The Tufts Daily - Friday, October 25, 2019

Adam Rippon divulges book writing process at Wilbur Theatre event see ARTS&LIVING / PAGE 3

FILM REVIEW

‘Jojo Rabbit’ entertains but falls short

Football seeks consecutive wins this weekend with Hamilton game see SPORTS / BACK PAGE

SEE ARTS&LIVING / PAGE 3

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VOLUME LXXVIII, ISSUE 35

Friday, October 25, 2019

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS.

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Scape North America CEO pledges affordable apartments in front of skeptical crowd

by Austin Clementi

Executive News Editor

Somerville Ward 6 Councilor Lance Davis and Scape North America CEO Andrew Flynn, as well as officials from their architectural contractor Utile, held a community meeting last night at the Community Baptist Church in Davis Square regarding Scape’s plans for its recent purchase in Davis Square.

Scape purchased the land, which stretches from The Burren down Elm Street until it reaches Grove Street, in June.

During the meeting, Flynn confirmed that its development in Davis Square, like the coming development in Boston’s Fenway, will not be exclusive to students.

This marks a major departure from Scape’s previous projects in other countries, which have been exclusively for-profit student housing. Flynn also promised affordable rent prices, which will include utilities.

The meeting opened with Davis, the city councilor for Davis Square, who first called attention to the Davis Square Neighborhood Plan (DSNP) and Somerville’s proposed revisions to its zoning laws which, as they stand currently, would increase the maximum height of buildings in Somerville commercial districts from four stories and 50 feet to six stories tall.

“It’s really important for you all to understand, and frankly, for the folks at Scape to understand that this has nothing to do with that. Those are separate processes that have started years ago,” Davis said. “If what we end up with through this neighborhood plan that has been going on for years isn’t consistent

ALEXANDER THOMPSON / THE TUFTS DAILY

Scape North America CEO Andrew Flynn answers questions regarding Scape’s purchase in Davis Square on Oct. 24. with what you tell us you’re looking to do tonight, maybe you’ll be able to revise your plans to fit, if not, so be it.”

Flynn asserted to the crowd that the Scape development would help to address the housing shortage in the Davis Square neighborhood, focusing particularly on “workforce housing.”

“The building will be a residential, open-market building,” Flynn said. “The building will be fully open-market to any and all folks interested in living in the building; it’ll be at affordable price points.”

Flynn said all of Scape’s developments in North America, not just the Boston-area

developments, will be residential rather than student housing.

The DSNP confirmed that the housing stock in the Davis Square neighborhood is insufficient due to an unanticipated demand for housing in urban areas. When

see DAVIS SQUARE, page 2

IGL hosts alumni panel on peacebuilding in Colombia

by Elli Sol Strich

Contributing Writer

The Institute for Global Leadership and Latin American Committee (LAC) held a panel titled “Reflections from Peacebuilding in Colombia and on Security in Latin America” yesterday. The event drew on thoughts, experiences and regional perspectives to discuss Colombian conflict and the peacebuilding process.

The event, hosted in Cabot 205 in the Fletcher School, featured Mauricio Artiñano (LA’06) and Helaina Stein (LA’10).

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The event began with a brief history of Colombia’s conflict, provided by mediator Vladimir Proaño.

The conflict began in the mid 1960s between the Colombian government and the rural, leftist guerilla group Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de ColombiaEjército del Pueblo or The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP). After failed peace treaty attempts and multiple reforms, a final agreement was reached in 2016.

The agreement called for a bilateral ceasefire, a land reform agreement and an agreement to fight drug trafficking For breaking news, our content archive and exclusive content, visit tuftsdaily.com @tuftsdaily

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networks, according to Proaño, a senior.

Artiñano said that, most controversially, the treaty guaranteed a reintegration socially, economically and politically for the FARCEP and would not hold accountable those guilty of crimes committed in conflict settings against international human rights law and international law.

Artiñano was first deployed by the United Nations (UN) to Colombia in 2016.

He worked for the UN Verification Mission in Colombia to check that both parties — the government, and the FARC-EP — carried out Section 3.2 and Section 3.4 of the Peace Treaty. Section 3.2 regards the polit-

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ical, economic and political integration of former FARC-EP combatants, and Section 3.4 regards the Implementation of Security and Protection.

