The Tufts Daily - Tuesday, October 22, 2019

‘An Enemy of the People’ opens Thursday in Balch Arena Theater see ARTS&LIVING / PAGE 6

FLETCHER SCHOOL

Kyte takes over as first female dean in Fletcher School history

Sykes, women’s soccer push streak to 11 see SPORTS / BACK PAGE

SEE FEATURES / PAGE 4

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T HE T UFTS DAILY

VOLUME LXXVIII, ISSUE 32

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS.

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Faculty and administrators discuss new Bias Response Teams, hate incidents

by Robert Kaplan News Editor

Following the defacement of a sign in the African American Trail Project exhibit in Aidekman Arts Center discovered on Oct. 5, University President Anthony Monaco and Provost and Senior Vice President Nadine Aubry issued a statement condemning the vandalism and announced a new initiative by the administration to respond to these acts of hate, in an email sent to the Tufts community on Oct. 10.

Professor Kerri Greenridge, co-director of the exhibit with Professor Kendra Field, confirmed to the Daily that someone had inscribed the word “Fake!” and an arrow on a sign commemorating a student march and die-in protest in Davis Square in 2014. The protest was a demonstration calling attention to the shooting of

unarmed black men across the country, and especially the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. The Daily obtained photos of the defacement, which were dated to before school started.

Greenridge explained that the exhibit, from which the sign has since been removed, documents and commemorates the history of African-American, Africandescended and Native-American people in Massachusetts.

“Such documentation and publicity defies notions that African descended, African American and Native people are somehow recent arrivals to Tufts and its surrounding towns,” Greenridge said in an email to the Daily.

The defacement marks the third act of hatred on campus announced in less than one month. On Sept. 15, a Jewish student found a swastika carved into

their residence hall door. On Oct. 2, a different student found a homophobic slur carved into their residence hall door.

Dean of Student Life and Engagement Christopher Rossi confirmed in an email to the Daily that the investigations into the incidents by the Office of Equal Opportunity and the Tufts University Police Department are still ongoing.

Greenridge addressed the increasing national trend of acts of hate, explaining that hateful views such as racism, homophobia, anti-Semitism and anti-immigrant rhetoric are given platforms in the media and in national discourse.

Greenridge declared the current political and social climate is emboldening people who harbor hateful beliefs to commit acts of hatred on Tufts’ campus.

“It speaks to the depths of political division and ignorance that this person or per-

sons felt comfortable enough to damage a work to which Tufts faculty, students and community members have contributed,” Greenridge said.

In response to the successive acts of hate on campus, Monaco and Aubry announced in their email the development of two Bias Response Teams (BRTs).

The BRTs, separate from the investigative and reporting process, will respond to incidents of bias, discrimination and hatred on campus, “with a focus on community understanding, support and engagement,” according to the email.

Chief Diversity Officers Rob Mack and Joyce Sackey will lead the BRTs, with Mack serving the Medford and School at the Museum of Fine Arts campuses and Sackey serving the Boston and Grafton campuses, according to the email.

see DEFACEMENT, page 2

Tufts signs amicus brief to oppose DACA repeal

by Connor Dale News Editor

Tufts announced that it has joined 164 other public and private universities and colleges in signing an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court supporting the roughly 700,000 young immigrants who came to the United States as children and who hold Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status on Oct. 8.

“Tufts stands firmly with our DACA and undocumented students, their families, and their communities, and we are committed to honoring our promises to our DACA and undocumented students,” University President Anthony Monaco said in a TuftsNow article.

Tufts signed the “friend of the court” brief to oppose President Donald Trump’s rescission of the DACA program, which he announced on Sept. 5, 2017.

Since then, the Trump administration has been embroiled in an ongoing legal battle over its authority to end the program. The University of California, which filed the first lawsuit among universities against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in 2017, contends that doing so violates the Administrative Procedure Act and the Fifth Amendment.

The amicus brief was coordinated by the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and

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Immigration, according to a press release by the organization. The Presidents’ Alliance is a coalition of university presidents who seek to increase understanding of how immigration policies affect their students.

The amicus brief highlighted the benefits that undocumented students brought to campuses.

“DACA has facilitated the pursuit of higher education by undocumented youth in unprecedented numbers, ensuring that once enrolled, these students are positioned to succeed,” the brief reads. “As a result of DACA, thousands of talented and hard-working young people have made significant and wide-ranging contributions to amici’s campuses.”

The brief also quotes a letter from Amherst College’s president Biddy Martin, who stressed the importance of keeping DACA students on campus.

“Our classrooms at Amherst are enriched by the academic talent, hard work, and perspectives of DACA students who go on to become doctors, teachers, engineers, and artists,” Martin said in the letter.

Shortly after Trump’s 2016 election, Monaco released a similar statement expressing the university’s support for undocumented students.

“Tufts is committed to continuing our support of DACA and undocumented stu-

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dents because we have a moral responsibility to protect the safety and wellbeing of all students regardless of their citizenship status or personal identities,” he said.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments on DACA’s rescission on Nov. 12.

Patrick Collins, executive director of public relations at Tufts, pointed to the university’s participation in the amicus brief as a sign of its unwavering support for its DACA students.

“As President Monaco has said, we are committed to honoring our promises to our DACA and undocumented students, who are an important part of our university community and deserve our support,” Collins told the Daily in an email.

DACA was implemented by the Obama administration in 2012. The program grants any child of undocumented immigrants who was 31 or younger at the time of the program’s initiation a two-year deferment from deportation as well as eligibility for a work permit.

Accordingly, while those already enrolled in it have been able to apply for renewal, Trump’s rescission of DACA has put new recipients and the future of the program as a whole at risk.

