The Tufts Daily - Wednesday, March 30, 2022

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VOLUME LXXXIII, ISSUE 36

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Wednesday, March 30, 2022

BREAKING: Tufts to transition to hybrid public safety model

Tufts expands Scholars at Risk program to help Ukrainian scholars

by Skyler Goldberg Assistant News Editor

NATALIE BROWNSELL / THE TUFTS DAILY

TUPD vehicles are pictured in the lower level of the Dowling Hall garage.

by Zoe Kava

Deputy News Editor

In an email sent to the Tufts community on Tuesday, Executive Vice President of the University and Chair of the Working Group on TUPD Arming Michael Howard announced the release of the working group’s final report.

Based on the report, the WGTA released its recommendation to transition to a “hybrid model” of arming in which the Tufts Department of Public Safety employs both armed officers and unarmed security professionals.

“This will enable Public Safety to choose the best option for responding to calls for service given the situation,” Howard wrote in the email. “This

approach will result in fewer interactions between community members and armed officers, supporting the psychological and emotional well-being of our community and reducing potential trauma.”

The WGTA was first created as a recommendation by the Working Group on Campus Safety and Policing, one of the workstreams established by the strategic Tufts as an Anti-Racist Institution initiative. Since April 2021, the group has met regularly to collect and analyze data on TUPD organization and operations, and was assisted by Margolis Healy and Associates, a national campus safety consultancy. Between April 2021 and February 2022, the WGTA analyzed over 150,000 calls for

service and conducted university-wide surveys, forums and focus groups.

Howard expressed his gratitude toward community members for providing their feedback throughout the review process.

“I am proud of the group’s thoughtful and thorough approach to this important work and its commitment to meeting the safety needs of the entire university while also helping Tufts achieve its goal of becoming an anti-racist institution,” Howard wrote.

The email also stated that public safety employees will work alongside Executive Director of Public Safety Yolanda Smith to implement the recommendation in the next two years.

Nelson Winger reflected on the COVID-19 pandemic and the joy of once again hosting the lecture in person. Nelson Winger said amid the grief and uncertainty of the past two years, Kaur’s work has offered hope and sustenance to the Tufts community.

“Members of the chaplaincy were already reading her book ‘See No Stranger,’ and in it, we saw what so many are seeing: a prophet’s vision for renewing, restoring, reconciling communities of love and listening, of justice and joy,” Nelson Winger said. “I was struck by the way students,

staff and faculty alike found that practice so powerful.”

Un i v e r s i t y Pre s i d e n t Anthony Monaco then welcomed the audience by remarking on the importance of Kaur’s practice of revolutionary love in a world divided by war, systemic racism, divisive politics and a pandemic.

“In the spirit of Kaur’s teaching, today’s lecture invites us to come together as a community to reflect, heal and focus on what unites us rather than what divides us,” Monaco said. “And, ultimately, to see each other as friends, not strangers.”

Tufts announced its commitment to increasing its contributions to the international Scholars at Risk network to support Ukrainian scholars in an email to the community on March 4. Now, faculty and administrators are considering how best to support these scholars and are exploring additional ways to help them beyond SAR. The university joined the SAR network in 2011 to help threatened scholars, defined broadly by the program to include private researchers, writers, artists and practitioners.

Tufts Senior International Officer and Associate Provost Diana Chigas clarified the nature of the program in an email to the Daily.

“SAR helps to arrange temporary positions (6 months – 2 years, usually around 1 year) for scholars whose lives may be at risk in their home countries because of their work,” Chigas wrote. “They also provide support to the scholars to help them restart their lives and figure out how to continue their careers in their new location.”

Chigas said that the Office of the Provost has expanded its SAR program in light of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, offering funding to help Tufts’ schools cover the cost of hosting up to four scholars at risk and three to four postdoctoral researchers.

“In March 2022, the University extended this pro-

gram to include scholars who are at risk because of the war in Ukraine because they are displaced or are in danger because of their personal situation, their work, or their views,” Chigas wrote, adding that the program also offers support to Russian and Belarusian scholars who may be in danger of persecution for their opposition to the war.

Chigas explained that Tufts connects with threatened scholars in two ways. First, the university collaborates with the SAR network, which has a list of vetted scholars whom it helps to place at partner institutions.

Alternatively, Chigas wrote, Tufts can connect directly with scholars, “either through nominations by Tufts faculty, staff, or students, or by direct application/inquiry to Tufts.”

The Office of the Provost has assembled a faculty committee to help place scholars at Tufts. If Tufts cannot accommodate a scholar, it will help place the individual at another university participating in the network.

Chigas emphasized the value of collaboration with other participating institutions.

“Given the number of universities in the Boston area, we are also in touch with our colleagues at those universities to see how we can work together to provide support, share resources, and refer potential candidates to each other,” Chigas wrote, noting see SCHOLARS, page 2

Valarie Kaur talks about the power of revolutionary love at annual Russell Lecture

by Emily Thompson Deputy News Editor

Valarie Kaur, a civil rights leader, lawyer, award-winning filmmaker and best-selling author, spoke about the power of revolutionary love in the joint Russell Lecture on Spiritual Life and Solomont Speaker Series on March 28.

The Russell Lecture Series is the oldest lectureship at Tufts, having been held annually since 1867. It invites distinguished lecturers to campus to speak about contemporary spiritual life.

