The Tufts Daily - Monday, March 12, 2018

Following Parade of Nations controversy, students share views on Tibet and China issue see FEATURES / PAGE 4

TUFTS WOMEN’S LACROSSE

Tufts pulls away from MIT for 21-10 victory

‘Riverdale’ returns with teen drama, rocky relationships see ARTS&LIVING / PAGE 6

SEE SPORTS / BACK PAGE

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VOLUME LXXV, ISSUE 31

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Monday, March 12, 2018

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Jumbos’ postseason run ends with 66–48 loss to Polar Bears in Elite Eight

by Emily Burstein

Assistant Sports Editor

Playing in the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament on Saturday night, the Tufts women’s basketball team fell to a familiar foe: Bowdoin. The Jumbos defeated the Polar Bears in the NESCAC tournament semifinals on Feb. 24, with a decisive 60–48 victory. That win was redemption for Tufts, as Bowdoin won 66–53 in the teams’ regular-season matchup on Jan. 6. In Sunday’s rubber match, Bowdoin earned its second victory over Tufts, with a 66–48 victory, ending its conference rival’s season.

Tufts first-year forward Angela Alibrandi spoke about how the team’s familiarity with Bowdoin was a huge part of its game plan.

“Our game plan was to really know their players and know their tendencies, and make sure we defend them,” Alibrandi said. “[We wanted to] do the same thing

we did [last time], which was [to make] stops and score … and really know their personnel.”

Bowdoin took a huge lead in the first quarter on Saturday, finishing with a 20–8 advantage. Senior forward and co-captain Melissa Baptista scored seven of the Jumbos’ eight points. In the second quarter, the Jumbos fought hard to make up the deficit, and they cut the Polar Bears’ lead to 10 points at halftime, with a 33–23 scoreline. Baptista ultimately totaled 12 points, three rebounds and two blocks in the first half to lead the Jumbos, while sophomore forward Erica DeCandido and junior guard Jac Knapp each added five points. For Bowdoin, junior guard Taylor Choate scored 10 points, while seven other players contributed to its first half lead.

EDDIE SAMUELS / THE TUFTS DAILY

see WOMEN'S BASKETBALL, page 11

Senior forward and co-captain Melissa Baptista puts up a shot during Tufts’ NCAA tournament win over Westfield State on March 2.

TEDxTufts shares stories, seeks to revise perspectives

by Sophie Lehrenbaum and Ani Hopkins News Editor and Staff Writer

TEDxTufts, the independently organized Technology, Entertainment and Design ( TED) conference, brought ten speakers to the stage in Cohen Auditorium on Sunday afternoon to share talks covering topics ranging from cybersecurity to one woman’s story of her gender transition.

The theme of this year’s series of talks, which happened in two sessions, was “Re:Vision,” according to Taylor Fasolo, TEDxTufts’ creative director. Fasolo, a senior, said the entire team came up with the name. In an introduction to the second session of the conference, Fasolo explained that in selecting the idea of revision as a driving force behind this year’s program, the TEDxTufts team sought to issue a challenge to attendees to revisit their assumptions and consider how placement and positioning can influence one’s opinions.

First session The first talk of the day was presented

by Katie Hyten (F ’14), director of program operations at Essential Partners, a community facilitation organization.

Hyten’s talk focused on her work on bridging gaps in understanding between communities with differing objectives and values by changing the ways that they communicate.

Hyten was followed by Megan Rounseville, a Ph.D. candidate at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy

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who works as an economist for the World Bank Group.

Rounseville’s talk focused on her work in the Ecuadorian province of Chimborazo. In her work with the World Bank Group, she helped develop a program to improve child health and nutrition in rural Chimborazo.

The program texted automated messages to mothers in Chimborazo. The messages’ content ranged from affirmative words to reminders for mothers to take their children to clinics for regular checkups.

“Households that received the messages were 10 percentage points less likely to experience a range of nine common illnesses among their children,” Rounseville said.

She discussed the conclusions she had drawn from the experiment.

“Structural barriers remain an important determinant for development outcomes,” she said, “[but] the power of hope and human relationships can KENAR HARATUNIAN / THE TUFTS DAILY make the difference.”

Senior Mary Travers speaks at TEDxTufts in Cohen Auditorium on March 11.

Following Rounseville’s talk, senior Winnona DeSombre took the stage tion,” DeSombre said. “The private sector, poet Shane Koyczan from the TED2013 to discuss what she sees as the fundamen- meanwhile, moves too quickly, without conference. tal difference between public and private thought of regulation and security, someFollowing the recorded talk, senior Sam approaches to cybersecurity. thing that the government can rein in.”

Usher spoke on his research on neuromar“For the government, the problem After DeSombre’s talk, the presentation is a lack of understanding and innova- screen displayed a recorded talk by slam see TEDXTUFTS, page 2

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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Monday, March 12, 2018

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THE TUFTS DAILY Catherine Perloff Editor-in-Chief

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TEDxTufts asks attendees to revisit assumptions TEDXTUFTS

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Senior Benya Kraus speaks at TEDxTufts in Cohen Auditorium on March 11.

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continued from page 1 keting, a recently developed marketing technique which combines methods from traditional marketing with behavioral psychology to create advertisement strategies that are better optimized for consumer viewing.

Usher’s talk centered on his case study of the well-known Pepsi advertisement in which Kendall Jenner gives Pepsi to police officers in the midst of a protest. Critics of the ad felt that it trivialized both police violence and political protest, especially in the Black Lives Matter movement.

Usher used his research to show that the ad was poorly formatted.

“The first minute of the ad had a downward trend in engagement, which is a red flag that something isn’t working,” Usher said.

“Viewers did not have a central area of focus during the ad and were fading out because of the [first] scene’s extended length.”

The final talk of the first session was given by Ea Domke (AG ’17), who spoke about her experiences since she starting hormone replacement therapy.

“It was like for the first time, my head and heart wanted the same things, knew exactly what they wanted to do and were finally given the right tools, so they just went for it,” she said during her talk. “I know that my body is doing exactly what is right for me.”