Since April 2015, Tufts has considered all undocumented students as domestic applicants for undergraduate admissions. Tufts also reiterated its support for undocumented stu-

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dents on the same day that Trump decided to phase out DACA, according to previous reporting by the Daily.

Additionally, the university filed a declaration alongside a Sept. 6, 2017 lawsuit by 16 state attorney generals, which included Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, opposing the decision to end the program. The complaint stated that more than 25 Tufts students were enrolled in DACA at the time.

Similarly, two days after Trump’s decision to end the program, Tufts United for Immigrant Justice (UIJ) issued a statement in which they denounced the Trump administration’s decision and expressed concern that it could lead to serious consequences for students, according to previous reporting by the Daily.

Members of UIJ said that they plan on releasing a formal statement about the future of DACA being argued at the Supreme Court in the coming weeks.

Ultimately, Collins said that he hopes the amicus brief will help convince the Court to reverse Trump’s decision.

“We hope the amicus brief helps inform the Court about the positive impact that DACA has on both students and institutions of higher education and persuade the Court that the program should continue,” Collins said.

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

FUN & GAMES.........................8 OPINION.....................................9 SPORTS............................ BACK

2

THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Tuesday, October 22, 2019

THE TUFTS DAILY Jessica Blough Editor in Chief

EDITORIAL Ryan Eggers Justin Yu

Managing Editors Mykhaylo Chumak Austin Clementi Alejandra Carrillo Connor Dale Abbie Gruskin Liza Harris Robert Kaplan Elie Levine Natasha Mayor Alexander Thompson Daniel Weinstein Andres Borjas Charles Bunnell Bella Maharaj Matthew McGovern Sara Renkert Jilly Rolnick Anton Shenk

Fina Short Sidharth Anand Amelia Becker Emma Damokosh Kenia French Jessie Newman Sean Ong Michael Shames Kevin Doherty Akash Mishra Dorothy Neher Steph Hoechst Tommy Gillespie Rebecca Tang Danny Klain Yas Salon Tuna Margalit Megan Szostak Elizabeth Sander Colette Smith Geoffrey Tobia Sami Heyman Tys Sweeney Olivia Brandon Avery Caulfield Paloma Delgado Hannah Harris Mikaela Lessnau Kaitlyn Meslin Amulya Mutnuri Michael Norton Eileen Ong Priya Padhye Elizabeth Shelbred Anamika Shrimali Simrit Uppal Julia Baroni Christina Toldalagi Carys Kong Caleb Symons

Associate Editor Executive News Editor News Editors

Assistant News Editors

Executive Features Editor Features Editors

Cartoonist Investigations Editor

Executive Video Editor Video Editors

ALINA STRILECKIS / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES

123 Packard Ave. is pictured on Feb. 12.

Assistant Sports Editors

by Rachel Freedman Contributing Writer

Executive Audio Producer Audio Producers

PRODUCTION Aidan Menchaca

Production Director

Sean Ong Christopher Panella Luke Allocco Alexis Serino

DU members move to 123 Packard for fall 2019

Editorial Cartoonists

Caleb Martin-Rosenthal Sophia Banel Nicole Bohan Elizabeth Kenneally Heather Rusk

Roy Kim

Greenridge praised the BRTs, calling them “a necessary first step,” but called on Tufts to expand its response to include academics as well.

“Additionally, efforts must be made to create a humanities curriculum that uses the scholarship of Tufts faculty to educate students about the causes, consequences and origins of anti-Semitism, homophobia and racism,” Greenridge said.

Greenridge also encouraged students to take advantage of the contributions to this effort already made by the faculty in Africana studies, American studies, colonialism studies and history.

Executive Opinion Editor Editorialists

Executive Photo Editor Photo Administrator Staff Photographers

Nathan Kyn Ryan Shaffer Anna Hirshman David Levitsky Hannah Wells Abigail Zielinski Rebecca Barker Emily Liu Allie Morgenstern Abbie Treff Aadhya Shivakumar Russell Yip

community can expect to be included in the process.

“We are at the very early stages of the process, and the CDOs will be working with students and others on the make-up of the groups and will explain how students, faculty and staff on each campus can become involved as those plans take shape,” Collins said in an email to the Daily.

Collins explained that the BRTs are intended to do more than simply respond to acts of hate as they are reported.

“They also will suggest proactive measures that promote inclusion, respect and dialogue,” Collins said.

Assistant Arts Editors

Seohyun Shim Mengqi Irina Wang Anika Agarwal Mike Feng Meredith Long Julia McDowell Evan Slack Kirt Thorne

Jesse Rogers

DEFACEMENT

continued from page 1 Sackey, echoing Monaco’s and Aubry’s email, did not supply more detailed information about the BRTs. “We anticipate more information will be forthcoming in the near future as we work to implement this new resource,” Sackey said.

Sackey deferred to Executive Director of Public Relations Patrick Collins for further comment.

Collins added that even though it is “too soon to estimate” when the BRTs will be operating and fully functional, the Tufts

Executive Arts Editor Arts Editors

Executive Sports Editor Sports Editors

Kristina Marchand Daniel Montoya Alice Yoon Isabella Montoya

Administrators anticipate more information on BRTs

Assistant Features Editors

Alex Viveros Arlo Moore-Bloom David Meyer Liam Finnegan Jeremy Goldstein Savannah Mastrangelo Haley Rich Sam Weidner Julia Atkins Tim Chiang Jake Freudberg Noah Stancroff Aiden Herrod Helen Thomas-McLean Jacob Dreyer

Hannah Kahn Arlo Moore-Bloom Madison Reid

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BUSINESS Jonah Zwillinger Executive Business Director

Members of the currently suspended fraternity Delta Upsilon (DU) are now living in the newly acquired Tufts property at 123 Packard Ave., according to Dean of Student Life and Engagement Christopher Rossi. After the university ordered the suspension of DU operations in June, DU brothers who had planned to live in the fraternity house for the 2019–20 academic year were granted permission to stay at 123 Packard for the fall 2019 semester.