In her opening remarks, University Chaplain Rev. Elyse

After being introduced by Curry Brinson, a senior and interfaith ambassador, Kaur expressed gratitude to be speaking in person after delivering 250 virtual lectures in the span of a year. Kaur gave her first lecture to a university audience at Tufts in 2006, following a screening of her first documentary film about hate crimes against Muslim and Sikh communities in the aftermath of 9/11.

“I found my public voice on this campus with this community,” Kaur said. “When I was

see KAUR, page 2

SPORTS / back

ARTS / page 5

OPINION / page 7

Women’s basketball Sweet 16 brings a bittersweet end to the season

Charli XCX crashes the dance pop party

Meera Rohera: Russia unlikely to reneg on ISS commitments

VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Valarie Kaur in Manhattan Beach, Calif. in 2016.

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FEATURES

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ARTS & POP CULTURE

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FUN & GAMES

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SPORTS

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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Wednesday, March 30, 2022

THE TUFTS DAILY Alexander Janoff Editor in Chief

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Tufts explores alternative programs to support Ukrainian academics SCHOLARS

continued from page 1 that Harvard University has a particularly large SAR program.

Chair of the Division of Nutrition Data Science Elena Naumova noted at a Faculty Senate meeting earlier this month that scholars face significant risks in reaching out to the SAR network.

“Speaking with faculty on the ground, I would say it’s also [an] extremely high level of fear. If they start any processes with [getting a] visa, they know that they will lose a job practically immediately,” Naumova said. “We need to have at least some kinds of tips and suggestions internally [for threatened scholars] even how to frame this type of a conversation [about connecting with the network].”

Tufts Associate Professor of Political Science Oxana Shevel, a member of the committee assembled to help coordinate SAR participation, commended the university’s involvement in the program but raised a caveat.

“I think participation in the Scholars at Risk is definitely a worthwhile initiative,” Shevel said in an interview with the Daily. “I think it should take into account also the fact that many Ukrainian scholars actually don’t want to leave or cannot leave.”

Shevel suggested that Tufts offer Ukrainians “non-residential remote positions” as research assistants or to teach one- to two-SHU remote courses.

Chigas commented to the Daily about her view of partial appointments such as the ones Shevel suggested.

“We have considered offers of partial appointments, and have done that in the past.”

Chigas said. “It’s not ideal …

Having to put together a lot of

MINA TERZIOGLU / THE TUFTS DAILY

Tufts community members gather and walk around the campus to rally in support of Ukraine on March 2. part time jobs, and not having a really integrated community to support them personally and professionally makes that more difficult. That being said, as we talk with our colleagues in the other universities in the area, we do keep open the possibility of helping scholars put together a full time position by combining a few part-time appointments.”

Shevel also suggested that Tufts’ centers in Europe, such as Tufts in Talloires, could play a role in helping Ukrainian scholars.

“Given that most displaced scholars are in Europe[,] using centers in Europe would allow [the university] to reach more people, [it] would be easier logistically … [it would offer an] easier relocation process for displaced scholars, [making it] easier to stay closer to Ukraine,” Shevel wrote in

a longer communication to the University Faculty Senate containing suggestions for initiatives that would help Ukrainian scholars. Shevel told the Daily that she plans to discuss this proposal at the first meeting of the faculty committee working with the provost on the university’s SAR program.

In addition, Shevel suggested that the university expand the Scholars at Risk program to include Ukrainian students.

University Faculty Senate President Jette Knudsen, a professor of policy and international business at The Fletcher School, agreed that the program should include students, telling Chigas at a Faculty Senate meeting earlier this month that she has been in contact with students from Moscow interested in coming to Tufts.

Chigas responded to this suggestion.

“Students are a little tougher … We’re just full,” Chigas said during the meeting. “So it’s easier for us to bring in scholars quickly than it is for students where we have to go through some of the admissions and some of those other kinds of things and look at the financial aid.”

Chigas added that Tufts is also considering investing more resources in its SAR program. “[ We have started] to really think about if there’s interest in having a sort of more permanent fund where we could actually draw on this in [different] situations so that we’re not scrambling completely every time [foreign conflicts break out], and we have some capacity to kick-start something,” Chigas said.

Kaur describes the role of love in the Great Transition KAUR

continued from page 1 here 16 years ago, I talked about hate. Fast-forward to today, I’m going to speak to you about love — revolutionary love.”

Kaur called the present period of instability and discontinuity — marked by climate disasters, misinformation, political violence and war — “the Great Transition.”

“What if this is not only the darkness of the tomb? What if this is the darkness of the womb?” Kaur asked. “When I call this era the Great Transition, it is bloody and convulsive and breathless and also pregnant with possibility.”

Kaur urged the audience to meet this moment of transition with revolutionary love, which she explained as a decision to labor “for others, for our opponents and for ourselves.” She pointed out that this idea is not new; its roots can be found in ancient spir-

itual teachings from Jesus, Abraham and Muhammad, to Buddha, Guru Nanak and indigenous practices.

“I think this is the moment like never before in history where we can put that awakening into practice, when we finally structure our societies on that truth,” Kaur said. “What if we loved others, our opponents and ourselves so that the communities around us became beloved communities? What if we could dismantle hierarchies of human value with our actions?”

As a civil rights leader who has spent the last 20 years organizing around hate, Kaur pledged to spend the next 20 years organizing around love.

She identified wonder, empathy and compassion as the core practices of revolutionary love, which can be used to meet the challenges of the present social and political moment.

Kaur described what it means to see no stranger.