Following Domke’s talk, audience members were asked to leave the auditorium for a one-hour intermission during which they were invited to eat food provided by local vendors, talk to the presenters from the first session and take in the art installation in the upstairs gallery of the Remis Sculpture Court.

Maya Pace, TEDxTufts’ marketing director, described the nature of the art installation.

“We wanted to bring [the theme] closer to home … so we asked folks to respond to the prompt ‘Who has shaped you?’” she said. “Then the [marketing and publicity] team created a visual, hanging network of the people who have shaped our lives.”

Second session Fasolo welcomed senior Mary Travers, a childhood friend of his, to the stage.

Travers dove into a series of anecdotes about how the small details that marked her childhood home could be glazed over or easily written off by a stranger, but upon deeper analysis, they

had tales of their own to tell. She wondered aloud about what the family moving into her childhood home next would make of these archives of her childhood.

“What did they think about us? How might they have imagined us out of the marks we left? What does someone look like if you can only see them through the objects they’ve interacted with?” Travers asked the audience.

Travers then launched into a description of how these same guiding questions had taken her through the life and spiritual practice of the woman whose diary she has studied since her sophomore year.

The medieval document dates back to early 15th century northern France and is the basis of Travers’ senior thesis. Rather than provide a traditional verbal analysis of the text, Travers said she looked to examine the personal devotional guide of this woman in the same way that she described reading the marks in her childhood home.

“I used my visual vocabulary to learn about the object’s structure, material makeup, patterns of usage and history,” Travers told the audience.

Following Travers, Alexandra Tarzikhan, a JD/MPH student at Northeastern School of Law and Tufts School of Medicine, took the stage. Tarzikhan contrasted her own experience as an immigrant from Syria to that of a friend of hers who lived several hundred miles away in Damascus.

Conflict caused their lives to diverge, with her friend later fleeing Syria. They have since been reunited, with her friend sitting in the audience of the TEDxTufts event Sunday.

Tarzikhan went on to describe her experiences volunteering at refugee camps in Lesbos, Greece, and mentioned the tendency to separate human lives from the humanitarian crisis. Finally, she invited her Syrian friend onstage for a hug, underscoring the human relationships behind the statistics and stories from Syria.

Senior Benya Kraus followed Tarzikhan with a description of how urban design can reinforce tensions within a community by preventing different groups from mingling. She pointed to specific examples of division through design, such as peace walls in Northern Ireland, as heightening fear and fostering misconceptions about between people who identify with different groups.

She then localized her discussion to the makeup of the greater Boston area, and more specifically, the Tufts community, explaining how some public spaces on the Medford/Somerville campus have become places of exclusion. Specifically, she highlighted fraternity and sorority houses that line Professors Row as a manifestation of social capital that could alienate other parts of the community. Then, she described how, as Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate president and a member of the Student Life Review Committee, she has helped devise new housing complexes on campus to mitigate some of the issues she sees with campus design dividing the community.

Following Kraus, Delia Perlov turned the conversation beyond earthly matters, diving into her description of the eternally inflating multiverse. A Ph.D.-level physicist and cosmologist, Perlov briefly summarized the theory of cosmic inflation, which tells of a universe that is expanding at an exponential rate. She said the multiverse refers to other universes that could exist as a result of cosmic inflation but fall beyond our observable universe. Perlov explained that once inflation begins, it can go on forever.

Finally, Jon Gillis, a current firstyear master’s candidate at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, shared his thoughts on general perceptions of service members in the United States and described that these cloud the way society treats the military. He explained how his experience in the Marine Corps did not match the standard concept of what military service entails. He clarified that he had never been to war and spoke of a boredom that infantry members grappled with as they waited for orders, driving them to great lengths for entertainment, such as shaving each others’ facial hair. Gillis also showed how national events, specifically the Vietnam War and 9/11, shaped a conception of military service.

He encouraged the audience to refrain from categorizing soldiers as heroes, and instead engage with them on a personal level.

“It actually becomes problematic because we forget who is going to execute the task on the other end, so we can come up with crazy counterinsurgency, but we forget that an 18-year-old that misses his girlfriend is tasked with executing counterinsurgency,” Gillis said.

News

Monday, March 12, 2018 | News | THE TUFTS DAILY

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Events on the Hill — Week of March 12

by Elie Levine News Editor

MONDAY “Public Lecture: Acting Regional Administrator of the U.S. General Services Admin” Details: The Department of Urban and Environmental Planning (UEP) is hosting Glenn Rotondo, acting regional administrator for the U.S. General Services Administration, as part of their colloquium series. Lunch will be provided.

Where and when: Crane Room, Paige Hall; 12–1 p.m.

“The Swiss Case: How Federalism, Neutrality, and Direct Democracy Shape Foreign Policy” Details: Martin Dahinden, Ambassador of Switzerland to the United States, will discuss democracy and foreign policy. He delivered a lecture at Tufts about humanitarian and armed action in 2014.

Where and when: Cabot 702; 12–2 p.m.

TUESDAY “Glasses for Good: A Conversation with Warby Parker’s Neil Blumenthal”

Details: Tisch College will host a conversation with Neil Blumenthal (LA ’02) about socially conscious business.

Blumenthal is co-founder and co-CEO of the Warby Parker eyewear brand.

Where and when: Chase Center, Carmichael Hall; 12–1:15 p.m.

WEDNESDAY “The Fourth Industrial Revolution: A Talk with Michael Granoff” Details: TAMID at Tufts is hosting Michael Granoff, Tufts alumnus and founder of Maniv Investments, who will speak about clean energy and business.

Where and when: Granoff Hillel Center; 8–9 p.m.

THURSDAY “Behrakis Family Endowed Lecture Series: Greece Minister for Foreign Affairs Nikos Kotzias” Details: As part of the Behrakis Family Endowed Lecture Series, is hosting Greece’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Nikos Kotzias, who will speak about his experience shaping Greece’s international policy.

Where and when: ASEAN Auditorium, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy; 8–9 p.m.

