The Tufts Daily - Wednesday, February 9, 2022

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Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Proposed bill would pause prison construction in Mass. for 5 years

Annual MLK Day of Community Action combines service, education, reflection

by Madeline Mueller Assistant News Editor

TOBIAS FU / THE TUFTS DAILY

Suffolk County House of Correction is pictured on Feb. 8.

by Ella Kamm News Editor

A bill proposed last year in the Massachusetts state legislature would enact a five-year moratorium on the design and construction of prisons and jails in Massachusetts. The bill was reported out favorably from the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight on Jan. 24 and is now being considered by the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, bringing

it one step closer to Governor Charlie Baker’s desk.

Written by formerly incarcerated women at Families for Justice as Healing and the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls, and filed by State Senator Jo Comerford of the Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester district, the bill aims to reallocate funds from prison construction to restorative justice efforts and specifically halt plans to build a new women’s prison in Massachusetts that is estimated to cost over $50 million.

“This bill is tremendously timely, as the state has already signed a contract for a strategic plan and study and design of a potentially new women’s prison in Massachusetts,” Comerford said in testimony to the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight. “I respectfully say we must act now.”

While it would prevent any expansion of existing facilities, the moratorium would not intersee PRISON, page 2

Approximately 70 members of the Tufts community came together for five hours of discussion, reflection and community service activities as part of the 2022 MLK Day of Community Action on Feb. 5. The event, part of a series of chaplaincy events over the past month reflecting on the legacy and work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was made possible through the University Chaplaincy and supported in part by the Arthur Vining Davis Interfaith Civic Studies Grant.

Three student interfaith ambassadors — Ariel Kayton, Neha Ratnapuri and Mandy Wang — organized the event alongside chaplaincy staff including Program Coordinator Shelby Carpenter.

The annual event returned after a hiatus last year. Carpenter explained how this year’s Day of Community Action diverged from past incarnations of the event.

“This year’s program strives to embrace a new approach to the previous and popularized ‘Day of Service’ model of MLK Day engagement by reorienting our programming towards under-

standing justice work of all kinds and uplifting the radical, interconnected legacy of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the civil rights movement – past and present,” Carpenter wrote in an email to the Daily.

The name change from “MLK Day of Service” to “MLK Day of Community Action” was part of a reframing of the event to focus on community-wide change.

Interfaith ambassadors, including Ariel Kayton, a junior, began conducting research in September 2021 to help inform the event.

“We met with Professor Peter Levine … and he told us that, as a scholar of MLK’s work, he doesn’t … see service to be the central part of this work but rather … making radical change in our communities,” Kayton explained. “We spent a long time reflecting on how we can reflect that in our name. … That was how [we] landed on ‘MLK Day of Community Action.’”

The event included a workshop inspired by Deepa Iyer’s Social Change Ecosystem and a second workshop about King’s activism, including his work for carceral justice and leadership in the Poor People’s Campaign. see MLK, page 2

Tufts, other Boston-area schools see relaxation of COVID-19 protocols as omicron surge wanes

by Olivia Field

Assistant News Editor

Boston-area schools are seeing some variations in their COVID-19 policies now that thousands of college students have returned for the spring semester. At Tufts and other colleges and universities in the area, academic and social precautions continue to shift as infection rates fall from their latest peak.

Most recently, Tufts decreased surveillance frequency from every other day to two times per week for all students, beginning Feb. 7.

Shira Doron, an infectious disease physician and hospital epidemiologist at Tufts Medical Center, explained why some universities, like Tufts, began their semesters online while others reopened in person immediately.

“A main reason is that policy is not solely driven by science, but by a combination of science and

IAN LAU / THE TUFTS DAILY

Mod B, housing for COVID-19-positive students, is pictured on Feb. 1. values,” Doron wrote in an email to the Daily.

Tufts, Harvard University, Boston University and other Boston schools all require students to participate in routine surveillance testing for COVID19. However, there are also varia-

tions between these universities’ policies.

Kya Pierre-Dawkins, a firstyear student at BU, explained what the return to her campus has looked like. “[In the fall semester], we got tested once a week,” Pierre-

Dawkins told the Daily. “We had a daily screening that we had to do in order to get a green badge, and then green badges were checked in order to get into dorms.”

Now, students test two times per week and BU has eliminated the daily symptom attestation. Despite these precautions, Pierre-Dawkins said that not much has changed since her first semester.

“That’s pretty much it. Two times a week testing and nothing’s really changed in terms of social life or academically,” she said.

Harvard students also returned to in-person learning immediately following their winter break.

“Some classes, depending on the professor, started the first class on Zoom just while people were coming back to campus,” Ariel Beck, a first-year student at Harvard, said. “Right now, all classes are fully in person.”

SPORTS / back

FEATURES / page 3

ARTS / page 4

Hockey skates past Conn. in weekend series win

Foodie House fosters food enthusiasts at Tufts

Saba’s third album shows that it’s more than just a ‘Few Good Things’

Whereas Tufts continues to isolate COVID-19-positive individuals in The Mods, Harvard now asks on-campus students who test positive to quarantine in their dorm rooms instead of in designated quarantine housing.

“You can only really leave to go to the dining hall to pick up food,” Beck said. “You have to try and stay in your dorm as much as possible.”

One area where these schools’ policies dovetail is booster shots.

