The Tufts Daily - Wednesday, March 16, 2022

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Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Shirley Mark named Tisch College assistant dean of diversity and inclusion

by Maggie Monahan Staff Writer

After nearly 20 years of serving the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life as director of community partnerships, Shirley Mark has assumed the newly-created role of assistant dean for diversity and inclusion. Mark will oversee Tisch College’s work in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion and justice in addition to continuing her responsibilities as director of community partnerships.

Tisch College Dean Dayna Cunningham expressed excitement that Mark, with her considerable experience and community connections, is taking on this role.

“Shirley brings unimpeachable moral authority and deep institutional knowledge about our ongoing work of building multi-racial democracy,” Cunningham wrote in an email to the Daily. “From an institutional perspective, this important step reinforces Tisch College’s commitment to becoming an anti-racist institution and brings us in-line with the organizational structure of other Schools at Tufts.”

Mark has been heavily involved in racial equity work on Tufts’ campus from the beginning

of her tenure at Tisch College.

When University President Anthony Monaco established the Council on Diversity in 2012, she served on a working group that focused on increasing diversity among the university’s graduate and professional students.

More recently, she served on the Working Group on Campus Safety and Policing, a workstream of the Tufts as an Anti-Racist Institution initiative. The working group was established in 2020 in the wake of the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement and was tasked with evaluating the Tufts University Police Department’s structure and operations. The workstream’s February 2021 report included recommendations relating to the TUPD’s mission, organization, training model and accountability but did not reach a conclusion about whether TUPD officers should be armed. Rather, it recommended the creation of the Working Group on TUPD Arming, which is currently developing its recommendations.

Mark told the Daily that she feels the creation of the new assistant deanship “validates the importance” of the equity issues she has focused on throughout her career.

“I’ve always done this [type of work],” Mark said. “[The role] creates a new opportunity for me to dig a little bit deeper. …

[Diversity, equity, inclusion and justice] is a social justice issue, but it’s also an ethical and moral issue, which I think more and more people have come to remember and realize in the last couple of years.”

As Tisch Colllege’s assistant dean for diversity and inclusion, Mark will work closely with other departments, such as the Office of Government and Community Relations, on numerous projects. These include the Presidential Symposium, an annual conference intended to bring the Tufts community and surrounding residential communities together to discuss relevant issues, and the Tisch College Community Research Center, which supports research projects undertaken by Tufts students and faculty in collaboration with community partners.

Rocco DiRico, Tufts’ executive director of government and community relations, looks forward to strengthening the relationship between Tisch College and see DIVERSITY, page 2

QUAN TRAN / THE TUFTS DAILY

Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion Shirley Mark is pictured on Feb. 16.

Medford Public Schools awarded $50,000 Hate Crime Prevention Grant

by Madeline Wilson Assistant News Editor

The Medford Public School District was recently awarded a competitive Hate Crime Prevention Grant by the State of Massachusetts. Medford Public Schools plans to use the $50,000 award, the maximum amount of funding available under the grant, to integrate restorative justice practices into the classroom.

According to Dr. Peter Cushing, assistant superintendent of Medford Public Schools, there have been a number of past cases in Medford schools that have raised concerns about the social and emotional health of students. In December, students staged a walkout at Medford High School in response to incidents of violence, and later that month, a “hate symbol” was found in the bathroom of another school in the district.

“Students had some real, valid concerns around a student-on-student incident that happened in school, and what

KATRINA AQUILINO / THE TUFTS DAILY

The Curtis-Tufts High School is pictured on Feb. 23. that led to was us having conversations with students around how they feel their school is operating,” Cushing said. “Some of the comments students made … really raised my level of concern as a former principal, and I really felt that it was incumbent on us when this opportunity came forward to

really try to get our students in a better place.”

The grant will be divided and directed toward a number of initiatives that aim to reduce instances of hate crime and create a more positive environment for members of the educational communities. Of the grant, $15,000 will go

toward funding a student survey to gauge the social and cultural climate of Medford schools.

“Finding out what students need is really important for our culture in schools,” Director of School Counseling and Behavioral Health Stacey Schulman said.

“Creating that open commu-

ARTS / page 4

ARTS / page 4

SPORTS / back

Peach Pit’s newest album is as sweet as it sounds

‘The Guilded Age’ is simple, bingeable, but socially unimpactful

Two men’s track stars run to All-American honors

nication around events is vital because that’s what we need to create a positive community.”