SEOHYUN SHIM / THE TUFTS DAILY

Students enjoy a sunny afternoon on the President’s Lawn on April 11, 2017.

Fletcher Arctic VII Conference speaks about science diplomacy, sustainability

by Shantel Bartolome Staff Writer

The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy hosted “Fletcher Arctic VII: Innovation and Sustainability in the Arctic,” the seventh annual Arctic Conference last Friday. The conference was organized by the Fletcher Arctic Initiative, according to the conference website and took place in the ASEAN Auditorium. Around 30 people, including Tufts students, visiting students and Tufts faculty, were in attendance.

The conference was structured around the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the three pillars of sustainable development: environment, economy and society, according to Fletcher Arctic VII Co-Chairs Krittika Singh and Tom Carugati, both second-year Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy students.

“The sustainable development goals are back in fashion and are being applied to … the development of the Arctic,” Singh said.

Paul Arthur Berkman, professor of practice in science diplomacy at The Fletcher School, also focused on the longterm trends and consequences of actions in the Arctic.

“If we look at sustainability as a concept, whether it’s maximum sustainability yield … or our common journey as the United Nations, in every case, there is the concept of generations,” Berkman said.

“The challenge we face as a civilization is one across generations, and just in terms of the young students in the room … the challenge is clearly operating across the 21st century.”

Berkman also emphasized that climate change is changing the boundaries of the Arctic Ocean and its composition. “The Arctic Ocean is fundamentally different now … [it’s] a new Arctic Ocean,” he said.

The first panel, titled “Sustainable Development Goals in an Arctic Setting,” was sponsored by the Tufts Institute of the Environment and moderated by Bill Moomaw, professor emeritus at The Fletcher School. The panel examined the UN Sustainable Development Goals as well as their implications and execution in the Arctic. The panel was a conversation

between Moomaw and Dwayne Menezes, director of the Polar Research and Policy Initiative in London.

According to Moomaw, it is important to be aware of the unstable conditions of the Arctic, and thus be flexible in policy implementation and sustainability goals. Many companies are looking to extract resources and conduct further research in the Arctic, but it is important to be prudent and figure out how to be sustainable outside the Arctic first, he said.

Speakers on the ‘Innovation in the Arctic’ panel address the audience “Investing a the Fletcher Arctic Conference in ASEAN Auditorium on March 10. trillion dollars there [in the Arctic] may well lead Vylegzhanin, head of the Department of to a trillion dollars of damage to the International Law at the Moscow State Arctic,” Moomaw said.

Institute of International Relations; Moomaw proposed that in order to Noor Johnson, a research scientist at the mitigate the Arctic’s unstable, unpredict- Science Diplomacy Center at Fletcher; able conditions, there must be more com- and Oran Young, distinguished promunication with the peoples of the Arctic. fessor emeritus at the Bren School of “We must first consult with peoples Environmental Science and Management of the region as well as governments to at the University of California, Santa create mutual gains agreements,” he said. Barbara.

“They must own their future.”

The panel spoke specifically about The panel then outlined the challeng- the necessary co-operation between the es the international community faces in Arctic’s indigenous peoples and the scienorder to accomplish successful, stable tific community. development in the Arctic. “[Science] is the process of trial and “The first challenge is how do error, basically,” Moomaw said. “We have we translate local, regional, nation- to be aware of our own biases and our culal and international goals … so… [that tural biases, more than our science biases.” they] can be aligned at different lev“Researchers continue to cause harm els,” Menezes added. when they come into Northern communities’ A second panel, “Science Cooperation context and don’t follow practices of consultain the Arctic,” co-sponsored by Center tion and engagement,” Johnson said. for Science Diplomacy and the Russia A key concern in science diplomacy and Eurasia Program at The Fletcher is the successful integration of and School, focused further on what sci- involvement of indigenous communience diplomacy would look like ties to improve data design, collection in the Arctic. The panel consist- and research protocol, according to ed of Berkman; Moomaw; Alexander Johnson.

EDDIE SAMUELS / THE TUFTS DAILY

about economic development in the region at

“One of the concerns is a lack of meaningful engagement … communities are not informed about research,” Johnson said.

Moomaw expanded on Johnson’s point about a disconnect between communities and scientists. “[Indigenous people in the Arctic] are ready for the long haul. Our businesses are ready for the next quarter. There’s a huge mismatch,” Moomaw said.

Young highlighted the need to better organize communication between these two communities.

“I think it requires an ongoing and well-organized effort on the part of both the [Arctic] community and the science community to work together and solve these problems,” he said.

Moomaw lastly emphasized the importance of time in scientific exploration and discovery in the Arctic.

“We need to take time to understand the timing of climate change with respect to whatever we decide to do,” Moomaw said. “The question is: Can we temper [exploitation of the Arctic], so we don’t commit ourselves to a process in which there is no immediate reverse gear?”

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Ross Sonnenblick The Tuftonian Dream

Blank slate

Features

Monday, March 12, 2018

Students discuss experiences, history of Tibet, China

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?

First-year Zack Gould came to Tufts in August with a bunch of tennis rackets, a bunch of interests and no beard. He had spent the entire summer growing out a thick, bushy layer of facial hair, but at the last moment, he says, “I decided to shave my beard. I wanted to look clean-cut when I arrived.” Now, as the proud possessor of a vast wealth of auburn whiskers, Zack elaborates, “I wanted to be a blank slate so that people would have no preconceptions about me.”

Back home, his brother’s friends see him and assume that he’s a stoner, but unless they were to read his more alternative eighth-grade writings, they would have no reason to draw such a shady conclusion. Zack has always identified as a goody two-shoes, but in middle school, he remembers, “I wanted to be an author.” He grew up in a town where the inhabitants boast a vast wealth of American dollars, and once, he recalls with a self-aware laugh, “I wrote a story about these hedgehogs. It was really dark and twisted, but one of the hedgehogs rebelled against society and got executed at the end.” Reflecting on the senseless slaughter of his spiky subject, he notes, “The dark humor was a way of exploring themes that I didn’t get to experience in real life … I’m a friendly person, so being able to take on a different persona through my writing allowed me to challenge society more than I do in real life.”