According to the Student Life website, in June DU was, “Found responsible for disorderly conduct; physical abuse and reckless endangerment; and inaction in an alcohol-related medical emergency.”

The site does not elaborate on the specific violations; however, Tufts has suspended the fraternity until Sept. 1, 2022.

“If approved to return from suspension, the chapter will be on disciplinary probation for a one-year period, will have the opportunity to regain use of the house in September 2023, and a Residential Life student staff member will be placed in any chapter facility used by Delta Upsilon,” the site says.

Now, as Tufts students occupying a university-owned resident hall, the DU brothers living at 123 Packard are subject to Tufts University guidelines. This is a change from their former living situation at 114 Professors Row, which was independently owned by the Delta Upsilon Corporation.

According to Krithi Ram-Junnarkar, a Haskell Hall Community Development Assistant (CDA) who makes rounds at the house, the house is

substance-free, and this status is enforced by a student house manager.

“I have had minimal interactions with the brothers besides a few lockouts,” RamJunnarkar, a sophomore, told the Daily in an interview.

The university purchased the house at 123 Packard from the Theta Delta Chi Corporation last year for $2 million. This acquisition was made after Tufts dissolved recognition of Theta Delta Chi (TDC), another Tufts fraternity, in October 2017, Rossi told the Daily in an email.

The former residents, the TDC brothers, vacated the space after the conclusion of the spring 2019 semester.

The university’s acquisition of 123 Packard is part of a larger plan to improve student living on campus, according to Rossi.

“It is in the best interest of the university to have long-term control and ownership of buildings on campus for reasons related to safety, ongoing maintenance and repair, and consistency in the student experience,” Rossi said.

Before their suspension, the DU brothers were already scheduled to relocate from 114 Professors Row to 123 Packard in order for the property at 114 Professors Row to undergo renovations, according to Rossi. Due to the aforementioned suspension, they are no longer able to operate 123 Packard as a chapter facility.

However, according to Ram-Junnarkar, the university has not tried to be secretive about their arrangements for the members of DU. “[The members of Delta Upsilon] are in a transition phase where the frat has been shut down but they need a place to stay because they can’t be in their house,” RamJunnarkar said.

The university is currently in talks to enhance residential life on campus with the potential acquisition of 114 Professors Row. In the event of purchase, the university plans to focus on vital renovations starting with addressing safety concerns, according to Rossi.

“The house is in need of major renovation, including much-needed attention to safety issues, and we believe there is an opportunity to enhance on-campus living options through a strategic acquisition,” Rossi said.

Despite the university’s potential acquisition of the former DU house, there is still a future for Delta Upsilon at Tufts.

“The Dean of Student Affairs Office and the Office of Residential Life and Learning, which includes the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, has been in regular contact with Delta Upsilon International regarding the chapter’s status,” Rossi said.

In the event that DU elects to return as an organization once its suspension has elapsed, the university is open to the fraternity’s potential return to campus. Rossi also extended this goodwill to other Greek organizations currently suspended.

“There is a path for DU to return to campus regardless of whether they return as a residential chapter facility, as is the case with all Greek organizations,” Rossi said.

In the spring 2020 semester, students from the new Civic Semester program will move into 123 Packard, forcing the DU brothers to move out. The 12 Civic Semester students may be joined by Tufts students returning from study abroad, according to Joshua Hartman, director of Residential Life and Learning.

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4 Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Jon Adams Oops We Did it Again

Unlike father, unlike son

Features

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New Fletcher Dean Kyte discusses climate activism, leadership

H

istory repeats itself, but not always in a perfect cycle. Sometimes it’s as if the circle flips, and we approach the same outcome from the opposite angle as before.

In Britain, Brexit has created too many historical parallels to count. The most interesting of these parallels are those that take on a strongly personal dimension, and none represent this better than the Benn family, for whom the issue of the European Union (EU) has defined two political generations.

In 1975, Britain had been in the European Economic Community (EEC), one of the forerunners to the modern European Union (EU), for only two and a half years. The Conservative Party had included EEC membership in its 1970 general election manifesto, and its surprise victory over the Labour Party was taken as a demonstration of clear public support for negotiating membership.

In 1972, Parliament passed the European Communities Act to formally enter the EEC. Throughout this time, the Labour Party was divided regarding EEC membership.

Their return to power after the 1974 general election only saw the division grow. In 1975, the government voted to hold a referendum that same year about continued membership. Cabinet collective responsibility was discarded and all members of the government campaigned for whichever position they personally supported.

Tony Benn, a leading left-wing socialist and Secretary of State for Industry, became a face of the “No” campaign. Benn abhorred the EEC, which he believed to be dominated

by Germany and decreasing British living standards, and had been one of the strongest voices of Euroscepticism in Britain since it entered the group.

Fast forward 44 years, and the Benn family finds itself in a similar situation. Hilary Benn, son of Tony Benn and now a Labour MP, has became one of the leading faces of Britain’s relationship with the EU. Only this time, he is one of the leaders of the campaign to stop Britain from leaving the EU, with a recent act to prevent Britain from exiting without a deal nicknamed the Benn Act. Thus, one generation later, the Benn family, while still within the same party, has found itself at the complete opposite end of the spectrum. Talk about atoning for the sins of one’s father.

