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VOLUME LXXIII, NUMBER 12

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Tuesday, February 14, 2017

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS.

Construction of new Science and Engineering Complex to be completed this summer by Daniel Caron

Assistant News Editor

Construction on the Science and Engineering Complex (SEC), which began in April 2013, will be completed this summer, and the building will be in use by fall 2017, according to Vice President of Operations Linda Snyder. The complex, which will include existing buildings Anderson Hall and Robinson Hall, will also feature an addition, Snyder said. The new complex will house facilities for the Departments of Biology, Chemistry, Chemical and Biological Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, according to the Tufts Construction website. The SEC will include improved laboratory resources and greater space for interdisciplinary interaction, according to Director of Capital Programs Barbara Stein. The Department of Biology will be moving from its current location at Barnum Hall, where the laboratories are outdated, to the new SEC, Stein said.

“The labs in Barnum, where a lot of the faculty are moving from, are very old and antiquated labs,” she said. “So what [the SEC project] does is it creates not only the state-of-the-art laboratory infrastructure, but it puts them in a configuration that creates an energetic center of activity.” In turn, Barnum Hall will be used for COURTESY OF TURNER CONSTRUCTION COMPANY different purposes still Workers build the new Science and Engineering Complex between Robinson/ being determined by Anderson Hall and the Bromfield-Pearson Building on Dec. 23, 2014. the Project Sponsor Group, a governance body “This is the first new research buildappointed by University President Anthony ing built on campus in a few decades, Monaco, Stein added. so it’s really paramount for the developResearch at Tufts will benefit from the ment of experimental research on camnew infrastructure and equipment that will pus,” he said. be added to the SEC, according to Biology Department Chair Sergei Mirkin. see SEC, page 2

SITONG ZHANG / THE TUFTS DAILY

by David Nickerson Staff Writer

Tufts hosted the 12th annual Tufts Energy Conference on Saturday at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. The event, primarily organized by student volunteers, was attended by students, scientists and private-sector investors. Tufts Institute of the Environment (TIE) Director Linda Abriola told the Daily that a

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primary goal of the conference was to hear from a broad range of voices about challenges to growth in the energy sector. “Part of it is educational,” she said. “And it’s to bring people from different sectors together to have conversations about these very challenging problems.” Annette Huber-Lee, senior scientist at the Stockholm Environment Institute and panel moderator, said that another benefit of the conference is that

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by Charles Bunnell

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it provides opportunities for student organizers. “The fact that it is organized by students I think is a wonderful opportunity for them to engage with a broader cross section of people,” she told the Daily. The event included opening remarks from Abriola, who is also a university professor of civil and environmental engineering, nine separate student-organized panels, a keynote address from Power for All Campaign Director Kristina Skierka and an informal closing reception, according to the event’s online agenda. During the first panel, which focused on challenges for energy policy during the administration of President Donald Trump, panelists drew on expertise from diverse fields including law, government policy and energy and environmental research. Every panelist said that they thought the new administration would undermine energy policy trends at the federal level, but they disagreed on how much of an effect that would have on the national energy market. Alison Cassady, director of domestic energy policy at the Center for American Progress, said that if the federal government does not promote clean energy in the coming years, the market for it may suffer.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)’s Green Line Extension (GLX) is on a list of transportation and infrastructure projects prioritized by President Donald Trump’s administration, according to a document obtained by the McClatchy Washington Bureau. The GLX project would extend the MBTA’s Green Line into Somerville and Medford, including a stop adjacent to Tufts at Medford’s College Avenue, according to documents from a public meeting in December 2016. Last month, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker confirmed that this project has Trump’s support, according to the Boston Globe. Baker’s office did not respond to a request for comment. Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) spokesperson Lisa Battiston said that MassDOT is working with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on the project. “Last week’s risk workshop with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is a required first step in the process of examining the redesign of the Green Line Extension project and its revised budget,” Battiston told the Daily in an email. “The MBTA will continue to work closely with its federal partners as the funding process moves forward in the coming weeks and months.” Rafael Mares, vice president and director of the Conservation Law Foundation’s Healthy Communities and Environmental Justice program, said the GLX project was changed to make it more financially feasible. Explaining the purpose of meetings between MassDOT and the FTA, Mares said, “[MassDOT officials] have to meet with the FTA because [MassDOT] changed the scope of the project. The FTA is required to review that scope and ensure that it is consistent with what the federal government and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts originally agreed to.” Mares added that the planned federal funding for the GLX is not new to Trump’s administration. “The funding is something that was already approved under the previous administration,” Mares said. “The Green Line Extension went through a process of a ‘scope change’ as a result of increased cost estimates … so that new

see ENERGY, page 2

see GREEN LINE, page 2

Tufts brings together academic, government, private-sector leaders for energy conference

Campaign Director Kristina Skierka gives a presentation about Power for All at the Tufts Energy Conference at Fletcher on Feb 11.

Green Line Extension prioritized for federal funding

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COMICS....................................... 7 OPINION.....................................8 SPORTS............................ BACK

THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Tuesday, February 14, 2017

T HE T UFTS D AILY Kathleen Schmidt Editor-in-Chief

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Jei-Jei Tan Miranda Willson Managing Editors Joe Walsh Executive News Editor Zachary Hertz News Editors Gil Jacobson Robert Katz Liam Knox Daniel Nelson Catherine Perloff Emma Steiner Hannah Uebele Ariel Barbeiri-Aghib Assistant News Editors Charles Bunnell Emily Burke Daniel Caron Aneurin Canham-Clyne Juliana Furgala Elie Levine Natasha Mayor Jesse Najarro Minna Trinh Costa Angelakis Executive Features Editor Becca Leibowitz Features Editors Jake Taber Emma Rosenthal Emma Damokosh Assistant Features Editors Zach Essig Elie Levine Jessie Newman Sean Ong Hermes Suen Grace Yuh Eran Sabaner Executive Arts Editor John Gallagher Arts Editors Cassidy Olsen John Fedak Assistant Arts Editors Libby Langsner Setenay Mufti Paige Spangenthal Anita Ramaswamy Executive Op-Ed Editor Stephen Dennison Cartoonists Shannon Geary Noah Kulak Haebin Ra Miranda Chavez Editorialists Julia Faxon Hannah Kahn Lena Novins-Montague Lanie Preston Eddie Samuels Executive Sports Editor Yuan Jun Chee Sports Editors Maddie Payne Maclyn Senear Josh Slavin Liam Finnegan Assistant Sports Editors Savannah Mastrangelo Brad Schussel Sam Weidner Sam Weitzman Ray Bernoff Executive Photo Editor Scott Fitchen Staff Photographers Thaw Htet Lilia Kang Max Lalanne Rachael Meyer Zachary Sebek Alexis Serino Seohyun Shim Angelie Xiong Ezgi Yazici Executive Video Editor Olivia Ireland Executive Video Admin. Ana Sophia Acosta Staff Videographer

