Issuu

WOMEN’S TRACK

Tufts Risk Management Assistance Team receives award for its proactive risk reduction initiative at Greek events see FEATURES / PAGE 4

SEE SPORTS / BACK PAGE

“Zootopia” may not be a classic animated film, but entertains children and adults alike with joy and social commentary see ARTS AND LIVING / PAGE 7

Snowflake Classic success for women’s track

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VOLUME LXXI, NUMBER 46

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Tuesday, April 5, 2016

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Women’s basketball’s historic run ends with close loss in NCAA championship game see WOMEN’S BASKETBALL, back page

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Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx discusses policy, projects with students by Joe Walsh

Assistant News Editor

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx spoke yesterday morning at a roundtable discussion in the Rabb Room, where he answered students’ questions about transportation planning and policy. The event, hosted by Tisch College and the School of Engineering, was Foxx’s only visit to a university while in the Boston area, according to Alan Solomont,

the Pamela Omidyar dean of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service. Following brief introductions by Solomont and Dean of Engineering Jianmin Qu, Foxx spoke about the federal Department of Transportation (DOT)’s current priorities. In particular, Foxx explained that in his role, he is focused on integrating transportation systems, treating projects as harbingers of economic opportunity and

emphasizing local autonomy in setting funding priorities. “There was a time when our infrastructure was built along lines to keep people in and out,” he said, referring to geographic divisions between populations created by projects. “In this era of transportation development… I really want the project sponsors to be thinking about what they’re doing as bridges: bridges to opportunity [and] bridges to access.” After his remarks, Foxx took several

questions from Tufts students. A graduate Urban and Environmental Policy (UEP) student began by asking how the DOT reconciles local involvement in projects with the potential for cost overruns. Foxx responded by explaining that transportation projects in the United States are frequently complicated by red tape surrounding property rights, and that the country’s many layers of governsee TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY, page 2

TCU Senate reconvenes following spring break by Vibhav Prakasam Assistant News Editor

The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate met last night to discuss several supplementary funding requests and committee updates. TCU President Brian Tesser opened the meeting by discussing the Senate ad-hoc housing committee’s effort to gather student input and submit it to the university’s Residential Strategies Working Group (RSWG). He then spoke briefly about Spring Fling, noting that logistics for this year’s event are still being finalized. He ended his remarks by discussing the Late Night Dining program at Carmichael Hall. He said that administrators are satisfied with the program’s progress, but that the pro-

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gram is still in a trial period. Tesser, a senior, said the program’s future is dependent upon student feedback and its overall success. TCU Vice President Gauri Seth, a junior, then took the floor to discuss committee updates, including the Senate Outreach Committee’s plan to bring an ice cream truck to campus in a few weeks for an event where TCU senators will be available to talk to students about the work that they are doing. She also discussed revisions to the Education Committee’s graduation distribution requirements, which are progressing slowly because they require a lot of work. Afterwards, Diversity and Community Affairs (DCA) Officer Anna Del Castillo, a sophomore, gave updates, saying that that on April 27, 35 high school stu-

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dents from New York City will be coming to Tufts to talk to TCU senators in order to get a sense of the school and of student life, which will help them decide if they are interested in applying to the university in the future. TCU Senate Treasurer Shai Slotky, a junior, then took the floor, and 16 supplementary funding requests were discussed. The first order of business was to move $4,000 from the surplus fund to the supplementary fund, which would have allowed all of the requests to be funded as requested, not as recommended by the Allocation Board (ALBO). The body voted for this movement of funds in order to prevent the possibility of having to deny a club funding because insufficient funds were available.

The supplementary funding requests came from the Crafts Center, Imaginet, Non-denominational Christian Fellowship, Coalition for Autism Support at Tufts (CAST), Thai Students Association, Association of Multiracial People at Tufts, Amnesty International, Tufts Cannon, Cheap Sox, TEDxTufts, Tufts Pulse, Tufts University Democrats, Tufts Muslim Students Association (MSA), Hong Kong Student Association (HKSA), Tufts Pre-Med Society and Tufts Primary Care Progress. All of the ALBO recommendations for these requests passed. Following this, the TCU Judiciary and Committee on Student Life (CSL) representatives gave their updates, and the meeting was adjourned.

NEWS............................................1 FEATURES.................................4 ARTS & LIVING.......................6 PHOTO.........................................8

OPINION...................................10 COMICS.....................................12 SPORTS............................ BACK

THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Tuesday, April 5, 2016

T HE T UFTS D AILY Sarah Zheng Editor-in-Chief

EDITORIAL Nicholas Golden Mengqi Sun Managing Editors Nicholas Pfosi Associate Editor Arin Kerstein Executive News Editor Isha Fahad News Editors Abby Feldman Melissa Kain Sophie Lehrenbaum Emma Steiner Ariel Barbieri-Aghib Assistant News Editors Kyle Blacklock Gil Jacobson Robert Katz Liam Knox Catherine Perloff Vibhav Prakasam Hannah Uebele Joe Walsh Kendall Todd Executive Features Editor Nicole Brooks Features Editors Nina Joung Jake Taber Diane Alexander Assistant Features Editors Constantinos Angelakis Emily Cheng Emma R. Rosenthal John Gallagher Executive Arts Editor Lancy Downs Arts Editors Justin Krakoff Josh Podolsky Jonah Allon Assistant Arts Editors Cassidy Olsen Eran Sabaner Hannah Hoang Dorie Campbell Emily Karl Erin Sifre Stephen Dennison Abigail Feldman Shannon Geary Allison Merola Cassie Bardos Miranda Chavez Frances DeFreitas Jake Goldberg Emma Henderson Michael Lefkowtiz Anita Ramaswamy Noah Weinflash

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U.S. Secretary of Transportation sits down with students from across the university TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY

continued from page 1 ment create a level of uncertainty. He said that the DOT is currently looking to use high-tech modeling to account for risk, and make cost-effective choices. UEP graduate student Christopher Scranton asked about how the DOT prioritizes particular transportation investments such as bridges in regards to jobs and opportunity. Foxx said that the government has made mistakes in the past by picking winners and losers for projects to invest in, and said that the best solution is for local officials to be involved. At the same time, Foxx argued that the DOT should better use its enforcement power to ensure that local governments are held accountable. Nathaniel Fink, another UEP graduate student, proceeded to ask about Toward Zero Deaths, a program supported by the DOT that seeks to improve highway safety. Foxx said that Congress is often reluctant to invest in local infrastructure projects like pedestrian and bicycle safety, but that the DOT can aid local authorities by sharing best practices.

“I don’t see a future where there’s a significant amount of federal money dedicated to [local infrastructure], but I think in terms of best practice setting, programs … where we can point to examples of what can be done can be helpful,” he said. UEP graduate student Nathaniel Mayo then asked about whether the DOT is re-evaluating safety standards in response to the development of self-driving cars. Foxx was optimistic about the prospect of autonomous vehicles in improving safety, and said that the DOT is working to rethink its rules and create a new framework accordingly. Senior Joseph Cowan then asked about the DOT’s checks and balances for private investment. Foxx said he was receptive to private-sector investment in infrastructure, but added that the public sector still decides what to prioritize through permitting and funding processes. “We don’t have a lot of instances where the private sector can just go and build something on its own,” Foxx said. “There are public input controls and it’s really up to governors to navigate those politics and make sure the public inter-

ests are served.” An undergraduate majoring in computer science asked about how the DOT will ensure that self-driving cars will be safe. Foxx explained that there are currently many unanswered questions surrounding how engaged passengers should be in self-driving cars, and said that research is ongoing. He noted that the DOT will continue to study the matter over the next few years. Finally, Miranda Seeley, a senior majoring in civil engineering, asked how students can contribute their ideas to transportation planning. Foxx spoke about the importance of computerized modeling systems and said that the DOT will encourage student input in that regard. He added that he hopes to involve civil engineers in planning decisions. “For most of our lifetimes, we’ve asked civil engineers to solve a very narrow problem, and we need to expand the scope of the problem we’re asking them to solve,” Foxx said. “I would think of yourself not just as a civil engineer, but as a builder of the fabric around America.”

