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T HE T UFTS DAILY VOLUME LXXXIV, ISSUE 12

Thursday, December 1, 2022

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS.

UNIVERSITY

University President-elect Sunil Kumar tours campuses, speaks to students

by Madeline Wilson Deputy News Editor

Originally published Nov. 21 Tufts announced on Nov. 17 that Sunil Kumar will be the 14th president of Tufts. Kumar will succeed current University President Anthony Monaco, who has held the office for 12 years, beginning in July 2023. Kumar was welcomed to Tufts’ campuses on Thursday and Friday to celebrate the announcement and meet members of the community.

Kumar is currently the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Johns Hopkins University and has previously served on the faculty

of the University of Chicago and Stanford University. Kumar will be the first president of color at Tufts.

At an event on the Tufts Medford/Somerville campus on Thursday, students, faculty, administrators and other members of the Tufts community had an opportunity to meet Kumar in person. Peter Dolan (A’78, A’08P), chairman of the Board of Trustees and chair of the Presidential Search Committee, introduced Kumar and spoke on the committee’s reason for choosing him as president-elect.

“His leadership capabilities truly stand out,” Dolan said. “One of his references called him a ‘dazzling academic leader.’ He’s very analytical

and thoughtful, and that plays over into his problem-solving approach. He is certainly a creative problem-solver who is able to synthesize lots of information…and apply it to whatever problem or issue or challenges he faces.”

Kumar’s research background is in engineering and operations management, and Dolan remarked that Kumar’s interests span disciplines. In an interview with the Daily, Kumar discussed his approach to leadership in higher education and what makes the world of academia so special to him.

“I do bring a very analytical approach to university see PRESIDENT, page 2

UNIVERSITY

Friedman School awarded $6.6 million NIH grant for Mississippibased nutrition research

by Katie Spiropoulos Contributing Writer

The Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts received a $6.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to research community-based nutrition programs in the Mississippi Delta area. The project seeks to bolster local produce consumption and production.

Christina Economos, dean ad interim of the Friedman School of Nutrition Policy and Science, discussed the school’s approach to their research and first steps.

“The model that we’re using is a community engagement model, which is really important when you work in communities, to involve them in every step in the research process,” Economos said. “That includes beginning with a year of formative research, to hear their voices [and] understand their concerns and their lived experience and really design an intervention that will be effective for the particular population.”

The Friedman School will conduct research through partnerships with the Delta Health Center and Tougaloo College, a historically Black college in Jackson, Miss.

“There are nine of these health center locations within the Delta,” Economos wrote in a follow-up email to the Daily. “Our partners at Tougaloo are faculty members who will be working with us at

Tufts to design, implement and evaluate the intervention.”

The Mississippi Delta area has some of the highest diabetes and obesity rates in the United States, and 77% of the region is classified by the federal government as a food desert. The research intends to foster nutritional education and also increase consumption see NUTRITION, page 3

QUAN TRAN / THE TUFTS DAILY

Tufts’ Friedman School of Nutrition is pictured on Nov. 19.

COURTESY ALONSO NICHOLS

University President-elect Sunil Kumar is pictured visiting a class at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts on Nov. 18.

UNIVERSITY

Tufts prepares for various outcomes in Supreme Court affirmative action case

by Aditya Acharya News Editor

Originally published Nov. 30 On Monday, Oct. 31, the Supreme Court heard arguments about whether the race of applicants should be considered during the college admission process. These cases were raised against Harvard College and the University of North Carolina.

The conservative supermajority on the Court seems prepared to overrule the landmark precedent from Grutter v. Bollinger, the 2003 case that made affirmative action policies in college admissions legal.

Hours after the Supreme Court heard arguments in both Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. Presidents and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. University of North Carolina, University President Anthony Monaco

released a statement reminding readers that Tufts signed an amicus curiae brief, a legal document filed by a party that has a strong interest in the outcome of a court case, regarding the role of affirmative action policies in admissions practices.

“Tufts University recently joined several institutions of higher education in submitting an amicus curiae brief in support of Harvard and UNC, and the use of a holistic, individualized college admissions process that considers many factors, including race,” Monaco wrote in the statement.

Monaco also expressed support for the consideration of diversity in admissions practices, mentioning Tufts as an example of an institution that benefits from a diverse student, faculty and staff body.

“As research, and our own institutional experience affirms, see COURT, page 3

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Contact Us P.O. Box 53018, Medford, MA 02155

Students call for free laundry, laundry assistance programs News Editor

Ty Blitstein Abigail Vixama

Jack Clohisy RaiAnn Bu Henry Chandonnet Ellie Lester Siavash Raissi Carl Svahn Emmy Wenstrup Blake Anderson Alexis Enderle Odessa Gaines Ryan Fairfield Nate Hall Reya Kumar Daniel Chung Idil Kolabas Gian Luca Di Lenardo Henry Murray Kristin Shiuey

UNIVERSITY

by Ella Kamm

Managing Editors

Please rec ycle this newspaper!

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The Tufts chapter of Young Democratic Socialists of America has created a petition calling on the university to provide free use of laundry machines in all residential halls. They join groups like the Tufts Community Union Senate in considering how laundry costs act as a barrier to equity, though their proposed solutions differ.

“Tufts professes to be anti-racist and equitable, but charging money for laundry disproportionately burdens low-income students, who are disproportionately students of color,” Tufts YDSA wrote in an open letter to University President Anthony Monaco. “This is just another way Tufts contributes to systems that widen wealth gaps and increase the cost of living for students of color and low-income students.”

The use of washers and dryers in residential halls costs $1.50 per cycle, paid through the school’s JumboCash system. Currently, a single load of laundry costs a minimum of $3.00, though due to additional drying fees, many students pay more than that to wash their clothes.

“I think it’s important because those small charges add up, especially when you routinely have to pay extra for drying,” First-year TCU Senator Ayomide Oloyede wrote in an email to the Daily.

“After all, the 60 minutes allotted often does not fully dry your clothes. Additionally, the volume capacity of the dryers often forces you to do multiple loads.”

As the representative of the FIRST community, Oloyede said he is focusing his efforts on pro-

viding low-income students with assistance.

“I believe that laundry is not a burden or obstacle for most students on campus,” he wrote.

“At most, it is a mild annoyance.

What I mean by that is that most students on campus can comfortably afford the laundry costs, whereas it is more of an obstacle for many low-income students.”

While Oloyede and the TCU Senate are not the first to take up this issue, senators have made laundry assistance more of a priority compared to years past.

“This has been a goal for TCU Senate long since before I was in office; however, it requires institutional support and a dedicated funding stream to have longevity,” Oloyede wrote. “I would venture to say that we have made the most progress, arguably, in this semester than in previous years.”

Tufts YDSA has a more ambitious goal: to get Tufts to eliminate the costs associated with doing laundry in residence halls altogether. They cite free laundry machine access at similar collegiate institutions as a way to put pressure on the university to make the change.

“Tufts is one of the most expensive private universities in the country. We already pay around 9000 dollars in residential costs, and laundry is not included in this,” Neelan Martin, chair of Tufts YDSA, wrote in an email to the Daily. “When we started researching this, we found that top universities across the country, such as Columbia and Stanford, have free laundry programs.”

Oloyede worries that the cost of universally free laundry would simply be passed onto students in a different way.

“I would love to be wrong, and I think that it’s fantastic that students are working towards that; I have just taken a different approach, and I’m aiming for a slightly different end goal,” Oloyede wrote.

Tufts YDSA argues that free laundry machine access could be paid for by the university’s fast-growing $2.7 billion endowment.

“Tufts University is well positioned to be a leader in this field,” Tufts YDSA wrote in the letter.

“Tufts’ endowment grew massively over the past two years (increasing by $750 million in fiscal year 2021 alone), and we have had more applicants and admitted students than ever before.”

The administration says that calls for lower laundry costs will be reviewed in the coming months.

“The issue of access to and affordability of laundry services in Tufts residence halls has been raised previously by members

of the TCU Senate, and representatives of a number of offices will be meeting with them in December to discuss their concerns and ideas,” Patrick Collins, Tufts’ executive director of media relations, wrote in an email to the Daily. “Separately, the president’s office received the Tufts YDSA petition and will direct it to the appropriate parties for review.”

Martin said that Tufts YDSA hopes to circulate its petition as widely as possible but that this is not where their efforts end.

“We want to show the administration that this is an issue that students care about,” Martin said. “Hopefully, they will listen to the petition and will work to make laundry free. But, if they do not, we have some ideas on how to prove to the administration that making laundry free is important to the students. Tufts YDSA is very committed to this issue, and the petition is only the beginning of our work.”

The Hill Hall laundry room is pictured on Nov. 16.

DAVID KIM / THE TUFTS DAILY

Kumar aspires to foster diverse, inclusive environment PRESIDENT

continued from page 1 leadership,” Kumar said in an interview with the Daily. “My experience as an academic has taught me to realize how special the academic enterprise is.