As Britain once again struggles to decide its relationship with the EU, the hard left that mainly opposed the EEC in 1975 now finds itself desperately fighting to save it. The Conservative Party’s Boris Johnson, whose predecessor Margaret Thatcher donned her now famous EEC flag sweater in 1975 to campaign for staying in, now finds himself in charge of stumbling Britain’s way out.

Thus, the same players now find themselves playing the same game, only this time the sides and rules have changed. As Parliament prorogues and ministers fret over how to save both the nation and their careers, it’s worth looking back to the last time Britain experienced such public confusion over the nation’s direction. Though the Benn family is only a single case of how the times are truly changing, the entire country might do well with retracing its steps. If Britain was allowed to reevaluate its decision about entering the EU once before, why can’t it reevaluate its decision to leave too?

Jon Adams is a senior studying international relations and Spanish. Jon can be reached at jonathan.adams@tufts.edu.

NICOLE GARAY / THE TUFTS DAILY

Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte poses for a portrait in her office in Cabot Intercultural Center on Oct. 8.

by Kenia French Features Editor

Rachel Kyte officially assumed the deanship of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy on Oct. 1, making her the first woman to lead the Fletcher School after 13 previous male deans.

Kyte comes to Fletcher with rich experience working on the front lines of the climate change battle. She previously served as the CEO and UN Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All, an international initiative launched by former UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon in 2011.

After spending a significant part of her career working at the international level, Kyte has an understanding of the complex issues climate change is already causing for people around the world.

“I have been in villages where the impact of climate change is to drive their young girls into the arms of extremists … and it’s a direct cause. So the idea that you can sit in a part of the world where the legacy of emissions has produced a moment where that happens, is an issue of extreme urgency. It is a climate emergency,” Kyte said. “When you see it, you can’t close your eyes and not see it.”

According to Kyte, she was drawn to the deanship because she wanted to take a more holistic approach to the climate battle, informed by her significant experience on the front lines.

“I wanted to stand back a little bit from the forefront of the battle — I believe that it’s a sprint as well as a marathon, and I wanted to hand the baton over to somebody else in terms of my practitioner work and have an opportunity to think a little bit more broadly about how we do that,” Kyte said.

In her new role, Kyte can use her experience to send home the message that climate change will affect everything we do in the next 30 years. Kyte said that anyone training to enter the foreign service should understand how climate intersects with this work, and she hopes to bring such an understanding to her work as dean.

“[Climate] certainly cuts across every aspect of what it means to be a leader in this world,” Kyte said. “Being part of a process where we make sure that climate cuts across the way that we teach law, economy, energy policy, health … that seemed to me a way that I could contribute to the struggle in a slightly different way for a few years.”

In terms of what this will look like in practice at Fletcher, what’s most important to Kyte is the ability to give everyone who comes through Fletcher the tools to address the crises that face our world.

“What I want to do is look at what we teach, so the curriculum, the way in which we allow students to be able to address these existential crises while mastering the skills and knowledge that they need in different aspects of what has been traditionally Fletcher’s strength,” Kyte said.

She said she understands what students who come to Fletcher invest in the school, and she wants to use this understanding to ensure that the degree programs Fletcher currently has will best serve students’ needs.

Kyte said she believes that this approach to a Fletcher education can and should have implications beyond the walls of Tufts itself.

According to Kyte, what’s currently missing in the climate fight is leadership to set the standard for what needs to happen to move to a “decarbonized economy” by 2050.

“For me, the delta between business as usual and response to the climate emergency is leadership. And it’s political leaders now, and we don’t have the classic political leaders that are brave enough to make a decision,” Kyte said.

According to Kyte, one sign of “brave leadership” is a commitment to the truth. She cited an example from her own experience, where she was asked to facilitate a meeting between leaders of the climate activist group Extinction Rebellion and ministers in the British government.

She described a moment when the ministers asked Extinction Rebellion leaders what they wanted from their government, and the Rebellion leaders simply responded that they wanted the government to tell the truth.

“[They said] you are our government, we don’t want to be the government, we don’t [want] to overthrow you, we want you to tell us the truth so that we can work together in a time of national emergency,” Kyte said. “I think that is profound, I think that is what we need in every country in the world — it is a national emergency, it’s a global emergency, and you have to unleash every piece of society to work on that emergency.”

According to Kyte, collaboration between facets of civic society like governments and activist groups is crucial because it’s the only way to create a cohesive response to climate change. She cited the women’s suffrage movement as an example of this.

“There will be people who lead from inside institutions, and there are people standing at the door screaming on the outside of institutions. No system has ever changed just by having people on the outside or just by having people on the inside,” Kyte said.

One way Kyte said that she believes Tufts could exemplify leadership is through debating the complexities surrounding fossil fuel divestment.

“In order to have a decarbonized economy in 2050 the energy system will have to be radically different than it is today. The question is not is it going to be radically different than today, the question is how quickly will that happen?” Kyte said. “As the Dean of Fletcher, I think that to have a vibrant debate about this is obvious, right?”

Kyte’s advice to all students who pass through Tufts is to remember that there are people from all walks of life, all over the world who want to do the right thing.

“You have to commit to find those people [who want to do the right thing], and not to take looks and to test your own assumptions and your own prejudices about where those people are,” Kyte said. “So you have to go and make common cause. Use the time that you’re at Tufts to commit yourself to a lifetime of being evidence-based and to finding the tools that allow you to make common cause. And if we can do that, we can make the changes that we need to make.”

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ARTS&LIVING

Devina Bhalla Bhallin’ with Books

I

Jake Skeets’ poetry

began this week lost. I read the first few pages of multiple books, but nothing felt right. I wanted to read something else, something different. However, without knowing what, I got stuck not doing any reading at all.

