The Tufts Daily - Monday, March 5, 2018

Working in campaigns offer students first-hand experience with local politics see FEATURES / PAGE 4

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Thrive and advance: Tufts routs NCAA tournament opponents

What to look for on the big screen in March see ARTS&LIVING / PAGE 5

SEE SPORTS / BACK PAGE

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Monday, March 5, 2018

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Thirty-third annual EPIIC Symposium engages with globalization, technology, mass atrocities

by Jessica Blough, Liza Harris and Conor Friedmann Daily Staff

Last week, the Tufts Institute for Global Leadership (IGL) hosted its Norris and Margery Bendetson Education for Public Inquiry and International Citizenship (EPIIC) International Symposium, titled “Is the Liberal World Order Ending?” The symposium is organized by students in the EPIIC class under the guidance of Director of the IGL Abi Williams, a professor of the practice at international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. The symposium began Thursday evening, March 1, and ran until Saturday, March 3, covering many topics in international relations, including technology and globalization, mass humanitarian crises and populism.

The event kicked off with a panel on Thursday evening focusing on transnational challenges. Panelists were Samantha Gross, the former director of Office of International Climate and Clean Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy; W. Andy Knight, a professor of international relations at the University of Alberta; and Jonathan Prentice, Chief of Office for the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for International Migration at the United Nations.

Technology and Globalization Two panels held on Friday in Lane Hall addressed the implications of the end of the liberal world order and how technology has impacted and will continue to impact the world today.

The first panel, titled “The Changing Social Contract? Globalization and Technology in the 21st Century,” was moderated by Kai Abe McGuire, a senior in the EPIIC class. The panel included Michael Handel, an associate professor of sociology at Northeastern University; Thomas Kochan, the George Maverick Bunker professor of management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management; Nawaf Obaid, a visiting fellow for intelligence and defense projects at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School; and Jeff Vogel, managing partner at Bulger Partners.

The panel began at 12:30 p.m. Williams gave opening remarks, saying that the discussion about the possibility of the end of the liberal order has “profound implications for the international system.”

“It is my hope that this symposium will be a catalyst for new ideas,” Williams said.

Each speaker delivered 10-minute opening remarks and then were given an opportunity to ask each other questions.

The audience was then allowed to ask the speakers questions.

The panelists discussed the effects of technology on the economy in the United States and throughout the world. Handel explained that the late 1980s ushered in an age of neoliberalism.

“This is a picture of laissez-faire, free markets and non-intervention,” Handel explained.

Kochan further discussed the relationship between wages and productivity in the labor market. According to Kochan, productivity has steadily increased since

COURTESY EVAN SAYLES

Allan Rock receives the Dr. Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award in the ASEAN auditorium on March 3. the end of the Second World War, but wages have flatlined.

“This is why we have so much anger and division in our society today. This is our generation’s responsibility to change,” Kochan said.

Obaid and Vogel spoke on the international effects of technology and globalization.

Audience members asked about the panelists’ opinions on minimum wage, social inequality and the future of humanities and social science in a world that is increasingly technological.

“There will always be a necessity for the social sciences,” Handel asserted.

“It’s the combination of the technical skills and the social skills that are the key to success in the labor market,” Kochan

added. Kochan also discussed the possible negative implications of technology in the workplace, mentioning the way Uber and other companies treat their workers.

“We can use technologies for ill or for good,” he said.

Finally, Kochan discussed the importance of emotional intelligence in the workplace.

“Emotional work is part of what we do in today’s world,” he said.

Mass Atrocities The second panel began around 3 p.m. and was moderated by Jessica Newman, a sophomore. The panel, titled “The Future of R2P? Mass Atrocities and the Liberal World see EPIIC SYMPOSIUM, page 2

Fletcher Political Risk Conference tackles technology’s global ramifications

by Natasha Mayor News Editor

The Fletcher Political Risk Group (FPRG), a student group at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, hosted its annual political risk conference, entitled “New Frontiers: Emerging Technologies and Political Risk,” on March 2. The conference is the only one of its kind in North America, according to co-chair Zoltán Fehér, a diplomat from Hungary and a Ph.D. candidate in international relations at Fletcher.

Fehér said FPRG wanted to pick a specific and timely theme for the conference and ultimately decided on technology. He said conference speakers would address both how rogue

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actors use technology for dangerous activities and how corporations are using technology in a beneficial way to reduce risks.

“Political risk is a booming field. It looks like every company in bordering industries wants to get involved in political risk,” Fehér said.

“The industry itself is increasingly looking at this conference as an industry forum.”

Everyone from consulting companies to law firms to banks is becoming increasingly concerned with political risk, according to Fehér. Analysis of political risk used to be focused on developing countries, but the trend is shifting.

“Political risk firms increasingly work on developed countries because the whole political architecture has become much

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more blurred and chaotic,” Fehér said.

“Things are changing at a fast pace, even in developed countries. There’s a whole new subject area that political risk needs to cover.”

Conference attendees included industry professionals in political risk insurance, consulting and in-house employees, as well as Fletcher students, according to FPRG Media Director Quinn Rask (LA ’12), a firstyear Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy candidate.

“There is a mixture of students who are interested in the subject and practitioners who can come in and provide context,” Rask said. “This is both a teaching and a networking opportunity for people who are working in this space.”

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Following an employer showcase in the morning, University President Anthony Monaco opened the conference and commented on its theme.

“This year’s conference is focused on a theme that businesses and governments around the world are striving to manage: How the pace of technological change and innovations disruptions is affecting the pre-existing views on risk,” Monaco said.

Keynote Address Siobhan MacDermott (F ’13), Global Cyber Public Policy Executive at Bank of America, delivered the afternoon keynote. see POLITICAL RISK CONFERENCE, page 3

NEWS............................................1 FEATURES.................................4 ARTS & LIVING.......................5

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

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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Monday, March 5, 2018

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In EPIIC symposium, speakers discuss end of liberal world order EPIIC SYMPOSIUM

continued from page 1 Order,” included Kate Cronin-Furman, the author of the forthcoming book “Just Enough: The Politics of Accountability for Mass Atrocities;” Sergey Kislitsyn, a research fellow at the Center for North American Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences; and John Packer, the director of the Human Rights Research and Education Centre at the University of Ottawa.

This panel focused on R2P, the “responsibility to protect” against global humanitarian crises and abuses. The panelists discussed the responsibility to protect sovereign states and states’ primary interests, and to prevent violent conflict.

“Although we mostly hear about the responsibility to protect at the international level, the primary responsibility rests with the sovereign state,” CroninFurman said. “The responsibility to protect is not enough to change a state’s fundamental interests, but it does change the conversation.”

The second panel was structured the same as the first: After panelists’ individual addresses, they heard questions from each other and audience members.

Keynote Address Hayley Oliver-Smith, a senior and a student in the EPIIC colloquium, presented the Jean Mayer Award for International Citizenship to Allan Rock, the Former Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations and Friday night’s keynote speaker. Though the ceremony was briefly interrupted when Rock’s award broke apart and fell to the ground, Rock quickly regained his composure and delivered his address.

Rock indicated that the liberal world order was coming to an end, and he offered a list of nine international and four national steps that can help preserve the liberal world order in the coming years. These included abandoning the notion that the current presidential administration should take full responsibility for the current state of politic, and addressing the anxiety of the public.