Like Tufts, Harvard and BU currently require all eligible students to receive a COVID-19 booster shot. As part of its reopening plan, Tufts announced that eligible students must receive a booster shot before Feb. 15.

Other initial precautionary measures at Tufts included a temporary shift to grab-and-go dining see COVID-19, page 2 NEWS

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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Wednesday, February 9, 2022

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Proposed legislation would halt construction of new women's prison estimated to cost over $50 million PRISON

continued from page 1 rupt funding for routine maintenance and repairs on existing prisons and jails.

Between 2011 and 2019, the incarcerated population decreased by 21% while spending on prison construction and maintenance increased by 25%, according to a fact sheet from the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls and Families for Justice as Healing.

Comerford testified that Massachusetts prisons operate only at around half their capacity and that the state’s incarceration rate has dropped by 43% between 2012 and 2021.

“Instead of borrowing and paying interest … for a new prison, the commonwealth should invest in proven and effective community-based alternatives to address the root causes of incarceration,” she said.

State Representative Erika Uyterhoeven of the 27th Middlesex District, a petitioner of the bill, said that the moratorium on prison con-

struction is one of her top priorities in the area of criminal justice.

“My view is that prisons don’t actually solve the problems that their proponents seek to solve, if we really are concerned about public safety, and particularly our community’s health, as well as creating a world where we actually address the root causes of these issues,” she told the Daily. “We know that prisons, in every possible way, actually make the problem worse.”

Uyterhoeven, who advocates for prison abolition, said that her opportunities to visit prisons and speak with incarcerated people are one reason she supports the moratorium so strongly. She cited cases like the one uncovered by the Boston Globe’s Spotlight investigative team at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center, a maximum security prison.

The Globe reported numerous instances of retributionary abuse of prisoners by correctional officers in the wake of an assault on officers in January 2020 and found a severe lack of public access to information about correctional practices.

“When you look at the Department of Corrections and what they do, particularly at the state level, the complete lack of accountability and how they treat the incarcerated and people behind the wall is, just frankly, immoral and atrocious,” Uyterhoeven said. “[Giving] more state money to this unaccountable entity is just a complete non-starter.”

Uyterhoeven said she recognizes that many people disagree with her on the right way to solve the issues related to mass incarceration and that the bill makes space for problem solving.

“I think everyone can agree that … to continue this system as it stands without any sort of oversight, accountability or change … is absolutely unacceptable,” she said. “We have to stop, we have to put the brakes on [what we’re doing] and we’re not moving forward until we figure out a better way.”

Mallory Hanora, executive director of Families for Justice as Healing, said that the bill offers a chance for the state to try new methods of pre-

venting incarceration and improving outcomes for families and communities.

“We have to pass the Jail and Prison Construction Moratorium Bill this session to stop the new women’s prison and shift our state’s focus to investing in what women, our children, and our families need to thrive,” Hanora wrote in an email to the Daily.

Families for Justice as Healing leads the Building Up People Not Prisons Coalition, which works to oppose increases in spending on incarceration and advocates shifting resources toward Black and Brown communities.

Hanora echoed Uyterhoeven’s characterization of the bill as an opportunity to buy time to discover new solutions.

“Passing the Moratorium Bill gives us the breathing room to let this work take root and flourish,” Hanora wrote. “It frees up the resources we must then reallocate to housing, healing, education, and economic development to stop the flow of women and girls into incarceration.”

Interfaith ambassadors organize event centered on MLK's legacy of activism, justice

MLK

continued from page 1 Participant Lydia Kresin was struck by the combination.

“It was a mixture of learning about MLK himself, the different sides of him that aren’t often talked about in school and then also learning about how this was a broader movement and other people … also played significant roles,” Kresin, a sophomore, said.

The service portion of the event focused on serving two local organizations: Black and Pink Massachusetts and On The Rise. Black and Pink Massachusetts is an organization that advocates prison abolition with a particular focus on the disproportionate impact of imprisonment on LGBTQ+ and people living with HIV. On The Rise offers long-term support for unhoused women and gender minorities in the greater Boston area. Event participants assembled 300 kits with hygiene supplies and other essentials for On The Rise and wrote 78 letters to incarcerated people seeking pen pals through Black and Pink Massachusetts.

“What we really especially loved about On The Rise and

ANGELIA SHI / THE TUFTS DAILY

Goddard Chapel after the snow is pictured on Feb. 7.

Black and Pink MA was that they put a lot of emphasis on intersectionality and a lot of emphasis on long-term, sustained relationships,” Kayton said. “These kits that we did, and also these letters, are direct needs from these organizations that they needed hands for.”

During past MLK Days of Service, students have gone off campus for service projects, but this year’s event was held entirely on the Medford campus.

“We couldn’t go off campus to do service because of COVID restrictions, … so that was one of the major changes we had to make which … forced us to think also about why and where and how we do service,” Kayton said.

“We thought a lot about how we still want to do service. … How can we do it in a way that’s actually helpful for our community and not just fulfilling for our participants? Not just about making them feel good but actually filling a need.”

The format resonated with participants like Kresin.

“I thought it was really well done, mixing the educational aspects with the service,” she said. “It didn’t feel like it was self-congratulatory in any way because we were learning about the history [of ] MLK, and that kind of gave [the activities] a grounding.”