Part of the grant will also go toward expanding the restorative justice pilot initiative that was previously implemented at Andrews Middle School in Medford.

Medford Public Schools is partnering with groups like Pathways to Restorative Communities to bring restorative practices into their classrooms.

Candace Julyan, a partner at Pathways to Restorative Communities (P2RC), spoke to the Daily about how restorative practices work to mediate conflict in a more constructive and less accusatory way.

“In a criminal justice or rulebased system, … the questions that are important to people [are], ‘Who did it?’ and, ‘What are the consequences?’” Julyan said. “In a restorative conversation, they’re just totally different questions.

The questions there [are], ‘Who’s been harmed? What do they see SCHOOLS, page 2 NEWS

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FEATURES

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ARTS & POP CULTURE

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FUN & GAMES

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OPINION

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SPORTS

BACK

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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Wednesday, March 16, 2022

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Mark pinpoints Tisch Scholars, HR as areas for DEI improvement within Tisch College DIVERSITY

continued from page 1 the Office of Government and Community Relations during Mark’s tenure as assistant dean.

“Shirley is a tireless advocate for underserved and underrepresented communities in the Greater Boston area,” DiRico wrote in an email to the Daily. “We are so fortunate to be able to work with her and look forward to strengthening our partnership with Tisch College.”

One means of advancing diversity and inclusion at Tisch College that Mark has identified is by expanding the opportunities for diversity, equity, inclusion and justice work available in the Tisch Summer Fellows Program, which allows over 100 students each summer to intern with civically-engaged partner organizations, such as nonprofits or government offices.

“While there have always been opportunities for students to learn about DEI and to be immersed [in] DEI issues, I think moving forward we’ll be digging it a little deeper,” Mark said.

Mark also wants each employee of Tisch College to set goals related to diversity and inclusion during their performance planning.

“Each staff person will be responsible for … thinking about

their own learning goals but also how DEI is relevant to their work,” she said.

Speaking more broadly about the university’s commitment to DEI, Mark identified the relative lack of diversity among the administration as an area with room for improvement.

“The leadership at Tufts is still not as racially diverse as it ought to be, to be reflective of society,” she said. “We can do better.”

Medford schools strive to build restorative communities SCHOOLS

continued from page 1 need? And whose responsibility is it to repair that harm?’”

The restorative method of conflict resolution focuses on three levels of intervention in order to respond to incidents of varying severity. The most basic are community building circles, which, according to the P2RC toolkit, develop “social and emotional capacity, build relationships, and improve school climate.”

“Community building circles [are] where you start to create a school culture where people really have relationships with one another,” said Julyan. “I think the whole idea of restorative practices … is [that] it’s a way to turn a mistake into a learning opportunity instead of a punishment.”

By integrating restorative practices into the classroom, Julyan believes that repeated incidents of conflict can be avoided, and students that might otherwise get caught up in cycles of offense and punishment can grow from these instances.

“Often, there are students who are seen in the office over and over again,” Julyan said.

“Restorative conferences really reduce that issue because kids really learn, and so rather than just being punished and going home … they have an opportunity to really think about what they did. Instead of being punished, [they can] figure out how to fix whatever happened, and then they can use that the next time.”

Medford elementary schools have already incorporat-

ed ‘Responsive Classroom’ approaches, a method that aims to create inclusive and engaging classrooms for all students. Beyond the Hate Crime Prevention Grant, Cushing hopes to expand the Responsive Classroom method to middle schools.

“Students are going to come to [middle school teachers] fully trained, and if they’re coming with a language and a framework through [the] Responsive Classroom [method], then educators at the secondary level … need to have that knowledge and understanding so that they can best work with the students,” Cushing said.

A portion of the grant will go to providing training for teachers and administrators so they are

familiar with the restorative practice approach.

With assistance from the grant, Cushing believes that incorporating these restorative practices and managing student concerns on an intimate level will prepare students for social, political and cultural experiences beyond the classroom.

“Hopefully through these trainings, through this work with our students, and through … understanding how your behavior impacts other people and then [through] trying to restore the relationship that was otherwise damaged, we’re going to be able to head off some of these things that have plagued other districts and create a better citizen of the United States and a better citizen of the world,” Cushing said.