Spilled Chemicals TUPD was notified of a student spilling chemicals on his pants in the Pearson Chemical Laboratory at 7:45 p.m. on March 30. The appropriate cleaning procedure was followed, and the area was flushed with water. The student rejected medical attention.

Broken Glass TUPD responded to a report of broken glass in Hill Hall at 1:02 a.m. on April 3. While TUPD heard people in the area, none of the passersby could give a description of the incident. TUPD determined that the first pane in a double-pane window in the basement had been broken. The second piece of glass was intact, as was the screen. Nothing else appeared to have been damaged. Facilities Services was informed of the incident, and was asked to fix the window.

Police Briefs Fire Alarm Part One The Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) and the Somerville Fire Department responded to a fire alarm that went off in South Hall at 1:01 a.m. on March 28 as the result of a fire extinguisher being released. The Somerville Fire Department inspected the residence hall and allowed for the panel to be reset. Fire Alarm Part Two TUPD and the Somerville Fire Department responded to a fire alarm that went off at Schmalz House at 4:10 p.m. on March 30 due to smoke from residential cooking. The Somerville Fire Department checked the area and called for a reset of the system.

Downed Wire TUPD was notified of a downed wire in front of 128 Professors Row at 12:45 p.m. on April 1. The wire may have been accidentally hit by a recycling truck without the driver’s knowledge. Facilities Services was informed of the incident and asked to install a new wire.

News

Tuesday, April 5, 2016 | News | THE TUFTS DAILY

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Recycle me.

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Features

IFC’s Risk Management Assistance Team wins award in risk reduction by Elise Westervelt Contributing Writer

Sorority Life this past September. After the retreat, he said, Jacobson continued to develop the idea, and Toogood stayed in contact with the IFC as an advisor. RMAT was then implemented starting in October 2015, according to the program guide. “In light of the 2014-2015 disciplinary record, the IFC has defined a need to shift its attention from reactive measures to a proactive focus,” according to the RMAT Program Outline created by Jacobson.

help make the party scene safer.” Jacobson agreed, noting the limitations of RMAT. “RMAT is not, nor does it purport to be, an intervention task force,” he said. “RMAT is simply able to intervene in the spirit that any concerned friend might, in regards to a variety of issues.” According to Jacobson, RMAT has been a success so far. “Since its launch, RMAT has attended 21 fraternity social events,” Jacobson said. “We’ve seen a dramatic decrease

The Risk Management Assistance Team (RMAT) of the Tufts Interfraternity Council (IFC) recently won the Risk Reduction Award from the Northeast Greek Leadership Association (NGLA), one of the three winners for this year, the NGLA’s website said. “The NGLA award for Risk Reduction recognizes risk management policies or programs that have positively impacted their campuses,” Rob Jacobson, IFC president and founder of RMAT, said. “I believe RMAT won this award because it is the leading risk management program in the northeast.” RMAT was recognized at the 2016 NGLA Annual Conference, which was held from Feb. 26 to 28 in Pittsburgh, Pa., according to the NGLA website. Jacobson said that RMAT is unlike any risk management programs at other colleges and universities, and that other schools have contacted him for advice on starting their own programs similar to RMAT. “There is no other program like it — SOFIE HECHT / THE TUFTS DAILY where RMAT is dedicated to a proactive Executive members of the Interfraternity Council (IFC) meet in Olin Hall to discuss the implementation of the new Risk Management Assessment Team (RMAT) that will seek to keep fraternity events safer on Nov. 10, 2015 approach to party safety,” Jacobson said. “Student leaders from other schools, However, the Director of Fraternity in alcohol related transports at these such as Trinity University in Texas and and Sorority Life Su McGlone pointed social events, and we’ve had far fewer Harvard University, have noticed outr out that RMAT is not a replacement IGC judicial board sanctions as a result comprehensive social media campaign. for existing methods, but an additional of RMAT’s presence. The IFC fraterniThese students have reached out to me measure of protection to ensure the ty community is currently enjoying a asking about the program, and how safety of Greek events. year with the fewest incidents in recent something similar might be person“It is not a replacement for any risk memory.” alized for the social outlets on those management procedures already in Jacobson also hopes to extend RMAT campuses.” place by any fraternity, but an enhance- to other campus events, including those Established last fall, RMAT is a stu- ment to that,” McGlone said. hosted by sororities and other risk mandent-led initiative designed to improve Made up of volunteers from each agement and safety programs. the safety of events hosted by fraterni- Greek organization within the IFC, “My vision for RMAT is to, one day ties and sororities, according to Mickey RMAT volunteers are meant to be very in the future, work with the IGC Sexual Toogood, Judicial Affairs administrator visible at Greek events by wearing a des- Assault Prevention Task Force, as well and advisor to the IFC. ignated “RMAT green” uniform for easy as work with TEMS in order to enhance “RMAT is a student-led initiative identification, according to Jacobson. the training requirements of each RMAT designed to assist fraternities and “These members may volunteer volunteer,” Jacobson said. “Another sororities with the events they’re host- themselves, or be appointed to this long-term goal is to expand the role of ing,” Toogood said. “It’s an extra pair of position by their chapters,” the pro- sororities within the program, as many eyes and ears at Greek events.” gram outline said. “Each chapter must sorority leaders have reached out to me, Jacobson explained that he came up submit at least one member as their very eager to get involved.” with the idea for RMAT because he RMAT representative. Between two to Despite the recognition RMAT wanted to make fraternity and sorority five are recommended.” received from the NGLA, Jacobson events safer. The IFC has strived to make RMAT remained humble about his role in its “As IFC President, I work closely with a regular part of campus life and hopes success. administrators and peer students on that it will bring students and faculty “While RMAT may be the winner a daily basis to create and promote a members from different organizations of the NGLA award, the award truly Greek community that serves to enrich together to work towards a common goal. belongs to the students of the Greek the experiences of the students involved “I think that the collaboration and community, and the greater Tufts comin these organizations,” he said. “My sense of community in working togeth- munity, who have supported the promain initiative during my presidency er has been an extremely strong point,” gram every step of the way, who have has been to improve the safety of Greek McGlone said. “A program like this can’t volunteered their Thursdays, Fridays social events.” fix every single issue that occurs at par- and Saturdays to attend parties as sober Toogood said that the idea for RMAT ties, but it can help and I believe that monitors, and who believe that togethwas partially developed during a retreat every bit of awareness and assistance er we can create a safer, stronger, Greek held by the Office of Fraternity and that students can provide will overall community,” he said.