“Every time I am approaching faces on the street — even under the masks — faces on the street or on the subway or on the screen, I say in my mind, ‘sister, brother, sibling, beloved child,’ and in doing that I am retraining my eye to see them as kin, to see them as part of me. … You are a part of me I do not yet know.”

Kaur also asked the audience to grieve for the suffering of others, calling grieving a form of “frontline social justice work” because “there is no fixing grief, there’s only … witnessing.” Showing solidarity and attending to the struggles of others, Kaur said, is how individuals can begin to fight for change.

“Each of us has skills that only we have. Each of us has a sphere of influence … there’s always going to be a way for you to use what’s already in your hands to fight on behalf of communities in harm’s way,” Kaur

said. “Wondering about others, grieving with that, fighting with and for them, this is what I call deep solidarity.”

Kaur admitted that her revolutionary form of love doesn’t always win her popularity in progressive circles, especially when she proclaims the harms of vilifying one’s opponents and, instead, tries to see their humanity.

“Resistance is so vital for our survival, but it actually doesn’t change the power structures,” Kaur said. “The only way to do that is to reimagine policies, institutions, norms [and] communities that set everybody free, our opponents too.”

Kaur also spoke about rage, an emotion she used to feel she needed to suppress as a woman of color. She said she eventually learned to embrace rage and harness it for change.

“The aim of divine rage is not vengeance. It is to reorder the world,” Kaur said.

News

Wednesday, March 30, 2022 | News | THE TUFTS DAILY

3

Caitlin Casey joins advising team as undergraduate advising dean

by Elizabeth Zacks Staff Writer

Caitlin Casey joined the Tufts undergraduate advising team of the School of Arts and Sciences as associate dean of undergraduate advising in February. Casey advises upward of 1,000 undergraduate students with last names beginning with the letters S through Z. Before coming to Tufts, Casey worked at Harvard as the assistant dean of Harvard College and as the Allston Burr resident dean of Lowell House.

Casey told the Daily that her experience at Harvard gave her a deep understanding of the importance of looking at students in a holistic way. She noted that she was excited to join Tufts because of all the great things she had heard about the students and community.

“Students here are known to be brilliant and committed to bettering the world. …

I also had great conversations during my interviews with my colleagues and was really impressed with the values and generosity of everyone who works with students,” Casey wrote in an email to the Daily.

Casey discussed her new role as an associate dean of undergraduate advising in the School of Arts and Sciences at Tufts.

“The way I see this role is as a guide through these years. I’m here to help you think through how to get the most out of your short time at Tufts,” she wrote. “Sometimes, that is brainstorming strategies for how to deal with the inevitable challenges that life is going to throw at students.

Sometimes, it is reassuring a student that following their passions does not make them unemployable. Often, it is just being a sounding board as a student thinks through complicated options.”

Casey summarized her advising philosophy.

“I’m not interested in judgment. I’m interested in strategies for moving forward productively. I also hope to help students free themselves from some of the deeply ingrained ideas we all carry about the way things SHOULD be,” Casey wrote.

Casey described her prior experience as a Harvard professor and dean.

“At Harvard, I was the academic and residential dean for 420 undergraduates and I taught classes in the History and Literature department,” Casey wrote. “The resident dean job was a unique role in that it blended some of what is done by [the Department of Student Affairs] here and some of what is done by the advising deans. I advised students on everything from academic issues and disciplinary cases to roommate struggles and leaves of absence.”

Not only did Casey work and teach on the Harvard campus, but she also lived and raised children in a college dorm. “[That was] an insane and beautiful experience to have had for 9 years,” Casey wrote.

Casey explained how her own college experience has helped her relate to and empathize with students in her current role. In college, Casey felt embarrassed that she could not just sit down and read academic texts like the way she thought her peers could. As a way to break up the task, she would set nine-minute timers to help her concentrate.

“Now, I set a timer for nine minutes. Then I do something else. Then I come back to it. I get a lot more done and I spend exactly zero minutes worrying about a thing that isn’t ever going to change,” Casey wrote.

From her experience at Tufts so far, Casey wrote that she has learned how collaborative the community is and feels lucky to have joined the advising team.

“I hope that our office feels like a safe and welcoming place for students. Talking to us isn’t like being sent to the principal’s office! And I’d encourage students who are struggling to reach out early and often,” Casey wrote.

Deans Tanesha Leathers, Susan Koegel, Matthew Bellof and Leah Gadd of the undergraduate advising team wrote about the role of the Tufts advising deans and how the advising system has changed throughout the pandemic in an email to the Daily.

“Advising deans serve as part of the constellation of academ-

COURTESY ROSE LINCOLN FOR HARVARD UNIVERSITY

Caitlin Casey, associate dean of undergraduate advising for the School of Arts and Sciences, is pictured. ic support for students here at Tufts. We help students understand academic expectations, policies, and resources during their journey here. We also connect students to opportunities that can help them get the most out of their academic experience before they graduate,” they wrote in a joint statement.

Leathers added that since the start of the pandemic, the

prevailing advising format has been over the phone or on Zoom. Although she anticipates meetings to operate in person, she thinks that virtual appointments will likely continue to be offered to students.

Leathers also wrote that the two newest members of the Tufts advising team, Casey and Koegel, have been great additions to the team.

“[They] have offered so much in the way of student advising and support in a short amount of time,” she said. “This is crucial as we continue to help students navigate the residual impact of the pandemic inside of the classroom. We have only been a full team for about a month, but we’re on the right path and I look forward to working with them in the future.”