SCIENCE

Largest microbe ever discovered, study links animal delicacies at wet markets to 102 viruses Largest microbe ever discovered could explain the link between prokaryotes and eukaryotes Microbes are generally supposed to be invisible to the naked eye, but in the Caribbean, a microbe that can grow up to two centimeters has been described, making scientists question what it really means for a cell to be a prokaryote, also known as a single-celled organism. Scientists have named the giant microbe Thiomargarita magnifica, with ‘magnifica’ stemming from the bacterium’s unusually large size — it is about 5000 times the size of most other bacteria.

What makes T. magnifica even more unlike typical bacteria is that its DNA is stored inside a membrane rather than just floating around in the cell. In general, prokary-

otes are smaller than eukaryotes, have free-floating DNA and lack complex organelles for higher cell functions. By contrast, eukaryotic cells, like our own, store DNA in the nucleus of the cell, making this trait of the large microbe more like eukaryotes than other prokaryotes.

T. magnifica seems to push the boundaries of the typical prokaryote definition, especially since it contains about 4000 more genes than regular bacteria. These differences are making scientists wonder whether this microbe could provide more evidence to describe the evolutionary transition from prokaryotes to multicellular organisms.

Study finds 102 viruses in animal delicacies at wet markets A new study has found that many wild animal delica-

cies contain viruses that can be transmitted to humans.

Though none of these viruses are closely related to COVID19, live animal markets, called ‘wet markets,’ still have the potential to start dangerous virus outbreaks as demonstrated by the current pandemic and the 2001 SARS outbreak.

Researchers found 102 viruses in some animals sold at wet markets in China, including civets, raccoon dogs, badgers, bamboo rats and porcupines.

Sixty-five of those pathogens were labeled “high risk” since they had previously been transmitted in between species.

The researchers identified several variations of the Influenza A and B virus, which could theoretically provoke another pandemic since they are becoming more common in other kinds of mammals.

The influenza virus’s ability to mutate so quickly in other animals means that it could also mutate to infect humans.

Similar to how our immune systems become weaker when we are stressed or do not get enough sleep, animals sold at wet markets are under significant stress and live in poor conditions, making them more vulnerable to viruses. China has already cracked down on the sales of these animals after the initial SARS outbreak, but many of them were still available before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Though it is difficult for sellers to adjust to these bans, in the interest of preventing another pandemic, scientists believe it would be best if the sale of these animals significantly decreased.

–– Maiah Islam

TRASHING ONE EGG WASTES 55 GALLONS OF WATER

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Chris Duncan Talking Transit

The Globe rubs salt in the wound If you read the Boston Globe, you might have come across this article on Monday about what the T could have been. The crux of it centers on a map published by the paper in April 1947 showcasing planners’ proposals for an expansion of Boston’s T network. Looking at it now, knowing that so little of this has

Features actually come to be, is a little bit heartbreaking.

It’s worth noting that this map is still imperfect. For one, it falls for the trap that Boston’s transit network has fallen for pretty much since its inception: a heavy focus on commuting.

The map still emphasizes, more than anything, the transportation of people from outside the city into the urban core rather than moving people around the city. Where this map still improves on the current map is the Green Line with its very interesting loop-like design. But even there, the loop would cover only a small part of the city, with most of the line covering suburbs like Newton and Brookline

and with no other similar service connecting neighborhoods without having to go through the urban core.

Another big flaw with this map is how it only expands existing lines rather than creating new service to communities within Boston itself that don’t get train service. There is a large geographical gap between those existing Orange and Red lines that omits basically all of Dorchester and Roxbury from T service. Today, these neighborhoods are among the most diverse and populous in the city — surely they deserve T service even more than suburbs like Newton or Lexington that are far less dense. Today, we have bus

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service doing most of the work in that sphere, but of course, train service would be preferable to that. The map can thus be seen as a remarkably ambitious but frustratingly unimaginative proposal.

To give the T credit, too, we have seen expansions of the network since then — throughout the T’s history, the Green Line added the D branch, the Red Line got extended up and down, the Orange Line was lengthened to north of Boston, the Blue Line was extended into Revere, and of course, we are on the cusp of getting the wonderful new Green Line extension into our community. But looking at the kinds of plans we had even 75

years ago and how little of it we have actually achieved is, admittedly, painful.