Artiñano emphasized that his position was not as a passive observer, but instead actively engaging with peacebuilding.

He gave an anecdote of former FARC-EP members being socially reintegrated through the use of tourism as they generally have a wide knowledge of the surrounding environments. Artiñano, after seeing a picture of former FARC-EP members and Colombian

NEWS............................................1 ARTS & LIVING.......................3 FUN & GAMES.........................4

see IGL, page 2

OPINION.....................................5 SPORTS............................ BACK

THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Friday, October 25, 2019

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Residents split on new Scape development DAVIS SQUARE

continued from page 1 the MBTA Red Line’s Davis Square station opened in 1984, demand rose even faster, the plan said.

The DSNP added that out of the over 2,200 new housing units added to Somerville over nine years, only 53 have been added in the Davis Square area; current zoning laws relating to number of housing units per square foot prohibit increasing housing density in the neighborhood.

Flynn said that he hoped the Scape development would draw people without families out of the housing stock around Davis Square, which suits families better. He also assured the crowd that Scape wished to maintain the “character and fabric” of Davis Square throughout the development process.

The bulk of the meeting featured officials from Utile, the architectural design firm in the process of designing the proposed Scape development, sharing architectural renderings and their plans for the new development.

Brett Bentson, an official with Utile, provided renderings of the new building, which will be six stories tall if new Somerville zoning laws allow so, with an articulated lower-level facade that will include storefronts.

Bentson confirmed that only The Burren would remain open during the construction process.

Pointing to Grove Street as a major site of improvement that would come with the new building, Bentson’s current plans include a courtyard, which would be flanked by apartments on Grove Street where a parking lot now sits.

Because Scape includes utilities within its rent prices, it falls within the company’s best interests to reduce energy usage by as much as possible. In order to cut energy use by as much as possible, Bentson said Utile is examining sun-shading and ener-

gy-generating measures such as on-site solar panels.

He added that green roofs and underground water storage would be included in the building as measures for stormwater mitigation.

Parking will not be included in the construction plans; however, Bentson said that around 200 bike parking spaces would be available for residents of the building. Utile plans on fully furnishing the apartments ahead of time.

Sara Dunmar, who also works for Utile, said that although the building would be six stories tall, its height would be comparable to the tall commercial buildings in Davis Square.

According to previous Daily reporting, tenants on the block other than The Burren would need to vacate the property within 18 months. Flynn said that construction of the project would take 18 to 20 months.

In a question-and-answer session at the close of the presentation, Flynn guaranteed that tenants would not be allowed to have parking permits with the city, which was met with a mix of applause and frustration. Several residents expressed concern that many would not be able to travel to work, while others said that access to public transportation in Davis Square would be enough.

The meeting’s attendees were quick to voice objections to Scape’s plan. Chief among these was their belief that the new building would, in fact, function as a dorm given that the rooms would be fully-furnished and not provide parking.

In addition, although Flynn repeatedly asserted that he hoped the development would encourage long-term residency, he stopped short of committing to having leases last longer than one year.

“Realistically, if you look in our city or any city, who rents luxury furnished apartments? Students, corporations, short-term residents,” a resident said.

In addition, residents were concerned that the apartments would not be affordable. Flynn reasserted that the condos would be affordable and estimated that prices would range from $1,300 to $1,400 per month for studio apartments, although he acknowledged that the number was preliminary.

“If you’re familiar with our Boston projects, they serve as a precedent and a testament to our commitment to affordability,” he said. “We have committed to outperform the inclusionary development requirements [in Boston].”

The Boston Planning and Development agency requires that most new housing development include at least 13% affordable housing. According to Boston Globe reporting, the Scape development in Fenway will include around 16% affordable housing units; current Somerville law requires that at least 20% of units in new housing developments are affordable.

When an attendee asked what process exists going forward with the development, Sarah Lewis, Somerville’s director of planning and zoning, said the project was in its preliminary stages.

“There is a lot more information and design needed before they’re even ready to apply for anything at the planning and zoning level,” she said. “So I’m imagining, as they’ve committed to public processes, there will probably be more meetings with the neighborhood before they even come to the city.”