The event concluded with brief presentations from a variety of student organizations, including Students Promoting Equality, Awareness and Compassion, Students for Justice in Palestine, Tufts Climate Action and the Leonard Carmichael Society, encouraging students to take action in their community outside of the event.

“We hope these organizations can be entry points for students to act on the theories, self-reflection, and historical re-education we will engage in,” Carpenter wrote.

Participants felt the education and resources were meaningful.

“It feels like we now know resources to continue educating ourselves and also how to keep getting involved. So it’s not just this one time thing,” Kresin said.

Tufts' re-opening, isolation protocols differ from other Bostonarea schools COVID-19

continued from page 1 and the closure of gyms, in addition to a brief return to online classes from Jan. 19 to Jan. 24.

Doron emphasized that different institutions calculate the risks and benefits of COVID-19 precautions differently.

“What makes it so difficult is that everyone’s values are so different,” Doron wrote. “Some people place great value on avoidance of

infection while others place great value on normalcy of the college/ university experience.”

University Infection Control Health Director Michael Jordan explained in an email that Tufts tailored its COVID-19 policies specifically to its community.

“While we are in communication with other schools – for example, our NESCAC counterparts – to share information, the policies that we have adopted are based

on the data that we see within our own community and local neighborhoods and are devised to respond to our university’s specific circumstances,” Jordan wrote.

“Throughout the pandemic, we have taken a data-driven approach to our decision making and have focused on flexibly adjusting our policies accordingly, with our top priority being the health and safety of our university community and our neighbors.”

As the spike in local and university cases seems to be dropping, Tufts Health Service has responded accordingly.

“Our most recent changes to our guidelines are a reflection of the encouraging data we are seeing, which indicate that the surge is waning,” Jordan wrote. “We are hopeful that we are moving in a promising direction and that relaxing our policies further might be possible in the near term.”

tuftsdaily.com

Features

Foodie House seeks to foster an interdisciplinary community centered around a love of food

by Isabelle Kaminsky Contributing Writer

Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Chris Duncan Talking Transit

The (free) buses are coming!

P

COURTESY HOLDEN and chosen family is an opportunity to relax after a long day, a chance to converse with a mutual understanding of the concept of ‘sobremesa,’ and a chance to collectively take a step back from everything happening at Tufts and in the world,” Holden wrote in an email to the Daily.

Foodie House will allow students to delve more deeply into their interest in food from various perspectives.

Stanton is eager to bring conversations surrounding food to a residential community, as one of the house’s advisors next year.

“There’s a lot of people that are really seeing food as a useful way to think through all kinds of big issues and be engaged in the world and all of that, but it tends to be somewhat scattered,” Stanton said. “I have tried to just be in places where we can pull things together and create little sort of nodes where people can work on things and talk to each other, and so I think the Foodie House will be one of those [places] in a really wonderful way, because it will be residential and there [will be] a kitchen there.”

There is still a lot of work and planning ahead to actualize their vision of the Foodie House, but the founders have already had to jump through certain barriers to get the house approved. “[There was] an additional challenge to try to coordinate [while] sending out emails to professors asking if they’d be our advisors, as well as just trying to recruit enough people to join to get enough interest,” Jackson said. “But once we got over that hurdle, and the hurdles looking for advisors, I’d say we’re super excited about it and so excited [it] is successful.”

Though Jackson and Holden have already accomplished the task of getting the house approved by Tufts, many of the specific details, such as the house’s location and its events, are not yet definite. They do know for sure that they hope to be able to open their doors to the greater Tufts community.

“Ideally, we would be able to host dinners where we’re looking for a certain number of people and it could be a place in which we can cook something and have discussions and just maybe presentations on different cultures and the history of food,” Jackson said. “Maybe one of our people will come and … make a dish, and they’ll present on the history of it.”

Additionally, every member of the house will be required to obtain a food handlers certification.

“It’s not something that Tufts is having us require, but we think it’s important that members are educated on food safety and know what goes into it,” Jackson said.

Holden and Jackson have high hopes to collaborate with other themed houses.

“Considering that every culture and identity often has a food component, we want Foodie House to be an opportunity for education and exploration.” Holden wrote.

The Foodie House already has so much planned for their debut on campus next school year. Ultimately, the founders are simply aiming to create a comfortable and safe space where lovers of food can express their passion in numerous ways.

“We’re just trying to create an interdisciplinary community, in which we can explore food and many issues surrounding food,” Jackson said. “That’s one of the basic requirements of survival.”

olitical change rarely comes quickly, as much as we would all like it to.

There will always be singular dramatic events that inspire hope, but generally, real change comes slowly and is rarely linear. Oftentimes, it’s difficult to even notice when big changes are occurring. But it’s important for Tufts students, as residents of Greater Boston, to realize the potential of what is happening here. It’s a movement percolating out from the city, with its new political order, onto its neighbors. And it has the potential to revolutionize transportation across the country.

You’ve probably heard of Boston’s new mayor Michelle Wu and her pet project of eliminating transit fares on three Boston bus routes. You may have also heard that the Route 28 bus has been free since August and will be until Feb. 28 under a policy enacted by acting Mayor Kim Janey. Wu expanded the Janey-era pilot program by making buses on Routes 23 and 29 fare-free on her first full day in office. The results of the additional fare-free routes remain to be seen, but the Route 28 bus pilot has been a resounding success, with the bus route seeing its ridership return to nearly 100 percent of pre-pandemic levels.