Our transit map is getting better, though. Certainly, with the Green Line on track to open the Union Square branch next week, there is reason to get excited.

Baby steps! Except in our case, in addition to taking very small steps, the baby takes so few steps that I would be surprised if they ever learned to walk. We’ll get there soon, and with luck, it will be before our train network is swallowed by the ocean.

Chris Duncan is a junior studying political science. Chris can be reached at christopher.duncan@ tufts.edu.

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Arts & POP ARTS Pop CULTURE Culture

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Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Peach Pit’s ‘From 2 to 3’ is sweet and thoughtful

by Ellie Lester Arts Editor

Peach Pit, the Vancouver-born quartet, released its third album, “From 2 to 3” (2022) on March 4. The Alternative/Indie group delivers yet another well-balanced combination of playful guitar riffs and thoughtful lyrics. Its latest project is hardly shocking but reliably good.

Following “Being So Normal” (2018) and “You and Your Friends” (2020), “From 2 to 3” delivers the warmth and friendship so characteristic of the Peach Pit’s music.

Singer and rhythm guitarist Neil Smith provides wispy yet wistful vocals that trace through stories of life, love and the moments you stop to notice.

Accompanying Smith are Christopher Vanderkooy on lead guitar, Peter Wilton on bass and Mikey Pascuzzi on drums. The band has been on a slow burning approach to fame since the release of their debut EP “Sweet FA” in 2016. To complement its new album, the group will be on tour from now through Sept. 17.

The band said it worked on the project through long nights.

Its title, “From 2 to 3,” reflects the hushed conditions band members worked through at odd hours and the silent progress they made before holding up their art for fans to enjoy. Even as it slipped singles like “Up Granville” (2021), “Look Out!” (2021) and “Vickie” (2022) onto Spotify, Peach Pit’s newest samples were only soft hints at an upcoming record.

The leading track, “Up Granville,” falls squarely on the group’s indiepop sound, opening with whimsical guitar notes that trickle into a steady beat and calming chorus. Like the rest of the group’s discography, the album relies heavily on Vanderkooy and Wilton’s skilled instrumentals.

COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Peach Pit is pictured playing a concert in 2018.

“Up Granville” opens with a serene, finger-plucked melody that cushions the melancholy lyrics about the emotional pain of romantic troubles. The cascading notes recall early morning sunlight peeking through a window.

“Pepsi on the House” and “Vickie” epitomize Peach Pit’s chipper sound. Its soothing yet peppy rhythm resembles “Live at the Swamp” from “You and Your Friends” (2020).

After “Up Granville” and “Look Out!,” “Vickie” was the final breadcrumb that the band released leading up to its completed album.

Upbeat instrumentals create an

enticing foreground while Smith imagines a life living next to his best friend, Vickie. Smith said he began writing the song years ago when his friend told him that all she wanted for her birthday was a song in her honor. The second track on the band’s 2022 release, “Vickie,” marks Smith’s mocking yet endearing reply.

The album’s lyrics explore saccharine sentiments turned sour from broken relationships that survive ended relationships, latenight debauchery with friends and everything in between. In Peach Pit fashion, the tracks assume a light and airy mood. Even more pensive numbers like “Everything About

You” and “Last Days of Lonesome” maintain a kinder sound despite their sorrow-filled lyrics.

“Give Up Baby Go” gives a folky feel. The light guitar strums and steady beat underlay this ode to a failed relationship. It is a definite standout on the project. The music video, released alongside the album, features the band fumbling through a hazy montage of drugs, drinks and a night unremembered.

“From 2 to 3” is steadily decent.

While none of the tracks seem to unlock the magic they struck with “Peach Pit” (2018) or “Shampoo Bottles” (2020), they manage to

deliver a solid lineup of quality songs. Yet again, Peach Pit manages to imbue its music with a kind of storytelling that feels warm and personal.

As a whole, Peach Pit’s music eases the hardships of young adult life by pairing them with tender melodies and soft vocals.

While its music is certainly nothing to party to, it does provide the perfect backdrop for pondering one’s own experiences. Peach Pit’s songs let listeners sway to life’s unremarkable moments as well as find the melody and lyricism in their own late nights or jagged relationships.