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Melissa Feito The Story of Stories

Attack of the personal narrative

ecause I continuously guilt myself into being a good Catholic, I actually did give something up for Lent this year. And, well, it’s the same thing I’ve given up every year since entering college: social media. Now, before you groan and close the window in which you’re reading this, let me just make one thing clear: this isn’t a diatribe against social media. I’m not a 22-year-old with the complaints of your average grandmother. I don’t think social media is ruining The Youth for good, I don’t think it’s preventing anyone from communicating, I don’t think it’s turning anyone into a zombie, and I certainly don’t believe myself to be above it — I love Instagramming my dog just as much as the next gal. What I do think it is, however, is a contrived fantasy, an opinion that I know others share. Two weeks ago, I wrote about how marketers sell an image or narrative to customers rather than a hard product. Social media functions in a similar way, in that it sells a service in which each of us constructs the most perfect, desirable versions of ourselves — not only for consumption by others, but also for our own sake. Think about how we perfectly curate ourselves when we present our lives on Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, whatever else the kids are into now. While some people are definitely no-filter over-sharers (who belong primarily in the declining talk soup that is Twitter), most people choose ever so carefully what they put on their social media accounts. Instagram in particular is kind of shocking to me amongst teen users; some kids I know only a few years younger than me will only post pictures at a certain time of day, deleting if the photo gets less than 100 likes and leaving coded compliments on friend’s pictures. The result is a scripted and definitely premeditated fantasy of how we wish our lives looked like, compartmentalized into chapters and features, check-ins and albums. But everyone knows that our image is never that simple, that there is much more going on under the surface than we are all willing to let on. And yet, even though we’re all self-aware enough to know this, why do we keep doing it? Why do we find pleasure in presenting a very specific narrative of our lives to a selected public? I know why I do – because I believe in “fake it ’till you make it.” Maybe if I present my ultra-organized and positive image enough, I’ll start believing it myself (although believe me, at 22, my inner life is anything but ultra-organized and positive). But even then I get tired of the script, of the story that’s not really true, which is why I have always enjoyed putting away social media for a few months of every year. A lot of people think Lent is about punishment and sacrifice, but it’s not – it’s about renewal and perspective. So just once a year, I like to step away and re-evaluate the image I’m putting out and really think, who’s writing my story? Is it me, or am I letting this narrative write me? Melissa Feito is a senior majoring in English. She can reached at Melissa.Feito@ tufts.edu.

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ARTS&LIVING MOVIE REVIEW

Natalie Girshman The ABCs of Literature:

‘Zootopia’ provides humor, heart, social commentary — something for everybunny

Terry Pratchett

BAGOGAMES VIA FLICKR

by Alison Epstein Staff Writer

Sometimes the hidden meanings in allegories are subtle and so expertly woven into the story that you barely even pick up on the message being presented to you. This was not the case in “Zooptopia.” There was

nothing subtle about the delivery of its social commentary. Maybe it would go over a child’s head (as is often the case in films aimed at children), but the movie’s underlying theme appeals more to older audience members. When the movie isn’t slapping you in the face with its commentary, it boasts pop culture references, funny one-liners and anthropo-

morphic animals. And that made for a perfectly entertaining two hours. “Zootopia” takes place in an all-mammal society where animals of all shapes and sizes, predators and prey alike, live in apparent harmony. The story centers on plucky rabbit Judy see ZOOTOPIA, page 7

ALBUM REVIEW

Shrouded in mystery, dvsn delivers a beautiful debut with ‘Sept. 5th’ by Soven Bery Staff Writer

On September 5, 2015, then-unknown R&B artist dvsn (pronounced “division”) released two songs, “The Line” and “With Me,” to the popular music streaming website SoundCloud. Fast forward to this spring, when dvsn has released its aptly-titled debut album “Sept. 5th” — exclusively on Apple Music on March 27 and elsewhere on April 1 — through OVO (October’s Very Own) Sound, one of the most highly regarded labels in hip-hop. How did this ascent happen? How did dvsn go from absolute anonymity to being signed by Drake and flying up the iTunes charts? The answer is simply talent. The first two SoundCloud releases were quickly followed by two others songs, “Too Deep” and “Hallucinations,” in December. By February, the artist was signed to the OVO Sound record label and on March 27, the album dropped. The world took notice quickly. Dvsn is comprised of Canadian singer Daniel Daley and producer Nineteen85. The latter is well-known in hip-hop circles for producing Drake’s smash hit “Hotline Bling,” while Daley was a complete unknown until very recently. Make no mistake, however, dvsn is still an enigma, though that may not last for much longer after striking gold with “Sept. 5th.” The album is one that every R&B artist can only dream of making. With it, dvsn has

raised the bar for their label mates iLoveMakonnen, Majid Jordan, PARTYNEXTDOOR and Roy Wood$. “Sept. 5th” is at times new age rap, old school soul, traditional R&B, alternative EDM, sultry blues and soothing electronica. It is as much an enigma as the duo that created it. From the first beat in “With Me” to the melancholy, moody closing of “The Line,” audiences are taken on a seductive, emotional and passionate ride. The album shines with “Hallucinations,” its best offering. As the seventh song in the collection, it takes a sharp left turn. Gone are the boasting and bravado of “Do it Well” and “Try/Effortless.” Instead, “Hallucinations” is a raw, humble and mature look into the emotions of heartbreak. It is a hauntingly relatable portrayal of the pain of losing something or someone you previously loved. The lyrics are beautiful and the production, standout throughout the album, is at an all-time high here. But the attractiveness of “Sept. 5th” isn’t limited to just “Hallucinations.” The album succeeds because of its flexibility and way it moves through different influences and genres. The song directly after —“Another One” — is reminiscent of Michael Jackson and the Weeknd, “Angela” could easily be a Prince track, “Try/Effortless” meshes Justin Timberlake and Miguel, “Do it Well” has shades of early 2000 R&B stars like Usher and “Too Deep” is chalk full of Aaliyah nods. This isn’t just lofty praise or baseless comparisons. Dvsn is clearly a team of students of the genre

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

they are attempting to redefine. “Sept. 5th” is as much a unique entrance as it is a tribute album to singers before them. Dvsn respects their predecessors by meshing sounds from previous decades while also creating something that feels undoubtedly modern. It is a tricky balancing act. “Sept. 5th” benefits obviously from the timing of its release. It comes in the wake of three other debut albums: Majid Jordan’s self-titled February 5 release, Charlie Puth’s January 29 offering “Nine Track Mind” and Zayn’s “Mind of Mine,” which dropped March 25. Jordan, Puth and Zayn have all attempted to introduce themselves to the R&B community with a strong album. All three have ultimately fallen short, instead putting forth rocky, uninspired and generic collections. That isn’t to disparage those artists. It is simply to point out how hard it is to create a debut album that respects and pulls from R&B legends but is simultaneously on the level of those legends. “Sept. 5th” is a confident offering. The album doesn’t have painfully low moments like “Majid Jordan” does. Dvsn also doesn’t suffer from tired songwriting, like Puth and Zayn do. There is a stark difference between these three and dvsn. Jordan, Puth and Zayn have created albums that beg for respect from the R&B world. Dvsn demands it. It is one of the best R&B debuts since Bryson Tiller’s “Trapsoul” or The see DSVN, page 7