“It will take leadership — wide, courageous and sustained — to see us through the tumult that we are in today,” Rock told students. “There is too much at stake for us to remain outside the process of change.”

Following a time for questions and a short break, the audience reconvened for a panel on The Global Nuclear Dilemma: Power, Stability and Proliferation, moderated by EPIIC student and first-year Atrey Bhargava. The three panelists were Ambassador Joanne Adamson, the deputy head of the EU Delegation to the United Nations; Mathieu Duchâtel, the senior policy fellow and deputy director of Asia and China Programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations; and Charles Johnson, director of nuclear programs for International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. Adamson joined the conversation by Skype call because the weather prevented her from attending.

Each panelist took a different approach to what action should be taken to prevent a nuclear crisis. Johnson advocated for total disarmament, Adamson focused on nonproliferation and Duchâtel argued for the effectiveness of imposing sanctions.

“At this stage, there is no place for disarmament talks,” Duchâtel stated.

This panel was also followed by a brief time of audience questions before the Friday portion of the EPIIC Symposium concluded.

Populism and Nationalism On Saturday, the symposium began with another panel, this one titled “A Loss of Faith: The Rise of Populism and Nationalism.” This panel, moderated by senior Liam Flaherty, included Mark Bailey, the former Foreign Affairs Assistant to the UK Prime Minister; Michael Lind, the author of “Land of Promise: An Economic History of the United States;” and Ted Piccone, a senior fellow and Charles W. Robinson chair at the Brookings Institution.

Piccone and Lind both joined the conversation by Skype, as weather conditions prevented them from traveling to Tufts. Packer, a panelist on Friday’s panel “The Future of R2P? Mass Atrocities and the Liberal World Order,” also joined the conversation in person.

All of the panelists argued that a movement from the liberal world order to either nationalism or populism is dangerous, Packer specifically citing the tendency of nationalistic sentiments to be ethno-culturally oriented and turn to a conversation about national purity.

Piccone argued that nationalism and the liberal world order can coexist, but stressed that countries should still prioritize international interests.

“If everyone pursues their own [nation’s] interests without regard for their neighbors or the common good, personal interest turns to conflict,” he said.

Next, University President Anthony Monaco and EPIIC student Leila Li, a junior, introduced Amina J. Mohammed, the Deputy SecretaryGeneral to the United Nations, for her keynote speech, “Repositioning the United Nations: Reinforcing Multilateralism in a Challenging Global Context.”

In her address, Mohammed referenced her upbringing in Nigeria and its impact on her diplomacy, as well as the importance of promoting human rights and specifically women’s rights. She noted the increase in public trust of the United Nations and business organizations, and the responsibility that comes with that increase.

An attendee asked Mohammed if the liberal world order was ending.

“I would say, no it’s not,” she said.

“But multilateralism is challenged as it has never been before, and it is more important than ever that we put our muscle behind it. It is a collective responsibility, it is our home, it is our humanity.”

Evaluating Alternative Forms of Governance On the second day of the EPIIC symposium, a 2:30 p.m. panel, “Challenging the Liberal Order: The Rise of Alternative Forms of Governance,” was moderated by EPIIC student Brendan Foley, a first-year.

Panelists included Tarun Chhabra of the Brookings Institution; Zoltán Fehér, former Hungarian diplomat and Ph.D. candidate at the Fletcher School; W. Andy Knight, who had spoken at Thursday’s panel on transnational issues; Feodor Voytolovsky, director of the Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations at the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Fehér, the first to speak, explained the rise of what he called “mixed system forms of government, or gray zone systems,” in Russia and China. He warned of the threat that these hybrid systems posed to the liberal world order, especially combined with the United States’ recent activities.

“The United States created the system and became the system operator,” Fehér said. “Now, the U.S. is withdrawing from this role.”

Chhabra examined the role of China in the liberal order by exhibiting China’s naval actions. “[China tries to] revise the status quo and do so just below the threshold of triggering U.S. action,” he said.

He explained how such actions threaten the current “rules and normsbased” system. He explained that the U.S.-led world order — the “garden” — is coming to an end, and that a new world order without the United States’ leadership — a “jungle” — is threatening to supersede it.

“The real question is whether we want to maintain the little garden we cut out in the jungle,” Chhabra said.

Voytolovsky, the third panelist, talked about the state of the current global system and its favoritism toward Western nations.

“This group of allies has become the group of specials in the international system,” he said.

He also spoke of the hypocrisy of western nations in choosing democratic and non-democratic allies like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

Voytolovsky ended by claiming that nuclear weapons can make international actors more careful without the competitiveness of economic interdependence.

Knight, the final speaker, spoke of hybrid governance as a move towards illiberalism, using Hungary as an example. “[Prime Minister of Hungary Victor Orban’s] 2014 speech was the epitome of illiberal states. The elites have one set of rights and the masses have another,” Knight said.

Following the panel, various experts led small group discussions and first-year EPIIC student Haruka Noishki presented the Robert and JoAnn Bendetson Public Diplomacy Award to Voytolovsky.

The United States in the World Order The symposium’s final panel, taking place Saturday night, was moderated by first-year Matthew Jourlait.

The panel examined the role of the United States in the liberal world order and featured Daniel Benaim, former speechwriter at the White House; Daniel Drezner, professor of international politics at The Fletcher School; and Anthony Dworkin, senior policy fellow at the European Council of Foreign Relations. The panel also featured Voytolovsky.

Drezner spoke about U.S. President Donald Trump’s role in the liberal order.

“Trump equates a success[ful] American foreign policy with whether people are treating him personally well,” he said.

Drezner said that Trump’s approach has damaged American soft power and diplomacy.

“It’s become ‘America the Dispensable,’” Drezner said.

Benaim explained the links between domestic and international policy in the liberal order.

“Every time the words ‘liberal international order’ are uttered, a Trump supporter or Brexiter is born,” he explained.

Dworkin offered a European perspective on relations with the U.S. “Europe is mainly institutionalist, while the U.S. usually goes against that,” he explained.

This disconnect in views, he said, has led to a fraying of relations between European countries and the United States.

News

Monday, March 5, 2018 | News | THE TUFTS DAILY

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Raphael Minder talks national identity, fake news in Catalonia during Fletcher Political Risk Conference Audience members shouted out different 1, 2017 Catalan independence referendum, Electric (GE), talked about GE’s transition into POLITICAL RISK CONFERENCE

continued from page 1 One of her key points was the importance of cross-industry sharing of knowledge. She advocated for business professionals and computer science professionals to bridge the gap between their industries and start communicating more.

“They don’t speak the same language. In general, there’s a translation layer missing,” MacDermott said. “There’s a great opportunity to balance those two. And what sits squarely in that debate, I think, is the notion of both geopolitical and political risk.”

She told the Fletcher students that whether or not they understand the computer science aspects of political risk, they should at least learn enough so they know what questions to ask.

MacDermott said that cyber attackers have the huge advantage of acting as a single entity and sharing information without any regulations. They are not restricted in the same way that governments and corporations are.

“I don’t think this is a problem that can be solved alone,” she said. “The government can’t solve it and the private sector can’t solve it.