In high school, unlike the ill-fated hedgehog, Zack never challenged society. He helped organize a tennis tournament to fund cancer research, and he says, “I was very involved in my community.” Over time, though, he realized, “I didn’t love writing for the joy of it but for discovering my own identity.” He had succeeded in developing his own sense of humor, and he expresses, “Coming to college, I wanted to start a new chapter in my life.”

He started by embracing his burgeoning beard, and he has continued by exploring new possibilities at Tufts. Zack is a passionate man who hopes to find his primary passion, and he explains, “I came in saying I wanted to do IR because I didn’t know what I wanted to necessarily do … I’ve been more in tune with the interests of other people because of that.”

For example, he joined the club tennis team as a matter of course, but he never imagined himself on a coarse meditation mat alongside his roommate.

Zack can’t fully envision his future, either, but he asserts, “Personally, I’m very content with where I am right now.” He strokes his beard, meditates on the topic for a minute, and then concludes, “My dream for life in general is to be happy myself and to be in a situation where I make a difference in people’s lives.”

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

SOPHIE DOLAN / THE TUFTS DAILY

Mongolian student Khaliun Narangerel and Tibetan student Olive Baerde pose together for a portrait in Tisch Library on Feb. 28.

by Ana Maria Samper Staff Writer

Disclaimer: Khaliun Narangerel is a graphics and layout editor at The Tufts Daily. She was not involved in the writing or editing of this article.

Recently, the annual Parade of Nations event organized by the International Club (I-Club) caused controversy among the Chinese and Tibetan student communities.

According to a March 1 Daily article, a group of students raised concerns first about the inclusion of Tibet in Parade of Nations and about the implicit labeling of Tibet as a country in promotional emails sent out by I-Club, causing a bitter debate.

Over the past two weeks, the Daily interviewed several students who have responded to this controversy to find out more about how they understand the history of Tibet and China, as well as their personal experiences with the issue. While the views here are not representative of all Chinese and Tibetan students or the international student community at large, they reveal the misunderstandings and disagreements that exacerbated the controversy on campus.

Senior Xiaoyu Shi, a Chinese student, understood that Chinese sovereignty over Tibet dates back to an earlier period in history.

“The region of Tibet has been under the rule of the central government ever since the Qing dynasty in the 17th century,” Shi said.

Shi added that several Qing emperors had portraits done in costumes associated with different ethnic groups and regions in China, including Tibet, which confirms the history of Chinese rule in Tibet for her.

Tenzin Chokki (LA ’17), who identifies as Tibetan, was born and raised in northern India in a city called

Dharamshala, which Chokki described as the hub for Tibetans in exile.

Growing up, she learned a different story regarding the history of the relationship between Tibet and China.

“Before we learned about the Chinese occupation, we did a comprehensive review of Tibetan history, that starts before the first kings of Tibet.

After the kingdoms, and a period of uncertainty, the Dalai Lama system was established,” Chokki said.

According to Chokki, when Tibet was incorporated into China in 1950, Tibetans did not have enough troops to defend themselves and were not able to compete economically with China.

“The PLA [People’s Liberation Army] used to tell the common Tibetan people that they were going to liberate them because they were living under an aristocratic system where they had no power, and they were going to help them live better lives,” Chokki said.

“However, that was never the intention of the PLA. That was just a tool they were using to divide the people and to create a scenario where they would come in, eliminate the pre-existing system and take over.”

However, Shi disagreed. She shared her belief that Tibet was indeed “liberated” from aristocratic rule that had caused “slavery and starvation,” prompting the ruling elite to move to other parts of the world like India and Nepal.

“They are looking to recover their prestige by restating their old system of hierarchy in China,” Shi said. “If you overthrow a ruling class, it will result in people claiming their old status.”

Junior Shariv Sun, who is from China, doesn’t believe that the incorporation of Tibet into China was an entirely peaceful process, but asserted that the general consensus among Chinese citizens is that they wanted the people in their country to be united.

“Chinese history books roughly only mentioned how the Chinese Communist Party managed to liberalize the Tibet area. ‘Liberalize’ is the word that history books use,” Sun said.

Chokki described her understanding of the events that took place prior to the 1959 Tibetan uprising concerning the 14th Dalai Lama, who Tibetans regard as their political and religious leader. “[Chinese] troops sent [the Dalai Lama] an invitation to a Chinese opera and asked him to be the special guest, on the condition that he went by himself,” Chokki said, describing this as a red flag for the safety of the Dalai Lama. “It was an invitation for him to get killed.”

Following the uprising, the Dalai Lama fled to Dharamshala, where Chokki was born.

“We learn that we lost our country because the Chinese government occupied it. They say they came in to liberate, but it did not happen,” Chokki said.

Tibetan sophomore Olive Baerde, who went to school in Chengdu, China until sixth grade, offered their perspective on present-day discrimination of Tibetan people in China.

“People think Tibetans are very uneducated, they are like savages that don’t know anything. So many times, I didn’t want people to know I am Tibetan,” they said. “My parents wanted me to learn Tibetan [language] but I didn’t want to learn because in school I was taught it was inferior, and I didn’t want to be that.”

The Chinese government has taken steps to suppress the expression of Tibetan cultural identity, according to Baerde.

“You are not supposed to sing Tibetan songs. If you do, they send you to jail. People had to write down the see TIBET & CHINA, page 5

F e at u r e s

Monday, March 12, 2018 | Features | THE TUFTS DAILY

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Chinese, Tibetan students grapple with complex cultural, political tensions TIBET & CHINA

continued from page 4 lyrics to remember their culture, and hid them in cigarettes,” they said.

Cheng Li, a sophomore from China, asserted that it is warranted for the Chinese government to curb the spread of Tibetan culture, including Tibetan Buddhism.

“The fact that the Chinese government goes against Buddhism in Tibet is because Tibetans associate Buddhism with the image of independence. For example, the Dalai Lama, who was the religious leader, advocated for separation,” he said.