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4 Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Features

tuftsdaily.com

Cummings School Farm teaches students handsAt the end of the on animal care, provides resources to community

Chris Duncan Talking Transit

day, everything is old and sucks

L

ast week had a lot of transit news, and a lot of it was pretty good even! Notably, we got the first branch of the Green Line Extension, and the MBTA released their brand spankin’ new five-year capital investment plan. The plan itself showed promise, even though it frustratingly still has no real concrete plan for converting the commuter rail into an electrified regional rail network.

None of that really matters, though, to the average T rider. What matters over the next two weeks or so is the serious service disruptions our system is facing and the tragedy that brought much of them about.

A big reason for the current and upcoming service interruptions is a horrible accident over the weekend where a construction worker fell to his death while working at the Government Center garage. The incident seems to have put the integrity of the Green and Orange Line tunnels downtown at risk, so those are shut down with no real timeline for reopening. Thus, if you go downtown on the Green or Orange Lines, you’re taking a bus between North Station and Back Bay or Government Center for the time being.

The Blue Line will also be partially shut down for about 12 days for laying track. You’ll have to take a bus between Government Center and the Airport station starting this weekend until April 14.

If you live in East Boston and are trying to get into downtown or anywhere else in the city, you’ll have some trouble taking the T. The least of the inconveniences is coming for Red Line riders — they will only need to deal with the line from Harvard to Alewife shutting down for the next two weekends. Not a big deal if you don’t travel between those stops on the weekends, but unfortunate for our community and Davis Square. Bus service replacements are obviously not ideal and can’t match the frequency and speed of trains, but if you’re commuting into the city on the train and not going anywhere on the weekends, you’ll be fine.

That makes for all subway lines’ undergoing significant interruptions, and this weekend and next, they will all be happening at the same time. It’s really unfortunate when this happens, and with such tragedy attached to it as well.

It’s worth taking a moment to appreciate the fact that the T can still function with tunnels and tracks as old as they are, and lament the fact that, yeah, our tunnels and tracks are old and they suck. They’re why we don’t have 24/7 train service and just generally can’t have nice things with this system.

It’s worth getting mad at, and it’s worth writing to your elected officials about, but the process to change is slow and incredibly resource-intensive. For the time being, it is worth appreciating the transit workers who consistently deal with the challenges posed by our subway and maintain a high quality of service Chris Duncan is a junior studying political science. Chris can be reached at christopher.duncan@tufts.edu.

AMELIA BECKER / THE TUFTS DAILY

The Cummings School Farm is pictured in North Grafton, Mass.

by Amelia Becker Features Editor

Less than an hour away from the Medford/ Somerville campus is the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in North Grafton, Mass. Sprawling fields and live animals, as well as an animal hospital and lecture halls, greet anyone who ventures out.

The Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine is home to the Cummings School Farm, a fully operational farm that is used extensively for teaching, research and providing for the local community. The farm operates, harvests and cares for hundreds of acres of land on the Grafton campus. This includes harvesting hay and corn silage to feed the animals on the farm and to sell to the surrounding community. Additionally, the farm cares for sheep, cows, pigs and chickens.

“They’re all used for the purposes of teaching our various veterinary students. …

A lot of our students don’t have experience with large animals. So they come here to not only learn about the husbandry, the care and the medical side of it … but also see how they’re raised and what conditions and standards should be in the industry,” Stephanie Bertrand, farm manager at the Cummings School Farm, said.

The Cummings School does not have tracks of study, so students have to learn about all animals — from a rat to an elephant and everything in between, Bertrand said.

The farm-based curriculum at the veterinary school is based on the life cycles of specific species. Staff at the farm engage students in each stage of those life cycles, as well as teach them any associated problems and how to care for them.

“We use the life cycle of the animal and try to relate it directly to what we’re teaching in the curriculum. And that applies to all of our species,” Bertrand said.

In veterinary school, there is often a lot of focus on treating and diagnosing the abnormal, but the farm is a great resource for learning about the management side of caring for healthy animals.

“For a student to understand [the] abnormal of an animal, to diagnose the

problem, you first need to know normal,” Bertrand said.

Students learn how to treat and tend to livestock as well as learn the daily operations on the farm. It’s important for veterinary students to understand the workings of a farm to build rapport and gain credibility with the farmers whose animals they will care for, Eugene White, director of the Cummings School Farm, said.

“To me, the biggest thing about this farm is it’s not a petting zoo. So we try to mimic a true working farm, so the students can see what real farming is like,” White said. “We try to meet industry standards and manage them the way they would be managed anywhere.”

One of Bertrand’s favorite parts of working at the farm is getting to work hands-on with students who are passionate and engaged.

Not coming from a veterinary background, Bertrand is able to learn from her students, just as they learn from her.

“One of the biggest things I always tell my students is, you know something different than what I know, so let’s learn from each other,” she said. “I can tell you so many times I’ve learned … from students [about] medicine things that I don’t know. And vice versa, I’ll teach them things about husbandry or handling or management that they don’t know.”

White echoed this sentiment, saying that he enjoys working with students who wish to work with farm animals in their future career, as they ask challenging questions. He added that first-year students are also great to work with because he gets to watch them learn and become comfortable around large animals.

In addition to its use in teaching veterinary students, the Cummings School Farm is a resource to the broader community. Hay, meat and chicken eggs produced on the farm are available for the community to purchase.