This is the world where people get to follow their curiosity … prepare future leaders, but also change society. It’s a great privilege that we all have within the walls of the academy. In that sense, as a professor, I came to understand that privilege very early on, and I see that as a true strength of the university that we should foster.”

In his address to the Tufts community at the event, Kumar expressed his excitement at receiving the opportunity to lead Tufts and named a few reasons why he is looking forward to taking on the position.

“There’s a lot to love and admire about Tufts,” Kumar said.

“The emphasis on students; the outstanding undergraduate program and the emphasis on producing engaged citizens. The emphasis on people in general. The unique constellation of

schools and … a firm belief that they indeed … are the light on the hill.”

In his speech, Kumar also discussed some of the ways in which he plans to continue and change Monaco’s legacy, noting that he has left “large shoes to fill.” In particular, Kumar emphasized that creating a diverse and inclusive environment will be a top priority in his work as president.

“I see my role as continuing to ensure that Tufts delivers on its responsibility with even more impact and momentum — that it is indeed the light on the hill — by making its education more affordable to educate an even more diverse and deserving set of future leaders, benefitting all parts of society through impactful research on key challenges, especially on challenges that are understudied, despite their importance,” Kumar said.

In his previous work at Johns Hopkins, Kumar spearheaded a number of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice initiatives that helped to bring underrepresented voices to fields in aca-

demia. These include the Vivien Thomas Scholars Initiative, which works to increase Ph.D. student diversity at Johns Hopkins.

“The university is best served by having a very diverse and inclusive climate,” Kumar told the Daily. “I see that as an important value, and it is because people have been inclusive that I have made it to this point as well.”

Students at Thursday’s event expressed their excitement about the announcement of the new president and noted that they are feeling good about the university’s choice.

“I think he’s definitely qualified,” first-year Julian Kelly said. “[It] just makes me feel very comfortable with him coming in and replacing someone who’s been here for such a long time.”

Kelly and fellow first-year Piper Lange discussed issues they hope Kumar will address in his upcoming position as President. Kelly noted that he would like Kumar to divest the remaining money that Tufts

has invested in the fossil fuel industry. Lange stated that she was curious how Kumar would handle Tufts resident assistants’ recent move to unionize.

In his address, Kumar said he hopes to build relationships with Tufts community members across campuses and fields and that he hopes his personal values will drive his decisions as he steps into the role of president.

“It’s always about the people,” Kumar said. “You should lead with your values. You should never lose sight of the mission of education, research and practice. And most importantly, you should never stop taking delight in the achievements of the people around you.”

Until July, Kumar plans to spend as much time as possible on campus, engaging with students and community members and immersing himself in Tufts’ unique culture.

“There’s no substitute for walking the halls,” Kumar said to the Daily. “Being on campus every day — it’s such a wonderful place. It’s almost magic.”

News

Thursday, December 1, 2022 | News | THE TUFTS DAILY

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Friedman School receives NIH grant NUTRITION

continued from page 1 of food and vegetables.

Robin Boyles, chief program planning development officer at Delta Health Center, explained the center’s role in this initiative.

“We will be recruiting the patients … something like 1,500 of our patients have a diabetic diagnosis,” Boyles said. “Tufts University will be doing the research behind it and collecting the data.”

Boyles commented on practical applications of the research.

“This will be a great benefit to many of our patients, espe-

cially being able to get boxes every week of fresh fruits and vegetables,” Boyles said. “If you’re someone that lives 20 miles from a grocery store … then you may be able to get to the grocery store once a month [and] fresh fruits or vegetables aren’t going to last too long.”

Temika Simmons, chief public relations officer at Delta Health Center, discussed the importance of open communication and education with the public in a community-based study.

“Even though we live in some very starkly impoverished areas, people still have a great sense of pride in what

they do,” Simmons said. “No one wants to be plagued with feeling like … they’re underprivileged or that they are without medical care.”

The Delta Health Center provides a wide range of health and wellness services to residents of Mississippi, including teaching patients to “advocate for their own health,” according to Simmons. Simmons emphasized the impact that the grant will have on their operations.

“Part of our education is not just letting people know what our services are, but rather [seeing us] as a tool to manage better health,” she said. “[The grant] allows us to have

a unique partnership to deepen that work in terms of education [and] in terms of outreach.”

Economos explained that this research relates to the “Food is Medicine” movement, which medically tailors diet plans to aid in combating illnesses.

“What’s really different about this is it’s a five-year study, and during the first phase, we will work to understand the community, the participants and their lived experience and what they might want in terms of an intervention,” Economos wrote.

Unlike other Food is Medicine projects where the “produce [could be] grown

1,000 miles away and available in a retail environment,” Economos noted that “the goal of this project is to scale up local production and utilize locally grown produce in the food is medicine intervention.”

Boyles expressed her excitement about working with Tufts and Tougaloo College in this initiative.

“We’re really looking forward to rekindling this relationship that we have had before with Tufts,” she said. “We really think it’s going to have … a very positive impact on many of our patients who are low-income and lack access to fresh fruits and vegetables.”

Tufts reiterates support for affirmative action policies COURT

continued from page 1 diversity, in all its forms, drives institutional excellence,” Monaco wrote. “I firmly believe that one of the most distinctive attributes of a Tufts education is the variety of backgrounds and perspectives that our students, faculty, and staff bring to campus that enrich the educational experience.”

James Glaser, professor of political science and dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, predicts that the Supreme Court case will impact the university’s admissions practices, although the extent of this change is unknown as of now.

“It’s hard to know exactly what will come from the Supreme Court later this term,” Glaser wrote in an email to the Daily. “It’s likely that the Court will compel changes to university admissions practices. We don’t know how broad the decision will be, however.”

Glaser affirmed that the Tufts admissions office is proactively considering necessary modifications to their practices since the court decisions are expected to influence admissions outcomes for the Class of 2027.

Mary Jeka, senior vice president and general counsel of the University Relations division, noted that Tufts is preparing for various outcomes of the two admissions court cases.

“The Tufts Office of University Counsel has been carefully watching the SFFA v.

Harvard and SFFA v. UNC cases and are preparing for potential outcomes,” Jeka wrote in an email to the Daily. “We were pleased that Tufts was able to participate in the filing of an amicus brief which well-articulated the long-standing precedent in support of and many of the mission critical reasons for diversity on campuses across the country.”

Glaser anticipates that, while the Supreme Court cases will have great influence over university and college admissions practices, Tufts will continue to value and strive for diversity in admissions.

“Affirmative action has been an important vehicle for assuring diversity in our classes,” Glaser wrote. “That diversity is important to this and to many other universities. We may well have to change some of our admissions process, but Tufts’

The Tufts admissions office is pictured on Nov. 28. commitment to diversity will certainly continue.”

Patrick Collins, executive director of media relations at Tufts, emphasized the university’s commitment to diversity despite the uncertainty regarding the outcomes of the cases.

“We won’t know the court’s ruling until next year, but we are

taking steps in the interim to consider our options depending on a number of scenarios,” Collins wrote in an email to the Daily. “Regardless of the outcome, President Monaco has emphatically stated that the university will continue to be committed to diversity in all its forms.”

DAVID KIM / THE TUFTS DAILY

Collins, like Monaco and Glaser, highlighted the importance of diversity to the quality and impact of a Tufts education.

“We believe that the variety of backgrounds and perspectives on our campuses is one of the attributes that make a Tufts education distinctive and transformative,” Collins wrote.

In Photos: meira performs in Tufts Daily Newsroom Concert Series

4 Thursday, December 1, 2022

Features

tuftsdaily.com

College mental health crisis, Part 2: Power in peers

by Kendall Roberts Features Editor

Originally published Nov. 29.

The COVID-19 pandemic has left enduring effects on the mental health of college students across the country, with one in five young Americans reporting that the pandemic has had a significant negative impact on their overall mental health. In response to the negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tufts looks to student organizations and peer educators to help promote student mental health on campus and to aid students in their transition back to in-person activities and classes.

Peer education is an approach that relies on peers who receive special training and education in order to promote positive change in its members.

The concept of peer education was first founded at the University of Florida in order to help prevent alcohol abuse on college campuses. Since then, peer education has expanded to focus on other sensitive topics, such as sexual assault prevention, safety and mental health.

According to Erica Schonman, the Tufts Counseling and Mental Health Services mental health promotion specialist, CMHS recognizes the important role that peers can play in communicating health messages towards other students.

“Students can just communicate in a way that sometimes staff can’t,” Schonman said. “A message coming from a friend is going to sound really different than a message that’s coming from a staff person, and so I think we all really understand the value here that they bring.”

Schonman’s role is to support the mission of CMHS in promoting student mental health through non-clinical work and outreach to students.

Some of the organizations that Schonman helps to oversee include the Mental Health Reps, Project Connect and Active Minds.

The Mental Health Reps are a group of students who work directly with CMHS staff in order to advocate for mental health support, reduce stigma and promote the emotional wellbeing of Tufts students.

There are currently nine Mental Health Reps, including junior Rebecca Quaye who was one of the first members to join the program in fall 2021.