Baerde believed that their experiences form part of a broader pattern of what life is like in China for its ethnic minorities, who may possess different physical traits from the majority Han Chinese.

“In China, people like to treat others based on their skin color,” they said.

“Many job descriptions include physical characteristics and something that translates to ‘look nice’ which is basically not having a dark skin color and being of a certain height.”

For instance, members of ethnic Mongolian communities living in China face cultural erasure, as explained by sophomore Khaliun Narangerel, who is from Mongolia.

“Younger generations don’t realize the importance of preserving their culture because they have grown up in

a society that teaches them that who they are and where they come from is wrong. They are trained to believe that if they speak Mandarin well and act as a Chinese person, maybe they will live as well as the Han Chinese do,” she said.

However, Li said that he has never felt discriminated against in his use of the Hakka and Cantonese regional dialects.

“Discrimination was mainly based on rhetoric on how the Western media wants to portray us,” he said. “For the sake of mutual understanding, we should not speak our regional dialects because it doesn’t make sense. You can’t study anything if they teach it in a minority language.”

In fact, minority languages and religions are promoted by the government, according to Shi. “Even in the national college entrance examination, we have a whole set of tests on the Tibetan language, offered by the official government. It is nowhere forbidden,” she said.

Shi believed that there was no systemic discrimination against Tibetans in spaces like schools, and compared it to bullying in other parts of the world.

“These problems are beyond the issue between Tibet and China. This does not happen simply because of the ethnicity or the fact that the student is a minority,” she said.

Countering this, Chokki questioned the extent to which Chinese students

learn about the struggles of the Tibetan population.

“The Chinese government says that Tibet is part of China, and they live in the context of ‘We are part of the Chinese nation, we are all equal.’ Then why don’t Chinese students know anything about Tibet? Shouldn’t there be an equal basis for acknowledging that we are all part of this nation?” she said.

Tensions between both sides came to a head during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, according to Shi. “During the torch relay, there were several incidents of people trying to snatch the torch from the torch bearer. That is considered a dominating, discriminating and terrorizing move of these people on behalf of the Tibetan flag,” she said.

Baerde described how their friends in school turned against them as these events unfolded.

“They told me I must be a bad person because I am Tibetan. I didn’t understand why yesterday they treated me as a classmate and today as a terrorist,” they said.

That summer, Baerde traveled to Tibet, as was customary for their family to do every year.

“In every stop arriving there, there were soldiers checking if there were any tourists on the bus. Foreigners are not allowed to go to Tibet because the government was scared that foreigners

will spread what happens in Tibet to the Western world,” Baerde said. “In Tibet, you see police cars and tanks, and they have a curfew at 12:00, with a penalty of being sent to jail if violated.”

Living as a Tibetan outside of China gave Chokki a different perspective on the issue, as well as different hardships to endure. For example, when she was applying for a visa to study abroad, her place of birth was listed as India but her nationality was listed as Chinese, even though Chokki has never lived in China and doesn’t identify as Chinese in any form.

“I live through the daily experiences of being a Tibetan, with small things like speaking Tibetan at home, a language that is being wiped out. For me, there is no option of whether I can or cannot be political about the issue because I live as a Tibetan person in the context where being Tibetan means being erased,” she said.

Chokki noted the complexity of the situation and recognized that the probability of Tibet becoming an independent nation is still small. Regardless, all she needs is to be able to practice her culture and her language and to celebrate her Tibetan identity.

“Whatever work [the Dalai Lama] does, he doesn’t expect to see the result of it. That’s why if I invest and do the work in society that I think needs to be done now, I might live to see results,” Chokki said.

TCU Senate discusses funding requests, referendum, policy proposal

by Daniel Weinstein Assistant News Editor

Disclaimer: Samuel Weitzman is a sports editor at the Daily. He was not involved in the writing or editing of this article.

The Tufts Community Union ( TCU) Senate met last night in the Sophia Gordon Multipurpose Room to hear funding requests, a proposed referendum and a policy proposal.

TCU President Benya Kraus, a senior, opened the meeting by reminding the body of the Tufts Spirit Song Competition, an initiative focused on updating the Tufts spirit song to make it more representative of the diversity of the student body, for which the deadline is March 31. Kraus also noted that TCU Senate Executive Board elections are coming up in April.

TCU Parliamentarian Adam Rapfogel, a junior, then took the floor to introduce a proposed referendum by sophomore Rachel Wolff.

Wolff described her proposed referendum as one that would allow the student body to petition Senate resolutions to turn them into university-wide referendums, meaning the whole student body could vote on the issue.

Wolff noted that her motivation to push for this change was inspired by a feeling that the student body was not sufficiently consulted when the TCU Senate resolution calling for the university to end investments in the Israeli occupation was presented last April. She then mentioned that in order to push forward with her proposal, she is seeking at least 300 signatures from students.

After a brief question-and-answer period, TCU Senate Vice President Anna Del Castillo, a senior, took the floor to introduce a Tufts Speech Policy Proposal, brought to the senate by Tufts Cooperation and Innovation in Citizenship (CIVIC).

CIVIC representatives Wolff; Samuel Weitzman, a senior; Madison Taylor, a senior; and Senate trustee representative Nathan Foster, a senior; then outlined the policy proposal in a presentation. The proposal had also been written by sophomores George Behrakis and Ethan Brown in addition to those present, but Behrakis and Brown were not in attendance.

They said Tufts should prioritize freedom of speech, but they also noted that preventing harassment of any represented group on campus is also an imperative. As a result, they mentioned that their proposal would permit any group to bring to campus any speaker the group desires, unless compelling reasons exist to not do so, such as the incitement of violent views against particular individuals or groups, or the possibility that university could not ensure the safety of the speaker. They also advocated for the process of an appeals procedure regarding bringing speakers to campus.

Following their presentation, the senate moved into a brief question-and-answer period.