Residents expressed other concerns, such as increasing noise in the area, a lack of parking in the area and concern over the closure of several businesses other than The Burren.

Flynn said that, because the project is in its infancy, he and his team are willing to work more with residents to better tailor the plan to their needs.

Alexander Thompson contributed reporting to this article.

Alumni share stories from working in Colombia Assistant Sports Editors

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IGL

continued from page 1 villagers guiding rafting trips together, created a Go Fund Me to send Costa Rican rafting instructors to finish training the group.

The efforts received attention from the International Rafting Federation. Artiñano stated that the team competed in the International Rafting Championship in Australia.

Artiñano cited this team as representing the success of the peace negotiations, pointing out a picture of the Minister of Sports in Colombia with a rafter before the International Championship.

“He is giving the Colombian flag to a former rebel to represent Colombia officially,”Artiñano said, stressing the story’s symbolism of peacebuilding.

Helaina Stein, who has worked in Colombia with the Organization of American States (OAS), said that she tracked and helped monitor how the U.S. provides assistance and technical support to various security programs. She emphasized the pillars of OAS of democracy, human rights, security and development.

Both Stein and Artiñano cited the connections Tufts and Fletcher has with the

international world to the opportunities, experiences and careers.

According to Piper Goeking, a sophomore, an at large executive board member of the LAC, panels are a large part of the club, in addition to biweekly meetings.

“I’ve seen so much suffering happening around the world because of conflict, and I think this really, really reinforces my desire and my passion to make sure that Colombia works, because we need a success story in the field of peacebuilding and conflict resolution,” Artiñano said.

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Friday, October 25, 2019

FILM REVIEW

‘Jojo Rabbit’ is effective satire, but feels too safe

VIA IMDB

A promotional poster for ‘Jojo Rabbit’ (2019) is pictured.

by Christopher Panella

Executive Social Media Editor

While watching “Jojo Rabbit” (2019), the audience is asked to laugh at — and sometimes, along with — the film’s main character, Jojo “Rabbit” Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis). Jojo is a devout Adolf Hitler lover, a child who absolutely adores and idolizes the Nazi Party. His room is full of Nazi propaganda. He attends a Hitler Youth training camp, firm in his beliefs but somewhat

squeamish when it comes to being ruthless.

His blind dedication to Nazism is what “Jojo Rabbit” makes fun of. It’s easy to see that Taika Waititi, the director, writer and actor playing Hitler in the film, is hopeful that the audience can enjoy the absurdity of Jojo’s viewpoint without getting too uncomfortable. But the problem isn’t discomfort — it’s too much comfort.

“Jojo Rabbit” is, as its satirical nature suggests, existing to both be laughable as well as true. It seeks to expose the stupidity and unfounded logic behind the hatred Jojo has for Jewish people. Waititi spends much of the film focusing on propaganda, and how easily Jojo both buys into it and creates it. In one scene, Jojo questions the Jewish girl, Elsa Korr (Thomasin McKenzie), whom Jojo’s mother, Rosie Betzler (Scarlett Johansson), has hidden in their home, hoping to learn about what he calls her “Jew secrets.” It’s both funny to see Elsa feed him absurdly hilarious lies about Jewish people — Jojo is both terrified and awed when Elsa jokingly tells him that she can read minds — and says a lot about Jojo as a character.

He’s not exactly meant to be a character to sympathize with, but his indoctrination into a belief system as a child is something to be worried about. However, Jojo is eventually grounded and changed by his mother Rosie.

If “Jojo Rabbit” has a warm and gooey center, it’s Rosie, in what could be Johansson’s best performance yet. Johansson’s work is both subtle and omnipresent — once she appears in “Jojo Rabbit,” it’s hard to forget

her. Rosie’s secret anti-Nazism is both a moral palette cleanser and something that sparks a change in Jojo. It’s rewarding to see him slowly grow closer to Elsa, and the satire along the way is both smart and effective. But Nazism isn’t just portrayed through humor as dangerous — it’s self-destructive.