Quaye decided to join the Mental Health Reps because of her passion for mental health, especially when she noticed how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the emotional well-being of her peers. She also wanted to be a resource for fellow Black

COURTESY ERICA SCHONMAN, THESEUS LIM, REBECCA QUAYE, GRACE JUNG AND ZAIMARIE VELA-SANTANA

Erica Schonman, Theseus Lim, Rebecca Quaye, Grace Jung and Zaimarie Vela-Santana are pictured. students in the Tufts community.

“I came into sophomore year kind of wanting to make sure that we all had access to the resources that CMHS gives,” Quaye said. “I think that especially for me, my goal was definitely to advocate for the Black students on campus, and how I can help inform them about the things that CMHS offers and also, just create events where our mental health is being accommodated for.”

The Mental Health Reps meet weekly for two hours to design and develop their own programming. According to Schonman, they also invite guest speakers to present on public health topics and careers in order to inform their outreach.

The Mental Health Rep splits into different committees based on the interests of its club members. The three committees for this year include managing academic stress, collaborating with the Division of Student Diversity and Inclusion and navigating mental health journeys.

Quaye is currently working on the DSDI committee. Last spring, she helped in leading a workshop titled Reshaping the Narrative on Black Mental Health on March 3. Alongside CMHS Graduate Student Clinician Kalo Sokoto, Quaye led a conversation on Black joy, campus resources and imposter syndrome of Black students at Tufts. Quaye explained that she found putting together this workshop to be a really rewarding experience.

“I’m glad it was as successful as it was,” Quaye said. “I hadn’t seen a student-run event for Black students about

mental health so that was very important to me.”

Grace Jung is another Mental Health Rep who just joined the program this fall.

Jung appreciates the diversity of backgrounds, majors and experiences that each Mental Health Rep contributes to the organization.

“It’s a great group,” Jung said. “I probably would have never met any of them if it wasn’t for the Mental Health Reps. So, because we come from so many different parts of the Tufts community, we have so many ideas. It’s just a great experience being [in] a room of just people who want to promote mental health [at] Tufts.”

Jung is currently working on the academic stress management committee. Jung explained that the committee is developing a new project for professors to show their support in promoting student mental health.

“What we want to do is build a poster … that just signifies that this professor will be a safe space to talk about mental health, things like anxiety about tests or depression,” Jung said.

The Mental Health Reps also helps Tufts CMHS in leading workshops to present to clubs or other organizations on campus. Some of the topics these workshops cover are stress management, helping a friend who may be struggling with mental health or the consequences of toxic positivity.

Jung hopes that the Mental Health Reps can continue to build their presence on campus and that more clubs and groups utilize their available workshops.

Another peer-led group on campus is Project Connect, which seeks to build social connections and foster communities among Tufts undergraduate and graduate students. Project Connect is led by facilitators who help lead conversations with four to six peers over the course of six sessions.

Junior Theseus Lim, one of the facilitators of Project Connect, explained he was interested in joining this program after experiencing his first year of college during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I didn’t get to meet that many people my freshman year,” Lim said. “And I was like, ‘Oh, this seems like a good way to do it.’ I’ve just kept doing it because I’ve had really good experiences getting to know people.”

Senior Zaimarie VelaSantana, Lim’s co-facilitator, explained that she was inspired to get involved with Project Connect to find a sense of community for both herself and others.

“I think as someone who spent the last few years as a child development major learning a lot about the importance of community and wellbeing, …

I just was very interested by the concept of Project Connect,” Vela-Santana said. “[I] thought that being a part of it would be a really good way of not only helping myself find a community, but also helping others find that sense of community on campus.”

The facilitators of Project Connect are trained in moderating conversation flow and group dynamics, as well as have weekly meetings. Lim explains that

CMHS provides facilitators with a set list of questions and that Project Connect offers a casual space to interact with like-minded students.

Vela-Santana appreciates how Project Connect introduced her to other students and how important social interactions are during college.

“I think having those interactions with peers is important because college can be a pretty isolating experience for many people,” Vela-Santana said. “So I think having intentional spaces like Project Connect where you can get a little reminder each week that there are people who are genuinely curious about your day or want to have deep conversations can really make a difference.”

According to Schonman, Project Connect plays an important role in building a community at Tufts for students.

“We know that having strong connections and a sense of community on campus are very important protective factors against things like self harm and death by suicide so programming like [Project Connect] can enhance connections,” Schonman said.

Lim has enjoyed his three semesters of being a Project Connect facilitator, and hewould like to see the program expand to include a more diverse set of participants, including more students in STEM-related fields, as well as see participants use their experiences beyond Project Connect.

“I just hope that after it’s over, people will continue to have these kinds of conversations with not only the people who are in their group, but other people that they meet in the future,” Lim said.

Peer education groups give students the opportunity to engage in conversations about important and sensitive topics.

Jung explains that while peer-led programming is not group therapy, it can still help reduce stigma surrounding mental health on Tufts campuses.

“I definitely think there is still a stigma surrounding mental health, but the fact that we even have such a group of Mental Health Reps, I think shows that we’re taking a good step into fostering more conversations … and just being more aware about [how] mental health is a part of everyone’s health,” Jung said.

Schonman sees great value in peer education, and loves that her job allows her to develop programming and outreach with dedicated students who are passionate about mental health.

“I think there’s a huge benefit to working with students,” Schonman said. “[They] will know the student experience better than I can ever hope to, and so there’s a lot of value in working directly with students to support other students.”

F e at u r e s

Thursday, December 1, 2022 | Features | THE TUFTS DAILY

TEMS: Getting to know Tufts’ first responders

5

Elizabeth Foster Liz in London

An anticlimactic milestone

D COURTESY ERIC GRIN

Tufts EMTs are pictured in front of Ballou Hall.

by Sophie Axelrod Contributing Writer

Originally published Nov. 30.

Tufts Emergency Medical Services is known as TEMS on Tufts’ Medford/ Somerville campus. TEMS works to help provide medical care for Tufts students. It is completely student-run, with oversight and supervision from Captain Mark Roche of Tufts University Police Department and Dr. Stacey Sperling of Tufts University Health Service.

TEMS’ operations, training and finance, among other things, are managed by an elected board of eight directors. Members of TEMS work with TUPD, and the organization is funded by the department, operating under its authority.

Every member of TEMS is EMT-B certified in the state of Massachusetts, which allows them to respond to emergency calls to provide efficient and immediate care to the critically ill and injured and perform basic life support functions. TEMS offers assistance for a wide range of support for students at Tufts, responsible for any emergency on campus including mental health related crises and allergic reactions. There are 37 students currently serving in the organization.

Eric Grin, a senior studying biochemistry, is the current executive director for TEMS. He also has experience with other private EMT services, using his TEMS experience to help his community.

“I really didn’t know much about EMS going into college, but I got my license my freshman fall, and I’ve been working ever since and fell in love with the field pretty quickly,” Grin said.

After joining TEMS his freshman spring, Grin has worked his way up to the role of executive director. In the meantime, he has also worked as a teaching assistant for the Tufts EMT certification course.

This academic year, he is balancing courses with TEMS shifts and multiple other jobs, including a position in a research lab, residential assistant and teaching assistant for Biochemistry II. Despite his many responsibilities, Grin finds the time to be a part of TEMS because he finds value in the work.

“There are weeks we’re doing a lot, there are weeks we’re doing a little less,” Grin said.

“But you know, if your heart’s in the right place, and you really care about something, I think you can always make time for the things that matter.”

Calling the Tufts emergency line (617627-6911) may be more efficient than calling 911, as the call will go straight to the

TEMS and TUPD team based on the ground floor of Dowling Hall. Since it is a Tuftsspecific resource located on campus, TEMS is often dispatched more quickly than the local Medford or Somerville police. 911 calls from Tufts would be picked up by Medford or Somerville police, or a remote fire center.

It just may be more circuitous because the call goes through the town system before eventually reaching the TEMS dispatch.

“Ultimately people should call whatever is going to be fastest for them if it’s a real emergency. We obviously urge people to try and call that Tufts emergency number,” Grin said. “But if for whatever reason, if they are in a massive rush and they just need to do the first thing that comes to mind, they call 911. That’s going to get them the same resources and … we’ll be there [regardless].”

Members of TEMS will take on 10-hour day shifts or 14-hour night shifts depending on what works best for their individual schedules. A night shift typically lasts from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 a.m., and a day shift lasts 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

During shifts, TEMS workers are on call wearing their uniform and with a radio.

When the radio goes off, they respond to the call as promptly as possible. Most members will typically pick up two or three shifts a week.

According to senior Tufts EMT Matt Karofsky, the number of people covering each shift generally ranges from two to four. “[The shift workers are] always composed of a more senior member and someone who is a bit newer to the organization and is seeing how it works,” Karofsky said.

Karofsky has been a member of TEMS since the spring semester of his freshman year. He plans to start medical school this upcoming summer, and during his time at Tufts has enjoyed giving back to his community by providing essential care to his peers.

When in physical or emotional need, Tufts students can call TEMS to receive mental and physical health support. While there can be reluctance to call 911, Karofksy has witnessed his classmates support each other when they are the most vulnerable.