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Somerville Alderman: Federal funding for Green Line Extension will not change local contribution to project GREEN LINE

continued from page 1 work scope has to be approved by the FTA, but that funding has been in place for a long time.” Mares said that the estimated amount of funding from the FTA is $996 million, with the rest of the project’s costs coming from state and local sources, which include the cities of Cambridge and Somerville. Somerville Alderman Mark Niedergang said the cost for Somerville will be about $50 million. He said that federal funding would not affect the city’s contribution but that the city is looking to mitigate some of those costs. “The federal funding will not reduce [the cost for local governments] in any way,” Niedergang said. “However, the mayor [of Somerville] has said that he would ask developers who do projects around Green Line stations to contribute, and he’s hoping to get $25 million … over the next 10 or 20 years to mitigate the costs”. Niedergang explained what he believes is Trump’s motive in placing the project on a list of 50 infrastructure projects that are prioritized to receive federal funding. “Trump just wants to get credit for it,” he said. “The money has already been appropriated, but there’s still some hoops that the state has to jump through in order to get it. [The

FTA] wants to know more about project management and the budget. Trump’s going to get credit for it because it’s happening under his administration … but it’s nice that he supports the budget.” Niedergang also described why he believes the GLX is an important project. In particular, he referenced CLF’s lawsuit against the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, which initially obligated the state to complete the GLX. “This decision [to extend the Green Line] was made in [the] 1990s,” he said. “Somerville is greatly underserved by mass transit and has tremendous amounts of excess pollution from diesel transit through our city. We have a huge number of excess deaths due to heart disease, lung disease and cancer because of all the pollution we receive.” Mares noted similar reasons for wanting

GRAPHICS BY PETER LAM

the GLX to be built, saying that the area is greatly in need of more mass transit options. “The corridor in which [the GLX will be] is one of the most densely populated areas in the country, and certainly New England. The current transit service that exists is insufficient to serve this population,” Mares said. “If you scour the country for important infrastructure projects that are already designed and ready to go, you would have to be very biased to leave out the GLX.”

Tufts biology research center to be housed in new Science and Engineering Complex SEC

continued from page 1 The SEC will also bring together graduate students and undergraduate students in those departments, both for research and instruction, according to Snyder. “Students will be able to come into this building, go into the introductory teaching labs, study there, and look up and see the most cutting edge research being done in the United States,” she said. Stein agreed that the combination of research and educational space is an important part of the project. “It creates a center of informal learning and interaction,” Stein said. “It puts research and undergraduate teaching in the same building in a way that they are visible to each other.” The SEC will also include a number of informal spaces, including a large atrium, a café and a community space, according to Snyder. “We really work hard at creating collaborative space in buildings that is informal, that people can just meet up and work together, have a conversation, grab a coffee, because we know that a lot of

great ideas come from that kind of interaction,” she said. Mirkin also noted the importance of collaborative space in the SEC. “I think it is very enriching for scientists to interact with scientists from other subjects,” he said. One of the challenges of this construction project was to integrate Anderson Hall, Robinson Hall and the new addition, which are buildings from three different eras, according to Snyder. “We knew going into the project that that would be a challenge. It had certainly not been any worse than we expected it to be, but it has taken a lot of care and effort to integrate the buildings of the three generations,” Snyder said. The SEC project’s budget has increased since 2015 to integrate the new Allen Discovery Center into the complex, according to Stein. The Allen Discovery Center, a biology research center funded by the Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group, includes the work of labs at Tufts and other universities, according to Michael Levin, a biology professor and the

director of the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University. The SEC will provide space for the Allen Discovery Center to grow, he said. “It’s going to enable us to have state-ofthe-art space in which to perform the work of the Allen Center. Right now, I have [a] very nice space at 200 Boston Ave., but we are completely full. There’s no room for expansion,” Levin said. The expansion of the Allen Discovery Center at the SEC will also help Tufts to attract new scientific talent, according to Mirkin. “We are recruiting a new faculty [member] for the [Allen Center], and hopefully we will recruit another one next year, so these new people will be located in the SEC,” Mirkin said. Stein also noted that the SEC will help with faculty recruitment by modernizing the school’s research facilities. “[The SEC] really brings our ability to do laboratory research into the future, advancing us into the next generation of attracting grants and faculty for state-of-the-art research in the future,” Stein said.

Panelists discuss future of energy under Trump administration at annual Energy Conference ENERGY

continued from page 1 “Without an administration pushing clean energy, it may become less profitable,” she said. “China could fill in the void.” Kyle Danish, a partner at the Van Ness Feldman law firm who advises both traditional power companies and clean energy companies, disagreed. He argued that, despite confusion about the future direction of Trump’s policies, there are broader economic forces at work that will continue to drive current energy trends, such as the declining use of coal. “Our clients are looking at the Trump administration mostly with bewilderment,” Danish said. “Coal will not come back … Their plans are locked in for five years in advance.” Inalaterpanelentitled“Energy-WaterNexus: Expanding Access to Critical Resources,” one of the primary problems addressed was politi-

cians’ unwillingness to work towards long term sustainable energy and water policies. World Resources Institute Research Associate Tianyi Luo said that embracing private industry can provide a solution to an unmoving government. “To deal with a lack of political will, go private,” Lou said. “Convince companies and investors to invest in long term projects.” Huber-Lee said that it may also be prudent to use political fervor during crises such as natural disasters to affect governmental change. “We need to find windows of opportunity when there’s a crisis and use them,” she said. At the next panel, entitled “Fostering Energy Ecosystems for Local Prosperity,” Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers Administrator Macky McCleary explained how those sorts of crisis-based political movements have already begun to change the political landscape in the United States.