ven when people talk about the fantasy genre with affection, remembering the books that they first loved as children and that continue to enchant them today, they rarely talk about fantasy as serious literature, the kind that reflects our world back to us and betters our understanding of it. There’s magic and talking animals and ultimate evil, after all, not metaphor-thick prose about the sheer struggle of being a middle-aged man in America or the dissolution of a drama-plagued family. But fantasy can tell us just as much about ordinary life as the extraordinary one it portrays, pointing out the things we’re hesitant to meet head-on, and for that, there’s no one better than the incomparable late Sir Terry Pratchett. Over forty books of Pratchett’s extensive oeuvre take place in Discworld, the realm for which he’s most famous. Discworld is a flat, circular planet that rests on the back of four elephants, who stand on the back of the great celestial turtle A’Tuin as he swims through the universe. (Don’t ask if there’s anything beneath the turtle.) Discworld is teeming with interesting places inhabited by even more interesting people. There’s the vast city of Ankh-Morpork, ruled by the remarkably clever Lord Vetinari and (kept in order by the City Watch and its bad-cop-gone-good-commander Samuel Vimes.) The city is vulnerable to political intrigue, attempts at bringing the city into the Century of the Fruitbat and suspicious substances sold on buns by the tireless entrepreneur Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler. There are the witches, led by the formidable Granny Weatherwax, whose insatiable desire to meddle in things takes them all over the Disc. There’s also Rincewind, the cowardly wizard who might turn out to be a hero after all, and Death, the skeleton with a scythe who always speaks in capital letters. In short, there’s something for everyone and best of all, no real obligation to read it in any particular order. Perhaps the best way to begin in Pratchett is to choose a character that appeals to you and promptly plunge into the series of books centered around them. My personal favorite are the witches, where you can begin with either “Equal Rites” or “Wyrd Sisters.” “Equal Rites” introduces Granny Weatherwax, as she attempts to train a girl who has accidentally inherited the powers of a wizard, and “Wyrd Sisters” firmly establishes the dynamic between the various Lancre witches as they become involved in royal intrigue when a scheming couple tries to take over the kingdom. Wherever you start, the books are simply delightful. The world is rich and carefully thought out, with every new detail and character both surprising and of a piece that Pratchett has already created. It’s as vast and as creative as Middle-Earth or Hogwarts, with the added bonus of clever satire and more clever observations about humanity. Pratchett may have always had a joke up his sleeve, but he also had so much to say about the twists and turns of life and of storytelling, and his thoughtfulness rings true throughout his writing. You’ll laugh, you’ll think, you might even cry, and at the end, you’ll find yourself turning back to the beginning to read it all over again. Natalie Girshman is a senior majoring in history and drama. She can be reached at natalie.girshman@tufts.edu

Tuesday, April 5, 2016 | Arts & Living | THE TUFTS DAILY

A&L

TOP 10

Top 10 totally unrealistic Spring Fling headliner suggestions by Jonah Allon

Assistant Arts Editor

Last week, BØRNS revealed via an inadvertent leak on his Facebook page that he would be performing at Spring Fling on May 1. It remains unclear whether the indie pop artist of Hulu commercial fame will be headlining this year, and since the announcement, speculation about other potential headliners has run rampant. Assuming the name has yet to be unveiled, will this year’s artist have the star-power of a Childish Gambino? The nostalgic appeal of a Nelly? The hometown heart of a Guster? Or will Concert Board throw us a complete curveball and invite someone literally no one expected? With so many questions surrounding the event, allow us to throw out a few (bonkers, totally unrealistic) suggestions. 1. Akon Believe it or not, there are already some rumors out there that the R&B artist who dominated the early aughts may actually be headlining this year. Just imagine the pandemonium that would break out in the crowd when Akon opened with an old bar-mitzvah standard like “Smack That” (2006) or the sea of lighters that would sway from

side-to-side when he closed with 2004’s “Lonely.” It would be the most enjoyable trip down memory lane since the last time you back-stalked yourself on Facebook. 2. Rihanna Having just released her latest album “ANTI” (which, incidentally, received a very favorable review from The Daily, wink-wink nudge-nudge) in January, Ri-Ri is perfectly poised to perform a dope set at Spring Fling. All over campus, students have been blasting “Work” in their dorm rooms and quietly perfecting the choreography. And if Drake shows up to rap the guest verse? Forget it. People would go nuts. And while we’re on the subject of everyone’s favorite Canadian rapper … 3. Drake What better way for rap’s hottest commodity to ring in #drizzyseason than by performing here, at Tufts? Maybe @champagnepapi’s latest single, “Summer Sixteen” (2016), is a sly nod to the appearance he’s slated for this May. Granted, the concert doesn’t take place in the summer. And it’s called Spring Fling, not Summer Fling … Oh, just go with it, okay. 4. LCD Soundsystem LCD Soundsystem announced it was

reuniting this past December, and is now scheduled to perform at several music festivals including Lollapalooza, Glastonbury and Coachella, where it will finally and permanently break up. With such a small window of time in which to see the legendary group perform, why not get them here for one last hurrah? After all, we’d all like a final opportunity to dance ourselves clean. 5. Beyoncé Sure, getting Queen Bey to grace Tufts with her divine presence might seem like a tall order. Sure, there are literally a million other better things she could be doing with her time, like shopping for matching jumpsuits with Blue Ivy or starting a charity initiative to get hot sauce in everyone’s bag. And sure, she tends to perform at slightly bigger venues, like the Super Bowl. But just think of the collective freakout that would ensue if she were announced as our headliner. It would be like the time Malia Obama toured campus times a million. 6. Kendrick Lamar “Levitate, levitate, levitate, levitate.” 7. Kanye West Kanye’s been on a bit of a creative tear since he debuted his latest album, “The Life of Pablo” in February. He’s

promised to release two more albums this year, and he’s been dropping new singles left and right, in addition to tweaking stuff on “The Life Of Pablo.” So it might not seem like he has time to stop by Tufts. But there’s an upside in it for him: if we’re taking him at his word that he’s currently $53 million dollars in the hole, performing at Spring Fling would help him pay off a little bit of that debt. 8. Justin Timberlake Like Neil Patrick Harris, JT is a triple-threat. He can sing. He can dance. He can act. He is the consummate entertainer. And now that he’s a new father, his act would probably involve a lot of cute little anecdotes about his baby son between songs. Plus, N’SYNC reunion, anyone? 9. Taylor Swift Ok, hear us out. She just won Best Album of the Year at the Grammy’s, she’s evolving as an artist and her concert would be hella fun, even if you’re iffy on her music. What’s more, her older stuff would make most of us nostalgic for a high school experience we didn’t even have. And isn’t that what Spring Fling is all about — false nostalgia? 10. Run the Jewels Please. Please. This would be so dope.

‘Zootopia’ boats all-star cast, endless pop culture references ZOOTOPIA

continued from page 6 Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin), whose lifelong dream has been to become a police officer. She eventually accomplishes her goal, becoming the first bunny to become an officer, but is quickly relegated to meter maid duty while her predator co-officers hunt for 14 missing animals. Judy decides to conduct her own search for the animals, however, and enlists / blackmails a hustling fox named Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) to help her. They then piece together that all the animals that are missing are predators who have “gone savage:” they have returned to all fours and are attacking prey. Judy then concludes that there may be something biological about predators that makes them prone to “go savage,” and therefore they are all a possible danger to society and specifically to prey. This is where the commentary on race

relations in the United States really comes to play. The predators are painted as untrustworthy and prone to violence — a bias that not-so-coincidentally echoes racist attitudes pervasive in American society. This aspect of the movie also speaks to the power of fear, and to the way fear can turn people (or animals) against each other. A scene with a mother rabbit pulling her child away from a tiger on the subway is particularly poignant. Though the parallels between “Zootopia” and the real world are sometimes slightly muddled, overall, the movie is successful in getting its point across. This movie clearly caters to children and adults alike, but probably provides a fuller experience for adults. As with many movies aimed for children, the surface story appeals to the younger audience, while the more subtle elements, like the discussion of race relations, will be better understood

by adults. “Zootopia” also includes some lighter references parents will likely chuckle at, including one scene that is straight out of “Breaking Bad” (2008-2013) and another that is a play on “The Godfather” (1972). “Zootopia” is also replete with clever has “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” moments, like a sign for Zuber (“getting party animals home safely”), and includes jabs at other Disney movies, including “Frozen” (2013). The film’s funniest scene, however, involves Judy taking a trip to the DMV to have a license plate run, only to discover that the entire DMV is run by sloths. The encounter is excruciatingly slow and almost painful to watch, but in the best way possible. “Zooptopia” also boasts an all-star cast. Along with Goodwin and Bateman, the movie includes the voices of Idris Elba (Chief Bogo), Jenny Slate (Assistant Mayor Bellwether), J.K. Simmons (Mayor Lionheart)

and Octavia Spencer (Mrs. Otterton). It also features Shakira as famous Zootopia pop star Gazelle, who performs the movie’s original song, “Try Everything.” It’s not “Let It Go” (2013) of “Frozen” fame — and the lyrics probably could have been written by a fifth grader — but you’ll still be humming it the rest of the day. “Zootopia” is probably not going to enter the animated hall of fame, like “Finding Nemo” (2003) or “Toy Story” (1995) have. The film’s important political message could have been more smoothly presented, but “Zootopia” was a well-paced, fun watch and certainly worth a viewing. Just ask the seven-year-old kid in this reviewer’s theater who, during the ending credits, stood up and exclaimed, “This was the best movie yet!” He was probably hopped up on sugar from the Airheads Xtremes he had just inhaled, but, hey, he seemed wise.