We have to work together, and I think we also have to work across borders with international partners.”

To illustrate the importance of having difficult conversations, MacDermott asked the conference attendees to consider the hypothetical example of a cyber blackout across a country. She posed the following question: In what order should things come back online?

ideas such as water, communications and banks. MacDermott explained that everyone thinks their own industry is the most important, so compromise is necessary.

“It really is a matter of different opinions,” MacDermott said. “These are really, really big, complex problems. Unfortunately, as you cross borders, they get more complicated.”

MacDermott said she has hired many Fletcher alumni to work with her because they are willing to consider all sides of a situation and find a solution that truly works.

“There’s a lot of heated debate in terms of exchange of ideas,” she said. “This is what I love about the true Fletcher style of disagreement, where you have people on opposite poles who actually argue about something and come to something better as opposed to giving up.”

Breakout Sessions The morning breakout sessions dealt with political risk on a macro scale, featuring conversations about cyber risk, regulations and crisis management. The afternoon breakout sessions zoned in on more specific issues such as social media, sustainability and virtual terror.

New York Times Spain and Portugal Correspondent Raphael Minder’s session was entitled “Catalonia: A Case Study on Social Media and Crisis.”

Minder talked about how the Catalan call for a referendum last fall followed close on the heels of the Spanish government’s resolution with the Basque country. He said officials in Madrid fear that if they acknowledge the Oct.

then the Basque country will again begin asking for independence.

Minder said the Spanish constitution does not adequately detail division of power. In Post-Franco Spain, Catalonians were granted power over controlling their own health and education, a decision Minder said is problematic for the Spanish government.

“If you want to create national identity, and you hand over education, you put yourself in a very difficult position,” he said.

Minder said he has observed that the level of fake news in Spain parallels that of the United States. He said that in Spain, there is growing distrust of established media organizations, but he could not understand why.

“There is fake news on both sides,” he said.

“We have reached a level of division over basic facts which is exactly on the same scale as that of here in America about whether Trump’s inauguration was well-attended or not.”

In regard to the challenge of analyzing political risk, Minder said it is becoming more complex, and therefore more important.

“I think the ability to predict where risk arises has fallen because there are more players on more equal footing than in the days of the Cold War,” Minder said in an interview with the Daily. “Societies are fragmenting as well. The political elite is in general much less connected with the electorate than it used to be.”

Featured Conversation Alex Dimitrief, President and CEO at Global Growth Organization and Senior Vice President and General Counsel at General

Events on the Hill ­— Week of March 5

by Elie Levine

Executive News Editor

MONDAY “University Open Forum: Alumnae Lounge Murals” Details: In conjunction with Tufts University Art Galleries, the Consortium of Studies in Race, Colonialism and Diaspora will be hosting a panel addressing representation in the murals in the Alumnae Lounge. Panelists will include Director of the Consortium of Studies in Race, Colonialism and Diaspora and Associate Professor of Art and Art History Adriana Zavala, Director of the Africana Center Katrina Moore and Tufts students Maxine Bell, Sung-Min Kim and Ryan Tam.

the 21st century and its changing relationship with customers.

Dimitrief talked about the novel idea of predictive maintenance for products such as airplanes.

“Before a problem arises, you can identify it,” he said. “Imagine a world in which an aircraft engine is going to be talking to the control tower and saying, ‘We’re going to need a new blade when we land in Atlanta,’ and having the airline be able to get that part there waiting for the plane when it gets there.”

Dimitrief said that countries trying to assert sovereignty over data are regressive and create unnecessary borders. He said GE persuades its customers to grant GE secondary rights to their data so that the company can aggregate and learn from its customers’ data.

“We have been very interested in global standards that allow for interoperability across jurisdictions,” he said. “I hope we can continue to make some progress in this area, because it’s important. It’s complicated, but there’s so much at stake.”

Outgoing Provost David Harris closed the conference. He talked about the benefits of the university’s new Bridge professor initiative, by which the university hires professors who teach courses that span across departments.

“One of the challenges in universities is that we hire people in departments, but problems the world faces don’t really align with departments very well,” he said.

Where and when: Alumnae Lounge; 4–5:30 p.m.

TUESDAY “U.S.-Japan Naval Leadership Talk” Details: The Fletcher Japan Club will host retired Admiral Tomohisa Takei, formerly the highest-ranked officer in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and retired Rear Admiral Robert Girrier, the former director of U.S. Navy Unmanned Warfare Systems, who will discuss policy challenges in the relationship between the U.S. and Japan in the maritime arena.

Where and when: 51 Winthrop St.; 5:45–8 p.m.

WEDNESDAY “Chinese Surplus: Race and Value” Details: Ari Heinrich, an associate pro-

fessor of modern Chinese literature, comparative literature, and cultural studies at the University of California, San Diego, will compare politics of the body in contemporary Chinese and transnational literature, media and art.

Where and when: Fung House, 48 Professors Row; 4:30–6:30 p.m.

THURSDAY “Law Day on the Hill 2018” Details: The Tufts Lawyers Association, in conjunction with the Office of Pre-Law Advising, will hold a mock law school class and a panel discussion on sexual harassment and employment law. Students interested in law will have the opportunity to discuss their future plans with alumni. Those interested can register online.

Where and when: Alumnae Lounge; 6–8:30 p.m.

FRIDAY “Tufts Dance Marathon 2018” Details: Tufts’ third annual Dance Marathon will be a fundraiser for the Boston Children’s Hospital, featuring performances by Tufts JumboRaas, The Ladies of Essence, Spirit of the Creative, Tufts BEATs, Tufts Middle Eastern Dance, Tufts La Salsa, Tufts Full Sound and other groups. Pizza, burritos, crudites and crostini from local businesses will be served, according to the Facebook event, which also encourages Tufts student groups to make teams.

Where and when: 51 Winthrop St.; 6 p.m.–12 a.m.

Students’ Association (MSA) for speakers for its Spring into Islam series; $108 for Tufts Geological Society for its demonstration at Massachusetts Institute of Technology Museum’s Girls Day; and $1,150 to Public Harmony for a new keyboard.

The floor then went to TCU Parliamentarian Adam Rapfogel, a junior, who shared that after spring break, the body will hear a resolution on the affordability of Tufts. He added that there will also be a referendum question in either the regular election or the presidential election in April.

The resolution, authored by trustee representative Nathan Foster, a senior, will call the university to maintain its current level of affordability, according to Foster. He clarified that the resolution will not call the university to increase the affordability, but to maintain the current level.

The Parliamentarian explained that the ballot question, if passed, will amend the TCU Constitution to allow the students to change proposed resolutions to referenda with 300 student signatures. Rapfogel explained that the

Tufts Elections Commission (ECOM) will conduct the proposed referendum within 14 days of approval from both the Tufts Judiciary and the Committee on Student Life. Rapfogel added that this does not change any of the existing rules on referenda, but merely creates a different kind of referendum.

Currently, a referendum can only be proposed on the TCU Constitution amendments, and requires only 250 student signatures.

TCU Historian Jacqueline Chen, a junior, then took the floor to remind the body of the upcoming student leadership dinner. Chen told the body later in the meeting to be aware of where the university is allocating its resources, citing that the university has not provided any funding to refurnish the Asian American Center since its building was repurposed.