Fare-free transit in Boston and cities across Massachusetts comes as local governments are flushed with more cash than they know what to do with, thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act. It is rare that local governments have enough resources to do everything that they want to do, and it will not last forever. Ideally, governments will realize the importance of keeping municipalities equipped with the resources to try out new policies, especially when it comes to transit.

On that front, there is reason for optimism, with Massachusetts set to replace Governor Charlie Baker, who recently announced he would not seek reelection for a third term, and President Biden’s well-known enthusiasm for transit.

Of course, most Tufts students and community members don’t live in Boston, but Medford and Somerville are still part of this movement. Many of our own local elected officials joined a recent letter urging the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to formally open up bus routes to fare-free pilots. Somerville’s new mayor Katjana Ballantyne does not even have a car. Our local community can be part of this if we want to be.

This moment, in which cities and metro areas have the resources to actually implement long-sought policies, is incredibly rare.

Many cities are keenly aware of this and are taking the responsibility of determining how to spend their ARPA funding very seriously and slowly. Boston’s influx of cash at the same time as a political sea change has put the city in a unique position at the cutting edge of urban policy experimentation. If more cities can follow suit and resources can be provided, cities can reimagine themselves not just as more equitable, enjoyable places but as incubators of policy innovation. It is hard to stress enough just how transformative this moment could be for equity, the climate and quality of life across America’s cities.

The Tufts community, in Massachusetts and beyond, should take notice.

Chris Duncan is a sophomore studying political science. Chris can be reached at Christopher.Duncan@tufts.edu.

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Calling all Tufts foodies! A new foodthemed special interest house called the Foodie House is coming to Tufts.

The Foodie House will be a housing option for anyone who loves food. The house was founded by Tufts undergraduate students Holden and Jackson, who requested that part of their names be omitted out of concern for their privacy. It will be supervised by Distinguished Senior Lecturer in the anthropology department Cathy Stanton and Associate Professor of Anthropology Alex Blanchette. Holden and Jackson are passionate about food and envision a shared living space where members can bond over their shared interest in all things food related.

Unlike many existing special interest houses that are culturally based, the Foodie House is based around a passion. There will be no set requirements to live in this house other than an enthusiasm for food.

“Our only requirement really for people who are interested in joining our house is that they’re interested in food in some way or another,” Jackson said.

The term “foodie” in the name Foodie House may evoke the image of someone who possesses a refined taste for modern food trends, though the house is mostly centered on a general love of food. “’Foodie’ is such an interesting term because it carries this sort of connotation of gastronomy … [or] a certain kind of exploration of food in a way that can be sometimes seen as even appropriative or kind of problematic,” Stanton said. “I’m glad they called it that because it’s a provocative thing to call it.”

Modern-day foodies are sometimes associated with posting food content to social media. The Foodie House does, in fact, already have an Instagram account, @ tuftsfoodiehouse.

Jackson views Foodie House as a vehicle for community building and deeper learning. Not only will the members be cooking and eating meals together, but they will be learning and sharing information relating to food.

“We are trying to build a community of people in order to just kind of explore food and all the different facets within food,” Jackson said, “We may look at a lens from sustainability, a lens of food justice, basically just take food as its whole and explore the culture, the science, history and then food itself and just kind of create a community in which we can do things like family dinners, and just have a tightknit group.”

There are existing organizations at Tufts that foster food communities, such as The Palmier, an undergraduate culinary magazine. The Foodie House, however, will bring that sense of community around cooking into the comfort of a home.

“For college students, sitting down to a plate of food and sharing a meal with friends

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Arts & POP ARTS Pop CULTURE Culture

tuftsdaily.com

Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Odessa Gaines K-Weekly

Fall in love with IVE and ‘Eleven’

Mitski dances with darkness on ‘Laurel Hell’

L

ast semester I made it a habit to write about K-Music which was at least a year old. I originally set out to cover larger K-hits to add to your playlist, but as the semester went on I realized that first, I should start introducing older music that still feels new. Today, however, I will be opening your eyes to a girl group just over two months old.

IVE debuted on Dec. 1, 2021 under Starship Entertainment with their twotrack single album “Eleven.” The group is made up of six members: Yujin, Gaeul, Rei, Wonyoung, Liz and Leeseo. What is truly shocking about this new group is that it is made up of both rookie members and those from former girl groups.

The youngest was born in 2007 and the oldest born in 2002, yet IVE has proven their talent and drive.

Their first title track “Eleven” is a catchy and upbeat declaration about falling into love. The English chorus lyrics, “You make me dream a long dream/ This room is my little heaven,” reflect how falling in love makes the girls feel deeply entranced. The blooming love is felt as the music swells with more and more instruments, illustrating the descent into the new romance. The mix of guitar strumming and the consistent drumbeat makes you feel like you’ve actually fallen into heaven.

One of the hardest things about loving music is loving the song but maybe not how the artist chooses to perform it. I have my own taste for how certain words are emphasized in a song, and an entire track can be ruined for me if one word is emphasized in a way I simply don’t like. IVE, however, not only has a catchy beat and lyrics, but also the way they actually sing the song is a highlight of their work. Their chorus lead-in and emphasis on “heaven” during the chorus are some of the most memorable parts of the songs, giving them a bit more originality than many other songs currently being put out.