“The large transformation in the political climate on climate [change] came from … [storms like] Irene and Sandy,” he said. During the keynote address, Skierka explained the mission of her organization, Power for All, a global campaign dedicated to increasing energy access. To provide power to areas that are off the energy grid, Skierka explained, Power for All helps companies sell decentralized, clean energy generators like solar panels and hydroelectric turbines. The goal, she said, is to give people without energy access an alternative to waiting to connect to an electric grid. “The energy impoverished are tired of [waiting for] an energy grid that isn’t going to come,” she said. “So the whole point [of Power For All] is to translate things that are happening — what works and what’s successful — and making them local.”

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Features

Professor Kelly Greenhill awarded National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship by Zachary Essig

Contributing Writer

Associate Professor of Political Science Kelly Greenhill, who specializes in international relations, was awarded a fellowship by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in December 2016 to finish research for her ongoing book, “Extra-Factual Sources of Threat Conception and Proliferation in International Politics.” Through this fellowship, Greenhill will continue her research on the ways in which governments and individuals perceive military and political threats. Greenhill will be on research leave through the end of 2017 to finish her book, which is slated to be released soon after. “The NEH Fellowship provides me with time and resources to finish writing the book. I am truly honored and humbled to have been granted one of these rare and very competitive awards,” Greenhill told the Daily in an email. Established in 1965, the NEH is a national federal agency that works to support work in the humanities by awarding grants to research projects and other initiatives. According to the NEH’s website, these fellowships “support individuals pursuing advanced research that is of value to humanities scholars, general audiences, or both.” Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science Deborah Schildkraut said this fellowship is unusual in the length of its duration, adding that she sees it as a notable accomplishment given the current uncertainty of federal research funding under the new presidential administration. “I can’t think of a time in our department where someone has gotten a full semester fellowship from the National Endowment [for the] Humanities,” she said. “Also, in our uncertain political time, it’s unclear what the funding landscape will look like for arts and humanities and social sciences … so anytime someone is able to get federal funding for this type of work is a real mark of success.” While there are many sources of funding for medical sciences, the health sciences and engineering, according to Schildkraut, fellowships in the social sciences and humanities are rarer. “The value of any fellowship in our line of work is the time she will have to really focus on getting her book out, which I know will reach a wide audience,” Schildkraut said. In Greenhill’s upcoming book, she will explore several historical and international examples that illustrate the means by which information can be manipulated for political purposes. Drawing from public opinion survey research, the book incorporates case studies from the late 19th century to today, with a specific focus on incidents that took place in Western Europe, Russia and the United States, according to Greenhill. She added that the book draws from much of her past research and interests.

3 tuftsdaily.com

Alec Whipple Red, White and True

Where have you gone, Paul Ryan?

“Y

ou cannot be a hero without being a coward.” –George Bernard Shaw

NICHOLAS PFOSI / THE TUFTS DAILY

Associate Professor of Political Science Kelly Greenhill speaks during a faculty panel on Trump’s proposed policies in the Terrace Room on Dec. 1, 2016. “I have long been interested in both threat inflation and manipulation and the politics of information — themes I explored in two of my earlier books, namely, ‘Weapons of Mass Migration: Forced Displacement, Coercion’ and ‘Foreign Policy and Sex, Drugs and Body Counts: The Politics of Numbers in Global Crime and Conflict,’ respectively,” Greenhill said. “[My current book] represents a marriage of long-standing interests and a natural extension and expansion of my previous research.” Greenhill has expertise in international relations and security studies and serves as a research fellow for the International Security Program at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center. Senior Nia Hamilton said that she took Introduction to International Relations with Greenhill in the spring 2014. She remembered Greenhill as a professor knowledgable in her field and admired for her work outside of the classroom. “Her research was huge talk in our class, especially among the [teaching assistants ( TAs)]. I remember a lot of the TAs were interested in aligning themselves with her research just because she seemed to be a huge force in [international relations] writing in general,” Hamilton, who studies international relations, said. “Weapons of Mass Migration: Forced Displacement, Coercion and Foreign Policy” was recognized as the International Studies Association’s Best Book of the Year in 2011. Greenhill began working on her current project before the controversy surrounding the role that “fake news” may have played in the 2016 presidential election. While Greenhill’s research does not specifically focus on “fake news,” it takes into account “extra-factual sources of information” and their effects. “I started working on this book more than six years ago, long before anyone had any sense of what the

2016 election dynamic would look like. However, the recent resurgent interest in “fake news” as a result of the election certainly highlights the continued relevance and significance of the topic,” Greenhill said. Schildkraut also drew a distinction between the “fake news” that has been so visible in the recent presidential election and the type of misinformation on the international scale that Greenhill is researching. “It’s been a long process in American politics of declining trust in the media and proliferation of news outlets where people can choose to see news that aligns with their political views, but also where people can opt out of seeing the news altogether,” Schildkraut said. “And you see that with the invention and spread of social media where people may have incidental exposure to news [of which] they don’t know much about the credibility.” Schildkraut added that Greenhill’s research is relevant to domestic politics despite that she focuses on international relations. “I think her work is going to be useful for thinking about how to make sense of the very uncertain time we are experiencing here at home,” Schil dkraut said. “Understanding the types of questions that Professor Greenhill is studying or any of the work we do in the social sciences also has real consequences for people’s sense of place, and the way people form their identities. [This] can be very consequential for the political choices that they make, which ultimately affect policy outcomes.” Aside from Greenhill’s research, Hamilton also admired Greenhill for her expertise and prominence in the international relations community, which will now be furthered through her NEH fellowship. “I found that really inspiring, especially as a woman,” Hamilton said. “I felt that she handled this subject so well that I was determined to get it myself.”

