Thursday, February 8, 2018

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Bridge Club looks to engage young people with competitive card-playing see FEATURES/ PAGE 4

MENS TRACK

Jumbos perform well at Cupid Challenge

‘This Is Us’ brings expected death, unexpected consequences see ARTS&LIVING / PAGE 6

SEE SPORTS / BACK PAGE

THE

VOLUME LXXV, ISSUE 10

INDEPENDENT

STUDENT

N E W S PA P E R

OF

TUFTS

UNIVERSITY

E S T. 1 9 8 0

T HE T UFTS DAILY tuftsdaily.com

Thursday, February 8, 2018

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS.

Al Gore outlines steps to mitigate climate change at Tisch College event by Joe Walsh and Liza Harris

News Editor and Assistant News Editor

Former Vice President Al Gore warned about the consequences of climate change and outlined the steps that individuals can take to better the environment at a talk at Tufts yesterday. The event was hosted by the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life, as part of its Distinguished Speaker Series. Kelly Sims Gallagher, a professor of energy and environmental policy at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, moderated the discussion. Gallagher’s academic focus is on climate issues, and she worked previously in Gore’s office during his time as Vice President in Bill Clinton’s administration. The event lasted close to an hour and a half. Roughly 400 tickets were distributed at the Mayer Campus Center on Feb. 1, and close to 550 people were expected to attend the event, including students, faculty, staff, alumni and community leaders, according to Jennifer McAndrew, director of communications, strategy and planning at Tisch College. Seventy-five to 80 percent of tickets went to students, McAndrew said. Gore expressed alarm at the ongoing changes to the Earth’s climate, which he

says could presage an ecological disaster. Greenhouse gas emissions, as well as ozone depletion, risk causing droughts, sea level rises and changes to currents in the air and water, Gore explained. He named the crisis as an existential threat to human civilization, especially as parts of the planet become uninhabitable or ravaged by extreme weather. “Everything we know really has developed within this envelope of ideal conditions,” Gore said. “We are now pushing out of that envelope in very dramatic ways, and the consequences are far more severe than most people realize.” Gore also voiced his concern that policymakers are not keeping pace with the onset of climate change and its impacts, though he does believe there are viable solutions, especially given the growing affordability of renewable energy. In an interview with the Daily, Gore stressed the importance of immediate policy changes to combat climate change. He asserted that his first priority is to make greenhouse gas emissions costly by introducing a carbon tax or cap-and-trade system. “I’m optimistic because technology is working in our favor,” Gore told the Daily. “But we need policy changes, and in order to solve the climate crisis, we need to spend time fixing the democracy crisis.”

COURTESY EDDIE SAMUELS

Former Vice President Al Gore speaks at a Distinguished Speaker Series event hosted by the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life in Cohen Auditorium on Wednesday, Feb. 7. Gore acknowledged the need for climate change activists to scrutinize political candidates and their stances on environmental issues. He says candidates that are serious about mitigating climate change should be held accountable to several core questions.

“Do they support a price on carbon, directly or indirectly?” he asked. “Are they willing to make it one of their two or three top priorities in the agenda they’re promoting? Are they staffing up to master see GORE, page 2

Hank Azaria and Joe Schrank address mental health, substance abuse

Tufts offers new summer abroad program in Cádiz, Spain

by Conor Friedmann

by Abbie Gruskin

Contributing Writer

Hank Azaria (LA ’87), an Emmywinning actor, and Joe Schrank, founder of TheFix.com, a website dedicated to disseminating news about addiction and recovery, addressed mental health and addiction yesterday evening in an event co-sponsored by the Dean of Student Affairs Office and Health and Wellness at Tufts. Dean of Student Affairs Mary Pat McMahon moderated the conversation which was followed by a brief question-and-answer session. The event gave students an opportunity to learn and ask questions about mental health issues relevant on campus. There were about 40 students in attendance. Azaria described the role of substances in shaping his college experience, both in Hollywood and at Tufts.

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“College, to me, was a place where everyone was a temporary alcoholic. It’s the culture,” he said. “I went in and out of struggling with it. One thing I learned in life is that there’s no shame in asking for help.” Azaria explained that seeking out a supportive community is critical in helping a person deal with mental health issues or addiction recovery, emphasizing that recovery is not possible without help. He also stressed the importance of destigmatizing mental health. “I’m here today because I realize how different my life would have been, if when I had been attending [Tufts] … I knew where I could get help if I needed it,” he said. A significant part of the conversation focused on the intersection of mental health problems and substance abuse. Schrank also spoke about the intense drinking culture in college and see HANK AZARIA, page 2

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tuftsdaily

Contributing Writer

This May, a new five-and-a-half-week study abroad program in Cádiz, Spain will be added to the growing collection of summer language and culture programs offered by Tufts, according to Spanish language and literature lecturer Amy Millay. According to Spanish lecturer Maria Ester Rincón Calero, the new program is the first of its type for students learning Spanish at Tufts, modeled after the summer abroad program in Talloires, France for students learning French. Five different courses will be offered, and students will have the opportunity to select two matching their proficiency, Millay said. According to Millay, course options will include two levels of language courses, two levels of culture courses and one

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upper-level literature course. The upper-level culture and literature courses will be on Spanish art history and Andalusian literature. Rincón Calero said that the program will allow for students to interact with the local community in addition to taking classes. “Students have the opportunity to do volunteer work, which would be a great experience [allowing them] to expose themselves to the Spanish language,” Rincón Calero said. The stay in Cádiz will also focus on cultural learning, according to Millay. “Each of these courses is designed to take full advantage of the surroundings of Cádiz, including visits to museums, writers’ homes, historical sites, etc.,” Millay said. “The curriculum is focused on the rich literary and cultural history of

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

see CÁDIZ, page 2

COMICS.......................................9 OPINION...................................10 SPORTS............................ BACK


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