‘The Gilded Age’ provides a joyously simple viewing experience

by Henry Chandonnet Assistant Arts Editor

The period piece is a fundamental staple within modern media. It’s riveting to be transported back to another age, to see the flourishes of the lifestyles and to identify the predecessors to our modern actions.

Still, the genre’s impact would be fairly minimal without the contributions of a leading figure, creating the landscape and driving a television empire: Julian Fellowes. Fellowes created the iconic “Downton Abbey” (2010–15), a British historical melodrama that received widespread critical acclaim and a cult following. Fellowes returns to the television scene with “The Gilded Age” (2022–), bringing the same period allure to a new American setting.

The new series may not have a broader significance to the culture or community ideals, but it succeeds in providing what “Downton Abbey” provided for so many: simple, enjoyable television.

The show sets itself in 1880s New York City, deep within the rapid growth of the American economy and technological innovation. It follows a dueling set of neighbors: the old-money Ada Brook (Cynthia Nixon) and Agnes Van Rhijn (Christine Baranski), and the new-money George and Bertha Russell (Morgan Spector; Carrie Coon).

The show begins with Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson) moving in with her aunts Ada and Agnes, shifting from the simplicity of Doylestown, Pennsylvania, to the complex social politics of New York City.

The viewer follows Brook as she moves through the city, making friends and falling in love, and surely disobeying her Aunt Agnes’ insistence not to mix with the lowly new-money individuals along the way. The show is about high-class drama and living and about how the elite may both present their utmost humility while sowing strife along the way.

Ultimately, the show is perfectly bingeable television. It is high in drama, allowing for intrigue and a continued focus throughout the progression of the show. Still, the show maintains incredibly low stakes, making the viewing experience almost entirely stress-free. No matter the outcome of these proliferating social squabbles, all will be deeply comfortable within their own wealth. No

choice made will have life-altering consequences. In fact, the show even presents an exemplar of someone whom the social tide has turned against, in the form of Mrs. Chamberlain ( Jeanne Tripplehorn). Mrs. Chamberlain was cast out of civil society after the death of her husband but still lives a beautiful and well-off life. Thus, even if a favorite character receives a twist in fate, putting them in dire straits, they will maintain their comfortable wealth. It is this sense of low stakes that makes the show deeply pleasant and gratifying.

The show is also a fascinating ‘who’s who’ of the broader theater scene, with a multitude of parts pulling big names on Broadway. The show gives theater actors the opportunity to shine on the screen, such as

Denée Benton, known most for her performance as Natasha in the musical “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812” (2016).

Benton gets to take on the leading role of Peggy Scott, a newfound friend of Marian’s who helps her with train fare after her ticket gets stolen. Keeping within this theater community, Scott’s mother is played

by Broadway legend Audra McDonald. Even the smallest parts pull common faces in theater, like Celia Keenan-Bolger, the original Olive in “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” (2005), starring as one of the servants to the Russell family. This cast of prominent theater actors provides a fun Easter egg, forming the show into a persistent IMDb. When see GILDED, page 5

A r t s & P o p Cu l t u r e

Wednesday, March 16, 2022 | Arts & Pop Culture | THE TUFTS DAILY

The new HBO series follows in the footsteps of ‘Downton Abbey’

Odessa Gaines K-Weekly

Black appropriation in K-pop (Part 1)

GILDED

continued from page 4 you think ‘Oh I know her, where do I know her from?’, the answer is probably the theater.

Still, it must be noted that the show does nothing truly revolutionary or impactful.

It fails to provide any significant critical commentary on present-day issues, making the sense of urgency and meaning somewhat limited. The show tried to do this — creator Julian Fellowes introduced racial diversity to the show in the form of Peggy Scott and her family, presenting not only Blackness but also an image of Black wealth and joy, something broadly underrepresented in modern media. This contrasts with “Downton Abbey,” which was almost entirely a story of whiteness.

Still, these attempts at social relevance are ultimately futile: The show presents itself in the same way and tells the same story. It is not a helpful commentary to our modern political dialogue. Still, that may be okay for one show. Though we should be desiring our media to be representative and encouraging of socially optimal outcomes, there may be a space within the market for simple, watchable television.

That is what this show is — certainly not pushing for progressivism but rather not pushing for much of anything at all. That neutrality may be a fault to some but a benefit to others.