In this election season, no duo has received more criticism than the ‘reasonable’ members of the Republican party, Marco Rubio and Paul Ryan. These two figureheads for a younger conservative movement have been publicly lambasted as “Trump lapdogs,” rolling over in the wake of Donald Trump’s victory and catering to his every whim. Are they truly sellouts, or are they actually playing a political long game? Rubio’s transformation from Trump opponent to Trump supporter unnerved many people had who placed their hope in him as the GOP nominee. Rubio’s decision to jump back into the Florida Senate race after saying he was not going to run again also drew a lot of criticism. However, Rubio’s actions were not motivated by cowardice but by strategy. Once Rubio decided he was going to run again, he could not risk alienating Trump’s base of support in Florida. Rubio could not denounce Trump without blocking himself from office, so he maintained his distance from Trump and won reelection easily. Today, Rubio is positioning himself as a voice that is not afraid to speak out against Trump’s actions. Rubio’s harsh rhetoric against Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was a sharp rebuke to the president. Rubio is merely one senator, and acting out alone against Trump is not a strategy that is likely to accomplish anything. Rather, Rubio’s long-term chances for being a positive force in politics revolve around his ability to act meaningfully in the Senate rather than stand in the way of the president just because of anger. Ryan’s situation is different because of the nature of his job. Before the election, Ryan distanced himself from Trump when the GOP nominee made incendiary statements. However, when Trump won, Ryan was forced to either work with Trump or step down from his role as Speaker of the House. He made the same calculation that Rubio did — it was better for the country for Ryan to work with Trump instead of turning his back on him. As the Speaker, it is important for Ryan to keep his House Caucus together. Members of the House tend to be more extreme in their positions, and if Ryan alienates the Trump supporters, he will be unable to gather majority support and have any political power. Thus, the only way for Ryan to proceed is to stand with Trump. People have criticized Rubio and Ryan for their cowardice and inability to stand up to Trump, but what would the opposite really accomplish? The two have decided that it is better to work with our president in order to have measured, reasonable people in power. They would rather pick their moments to act rather than lash out at the first sign of trouble. As a nation built around the strong foundation of the Constitution, the United States will hopefully be able to withstand any transgressions by our president and look to those who can survive the Trump storm for a brighter future. If it cannot, it is not something that Rubio or Ryan would have been able to fix. Alec Whipple is sophomore majoring in political science. Alec can be reached at alec.whipple@tufts.edu.

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ARTS&LIVING

Beyoncé snubbed at 59th Annual Grammy Awards by Paige Spangenthal

Though Beyoncé received only two Grammy awards on Sunday, she proved to the world that “Lemonade” (2016) is a true cultural achievement with her performance of “Love Drought” and “Sandcastles.” The performance was an awe-inspiring combination of poetry, breathtaking footage, powerhouse vocals and striking backup dancing. Wearing a crown and a sheer, sparkling gown that accentuated her baby bump, she looked like a goddess, which was fitting considering how much the performance resembled a sacred religious ritual. “Lemonade” won Best Urban Contemporary Album. During her acceptance speech, Beyoncé advocated for diverse representation in spaces like the White House, the Super Bowl and the Grammys. Beyoncé shattered the existing music scene with the artistry and vulnerability she showcased in “Lemonade,” an album that celebrates blackness, female empowerment and the healing power of music. With this in mind, it was shocking that she was snubbed for categories like Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Adele took home all three instead. On the verge of tears and visibly distraught, she proclaimed to the audience that she could not accept Album of the Year. Adele described “Lemonade” as “monumental,” saying to Beyoncé, “You are

MATT SAYLES / INVISION / AP

Beyoncé performs at the 59th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 12. our light.” The speech brought tears to Beyhhhhncé’s eyes. Adele’s wins demonstrate a lack of appreciation for women of color in the music industry. The results of Sunday night’s ceremony was reminiscent of the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, when Taylor Swift won Best Female Video over Beyoncé and Kanye West stormed the stage.

Adele opened the ceremony with a performance of “Hello” (2015) in her typical understated and beautiful fashion. Her dress was also standard Adele fare — a simple, long and black Givenchy with sparkling red and pink embellishments at the shoulders. Though her performance was powerful, it was see GRAMMYS, page 6

TV REVIEW

‘Legion’ is a fresh take on the superhero genre anoid schizophrenia at a young age, the series’ story revolves around David as he struggles to deal with his mental illness, which might not actually be a mental illness at all. While staying at a psychiatric hospital, he befriends Lenny “Cornflakes” Busker (Aubrey Plaza), a fellow patient who remains positive in any situation. David also FX Dan Stevens (left) plays David Haller, a character with multiple personalities, and Aubrey Plaza (right) plays Lenny, meets a mysterious new patient an optimistic drug addict. named Sydney by John Fedak which premiered on Feb. 8 on FX, man- “Syd” Barrett (Rachel Keller) who helps Assistant Arts Editor ages to avoid these pitfalls, making him realize that his delusions might for an interesting perspective on the not only be in his head and sets him on Superhero films have been immense- superhero film. the path to unlocking his new powers. ly popular for years now. Whether one Set in the world of the “X-Men” It is difficult to summarize “Legion” is a fan of “Thor” (2011) or “Spider- franchise (2000–present), “Legion” because of the very reason it works so Man” (2002), “Captain America” does stick to a few classic superhero well: The narrative structure of the show (2011) or “Iron Man” (2008), there is a genre principles: Some of the peo- is told exclusively from David’s perspecsurfeit of flicks available to satisfy the ple in the “Legion” universe are actu- tive as someone with schizophrenia. public’s hunger for everything super. ally mutants whose genetic makeup Creator Noah Hawley has said that he But as the saying goes, quantity does has changed, giving them unique wants the show to be told from the point not always entail quality. As more and superpowers and alienating them from of view of an “unreliable narrator,” and more superhero movies are produced, the public. But this is essentially all the result is an experience that actively plot lines begin to feel all too similar, that “Legion” has in common with the draws the viewer in and leaves one wantand cross-overs result in confusing “X-Men” franchise. Told from the per- ing more. Stevens’ performance as David plot jumbles that are difficult to follow. spective of David Haller (Dan Stevens), The TV series “Legion” (2017–present), a man who was diagnosed with parsee LEGION, page 6