Debut album by R&B artist dvsn incorporates multiple influences with respect, new energy DSVN

continued from page 6 Weeknd’s “House of Balloons.” Both of those artists shocked listeners because their work was fresh and unable to

pigeonhole. That is precisely where dvsn succeeds. “Sept. 5th” is comfortable and relatable enough to keep listeners engaged while also boldly stretching the boundaries of what traditional R&B

should sound like. It is at its best during those moments that take what we are used to hearing and change that sound ever so slightly. The result is a beautiful, stunning and exciting effort.

The last song on the album, “The Line,” is almost prophetic. It closes with Daley repeating over and over the lyric, “we crossed the line.” Indeed they have.

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TUFTS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL COMPETES IN FIRST NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP ALL PHOTOS BY EVAN SAYLES The Tufts women’s basketball team cheers from the bench in the NCAA Div. III women’s basketball championship

Tufts guard Michelle Wu, LA ’16, charges a Thomas More player in the NCAA Div. III women’s basketball championship.

Tufts guard Lauren Dillon, LA ‘18, and Thomas More guard Abby Owings, LA ’18, fight for possession of the ball.

Tufts forward/center Michela North, LA ’17, reaches to block a shot by a Thomas More player.

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Tuesday, April 5, 2016 | PHOTO | THE TUFTS DAILY

“I think my team battled... We didn’t give up, made it a game in the fourth quarter by making plays and just playing tough basketball the way we have all season.” —Coach Carla Berube

Coach Carla Berube looks to the referee for a foul call explanation during the NCAA Div. III championship game.

Tufts tri-captain guard Emma Roberson, LA’16, tri-captain guard Nicole Brooks, LA’16, and forward Maura Folliard, LA’16, embrace their teammates as the clock winds down in the final game of their careers.

The team huddles before their champtions game.

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Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Opinion EDITORIAL

On campus mental health and well-being Pressure on middle and high school students in the United States has rarely been so intense. Last week, The Atlantic magazine ran a story titled “The Absurdity of College Admissions,” detailing the duress and competitiveness that characterizes the mental state of students. The anecdotes weren’t pretty. The American College Health Association reported in 2014 that nearly one in six college students (14.3 percent) had been diagnosed with or treated for anxiety. The same survey found that 21.8 percent of students said that within the last 12 months, anxiety had negatively impacted their academic performance–up from 18.2 percent in 2008. On our own campus, students have been working hard to bring attention to and destigmatize mental health. Central to this is the idea that mental health is as valuable a part of well-being as physical care. Other mental health issues such as depression and social anxiety have also reportedly been on the rise on college campuses. The effects of anxiety and depression does not only hinder performance in the classroom, but can also cause students to lose hope altogether.

A 2011 national survey shows that more than 62 percent of students who withdrew from college did so for reasons pertaining to mental health issues. Although the number of students experiencing mental health concerns has been rising, many still do not seek help. Part of the problem is the societal stigmatization surrounding mental health issues, where anxiety, depression and related disorders are considered less legitimate than physical ailments because they are not manifested in the same ways. This societal outlook is a huge setback for the many students who suffer in silence, believing that what they are going through is a burden they must bear alone. Students may also delegitimize their own problems or feel that they must be going through something extremely traumatic and “serious” in order to seek out help. This is not the case — research has shown that verbalizing feelings can have a significant therapeutic effect on the brain. Anyone can benefit from counseling and mental health services available on campus, regardless of the nature of their concerns. Tufts offers free and confidential

appointments with counselors who can help students through a variety of issues. Counseling and Mental Health Services offers many different avenues to help students, including individual counseling, groups, workshops and animal-assisted therapy. When thinking about mental health, as well, it is important to consider the political aspects of it — namely, access. Not everyone in our community, let alone our world, has access to counselors, or the time off necessary to recover and recalibrate. When we think about mental health, it’s necessary to consider how not only class but also race, sexuality and gender impact upon mental health services. Daily life on campus can get chaotic and overwhelming, when midterms, family life, friendships and clubs collide. Addressing mental health issues is a fundamentally important way in which we can improve the academic, social and personal lives of ourselves. For all of us, those who struggle with mental health and those who do not, destigmatizing discussion of mental health with friends, family and coworkers is crucial.

CARTOON

BY ABIGAIL FELDMAN

The Tufts Daily is a nonprofit, independent newspaper, published Monday through Friday during the academic year, and distributed free to the Tufts community. The content of letters, advertisements, signed columns, cartoons and graphics does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Tufts Daily editorial board. EDITORIALS Editorials represent the position of The Tufts Daily. Individual editors are not necessarily responsible for, or in agreement with, the policies and editorials of The Tufts Daily. OP-EDS The Op-Ed section of The Tufts Daily, an open forum for campus editorial commentary, is printed Monday through Thursday. The Daily welcomes submissions from all members of the Tufts community; the opinions expressed in the Op-Ed section do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Daily itself. Opinion articles on campus, national and international issues should be 600 to 1,200 words in length and submitted to oped@tuftsdaily.com. The editors reserve the right to edit letters for clarity, space and length. All material is subject to editorial discretion and is not guaranteed to appear in the Daily. Authors must submit their telephone numbers and day-of availability for editing questions. ADVERTISING All advertising copy is subject to the approval of the Editor-in-Chief, Executive Board and Executive Business Director.

11 tuftsdaily.com

Luke Sherman Earth On Fire

Earth On Fire: Follow the money

he paid organizer, Eva Resnick-Day, pressed Secretary Clinton to “act on your words and reject fossil fuel money in the future in your campaign.” Suffice it to say, the secretary did not react kindly to this request. “I do not have… I have money from people who work for fossil fuel companies. I am so sick – I am so sick – of the Sanders campaign lying about me. I’m sick of it,” the candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination responded angrily. Presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) shot back, arguing in an email sent out to supporters that “the fossil fuel industry has given more than $4.5 million to Hillary Clinton’s campaign and her top super PAC, including 11 lobbyists who have bundled more than $1 million to put her in the White House.” The media covered the exchange with great fanfare but, sadly, neglected to properly inform the public of the truth. Let’s look at the facts: Last year, a number of organizations sent a letter to all of the major presidential candidates and asked them to reject contributions from oil, gas and coal companies. While Senator Sanders and former Governor Martin O’Malley (D-Maryland) both signed the pledge, Secretary Clinton declined to do so. While the secretary technically did not lie in her exchange with Resnick-Day — her campaign has not received any money from fossil fuel companies themselves — she has accepted this cycle more than $300,000 from those working directly for the industry, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Senator Sanders’ campaign has accepted about $53,760 in such donations. But lobbyists affiliated with fossil fuel companies have given nearly $1.5 million to her campaign, and the main super PAC supporting her has received more than $4.5 million from large donors connected to the industry. Senator Sanders, by contrast, does not have a super PAC advocating on his behalf. This matters because candidates’ funding sources tend to influence their policy positions, demonstrated by the differences between Senator Sanders and Secretary Clinton as it relates to mitigating climate change. While Senator Sanders has announced his flat opposition to hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as “fracking,” the secretary promoted the highly emissive practice during her tenure at the State Department. Although she has called for greater oversight of fracking operations, Secretary Clinton does not unilaterally oppose the technique. Furthermore, an analysis of the plans published by the two candidates to address the United States’ contribution to global warming reveals that Senator Sander’s proposal is significantly more ambitious than Secretary Clinton’s. In fairness to the Clinton campaign, the differences on this issue between the Democrats and the Republicans seeking their respective nominations are far greater than those between Senator Sanders and Secretary Clinton. Nevertheless, voters should scrutinize quite closely electoral contributions and stated policy positions. The threat and urgency of climate change demand it. Luke Sherman is a senior majoring in Environmental Studies. He can be reached at Luke.Sherman@tufts.edu.