Ultimately, “The Gilded Age” functions just the same as the iconic “Downton Abbey”: It draws the viewer in with its high-drama, low-stakes tension and provides a simply pleasant viewing experience. Thus, it’s difficult to rave about the mass benefits of the show — it clearly does not reinvent the wheel.

Rather, it provides a brief and relaxing respite of entertainment, one that many audiences may be seeking out.

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COURTESY IMDB

The poster for HBO show “The Gilded Age” (2022–) is pictured.

happen to be a firm believer in the idea that you can enjoy things that are criticized, and that it’s kind of impossible to not enjoy things that are criticized.

Everyone has skeletons in their closets as well as mistakes they made when they were young and ignorant, so I believe in forgiving but not necessarily forgetting. This is why I can enjoy K-pop, despite the not-so-cool parts of it.

As a lover of K-pop, I do often see the toxic fandoms and mistakes made by idols and artists. A big thing is the appropriation of Black culture in the K-pop industry.

I spoke before on how K-pop has its origins in Black American music, and how some artists have gone too far in engaging with said music — to the point of it becoming mockery and appropriation.

Idols who strive to make hip-hop and rap-aligned music may engage in the use of African American Vernacular English. Korean rapper J.Y. Park received criticism recently after posting a remix of Kendrick Lamar’s song “DNA” (2017). Park’s remix contained forms of Black appropriation and mockery with non-Black K-pop performers having culturally Black hairstyles, like afros and dreadlocks.

The history of Black appropriation in K-pop goes as far back as the first decade of modern K-pop (the 1990s), when J.Y. Park, the founder of the Big Three company JYP Entertainment, wore blackface along with background dancers during a stage performance. JYP and J.Y. Park are both seen as pillars in the world of K-pop and K-music and in the shaping of the industries today, but they are a reflection of the innate cultural disrespect it has.

What I find most disrespectful as a Black K-pop listener is when there is a clear lack of apology and growth following an incident of Black appropriation or mockery. Whether artists understand what they’ve done was wrong or not, they have a duty as public figures and human beings to apologize for engaging in cultural harm. And not only is an apology required but also a clear attempt to be better and grow.

K-pop idols have also been seen appropriating other cultures, such as those of Indigenous America and Southeast Asia. By wearing or displaying cultural symbols such as mosque imagery and feathered headgear, artists are appropriating cultures they are not a part of. And this is not a thing of the past, but rather something that seems to come up in the broader K-pop community very often.

When groups like Mamamoo paint their face black, give a quick apology, then turn around and wear Black hairstyle durags right after, it becomes clear that there is a lack of respect for Black culture. The right thing to do would be to apologize and try harder to become more culturally aware.

I do believe that everyone should be able to enjoy K-pop and K-music without feeling guilty when the artists they listen to make actual efforts to be more culturally aware. I do not believe in forgetting about the Black appropriation and mockery that permeates the community.

I mentioned in a previous article that some groups have made efforts to support the Black Lives Matter protests and uplift Black voices, which is a step in the right direction. The community now needs to continue moving forward and promoting cultural appreciation and awareness.

Odessa is a first-year studying child study and human development. Odessa can be reached at kgaine01@tufts.edu.

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THE TUFTS DAILY | Fun & Games | Wednesday, March 16, 2022

F& G

tuftsdaily.com LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY Cole: “In practice, I’m above the professor.”

Fun & Games

SUDOKU

LINDA C. BLACK ASTROLOGY

Pisces (Feb. 19–March 20) Water your roots with love. Begin a new phase with a partner. Provide and accept support. Patience is worth gold and time... forgiveness divine.

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Difficulty Level: Getting through the week before spring break.

Tuesday’s Solutions

CROSSWORD

I’VE NEVER UNDERSTOOD WHY MY HUMAN WON’T LEAVE THE HOUSE WITHOUT HER LEASH. I THINK SHE’S AFRAlD OF GETTING LOST. BUT IT’S OK, I KIND OF LIKE SHOWING HER AROUND. — HARPER adopted 08-18-09

Daniel Chung Managing Multipolarity

A rising eastern kingdom

S

ince the end of the Second World War, Japan has been a secondary power unwilling to exert the hard power associated with great power status, with a constitution “[renouncing] war as a sovereign right of the nation.” However, after this recent period of military isolationism characterized by the Yoshida doctrine — which passed responsibility for Japanese security policy to the U.S. — J‌apan is primed to enter another expan-

sionist phase, although the form, extent and characteristics of this expansionism have not yet been settled.