The music video takes a simpler filming approach by focusing on the song’s choreography and clear emphasis on showcasing these rising stars. This filming decision only serves to highlight IVE’s talent and lyrics.

The group’s performances have been an opportunity for them to show that not only do they have beautiful live vocals that drip with love, but they also hit all the dance marks to give off the feeling of a “colorful heart” their lyrics reference.

Overall, the group has a clear set of talents that they will hopefully continue to grow and nurture. They have already set the record for being the fastest girl group to receive a music show win after debuting, in just seven days, but the group and individuals can go so much further. IVE has quickly made an impact on the world of K-pop, and I believe they are a group everyone should be keeping their eyes on.

Odessa Gaines is a first-year studying child study and human development.

Odessa can be reached at kgaine01@ tufts.edu.

COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The album cover art for Mitski’s “Laurel Hell” (2022) is pictured.

by Jack Clohisy

Assistant Arts Editor

Mostly absent from the mainstream, Mitski has rarely resurfaced since the viral success of her previous LP “Be the Cowboy” (2018). However, on her latest Feb. 4 release “Laurel Hell” (2022), Mitski unleashes the darkness with the use of synths, grandiose instrumental builds and razor-thin lyricism. As is evident with the album’s lead single “Working for the Knife,” Mitski feels the weight of being yet another cog in the machine of the American workforce.

As she realizes the world will move on with or without her, Mitski laments, “I just didn’t know it would go without me.” Existentialism is in abundance on Mitski’s sixth studio album with themes centering on the purpose of being and the challenge of pushing societal boundaries.

The album opens with “Valentine, Texas,” Mitski’s undoubted way of setting the scene for this bleak and unbecoming environment present on “Laurel Hell.” As the audience travels out “to where dust devils are made,” there is some comfort in nature, an iso-

lation from society. Mitski juxtaposes the weight of off-the-grid mountains with the pressure she describes feeling as yet another insignificant being within American society in the next track.

“Working for the Knife” epitomizes the futility of creativity when one cannot express any autonomy outside of the ever-consuming workforce.

Mitski says she cries “at the start of every movie,” she wishes she could be “making things, too,” but as the title implies, she’s just “working for see MITSKI, page 5

Saba’s third album ‘Few Good Things’ teaches lessons in appreciation and character building

by Geoff Tobia Jr.

Assistant Arts Editor

In an Instagram post last Thursday, the day before the drop of Saba’s third studio album “Few Good Things” (2022), the Chicago rapper left some instructions and notes for his fans and critics to observe and ponder before the material was released. Perhaps most notably, a request for the media: “I challenge you not to use headlines that you’ve read about the friends that I lost to invent storylines that aren’t there. I am more than my trauma and I offer more than those stories.”

Despite the things Saba has been through since his sophomore release,

“CARE FOR ME” (2018), he unsurprisingly delivers on his promise that the collection of songs on “Few Good Things” has much more to offer lyrically, instrumentally and thematically.

“Free Samples,” featuring Cheflee, takes on many roles as an introduction for the entire record. The quiet tremolo strings, mellow bass guitar melody and gentle snare serve as an indication of what that this record will highlight atmospherically: the interaction between the loud and the gentle. With this sonic beauty comes the notion of a sunny day, the outdoors full of flora and wildlife, bright colors and soothing sounds. This juxtaposition of beautiful flowers and the sun in the sky with a slightly more seri-

ous undertone is featured on the record’s album cover, where we see a man wearing white surrounded by flowers on a sunny day, but he’s sitting in front of a metal fence with an apartment building behind him.

“Free Samples” and the following “One Way or Every N---- With a Budget” capture this sensation perfectly. Saba uses his instrumentals and rapping to remind himself and inform others of his transformation over the years. He raps “Went from couldn’t afford it to a n---- coppin’ without counting/ None my checks been voidin’ since a n---- got me an accountant.” The album’s lead see SABA, page 5

A r t s & P o p C u lt u r e

Wednesday, February 9, 2022 | Arts & Pop Culture | THE TUFTS DAILY

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Lamenting love lost and American society, Mitski turns song into poetry MITSKI

continued from page 4 the knife.” Mitski is to music what Ernest Hemingway was to literature;there is a poetic nature about her short, engaging method of songwriting, but a modernist realism that comes with its lyrical content.

Next comes “Stay Soft,” an ode to the perpetual cycle of spirit hardening in society.

Mitski compares opening up one’s heart to opening the gates of hell — to do so signals the heart’s demise in the wake of vulnerability. “You stay soft, get beaten/ Only natural to harden up,” she continues.

Society has a way of churning through individuals, no matter their resolve, and Mitski is disillusioned with this concept.

“Everyone” feels like the most interlude-esque track on the record. An introspective reflection from Mitski, the track serves as a flashback to a time when she attempted to diverge from the restrictions society imposed on her. “Everyone said, ‘Don’t go that way’/ So, of course, to that, I said/ ‘I think I’ll go that way,'” Mitski sings. However, as the darkness begins to chase her down this path, it catches up to her, and Mitski explains, “Sometimes I think I am free/ Until I find I’m back in line again.” Thus, the darkness wins.

On “Heat Lightning,” the same defeated spirit is present.

Mitski repeats over and over, “There’s nothing I can do, not much I can change.” As insig-

nificant as a grain of sand on a large beach, Mitski expresses an inability to change the conditions in which she resides.