THE TUFTS DAILY | Opinion | Tuesday, April 5, 2016

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OP-ED

President Obama’s gas tax plan deserves attention by Jamie Neikrie President Obama’s new budget proposal includes a $10 fee on oil, a thinly veiled tax that would generate money for investment in smart infrastructure, green technology and sustainable practices. The fee will be immediately paid by oil companies, but likely passed on to consumers in the form of higher gas prices. With petroleum plummeting in price, the White House has seized the moment to generate a national conversation about climate change and sustainable efforts, even if an oil fee will immediately be struck down in the Republican-controlled Congress. White House plans for the oil fee, released ahead of President Obama’s fiscal year 2017 budget submission, say that the fee could generate more than $32 billion in annual income. The largest chunk of these funds–about $20 billion– will go toward “enhanced transportation options,” projects like high-speed rails, mass transit systems and self-driving cars. While $20 billion may be a drop in the bucket compared to government defense spending, it is roughly equal to the budgets of the Department of the Interior and the Environment Protection Agency combined. The oil fee would also support a 150 percent increase of TIGER, a well-received stimulus program that

will provide $500 million in discretionary funds for sustainable infrastructure projects. The White House plan allocates $2 billion annually to investments in Research and Development for clean transportation efforts like fuel-efficient airplanes and charging stations. Due to North America’s energy resurgence and infighting among OPEC nations, oil prices have fallen 75 percent since mid-2014 to their lowest point in more than a decade. The timing is right for a gas tax to combat global warming, potentially the greatest challenge of the future. Transportation accounts for 30 percent of U.S. emissions, and the White House sees the fee as a source of new innovation in addition to an attempt to encourage sustainable transport. However, the White House plan was met with immediate rejection from Republicans in Congress. “From day one of President Obama’s administration, he has waged open warfare on American energy,” House Majority Whip Steve Scalise said (R-LA 1st district). The fee could add 25 cents a gallon to the cost of gasoline, a hike that would be unpopular with energy companies as well as much of the American public. White House officials acknowledge that the plan is largely symbolic, meant

to generate conversation and policy discussions around sustainable practices. After all, this proposal comes just months after President Obama signed the five-year, $305 billion FAST Act, a bipartisan highway bill which allocates money for the maintenance of the U.S’ transportation infrastructure. Historically, the highway fund was supplied by an 18.4 percent tax on gas, but Congress has not raised this figure since 1993, and it has fallen behind demand and inflation. While gas has become increasingly cheap, our nation’s roads, bridges and railways are crumbling, imposing $160 billion in costs and creating 7 billion hours of traffic every year, according to White House figures. Upon release of the plan, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan remarked, “Once again, the president expects hard working consumers to pay for his out-oftouch climate agenda….As this lameduck president knows, it’s dead on arrival in Congress.” Unfortunately, Ryan is right about this proposal’s future. But as the most powerful Republican in the country, he is demonstrating incredible myopia in responding to the current and future problems that this country faces. Republicans will never support a tax that harms energy companies that are already reeling from low oil prices. And most Americans

will not look beyond the price sign at the gas station. Even Hillary Clinton — who supports sustainable efforts and investment in smart infrastructure–has pledged to oppose tax increases on families earning less than $250,000 a year, which this plan does, regressively. But this plan is not calling for a fee. It is not calling for a tax. Rather, the White House has proposed an investment, an allocation of resources into the future of our country, into stopping the economic and environmental hemorrhaging that we are doing every year as a result of our dependency on greenhouse gas-producing transportation. In President Obama’s first term, he dismissed a Democratic transportation bill to avoid unpopular conversations over gasoline tax increases. Since then, he has seen his efforts on new infrastructure bills and a cap and trade program rejected by Republicans. Now, rather than avoiding the conversation, Obama is creating it, even if it places Democratic candidates like Clinton in an awkward position. Unfortunately, a conversation is not enough. This plan is a good one, and it’s a shame that all we can do it talk about it.

Jamie Neikrie is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. He can be reached at benjamin.neikrie@tufts.edu.

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Tuesday, April 5, 2016 | Sports | THE TUFTS DAILY

Sports GOLF

Golf opens spring season with a 12th finish in rain-shortened tournament by Eddie Samuels

Assistant Sports Editor

With their first event since October, the Jumbos kicked off their spring season by finishing 12th out of 16 teams at Friday’s Rhode Island College Invitational. The event was cut in half due to rain on Saturday, but Tufts’ four best scorers totaled a 337, which tied the team with Roger Williams. Tufts sophomore Aaron Corn led with a 79, seven-over par. Senior captain Brendan Koh finished close behind with an 80, while putting up a 37 across the back nine holes. Sophomore Michael Lefkowitz and first-year Justin Feldman rounded out the top four with 89’s apiece. “It was just great getting back out there,” Koh said. “Granted the conditions weren’t exactly great golfing conditions, the wind and all made it really tough, but this is New England golf and that’s what we have to deal with.” The spring season, lasting just a few weeks in April and being significantly shorter than the fall season, is a short opportunity for the golf team to regain its form after winter and prepare for the upcoming fall. “We’re just trying to use this spring, every single tournament and every single practice to get better,” Corn said. “It’s a process. It shows that we have a lot of potential but also that we have a long way to go.” Expectations are mixed for the Jumbos going into the season. The team finished consistently in the middle of the pack during their fall campaign, winning one tournament at Newbury College’s Nighthawk Invitational in late September. While the fall season was nothing to be ashamed of, the short spring season

doesn’t provide a great opportunity to prove more. “Being only three matches, [the spring season is] very good for a lot of the younger guys to get out there and compete,” Koh said. “They get to feel what it’s like to compete in a Div. III tournament. It EVAN SAYLES / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVE gives us a chance Michael Lefkowitz drives from the seventh tee at the Newbury to groom the future Invitational on Wednesday, Sep. 23, 2015. of the team.” With two newcomers, first-years a mark on the program. Feldman and Mike Rogalski, showing “It’s a little bit nostalgic,” Koh said. promise and with almost the entire squad “What I’m most concerned about is how I except for senior co-captains Koh and Jay leave the golf team, what I’ve left behind Wong returning in the fall, this April will for the team. I just hope the team conbe a good opportunity for the team to tinues playing well, even after [our class] measure its growth and shape up into graduates.” next year’s team. While this season will be the last for “For our two new guys [Rogalski and Koh and Wong, the team felt their lasting Feldman], this was a good experience for impact. the both of them,” Koh said. “They’re just “We wanted to win them a NESCAC new to the team, and it was good compet- Championship [in the fall 2015 seaitive experience with the team.” son],” Corn said. “Brendan and Jay have The newcomers will use the spring sea- really been the heart of Tufts Golf for son to get integrated into the rhythm of the four years that they’ve both been the team and get some collegiate experi- here, and I think they’re leaving the proence under their belts before competing gram in a better place than when they in the more intense fall competitions. first got here.” “We’re trying to get some of the youngAlthough the weather kept the Jumbos er guys some tournament experience,” from showing off what they could accomCorn said. “We want to be sure that every plish on day two of the Invitational, single person on the team is taking the they will be back in action on Friday steps to get better every day so that next at the Westport Hampton Inn Spring fall we’re ready to compete.” Invitational hosted by UMass-Dartmouth For seniors like Koh, this season is also this Saturday and Sunday, as they continabout cementing their legacy and leaving ue to shake off the winter rust.