The Adventures in Veterinary Medicine program is also an asset to the community, near and far. Middle schoolers, high schoolers, college students and adults come to the Grafton campus and are immersed in the veterinary profession for

one to two weeks, Kristen Shambo, an admissions counselor and the AVM program coordinator, said.

“It’s not an animal camp, but there certainly is a nice mix of exploration of the program topics in veterinary medicine, different specialties and different career opportunities within the field. And then, of course, there’s the fun aspects of animal handling [and] clinical skills,” Shambo said.

It can be difficult to gain exposure at an early age to the veterinary profession.

Many students in the AVM program have not had extensive animal handling experience, so the farm allows students to get valuable experience with chickens, sheep, swine, dairy cows and horses. “​​[The AVM program offers] great exposure to different types of animals, and it gives them actual hands-on experience to learn different handling techniques that are safe for themselves as well as the animals,” Shambo said.

Adventures in Veterinary Medicine is a career exploration program which allows students of all ages to see if veterinary school is the right choice for them.

“I want students to have fun, but we also want them to learn a lot about the veterinary profession, and I want it to help them decide whether or not this might be a possible future career for them. So it’s giving them fun opportunities to explore the field [and] to meet as many people as possible,” Shambo said. “But it also helps … our [Doctor of Veterinary Medicine] and other DVM programs by bringing some diversity into the field. It’s severely lacking.”

Overall, the students at the veterinary school and in the AVM program are able to learn from the farm staff, and the farm staff learn from the students. Bertrand and White both noted that this environment makes working at the farm enjoyable for all.

“There is this teaching research mission here at the farm, and we all work together and collaborate and disagree, and fight a little bit. And that’s when you get good results,” White said.

Arts & Pop Culture

tuftsdaily.com

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Charli XCX’s “Crash” channels the joyous irony of dance pop

by Henry Chandonnet Assistant Arts Editor

COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The album cover for “Crash” (2022) is pictured. almost comically simple, with the chorus consisting of Charli repeating the line “I’ma make you my” 16 times over with a simple synth trope and bassline underneath. Still, in its simplicity and its repeated pop flourishes, the song is fun and even campy in nature. The song may not have any depth of lyricism or genius of composition, but that’s the point — it’s so overtly bubblegum pop that it is ironically, in and of itself, a statement piece. That statement, of course, is pure fun.

The album had four other pre-release singles, each of which took a different role in the album’s rollout. “New Shapes,” the album’s second single, is a group project. The song features verses from both Caroline Polachek and Christine and the Queens, each bringing their own sound to the ultrapop synth beat underlying the track. “Beg for You,” the third single, also features a guest contribution from Rina Sawayama. The song interpolates “Cry for You” (2006) by September, exemplifying the influence of the iconic radio pop of the 2000s on the album. “Every Rule,” released a mere four days before the full album, brings that electropop style to a ballad. The result is a somewhat dysphoric release of emotions and features some of Charli’s strongest storytelling within the album itself.

Outside of the singles, the album has a couple standouts. “Lightning” is a burgeoning cult classic, with electronic har-

monies and a strong dance beat to boot.

The song is a euphoric listening experience, moving from the vocoder-steeped pre-chorus of “Heartbreak already hit me once/ They say that it won’t happen twice” to the satisfying beat drop of “You struck me down like lightning.” The song also includes the most technical editing and modulating, reminding the listener that Charli has not forgotten the hyperpop style of her previous few albums. One more hit is “Yuck,” a pop banger about being turned off by a guy that is too into her. Aside from the mere humor that comes with repeating the word “yuck” throughout the chorus, the song is joyous and simple and doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Ultimately, Charli XCX has effectively reclaimed her “sellout” bubblegum pop sound. She’s reverted in form, not forgetting her older sonic growth but rather taking it in stride. The product is 33 minutes of back-to-back hits, with songs that are just plain fun to listen to. For those invested in Charli XCX’s career, the album is filled with self-induced irony and camp and, thus, has the feeling of catharsis. For those who may not have listened to her music before “Crash,” the songs are perfect for the radio, the club or even your running playlist.

When Charli mercilessly repeats “I’m about to crash” in her title track, she doesn’t lie; this album brings Charli’s crashing down into her old self, and the results ooze with coy pleasure.

ION OF STA IAT TE OC

STERS RE FO

NATIONAL A SS

Charli XCX has entered her dance pop sellout era. This may read as scathing or critical, but the act is intentional. In a combination of joyous reflection and deep irony, Charli XCX reclaims her pop sound and takes the pop music market head-on.

The result is her fifth studio album and eighth long-form project, “Crash” (2022).

The album is a sonic trip and is sure to be a club classic. “Crash” brings back the Charli XCX we know and love, returning to the iconic pop sound but with a new aura of reclamation and free-spirited nature.

In short, Charli XCX is free. She can be a self-actualized sellout, so long as she wants to.