TCU Senate Diversity and Community Affairs Officer Shannon Lee, a sophomore, asked what type of speech would qualify as inciting violence against individuals or groups.

Wolff responded to Lee’s question by pointing to the freedom of speech guidelines highlighted by the United States Supreme Court as a possible inspiration.

However, after the body split up into conversation groups to discuss the presentation, Lee argued that Tufts, as a private institution, need not follow the path of the Supreme Court and could instead demonstrate a lower tolerance for harmful speech.

She also said she believes that there should be broader feedback from com-

munity members on this issue, and that she hopes this will be a continuous conversation. Similar points were made by other members of the Senate, who also believe Tufts should set its own standard for what is appropriate speech as a private institution.

The TCU Senate then transitioned to hear committee updates, first from the services committee.

Sophomore Senator Kevin Gleason noted that after talking with administrators of the Tisch Library, the library will now open at 7:45 a.m. as opposed to 8 a.m. on weekdays, and 9 a.m. on weekends.

Following that, Education Committee Chair Philip Miller, a sophomore, reminded the Senate to nominate professors for the upcoming Professor of the Year award.

After, Administration and Policy Committee Chair Jamie Neikrie, a senior, mentioned that there is an initiative to find a new name for the Capen Village housing developments and encouraged Senate members to start thinking of possible names.

TCU Treasurer Emily Sim, a junior, then took the floor to hear funding requests, first from the Media Advocacy Board representing Future Histories, an on-campus literary magazine that is currently not a TCU-recognized group.

Sophomore Elisa Sturkie took the floor to speak on behalf of Future Histories. She noted that despite the magazine’s lack of TCU recognition, the group has already published student work online. Sturkie continued by mentioning that there are many talented students willing to write for the magazine, yet the publication cannot get readership without proper printing and funds.

After a brief question-and-answer period, the Senate then instituted a move by acclamation to vote on

the request, to which first-year TCU Assistant Treasurer and Allocations Board (ALBO) member Sharif Hamidi objected, arguing that it is unfair to grant funding, even indirectly, to groups that aren’t yet TCU-recognized.

He mentioned that he believes this would undermine the purpose of groups seeking TCU recognition in the first place.

The body then moved into a brief debate period, during which Associate Treasurer and ALBO Member Finn McGarghan, a sophomore, argued that publications should be viewed as exceptions in this regard, because regardless of TCU recognition, they need significant start-up funding.

The TCU Senate then voted on this request, which was passed.

The TCU Senate then approved a funding request from the Korean Students Association for $1,130 for food at Big Brother Big Sister events, one for $2,049 and another for $1,800 from Spoken Word Alliance at Tufts (SWAT ) to attend an event and bring a speaker respectively, one for $2,000 from the Cape Verdean Students Association to bring a well-known singer, one for $520 from the Tufts Robotics Club to attend a competition, one for $550 from S-Factor to go on tour in New York City, one for $1,061 from the History Society to attend the Quiz Bowl National Championship, one for $2,430 from the National Society of Black Engineers to attend a convention, one for $773 from the Tufts Debate Society to attend a competition and one for $585 from the Tufts Ballroom Team to attend a competition in Rhode Island.

Lastly, the body heard updates from TCU Historian Jacqueline Chen, a junior, and Lee, and held a brief open forum.

Then the meeting adjourned.

6 tuftsdaily.com

Arts & Living

‘Riverdale’ Chapter 27: What happens in ‘Lodge’ lodge stays in ‘Lodge’ lodge

by Alison Epstein

Executive Arts Editor

Welcome to the latest episode of “Riverdale” (2017–) that for some reason also functioned as a 42-minute-long promotion for coming of age/coming out movie “Love, Simon” (2018)? This Riverdale gang-led infomercial felt mostly like filler, but that didn’t stop “Chapter 27: The Hills Have Eyes” from solidifying itself as one of the best episodes of the season. Who needs plot development when you have steamy hot tub make-outs, completely unnecessary homicide and FINALLY a love interest for Cheryl?

The episode kicks off with Hiram offering up the Lodge family cabin (the “Lodge” lodge) to the core four for a fun weekend couples getaway. At first it seems like Hiram is just choosing to be a very sex positive parent to his high school daughter, but he quickly reveals in private to Archie that it is all a scheme to get Veronica out of town. He apparently has a very important meeting with some of the other mob families in the area, so he wants Veronica to be out of harm’s way. He also tells Archie that Andre the driver will be secretly chaperoning them, and not to tell Veronica. Yay for lying to your girlfriend and for being her dad’s personal lackey!

It’s time to head out for the cabin, but not before Jughead has a creepy run-in with Chic, not that there’s any other kind with this kid. Chic basically threatens the lives of Alice and Betty, and he also does his creepy evil smile again in case there was any confusion about the tone of this conversation.

The gang arrives at the lodge, and as Andre unloads the bags from the trunk, Archie notices that Andre has a gun.

Gee, wonder if that’s going to be relevant later or something! And in other news, Jughead is looking particularly sleep-deprived and worse for wear. It’s unclear if that is purposeful for the character or if that’s just Cole’s natural state. Probably the latter.

Before they even get a chance to unpack, Jughead gets a call from Cheryl.

Before they had left, Cheryl had tried to come along on the trip, but Veronica had shut her down by telling her it was couples only. Never cross Cheryl, kids. This vicious queen has called to inform Jughead that Archie and Betty kissed — with tongue — and hangs up. She really is leaning into her @CherylBombshell identity.

Back at school (why are there people at school if the gang is supposedly on a “weekend” trip? Betty is not cool enough to skip school), Toni Topaz comes into the bathroom after overhearing Cheryl and tries to comfort her because she knows Cheryl is really in pain. Cheryl storms off, but for a second it was a moment.

The other point of excitement in Riverdale is the release of the movie, “Love, Simon.” (Coming to a theater near you!) Kevin wants to see it with Moose, the only other gay kid we know of — albeit closeted — at Riverdale High.