Luckily, I happen to follow a lot of ​ bookstores on Instagram. They are constantly posting bookish news and interesting new releases. Because it is LGBTQ+ History Month, I thought it would be fitting to read a queer author.

These accounts had plenty of suggestions. I decided on a collection of poems

by Jake Skeets entitled “Eyes Bottle Dark with a Mouthful of Flowers” (2019).

Skeets is an emerging Diné queer poet from Vanderwagen, New Mexico. His collection is a winner of the 2018 National Poetry Series. ​“Eyes Bottle Dark with a Mouthful of Flowers” is a portrayal of his reality of Diné life in Vanderwagen, New Mexico that has its eyes wide open. It is provocative and gripping, heart-wrenching and blunt. Like looking into a raw and bleeding wound, you see the brutality and mess of life along with the fiery tenacity of all those around him. ​Skeets reveals through his poetry the difficulty in navigating the dangers and complications of being Diné and gay. He is creating art out of cruelty while poetically exploring sexuality, the stages of it and how it manifests within his culture.

Skeets declares that life is difficult enough already, with “tractor tire[s] backing over a man’s skull” (“Drunktown”). According to Skeets, the relationships between men are just as difficult, as “men around here only touch when they fuck in a backseat” (“Drunktown”). ​Yet he also is drinking in and illustrating out to his readers the strength and beauty. He is illustrating the paradoxes of love and death, of nature and desert, of cracked skulls and lips meeting. In his poem “Dear Brother,” Skeets connects the violence of his town to the love he has for men saying, “You kissed a man the way I do / but with a handgun… I learned how to be a man by loving one” (Dear Brother). There is death, but there is hope and love as well. ​Skeets lets his identity drive his poetry; it is wholeheartedly true to his experience as a Diné in Vanderwagen and a sexual being. He somehow encapsulates all of the complicated parts of his existence within his freeform and intricate poetry.

It is so important to make a continued effort to diversify the texts that are valued by society. This begins with seeking out, reading and supporting historically marginalized voices. Through reading voices like Skeets’, we are giving our time, energy and money to a voice that has continually been told to be quiet.

Hear him speak; Skeets has created a powerful book of art that deserves your time and attention.

Devina Bhalla is a sophomore studying sociology and English. Devina can be reached at devina.bhalla@tufts.edu.

tuftsdaily.com

THEATER PREVIEW

Drama department’s ‘An Enemy of the People’ explores modern environmental issues

COURTESY MEGAN SZOSTAK

Publicity photo for Tufts’ new theater show ‘An Enemy of the People’ (2019) is captured.

by Megan Szostak Assistant Arts Editor

This Thursday, the Tufts Department of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies will open a production of Brad Birch’s 2018 adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s 1882 play, “En Folkefiende” (“An Enemy of the People”) in the Balch Arena Theater. Directed by Noe Montez, associate professor of Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies as well as the director of the Ph.D. program in Theatre and Performance, this stage play follows the story of geologist Tom Stockmann’s discovery of water contamination in his town.

“The play explores how the media and corporate interests work to cover up this environmental crisis so they don’t experience any of the consequences or ramifications from it despite being culpable,” Montez said in an interview with the Daily.

This plotline is eerily resonant with the concerns of modern climate activists. “I thought about the numerous environmental and climate crises that are affecting the world at this given moment,” Montez said regarding his proposal of “An Enemy of the People” to the production’s selection committee, “and the ways that both the media and corporate interests are complicit and perpetuating a sense that there is nothing to be done when there are demonstrated measurable steps that we can take both as individuals and through our governmental entities.”

Montez noted a second parallel between the themes of the show and modern media and consumers. “One of the themes that emerges for the corporate interest in this play is to think about the media as an enemy of the people,” Montez said. “This is language that has been echoed by fascist and dictatorial regimes throughout the history of the 20th century, and notably with President Trump on Twitter with some degree of regularity.”

Taite Pierson, a junior psychology and environmental studies double major and drama and dance double minor, plays the role of Kate, Tom’s wife, in the production.

She shares Montez’s sentiments regarding individual-institution relations, and offered advice for audience members.

“I want people to think about what makes us believe certain people what makes us care about certain things and how can we work understanding other people’s perspectives in order to have the best possible outcome,” Pierson said.

In recent years, perhaps as a result of the media coverage surrounding the climate crisis, there have been several adaptations of Ibsen’s original play. Montez shared that there were certain aspects of Birch’s adaptation that lent themselves well to this departmental production.

“What resonated with me in this particular adaptation is the contemporaneity of the language, the streamlining of the plot and the ways that it really does serve to sharpen the focus of its energies and thinking about the people who control and shape public debate at the highest levels of capital and cultural power,” Montez said. It is perhaps this “streamlining of the plot” that allowed the Tufts production of the show to employ several non-traditional directorial choices.

Emma Mandziuk, a first-year enrolled in the SMFA combined-degree program who plays the role of Petra, Tom’s daughter, told the Daily that this production places a unique emphasis on the budding love story between Petra and Billing, played by senior Nikhil Nandagopal.

“It makes you want their relationship to succeed, but you now think about the environmental impacts and how that will affect their lives,” Mandziuk said. “It brings the environmental consequences of what the play is about into everyone’s homes, and focuses on the domestic sphere and how that relates to the bigger picture.”

Nandagopal, a psychology major, said that this production is unique in that it represents historically underrepresented groups in theatre, notably with Kate and Tom being a same-sex couple — as Tom is cast as a woman in Tufts’ production.

“I feel like this relationship between Kate and Tom, being a same-sex relationship, is amazing for representation; there should be a lot more of that,” Nandagopal said. “I also want people to think about how the power dynamic would have changed if that relationship were presented differently, and that they think about how women like Tom in the real world who are exceptionally good at their jobs try to assert themselves but cannot because of bureaucratic, political and systemic forms of oppression.” Nandagopal did follow this by stating his belief that the theatre world still has a long way to go in terms of equal representation.