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Tommy Gillespie On Location

Assistant Arts Editor

Germany

f the current wave of right-wing populism sweeping over Europe continues, one casualty of the political situation could be the loss of films like “Toni Erdmann” (2016). The quirky dramedy, which has been nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, is as much the product of the European Union and its globalization as it is the brainchild of director Maren Ade. The central conflict of “Toni Erdmann” concerns “busy business lady” Ines (Sandra Hüller) who has become semi-estranged from her prankster father Winfried (Peter Simonischek). The premise is a unique product of the cross-cultural and the pan-European business and social ties that politicians like Marine Le Pen, Nigel Farage and others are seeking to break up in the interest of preserving the national identities of their countries. Ines works as a downsizing consultant in Romania and is hoping to get promoted to a more lucrative account in Shanghai. Upon meeting her father for the first time in months in Germany, the two can only exchange brief pleasantries before she must be called away for a teleconference with her arrogant boss in Romania. But when Winfried’s beloved dog dies, he spontaneously decides to visit his daughter at work. After a short, awkward visit, Winfried realizes the depth of his daughter’s workaholic unhappiness and decides that now is the best time for them to reconnect. Thus, he returns to Romania the next night wearing a dark wig and false teeth, introducing himself to Ines and her friends as life coach “Toni Erdmann,” and the farcical comedy proceeds to follow their various adventures and exploits over the next week. Despite its somewhat conventional father-daughter plotline,“Toni Erdmann” is a film that would not exist without the long history of globalization and lingering after-effects of center-left domination in European politics over much of the early 2000s. It explores Western Europe’s commercial links to the industrial economies of former Eastern Bloc countries like Romania. Cultural decay in Romania, caused by both the oppressive rule of communist leaders like Nicolae Ceausescu as well as the influx of Western-style commercialization and shady business deals, infiltrates the many dealings of Ines’ company. In one scene, she argues with Winfried at an oil site over the treatment of corporate downsizing at her company. He attempts to intervene when his actions lead to the firing of one of the workers. Ines tells him to stop, reminding him, “The more people he fires, the fewer I have to fire.” The treatment of this cosmopolitan, globalized lifestyle is somewhat ambivalent; Ines’ unhappiness seems to suggest that this lifestyle leads to a lack of fulfillment. On the other hand, Winfried, whose humor and pranks are uniquely German and who is tied to Germany’s culture, is essentially just as unhappy as she is. Ade seems to take a neutral position that emphasizes the personal cost of both political philosophies. The understanding that Ines and Winfried come to at the film’s ending makes a more telling argument: that the global and the national can be reconciled. Tommy Gillespie is a first-year who has not yet declared a major. Tommy can be reached at thomas.gillespie@tufts.edu.

THE TUFTS DAILY | Arts & Living | Tuesday, February 14, 2017

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Musicians express political views at Grammy Awards GRAMMYS

continued from page 5 nowhere near as culturally significant as Beyoncé’s. Adele’s tribute to George Michael may have also led viewers to question her wins over Beyoncé. She began the solemn performance of Michael’s “Fastlove” with a trembling, pitchy voice, showcasing the difficulty of performing for live television. About a minute into the song, she stopped and asked to start the song over, saying that she could not “mess this up for [Michael].” Host James Corden’s entrance, which was purposefully sloppy, involved him falling down the staircase to the stage and losing a shoe along the way. Corden’s opening monologue involved a rap about the performers and nominees at the

show. The rap was cheeky, but it also included a politically significant line: “With President Trump, we don’t know what comes next.” A Tribe Called Quest’s performance of “We The People” also conveyed a politicized message. At the end of the song, which explores racial intolerance in America, the group raised their fists in the air and shouted “resist” three times. Musicians and celebrities did not shy away from expressing their political views. In addition to Corden and A Tribe Called Quest, Jennifer Lopez played off political discourse while announcing the Best New Artist award. She spoke about the particular importance of people’s voices at this point in history. Her comments were also a subtle dig at the racial controversies surrounding the award ceremony.

Lopez announced Chance the Rapper as the winner of Best New Artist, which he took home along with the awards for Best Rap Album and Best Rap Performance. Though he competed with giants like Kanye West, he was an obvious choice for both awards, considering that “Coloring Book” (2016) was the first streaming-exclusive album to appear in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 albums chart. Twenty One Pilots took home the award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Stressed Out” (2015). Before they accepted the award, Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun took their pants off and took the stage in their underwear. They explained to the audience that, years ago, they had watched the Grammys on television together in their

underwear. They made a promise to each other that night that they would both accept their first Grammy without wearing pants. “Stressed Out” was up against “Work” (2016) by Rihanna featuring Drake and “Cheap Thrills” (2016) by Sia featuring Sean Paul. Perhaps “Stressed Out” received the award over these other influential songs for its culturally relevant lyrics. With mental health problems like anxiety and depression on the rise among millennials, the title of the song could be used to encapsulate the mood of the younger generation. Overall, the 2017 Grammy Awards highlighted current issues in the United States, from mental health issues to race relations and the biases and limitations of the mainstream music scene.

‘Legion’ features unconventional storytelling approach to some success, confusion LEGION

continued from page 5 inspires empathy from viewers, but one also recognizes his untrustworthiness as a narrator. This creates a sense of unease that naturally weaves itself into the show’s narrative. For example, in the first episode, when David loses control and his powers erupt in vengeful force, it is unclear whether this is a result of his mental instability or his superpowers.

Indeed, everything about the series is set up to help the viewer experience the world as David does: from the incessant voices playing in the background, to the way the show plays with the nature of time and the variety of music that constantly augments the action. After watching the pilot, viewers feel dizzy and disoriented in the best way possible. One does not simply sympathize with David but becomes David, unable

to discern reality from fantasy and drifting from one surrealism to the next. Additionally, the music choices are a highlight. One minute, viewers hear horror-esque trills that shiver the spine, and the next minute, experimental sounds bring a momentary sense of peace. If there is a downside to “Legion,” it resides in its inherent uncertainty. Although the show does a good job of explaining David’s past and

his problems, it is hard to follow, understand and believe everything that the main character experiences. Nonetheless, that is the point of the show: to tell the story of a superhero from an unlikely perspective. Indeed, “Legion” does a great job at character development and storytelling. Given the pilot’s ending, the show promises to deliver strong content in the weeks to come.

Tuesday, February 14, 2017 | Comics | THE TUFTS DAILY

tuftsdaily.com

Comics

LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY Jei-Jei: “Don’t. Go. There.”

Comics

SUDOKU

DOONESBURY BY GARRY TRUDEAU

NON SEQUITUR BY WILEY MILLER

Difficulty Level: Getting through the snow mounds.