Jojo’s inability to be a ruthless Nazi is best seen at the Hitler Youth camp, where he’s unable to kill a rabbit and the humiliation earns him his nickname. “Jojo Rabbit” spends much of its time showing that duality in Jojo: his words, fueled by an ideology he actually knows nothing about, aren’t met by his actions. Instead, they’re almost paralleled by them. When the Gestapo enter his home to search it after Rosie spends some time hanging “free Germany” posters, Jojo is visibly stressed at their presence and the possible discovery of Elsa hiding in the house. While Jojo verbally rejects his mother’s positivity that the war will end and Germany will return to what is once was, he is comforted by her presence. The audience doesn’t spend much time with Rosie, but the time spent brings both a sense of optimism that Jojo hasn’t really bought into Nazism and a moral compass.

That morality comes as a sobering gut punch at one point in “Jojo Rabbit,” when it becomes crystal clear how easy Waititi can weave satire and darkness. Sure, the film is first and foremost a comedy, but it’s also a secret vessel for some touching moments.

It’s easy to think that the funniest moments would come from Waititi’s Hitler, who is

both the most absurd character in the film and the most boring. Even Hitler’s jokes fall flat at some points, especially as he and Jojo begin to disagree. Jojo’s friend Yorki (Archie Yates) is consistently hilarious, and Captain Klenzendorf (Sam Rockwell) is the very embodiment of the film’s secretly tender underbelly.

But there are times when “Jojo Rabbit” feels too safe, like it’s just nearly pushing the envelope. It creates a cast of characters but leaves them with nowhere to go beyond Rosie. Jojo might be a quasi-protagonist, but there’s a feeling throughout the film that Jojo’s plot isn’t nearly as complex as it could be — in other words, the film doesn’t deal with the full weight of all of the issues it brings up. Jojo’s love for Elsa, sparked by Rosie’s goodness, is what seemingly changes him — but it’s hardly a redemption arc, and if it’s supposed to be, it doesn’t feel earned. “Jojo Rabbit” thinks it’s doing more for Jojo than it actually is.

In its funniest moments though, the film shines as a good satire. But when “Jojo Rabbit” takes this humor too far — when the film thinks it’s much funnier than it is — there’s less to look forward to. Sure, the sudden moments of darkness feel deserved, and Waititi does an excellent job making the tone feel fluid. But it eventually becomes difficult to follow the absurdity because it doesn’t feel absurd enough. There’s much more to satirize about Jojo, but something along the way holds “Jojo Rabbit” back.

Olympic figure skater Rippon talks memoir, Olympics, next chapter at Wilbur Theatre

by Devina Bhalla

Contributing Writer

Adam Rippon was the first openly gay athlete to win a medal in the Winter Olympics. He won a bronze medal as part of the figure skating team in the 2018 Winter Olympics. He also was a National Champion in 2016 and a Four Continents Champion in 2010.

Rippon released his memoir, “Beautiful on the Outside: A Memoir” (2019), on Oct. 15 and gave a book talk at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston on Oct. 18. The talk was moderated by Boston Globe sports editor Matt Pepin.

Rippon’s opening line to Pepin was, “you’re going to have your hands full, I’m warning you.” That disclaimer was the beginning of a hilarious and raw talk about Rippon’s memoir and his life in general. At many times Pepin was left simply smiling and did not know how to respond to Rippon’s fast paced, sporadic and random stories.

Pepin began by asking the origin story of Rippon’s memoir and its title, “Beautiful on the Outside.” Rippon commented that as the competitive figure skating chapter of his life closed and the next one opened, it felt like the perfect time to write and reflect. He stressed how important it was that his readers could laugh along with him throughout his book. If the talk was any indication, it seems as though he definitely accomplished this. The whole audience was in a constant state of laughter from the moment he came out onto the stage.

Rippon said that the title and the cover did not really have a meaning at first; he just wanted them to be ridiculous so that readers would start laughing, and it would set the tone. However, once people began seriously asking him what it meant, he related “Beautiful on the Outside” to the meme with the dog in the burning kitchen. He said that it represented the way humans can appear to be flawless while “their kitchen is on fire.”

When asked about his writing process, Rippon commented, “You make me sound smart, like I had a process.”