The career of Charli XCX is an odyssey of sound, all of which must be accounted for in recognizing how and why she may return to this ultrapop style. Her career first began with the embryonic synth pop of “True Romance” (2013), before progressing into the full radio pop sound of “Sucker” (2014), including widespread classics like “Boom Clap” and “Break the Rules.” Charli soon began to change her sound to focus more on house music and club bangers, releasing her cult classic EP “Vroom Vroom” (2016). This was also her first official collaboration with famed producer Sophie, who would become fundamental to her later new-age electronic sound. Next came “Number 1 Angel” (2017), reaching further into her growing new wave sound. Finally, Charli XCX reached a truly flourished electropop sound, with hints of a burgeoning hyperpop influence, in her iconic mixtape “Pop 2” (2017) and album “Charli” (2019). These albums featured classics like “Unlock It (Lock It),” “1999” and “White Mercedes” and featured artists ranging from Troye Sivan to Kim Petras to CupcakKe. Quarantine brought a full embrace of the hyperpop genre with “how i’m feeling now” (2020), an experimental album. Now, Charli XCX, after having ascended into the chaotic revelry of hyperpop, triumphantly reverts to that true pop sound of “Sucker.”

The album’s first single, “Good Ones,” exemplifies this return to form. The song opens with a repeating synth underline, soon introducing a banging pop beat that inspires revelry. Over this club beat, Charli drones about her failed relationships, repeating, “I always let thе good ones go.” Within this repeated lyrical structure, Charli riffs and wails yet maintains sonic cohesion. The result is a true-to-form pop hit, one with emotional depth but that is almost entirely danceable in nature.

This is also true of her fourth single and a personal favorite, “Baby.” The song is

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Odessa Gaines K-Weekly

What’s in your K-pop album?

O

ne small difference I feel goes overlooked in the K-pop community is, to put it simply, the albums.

And by this, I mean the actual, physical album that you can purchase from a store, or — more likely — Amazon.

While many Western acts sometimes release a CD and sometimes a vinyl along with their digital releases, K-pop groups and artists tend to create an album with much more. While a simple CD may be reminiscent of hip-hop and rap artists over the past several decades, there is something truly mesmerizing about a K-pop album.

Typically, a single album by a K-pop act will include a photocard of one of the artists, a poster of the artist/group, a photo book, a lyric book, artist notes and a sticker set or some other similar momento. It can be as thick as a “Percy Jackson” (2005–2009) paperback book and as big as a regular piece of printer paper. And, depending on how much merch is included in it and if it is a deluxe or special edition, an album could sell for upward of $49.

The albums also usually have two or four different versions. The tracklist of these albums are the same from version to version, but the actual album may look different and have slightly different themes.

Think BTS’ “Map of the Soul: 7” (2020), an album with the same 20 tracks across four different versions.

The different versions highlight different semi-concepts that the group explores in this era and album. Every version has different cover art colors and a pool of photo cards and photo books that go to specific concepts. For example, Version 2 has a much darker theme of the members dressed and posing as literal black swans, an obvious connection to track seven, “Black Swan.”

Version 3’s Greek gods theme, a winning and feasting concept, is a nod to its fifth track, “Dionysus.” Because the album tells a story through its tracklist and songs, having multiple versions allows for further divergence into these concepts.

K-pop groups tend to release new music with speed, meaning eras of their music may not last as long as those of their Western counterparts. So by releasing albums that build on concepts that groups may outline in their music videos or songs, the experience of enjoying that album is suddenly highlighted.

Collecting albums is a common, shared experience among K-pop fans. Some aim to have all versions of their favorite albums or to own every photocard possible. Some never open their albums and others use every piece of merchandise they can, whether it be by adding stickers and photocards on their phones or hanging posters on their walls.

Like collecting any other beloved piece of work, K-pop albums can be a great source of joy for a person, as well as a way to support their favorite artists. I personally have a few albums of my own in my bedroom back home, and they are some of my most cherished possessions. So, if you perhaps want to explore more experiences in the K-pop community, consider looking for an album you really vibe with — just be ready for your pockets to start hurting.

Odessa Gaines 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 30, 2022

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tuftsdaily.com LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY

Sam: “If this is about a dash or something…. I’m gonna Cole Walk out of here”

Fun & Games

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LINDA C. BLACK ASTROLOGY

Aries (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Take time for yourself. Savor solitude and peaceful planning. Consider a situation from a wider view. Notice hidden opportunities. Advance a personal dream.

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Difficulty Level: Directing UberEats drivers to the Mods.

Tuesday’s Solutions

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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

tuftsdaily.com

Opinion

7 Wednesday, March 30, 2022

OP-ED

The future of cooperation aboard the International Space Station

by Meera Rohera Tensions between the United States and Russia over the invasion of Ukraine have made their way to the outer space domain. The packet of sanctions announced on Feb. 24 included measures directly targeting the Russian space program.

Addressing this, President Biden remarked that “[the sanctions] will degrade their aerospace industry, including their space program.”

These sanctions were met with a rebuke from Dmitry Rogozin, the director-general of Roscosmos, the Russian equivalent of NASA, and former deputy prime minister of Russia. In a Trump-like manner, Rogozin took to Twitter to raise his grievances about the implications of the sanctions.

Alongside claiming that the U.S. already blocks certain Russian space-related imports and makes it harder for Western countries to launch commercial satellites on the Russian Soyuz rocket, he addressed the International Space Station. He wrote, “Do you want to destroy our cooperation on the ISS?” and suggested that the ISS could deorbit and fall into the U.S., Europe or even India or China. Russia is able to make these threats as the Russian modules and the Progress supply ships are the main sources of propulsion for the space station, yet the station’s orbit does

not cross over Russian territory.