“I feel like there can be a stigma, sometimes, [around] calling 911, particularly for things that you don’t really see as immediately serious. That can extend to mental health calls, and I think I’ve been really positively surprised by how willing people are at Tufts to kind of see TEMS as a resource,” Karofsky said. “It’s so nice to [see] people watching out for their friends.”

Amelia Gleixner, a junior, joined TEMS her sophomore fall. She is a pre-med student majoring in biomedical engineering,

and she values her experience with TEMS as a way to explore and follow her passion for medicine.

TEMS has allowed Gleixner to gain first-hand experience in patient care and administering treatment that she would not receive through other experiences such as a biotechnology office job. She has been exposed to numerous situations that are each unique in their own way.

While many people around campus assume TEMS mainly responds to instances of excess drug and alcohol intake, substance abuse is not the primary reason TEMS gets called on to assist with. “[Intoxication is] not the majority of what we do; … medical emergencies are number one,” Gleixner said.

Gleixner also elaborated on what happens when TEMS is dispatched in the case of an emergency that might require hospitalization. “[TEMS tends] to get there faster than the ambulances that just work all of Medford or all of Somerville and beyond. So we can provide the patient care and support if they do end up needing to go to the hospital, give them medication if necessary, and just ensure that the patient is safe and taken care [of],” Gleixner said.

After receiving a call, TEMS almost always arrives on the scene in five minutes or less.

While every call and circumstance is unique, members of TEMS are trained to act professionally and equipped to respond to any emergency situation. Although some students may fear requesting the help of emergency services, calling TEMS is very important for the safety of an individual.

TEMS has an amnesty protocol which protects individuals who call for another person seeking medical attention as a result of an illegal action, such as consuming alcohol or drugs underage. TEMS is committed to this policy and students will not get in legal trouble or face consequences from Tufts for calling TEMS in such situations.

“Every single person working in public safety and on campus would rather that someone just calls if they feel like this could potentially become a real emergency or they feel like they’re in danger medically or any kind of thing, than be worried about getting in trouble for something,” Gleixner said.

TEMS is a resource every student at Tufts can utilize if in a dangerous situation.

TEMS exists to help students, not regulate them.

“I hope that there isn’t any sort of reluctance to call for help if you or your friends need it. … We’re always here,” Karofsky said.

uring a four-hour road trip with my boss this summer, I was asked if I liked beer. He meant the question in a millenialized-Boston-craft-brewery type of way, and I awkwardly responded that no, I did not like the few sips I have had (none of which would count as beer to him).

My 23-year-old housemate attempted to share his love of beer with me, but it went in one ear and out the other. Hence, while being fully integrated into the UK’s pub culture, I’ve been devoted to learning about beer and finding one I actually enjoy. In honor of my 21st birthday, I will be sharing my hard-earned knowledge with the Tufts community.

The beer journey begins in a pub.

Most pubs, assuming that they aren’t too busy and serving during a World Cup match, will be happy to give you little sips of the different ciders and beers on tap. Ciders are a great place to start. Some are syrupy sweet, others are crisper. I, personally, tend to lean toward the crisper options, so Strongbow has been my default on tap or canned at Tesco.

Early on in the semester, I tried a sip of a friend’s Guinness. Apparently the Guinness in Dublin is better, but I was not a fan of the version at The Lord Tredegar, the homely little pub 15 minutes from campus, complete with both a garden and a black pub cat.

By October, I was ready to advance my beer game, and what better way is there to do that than with a Groupon brewery tour and tasting? I arrived with the same friend who let me sneak a sip of Guinness, both of us (accidentally) on empty stomachs and trying to eat enough crisps on the bus to amend our mistake (the attempt was futile).

Unsure if I would remember this educational experience, I typed my takeaways into the Notes app.

Thankfully, I can tell you the tale of West Coast IPAs and East Coast IPAs (yes, American west coast and east coast, and yes, more Midwest erasure).

We squished hops pellets between our figures and learned the words to describe the visual, the smell, the mouth feel, the type of bitterness.

My personal hall of fame includes: some form of matcha sour I found at a theater, a Rhubarb & Tonka Oat Cream Pale Ale (creamy because of the oat), Edinburgh’s Not Milk Stout and a biting Blackberry Lemon Meringue Drizzle.

These are the fun, ~quirky~, indie beers and are far less likely to be found on tap at a pub. My palate has since expanded to include most IPAs, and now, even the occasional lager.

Celebrating 21st birthdays abroad is a little anticlimactic. As I get a year older, I recognize the inevitability of discussing beer in corporate America.

Elizabeth Foster is a junior studying computer science. Elizabeth can be reached at elizabeth.foster635086@tufts.edu.

6 Thursday, December 1, 2022

Layla Noor Landrum The Book Nook

‘Just As You Are’ is a witty and hopeful lesbian rom-com

WEEKENDER

tuftsdaily.com

‘The Menu,’ ‘Kimberly Akimbo’ and the death of high-concept media

C

amille Kellogg’s upcoming debut adult rom-com, “Just As You Are,” is a sapphic “Pride and Prejudice” retelling that will be published next year by Penguin Random House. Liz Baker dreams of being a novelist and telling the kinds of queer stories she never had growing up, but due to her current job as a columnist at queer magazine The Nether Fields, she barely has time to write outside of work. And just as the magazine is about to shut down for good — which would secure Liz the opportunity to work on her novel for the first time — it gets bought by two wealthy women. The two investors are Bailey Cox and Daria Fitzgerald, the latter of whom is an attractive butch lesbian.

Only, when Liz meets them, she discovers that Daria is not only determined to cut costs but also hates Liz and her “fluff articles.” But the more Liz and Daria’s paths begin to cross, Liz discovers another side of Daria, one that’s much softer than she expected.

And rather than hating Daria, Liz finds herself falling for her.

Kellogg writes an intimate, witty portrayal of queer life in the novel, one in which every character of the cast shines in their own right. And the exploration of queerness alongside gender presentation was remarkable; Liz’s struggle with how she wants to present herself to the world, finding herself most often in the space between butch and femme rather than clearly one or the other, is an experience many queer readers will relate to. At its heart “Just As You Are” is a book about everyday queer life and lets queer readers know that a happy ending exists for them, even if they’re imperfect and unsure of themselves.

Daria and Liz’s romance was written beautifully, full of yearning and misunderstandings but a testament to this idea of love as something that doesn’t have to be earned and can instead be the result of someone seeing every part of you and finding that it’s enough. Despite the struggles both women have with their queerness, it ultimately is something that enriches their lives, and they’re able to find happiness because of it. As a lesbian who adores Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” this novel felt like home and as if it were a promise of all the things to come in my own future. The novel is currently available for pre-order.

Layla Noor Landrum is a junior studying engineering psychology and English. Layla can be reached at layla.landrum@tufts.edu.

VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Anya Taylor-Joy is pictured.

by Henry Chandonnet Arts Editor

A gaggle of ultra-wealthy customers voyages to their private island restaurant, with courses and courses of whimsical fine dining in store. They’ll see bundles of microgreens, hits of foams and gelées, plus thousands of other incomprehensible words that are worth their weight in gold. The twist? They all must die by the end of the meal. Of course, that’s still unknown to the oblivious consumers as they set sail on their culinary dreamboat.

The ensuing bloodshed and theatrics are left as a shocking dramatic irony, fated and yet unforeseen.

From the above description, “The Menu” (2022) seems to be playfully thrilling, a joyous film experience to munch on your (non-luxury) popcorn to. Plus, appearances by chess-playing megastar Anya Taylor-Joy and a smattering of other stars that’ll make you think, “I know them” and instigate some fun IMDb stalking. The film, though, has one fatal flaw: It tries so hard to be socially pertinent. With quips like, “We got you through Covid!” and a painstakingly overdrawn subplot about how Anya Taylor-Joy’s character worked in hospitality, the film so deeply wanted to be something, to be important. “The Menu” tried to be funny and mindless but also socially relevant; it wanted to have its cake and eat it too.

“The Menu” is a prime example of what many call a high-concept film, something that is presently running rampant in the modern media landscape. These projects use crazed, outlandish premises to reveal something about our inner humanity. What if a television comedy about a bunch of strangers vacationing together taught us something about whiteness and wealth? Enter “The White Lotus” (2021–).

Or what if a thriller about a simulated ’60s-style world taught us something about gender and patriarchy? Enter “Don’t Worry Darling” (2022). By now, almost every other film in our theaters or show on our screens is high-concept in nature.

Nobody wants to just come out and say

their grand manifesto; they want to teach it inch by inch through some dazzling fantastical metaphor.

It wasn’t always like this. In fact, the proliferation of high-concept media has only occurred within the last couple of years. Just eight years ago, it was a starkly different media landscape. With the 2016 election, many illusions of perfection fell by the wayside. Consumers took on a “rip-off-the-bandaid” attitude. They wanted to be shown their wretched, horrific lives right in front of their faces; they could take it. Movies like “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (2017) used oblique truth-telling to craft harrowing films, while shows like “This Is Us” (2016–22) ladled the trauma on thick. Though maybe not the most artful, these straight-edge projects demonstrated the pains of modernism right before our eyes.