TCU Vice President Anna Del Castillo then opened the floor for committee updates, and encouraged the body to provide suggestions on how the Senate Executive Board can better support the senators with their projects and initiatives.

Education Committee Chair Phil Miller, a sophomore, announced that his committee will soon publish a survey for professor of the year, which the Senate Education Committee will review for the quantity and quality of the responses to choose finalists.

Education Committee member Emma Phillips, a Class of 2019 Senator, shared the results of her recent survey to the student body on the residency requirement, and she explained that the vast majority of respondents were not aware of the residency requirement prior to their matriculation.

There were no other significant updates from other committees according to their chairs.

Before the meeting adjourned, Services Committee co-chair Janey Litvin, a Class of 2021 Senator, announced that the Senate will host a town hall on campus mental health on April 17 in the Alumnae Lounge, from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

Litvin added that the said town hall will feature Dean of Student Affairs Mary Pat McMahon, Executive Director of Health and Wellness Services Michelle Bowdler and representatives from student groups.

TCU Senate hears funding requests, discusses ongoing projects

by Seohyun Shim News Editor

The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate met last night in the Sophia Gordon Multipurpose Room to hear funding requests and discuss ongoing Senate-led projects.

TCU President Benya Kraus, a senior, opened the meeting, reminding the body that the Senate has four regular meetings remaining this semester.

Kraus urged the senators to start documenting their progress on projects for the next generation of senators.

TCU Treasurer Emily Sim, a junior, then took the floor to introduce supplementary funding requests.

The body voted to match all initial recommendations of the Allocations Board (ALBO) for the following groups: $50 to Bangin’ Everything At Tufts (BEATs) for the organization to hire a videographer for its spring show; $637 to ENVY, a campus step team, for its transportation to a competition; $375 to Tufts Ballroom for its rental fees for Distler Performance Hall and 51 Winthrop for events; $3,037 to Muslim

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Ross Sonnenblick The Tuftonian Dream

The power to heal

W

hen you were young, you maybe had a dream. You were going to fly to the moon, pass EC 5, cure cancer. Then, you grew up. You cut your hair, chose your major, changed your outlook. You changed a lot, but did you change your dream?

If sophomore Leili Najmabadi fulfills her longtime aspiration of serving as a pediatric doctor, she will be helping the clinical population that she describes as “the most resilient group of people.” She has traveled from California to Boston to distant Rwanda, but before she discovered her calling, before she came to Tufts and before she saw the world through the hopeful eyes of young Rwandan children, she sought solace in the simple pleasure of a good book. She admits, “I didn’t always feel like I belonged anywhere. I had a really happy childhood, but the only time I really felt a purpose, felt like myself, was when I was reading.”

Leili envisioned becoming a writer so that she could give other people “similar experiences when they read” to the ones that made her feel like she could be herself. Until her ninth-grade biology teacher recognized her aptitude and encouraged her to attend a conference at Stanford’s medical school, she hadn’t considered a career in science, but after hearing various speeches about “medicine and how human it is, and how human it sometimes isn’t,” her open heart underwent a profound change. She explains, “I realized that my whole life, I just wanted to help people, and the only way I could see that translating into a career was through health.”

Leili wants to bring the “human connectedness factor” to medicine, and she doesn’t mind if her words have to be translated into foreign languages. She has decided that she wants to join the Peace Corps. Eventually, she hopes to work for UNICEF or Doctors Without Borders, but no matter how far she strays from her childhood home, she won’t lose sight of her childhood dream. She notes, “I feel like somehow, my previous dream of being a writer has made me want to be a better friend, a better citizen of the world, because it all comes down to being connected with people.”

This past summer, Leili journeyed to Rwanda as a member of the Tufts with Rwanda Fellowship. While there, 23 years after the onset of the country’s heinous, incomprehensible genocide, Leili encountered people who were “so different from anyone [she] had ever met in their power to heal emotionally, mentally and spiritually.” Their impossible fortitude impressed her so much that she remarks, “When I think of Rwanda, I think of miracles.”

In Rwanda, Leili rediscovered what she once found in a good book: a sense of connection, of purpose, of hope. She found a people still pulsing with life, and she declares, “There are a lot of issues in this world, but health is so fundamental to our existence that that is where I want to start.” Her path might be bumpy, but she concludes, “I hope to deal with anything that comes my way with grace.”

Ross Sonnenblick is a sophomore majoring in psychology and international literary and visual studies. He can be reached at ross.sonnenblick@tufts.edu.

Features

Monday, March 5, 2018

Students gain insight, get politically active by working on state, national campaigns

VINTUS OKONKWO / THE TUFTS DAILY

Junior Alexander Demircan poses for a portrait in front of Goddard Chapel.

by Jessie Newman Features Editor

As American politics have evolved, political campaigns have become larger and more expensive. One aspect of campaigns that has expanded is the network of staffers, fellows and volunteers. According to a Dec. 31, 2015 Politico article, Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign employed around 89,000 volunteers. This form of political participation is very present among Tufts undergraduates.

Junior Jaya Khetarpal worked in Clinton’s presidential campaign from the fall of 2015.

She heard of the opportunity from her volunteering stint with Generation Citizen, an organization that sends college students into middle and high school classrooms to teach the importance of civic engagement and democratic participation. “[Clinton] had been a personal hero of mine for a long time … Working with a state that is so contested at times — New Hampshire — I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to continue my involvement with politics,” Khetarpal said.

Khetarpal’s key responsibility within the campaign was to attract college students in New Hampshire to vote and become more politically involved.

Olivia Brandon, a first-year, also worked with the Clinton campaign in both New Hampshire and Pennsylvania to get out the vote.

“In the summer of 2016, my focus was on building my congressional district, which was a lot of … organizing volunteers, running phone banks and getting the word out in New Hampshire, which was one of our main targets,” she said. “In the fall, I went back to boarding school in New Jersey where I worked out of the Princeton field office, primarily recruiting people from Pennsylvania by phone banking and canvassing the suburbs of Philadelphia.”

Prior to this national campaign, Khetarpal became involved in her first political campaign in her junior year of high school for Wendy Davis, a former Texas state senator and the Democratic candidate for governor at the time. Similarly, Brandon had joined her town’s Democratic committee in high school to immerse herself in the intricacies of local politics.

“I started some work with local state senate and state house campaigns … Once I did that,

I heard that the [Clinton] campaign had hired a state director in Connecticut, which is where I am from,” Brandon said. “They were trying to build the campaign within my own state and so once I heard that they wanted more people involved … I got connected.”

Alex Demircan has also interned at various campaigns in Connecticut, including Republican candidate Lorraine Marchetti’s campaign for the state senate’s fourth district and a local board of education campaign.

However, he has not worked on any national campaigns.

“Everything has been significantly more local, which has given me the opportunity to learn about the inner workings of the campaign itself and even get to know the candidate himself better,” Demircan, a junior, said.

Demircan compared local elections to small businesses and spoke of the specific benefits that small campaigns bring to college students who are interested in politics.