With this in mind, the U.S. is working to activate the Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo freighter as a way to reboost the orbit of the ISS. Despite Rogozin’s alarming tweets, NASA officials have affirmed that the U.S.Russia partnership continues on the space station. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said, “Despite the challenges here on Earth, and they are substantial, NASA is committed to the seven astronauts and cosmonauts on board the International Space Station.” The most recent development is the question of whether U.S. astronaut Mark Vande will depart the ISS as planned with the two cosmonauts currently aboard the Soyuz spacecraft. Most likely, he will not be left on the space station given that Roscosmos has not made any formal announcement to confirm the taunts from Russian media.

Space station operations have persevered through diplomatic crises in the past. An important question to answer is what factors have contributed to the sustained cooperation between the United States and Russia regarding the International Space Station? From this, we can evaluate whether there is a future for space-based cooperation between the two superpowers. There seem to be four main contributing factors to this evaluation.

First, there are clear legal agreements regarding cooperation. The International Space Station was launched as a collaborative project between NASA, Roscosmos, the Canadian Space Agency, the European Space Agency and the Japanese Space Agency in 1998. It was negotiated through the Intergovernmental Agreement that extended the national sovereignty of the participating states to different parts of the station. The IGA has been successful because it includes memoranda of understanding with more specific responsibilities and provides a flexible framework for operations.

Second, the ISS is engineered in such a way that it requires cooperation to operate. Different space agencies provide for and operate different segments of the station. As previously mentioned, the Russian modules are responsible for the propulsion of the station. Similarly, the U.S. modules are responsible for energy generation. One cannot work without the other. However, we must consider whether the addition of the Cygnus cargo freighter would give the United States an alternative option to cooperation with Russia. Similarly, while the U.S. has, in recent years, relied on Russia to transport astronauts to and from the station on the Soyuz rocket, the U.S. commercial space industry is providing more options like SpaceX’s Crew Dragon flights. The U.S. could

begin to rely on new partners to operate the space station, potentially alleviating its reliance on Russian operations.

Third, both the U.S. and Russia have sunk substantial costs into the ISS, so it is not in their interest to sabotage the project. The ISS cost $100 billion to construct and another $4 billion a year to maintain. With such a cost of construction and maintenance, it would be difficult to justify allowing the project to end prematurely. Additionally, the ISS also represents the scientific achievements of spacefaring nations around the world, an important legacy to uphold.

There are people currently aboard the ISS, both American and Russian. The act of leaving an astronaut behind would elicit a severe reaction from the U.S. Given that the ISS’s retirement is planned for 2030, it is important to consider whether this crisis may lead to the decision to retire the ISS earlier than planned.

Fourth, NASA and Roscosmos have managed to keep the ISS separate from contentious U.S.-Russia politics for over 21 years now. Todd Harrison from the Aerospace Security Project remarked that the U.S. and Russia have “been able to keep it compartmentalized for so long.” The two countries continued to cooperate through the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and when Russian anti-satellite tests put the ISS in harm’s way by

exploding one of its own satellites nearby in 2021. However, it may be possible that the severity of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine crossed an unprecedented line in what the U.S. would tolerate. As of now, signals point to no, as we see the U.S. and other European states imposing strict sanctions while avoiding active participation in the war.

While we cannot say for certain, these factors do indicate that Russia would not act against its own interests by deorbiting the ISS onto the U.S. or any of its allies. However, it does seem like there will be a direct impact on general space cooperation. For example, One Web, a satellite internet company affiliated with the British government, suspended its satellite launches on Russian Soyuz rockets. Additionally, Roscosmos announced it would no longer be selling rocket engines to American companies.

The topic of the governance of outer space, among other pertinent transnational issues that have been magnified by globalization and technology, will be discussed at the 2022 Norris and Margery Bendetson EPIIC International Symposium on Problems Without Passports from March 31 to April 2.

Meera Rohera is a senior studying political science. Meera can be reached at meera.rohera@ tufts.edu.

SPORTS

8 Wednesday, March 30, 2022

tuftsdaily.com

Women’s basketball ends season in Sweet 16 of Italy fails to qual- NCAA tournament

Bharat Singh The Final Whistle

ify for consecutive World Cups

W

hen the playoff draw was announced for UEFA’s last three spots in the upcoming FIFA World Cup, many fans were disappointed as Portugal and Italy were drawn in the same bracket. Months of buildup set the stage for this crucial encounter filled with storylines. On one hand, the Ronaldo-led Portuguese team hoped to capitalize on its golden generation while on the other side stood Head Coach Roberto Mancini’s Italy, defending European champions. The prospect of either team missing out would be seen as a national disgrace.

Before these heavyweights met, however, they would play their respective semi-finals against Turkey and North Macedonia.

After Diogo Jota doubled Portugal’s lead against Turkey in the 42nd minute, attention shifted to Italy’s game in Sicily. The Azzurri lined up in its traditional 4–3–3 formation with an experienced midfield trio of Jorginho, Marco Verratti and Nicolò Barella. The game panned out like many expected with Italy dominating possession as North Macedonia sat deep in its half and looked to break on the counter. Despite having 65% of possession and 32 shots, Italy struggled to finish off key opportunities and kill the game. The North Macedonia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski was kept busy and made several crucial saves.