At some point, though, it all became too much. People stopped watching those searing translations of reality, opting instead for whimsical retellings with reallife ramifications. A new era of high-concept media had reared its ugly head, one that disguised social truths like broccoli in the mac and cheese you feed your toddler.

Some of these projects were incredible feats of art. “Parasite” (2019) spoon-fed class consciousness to the masses, while “Watchmen” (2019) gracefully induced the tragedies of white supremacy within its comic-strip form. By now, though, the market has become oversaturated. Almost no one is telling those raw, vulnerable stories, while almost everyone is trying to make their fantasies socially prudent. We’ve converged in the middle: There’s no honest pain, but also no unaccompanied joy.

Consider another emerging piece of high-concept art, the musical taking the world by storm: “Kimberly Akimbo” (2021).

First presented off-Broadway, the contemporary drama transferred to Broadway in 2022. The story follows Kimberly, a young girl who suffers from a fictionalized genetic disorder that causes her to age much faster than her peers. When she’s four years old she presents as 20, when

she’s 10 she presents as 50, and … well, you get it. Centered on her 16th birthday, Kimberly has the body of a 72-year-old. As Kimberly traverses high school romances and friendships, audiences learn something about the meaning of life, the innocence of youth and the inclusion of all.

The musical has garnered high praise for its emotional resonance.

But why do we need to forcefully infantilize an 80-year-old to learn something about life? Those great, resounding conclusions from the musical, though profound in their appearance, are fairly commonplace. It’s nauseatingly evident that we must “live life to the fullest.” But, as a ploy to reach this invariably overwrought moral, we must traverse some rough terrain. Victoria Clark, who plays Kimberly, is presently 63. Justin Cooley, who plays Kimberly’s love interest Seth, is college-aged. Oof. That’s not to say the conditions cannot “work” in a dramatic context; there’s nothing wrong or amoral about it, it’s just rocky. You better have a good reason for inducing such socially and politically fraught circumstances upon your art. And, in the case of “Kimberly Akimbo,” there isn’t. The ends don’t justify the means. The show’s creators went so far into the high-concept realm that their base concept far exceeded their conclusion. For such shock, so little truth.

This is the trade-off that must be present for high-concept art to work and for it to be worth the effort. Filmmakers and writers can propose crazed concepts for the point of reaching some grand ethic, but that conclusion better be worth the cost. Or, on the flip side, these creators can induce some social relevance into their fantastical films, but it better be poignant if it cuts down the entertainment value. Unfortunately, high-concept media of recent has failed to strike this balance. Fantasy thrillers should be just that, not contrived social satires like “The Menu.” And our social dramas should be real and present, not using some roundabout tactic to avoid an utter confrontation with reality. And yet here we sit, bobbing up and down between these two goods, stuck in some unfulfilling, fabricated no-man’s-land.

A r t s & P o p C u lt u r e Odessa Gaines K-Weekly

End-of-year awards season

A

s fall finally changes into winter and the weather starts to drop (unless you live in New England, unfortunately), the endof-year Asian award shows start to announce their nominees. One of the biggest shows, the Mnet Asian Music Awards, has been eagerly anticipated by fans around the world. This year’s MAMA theme is “K-POP World Citizenship.”

MAMA, like many Western shows, combines fan voting

Thursday, December 1, 2022 | Arts & Pop Culture | THE TUFTS DAILY

and judges panels in order to select the year’s winners.

However, MAMA airs for much longer than a typical Western award show.

While this may seem long and tedious for the typical viewer, award shows like MAMA are definitely worth the wait, as they are full of promotional trailers, gigantic performances and teasers for artists’ future projects. While typical American award shows, such as this year’s American Music Awards, begin announcing winners online before the actual ceremony begins, MAMA televises everything, showcasing performances, interviews and the music industry throughout the day.

Some of K-pop’s most iconic

performances have come from these ceremonies, such as BTS’ 2019 Melon Music Awards performance of their hit songs “Intro: Persona” (2019), “Boy In Luv” (2014), “Boy With Luv” (2019), “Mikrokosmos” (2019) and “Dionysus” (2019).

This year’s MAMA saw performances by J-Hope, the legend Tiger JK and the rookie group Tempest. One of the special collaboration stages was a roundup of fourth-generation girl groups — NewJeans, IVE, Kep1er, LE SSERAFIM and NMIXX — who have dominated the industry this past year.

Collaborations like these not only promote the individual groups to a larger audience but also solidify the world of K-pop as a community. Performances

such as ENHYPEN and TXT’s “Legend of K-POP” at the 2021 KBS Song Festival nod to the history of K-pop music and show respect to the older generations of artists who helped pave the way by sharing their music.

And of course, these would not be award shows without actual awards. MAMA specifically has several categories for entry, with the most well-known being the four grand prizes: Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Worldwide Icon of the Year. Other categories include Best Music Video, Best Dance Performance and Favorite New Artist.

Currently, BTS leads the charge among K-pop groups with nearly 50 wins from MAMA alone, but many rookie

Fifth-Year

In this program, students complete all requirements for a BA or BS and for a MA or MS. The last two years of undergraduate study are integrated with the first year of graduate work, eliminating duplication of courses and reducing the time required to earn the two degrees.

The deadline to apply is December 15 for seniors and March 15 for juniors.

Benefits of a Fifth-Year Master’s Degree

• GRE scores not required • Application fee and enrollment deposit are waived • Only two letters of recommendation are required

Art Education, BFA/MAT Biology, BS/MS Chemistry, BS/MS Child Study and Human Development, BA/MA Classics, BA/MA Data Analytics, BA/MS or BS/MS Economics, BS/MS Education: Middle and High School, BA/MAT or BS/MAT Environmental Policy and Planning, BA/MS or BS/MS Mathematics, BS/MS Museum Education, BA/MA Music, BA/MA Philosophy, BA/MA Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, BS/MA or BA/MA

School Of Engineering

gradadmissions@tufts.edu | 617-627-3395

together, usually within five years

Odessa Gaines is a sophomore studying cognitive and brain science. Odessa can be reached at kgaine01@tufts.edu.

Graduate School Of Arts And Sciences

The Fifth-Year Master’s Degree program (formerly called the Combined Degree program) allows Tufts undergraduates to continue on to a master’s degree with the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences or the School of Engineering after completing their bachelor’s degree.

• Earn your bachelor’s degree and master’s degree

groups won big on show night this year. NewJeans’ well-received debut in August and (G)I-dle’s recent releases put them both at advantage to take home a few awards this year.

While it may not seem appealing to an American to wake up in the early hours of the morning and tune in to different streaming sites for an entire day, watching the culmination of these artists’ work and passion is definitely worthwhile — whether you are a K-pop lover or not!

The Fifth-Year Master’s Degrees are offered through the following programs:

Master’s Degree

Learn More: go.tufts.edu/fifthyear

• Generous scholarships are available*

* The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences will provide a graduate tuition scholarship proportional to the undergraduate tuition award at the time of application. Learn more about School of Engineering tuition savings opportunities at go.tufts.edu/SOEfifthyear

7

Bioengineering, MS Biomedical Engineering, BS/MS Chemical Engineering, BS/MS Civil and Environmental Engineering, BS/MS Computer Engineering, BS/MS Computer Science, BA/MS or BS/MS Cybersecurity and Public Policy, MS Data Science, BS/MS Dual Degree Program: Innovation & Management + Engineering degree, MS Electrical Engineering, BS/MS Human Factors Engineering, BS/MS Human-Robot Interaction, MS Materials Science and Engineering, MS Mechanical Engineering, BS/MS Offshore Wind Energy Engineering, MS Software Systems Development, MS

8

THE TUFTS DAILY | Fun & Games | Thursday, December 1, 2022

F& G

tuftsdaily.com LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY

Julia: “You sneaaaaaky little sneak!” (falls backwards in chair onto floor)

Fun & Games

SUDOKU

Last Week’s Solutions

Difficulty Level: Catching the Office Mouse.

MISSED CONNECTIONS You: flipping the bird, but wearing mittens. Me: thinking you’re saying hi and I wave back. When: Saturday afternoon. Where: On a hike.

You: giving me advice on driving because you own a transportation company. Me: trying to pull my big white van out of a tight spot. When: Saturday morning.

Where: Hiking Trail Parking Lot.

You: trail running down a mountain. Me: slipping and falling all the way down. When: Saturday.

Where: At a very lonesome lake.

You: wanted to plan a pumpkin-ing excursion but didnt want to advertise the event. Me: wanted to plan a pumpkin-ing excursion but didnt want to advertise the event. When: october. Where: groupme.

CROSSWORD

Opinion

tuftsdaily.com

9 Thursday, December 1, 2022

VIEWPOINT

Young voters fortified the blue wall, but there’s more to build

by Toby Winick Staff Writer

The 2022 United States midterm elections have been seen as one of the most consequential in recent history.