Late run from Saints ends Jumbos' pursuit for first national title WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

continued from back page that kept Tufts right in the game. She scored nine points on 4-of-6 shooting. Another thing the Jumbos can pride themselves on is holding the Saints almost 30 points below their season average for points per game, proving the strength of the nation’s second best scoring defense. The offensive consistency for Tufts, however, was not stable enough for the team to overcome its opponent. “I think they were just working really hard to make sure we didn’t get open,” North said of Thomas More stifling Tufts’ offense. “They were denying any passes inside, making it really hard for any of my guards to even look into me. They were making every shot difficult and it was hard

to get any shots off. And then they weren’t really falling for us, so it made it hard to score.” The Saints relied on not just Moss, but the entire roster, to keep scoring up after halftime. Even if Moss was not at her best, Thomas More kept some cushion between itself and a Tufts team that did not give up. After answering all of Thomas More’s runs, Tufts finally pulled even on a pair of free throws from Dillon. After almost four minutes had passed in the fourth quarter, Tufts and Thomas More were all square at 49-49. The Jumbos regained momentum behind Folliard’s hot hand and North’s toughness down low. Over the next four and a half minutes though, Thomas More closed the door on Tufts’ national cham-

pionship hopes. A 10-0 run from the Saints lasted until just under two minutes remained in regulation, and by that point the deficit was too large for the Jumbos to climb back from. Still, in the some of the most adverse conditions, with players on the bench in foul trouble and a bumpy offensive rhythm, the Tufts team challenged — and almost took down — the nation’s top-seeded team and the heavy favorite. And given the extensive postseason experience that Tufts has built over three consecutive final four trips and a championship this year, along with the fact that a strong core of the team will be returning next season, the squad can’t help but learn and benefit from this hard-fought game for future opportunities.

Harrison runs top time in the nation WOMEN'S TRACK

continued from back page in 9’0.25″ and first-year Sharon Kelmar took eighth in 9’0.25″. Caruso grabbed third in the triple jump with 33’10”, while sophomore Annalisa DeBari was sixth with 33’4.75″. In the throws, sophomore Jennifer Sherwill grabbed fourth in the discus, heaving the disk 112’1″ and coming close to her PR, while classmate Amylee Anyoha was third in the hammer throw with a new PR of 136’8″. This season, Anyoha and Sherwill have raised the bar for the Tufts throws squad. Anyoha had a stellar indoor season and looks to be ready to improve this outdoor

season, while Sherwill has already dropped a discus PR in her first meet of the season in San Antonio last week. “There are only three women throwers, so we are definitely able to get more reps in during practice,” Sherwill said. “Unlike last year, the men now throw with us under the same coaches. It has been great and we have all become one team, which is nice since there are fewer women throwers this year. The throws contributed a lot of points at NESCACs last year, and although we lost people, I think the current group is going to do really well at NESCACs and hopefully get just as many points.” Next weekend, the Jumbos will travel a

few miles down the road to MIT to compete in a quad-meet against MIT, Bates and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The Jumbos will be looking to qualify more athletes for postseason meets and see more PRs, especially if the weather cooperates. “In the next few weeks the whole team will see a lot of NESCAC competition,” Sherwill said. “Going up against teams before NESCACs will help us gauge the competition, but we’ll also be focused on improving our own personal marks. Everyone on the team is always looking to push each other to the next level during workouts, which only helps in our training for big meets.”

Nicole Brooks Jersey Over Apron

Lowering the rim lowers the game

ports have always been a male-dominated enterprise. From the beginnings of sports, male bodies have always been considered to be the pinnacle of athletic accomplishment. Male athletes then and now are typically valued based on stereotypically masculine attributes like physicality, toughness and having a natural competitive edge. This masculine gaze has provided the framework for all sports, and the more recent inclusion of the female athletes has often clashed with it. In a highly gendered world like athletics, this view, unfortunately, has proved to be an inherent and unconscious bias providing an uphill battle for participants and spectators who don’t adhere to the mold. Gender bias is not new of course, but in today’s media moment, we can observe a redefinition of an athlete. A particular moment of interest can be seen in the continuing discussion of lowering the rims for female basketball players. So many great players like Elena Delle Donne and Diana Taurasi are debating whether women’s basketball should lower the rims from its current regulation of 10 feet. Delle Donne argues that lowering the rims will allow for more viewership and increased celebration of the athleticism of female basketball players. The main reasoning for her stance is to ensure that female players will dunk more during games, something which is undoubtedly one of the most exciting parts of the men’s game. However, Taurasi disagrees with this argument because lowering the rims would again cause even more differentiation with the men’s game, adding another point where critics can argue the superiority of the men’s game. I also agree with this. Dunking was never a part of Naismith’s original rules, so why change the standards to include it for women? Also, if you didn’t know already, female players have already been dunking on 10-foot rims for years, including Delle Donne. Granted, the majority of these players are over six feet, and dunking within games regularly is a feat reserved for rare exceptions like Brittany Griner. Nonetheless, the female game is including more dunking. When men started dunking in games, it wasn’t embraced and practiced right away; it had to be developed. And though female athletes are generally shorter, current female players are dunking, which shows younger female athletes that they can also do it. When I was growing up, dunking wasn’t even discussed for female basketball players. Now, that idea has dynamically changed. For example, Shakayla Thomas of Florida State University at 5’11″ can dunk the ball arguably with even more athleticism than her 6-foot counterparts, and even Brianna Stewart’s “almost” put-back dunk displays that female players not only have the athletic ability to dunk but to do it hard. We need to allow more game time for players to continue adapting to the belief that they can dunk instead of handicapping rim height, which defines the game as only valued if it includes a feat valued by a male’s perspective. The women’s game is developing along with the uphill battle for both fan support and equal pay. But the popularity of this discussion illustrates that the fight for equality matters and is valued in this society, but just like any change, we need time. Nicole Brooks is a features editor at the Tufts Daily. She is a senior majoring in History and minoring in Communications and Media Studies and can be reached at nicole.brooks@tufts.edu.

Sports

16 tuftsdaily.com

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Tufts’ national title efforts fall just short against back-to-back champion Thomas More by Alex Schroeder Sports Editor

The Jumbos came out in the first quarter of the NCAA Div. III National Championship and executed exactly as

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (28-4 Overall, 10-0 NESCAC) Monday, Apr. 4 Tufts Thomas More

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they needed to. They kept Thomas More’s three-time Div. III Player of the Year and NCAA Tournament MVP senior Sydney Moss from getting hot, they worked the ball inside and out, knocking down jump shots and layups alike, and by the end of the first 10 minutes, Tufts held a 17-11 lead. It was an ideal start, and three more quarters of that type of refined play could have seen the Jumbos hoisting the championship trophy in Indianapolis. In the end, though, Thomas More went on one too many runs, and the Jumbos struggled with foul trouble as early as the second quarter. Unable to recapture their momentum from the opening 10 minutes, the Jumbos fell to the Saints, 63-51, giving Thomas More its second undefeated national championship season in a row. It’s just the second time in Div. III history that a team has had back-to-back undefeated national title seasons. They finish off the last two seasons with a 66-0 overall record.