Montez and other members of the production staff led company members in frequent discussions regarding the themes of

the play, and have promoted conversation among cast members. Pierson expressed her gratitude surrounding the space created for discussion.

“I have loved all of the conversations we’ve had throughout this process. It has been one of the most enriching rehearsal experiences I’ve had because the topics are so important.

We are constantly thinking about the bigger themes and constantly asking questions.

Even backstage, the actors will talk about [the themes] … it’s very Tufts.”

The cast members all expressed that they hope to leave audience members feeling inspired to think about these bigger themes and help people achieve a mindset in which they can create their own spaces for discussion of these issues, rather than letting the “enemies of the people” silence discussion.

“I would really like [the audience] to ponder and think critically about the ways that different stakeholders address environmental issues,” Nandagopal shared. “I feel like we don’t challenge systems enough, and if this is a system that they think they should challenge, they should go for it,” Nandagopal added.

This production has involved a collaboration with the campus Eco-Reps and the Office of Sustainability. According to Montez, a display highlighting local and relevant climate issues will be presented in the lobby of the Balch Arena Theater after performances, alongside a display focused on the work of environmental activist Lois Gibbs, a Tufts honorary degree recipient and the initiator of the Love Canal investigation, which led to the discovery that a neighborhood in Niagara Falls, NY, had been built on top of a toxic waste dump — a situation not unlike Tom’s in “An Enemy of the People.”

Mandziuk offered thoughts in response to the multidisciplinary approach to this production.

“At the end of the day, theatre should be an amalgamation of a bunch of different disciplines because we are supposed to mirror real-life as best we can. Interdisciplinary work, that’s what Tufts is all about.”

“An Enemy of the People” opens this weekend in the Balch Arena Theater with shows at 8 p.m. on Oct. 24–26, and a second round of shows at 8 p.m. from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2. Tickets are $10 for students except for Oct. 24 when they are $5, and Oct. 31 when they are $1. Tickets can be purchased through the Tufts Drama and Dance tickets website or at the Aidekman box office.

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Tuesday, October 22, 2019 | ADVERTISEMENT | THE TUFTS DAILY

K

Featuring Speaker

DAVID SHEFF Author of number-one New York Times Bestseller Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction, adapted for international feature film Beautiful Boy featuring Steve Carell and Timothee Chalamet

WED, OCTOBER 23 LECTURE AT 8:00PM | COHEN AUDITORIUM

Tickets available Wednesday, October 16 at 10:00am at the Campus Center or Online at https://tuftstickets.universitytickets.com

TUFTSHILLEL.ORG

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THE TUFTS DAILY | FUN&GAMES | Tuesday, October 22, 2019

F &G FUN & GAMES

tuftsdaily.com LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY Ryan E: “When I talk, and I don’t know what to say next, I just lie.”

SUDOKU

LINDA C. BLACK ASTROLOGY

Libra (Sept. 23 – Oct. 22)

Help others on your team to understand a subtlety that you recognize. A lucky opportunity beckons. Cheer everyone on.

Together you can win.

__________________________________

BE AN OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR FOR THE TUFTS DAILY Difficulty Level: Accidentally sleeping through your 10:30 three times in one week

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ALL ARE WELCOME Submit a Tufts-related piece of 600 words to:

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Opinion CARTOON

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Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Deeksha Bathini Looking for Life, Destroying Life

Diseases make a comeback

E

BY MARIA FONG

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.

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Opinion articles on campus, national and international issues should be 600 to 1,200 words in length and submitted to opinion@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.

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limination is local. Eradication is global. Elimination refers to the decrease of a particular disease to a very low defined target number in a particular geographical region. Eradication, however, is defined as the complete and permanent global reduction of a disease to zero. Think of it like this — elimination is a step to eradication. In the history of the world, smallpox is the only disease to be completely eradicated.

Smallpox was the perfect candidate for eradication. It was only transmitted from humans to humans, which is important because diseases that can be spread by animals and soil cannot be eradicated. Additionally, smallpox caused rash, and specific visual symptoms make diseases more diagnosable. The vaccine was also incredibly effective, cheap and accessible.

The last case of wild smallpox was in 1977.

When a disease is eradicated, the public health infrastructure to protect populations from said illness diminishes. When no one has the disease, it no longer becomes a threat.

Even today, the eradication of smallpox is coined as one of public health’s greatest accomplishments, but both eradication and elimination are becoming harder and harder to achieve. In fact, measles was eliminated in the Americas in 2016, but the disease has since reemerged. In Venezuela there has been an outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease which has since spilled over into neighboring countries, according to The World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization.

This issue strikes fear into the world of public health because the sudden reemergence of measles is hard to mitigate in a nation riddled with political turbulence. In fact, the country is in the midst of a complex humanitarian crisis.

As a result, healthcare professionals are fleeing, and public health infrastructure is crumbling.

The national immunization program was halted in 2010 while access to primary care professionals was also hindered. As of this year, the most affected group has been Venezuela’s indigenous people, and their death toll is increasing. The disease has been reported in Colombia and Brazil, indicating a need for immediate attention and possibly a revocation of its distinction as a “measles-free region.”

Other vaccine-preventable diseases such as diphtheria and polio are also regaining ground in Venezuela, with the lack of accessibility to vaccines causing increases in case counts.

Current recommendations include encouraging the current government to push for immediate relief in the name of humanitarian necessity, increased epidemiological surveillance systems to monitor incidence rates and mass vaccination efforts with greater intentionality in low-resource communities.