From a pessimistic viewpoint, Mitski is able to explore this concept well and has fleshed it out thoroughly throughout the album thus far.

“The Only Heartbreaker” and “Love Me More” abide to the more conventional production of popular music today. Incorporating the same synth-esque retro-pop that brought success to The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” (2020) and Dua Lipa’s “Physical” (2020), one may call this a satire. Each track has its own ‘earworm-ability,’ but its lyrical content reveals the deeper intent. On “The Only

Heartbreaker,” Mitski still can’t catch a break in her relationship, as she realizes, “So I’ll be the loser in this game/ I’ll be the bad guy in the play.”

However, on “Love Me More,” Mitski is tired with the endless repetition of exhausting days, questioning, “How do other people live?/ I wonder how they keep it up/ When today is finally done/ There’s another day to come.”

As the album transitions to “There’s Nothing Left Here for You,” she denies an ex-lover the ability to return to her life. Keeping on trend with the many juxtapositions on this album, the track is followed up with “Should’ve Been Me,” where Mitski acknowledges her inability to provide the love her

ex-lover needed: “You wanted me, but couldn’t reach me/ So you went into your memory/ Relived all the ways you still want me.”

Mitski reaches acceptance on “I Guess,” when she realizes it’s time to move past the heartbreak and disappointment. She closes the album with “That’s Our Lamp,” her final testimony to the love she once had which is finally gone.

Impeccably executed, Mitski pulls back the curtains on the desolate within American society: the endless work cycle, the heartbreak and the inability to break free. With such, Mitski reminds her audience that music serves as a creative outlet to represent all aspects, good and bad, of society.

Playing with musical shadows and light, Saba’s album exceeds expectations SABA

continued from page 4 single “Fearmonger” also gave us a flavor of how “Few Good Things” would sound as a longer record, with bright guitars and a bright inflection in Saba’s vocals. Another moment where the record shines is “Come My Way,” featuring Bone Thugsn-Harmony’s Krayzie Bone, where choral vocals and a string arrangement back some of the most impressive displays of rapping in Saba’s career.

The superstar trio of Saba, 6LACK and Smino come together on “Still,” one of the pretti-

est beats on the record. The Jon Hopkins-esque synth and James Blake-esque drum kit create a tone that’s guaranteed to tug on your heartstrings. This instrumental and vocal beauty continues on “A Simpler Time” with Mereba, where both she and Saba form a sort of lullaby with a creative drum syncopation and key change to show Saba’s artistry.

The last three tracks of the album create a gorgeous conclusion for the record, each song tonally transitioning into the next. The beat of “Make Believe” is melancholy and spacious, a perfect environment for singers like

Fousheé, who is featured on the track with her signature background vocal riffs, which have given her a platform over the past few years. Then comes “2012,” featuring an instrumental from indie band Day Wave, starring a stunning bass guitar performance with bright reverberated synths and chirping birds. This track and the closing track “Few Good Things,” featuring Black Thought and Eryn Allen Kane, contain lyrics that make the listener get lost easily in Saba’s point of view.

Black Thought, of The Roots, also delivers an excellent set of bars that align thematically with a lot

of Saba’s lyricism on the record, rapping “As I reflect on what got me this/ How I’m one of Cassie kids, we from S.P. and we come in twos/ I’m unenthused, but good things come in fews.”

While every song on this record is very enjoyable and can be played in many different emotional contexts, not every song has a bright and soothing atmosphere. “Stop That” and “Survivor’s Guilt,” featuring G Herbo, have a louder and bolder hip-hop style. They showcase a darker environment in almost perfect contrast to songs like “Still” or “2012.” The per-

fect blend of these approaches comes in “Soldier,” featuring fellow members of the hip-hop collective Pivot Gang: Frsh Waters, Joseph Chilliams and MFnMelo.

With a swing-style delivery and catchy beat, “Soldier” shows the synergy that Pivot Gang has when they’re on the same track, and they all sound like they’re having lots of fun.

And that’s the way it should be. This record should serve as a victory for Saba and the talented artists he features. It’s a reminder that if the fruits of your labor can bring you happiness, so should the labor.

6

THE TUFTS DAILY | Fun & Games | Wednesday, February 9, 2022

F& G

tuftsdaily.com LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY

Fun & Games

Sam: “There’s nothing worse than astrology…except for music.”

SUDOKU

LINDA C. BLACK ASTROLOGY

Aquarius

(Jan. 20 – Feb. 18) Disciplined efforts realize a creative project or solve a romantic puzzle. You can see what wasn’t working. Patiently persist. Aim for fun and relaxation.

SEARCHING FOR HEADLINES...

Difficulty Level: Enjoying the things I read on Sidechat.

Tuesday’s Solutions

CROSSWORD

a hairbrush.

Recycle me.

tuftsdaily.com

Opinion

7 Wednesday, February 9, 2022

VIEWPOINTS

Investors must consider risks when investing in cryptocurrency

by Idil Kolabas and Henry Murray Staff Writers

From celebrities appearing in cryptocurrency commercials to the repetitive, self-proclaimed investing gurus on TikTok, cryptocurrency has grounded itself in social media and pop culture.