Of course, every House seat was up for election, putting a Democratic majority in question amid newly drawn districts, though many were non-competitive. Moreover, Republicans were favored to win the Senate leading up to the election, overturning predictions for a Democratic victory. Surprisingly, the election results did not mirror these predictions. Despite the history of poor incumbent party performance in midterm elections, Democrats came out retaining at least an even Senate, featuring key victories in Pennsylvania and Nevada.

As it turned out, the foreseen “red wave” was stopped with a “blue wall.”

The composition of this blue wall was not unique, but certainly surprising. Youth voters drove Democratic resistance against the red wave. Though voters in Generation Z and Millennial demographic groups are known to lean Democratic, their turnout and composition in this year were unlike any other. Exit polls show that Democratic House candidates won voters under 45 by an impressive margin of 13 points, while losing voters over that age by 10 points.

It is notable that this blue wall didn’t just stop Republican efforts, but also redirected

them. Abortion was perhaps the key issue for Democrats in the 2022 midterms. The decision in Dobbs v. Jackson to overturn Roe v. Wade was monumental in galvanizing voters. According to polls, most Americans support abortion rights in most cases.

This election was important in bridging the gap between popular support and election results — and youth voters were overwhelmingly the ones to turn out and demonstrate it.

The driving forces didn’t stop there. Issues such as climate change, LGBTQ rights and racial justice were important in the minds of many voters.

For instance, in Florida, one of the few contested states to see significant Republican wins, a controversial “Don’t Say Gay” law restricting references to LGBTQ populations in school was signed in line with conservative intentions for classroom control. This is especially important given that a significant and increasing amount of Gen Z identifies as LGBTQ. Therefore, the turnout for youth voters demonstrates not just increased motivation, but an attack on Republican agendas and ideology. In an era where Republican issues are increasingly aligning with anti-democratic policies, such as voter suppression and election denialism, young voters are making their voices heard and bringing select issues to the policy table.

The backlash against radical trends is a referendum on the already-questionable policies of a Republican Party that hasn’t won the presidential popular

vote since 2004. It’s clear that a remarkable youth turnout has not just put Republicans on the back foot, but brought forward the importance of voting in this democracy.

Turnout also had an impact on a proliferation of Gen Z politicians. Notably, 25-yearold Maxwell Frost won a Congressional seat in Florida’s 10th district. Even at a local and state level, younger candidates are winning races nationwide. It seems ridiculous to outline the basic principle that voters can elect somebody who represents them, but it’s very important in an era where politicians continue aging while things young people can benefit from like education and abortion are in jeopardy.

Of course, the work is not yet done. Though turnout among young voters was high, it was remarkably low relative to the number of registered voters.

This year, only 27% of voters aged 18–29 voted, which was actually at a lower rate than the record of 28% in 2018. In that year, Democrats took control of the House and limited foreseen Senate losses, setting up future victories in 2020 and 2022. The driving force in 2018 was likely the Trump presidency, just as how now it is Republican legislative victories. This further demonstrates how backlash is a strong voting tool, but also shows the importance of young voters in swaying elections.

Interestingly, youth political enthusiasm is well-recorded, despite historical low turnout.

Once voters are energized to match enthusiasm with voting,

GRAPHIC BY ALIZA KIBEL the results are very apparent.

Gen Z and millennials must continue this enthusiasm and continue to work on the issues that are important to them. As always, it is everyone’s responsibility to vote and stay an

informed voter. As time goes on, younger voters will comprise a larger share of the constituency. It’s important to use these recent results as building blocks to fight for a better future for everyone, of every age.

VIEWPOINT

The productivity paradox: How to rewire our brains as college students

by Annabel Lieblich Contributing Writer

As overachieving students, I know that many of us will graduate with an expectation to achieve the best in all areas of our lives.

However, this understanding that we have of success and productivity is negative in that it has become a commanding authority in our daily lives.

There is a mismatch between our expectations as students and

what we actually have the capacity to do. There are an infinite number of possibilities of where we can funnel our productivity, but the amount of time we have to devote to these activities is finite. This so-called productivity paradox is a Catch-22 — a no-win scenario.

The first thing we have to ask ourselves is how we should be tackling our aspirations. There are often two conflicting inclinations: Our desire to savor every minute of life is at odds with our scramble

Students are pictured studying together in a Starbucks.

VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

to achieve as much as possible with the finite time life provides.

The more realistic alternative is to let go of the notion that life is made to accomplish everything, and instead, live in the present moment without feeling a perpetual need to check items off a to-do list. There is nothing wrong with the fact that our inherent capacity as humans is limited, and we should not try to transcend this situation to compensate for our lack of time and ability. Alleviating this impossible tally of demands will allow us to focus on the few important things that matter most.

Another essential aspect of the productivity paradox is our concept of self-worth. We tend to determine our self-worth based on our ability to check things off of our to-do lists. We wake up every morning with this feeling of existential debt: a need to get things accomplished throughout the day or else the debt will pile up. However, in reality, there is no one monitoring us throughout the day. There is no one checking to see if we finished that extra

algebra set or deep-cleaned our room. We need to practice more self-compassion with ourselves, and we need to show gratitude for ourselves. Even if a day is spent doing absolutely nothing, our existence is still justified.

Relieving that stress will allow us to become more productive without reinforcing this harmful idea that our self-worth is related to the tasks we perform.

The last facet of the productivity paradox is our relationship with time. Here at Tufts, we have internalized the idea of the school/life balance. This mindset is not only disadvantageous but unfeasible.

Although this view may appear promising at first, it often makes students feel the added burden of not only doing well in school but also having a flourishing social life. The need to excel at both often requires 200% of our effort: making it completely impractical for students to handle.

Perhaps the cultivation of imbalance is more beneficial.

Sometimes we decide it is appropriate to do the bare minimum,

and other times it may be more fitting to study at the library for an additional hour. This imbalance serves students and provides a lever to manage their time without having the burden of trying to achieve an impossible equilibrium between school and life.

The same could be said for hobbies and clubs. The productivity paradox demands that even our recreational time be high-yielding. We have monetized these pastimes or converted them into tasks required to move towards a goal. We need to let go of that predisposition and learn to simply enjoy an activity without having it be conducive to profit. Let’s make the practice of hobbies — not side hustles — popular again.

The productivity paradox encompasses different fallacies that snare the majority of students, but being mindful, limiting self-judgment and starting to change these perspectives can ultimately help make our college experience — and life itself — as fruitful and productive as possible.

10

THE TUFTS DAILY | Opinion | Thursday, December 1, 2022

tuftsdaily.com

VIEWPOINT

Polarizing prospect: The rise of Ron DeSantis against Donald Trump

by Henry Murray Opinion Editor

Originally published Nov. 29 As President Joe Biden nears the halfway mark of his term, we begin to look toward the next presidential election.

One of the biggest stories so far has followed one of the Republican Party’s most promising new candidates, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. After a decisive gubernatorial reelection victory, DeSantis could capitalize on his momentum and avoid missing his opportunity like others have in the past. However, a familiar face stands in the way of DeSantis’ path to the nomination: former President Donald Trump announced his campaign for the 2024 presidency on Nov. 15, following his failed 2020 reelection bid. While DeSantis’ win in Florida will give him a solid boost to launch a

possible campaign, Trump’s loyal base and stubborn attitude ensure that the race for the 2024 Republican nomination will be closely fought.

The new rivalry has already begun, with both politicians making it clear that they are going head-to-head. Trump originally supported DeSantis in his reelection run, but their relationship is now falling apart.

DeSantis recently supported John O’Dea — an open and strong critic of Trump — in his Colorado Senate race. Trump fired back at DeSantis’ decision and left him out of the plans for a rally in Florida. If the last six years have taught us anything, it is that Trump does not shy away from conflict. DeSantis must prepare himself for bitter competition if he intends to win the presidency in 2024. If the two are already at odds two years before the election, it seems likely that their relationship will only continue to deteriorate.

Some people across party lines have looked at DeSantis’ rise as a positive

thing. Many Republicans are now ready to move past Trump, especially after their performance during the midterms, with important Republican party donors expressing interest in supporting newer candidates. Conservative writer Jim Geraghty has also claimed that DeSantis “fights for policies, not to prosecute vendettas.” On certain issues like environmental policy, DeSantis appears to be slightly more moderate than Trump.

DeSantis, however, has been behind some extremely socially conservative policies, such as the “anti-woke” and “Don’t Say Gay” bills, both of which he has signed into law, limiting discussion of race and sexuality in educational settings.

Regardless of who you see as the more radical candidate, the rivalry itself should be alarming to everyone. The two candidates will try to get a hold of the far right of the conservative party that Trump awakened and enlivened, chal-

lenging each other to commit to further policy extremes to appeal to America’s hardcore conservatives. DeSantis already showed a glimpse of this when he criticized Trump’s COVID-19 policy. DeSantis disagreed with the advisement to stay home, and he wishes he had spoken out more about it, even against Trump.