After the audience was done laughing, he revealed that he doesn’t consider himself a writer, but he does consider himself a storyteller. He wrote his book by thinking like he was writing a script and read every sentence out loud until it sounded exactly how he wanted it to.

Even though he always thought writing a book would be hard, Rippon reflected how it was still harder than he thought it would be. He aimed to tell stories with a sense of humor so that readers are laughing as he laughs, even if some of the stories aren’t actually funny.

Writing about the lows of his life were the most difficult sections of his book, but Rippon said that they were also the most important. Those times helped him learn and grow and, therefore, must be included even if he was struggling.

Rippon also talked about another very difficult part of this book journey: having his mom read his memoir. He

VIA AMAZON

The cover of former Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon’s new book ‘Beautiful On The Outside’ (2019) is pictured. said that there were many stories that she had never really heard or seen from his perspective, and having her read the book was different for both of them.

Though Rippon said that his mom is a vital part of his life, he said that there were fights and difficult times that she is hearing about for the first time through “Beautiful on the Outside.”

Rippon said he still enjoys skating in his post-competitive life, as being at a rink always feels like home for him.

However, he continues to realize that now, after just skating a little bit, he’ll feel exhausted and leave. He commented that he uses it “as an outlet not to be fat,” which left the audience laughing.

Pepin then shifted the conversation to Rippon’s experience and impact as an openly gay athlete at the Olympics.

Rippon reflected on all the people that he has gotten to meet and connect with since coming out.

The Olympics were the first time that Rippon felt there was more of a focus on him as a person than as an athlete.

Therefore, he felt that it was important to be open and honest about his experience. He “felt so grateful to be there” and knew it was his “one shot and [he had] to go for it.”

One of the most fulfilling experiences that Rippon discussed was when Billy Jean King came to him and told him that she saw herself in him; when he performed, she felt as though everything she went through made sense. That someone who was openly gay could perform on that stage strongly and beautifully meant a lot to King, Rippon said, and he talked about how deeply honored he was to hear that.

Rippon turns 30 in November and looks forward to the next chapter of his life. He hopes that the future holds a lot of areas in which he is able to perform, entertain people and bring laughter and joy. He noted that he feels really lucky to have the opportunity to do that with “Beautiful on the Outside” as well.

THE TUFTS DAILY | FUN&GAMES | Friday, October 25, 2019

F &G FUN & GAMES

tuftsdaily.com LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY

Ryan, about a potential [redacted] team: “We might have to Elizabeth Warren that shit.”

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Align team forces for a common goal and you’re unbeatable. Friends share the load and broaden reach. Clarify issues first. Establish basic rules and protocols.

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Opinion

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Friday, October 25, 2019

Noah Mills and Caitlin Colino Spaceship Earth

Democracy matters

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I’VE NEVER UNDERSTOOD WHY MY HUMAN WON’T LEAVE THE HOUSE WITHOUT HER LEASH. I THINK SHE’S AFRAlD OF GETTING LOST. BUT IT’S OK, I KIND OF LIKE SHOWING HER AROUND. — HARPER adopted 08-18-09

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o matter what issue you care about, it is key that you can have your voice heard. Living in a representative democracy means putting trust in an individual who ideally shares your values, but instead of each representative voting in line with their constituents’ wishes, it appears representatives in the Massachusetts State House vote however the Speaker of the House votes. This means the speaker holds a disproportionate amount of power instead of constituents. They act as a puppet master and use political incentives and the position of committee chair to encourage other House members to follow their lead.

An example of this is a vote earlier this year in which the speaker accidentally voted “no” on a rule change and then switched to “yes” and 63 representatives — yes, 63 whole adults — suddenly switched their votes from “no” to “yes” as well. This demonstrates a real problem: Legislators do not consider the needs of their individual constituents nor do they consider the contents of a bill at all. Instead, they fall in line behind the speaker and act like robots instead of the elected officials that they are. There are times when party unity enables difficult but necessary bills to pass, but for representatives to simply vote a certain way on a bill because the speaker did is a clear problem. If representatives follow the speaker rather than represent their constituents, there must be change.