However, its swift growth on the internet has exposed many of the dangers of the business. While investing money is smart, and a new realm like cryptocurrency is encouraging for people looking to make money, the lack of understanding that most people have of cryptocurrency is frightening. Cardify, a market research platform, conducted various studies on the state of cryptocurrency in recent years and found that over 83% of investors reported having only a moderate to low understanding of what they were investing in. As people are bombarded with information about cryptocurrency online, many feel pressure to get involved without any knowledge of the business, for fear of missing out. This trend of rash decision making, espe-

cially with something as volatile as cryptocurrency, has the potential to lead to significant loss.

Vox published a graphical representation showing the volatility of cryptocurrency by comparing the correlation between Bitcoin’s value and the content of Elon Musk’s tweets. For example, Bitcoin values fell when he announced that Tesla would no longer accept bitcoins as a form of payment but promptly rose again a month later when he tweeted that Tesla would resume its acceptance of bitcoins. The fact that investments in Bitcoin can be so easily influenced by something as trivial as a tweet presents a huge risk to those who have invested sizable sums of money in cryptocurrency.

However, with a market value of over $40,000, it seems as though many people still have faith in Bitcoin.

But what exactly is Bitcoin, and why is it attracting such large audiences?

Bitcoin combines the advantages of hard and soft currency.

It has the benefits of cash in the

sense that transactions can be more difficult to track to specific user identities. On the digital side, its versatility allows it to be used to access a wide variety of goods and services, and its transactions are not regulated because it uses a decentralized system of storing transactions called the blockchain.

This decentralized structure allows the regulation of cryptocurrency to be done by “miners” who are responsible for adding and validating transactions to the blockchain. These miners are rewarded with an amount of cryptocurrency so that they are encouraged to mine more and keep the chain going. This means that cryptocurrency is based on a collective authority, with no fixed regulation, which makes it easy to be used for illegal activities.

Predicting the cryptocurrency market involves a greater degree of speculation compared to the stock market. With the stock market, people try to predict the profits that a company will make in the future. Conversely, cryptocurrency is not man-

aged or listed by a company.

Additionally, the stock market is backed by more tangible measures like cash and company assets, while the value of cryptocurrency is simply determined by people’s interest in buying it. Therefore, its value can be much more susceptible to volatile changes than stocks, with investors forced to blindly guess how its value will increase in the future. The volatility of cryptocurrency was demonstrated at the end of January when the stock market took a hit and traders started to speculate that the same could happen to the cryptocurrency market. Their predictions reigned true, resulting in a loss of approximately $500 billion in the cryptocurrency market. The lack of trust in the cryptocurrency market led the average daily trading volume to also drop, leading the value for various coins to decrease.

Another manifestation of the high risks of cryptocurrency comes in its security, or lack thereof. Because cryptocurrency is digital and traded through

online exchanges, the safety of your holdings is often dependent on the safety of the service. Even the most stable cryptocurrency coins are not always safe investments; online trading websites can fall victim to hacks. A report was released, claiming that a total of $11 billion worth of cryptocurrency has been lost to hackers between 2011 and 2020. The amount of money stolen over the last decade should make us question how safe it is to hold money on exchanges, even if people are usually reimbursed.

Even though cryptocurrency markets will continue to exist independent of each other because of their decentralized structure, the amount of money people invest in cryptocurrency should be carefully coordinated to ensure that the volatile nature of the currency will not cost them a fortune. It is important that investors are aware that the cryptocurrency market is based heavily on speculation, is volatile, may be vulnerable to hackers and offers a convenient medium for illegal activities.

8 Wednesday, February 9, 2022

SPORTS

Men’s ice hockey bests Connecticut College in weekend series

tuftsdaily.com

Michael Wallace-Bruce Over the Top Football

A

COURTESY TUFTS ATHLETICS

The Tufts men’s hockey team in Malden Valley Forum is crowded together on Oct. 21, 2021.

by Arielle Weinstein

Assistant Sports Editor

Over the weekend, the Tufts Jumbos got the better of the Connecticut College Camels, winning their Friday night matchup by a score of 3–2 and tying their Saturday game 2–2.

Entering the weekend, the Jumbos sat just below the Camels at No. 9 in the NESCAC standings. Tufts was coming off of a loss the previous weekend to a talented Williams team. Tufts had only played one of their two scheduled games, so they had the advantage of fresher legs coming into this series.

Connecticut College, on the other hand, played a midweek game and were able to scrape out a tie against the top-ranked Colby Mustangs. Both teams knew this series could prove to be crucial in the NESCAC playoff race.

“It always seems to come down to us and [Connecticut College] in that race for the eighth spot, and with them so close to us in the standings, we knew that we would definitely need to grab the majority of the points this weekend,”senior goalie Josh Sarlo said.

In the Friday game, the Jumbos came out hot as junior forward Mason Kohn scored his first goal of the season within the first two minutes to put Tufts up 1–0. Kohn was able to deflect sophomore defender Jack Hughes’ shot from the point into the back of the net.

The rest of the period was less actionpacked until the very end, when Sarlo made an important stop on a point blank shot to keep Tufts in the lead.

In the second period, Tufts was once again able to jump on Connecticut College early. Senior forward Justin Brandt gathered the puck from behind the net and connected with senior forward Angus Scott, who coolly shot the puck home and doubled the Jumbos’ lead. Later in the period, the Jumbos scored once again on a power play.

Sophomore defenseman Cam Newton and first-year forward Harrison

Bazianos expertly worked the puck around the offensive zone before firstyear forward Brennan Horn put the shot away to make the score 3–0 Tufts.