Monday’s Solution

FOR RELEASE FEBRUARY 14, 2017

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

ACROSS 1 Bindle-toting migrants 6 “Oliver!” nogoodnik 11 Bygone intl. carrier 14 Face in the crowd, in film 15 With no help 16 A, in Aachen 17 Crude early version of a work of art 19 Bottom-row PC key 20 Natural salve additive 21 Slightly 23 Financial claim 26 Coin-in-afountain thought 28 Pakistani language 29 “The Lord of the Rings” beast 30 Computer programming glitch 33 What marathoners load up on 35 WWII conference site 36 Like swimming competitions 39 Getting by 43 Rants and raves 45 Bold 46 New York City zoo locale 51 Slithery fish 52 Et __: and others 53 Harp constellation 54 Daly of “Cagney & Lacey” 55 Sun protection for kissers? 58 Former Russian ruler 60 “__ no use!” 61 Lakeside launching aid ... and, literally, each set of circled letters 66 Pot pie veggie 67 When Macbeth kills Duncan 68 French-speaking Caribbean country 69 FDR successor 70 2000s TV series set in California 71 Snooze

CROSSWORD

By Mark McClain

DOWN 1 Seagoing pronoun 2 Good Grips kitchenware brand 3 A/C capacity meas. 4 Church instrument 5 Satirist Mort 6 Secret agent’s passport, say 7 Some craft beer 8 Advanced in one’s career 9 At no addl. cost 10 Grape soda brand 11 Italian playhouse 12 “I’m on it, boss” 13 Pre-poker deal demand 18 Planted, as seed 22 New Orleans university 23 “Livin’ La Vida __”: Ricky Martin hit 24 Baghdad’s land 25 Beige shade 27 Crafty 30 To be, in Barcelona 31 __-mo replay 32 Perform miserably 34 Bill for drinks

2/14/17

Monday’s Puzzle Solved Monday’s Solution

37 “Hometown Proud” supermarket chain 38 Roomie in prison 40 Earl __ tea 41 Pizza cooker 42 Actor Chandler of “Bloodline” 44 CIA operative 46 Muslim bigwig 47 Upper crust groups 48 Attacks, puppystyle

2/14/17

49 Super cold 50 Motorola phone 54 __ by jury 56 Blind as __ 57 Ness, for one 59 Massage reactions 62 Padre’s brother 63 Whopper 64 Summer, in 68-Across 65 Fabric mishap

8 tuftsdaily.com

Nesi Altaras Looking In

Opinion

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

VALENTINE’S DAY

On hating Syrians

lot of people in the United States hate refugees, thinking they are dangerous terrorists. Similar unfounded fears, disconnected from reality, have also become commonplace in Europe. Most refugees in question — objects of hatred and suspicion — are Syrians escaping from their brutal civil war and the destruction brought by ISIS. Many news organizations, liberal and conservative, have discussed this hatred within the framework of Islamophobia, bringing on Reza Aslan and Ann Coulter to talk about whether Islam is an enemy of the United States. The perpetuated idea here is that Americans, and many Europeans, have a problem with Islam and hate the entire religion while knowing nothing about it. This understanding is true, but it is simply too narrow. It does not tell the whole story of the hatred that motivates the angry looks people with brown skin, long beards and veils get at the airport. It does not tell the whole story because hating Syrian refugees is not a phenomenon exclusive to Christian-majority countries. A crushing majority of people in Turkey harbor a similar unconscionable hatred of Syrians, and Turkey is over 99 percent Muslim. It is not just opposition to Islam or a lack of understanding of it that motivates this fear. In fact, I would even venture to say that hatred toward Syrian refugees is more intense, less abstract and more widespread in Turkey. This winter break in Istanbul, I saw with my own eyes a Turkish man knock a Syrian beggar down to the ground and spit on him. As I froze in my place out of disbelief, no one said a thing. The Syrian refugee population in Turkey is close to 3 million, way more than any Christian-majority country. Most of these people came across the border with nothing and are now building new lives from scratch, many without legal status. The government gave these people food, some shelter, sometimes healthcare, and many citizens of Turkey were furious. The government was feeding Syrians when there were plenty of poor Turks, they said. In the past couple years, there have been multiple incidents of arson in Syrian neighborhoods in Istanbul. Ever since the government began its military operations Syria last year, there has been a disgusting call to spare Turkish soldiers and instead make the Syrian men in Turkey fight on behalf of Turkey and to force those who fled war back into war. Syrians who started small businesses are targeted for “stealing jobs” from Turks. The difference between Turkey and the United States is that in Turkey, hating Syrian refugees is not a partisan issue; it’s a unifier. People of every party have hate. At least in the United States, many liberals stand up for refugees, as I saw in Copley Square two weeks ago. In Turkey, the liberals perpetuate the hatred. The liberal opposition even attacked the government for helping refugees. The hatred of Syrian refugees is not simply about religion. It is hatred of the “other,” not simply of Islam. Muslims in Turkey, right-wingers in the United States and others elsewhere hate “the other” for what they are, because they’re different, be they Syrians, Mexicans, Armenians, Jews or another “other” pouring over their borders. Nesi Altaras is a sophomore majoring in international relations and economics. Nesi can be reached at nesi.altaras@tufts.edu

SHANNON GEARY

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.

Tuesday, February 14, 2017 | Opinion | THE TUFTS DAILY

Opinion

EDITORIAL

Student Life Review Committee lacks representation The Tufts administration has been attempting to assess and reform social life on campus amid the recent controversy surrounding Greek life. University President Anthony Monaco recently called for the formation of the Student Life Review Committee to address social issues at Tufts. Although the creation of the group itself is a positive step in fostering dialogue and action, there remains a troubling lack of transparency around the panel. On Dec. 22, 2016, the Office of the President announced plans to form a committee in hopes of addressing “residential strategy, student organizations, athletics and clubs as well as the Greek system.” A month after that, Monaco released another letter, the Charge to the Student Life Review Committee, which requested the committee consider structural reforms to social life at Tufts and emphasized support for “holistic, inclusive engagement in undergraduate student life at Tufts.” The administration has rightly prioritized the issue of Greek life and is addressing it in tandem with other

aspects of student social life through this committee. However, the panel falls short by failing to proportionally represent the student body it seeks to assess and advise on. The list of committee members includes seven students, a majority of whom have been or continue to be affiliated with Greek organizations, while three quarters of the student body is not involved in Greek life. Some of the other committee panelists have ties to Greek life as well. One of the committee chairs and the alumni representative, for example, are both former members of Delta Upsilon. While it is critical to include the voices of those who have been involved in Greek life in a dialogue so central to them, it is impossible to holistically evaluate this system without proportional representation from the rest of the student body. Furthermore, the process by which these students were chosen was completely opaque. The university should have called for student volunteers to submit their credentials, explain their desire to be on the panel and elaborate on their