“As a summer intern, I sat at candidates meetings with ten people at them and that would never be possible if I was working on a larger campaign, so there really are benefits to each,” he said. “As someone in college, a comprehensive understanding of what the processes are like is really important. I would feel more comfortable in the future running myself.”

Both Khetarpal and Brandon are currently working in the gubernatorial campaign of Democrat Setti Warren. Khetarpal noted that just as with her work on the Clinton campaign, her efforts now are also focused on reaching out to individual voters.

On the other hand, Brandon said that the smaller size of Warren’s campaign allowed her to take on more local responsibilities, compared to her work on the Clinton campaign.

“I have a turf, I have an area of the state that I am responsible for,” Brandon said. “We have around 600 towns and wards across the state, and each has a caucus who will elect delegates to go to the convention in June.”

Demircan emphasized the importance of more personal and targeted outreach to voters, from his experience working on local campaigns.

“There is a lot of town passion in New England states,” Demircan said. “Strong communities do exist. There is a definite benefit in the approach that if you get one person involved, there is a good chance that the passion will spill over to the people around them.

People often overlook the lawn sign. However, in many places, it does matter.”

Demircan explained how this strategy played out in his work for the campaign, which focused on a battleground district with an even split in political allegiances among voters.

“In the state senate campaign, there were four towns within the district,” Demircan said.

“My town [Glastonbury] was a big red town, there were two other small red towns and there was one bigger blue town, which evened out political allegiance 50–50 amongst the voters. This one town carried so much weight, and a focus needed to be put on it because it was in the position of swaying the results.”

Like Brandon and Khetarpal, first-year Isabell Creed also works for Warren’s campaign.

She became involved in the campaign after speaking with John Walsh, former chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, at an event sponsored by the Tufts Democrats last October. “[Walsh] told me … ‘As a rule of thumb … if you work on a campaign, and they do not know your name within two weeks then you are a throw away. Make sure they value the work that you are doing,’” Creed said. “After I heard that, I thought, I want to work for him. A week later, I called him, and he said come in.”

Creed explained that she has always really cared about politics, but now more than ever it is extremely important to involve oneself and be active.

“As college students, we have a lot of time.

We have the ability to get involved in a way that full-time workers do not,” Creed said.

“Also, as we are seeing now that many of the current policies in place and in the works have the ability to affect a lot of people very negatively and very quickly … There are only so many ways that I can stand up against the Trump agenda on a federal level, but governors have a lot of power and those are the people that become the next presidents.”

Demircan remarked that his time on political campaigns has sparked his own desire for a potential future in politics.

“These are normal people who are running. They are local community members who have jobs and families,” Demircan said.

“They are not like the celebrity figures that you see on TV. They are just normal people with a passion for getting involved in their communities. Anyone can do it.”

Emily Thompson contributed reporting to this article.

Monday, March 5, 2018

ARTS&LIVING TV REVIEW

Netflix’s ‘Queer Eye’ is fun, fabulous, but fails to live up to acclaim

5 tuftsdaily.com

Alec Provost The Art of Games

‘Golf Story’ deserves a place on every Nintendo Switch

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VIA NETFLIX

(From left to right) Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Antoni Porowski, Jonathan van Ness and Tan France in ‘Queer Eye.’

by Jack Ronan Arts Editor

Joining Netflix on Feb. 7, “Queer Eye” (2018–) is the streaming site’s newest critically acclaimed darling. A reboot of the Bravo hit “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” (2003–2007), the show maintains the same format as its predecessor: In each of the eight episodes, five gay men swoop in to help a struggling man improve his style, decor, grooming, culinary skills and cultural know-how. The “Fab Five” features culture expert Karamo Brown, food and wine specialist Antoni Porowski, groomer Jonathan van Ness, stylist Tan France and interior designer Bobby Berk. “Queer Eye” is about redefining masculinity and teaching each of the eight “heroes” how to be more thoughtful, put-together and intentional with their appearances.

At its best, “Queer Eye” is heartwarming, phenomenal television. In the first episode, the Fab Five takes on Tom, a 57-year-old trucker in Dallas, Ga. who lives alone in a small basement apartment and insists that “you can’t fix ugly.” Over the course of the week, the Fab Five coach Tom on how to be confident again: Tan teaches him how to dress for his skin tone and body type, Bobby tosses out his stained recliner chair and gives him a sleek new space and Jonathan teaches him how to use face masks to care for the rashes on his skin caused by lupus. The Fab Five and Tom share a tender, tearful moment toward the end of the episode when they reflect on how far Tom has come since the beginning of the week. His beard is trimmed, his skin is noticeably better, he has trendy Warby

Parker glasses and a cute cap and he’s even learned how to make guacamole — with yogurt, regrettably. The episode culminates in Tom going on a date with his ex-wife, Abby, and he reflects on his week, saying, “I’ve never hung with gay guys before, and they were great. They were so open with me, and I was so open with them.” That’s what “Queer Eye” does so well: It offers a progressive, emotionally-available model of masculinity and teaches men how to be intentional about self-care.

But “Queer Eye” has its low points. The show feels rewarding when the transformation feels genuine, but despite the charisma and exuberance of the Fab Five, a few of the episodes flop. In the episode “Dega Don’t,” the guys take on the case of Cory, a cop and NASCAR enthusiast who hosts elaborate costume parties for the annual Talladega race in a basement dingy enough to belong on Boston Avenue. Instead of making over the basement, Bobby the designer chooses to redo the upstairs section of the house and deck it out with massive NASCAR decals to make it a masculine space. Cory’s problem wasn’t that he didn’t have a space for himself; it was that he was a slob in the basement he had commandeered for grown-up frat parties. There are other head-scratching moments. In the episode “To Gay or Not Too Gay,” which features a gay man, AJ, Karamo brings him ziplining to give him the courage to come out to his stepmother — the connection was lost on this reviewer — and then AJ reveals his sexuality to her in a scene that feels intrusive and excessive, considering the gravity of coming out for queer people.

These examples are a little nit picky, but there are greater representational problems. By dropping “for the Straight Guy” from the title, the reboot of “Queer Eye” is supposedly more inclusive, with one of the episodes featuring a gay man, but the show conforms to familiar models of queerness in pop culture. Here, gay men exist to help others. Whether it’s the “Fab Five” in “Queer Eye” or the “gay best friend” archetype pervasive in entertainment, gay men come off as an accessory in the service of others. “Queer Eye” is undoubtedly fun and lighthearted, but representation of marginalized communities matters, and cis-gay men teaching mostly straight men the minimum requirements of being functioning adults seems like a poor representation of the queer community as a whole and out of place in 2018.

Overall, “Queer Eye” is good reality television. It brings up important conversations about loneliness among adult men, how self-care intersects with traditional concepts of masculinity and is chock full of Jonathan van Ness “fiercedom.” But it’s not, as Hadley Freeman at the Guardian says, the best television show of the year. Most of the criticism of “Queer Eye” has focused on Antoni’s supposed lack of culinary talent, but most reviewers have been silent on the representation of queerness and just how inconsistent the eight episodes are. If each of the transformations felt as authentic and tender as Tom’s, “Queer Eye” might live up to its 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but unfortunately viewers have to slog through a few episodes that fail to resonate.