The rivalry between Trump and DeSantis will push the Republican party farther right and polarize our country even more. Over the past 20 years, the percentage of people holding consistent views for one party, as opposed to having ideological overlap, has doubled.

Negative views of the opposing party have increased as well. This polarization cripples democracy and stops positive progress. Republicans must resist the increasingly radicalized rhetoric, and we as a country must maintain the bridge between the two sides and promote democracy.

Donald Trump, former president of the United States, and Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida, are pictured along side their wives, Melania Trump and Casey DeSantis.

Mariia Kudina Ukraine at War

Russia violates international law by kidnapping Ukrainian children Originally published Nov. 30

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reezing during the first weeks of the war in a village in the western part of Ukraine — I had to flee there from Kyiv on Feb. 24 — I thought about the war stories that are not yet being told. Since the full-scale invasion, journalists in Ukraine have revealed a solid amount of reports, helping to see the conflict through human eyes. Due to the scale of the war, however, the international community hears only a fraction of Ukrainian tragedies. The kidnapping of Ukrainian

children is one type of the Russian war crimes that is often overlooked.

In most cases, the occupants forcefully put the kids into so-called recreational camps, orphanages or foster families in various regions of Russia and regions of Ukraine that are temporarily occupied by Russia. Sometimes they deport children and teenagers to Belarus. The recent Associated Press investigation covers a story of Olga Lopatkina and her adopted children. The six kids were trapped in occupied port city Mariupol, where they were spending their vacation, and later transported to Donetsk, the center of the separatist Donetsk People’s Republic, also known as DPR. Olga, with one daughter who had stayed behind, could not reach Mariupol due to the bombardment and had to evacuate Ukraine for France without the rest of her children. To reunite with them, she had to endure a fierce legal battle with Russian authorities, while they told the children that their mother had abandoned them and did not love them.

Slava, a Ukrainian 17-year-old, was kidnapped from the outskirts of Kyiv and sent to Belarus. As he told the ABC News reporters, Russians took him and a few others to a vehicle and drove them to Chornobyl.

Upon arrival to the partially abandoned city,

the occupants put plastic bags on the children’s heads, tied their hands, blindfolded them and eventually continued the journey to Minsk orphanage. Slava’s mother adds that before he was dropped off at the final destination, Russians beat and used electric shocks on him. The Ukrainian police were able to find out what happened and make sure he made it home. Now Slava is recovering, but battling the post-traumatic stress. These stories are just two examples among many others, most of which did not have what under the war circumstances we would call a happy ending, nor were they made public.

Although adoption of children from foreign countries is prohibited in Russia, Putin signed a document in May that makes it easier for Russians to adopt Ukrainian children.

Under the mask of “liberation,” Russians hide the lies they tell children about being unwanted by their loving parents and use the kids for propaganda by painting a picture in the media in which children are rescued by, for instance, foster families. Those foster caretakers are paid for each adopted child that gains Russian citizenship — “up to $1,000 for those with disabilities,” the AP investigation revealed. The Russian government portrays the deportation of chil-

VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

dren without consent as an act of goodwill, yet such action violates the U.N. Genocide Convention and the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Some of the kids are not orphans, as Russia commonly claims. Often, their parents or relatives who could take care of them are in the regions of Ukraine that are free from Russian occupiers and would be eager to take them in. Growing up in their home country or with their family members and communities is undoubtedly better for those children who lost their caregivers due to Russia’s attacks.

According to the Ukrainian government, at least 8,000 children have been taken

by Russia, but the precise numbers are unknown. Very few have been reunited with their loved ones. The Ukrainian government and various volunteering organizations work on bringing the kids back home, but it is a highly complicated challenge. Speaking up about the issue will aid the process; therefore, we must work to shed light onto the dark crimes of Russia and make sure the incidents are not forgiven or brushed under the rug.

Mariia Kudina is a sophomore studying studio art. Mariia can be reached at mariia.kudina@tufts.edu.

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Thursday, December 1, 2022 | SPORTS | THE TUFTS DAILY

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Men’s soccer season ends with second round NCAA tournament exit

by Ethan Grubelich Sports Editor

Originally published Nov. 29.

The 2022 men’s soccer season ended on Sunday, Nov. 13, with a 2–0 loss in the second round of the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Tournament to regional host SUNY Oneonta. The day prior, the Jumbos were triumphant in their first round battle with UMass Boston, who they beat 1–0 courtesy of a brilliant free kick goal scored by first-year midfielder Daniel Yanez.

On Sunday against the Oneonta Red Dragons, the Jumbos got off to a promising start, as they mostly controlled the game for the opening 20 minutes. The hosts struck first against the run of play, however, when forward Lucas Fecci headed home across from midfielder Ethan Brunell. The goal was Fecci’s 13th of the season and represented the advantage to Oneonta of having a reliable goal-scoring threat in their front three ― something which Tufts lacked all season.

The Red Dragons doubled their lead in the 74th minute through a scintillating counterattack which simply couldn’t be stopped by the Jumbos.

Defender John Bernardi won the ball back in his own half for the Red Dragons after a free kick opportunity from the Jumbos and created space for the counterattack with a beautiful flick to avoid a tackle. By the time Bernardi sprinted the length of the field, he was able to slot a pass from Fecci into the back of the net to make the score 2–0.

The tale of the Jumbos’ offensive woes from this season continued that day, as they were kept off the scoresheet and could only fire off one shot attempt in the second half despite needing to score to keep their season alive.

Oliver Fox Sports and Society

The unfeeling Jaylen Brown

“

The energy is about to shift.”

This is Jaylen Brown’s six-word masterpiece.

The first half of the 2021–22 Celtics had failed, until then, to translate a talent rich roster — in year three of the Brown and Jayson Tatum nucleus that was theoretically a top front court in the NBA — into a winning formula. Yet, at 11:32 a.m. on Jan. 31, Brown managed to encapsulate the emotions of an entire sports culture in a simple statement of purpose.

Their ensuing second half turnaround and NBA Finals trip saw Brown’s tweet ascend to genius status. The Celtics

COURTESY TUFTS ATHLETICS

Men’s soccer is pictured in a game against Hamilton on Sept. 24.

Losing in this fashion stressed the Jumbos’ inexperience as well as their need for a reliable source of goals in 2023 ― especially from set pieces.

“We struggled to score goals, [which] is the harsh reality of our season,” Jumbos’ second-year head coach Kyle Dezotell said in an interview with All Things Division III Soccer with SimpleCoach. “There were times this year where I actually thought we played better soccer than at any point in 2021. Just in 2021, you know, Calvin Aroh would come head in a corner kick, or Travis Van Brewer would score on a direct kick, or Biagio Paoletta would come head in a corner kick, and we just didn’t have that this year. That comes from just like juniors and seniors usually.”

“You can see this throughout the NCAA Tournament,

how important set pieces are,” Dezotell added. “It’s the part of our game that nobody wants to talk about, or the uglier side of our game, but it’s really important. I said this in 2021, I thought Conn. College won the national championship because of how good they were on set pieces, and you’re seeing it now: Williams is in the Final Four because of how good they are on set pieces.”

Each of the three goals scored by the Jumbos in their final five games of the season were scored from set pieces.

Though scoring three goals in five games is a rather abysmal rate, especially by the Jumbos’ lofty standards, some of the Jumbos’ biggest victories of the 2022 season support Dezotell’s claim that set piece goals are critical. In fact, the last of these

three set piece goals was Yanez’s free kick which proved to be the lone goal in the Jumbos’ 1–0 first round NCAA tournament victory over UMass Boston.

In the 75th minute, Yanez, who quickly established himself this season as one of the Jumbos’ best goal-scoring threats from distance, curled a right-footed delivery from the left edge of the penalty area, around UMass Boston’s fourman wall, and inside the far post of the goal.

“I remember the goalie set up his wall, and it looked a little funny because the wall was four or five guys, and his positioning was weird,” Yanez said.

“He was right in the middle of the goal, and it looked like he couldn’t see the ball too well.

So then I just decided to kind of whip it far post and just see

what happened, … and he just watched it go in.”

Moments like this gave Dezotell more reason to be proud of the Jumbos’ achievements this season and to be optimistic for what the future holds for the program.

“As a coach, I think we actually did incredibly well this year to get to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with very few upperclassmen and a ton of freshmen and sophomores out there playing massive minutes for us,” Dezotell said. “While there were still a few upperclassmen, it just felt like it was just a new generation of Tufts soccer and one that I feel really, really confident in. 2023, 2024, 2025 are going to be right where we need to be to be competing for everything.”

needed a change of pace, and Brown called their shot.

Recently, Brown’s Twitter feed, still affixed with his statement of energetic conversion pinned at the top, has been full of trash. The worthless, poisonous and harmful blight of antisemitic toxins pollute his public persona, one that was once endeared with passionate leadership at the height of America’s George Floyd protests. Antisemitism is always abhorrent, yet Brown’s relationship to it transcends easily targeted archetypes and has enabled him to evade the general criticism he deserves.

He certainly needs an energy shift or perhaps a new perspective altogether.

Brown has for weeks toed an imaginary line of bigotry.