Unfortunately, Moose is already seeing it with his girlfriend Midge, but claims Kevin can come along since Midge knows everything about them (and supposedly their previous relationship) and “is cool with it.” Kevin isn’t buying it, however, and declines the invitation. And later, it’s made clear that Midge does not know, and Kevin has to cover for Moose by telling her that

Monday, March 12, 2018

Alec Provost The Art of Games

‘Dying Light’ exemplifies the best, worst aspects of modern games

A VIA TV OVERMIND

The poster of Riverdale Season 2 (2017–), a teen drama on The CW based on the characters from ‘Archie Comics,’ is pictured. he and Moose are former lab partners.

Kevin deserves so much more than this provincial life.

Over at the “Lodge” lodge, Jughead is only mad about the Barchie kiss for about five minutes, but he and Betty end up arguing again only moments later when Jughead keeps trying to indiscreetly ask Veronica about Hiram’s business dealings.

However, Veronica misinterprets their arguments as continued tension over the kiss, and orders them and their neon green margaritas out to the hot tub.

Veronica’s big plan? That she and Jughead should kiss to level the playing field, duh. Archie is definitely pissed, but Jughead looks low-key into it. Jughead definitely has an inferiority complex when it comes to Archie, but honestly it makes sense, considering Betty was head-overheels in love with Archie for a while there.

Ah, remember those simple days of season one when Betty was in love with Archie and Archie was in love with his teacher?

What’s a Black Hood?

But yeah, so Veronica and Jughead kiss, and it lasts kind of a long time — seriously, probably a solid 10 seconds — and Betty and Archie just have to sit there and watch. But then it’s over, and everyone seems fine. They might all just be wasted off three sips of those radioactive margs.

Back in their respective rooms, Archie does fragile-masculinity-induced pushups, while Jughead gets a little too excited when Betty informs him that she and Veronica have kissed before. Boys will be boys?

Then, oh no, help our souls, Betty emerges in her official cam girl/Dark Betty™ uniform. Someone please burn that wig! But Jughead seems into it, so okay kids, you do you. Let the awkward bed-creaking commence.

The next morning, Veronica catches Archie secretly talking to Andre in the woods, and tells him to try not to choke on his own testosterone, which is actually a pretty sick burn. Then she goes to town and flirts with a random cashier in a store and tells him where she lives. Hm, is THIS going to be relevant later???

That night, the gang gets into a huge fight upon finding out that Hiram bought both Sunnyside trailer park and the Riverdale Register, with Betty and Jughead attacking Veronica for being in on this scheme with her dad. Jughead also basically calls Archie stupid and Veronica calls out Betty and Jughead for being tragic and constantly watching serial killer doc-

umentaries, so all in all, it is a pretty hilarious (and spot-on) fight.

But before it can escalate anymore, three guys (one of whom is the cashier, duh) break into the cabin to rob them. And so there’d be something juicy to include in this week’s episode teaser, the boys are conveniently wearing black hoods.

Before they can do too much damage, Veronica pushes a secret security button, and the boys flee to the sound of alarms, but not before the cashier grabs Veronica’s locket — the ugly one Archie gave her for Christmas — off her neck. This prompts Archie to chase him outside and tackle him but before he can do anything else, Andre appears and says he’ll take care of it. And what do you know, as Archie runs back toward the house, a gunshot rings out.

Real talk, why was it at all necessary for Andre to shoot this kid for trying to steal some cash from the house? Archie had already restrained him, so it would have been a lot less trouble to just have the security that’s already on its way arrest him. Instead, there is yet another murder for one of these poor kids to cover up. And yet another secret for Archie to keep from Veronica. Boyfriend of the year.

Back in Riverdale, there is a whole other thing with Josie, who is mad at her mom about the affair with Sheriff Keller. In retaliation, she spills about the relationship to Kevin, who is pretty upset considering his mom is overseas and knows nothing.

But Josie apologizes to Kevin at — where else — “Love, Simon,” and they watch the movie together and decide to work things out with their parents. Cheryl and Toni also end up enjoying the film together, since Cheryl had to get out of her houseturned-sex den.

And now, the moment we’ve been waiting for. After a tear-filled speech about how much the movie emotionally affected her (we can ignore that part), Cheryl admits to Toni that she isn’t loveless — as her mother had yelled at her earlier — but rather had loved a girl named Heather until her mother called her a deviant and drove Heather away. In response, Toni takes Cheryl’s hand, and wow, it’s so on.

This is the relationship this show needs.

Finally love for Cheryl, and it doesn’t hurt that they are both absolutely stunning.

The only other important takeaway from this episode is that Jughead and Archie are the only ones in the core four who haven’t kissed. Your move, “Riverdale.”

n open-world zombie game released in 2015, “Dying Light” is a fantastic game. The good aspects of the game highlight exactly what makes video games fun. However, despite this, “Dying Light” is not perfect. In fact, its flaws fall victim to a disappointing series of tropes plaguing modern gaming.

The Bad The Protagonist: The protagonist in “Dying Light” exemplifies one of the biggest problems facing modern games: their lack of diversity.

“Dying Light” features white American Kyle Crane as its hero, joining the ranks of countless other video game protagonists. Making this even worse is the fact that the game appears to take place in a Middle Eastern setting, with an American hero swooping in to save the day.

The Story: In the same line as its protagonist, “Dying Light’s” story is generic at best.

It has all the tropes of an action movie, from the evil bad guy to the shadowy government agency. I was rarely interested in the story, making it all the more infuriating when I was forced to slow down and pay attention.

Although stories in games are improving, “Dying Light” shows why people often do not take stories in games seriously.

The Tutorial: It’s a small detail, but the tutorial for “Dying Light” highlights the problems in tutorials across gaming. It takes far too long to get the player into the game. Instead, it forces the player to go through a lengthy tutorial filled to the brim with uninteresting story.

The Bosses: Another problem is “Dying Light’s” boring boss encounters. While some games, like “Bloodborne” (2015), manage to have bosses that add to the experience, most others do not. “Dying Light” is one such game where the boss encounters detract from the experience. They are frustrating and break the game’s momentum.