I want to emphasize the gravity of this situation — diseases that were no longer a problem are coming back. In an increasingly globalized world, the threat of transmission is graver than ever before. Measles, polio and diphtheria are fatal and incredibly contagious. We need to pay attention to Central and South America right now because it is a tragedy that people around the world are dying from diseases that are entirely vaccine preventable because of political power struggles. Additionally, disease knows no borders — there’s no saying if these deadly diseases could affect you and me.

Deeksha Bathini is a junior studying community health. Deeksha can be reached at deeksha.bathini@tufts.edu.

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THE TUFTS DAILY | Sports | Tuesday, October 22, 2019

tuftsdaily.com

Spend Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with the IGL! Wednesday, October 23, Mugar 235, 6:00pm The IGL Middle East Research Group (formerly NIMEP) presents

Salt, Fat, Acid, Repeat: Hummus Past and Present This talk charts the medieval history of hummus recipes as a basis for understanding its present. Come eat Middle Eastern food and hear Dr. Anny Gaul, cultural historian of food and gender in the Arabic-speaking world, discuss the links between cuisine and history in the MENA region.

Thursday, October 24, Cabot 205, 7:30pm The IGL Latin American Committee presents

Reflections on Peacebuilding in Colombia and Haiti with Mauricio Artiñano (A’06, EPIIC’04) currently serves with the UN Verification Mission in Colombia, where he has been Mission Planning Officer, Special Assistant to the Head of Mission, and Senior Reporting Officer; he also leads the Mission’s youth engagement strategy. Mauricio has served with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), and the UN Mission in Colombia, the predecessor to the current verification mission. From 2008 to 2009, Mauricio was a diplomat for Costa Rica during its term as elected member of the United Nations Security Council.

Helaina Stein (A’10, EPIIC’08) is Political Officer for Hemispheric Security at the U.S. Mission to the Organization of American States and is a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State. She served as Vice Consul in the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Helaina also was a Mapper, Evaluator, and Volunteer Coordinator with Ushahidi Haiti Crisis Mapping for Earthquake Response in Haiti and, while a student at the IGL, cofounded Research and Engagement Supporting Poverty Elimination: Haiti (RESPE: Haiti).

Friday, October 25, Coolidge Room, 2:00pm The IGL presents

U.S. Policy in Afghanistan: A Conversation with Amb. Daniel Feldman (A’90, EPIIC’88) Ambassador Feldman previously served as deputy and then Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (SRAP) at the U.S. Department of State, where he was accorded the personal rank of Ambassador by President Obama. He was a principal advisor to Secretaries of State John Kerry and Hillary Rodham Clinton regarding Afghanistan, Pakistan, and broader South, Central, and East Asian issues.

In over six years at the State Department spearheading the Afghanistan and Pakistan portfolio, he oversaw all economic development initiatives, international engagement, strategic communications, Congressional outreach, and external stakeholder efforts. He frequently testified before Senate and House Committees, briefed Members and staff, engaged with dozens of Foreign and Finance Ministries in launching the International Contact Group, and served as principal interlocutor with international and regional media outlets, NGOs, and thinktanks.

His distinguished government career also includes serving as Director of Multilateral and Humanitarian Affairs at the National Security Council in the Clinton Administration and as counsel and communications adviser to the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. He also was senior foreign policy and national security advisor to the Hillary Clinton, Obama, Kerry, and Gore presidential campaigns, as well as a senior campaign advisor to Sen. Mark Warner. Ambassador Feldman has been awarded a White House Fellowship and a Henry Luce Scholarship, and served as a clerk on both the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the South African Supreme (Constitutional) Court.

Refreshments will be served at all three events For more information, tuftsgloballeadership.org

Sports

Tuesday, October 22, 2019 | Sports | THE TUFTS DAILY

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Sports

12 Tuesday, October 22, 2019

David Meyer Postgame Press

I

Family matters

was not the best athlete as a kid.

My dad was no professional athlete, but his athletic prowess in the North Shore summer camp circuit was well-regarded amongst his peers whenever they visited my camp. I had some sports I was okay at, but I was really bad at a few sports. Most specifically was basketball, which is still a sport upon which I cannot say I pride myself.

That said, I grew into some skill at other sports and can hold my own in any recreational leagues that I find myself playing in.

All of this is one long-winded opening to today’s topic: Having one family member play a professional sport is pretty special, but there are some crazy families out there that have plenty.

I have no argument in this column, no sides to take. I just feel like it would be a good time to point out some fatherson or brother-brother or father-sonson families that have played in the big leagues. It’s easy to get into Major League Baseball (MLB), right? Only 0.4% of high school baseball players get a shot at the MLB. The real challenge is getting your son to play in the MLB, just like his pops. The MLB has had some fun with the father-son combo. Barry and Bobby Bonds are a famous pair. Right now, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has entered the MLB and he did it wearing his dad’s jersey. Guerrero Jr. already put on a show in the Home Run Derby, setting a single-round record and only losing against the man who just broke the rookie home-run record. It should be fun to watch him grow, under his father’s loving and watchful eye. On Aug. 31, 1990, Ken Griffey Jr. and Ken Griffey Sr. not only played in the MLB at the same time, but they also played on the same team! They hit back-to-back home runs and a week later stole each other’s catches. Making it is tough. Starring side-by-side? Nearly impossible. Do not get me started on the Boones. My dad and I played catch in the yard, which was great, but not quite the same.

In terms of the National Football League (NFL), there have been some great familial combinations. From the Kelce brothers to the McCourtys to the Colquitts to the recently inspirational Griffins, the NFL has shown it must be pretty easy to make it, if two per family can do it. Oh, no? Just 0.08% of high school players play in the NFL. Kids.