We have strayed away from the values of democracy and need decisive action to guarantee that governments work to fix real people’s problems. Representatives should be vouching for their communities after talking to their constituents and learning about the difficulties they have. A government that is truly for the people would have so much power to create real, meaningful change, but the Massachusetts state legislature is showing that it does not want real change.

Creating an accountable group of representatives should not be a special case, it must be the baseline expectation.

Although the current situation is bleak, it is not unchangeable. An organization called Act on Mass is now taking action toward a more transparent and democratic state house. An official rule change cannot be passed until the start of the next session, but in the meantime the group has created a pledge for legislators to sign onto saying they will stand for roll call for any bill they have co-sponsored. If you want to hear updates from them and to show your support for the pledge, go to bit.ly/ActOnMassPledge.

Our local Somerville Representative Christine Barber has not signed on yet, so to specifically get involved with a team of Tufts students working to convince her to sign, go to bit.ly/TuftsTeam. When we see unjust and undemocratic rules perpetuated, it is time to stand up and get angry and then turn that anger into action!

Noah Mills is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. Noah can be reached at noah.mills@tufts.edu. Caitlin Colino is a sophomore studying environmental engineering. Caitlin can be reached at Caitlin.

Colino@tufts.edu.

Sports

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Jumbos look to keep momentum alive versus Continentals Moving the needle

Arlo Moore-Bloom The Equalizer

M

in Iran

aryam Shojaei grew up proud of her brother. A standout on every soccer team he ever played for, Masoud Shojaei is a point of pride for a family steeped in soccer culture. In 2004, when Masoud made his debut for the Iranian national team, his father watched on in the Azadi stadium in Tehran. Iran is historically the best Asian football team, consistently winning the AFC Asia Cup and qualifying for the illustrious World Cup. But Maryam never went to those games. As a result of the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the strict enforcement of Shariah law, women are forbidden to attend soccer matches.

That is, until earlier this month.

Iran’s stadium policies came under intense scrutiny in September when Sahar Khodayari, or the “Blue Girl,” committed suicide. Sahar was an Iranian soccer fan who disguised herself with a wig and attempted to enter a soccer stadium in March. She wore blue for her favorite soccer team, Esteghlal Tehran.

She was promptly arrested upon entering the stadium. After she returned to her court date six months later this September, she learned she could receive a prison sentence of between six months and two years. Given the reported conditions of Iran’s prisons for women, she poured gasoline on her body and lit herself on fire. Days later, on Sept. 10, she passed away in the hospital.

Under pressure from FIFA president Gianni Infantino and women’s rights activists, Iranian authorities earmarked tickets for women to go to a soccer game for the first time in 40 years. Although authorities only gave 5% of the stadium’s capacity in tickets to women, nevertheless, women streamed into Azadi stadium for a World Cup qualifier.

Women were given a “women’s only section.” It hardly mattered: it was a step in the right direction. Though Iran beat opponent Cambodia 14–0, emotion was high in the stands.

Videos show women weeping, waving their national flags. One woman with an Iranian flag on each cheek that later went viral on Twitter said, “[ This] was really a very big wish. Really, thank you for letting us come. I’m shaking.

Thank you.”

Though soccer twitter was enthralled and the match queued coverage from some of the most-read publications in the world such as The New York Times, Maryam was cautious to call this progress. “[Authorities] think that, if they give up on this, it’s a noose for them,” she said in an interview with The Guardian.

“People will ask for more. If they give in in one area, they fear they will have to give in in others.”

On Monday, Sahar’s favorite team, Esteghlal, played Saipa in front of a crowd of thousands of passionate soccer fans. In accordance with the law, none of them were women.

Arlo Moore-Bloom is a junior studying international relations and history. Arlo can be reached at arlo.moore_bloom@ tufts.edu.

EVAN SLACK / THE TUFTS DAILY

Senior running back Dom Borelli runs the ball forward in the Homecoming game against Bowdoin at Zimman Field on Oct. 19.

by Henry Molot

Contributing Writer

The Jumbos will look to secure consecutive wins for the first time this season when they host the Hamilton Continentals this Saturday on Parents and Family Weekend.

The Jumbos shined last week during their Homecoming game against the winless Bowdoin Polar Bears, running up a 49–0 scoreline to even their record at 3–3.