TRASHING ONE EGG WASTES 55 GALLONS OF WATER

hile an RPG based around golf may seem strange on the surface, “Golf Story” (2017) is one of the best indie games on the Nintendo Switch. As its name may suggest, “Golf Story” is a story-based game with golf as its subject, but it has the presentation and gameplay chops to back up its charming story.

The story is straightforward. You play as an amateur golfer trying to make it to the pros. Where the story shines, however, is in the humorous, bizarre and absurd characters and situations.

Among the cast are all the stereotypes: the arrogant antagonist, the fiery friend and the insightful instructor. “Golf Story” quickly shirks these tropes by having you play against a ghost who died before competing on his course, engage in geo-caching quests or steal golf balls from alleged snow bandits. The areas all feel unique, whether you are on a course straight out of the stone age or one set in a tropical paradise. Each has its own aesthetic and wonderful music.

This music ended up being one of the highlights of the experience. The soundtrack is outstanding, sounding upbeat, somber or joyful depending on the situation. Alongside all of the major elements contributing to the story, one small aspect stands out and adds more than would be expected to the game.

The way the game presents conversations is worthy of praise. Rather than being hindered by its lack of voice acting, “Golf Story” utilizes the text bubbles and subtitles in a way unlike any other game I have seen. The subtitles vary in font and size to convey tone and volume, and the text scrolls at different speeds, and text bubbles will shake or move to impart the speaker’s meaning. In the “story” aspect of “Golf Story,” the game lives up to its name.

In regards to gameplay, “Golf Story” fares just as well. Every golf shot is based on a three-click system, where you determine power and accuracy.

Unfortunately, the game does a poor job explaining the consequences of a poorly timed shot, leading to some trial and error before you get the hang of it. Once you do figure it out, however, it is simple and easy to use, resulting in fun gameplay across the various courses.

Just as the courses are varied in aesthetics and music, they vary in gameplay. One course has moles that steal your balls and reposition them, while another has turtles that can bounce your shot across the water. One of the few failings of “Golf Story” is that there is no way to restart a course or a challenge.

Some of the challenges are brutally difficult, and even if you know you won’t succeed, you have to play through until the end before you are allowed to start over.

In spite of a few flaws, “Golf Story” is a game that should be in every Nintendo Switch library.

Alec Provost is a junior majoring in history. Alec can be reached at alec.provost@ tufts.edu.

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THE TUFTS DAILY | Arts & Living | Monday, March 5, 2018

tuftsdaily.com

What to see: A snapshot of March film releases

by John Fedak Arts Editor

The Academy Awards are a wonderful annual event where you can pick your favorite movies and, more likely than not, lament when they get snubbed in favor of another film. However, even though the ceremony is over for 2018, there are plenty of up-and-coming movies to fill that cinematic void. Here are a few movies to look out for over the next month, and who knows — perhaps one of them will even win big at next year’s Oscars.

“A Wrinkle in Time” — It’s hard to believe this classic book has never been adapted to the big screen, but fans of the novel can finally rest easy. The story follows Meg Murry (Storm Reid), an intelligent middle-schooler who is dealing with the disappearance of her father. Along with her younger brother and friend, she meets three celestial guardians who teach her how to travel through a wrinkle in time and space, and she must confront a dark evil to return home. Featuring a star-studded cast (Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling and Chris Pine, to name a few), “A Wrinkle in Time” looks to be a feel-good movie about the power of believing in yourself. Go see this movie if you’re looking for a fantastical spin on the classic formula of overcoming an evil force through the power of friendship, or if you’re a fan of the novel.

Release Date: Friday, March 9 “Love, Simon” — This movie follows the familiar coming-of-age tale of falling in love, but with a pretty major difference at its heart. Based on the novel “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda” (2015), written by Becky Albertalli, the movie’s plot follows Simon (Nick Robinson),a relatively normal teenager with a big secret: He’s gay and has yet to tell anyone. After a classmate posts anonymously under the name “Blue” and reveals that he’s also in the closet, Simon reaches out, and they begin falling for each other. “Love, Simon” looks to be a pretty traditional rom-com, but this time it’s accessible to a group of people who rarely see themselves represented on screen. Go see this movie if you’re looking for a story about how to live true to yourself and the struggle of growing up different from everyone around you, or if you’re a sucker for rom-coms.

Release Date: Friday, March 16 “Un Sac de Billes (A Bag of Marbles)” — What would this list be without a period piece? “Un Sac de Billes” is an adaptation of Joseph Joffo’s memoir of the same name and recounts the Nazi occupation of France. The movie follows Joseph (Dorian le Clech) and his brother Maurice (Batyste Fleurial) as they try to escape to Vichy France to reunite with their two older brothers, leaving their father, Roman (Patrick Bruel), behind. The brothers must rely on and trust one another to make it through the terrible reality of fleeing through Nazi-occupied territory. “Un Sac de Billes” seems to be a tale of the enduring bond between family and a recounting of World War II through the eyes of children. Go see this movie if you love historical dramas and foreign

VIA 20TH CENTURY FOX

A promotional poster for ‘Love, Simon’ is pictured. films, although note that its release may be limited here in the States.

Release Date: Friday, March 23 “Ready Player One” — Rounding out this list is “Ready Player One,” based on the book of the same name written by Ernest Cline. Directed by no less than Steven Spielberg, the movie follows main character Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan), who lives in a future where people increasingly turn to a massive

virtual reality video game to escape from the bleakness of real life. The creator of the video game left an “Easter Egg” that promises riches in the real world, and when Watts beats the first level of the test, he suddenly finds himself at the center of a race to the ultimate prize. “Ready Player One” boasts incredible graphics depicting otherworldly fantasies, and it seems to have a good premise along with a stellar director leading the helm. Go see

this movie if you’re a fan of sci-fi flicks and want an immersive experience, or if you’re a fan of Spielberg’s past work.

Release Date: Thursday, March 29 While the Oscars may be over, there are plenty of releases on the horizon to keep any cinephile interested. These four films are just a snapshot of the March releases; there are far more movies coming out soon. So what are you waiting for? Get out and experience what may be this year’s masterpieces.

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Monday, March 5, 2018 | Comics | THE TUFTS DAILY

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Comics

LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY Mary: “I would high-five you, but I’m knee-deep in chicken.”

Comics

SUDOKU

GARFIELD

BY JIM DAVIS

NON SEQUITUR Difficulty Level: Asking your ex to delete your address and phone number from their Grubhub account.

BY WILEY MILLER

Friday’s Solution

CROSSWORD

Friday’s Solution

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Anita Ramaswamy Anita’s Angle

If corporations are people, do they own guns?

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his happens every time. It happened after Columbine, Sandy Hook and UCSB. Now, after the tragedy that took 17 lives at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, our country once again finds itself at a crossroads. It shouldn’t take a tragic event to reopen this debate, but that’s what happens every time. It should be obvious to us by now that thoughts and prayers are not enough, but cowardly legislators offer them every time.

But maybe, just maybe, there is a reason to believe this time around is different. PostParkland, three-quarters of Americans believe gun laws should be stricter than they are today, up from 68 percent after the Las Vegas shooting. There is a bipartisan consensus calling for change, even if it will take baby steps to get there. But there is one group that has the influence, and the money, to get things done quicker than we’re used to, if they’re willing to take a stand: the private sector.