Do not quit your day job (of studying).

Having two brothers in the NFL is simple. What’s tougher is to be a multi-ProBowler and College Hall of Famer and still have your sons make it. That’s what the Mannings have done, with Peyton and Eli combining for four Super Bowl rings. Not bad.

The newest case of brothers in the NFL have taken their game one step up: The trio instead of duo of brothers JJ, TJ and Derek Watt. You know what? These three are all related by blood and NFL studs. My dad was good at sports for a summer camp and I barely got a bit of even that? Unfair.

David Meyer is a senior studying film and media studies. David can be reached at david.meyer@tufts.edu.

tuftsdaily.com

Sykes goal in 88th minute propels women’s soccer to Homecoming draw

BEN KIM / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES

Sophomore forward Melina McDevitt prepares to strike the ball in the Homecoming game against Amherst at Kraft Field on Sept. 29, 2018.

by Ananda Kao Staff Writer

This Homecoming weekend, the No. 12 Tufts women’s soccer team tied 2–2 in an electric double-overtime matchup against fellow NESCAC rival Conn. College.

After trailing 2–1 for most of the second half, a Conn. College foul gave Tufts sophomore midfielder Lily Sykes a free kick from the left side of the 18-yard box. Sykes fired off a shot that slipped past a wall of five defenders at the 88:54 minute mark to tie the game 2–2.

The last minute remained scoreless, sending the match into the first overtime period. Despite two shots by the Camels and one by the Jumbos, neither team found the back of the net. During the second overtime period, Tufts fired off two shots and Conn. College had one, yet again, none went in and the game ended in a 2–2 tie.

This tie brought Tufts’ overall record to 10–1–2 and 6–1–1 in the NESCAC. The Jumbos are currently ranked No. 1 in the NESCAC, remaining undefeated at home with just two games left in the regular season. Conn. College ranks No. 5 in the NESCAC with a 4–3–1 record and a 9–3–1 record overall.

With recent injuries, Tufts changed its formation going into Saturday’s game, sophomore defender Kylie Metcalf explained.

“One of our boundaries was that so many people are hurt, but we adjusted well,” Metcalf said. “Some new people played, which was good, and they all really stepped up and helped us out.”

Although they normally play a 3–5–2 formation, the Jumbos adjusted to a 4–3–3 in order to play to the strengths of their healthy players.

“Our bread and butter are playing to those outside midfielders and getting up the field, so with two of them injured we had to think of something new,” Sykes said. “We went with a 4–3–3, which suited

our personnel and I think it went well, but something was missing.”

Coach Martha Whiting spoke further about what led the Jumbos to their last-minute tie.

“It was all about staying composed, playing quickly, playing good team defense and just playing tough, hard and smart,” Whiting said.

Metcalf scored the first goal of the game in the 22nd minute, heading the ball in off of a corner kick from junior forward Liz Reed. This was Metcalf’s second goal of the season and Reed’s sixth assist. Reed leads the NESCAC with 22 points on the season.

The Jumbos’ lead did not last long, however, with the Camels firing a penalty kick past first-year goalie Hayley Bernstein just 20 seconds later. The first half ended in a 1–1 tie.

Six minutes into the second half, Conn.

College scored off a corner kick, giving them a 2–1 lead. This lead lasted for most of the game until Sykes’ goal tied the game again and pushed it into overtime. This was Sykes’ third goal of the season.

Sophomore forward Sophia Wallach praised her team’s grit throughout the game, commending Sykes’ last-minute goal.

“Our resilience was really evident throughout the whole game,” Wallach said.

“We didn’t get off to the start that we wanted to, but just the fact that Sykes was able to score that goal with about a minute left in the game showed that we didn’t give up throughout the whole game — we just kept pushing through.”

Although the Jumbos did not play their best throughout regulation play, Sykes credited the defense for winning many 50/50 balls. After switching back to their normal 3–5–2 formation at the end of the second half, the Jumbos got back into their rhythm and put the pressure on during overtime. Unfortunately, they were unable to find the back of the net.

“I think that changing back to a 3–5–2 was better for our offense, we’re more used

to it and we just knew how to play that better,” Sykes said. “Once we switched to that by the end of the second half and two overtimes, it was a completely different game.”

Whiting continued off of Sykes’ remarks, applauding the team’s performance at the end of the second half and in overtime.

“I thought we picked it up in overtime.

We were really inconsistent throughout the course of the first ninety minutes, we didn’t play our best game,” Whiting said. “But I thought that coming back to tie it with just under two minutes left was phenomenal.

Then, the way we played in the overtimes was really great. I thought we really turned it on and had a bunch of scoring opportunities, so we were really proud of that.”

The Jumbos face off against the Middlebury Panthers at 12 p.m. Saturday during Tufts Parents and Family Weekend.

Whiting spoke about the team’s prospects and goals heading into the game.

“We want to make sure we’re all on the same page as a team, defensively,” Whiting said. “We want to continue to create good scoring opportunities, so just making sure that our backs are playing consistently to our forwards and our midfielders. And then that our midfielders and forwards are combining well. We need to have a competitive mentality going into all of the games that are coming up.”

Tufts is seeing one of its best seasons in over 10 years. As they near postseason play, the Jumbos are looking to make a deep run in both NESCACs as well as the NCAAs. “It’s really easy to take the season for granted, so we can’t take any days lightly, we can’t take any team lightly. It’s all very important at this point and if we keep that in mind, we’ll make a long run hopefully,” Wallach said.

“I think that we’re going to make a deep run into NCAAs and I think that we have the potential to win the NESCAC championship. I’m looking forward to improving as a team and getting to that championship game in both the NESCACs and NCAAs,” Sykes said.