There are two major threats to Japanese expansionism in this newest cycle. The first, of course, is the rise of China. The two nation-states cannot be exactly described as the closest of friends. From the invasion of Taiwan by the Empire of Japan in 1894 until the end of World War II, they were somewhat locked in an unending conflict, and this is not to mention the countless historical conflicts between them extending long before the modern period. Further, China’s rise has eclipsed Japan’s position as an economic center of Asia.

Clearly, the economic and security balance of power in East Asia is changing, to Japan’s detriment.

Historically, there have been two main responses that a secondary state can take to adjust to a new balance of power. The first option is bandwagoning, choosing to ally with a rising hegemon, effectively conceding security policies to them despite the threat they represent to its national security interests. The second option is balancing, in which states flock to another great power which opposes the rising hegemon or otherwise form some kind of coalition to counter the rising hegemon. Japanese strategy in the 21st Century has been regarded as hedging, a sort of middle ground, as a result of both its extreme economic interdependence with China and its rigid alliance with the U.S. However, Japan’s strategy towards the rise of China has already — especially under the

7 Wednesday, March 16, 2022

leadership of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — turned into one of balancing behavior. In 2013, Prime Minister Abe released Japan’s first National Security Strategy, with notable focuses on adversarial competition with China. This is especially important in suggesting that Japan has adopted a balancing strategy, as this ‘first shot’ came years before Western political figures first openly acknowledged that their strategy of engagement had effectively failed.

Ever since, Japan has continued to cultivate a balancing strategy. In terms of external balancing, Abe did all he could to ensure that then-President Trump would not abandon Japan as an ally. Now, under the new Kishida administration, Japan has even expressed a willingness to thaw relations

with South Korea under its new, hawkish-on-China President Yoon Suk-yeol, despite historically contentious relations between the two nations.

Meanwhile, in terms of internal balancing, Japan has consistently built up its military spending for years straight, and the Kishida administration has only accelerated this.

Given all this, it appears as if Japan’s military commitments are going to rise significantly in the future. The next part of this special two-part series will examine the reasons for why Japan’s rise is unlikely to be limited to East Asia and could thrust it into the position of great power.

Daniel Chung is a first-year who has not yet declared a major.

Daniel can be reached at Daniel.

Chung@tufts.edu.

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Men’s track and field proves resilient at Division The race for the III Indoor National Championships

Michael Wallace-Bruce Over the Top Football

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top four

n December, Manchester City demolished Leicester City 6–3 to enter the New Year eight points clear of Liverpool. After scoring 17 goals in three games, it looked like the gap would continue to widen. However, following their draw against Crystal Palace on Monday, their momentum and point advantage to win the league have tremendously declined. As it stands, Liverpool will be a point behind them if they win their next game against Arsenal. Manchester will need to find their form if they hope to take home the Premier League title.

Aside from the battle for first place, there is further suspense occurring for the spots below. Chelsea, who looked formidable at the start of the season, have failed to keep up with Liverpool and Manchester City. In December, Chelsea dropped points against West Ham, Everton, Wolves and Brighton with a heavy schedule ahead. Furthermore, they only earned a total of one point after facing Liverpool and Manchester City during the first two weeks of January. However, following this slump, the team has revitalized, and it appears that they will comfortably make the top four.

Now, let us discuss the battle for fourth place, which has five teams vying for it.

Although I think that Arsenal, Manchester United or West Ham will clinch the spot, Wolves and Tottenham could potentially grab the spot if they continue with their recent push. For Wolves, their recent wins against Watford and Everton bodes well for their future performances. Tottenham, who are two games behind, could catapult to fifth place if they win out and the other teams fall flat. Also, they could realistically challenge for fourth place if they build a consistent showing against lower table teams.

Now, let’s discuss West Ham, Arsenal and Manchester United. Unlike Tottenham and Wolves, these three teams have challenged for the fourth spot throughout the season. West Ham, for example, started the season well, and they jostled for third and fourth place until Match Day 17. Aside from consistency in league standings, they are a well-disciplined team that can defend. However, if need be, they can play with an attacking mindset to get the goals to win a game.

While West Ham has been consistent throughout the season, Arsenal has not been.