opinions concerning Greek life and general social life on campus. This would have given the university a variety of voices to choose from for the committee. Instead of putting in the effort to seek out fresh voices, the school went with known entities. For example, three of the seven students on the committee are members of Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate. Having almost half of the committee’s student representatives coming from one student group (elected by only a quarter of the student population) wastes an opportunity to bring a variety of student voices into a decision-making body with such influence over students’ lives. Benya Kraus, a student representative on the Student Life Review Committee, is TCU Senate Diversity and Community Affairs Officer and a former member of Chi Omega sorority. “I, like many others, am concerned about the high density of committee members affiliated with Greek life, especially when 75 percent of the student body is not involved in Greek life,” Kraus, a junior, said.

In an attempt to include more student voices, Kraus is offering to hold one-onone conversations with students, which they can sign up for online. Her initiative is valuable, but it should have been part of the university’s approach from the outset. Similarly, Monaco’s plans for an open forum, idea wall and comment form are also important, but this desire to include student voices should have been present during the committee selection process. The work of the Student Life Review Committee will be critical in implementing tangible changes to social life at Tufts. Its short timeline (Monaco wants a report by the end of the spring semester) and important mission make the committee’s limited membership reasonable, as it is difficult to make big decisions with big groups. That is exactly why, when a small group is making crucial decisions for a much larger group, it is absolutely essential to ensure that the small group is as representative as possible. Hopefully, the committee works diligently to collect the opinions and voices that have been left out of the committee itself.

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Tuesday, February 14, 2017 | Sports | THE TUFTS DAILY

S p o rts

Sam Nowicki Teeing Off

ICE HOCKEY

Tufts finally beats Amherst, falls short against Hamilton by Savannah Mastrangelo Assistant Sports Editor

After 12 years without a victory, 17 losses and one tie, Tufts finally ended its winless streak against Amherst and won 4-0 on Friday. This historic win was followed by a devastating 3-1 loss to Hamilton on Saturday, as Hamilton scored the last two goals within the last three minutes of the game. Hamilton was the first team on the scoreboard with a goal at 11:59 of the first period after a shot from Hamilton senior Brad Smelstor rebounded off junior goaltender Nik Nugnes, which allowed Hamilton first-year Nick Ursetti to collect the puck and score from the left side. It wasn’t until 14:33 of the second period that Tufts responded with a short-handed goal to tie the game 1-1 in the last second of a Hamilton power play. First-year Jordan Haney collected a Hamilton turnover in the neutral zone, sped down the left side of the offensive zone and narrowly missed the net hitting the far post, and first-year Tyler Scroggins collected the rebound and scored. This was Scroggins’ second short-hand goal of the season, and he leads the NESCAC with three short-handed points. The game remained at a standstill throughout the second period and most of the third, while both teams battled back and forth and Tufts continued to pepper the Hamilton goalie with many close scoring opportunities. Sophomore Clay Berger nearly scored toward the end of the second period after a 1 on 1 with the goalie, but he was unable to find the back of the net. Hamilton outshot Tufts 15-6 in the third, but Nugnes maintained the tie with a number of crucial saves. With under three minutes to go in the third, however, Hamilton first-year Bennett Morrison scored a shorthanded goal with a slap shot from the right circle taking the 2-1 lead. After pulling Nugnes with 1:35 left in the game, Hamilton scored the winning goal on an empty net after Tufts turned the puck over at the offensive blue line, and junior Tyler Bruneteau scored on a breakaway, notching the final goal of the game.

A RAY BERNOFF / THE TUFTS DAILY

Junior forward Brian Brown takes a shot during the game against Amherst College at the Malden Forum on Feb. 11. “[Hamilton] probably executed a hair better than we did over the course of the game. We probably didn’t move [the puck] quite as well, and [we didn’t] stick to our game plan as well against Hamilton as we did against Amherst,” Coach Pat Norton said. “To [Hamilton’s] credit, they played really well. It could’ve easily gone the other way … so it was disappointing, but that is [a loss] you can live with because you played hard.” Nugnes made 30 saves and is now ranked third in the league for save percentage at .936. Hamilton’s goaltender Evan Buitenhuis is ranked first in the league with a .949 save percentage and totaled 23 saves against Tufts. Against Amherst, Tufts dominated the ice and Nugnes had his second shutout in three games with 27 total saves. While the first period remained scoreless, first-year forward Anthony Farinacci put the team on the scoreboard 11 seconds into the second period after the puck deflected off the goaltender and the post into the net, assisted by junior forward Brian Brown. “We carried out all of our systems that we had been working on with grace and drive,” Haney said. “We knew that we were better than them, and that is what made the difference in [the] intensity of the game as well.”

The rest of the second period was also scoreless, and the Jumbos scored the last three goals within a three-minute span early in the third period. Senior Conal Lynch received a pass from senior captain Mike Leary and scored at 8:04 into the third. Less than two minutes later at 9:28, Haney came down the left side of the offensive zone and scored an unassisted goal, putting the Jumbos up 3-0. Finally, junior defenseman Trevor Davis scored from the right side at 10:30, netting his first career goal and solidifying the 4-0 victory. “The locker room was ecstatic,” Haney said. “It was a great feeling, because the week before during every practice, Coach was drilling in us that we hadn’t beat [Amherst] since 2004. Now that we beat them, it was big stress off of our back, and we felt proud to be a part of Tufts hockey.” After defeating Amherst, the team is now ranked seventh in the NESCAC with a conference record of 8-7-1, but playoff rankings and home-ice-advantage are still up in the air and will be determined by the results of the weekend’s games. Tufts will face Bowdoin on Friday before its final regular season game against Colby on Saturday.

Passionate about sports? Have a unique perspective on student athletics? Interested in covering the intersection of sports and the larger Tufts community? Write for us! Contact dailysports@gmail.com!