“I think my team battled, you know, we didn’t give up, made it a game in the fourth quarter by making plays and just playing tough basketball the way we have all season,” coach Carla Berube said. “And then down the stretch, Thomas More made the big plays. They’ve got big-time players and I think it was some of their so-called nonstars that shined.” While Moss has been the star for the Saints all season, Tufts actually played her exactly as the team wanted. The Jumbos kept Moss under her 22.4 points per game average at just 14 points on 4-of-14 shooting. Instead, it was sophomore point guard Abby Owings, recently named a D3hoops. com fourth team All-American, who filled the offensive gap, finishing with 17 points. The Saints had four scorers in double digits — Owings, Moss, sophomore Nikki Kiernan and first-year Madison Temple — while Tufts had just one, North, who finished with 10. Despite the roaring crowd filled with mostly Thomas More fans who made the two-hour trip from Kentucky to Indiana, Tufts was composed and in charge until halfway through the second quarter. While Tufts normally looks to work the ball through North and sophomore Melissa Baptista down low, it was the guards who took the scoring initiative. Early outside shots from junior tri-captain Josie Lee, sophomore Lauren Dillon, senior tri-captain Emma Roberson and senior Michelle Wu — who had eight points for the team off the bench — propelled the Jumbos at first. They shot an outstanding 53 percent

from the floor. On the other end of the court, Tufts’ defense created trouble on all fronts. Thomas More hit just 3-of-15 shots from the field — only 20 percent — and Tufts forced frequent turnovers and a decisive shot clock violation right at the end of the first quarter.

“We came out with a lot of energy in the first quarter. I think we had a 17 to 11 lead. We would’ve liked to push that, but they kind of crawled their way back, kept scoring.” Soon though, Thomas More found its stride. Kiernan was productive scoring down low for the Saints, while Moss’ jump shot heated up. The senior hit a 3-pointer at the 6:42 mark in the second quarter that gave the Saints a 19-18 lead. The Jumbos, on the other hand, were held scoreless for almost four minutes. “We came out with a lot of energy in the first quarter,” junior All-American Michela North said. “I think we had a 17 to 11 lead. We would’ve liked to push that, but they kind of crawled their way back, kept scoring. We couldn’t really get a stop for a while. They just go on runs; they’re

an emotional team and they had a huge fan base here cheering them on, and that’s what they play off of. I think we needed to come out with that energy every quarter, but it didn’t really seem like we did.” Part of what influenced Tufts’ scoring drought was foul trouble. Back-to-back questionable offensive foul calls from the referees on North and Baptista frustrated the Jumbos and led to substitutions. This broke up the starting five’s chemistry and forced personnel changes early for the Jumbos. The effects of the early foul calls would be felt throughout the remainder of the game. Baptista played just 16 of 40 minutes, while Lee also lost minutes due to foul trouble. Both players, along with Dillon, fouled out in the fourth quarter. During the stretch at the end of the first half, Thomas More expanded its lead to as many as eight, led by Owings’ 3-point shooting and ability to get to the hoop. Five points in a row from Tufts junior Katy Hicks, however, kept the Thomas More lead to just six going into halftime. Hicks’ contributions were just one of the many examples in this game of Tufts’ depth. As the Jumbos have done all season, when the chips are down, other players stepped up to keep the Jumbos in the game. Wu, first off the bench to sub in for guards, tallied eight points on 4-of7 shooting from the field, while senior Maura Folliard had a stretch in the third and fourth quarter where she hit backto-back baskets, including one 3-pointer, see WOMEN'S BASKETBALL, page 15

WOMEN'S TRACK

Jumbos take Snowflake Classic with strong performance at Ellis Oval by Chris Warren Sports Editor

The women’s track and field team opened its outdoor season at full strength at Saturday’s Tufts Snowflake Classic, held at Ellis Oval. On a cold and rainy day, the Jumbos emerged victorious, scoring 210 points as they finished first out of a field of 15 teams. Dartmouth College was second with 181 points, far behind Tufts. Because of the wet and cold conditions, most of the times and marks were not the team’s best, but the Jumbos were still able to qualify athletes for postseason championships in the early outdoor season meet. In the 100-meter dash, senior quad-captain Alexis Harrison kept the momentum going from her stellar indoor season by running the number one time in the nation. After finishing as the runner-up in the 60-meter dash at the NCAA indoor national championships in March, Harrison placed second on Saturday to Merrimack’s Carly Muscaro (a Div. II runner), but ran 11.99 seconds — the fastest mark in Div. III currently. This time is a new PR for the senior by 0.12 seconds and will assuredly qualify her for the outdoor national championships. She also won the 200 meters, running 26.21 seconds for the win. Classmate and co-captain Marilyn Allen also had a strong day. She took second in the 100meter hurdles, crossing the line in 15.47 seconds, and also took third in the 200, running 26.62 seconds. Both Harrison and Allen were also on the winning 4×100-meter relay team,

along with senior Mary Ellen Caruso and firstyear Kylene DeSmith, with the team running 49.87 and winning by almost two seconds. In other sprints action, junior Rita Donohoe ran an impressive race in the 400 meters, grabbing seventh in 61.26 seconds. The day began with the 10,000 meter run, and, in her first 10k ever, senior Lily Corcoran went out hard and was able to hang on for an impressive time, running 38:19.44 for the win. Corcoran not only qualified for the Div. III New England Championships in the 10k, but also qualified for the Open New England Championships in the 10k as well. Juniors Kelly Fahey and Sarah Corning ran together for the entire race, with Fahey taking second in 40:54.44 and Corning taking third in 40:54.97. Both also qualified for Div. III New Englands with their performances. “My plan was to go out conservatively and see how I felt for the second half. It ended up going well and I was able to pick up the pace towards the end,” Corcoran said. “I really love trying new events and I’ve been doing longer tempos and long runs lately. My coaches suggested that the 10k might be a good race for me and I think they were right because I really enjoyed it. I was really happy with my finish and how the race went overall, so hopefully I’ll run it again later in the season.” Senior quad-captain Audrey Gould also had an impressive day in the 5000-meter run. Gould ran 17:37.05, running alone far ahead of the pack for half of the race and racing Dartmouth first-year Lillian

SOFIE HECHT / THE TUFTS DAILY

Tufts senior Audrey Gould, front, and sophomore Brittany Bowman compete in the Women’s 5000 M run during the Final Qualifying Meet in Gantcher Center on March 4, 2016. Anderson for another half. Sophomore Eliza Lawless was fourth in 18:03.09, just missing the 18-minute barrier but still got a PR and qualified for Div. III New Englands. In the 3000 meters, senior quad-captain Sydney Smith ran to an impressive 10:24.10 time given the conditions, as she separated from Harvard sophomore Fiona Davis and fellow Jumbo sophomore Brittany Bowman over the last lap. Bowman was third at 10:34.18. The Jumbos also flexed their muscles in the 3000 meter steeplechase, as senior Olivia Beltrani and sopho-

mores Evie Heffernan and Sara Stokesbury finished in the second through fourth spots and clinched Div. III New England qualifying marks as well. On a less than ideal day for field events, the Jumbos still picked up key points to help them get the win. Three Tufts athletes scored in the pole vault, which was moved inside to the Gantcher Center. Senior Julia Rogers took sixth in 9’6.25″, sophomore Matea Friedel took seventh see WOMEN'S TRACK, page 15