Whether we like it or not, in our system, money talks. One notable example that comes to mind is the fight over Senate Bill 1062 in Arizona, which would have allowed any individual or business to be exempt from state law if it “substantially burden[ed]” their exercise of religion. The LGBTQ community, among other groups, was up in arms given the potential of this bill to legally allow discrimination.

Ultimately, the hashtag #BadForAZBiz gained traction, and state legislators listened— not because they genuinely cared about condemning discrimination but because they were afraid that this bill could harm Arizona’s tourism-driven economy. After a public display of indecision, at the last minute, then-governor Jan Brewer vetoed the bill. But it took Apple, American Airlines, AT&T and the Arizona Super Bowl host committee, not just activists, to get her to listen.

Grassroots activism is crucial, but without the private sector backing the same causes, it may not always be enough to spur change.

Fortunately but uncharacteristically, after Parkland, businesses have stepped up on a large scale to condemn gun violence. Rather than just issuing empty condolences, national retailers like DICK’s Sporting Goods have stopped carrying assault rifles in their stores.

Walmart raised its minimum age to buy a gun to 21. Businesses including Delta Air Lines, Enterprise Rent-a-Car and Symantec have cut their ties with the NRA. Big business is slowly realizing that if according to the Supreme Court, corporations are people, then they have a responsibility to take a stand on issues as grave and widespread as gun violence.

Unfortunately, the message seems to have been lost on some, including Warren Buffett. Last week, he said that Berkshire Hathaway would not avoid doing business with gun owners and that despite his appointment to the board of Everytown for Gun Safety, he does not want to be seen as “imposing” his views on shareholders. Regardless of the irony and hypocrisy of his diffidence, the personal is indeed political. We must remember to hold business leaders accountable too, not just political figures.

Anita Ramaswamy is a columnist and former executive opinion editor at the Daily. She is a junior majoring in political science. She can be reached at anita. ramaswamy@tufts.edu.

Opinion

Monday, March 5, 2018

EDITORIAL

Distribution requirements should have pass/fail option Tufts students in the School of Arts and Sciences are familiar with the struggle of fulfilling requirements. In addition to major requirements and foundation requirements — two semesters of writing, six semesters of language and culture, and one world civilizations credit — students must also take several classes to complete the distribution requirements. This includes two courses each in the humanities, arts, social sciences, natural sciences and math. One course cannot count toward more than one academic area and no classes can be taken pass/fail.

The load is heavy, but it’s not without purpose; Tufts Arts and Sciences students supposedly graduate as well-rounded citizens with exposure to a wide variety of ideas and disciplines. The intent behind the distribution requirement is worthy, but its implementation creates challenges for students and actually ends up hindering its own goal.

Many Tufts students get excited at the prospect of studying new disciplines, but some introductory courses are notoriously difficult, particularly for non-majors whose specialties lie elsewhere. This

makes higher-level courses almost completely inaccessible to them. So what’s a busy Tufts student to do? Many opt for classes that they believe to be easier, afraid to damage their GPAs in areas outside their academic comfort zones.

Some groan at the need to take a course in a discipline they may not have studied since high school. They end up taking classes with little relevance to their interests, focused more on surviving the class with minimal effort than on broadening their educational horizons. Though the distribution requirement is designed to encourage students to be more intellectually adventurous, its stringent rules render it ineffective; ultimately, the requirements deter academic risk-taking.

Rather than get rid of distribution requirements, as some have proposed, Tufts should offer a pass/fail option.

Allowing students to fulfill requirements pass/fail would make the course load less daunting, giving them more free rein to take classes that interest and challenge them. Students in the School of Engineering are already given the opportunity to take HASS (Humanities,

Arts and Social Sciences) requirements pass/fail. While engineering students do have a heavy course load, students on the pre-med or pre-vet track or who have double majors also have many required classes. Reducing the stress associated with distribution requirements would encourage those students to explore areas of interest that may seem daunting combined with their existing course load. The introduction of a pass/fail option for distribution requirements would also encourage students to pursue disciplines that may be useful for their future careers; for example, more students may take courses in computer science, which is known to be challenging, especially for students who are already intimidated by it.

It has been decades since the distribution requirement has been effectively changed; it’s about time the administration introduce practical modifications that could not only reduce the stress levels of students but, more importantly, encourage them to take full advantage of the intellectual opportunities offered by a Tufts education.

BOSTON, WHERE YOU CAN HAVE ALL FOUR SEASONS IN ONE WEEK

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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 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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Sports

Monday, March 5, 2018 | Sports | THE TUFTS DAILY

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Tufts to take on Messiah in Sweet Sixteen WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

continued from back Westfield State’s high-press system, facing one of the top defenses in the country, prevented them from getting into a rhythm, however, as Tufts was easily able to play its way out of the press and capitalize on a numerical advantage in the frontcourt. The Jumbos’ victory was powered by their fast start to the game and the NESCAC runners-up never trailed.

The team went on a 14–2 run in the game’s first seven minutes, ultimately ending the opening quarter up 21–11, in large part due to Knapp’s seven points, Baptista’s five and DeCandido’s four.

In another atypical second quarter for the Jumbos, though, the visitors were able to claw themselves back into contention. Baptista and Westfield State junior guard Kierra McCarthy traded baskets before Harrington’s two free throws gave Tufts a 12-point lead. The visitors then went on a 7–0 run to draw within five.

That was the closest they got to the Jumbos for the rest of the game, however, as Harrington ended the Owls’ run with a layup with 5:33 to play before the half.

Tufts came out firing on all cylinders and was able to restore control in the third quarter.

Entering the second half with a 37–27 lead, Tufts went on a 13–4 run to extend the lead to 19. The Jumbos scored 23 points in the quarter,

with eight from Baptista and six from Dillon.

With a 20-point lead going into the final frame, Tufts emptied its bench and emerged with a comfortable victory.

Harrington finished as the Jumbos’ leading scorer with 17 points to go along with eight rebounds. Baptista filled the scoresheet by compiling 15 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and three blocks.

Knapp had 15 points and six rebounds of her own, while Dillon led all players with four steals in addition to her eight points.

Dillon spoke about the importance of the bench this past weekend.

“Those were absolutely massive contributions,” Dillon said. “Cailin had her career-high

[in points] on Friday night, and it couldn’t have come at a better timing. We needed someone to make the little plays and get easy points and Cailin did her part. [Katie Martensen] stepped up a lot yesterday, and we’re going to need that going forward. We’re not a team that likes to play all five starters, so we’re going to need [the bench] to come in and make valuable contributions and just continue doing what they did this weekend.”

The Jumbos will take on the No. 15 Messiah FalWcons (27–2) in the Sweet Sixteen on Friday in Scranton, Pa. With a victory, Tufts would face the winner of Friday’s matchup between Scranton and NESCAC rival Bowdoin.

Sports

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Monday, March 5, 2018

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Arlo Moore-Bloom The Equalizer

Jumbos advance to Sweet Sixteen for seventh NASL's prolonged straight year battle with U.S. Soccer

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uesday was a sad day for U.S. Soccer.