The Camels were able to make a push towards the end of the second period.

They substituted sophomore goalie Cam Fernandez for the more experienced senior goalie Mike McHale.

The Camels were then able to score a shorthanded goal before the end of the period to make the score 3–1.

Connecticut College continued on that momentum into the third period, scoring once more in the first five minutes to cut the Jumbos’ lead to 3–2. The Tufts defense was able to hold for the rest of the period, killing a power play with only a few minutes remaining to seal the win. Sarlo was able to follow up his NESCAC Player of the Week performance from the previous week with another solid outing.

Horn commented on how the Jumbos stopped opposing power plays.

“It was something we focused on kind of going into it, we worked on our penalty kill all week during practice. …

We executed it well and came out with the win,” Horn said.

In the second game, offensive production started out much slower for both sides. Although Tufts dominated the opening minutes of the game in terms of possession, they weren’t able to convert any of their shots into goals.

Connecticut College regained some momentum and made the final minutes of the period a more competitive affair.

Sophomore goalie Peyton Durand made a few key stops on breakaways to keep the game scoreless throughout the period. The Camels outshot the Jumbos in the period 12–11.

During the second period the Camels continued to ride their momentum from the first, putting lots of pressure on the Jumbos’ defense. The Jumbos didn’t help their case by committing two penalties throughout the period, but were able to kill the power play

both times. Durand proved crucial to keeping the game tied 0–0, making a whopping 19 saves in the period, as the Camels made the game feel more lopsided, outshooting the Jumbos 19–6.

In the third period, the Camels finally broke through the Jumbos’ defense and scored in the first two minutes.

They followed the goal up with another one just a minute later to double their lead to 2–0. It took a bit of individual brilliance to bring Tufts back into the game. With 11 minutes remaining in the game, Bazianos collected the puck from behind the net and rifled a shot into the roof of the net to make the score 2–1.

Feeling the pressure of the possibility of another late game loss, the Jumbos redoubled their efforts, and with just four minutes remaining, the fruits of their labor paid off. Sophomore defender Jacob Iida played a nifty pass to the front of the net where sophomore forward Andrew Maynard was waiting to put the puck away and tie the game.

“Anytime you can have younger guys like that contributing and … buying in, … I think it speaks a lot to the depth of our team,” Scott said.

The Jumbos were able to keep up the pressure on the Camels until the whistle but didn’t manage to score again before the game went into overtime. In the 3-on-3 overtime period, Tufts dominated possession and was hammering shots on the Connecticut College goal.

Unfortunately, the Jumbos couldn’t force the puck in, and the game ended in a 2–2 tie.

Tufts’ record now stands at 4–11–2 overall and 4–7–2 in the conference. It is now tied for No. 8 with Connecticut College. This stretch of conference games will determine whether or not Tufts makes the playoffs.

“I think we’re really trending in a positive direction, and [we are] really looking forward to finishing out the year on a strong note here,” Scott said.

AFCON highlights

fter being postponed by a year, the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations finally began in January 2022. The tournament brought many memorable moments from heated arguments breaking out between referees and players to upsetting wins by underdogs.

Senegal’s Success Before I delve into the shocks of the tournament, I must congratulate Senegal who were crowned champions of Africa. The win represents redemption as Senegal finished runner-up in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

Considering that the team has remarkable players from top European clubs, Senegal did not fail to meet the high expectation of winning the tournament. While the team barely edged its opponents in the group stages, Senegal managed to effortlessly defeat Cape Verde 2–0 in the round of 16. Striker Sadio Mané and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy also proved to be pivotal instruments to the team as their heroics in the penalty shootout played a role in their win against Egypt.

Although Senegal deserves full praise, I must also give credit to Egypt. They lost their first group stage match to Nigeria, but — led by Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah — Egypt managed themselves well after a disappointing start, overcoming tough opponents like Ivory Coast and Cameroon in the playoffs.

Great Display Entering the tournament, superstars like Salah, Mané and Mahrez were expected to be the best performers of the tournament.

However, as the tournament prolonged, Cameroon’s captain Vincent Aboubakar took the limelight. Playing in his home country, the striker led his fellow players to an unlikely run where they topped their group and finished third overall. In addition, Aboubakar notched eight goals to win the golden boot of the tournament.

Although Aboubakar currently plays for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, his efforts in this tournament may see some European teams courting his services.

What Happened?

The most shocking exits out of the competition have to be Ghana and Algeria.

For Ghana, prestige and past glory necessitated that they performed well. As a fourtime AFCON winner and as with a current squad with players who play for competitive European teams, Ghana was expected to at least move on to the quarter finals. On paper, their group stage opponents, Comoros and Gabon, were weaker. Instead of showing their class, the Ghanaian soccer team sadly bowed out of the competition, and they finished last in their group.

As the defending champions of Africa, Algeria were favorites to win the tournament. However, they only managed one point in their first game — a draw against Sierra Leone. They then lost their subsequent games to both Equatorial Guinea and Ivory Coast.

What’s Next?

The conclusion of the tournament serves as a harbinger for the dramatic and exciting games to come during World Cup Qualifiers since both Egypt and Senegal will face off to bid for a place in the upcoming World Cup. Michael Wallace-Bruce is a junior studying international relations. Michael can be reached at Michael.Wallace_Bruce@ tufts.edu