Eyes on Georgia

nother week goes by and I continue to study molecular biology and the various enzymes of fatty acid metabolism. Jordan Spieth, on the other hand, has just won his ninth career PGA tour event, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, by four shots over Kelly Kraft. Spieth was in incredible form this week, striking the ball brilliantly, and hitting 17 of 18 greens in regulation during his final round of play. Coupling this ball striking with his brilliance with the flat stick, Spieth was truly unbeatable this week. He shot a 68 on Thursday and backed it up with two straight 65’s to take a six shot lead into the final round. Spieth was clear in his Sunday game plan, to hit greens in regulation, and he did just that. Jordan cruised around Pebble on Sunday shooting a cool, calm, bogey-free 70. In fact, Spieth made only four bogies all week and 23 birdies, producing a scorecard that would likely win against any field in the world. Jim Nantz, who hosted the broadcast of the final two rounds for CBS, held off on mentioning Augusta for as long as he possibly could. But, ever since Spieth’s epic collapse (personally I’m still not over it, and I had a rough spring 2016) at the 12th hole on Sunday at the Masters, the questions have loomed: how will Spieth react when returning for the year’s first major in Georgia? All signs point in the right direction. Spieth is in great form. In his four starts in 2017, he has finished T3rd, solo 3rd, T9th and won. In November of 2016, Spieth won the Australian Open. Jordan has been striking the ball brilliantly and his mid-irons and driver have looked fantastic, despite this being the weakest part of his young career. The putter has often bailed Jordan out, as he makes more putts of 20 feet or longer than anyone else in the world. It was his putter that gave him the 54 hole lead at Augusta National last year, but it was his iron play that ultimately cost him the tournament. What are Spieth’s chances at the Masters? Well, if the tournament was this week or next, I would say 50:50 to win. His game is as good as it has ever been and he loves the course, finishing second, first and second in his three career starts there. But, the Masters isn’t for another two months (actually only 50 days but who’s counting), and a lot can change with a player’s form in that time. So, we will just have to wait and see if Jordan can stay in good form and see who else peaks at the right time (looking at you Hideki). Oh, and for those who don’t know, Jordan Spieth is 23. Yup, while we’re out here trying to get internships, Spieth is dominating his sport, counting his money and gearing up for SB2K17 (see SB2K16 on Twitter for context). Hook ’em. Sam Nowicki is a junior majoring in biochemistry. Sam can be reached at samuel.nowicki@tufts.edu

12 tuftsdaily.com

Sports

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD

Nichols, Duvivier shatter records as postseason quickly approaches by Liam Finnegan

Assistant Sports Editor

Led by senior distance runner Tim Nichols’ second record-breaking time in as many weeks, the men’s track and field team won a number of events at the Tufts Cupid Challenge at Gantcher Center on Feb. 4. The North Lima, Ohio native was just one of many Jumbos to post nationally-ranked times at the meet. The Jumbos then built on their success from that weekend and left their marks at both the BU Hemery Invitational on Friday and Saturday and at the Gordon Kelly Invitational at MIT on Saturday. The team’s success helped their Div. III ranking jump from No. 16 to No. 13, showing the serious momentum the team has started to gain. Even though BU is a Div. I track team, Nichols thinks the challenge will rally the team together for the New England Div. III Championship. “BU is generally faster,” senior tri-captain sprinter Nick Usoff said. “If some people have good performances [at BU], they’ll be pretty excited moving into the following week, because we have Div. III New England’s back here at Tufts. The strength of BU might help us pull together as a team.” Despite the heightened strength of the teams, the Jumbos still earned a number of top times at the BU Invitational. The distance medley relay team, consisting of junior mid-distance runner Tom DePalma and sophomore mid-distance runners Hiroto Watanabe, Colin Raposo and Thomas Doyle, came in seventh out of 14 teams and ran a 10:16.83 time that is currently ranked eighth in Div. III. Junior hurdler Andrew DiMaiti ran a 48.90 in the 400-meter, ranking 23rd in the nation. DiMaiti’s time was also a season best for the Jumbos. Raposo also posted a Tufts season-best time with a 2:29.43 in the 1,000-meter. At MIT, Tufts had another school-record-breaking performance. Junior high jumper Stefan Duvivier reached 6’9.75″ to break the school record of 6’9″ for the

MAX LALANNE / THE TUFTS DAILY

Senior Tim Nichols holds the lead in a 5,000-meter race at the Cupid Challenge at Tufts on Feb. 4. high jump, a record previously shared by James Bradley (LA ’09) and Steve Sutherland (LA ’83). Duvivier’s jump currently places him fourth nationally. The Jumbo field events had continued success with junior long jumper Linus Gordon’s 21’6.75″ triple jump, which earned him first place at the meet. Senior thrower Michael Paloian also won the weight throw with a 50’8″ throw. In the highlight performance of the Cupid Challenge, Nichols’ 5,000meter time of 14:19.45 shattered the Tufts school record of 14:28.26 set last year by senior captain Luke O’Connor. Nichols’ record-breaking time also won him the race and placed him first in the nation. He was topped by University of Wisconsin-Platteville senior Ian LaMere’s 14:03.82 on Feb. 10.

“It’s pretty exciting. It’s definitely a goal I had coming into the season, and I’d just like to keep doing it,” Nichols said. “I want to maybe keep [making personal records] in the 3k and 5k and hopefully do the same sort of stuff in the outdoor season too.” Usoff explained that strong finishes like Nichols’ have the ability to excite team members ahead of their own events. “His 5k time was undoubtedly the standout performance of the meet,” Usoff said. Other runners had success as well. Raposo ran a 4:20 in the one mile race, earning him fourth place in the event and which was, at that time, the 28th best time in the nation. Junior hurdler Peter Clark ran the 60-meter with a time of 7.07 — good enough to win the

race but just outside of the national rankings. Sophomore sprinter Thomas Miller claimed the No. 1 spot in the 200-meter by running a 22.62. This time placed him 29th in the nation. Watanabe also took first place, winning the 800-meter with a 1:54.97, but this was not enough to topple his season-best time of 1:54.41. The 4×800-meter relay team — comprised of DePalma, junior distance runner Sam Little, Watanabe and Raposo — came in third place with a time of 8:08.27. This was the season-best time for the foursome and reflected the Jumbos’ constant improvement in the weeks leading up to their first championship meet of the season. The Jumbos will host the New England Div. III Indoor Championships at Gantcher Center on Feb. 17 and 18.