Sassuolo forward Domenico Berardi, who started on the right, missed a golden opportunity in the 29th minute as a goalkeeping error gave him an open goal to shoot at. In the second half, Italy continued creating openings around the box but lacked efficiency in the final third. Joint Serie A top scorer Ciro Immobile was isolated against the opposition center backs and struggled with finishing on the night. Deep into stoppage time, a hopeful goal kick with the help of a deflected header landed at the feet of Aleksandar Trajkovski, who controlled the ball on his chest, steadied himself despite the closing pack of blue shirts and buried the ball beyond the desperate dive of Gianluigi Donnarumma. Silence engulfed the Renzo Barbera stadium as the Italian players watched in disbelief. Just like the game against Sweden in 2017, which also ended in a 1–0 defeat, Italy had failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. Since Fabio Cannavaro lifted the trophy in 2006, Italy hasn’t won a single knockout game in the competition.

After winning the Euros against England on penalties, Italy has only managed to defeat Lithuania in World Cup qualifications.

Unimpressive draws against Northern Ireland, Bulgaria and Switzerland had some questioning Mancini’s leadership, but most believed that Italy was simply in a rough patch. Against North Macedonia, Italy’s complacent style didn’t go unpunished, and Mancini’s future will definitely be reassessed in the coming weeks. The decision to call up Mario Balotelli, coincidentally Italy’s last scorer at a World Cup, surprised many as the striker has been playing for smaller teams in France and Italy after leaving Liverpool in 2015. Veteran defender Giorgio Chiellini defended his manager and teammates saying that the side will bounce back, but for many, this failure reflects the flawed structure of Italian football which needs reforms both on and off the field.

Bharat Singh is a first-year studying international relations. Bharat can be reached at bharat.singh@tufts.edu.

KIANA VALLO / THE TUFTS DAILY

Junior Tufts guard Joelle Zelony blocks Smith’s attempt to score on Jan. 31.

by Keila McCabe Sports Editor

The Tufts women’s basketball team saw its season come to an end against Amherst in the NCAA Sweet 16, ending a successful season and postseason playoff run. The Jumbos lost a game in the regular season to the Amherst Mammoths with a final score of 62–53 and once more to be eliminated from the NESCAC tournament in the semifinals with a final score of 73–59.

Despite a slow start, the Jumbos made the game close and only came up three points short of advancing to the Elite Eight, with a final score of 48–45. Head Coach Jill Pace said the team’s players went into their third faceoff with Amherst focused on themselves.

“We made some small adjustments from the last time we played them, but we just went in with a mentality of being about us and playing our game,” Pace said. “I think in the second half we really started to do that. We started to dig in defensively and be a little more aggressive offensively. That ended up paying off for us in the second half, but unfortunately, it was too little, too late at that point.”

Out of the gate, Amherst’s offense overpowered Tufts, securing the team’s double digit leads throughout the first half. Scoring is typically a Jumbo strength, shooting 40.8% from the field for the season. But against the Mammoths, the Jumbos struggled to make shots, shooting a season low of 21% from the field. By the end of the half, Amherst led 31–18. Tufts slowly climbed out of the deficit in the second half, bringing back its usual tough defense and improv-

ing offensive numbers. Sophomore forward Maggie Russell attributed the team’s comeback to defense.

“We fought really hard in the second half to come back into the game, and we made it a really close game,” Russell said.

“If we played defense the way we did in the second half in the first half, it would’ve been a completely different game.”

Sophomore guard Callie O’Brien said the team shifted its mindset in the second half, but it was unfortunately not enough.

“We talked at halftime about our mindset,” O’Brien said. “We came out in the second half just trying to keep attacking when shots weren’t falling and just being aggressive and leaving it all out there. At the end of the day, the ball didn’t really fall our way, but we left it all out there, and for that reason, we should be proud of ourselves.”

Senior forward Sofia Rosa led the team with 11 points and 15 rebounds. Both Russell and senior guard Molly Ryan scored 10 points in the contest as well. Russell, leading the team and averaging 15.9 points per game for the season, fouled out in the fourth quarter, slightly halting the Jumbo comeback.

Looking back on the successful season and run in the NCAA tournament, Pace said she is proud of her team for all its players have accomplished.

“I’m really impressed by them,” Pace said. “We have a team that hasn’t seen that type of stage before. The first and second rounds, being able to host … I think that was an amazing experience for all of our players. We had a phenomenal crowd.

Special shoutout to the students and stu-

dent-athletes who came to those games. I think they performed really well, and it’s all a learning experience.”

Ryan, a starter in all three seasons that she played and a leader on the team, said her time playing basketball at Tufts has meant a lot to her.

“It’s meant the absolute world to me,” Ryan said. “I’ve met the best people and the best of friends who I’ll be friends with forever. I could not be more thankful to be a part of such an amazing program. The coaches, the families and my own teammates … It’s just been the best experience, and I would never change anything for it.”

The Jumbos end their season 22–5 overall and 8–2 in conference. The team made an impressive run in the NCAA tournament, falling short in the Sweet 16 after receiving an at-large bid. Heading into next season, the roster is full of young talent in the first-year and sophomore classes.

Although the team will miss starters in Rosa, Ryan and graduate student Erin Poindexter McHan, big statistical contributors O’Brien, Russell and first-year guard Annika Decker will return next season with all the knowledge from their seniors and the experience of an NCAA run this season.

O’Brien said she’s looking to assume a new role next year.

“I want to be more of a leader next year and kind of grow into that role now being an upperclassman,” O’Brien said. “Because of all the role models I’ve had this year in our upperclassmen, I know exactly how to do that, so credit goes to them for that. I’m just looking forward to working hard and getting better every day with some of the same people and some new people.”

TRASHING ONE EGG WASTES 55 GALLONS OF WATER