The game was a clinic on both offense and defense and was the Jumbos’ most complete win of the season. Senior quarterback Jacob Carroll led the charge as the Jumbos put up 662 yards of total offense, the highest total in the NESCAC this season.

When told that his offense put up the biggest statistical game in the league thus far, Jumbo coach Jay Civetti shifted attention away from the statistics, and onto his players and staff.

“The guys were really locked in,” Civetti said. “They really bought into the game plan and executed.”

On defense, senior linebacker and co-captain Greg Holt and his unit held Bowdoin running back Nate Richam-Odoi, who averaged 95 yards per game and a score coming into the game, to only 2.5 yards per carry on Saturday.

“We had great energy on Saturday,” Holt, a three-time NESCAC first-team honoree, said. “We were focused on improving from the Wesleyan game, locked in on our assignments and really just had fun playing with each other.”

Their matchup against the Continentals, who also stand at 3–3, should prove to be much more tightly contested than the Homecoming game. The Continentals, led by quarterback Kenny Gray, are 1–2 in their last three games against conference powerhouses Trinity, Williams and Amherst. Their win came against Amherst last week in a 31–28 shootout. The Jumbos lost to Amherst 26–16 in week three.

“[Hamilton is] very dangerous on offense,” Civetti said. “Their quarterback Gray is really talented.”

The Continentals have a balanced attack on offense, with three feature wideouts and two workhorse backs who each pose different threats.

“Since they pose both running and passing threats, we have to be very disciplined in our assignments,” Holt said.

“Understanding our concepts and our keys is going to be huge.”

Defensively, the Continentals secondary has been very up and down in the past two weeks, conceding five touchdown passes to Williams’ electric quarterback Bobby Maimaron. Against Amherst and quarterback Ollie Eberth, however, the Continentals defensive backs did not concede a touchdown through the air, while forcing Eberth into throwing two interceptions.

“They put [Eberth] in some difficult spots, and good things came of it,” Civetti said.

Continentals linebacker Carmine Bruno has been a nuisance on defense in the past two contests, forcing a fumble and intercepting a pass as well as putting up strong tackle numbers.

When asked about the threat Bruno poses, Civetti spoke towards what the team must do to combat him.

“We have to be solid in protection, do a great job communicating, and be aware of where he is at all times,” Civetti said.

Carroll, a native of Birmingham, Ala., has been extremely impressive under center, fighting off early-season injuries to develop into one of the most prolific passers in the NESCAC. Carroll and junior wideout O.J. Armstrong punished the Polar Bear defense all day on Saturday, as the pair broke out for three touchdown connections.

“Carroll did a great job of going through his reads and making good decisions,” Civetti said. “[Armstrong] was in the right place at the right time and made some great plays.”

The Jumbos were patiently waiting for Armstrong to have his breakout game, as the electric receiver had only hauled in one touchdown on the season before the Bowdoin game. Expect Armstrong and fellow wideouts graduate Frank Roche and junior Brendan Dolan to be heavily involved in the Jumbo gameplan on Saturday. The Jumbos also had their strongest rushing game of the season, grinding out 276 yards on the ground as well as four scores.

As a whole, the NESCAC is once again proving to be an extremely competitive conference. Holt lauded praise on the league both for its football excellence as well as its academic prowess.

“It’s one of those leagues where anything can happen, and it’s extra cool because everyone is a student and an athlete at the same time. It’s a great place to play,” Holt said.

While the Jumbos certainly have some losses they would love to have back, they have taken care of business against teams they are favored against, and still have their seminole win versus Trinity in week one. What’s more impressive, however, is the teams’ exceptional resilience and commitment to being competitive every day in practice regardless of what happened the week before. Civetti exemplified this when asked about what would break the tie between these two very even teams on Saturday.

“I’m honestly just focused on getting us ready for practice,” Civetti said.

For Holt, the sentiment was the same.

“We’re going to wipe the slate clean every week regardless of what happens, and try to carry momentum into practice,” Holt said.

Expect the Jumbos to be as locked in as ever versus the Continentals on Parents and Family day. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at the Ellis Oval.