I am being facetious. While it is true that Arsenal was the laughingstock for the first three months of the season, they have been in great form since. They have also complimented their run with a silky form of soccer where they move and pass beautifully. Aside from their current form, Arsenal has a more manageable schedule than West Ham and Manchester United, who are still competing in the Europa League and Champions League, respectively.

Then there is Manchester United. Having purchased the likes of Raphaël Varane, Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo, United was expected to challenge for the title this season. However, the team has suffered massive defeats against rivals Liverpool and Manchester City in pivotal points during the season. Like Tottenham, United has also found it challenging to defeat lower table teams. Nonetheless, they currently sit fifth on the table, and with Ronaldo on their team, it is almost unwise to count them out.

Michael Wallace-Bruce is a junior studying international relations. Michael can be reached at Michael.Wallace_Bruce@tufts.edu.

by Arnav Sacheti Sports Editor

A small, but strong contingent of the Tufts men’s track and field team placed 31st in the nation on Friday and Saturday at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track National Championships. The five athletes that competed at the meet were junior Alex Lemiuex, sophomore Harry Rienecker-Found, senior Ben Stein, junior Drew Svoboda and sophomore Luke Botsford.

Stein completed the heptathlon over the course of the two days, with his highlight performance being a second-place finish in the 1000-meter with a time of 2:47.17. Some of his other strong performances included finishing 10th in the long jump at 20’9” (6.32 m) and 12th in the pole vault with a jump of 12’9.5” (3.90 m). Overall, Stein captured 15th place in the heptathlon, and he performed despite some nagging injuries he was dealing with, earning the respect of his teammates. “[Stein] was nursing through an ankle injury the whole meet,” RieneckerFound said. “Special credit to him for being able to put in 100% effort and still placing the way he did. I think that was a testament to his grit and determination.

I think he said he would have pulled out … but his parents came to watch, so he kept going through, which I think is very impressive.”

Rienecker-Found secured fifth place in the nation with 6’8” (2.03 m) being his highest jump out of all three of his

attempts. Although he can jump higher, given his personal best of 6’9” (2.06 m) two weeks ago at the New England Division III Championships, sticking to the basics is what made him successful this past weekend.

“It’s more about consistency in terms of not having failures at lower heights,” Rienecker-Found said. “I think if you jump well at the lower heights and have a clean card through the three jumps, then you put yourself in a very good position to be up at the top.”

Rienecker-Found had been consistently practicing his jumps throughout the season, not trying to jump too high but instead making sure that he got the jumps he was used to down pat.

He preaches technique and repeatability over height in jumping.

“If you get to the meet and do the things you’ve been doing for the last eight weeks,” Rienecker-Found said. “9 times out of 10, you’ll be fine and score pretty high.”

In the running events, junior Alex Lemiuex finished sixth in the nation in the 200-meter dash at 22.01 seconds. He also finished ninth in the 60-meter dash prelims with a time of 6.85 seconds, just a hundredth of a second off the personal best he achieved two weeks ago.

With their showings, Lemieux and Rienecker-Found not only scored 3 and 3.5 points respectively for the Jumbos, but they also both earned All-American honors for their performances throughout the season. They make up part of a prestigious nationwide group of several

hundred Division III track and field athletes who received the honor this year.

Botsford finished with a time of 50.64 seconds in the 400-meter prelims, good for 17th at the meet.

Svoboda participated in the long jump, jumping 22’3.5” (6.79 m), and achieved 15th place in the event.

Overall, the atmosphere at this meet was very different from other meets due to the national stage and the quality of the competition.

“You feel like you’re surrounded by a lot of elite performers,” RieneckerFound said. “It’s easy to feel out of place.

I find [it] motivating because you think, ‘Now I’ve got to show up just to be on par with these kids.’”

Although the Jumbos could have caved under the pressure, they not only performed well but ended up taking up a valuable learning lesson from the experience.

“Multiple people on the team said that they went into the meet feeling like they didn’t belong there and they didn’t deserve to be at that level, but they left the meet thinking they were just as good as the other athletes,” Rienecker-Found said. “This extends to people who didn’t go to nationals as well. They can get up there and compete with the best in [Division] III.” This meet ended the men’s indoor track season, and on Saturday, the Jumbos will kick off their outdoor season at the Ross and Sharon Irwin Invite at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego.