, ready to face their Ukrainian counterparts. Russia maintains this buildup is for self-defense and that there are no plans to invade Ukraine, but Russian propaganda has been working to set the stage for such an operation for many years now. A recent cyberattack has heightened tensions, as has Belarus’ recent full realignment with Russia — signaling that a Russian attack might happen on multiple fronts, cornering a weakened Ukraine.

The country is facing an existential threat, as it might not survive a Russian assault.

President Biden’s administration signaled that it believes invasion might be imminent

but has also laid bare divisions in NATO’s desired response. No troop deployment to Ukraine is planned, whether or not Russia invades. Even as President Macron of France calls for a unified European response that would embolden “EU strategic independence” regardless of U.S. plans for action, the EU is still reluctant to act, putting Europe’s general ability to face Russia in doubt.

Russia is driven by a strongly nationalistic stance and a desire to regain its former empire. NATO must offer strategic support to Ukraine — if not directly then through mass rearmament and a constant flow of intelligence to prevent any surprise assault. If Ukraine falls, Russia will have drawn a new Iron Curtain stretching from Belarus, deep into Eastern Europe and dropping down into Syria and the Middle East, thus setting the stage for a tripartite Cold War. If the U.S. refuses to act, it risks inheriting a war on two fronts: one with Russia and its evident attempts at expansion, and one with China and its growing influence on the world stage. The U.S. cannot afford to prioritize one over the other and sacrifice allies. The EU is not united enough and still doesn’t have the strategic strength to inherit the Russian situation if U.S. efforts are concentrated on China. A unified West, led by the U.S., must now strike with force and precision to maintain dissuasive power and prevent further emboldening of its developing rivals.

S p o rts

Tuesday, January 25, 2022 | Sports | THE TUFTS DAILY

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Men's hockey beats Wesleyan, falls to Trinity HOCKEY

continued from back goalkeeper to keep the score at 1–0. The relentless pressure paid off however, and Tufts got on the scoreboard again less than a minute later. Schultze was able to scoop up a rebound and fire the puck into the top left corner of the net to double the Jumbos’ lead.

Just after the goal, Trinity began to gain momentum, and they were able to score with eight minutes remaining in the period to make the score 2–1.

Tufts goalie Josh Sarlo made an amazing glove save on a breakaway to hold off the Bantams, but just minutes later Trinity was able to tie the game 2–2.

Both goalies were busy throughout the period. Sarlo, the busier of the two, made a whopping 18 saves.

During the majority of the second period, the Jumbos found themselves pinned in their defensive zone. Multiple icing calls resulted in faceoffs in the Trinity offensive zone.

The Jumbos were able to man-

age a few chances on net, including one opportunity with 11 minutes to play in the period where first year forward Clark Bolin received a backdoor pass, but his shot went just over the crossbar.

Tufts made a few stellar defensive plays throughout the period, one of which included Hakkareinen making a fantastic diving stop to prevent a shot on goal for Trinity. Late in the period, however, Tufts had a penalty called on them that resulted in a power play for

Trinity. The Bantams capitalized and took the lead 3–2. Just minutes later another penalty was called on Tufts, and Trinity scored on the power play once more, doubling their lead.

“As we get closer to the playoff race, [we have to] kind of minimize those undisciplined penalties. … It gives us a better chance of winning the game,” Schultze said.

Trinity continued off of their momentum and finished in the third period scoring twice more to make the final score 6–2.

The Jumbos’ record now stands at 2–10–1 overall and 2–6–1 in the NESCAC. They are currently ninth in the conference. With a stretch of eight conference games coming up, the Jumbos are looking to improve their standing and make a push for the playoffs.

“It’s gonna be an uphill battle. We have some points to get on the road, but we’re ready for it,” Hakkareinen said. “We need the next eight games to be the best hockey that we play all season.”

Tufts edges out victory against Bates COMEBACK

continued from back the Jumbos to a 2–1 NESCAC record, with a 7–8 record overall on the season.

“I think this game was a culmination of all the work we’ve put in, stuff we’ve talked about and all the games we’ve played,” Aronson, a junior, said. “We knew with two minutes left, we just had to keep whittling away at the lead.

It’s huge for us to be able to finish games like that.”

The Jumbos battled with Bates throughout the first half, never gaining a lead but never trailing by more than 8, going into halftime down 31–26. Led by Rogers and a pair of buckets from junior guard Theo Henry, the Jumbos secured their first lead of the night at 40–37, just after halftime.

From there, it was an endto-end game, with Rogers and

Thoerner trading baskets with Bates guard Stephon Baxter and forward Jacob Iwowo. The Tufts defense held Baxter to 13 points on 5–16 shooting from the field, well off his Bobcat-leading 21.2 points per game average and 44% field goal percentage.

After a few tight losses earlier in the season plus a majority of blowout wins, winning this game feels like a major turning point for the Jumbos.

“It definitely boosts our team morale,” Aronson said. “It’s big wins like these that we’re putting all the work in for.”

The Jumbos offense has been rolling as of late, winning their last three games. They return home and will need to keep the momentum going in their next matchup against the high-performing, 15–2 (3–0) Wesleyan University Cardinals.

NICOLE GARAY / THE TUFTS DAILY

Senior Eric Savage goes for a layup at the NESCAC championship game against Colby in Cousens Gym on March 1, 2020.

Women’s basketball recovers from Amherst loss NJ CITY

continued from back The Jumbos scored nine unanswered points at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but New Jersey City kept things close and responded with nine unanswered points of their own.

Alibrandi put the Jumbos ahead with two free throws, and sophomore guard Callie O’Brien added a free throw to secure the win. The Jumbos were led by Alibrandi, who scored a gamehigh 21 points, and senior guard Molly Ryan with 19 points.

Alibrandi reflected on the importance of being able to play an out-of-conference team so soon after the loss against Amherst.

“It was great to have the opportunity to play another game so soon afterwards. NESCAC competition is intense and the game-to-game turnarounds are quick,” Alibrandi said. “Playing New Jersey City on Monday night after a full weekend was an excel-

lent way to prepare us for both the physical and mental endurance that it takes to compete in back-to-back games against our NESCAC opponents.”

The Jumbos had another chance at home against a NESCAC opponent on Saturday, defeating Bates 63–52. The teams were tied 16–16 at the end of the first quarter, but once the second quarter began, Tufts built up a lead that they would not give up.

Tufts was up 33–23 at the half with sophomore forward Maggie Russell scoring 12 of Tufts’ points. Bates kept things close in the third quarter, but in the final quarter, Tufts built a lead to prevent Bates from mounting a comeback. Russell led Tufts with 23 points and 16 rebounds in the game, while Ryan had 18 points and nine rebounds.

Tufts now has a record of 13–2 overall and 3–1 in NESCAC play, and is set to play Bowdoin at home on Friday.

COURTESY JARED MARSHALL

The Tufts women’s basketball team defeated UMass Dartmouth 76-59 on Dec. 4, 2021.

TRASHING ONE EGG WASTES 55 GALLONS OF WATER

8 TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2022

Sports

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Men’s hockey beats Wesleyan in overtime

by Arielle Weinstein

Assistant Sports Editor

Tufts men’s ice hockey defeated Wesleyan and lost to Trinity over the weekend. Entering the games, the Jumbos had an overall record of 1–9–1 and a NESCAC record of 1–5–1. Tufts was looking to improve their positioning in the standings as they entered a stretch of in-conference games.

The Friday game was the second contest of the season between the Tufts Jumbos and the Wesleyan Cardinals. In their previous meeting at the beginning of the season, the two teams tied 3–3 in overtime. The Cardinals’ overall record entering the game stood at 5–5–2, while their conference record was 4–2–2.

The first period started out with both teams very evenly matched, and the game looked like it was going to be a more defensive contest. Despite a few chances to score for each side, both goalies were able to keep the opposing teams out of their respective nets. Senior goalkeeper Josh Sarlo made 13 saves in the period as the Cardinals outshot the Jumbos 26–13.

The action picked up in the second period however, as the Cardinals got on the scoreboard less than five minutes in on a deflected shot that found its way into the back of the Tufts net. The Jumbos quickly responded just four minutes later and evened the score on a wraparound goal by senior forward Brendan Skarda.

Wesleyan outshot Tufts again in the second period, 22–15, but the score stayed tied at 1–1 heading into the third period.

Tufts picked up momentum in the third period and eight minutes in, they were able to score

Tufts junior Brendan Ryan brings the puck forward in the ice hockey home game at Valley Forum against Wesleyan on Jan. 20, 2018. on a power play. Senior forward Justin Brandt sent an excellent pass to senior defenseman Tom Tresca to put the Jumbos in the lead 2–1. The lead didn’t last long, as it took the Cardinals just a minute and a half to tie the game once again by collecting a loose puck in front of the net and slotting it home. Neither team scored for the rest of the period, and the game went into overtime.

The overtime period consisted of 3-on-3 play, and it didn’t take long for Tufts to put the finishing touches on the match.

Just one minute into the period, sophomore defender Cam

Men’s basketball defeats Bates 71–70 in frantic comeback win

by David Cooperman Sports Editor

Unable to take a lead in the first half against the Bates Bobcats, Tufts went full throttle until the final buzzer. Thanks to junior guard Dylan Thoerner’s layup with ten seconds left on the clock and 55 combined points from Thoerner and senior big man Luke Rogers, the final scoreboard sounded with a 71–70 Jumbos win.

With two minutes left to go and Tufts facing a 70–63 deficit coach Brandon Linton turned to his star big man, who tossed in a soft hook shot. Rogers then made a great defensive play, getting his fingertips on a Bates 3-point attempt and directing it to Thoerner, who found Rogers for a dunk at the other end.

Rogers continued to do it all, taking a charge on the following Bates possession to give the Jumbos a chance to tie. Instead, Thoerner hit a pair of free throws to cut the lead to one.

“Luke is … our quarterback at the defensive end, our back line,” guard Tyler Aronson said, “It’s huge having him back.”

Rogers had 32 points and 15 rebounds in his monster effort, also hitting only the second 3-pointer of his career at a critical juncture midway through the second half.

The Bobcat scoring drought continued as guard Simon McCormick missed a 3-pointer, setting the stage for Thoerner’s eventual game-winning finish.

Thoerner’s lay-in gave him 23 points on the night and pushed see COMEBACK, page 7

Newton received a pass from sophomore forward Andrew Maynard and made a nifty move around a defender to shoot the puck into the back of the Cardinals’ net and end the game with a Jumbos win.

“I think we came in there really focused and ready to play,” senior captain Nick Schultze said. “I thought that was the best 60 minutes that we’ve played.”

Riding off of the high from the overtime win the previous afternoon, Tufts entered Saturday’s game against Trinity with vigor and energy. The Trinity Bantams are one of the better teams the

Jumbos have faced this season, losing to them in the previous matchup 6–4. The Bantams were 7–6 overall and 6–4 in the conference. The Jumbos knew that they had a difficult task ahead of them.

“We knew we had to jump on them early, and we did. We really just tried to stick with that lead,” first year forward Sami Hakkareinen said.

Early in the first period, Tufts did a great job of putting pressure on Trinity and keeping the puck in their offensive zone. They were able to fire multiple shots on goal that

BEN KIM / THE TUFTS DAILY

were saved by the Trinity goalie in the first few minutes. With 14 minutes left in the period, a Trinity defenseman lost his footing and Tufts was able to capitalize, sending a pass to the far post where first year forward Tyler Sedlak was waiting to put it away and put the Jumbos up 1–0.

The Jumbos didn’t relinquish any pressure on the Bantams, getting a 2–on–1 breakaway ten minutes in, which resulted in a great shot by Skarda. It took an amazing save by the Trinity see HOCKEY, page 7

Women’s basketball beats New Jersey City and Bates

by Emma Joyce Sports Editor

Even though the spring semester has just begun, the Tufts women’s basketball team and its season is already in full swing. On Saturday, Jan. 15, the Tufts Jumbos hosted the Amherst Mammoths for their third NESCAC conference matchup of the season, where they ultimately fell short 62–53.

Tufts had another opportunity to compete at home on Monday, Jan. 17, where they came out on top with a 65–61 win against New Jersey City University. Most recently, the Jumbos defeated the Bates Bobcats at home by a score of 63–52 on Saturday.

Tufts’ matchup against Amherst was a close-fought game. At the end of the first quarter, the Jumbos went on a 7–0 run, but the Mammoths kept it close and went into the

second quarter with a two-point lead. Tufts found their groove in the second quarter, scoring 21 points compared to Amherst’s 10, entering the second half with a 31–22 lead.

In the third quarter, the Jumbos and the Mammoths went back and forth trading baskets, but Tufts maintained their lead by scoring 13 points in the quarter. Tufts was led by graduate student forward Angela Alibrandi, who accounted for 7 of the 13 points for the Jumbos in the quarter and finished with 16 points.

Amherst, who was down nine points going into the final quarter, came back to score 27 points to give the Mammoths the win. In the latest D3hoops. com poll, Amherst is ranked seventh nationally, while Tufts sits at 10th.

“It’s hard to lose to Amherst; they’re historically one of our

biggest rivals and competitors both within the NESCAC league and on the national level,” Alibrandi said. “While it ultimately wasn’t the outcome we wanted, we had some great plays and a lot of our teammates stepped up when we needed them most.”

On Monday, Jan. 17, Tufts played in another close matchup against out-of-conference opponent New Jersey City, but pulled away with the win. The visiting Gothic Knights had a two-point lead at half and started off the third quarter ahead by seven points, but Tufts responded by going on a 11–3 run.

After Tufts graduate student Erin Poindexter McHan hit a 3-pointer near the end of the third quarter, the Jumbos would maintain their lead for the rest of the game. see NJ CITY, page 7