He has directly condemned antisemitism in theory, yet spent innumerable characters on Twitter defending those unmistakably taking antise-

mitic positions, such as those from his former teammate Kyrie Irving and rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West.

Yet Brown, to date, admits no wrongdoing, claims the moral high ground, and has spent weeks proving his theoretical tolerance is nothing but performative.

The cycle of insanity Brown has operated in is exactly what makes the line he intends to walk a farce. First, he posts something — perhaps it’s a group of Black Hebrew Israelites, an antisemitic hate group, rallying in support of Irving, or maybe it’s a statement of support for Ye, showing Brown’s intention to remain with Donda Sports even after Ye’s antisemitic outbursts. He then subsequently claims he did not understand the context of his statements, before finally defending his right to free speech and berating cancel culture for its over-

reach. These pseudo-apologies are half-baked excuses for tangible hate speech and do not vindicate his exaltation of antisemitism. But Brown certainly seems to think they do.

Brown seems to believe, through a close reading of his highly nuanced and intellectual Instagram memes, that he is entitled to state his preferences for certain positions without issue, and any backlash he receives for defending antisemitism is akin to yelling at someone for preferring apples to oranges. As ridiculous as that sounds, downplaying the severity of hate speech is often the first line of defense intolerance hides behind.

Perhaps what’s worst is that Brown has proven, through weeks of nonsense, that he does not empathize with Jews who feel attacked from the ever encroaching jaws of antisemitism. Despite his history of antiracist activism,

Brown seems utterly unable to feel for those who need him when he most needs to, just as he did when he declared the energy was on the verge of shifting.

Because what is special is not that the energy did, in fact, shift, but rather that Brown seemed to empathize with the Celtics faithful. He felt along with us, validating our disappointment along with our fanatical desperation to vindicate the Brown-Tatum experiment and to win something — anything — before it was too late, and he took responsibility for making it happen. It is precisely because I have felt Brown’s ability for supreme emotional understanding that I am disgusted with the path he has chosen to tweet.

Oliver Fox is a sophomore studying history. Oliver can be reached at oliver.fox@tufts.edu.

12 Thursday, December 1, 2022

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Cross country puts up good fight in NCAA Championship despite harsh conditions

by Chloe Nacson-Schechter Staff Writer

On Nov. 18, on the snowy hills of Michigan State’s Forest Akers Golf Course, Tufts cross country competed in the NCAA Division III Championships.

The men’s team qualified for the meet while, on the women’s side, senior Lauren Pollak was the only female runner to represent the team in Michigan.

The weather that day was far from ideal — the temperature was well below freezing and the wind made the real-feel significantly colder. Pollak commented on the harsh race day conditions.

“It had been around 20 degrees and a feel of below 10,” Pllak said. “It was definitely tough while racing — I felt like I was slipping a lot on the snow — but that’s real cross country, that’s what you train for.”

Considering these circumstances, Pollak ran an impressive time of 24:26.8 for six kilometers, with an average pace of 6:33.5 per mile. She placed 238th out of 292 runners. This was Pollak’s

third and final appearance in the NCAA Championships and she was just as eager to compete this year as she was during her freshman season.

“I’ve dealt with a lot of injury issues, so I wasn’t sure if I’d ever make it to the starting line,” said Pollak. Being able to “show up and be healthy was really, really important to me.”

Competing without her fellow teammates was certainly a challenge, however Pollak didn’t let it get in the way of her attitude and her performance.

“I was honestly just happy to be there,” Pollak said.

On the men’s side, the harsh weather conditions posed a significant challenge for the Jumbos.

Sophomore Ivan Appleton led the pack in the Men’s 8k, running 26:16.7 for an average pace of 5:17.2 per mile. He placed 141st out of 292 runners. Fellow sophomore Martin Horne was the next Tufts runner to cross the finish line, with a time of 27:07.3.

The men’s team, as Pollak noted, seemed to get “trampled” at the beginning of the race,

COURTESY D3PHOTOGRAPHY

Members of the women’s cross country team are pictured at the 2021 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship. making it extremely difficult to catch up to the pack. Even though the men’s team may not have accomplished what they set out to on paper, Pollak explained how she is “real-

ly proud of everyone and how they competed.”

Faced with the toughest conditions, the Jumbos gave it their best shot in Michigan to finish the cross country season. Pollak

and the rest of the team now look forward to the upcoming track season, during which they will have a chance to display more of their gutsy racing and unique team environment.

ship has been instilling a team culture and values throughout the team, including the underclassmen.

“For the younger guys, I’d say the biggest thing is learning how to play as a team. When you come in as a freshman, you don’t really know what your role is going to be, but as long as you come in, you work hard and you’re a team player, everyone will feed off of that. I think that when you get stuck, special things [happen] and you start winning a lot when you build into that team-first approach,” Thoerner said.

This team-first approach, along with the squad’s offseason preparation and leaders stepping up, has propelled it to this hot start and earned the team Top 25 votes. Before the season, one of the team’s main goals was to win the New England Big 4 Tournament, hosted in its Cousens Gymnasium. After the squad won the tournament opener 82–73 against Babson behind 17 points from sophomore guard Khai Champion, senior guard Tyler Aronson led Tufts to an 82–71 win against Endicott behind 21 points, earning tournament MVP honors in the process.

After the tournament was the aforementioned victory against MIT, which would then be followed by a 77–39 rout of Framingham State in the Black Coaches Classic at UMass Boston. By the end of the game, the Jumbos had 14 players make their marks on the scoresheet with a team-

high 15 points from Thoerner.

These victories would leave Tufts with a 5–0 record heading into Tuesday’s game against No. 3 St. Joseph (Conn.).

Unfortunately, the Jumbos fell short by a score of 77–57, which does not appropriately reflect the nature of a game that they were winning 34–33 at halftime.

Nonetheless, it is evident that the Jumbos came into the season with a chip on their shoulder and are a team to be feared. The squad is confident, too. Henry mentioned that accomplishing the goal of winning the Big 4 Tournament is just the beginning of their lofty goals.

“We want to win the NESCAC. We want to host the NCAA tournament at Tufts, maybe a home seed. We’re ambitious. I want to see this team go all the way,” Henry said.

It is not as if these goals are not deservedly ambitious. The squad is talented and constantly working to improve its game. As long as the Jumbos continue to focus on preparation, stepping up in the most important moments and developing team chemistry, the rest will come: It will surely be an exciting season.

Moreover, as the team has a competitive schedule this weekend, this excitement is immediate.

On Saturday at 1 p.m., Tufts hosts UMass Dartmouth, then on Sunday at 2 p.m., they head to Cambridge to take on local rival Division I Harvard.

Men’s basketball starts season off hot

by Spencer Rosenbaum Staff Writer

Last year, the men’s basketball team held a 13–10 overall record but performed well in conference play, ending the regular season with an 8–2 record and giving them the No. 2 seed in the NESCAC tournament. However, after falling to Trinity in an upset, Tufts was eliminated and failed to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. Following this disappointing end to the season, with the squad having to manage the challenges of a new coach and players being out for injuries and COVID-19, the team attacked the offseason with a chip on its shoulder, allowing it to get out to a 5–1 start to the season with its only loss to No. 3 St. Joseph. Senior guard and captain Theo Henry spoke about how strong the team has looked this season.

“Everyone’s kind of stepped up to fill [last year’s seniors’] role. I think having Coach [Brandon] Linton with another year of experience under his belt is really valuable, I think we’re all bought into the system, and everyone just believes in each other,” Henry said. “I think it’s a really strong team camaraderie-wise, and we’re thriving.”

Henry is a perfect example of the team’s ability to thrive, scoring the game-winning basket in an 80–78 overtime win in the opening game at Emerson and putting up 24 points in a 100–70 win over a short-hand-

NICOLE GARAY / THE TUFTS DAILY

The men’s basketball team celebrates their NESCAC Championship victory after a game against Colby in Cousens Gym on March 1, 2021. ed MIT. Henry cited preparation as the reason behind these successful performances.

“We work so hard throughout the fall, the whole preseason, over the summers; a lot of work goes into what we do that isn’t seen, so [through] all that preparation, you get an opportunity, and that’s what we do this for — [to] go out and perform,” Henry said.

Another player who has stepped up into a bigger role this season has been senior guard Dylan Thoerner, the Jumbos’ leading scorer. In his junior year, with impressive shooting statistics, Thoerner was awarded NESCAC Player of the Week on Jan. 24 and named to the Division III hoops All-Region Team and the NESCAC All-Conference First Team. This success was

not limited to last year though, as due to his offensive play, Thoerner earned the title of the year’s first NESCAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week.

Thoerner described his offseason work, indicating how he has been able to step up, particularly as a scorer.

“Shooting was a big thing that I focused on, working on all different types, especially three-point shooting … catch and shoot, off the dribble, different relocations and also working on how can I get my shots off more, how can I get more threes up and use that more as a weapon this year,” Thoerner said.

Leadership from guys like Henry and Thoerner has allowed the Jumbos to find success early on this season. A substantial piece of this leader-