The North American Soccer League (NASL) announced it is cancelling the 2018 season, after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit denied the NASL's appeal for an injunction that would temporarily reinstate its Div. II league status — which the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) revoked in September — for 2018.

In the 2nd Circuit's ruling, presiding Judge Margo Brodie wrote that the NASL would suffer "irreparable harm" as a result of losing its Div. II status.

The NASL was reduced to only four teams from the 2017 season: The San Francisco Deltas and FC Edmonton folded, while the Indy Eleven and North Carolina FC moved to the United Soccer League (USL) — a league that is sanctioned with Div. II status. Two newcomers to the league, California United FC from Orange County and San Diego 1904 FC, were set to make it six teams total — half of the required amount for a Div. II league, according to the USSF’s sanctioning requirements. Now, those teams are scrambling to other leagues like the USL and the National Premier Soccer League, a league seen by many as an unofficial fourth division, but not recognized by U.S. Soccer.

In early October, then-USSF president Sunil Gulati gave the NASL an ultimatum: If the NASL could demonstrate that it could field eight "economically viable and separately owned" teams in 2018 and 12 by 2020, the U.S. Soccer Board of Directors would reconsider its decision. The NASL balked, deferring to an ongoing lawsuit that would lift professional league standards.

Another lawsuit, filed by the NASL in February against members of the USSF Board of Directors, alleges that members motivated by "economic considerations" breached their fiduciary duties to the NASL, and that they refused to sanction the NASL as a Div. II league to protect their positions in Major League Soccer (MLS) and its marketing arm, Soccer United Marketing.

An NASL statement proclaimed that the lawsuit was for "the long-term advancement of soccer in this country, not only for the NASL, but for all soccer fans, clubs and communities impacted by the USSF’s restrictions on competition."

The USSF’s mission statement is "to make soccer, in all its forms, a preeminent sport in the United States and to continue the development of soccer at all recreational and competitive levels." But as I’ve written before, the cozy relationship between MLS and U.S. Soccer has led to conflicts of interest to the detriment of their mission statement.

The death of the NASL is just another step backward for U.S. Soccer, exposing its disorganized, fragmented culture. Newly elected USSF president Carlos Cordeiro is a defendant in the NASL’s lawsuit, so it is unlikely that he will make meaningful efforts to correct the Federation’s past mistakes.

A potential transformative step forward, though, is just around the corner, but a country in North Africa is in the way and Donald Trump isn’t helping. Check back next week for an analysis of the United States’ bid for the 2026 World Cup. Arlo Moore-Bloom is an Assistant Sports Editor at the Daily. He is a first-year who has not yet declared a major. Arlo can be reached at arlo.moore_bloom@tufts.edu.

EDDIE SAMUELS / THE TUFTS DAILY

Sophomore guard Sadie Otley shoots a free throw during Tufts’ NCAA tournament first-round win over Westfield State on March 2.

by Yuan Jun Chee Sports Editor

No. 8 Tufts (25–4) is through to its seventh consecutive NCAA Div. III tournament Sweet Sixteen appearance after it comprehensively saw off the challenges of Westfield State (19–8) and Ithaca (21–8) at Cousens Gym this weekend.

On Saturday, the Jumbos defeated the Ithaca Bombers, 61–39. Tufts’ defense was on display, as Ithaca scored fewer than 40 points for the first time this season. Senior forward Melissa Baptista led Tufts with a game-high 19 points, while also contributing six rebounds and four blocks. The bench was crucial to the Jumbos’ victory as well. Junior forward Katie Martensen chipped in 12 points and five boards, while sophomore guard Cailin Harrington led all players with eight rebounds.

While the scoreline might suggest a comfortable Tufts victory, the start was anything but, as the teams traded baskets easily in the opening six minutes. Early on, Tufts’ defense broke down on a few occasions, giving Ithaca some easy looks on the inside. In particular, the Jumbos had problems stopping junior guard Meghan Pickell, who picked up nine first-quarter points for the visitors and managed to squeeze in her shots with barely any time left on the shot clock.

The Jumbos went on a 9–2 run to close the quarter and establish a relatively comfortable 22–13 lead. The highlight of the Tufts barrage came with just over three minutes remaining in the period. After Tufts’ soph-

omore forward Erica DeCandido blocked a shot attempt by Ithaca junior guard Sara Jackson, Pickell missed a three-point attempt. Harrington grabbed the rebound, and the Jumbos quickly converted their possession into two points on a DeCandido layup via junior guard Jac Knapp’s astute pass.

However, Tufts’ offense struggled to match the same levels of production early in the second quarter. After Baptista split a pair of free throws with 7:53 left in the half to give Tufts a 23–14 lead, Ithaca was able to close the gap to as few as three points on senior guard/forward Julie Yacovoni’s layup with 4:04 remaining in the second quarter. Despite Ithaca’s effort, Tufts stayed in front — in large part due to its success in getting to the line.

The Jumbos entered the break leading 35–24.

The teams were evenly matched in the third quarter, and Tufts could add only two points to its lead heading into the fourth. The Bombers eventually got into foul trouble, as their sophomore forward Cassidy O’Malley — the visitors’ leading scorer this season and a player who troubled the Jumbos with her ability to convert shots in tight situations — fouled out early in the fourth quarter. Tufts also figured out how to stop Pickell —the West Chester, Pa. native did not score again after the first quarter — which left Ithaca with little attacking output. The Bombers managed just four points in the fourth quarter, and the hosts capitalized with a comfortable 22-point victory.

“Both O’Malley and Yacovoni are two very good players,” Tufts coach Carla Berube said.

“We did a really good job attacking the paint

and the basket, and it led to getting them into foul trouble and us getting some easy points from the free throw line. [O’Malley fouling out] was a huge key to the game because [she] is a very good scorer, and she’s a big defensive presence in the lane, too.”

A day earlier, Tufts defeated the threetime reigning Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) champion, Westfield State, 71–54. The key to the victory was a dominant Tufts defense, which held its MASCAC opponent to well below its season scoring average of 87.2 points per game. The Jumbos were able to slow down the Owls’ offensive production, limiting their leading scorer, junior guard Lucy Barrett, to just five points on 2-of-10 shooting (including 0-for-6 from behind the arc).

Senior guard and co-captain Lauren Dillon commented on the strength of Tufts’ defensive performance.

“I think we played a lot of great offensive teams, but I don’t know that either of those teams have seen a defense like ours that we get to test out in the NESCAC every weekend,” Dillon said. “We had [their offense] in mind, but we had all the confidence in the world in our defense and knew that if we played our defense, we would come out with the win.”

Westfield State modeled its game plan on Paul Westhead’s famed Grinnell System, utilizing a full-court press throughout the game and often double-teaming Tufts in the backcourt. To keep up with their defensive strategy, the Owls frequently substituted their entire five. It worked to some degree, as the Jumbos gave up the ball a season-high 24 times.

“It was a little stressful for myself and our team because we don’t see anything like that in the NESCAC,” Berube said. “We’ve never gone against this system before, so it took us a little bit to get a little used to it. I’m not sure if we ever felt comfortable, but we ended up making plays on the defensive end to slow them down a bit, and it created some easy opportunities for us offensively, so it was good to just get through that game.” see WOMEN'S BASKETBALL, page 11