The Good The Gameplay: Part of the reason why “Dying Light’s” story is so grating is because of how amazing the gameplay is. Bounding across rooftops and sliding through crowds of zombies is an absolute blast. The moment-tomoment gameplay is engaging, and the parkour movement is almost always fluid. While combat can be boring at first, it only improves as the game goes on. Being forced to take a break from this brilliant gameplay to listen to a generic story conversation highlights both the good gameplay and flaws with the story.

“Dying Light” shows how fun minute-to-minute gameplay can overcome significant flaws with a game.

The World: “Dying Light’s” Middle Eastinspired fictional city of Harran is a fantastically realized world. Although its details may go unnoticed because of the frantic and fastpaced gameplay, the world is beautiful and never fails to instill a strong sense of place.

Harran’s Old Town stands out as one of the most beautiful areas I have encountered in a game. Its architecture is stunning and truly feels like a once-beautiful city. “Dying Light’s” world exemplifies the power of games to create beautiful, immersive and fun worlds.

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

Arts & Living

Monday, March 12, 2018 | Arts & Living | THE TUFTS DAILY

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‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars’ 3: #BenDeLaChrist, train(?) rights, more

by Jack Ronan Arts Editor

We’re almost at the finish line! It’s been two weeks of nonstop drama, and it’s time now to revisit our All Stars after episodes six and seven and talk about what to expect from the finale.

BenDeLaCreme’s shocking self-elimination: The internet is just beginning to recover from episode six’s shocking conclusion. After a disappointing conclusion to the Handmaid’s Tale saga — no, BeBe is not a mole — the eliminated queens return to the competition with a chance to redeem themselves and win a spot in the top five.

The reunited queens spend the first chunk of the show reading each other for their controversial elimination decisions. Any drama that could’ve happened happens.

Aja confronts BeBe for eliminating her after helping assemble BeBe’s disco look, Thorgy comes after Trixie for note-gate and Milk calls out Kennedy, only to come to the rightful conclusion in a moment of shocking introspection that she herself is “an a**hole.” The tensest moment was between DeLa and Morgan, who calls the Seattle frontrunner a hypocrite for choosing to knock Morgan out of the competition after saying in the first episode that she would base her elimination decisions on merit, not personal beef. DeLa is visibly rattled by the exchange, which explains why she chooses to assume a Goth character during the episode’s Baby Spice-inspired Kitty Girl challenge. DeLa beats Bebe in an uneventful lip sync to a dance remix of “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here,” and in an All Stars first, she uses some conveniently placed White-Out to write her own name on the lipstick and eliminate herself from the competition. But “as it is written, so it shall be done,” and Ru asks her to sashay away.

#BenDeLaChrist’s departure felt smug after she announced that she’s already a winner, but the producers have been dropping hints all season after we’ve seen DeLa struggle week after week to decide who to send home. This reviewer has never agreed with anything Thorgy has ever said, ever, but she was right that DeLa’s self-imposed exit felt more about her sense of omnipotence than anything else.

Shangela and Trixie’s lip sync: There was no need for any wig glue after last week’s snore of an episode. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi finally makes an appearance in the workroom, and it is even more uncomfortable than one could have imagined: She delivers a tepid get-out-the-vote sermon and promptly dashes out. Well, she — kind of — tried. With Morgan back in the running after being resurrected by BenDeLaChrist, the remaining five queens compete in the acting challenge “My Squirrelfriend’s Dragsmaid’s Wedding Trip,” and everyone but Trixie’s washed-up bride-to-be character flops. “Drag Race” then rewards viewers who survived Pelosi’s cameo, the maxi challenge and the aggressively edited runway scene with a phenomenal lip sync between Shangela and Trixie. Trixie serves skinny legend in a skintight pink bodysuit, but it is Shangela’s fatsuit that steals the show.

The Nancy Drew of Drag strips, twerks, swaps two pairs of glasses and death drops to the tune of Mama Ru’s “Freaky Money.”

Between her “I Kissed a Girl” performance and this week, Shangela has proven herself to be the lip sync assassin that Trixie isn’t.

What to look forward to: Well, we’re almost at the end. If all goes according to plan, next week’s finale shouldn’t surprise anyone. Shangela really is the Daenerys Targaryen she claims to be, and after two unsuccessful runs on the show, she deserves the $100,000 cash prize at the end.

VIA VH1

RuPaul of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars’ is pictured for a season 3 promotional video.

And how can we forget her runway look?

The popcorn wig, her rendition of Beyoncé’s baby announcement, her inflatable spiky octopus gown in last week’s episode — they’ve all dazzled. It would be a shocking upset if Shangela went home without the crown, but Trixie and BeBe both still have a tiny shot. Unfortunately, Kennedy has the worst track record of all the remaining queens, so her win seems the most unlikely.

Anyway, if all goes according to plan, we’re in for an expected but rewarding finale where the Queen of Dragons finally gets her due.

Trains-gender rights?: In other confusing “Drag Race” news, RuPaul has come under fire in the past week for an interview with the Guardian where he said he would “probably not” allow a transitioning queen to compete on the show because

“drag loses its sense of danger and its sense of irony once it’s not men doing it.” There was so much wrong going on in that interview, between downplaying the transness of former contestants like Peppermint and reducing trans people to their body parts.

Queens from former seasons leapt out in response, like season nine champion Sasha Velour who said, “My drag was born in a community full of trans women, trans men and gender non-conforming folks doing drag. That’s the real world of drag, like it or not.” RuPaul tweeted an apology, but as one Twitter user pointed out, he mixed up “trans flag” and “train flag” and posted an image of Ellsworth Kelly’s “Train Landscape” instead.

It’s been a bizarre, disappointing week in the “Drag Race” world, but let’s hope the finale makes up for things.

Senior Baccalaureate Speaker

FINALIST AUDITIONS

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2018 • NOON, GODDARD CHAPEL EACH FINALIST WILL PRESENT A 3-5 MINUTE SPEECH THE 2018 FINALISTS ARE: Madeline Bacchus Anna Del Castillo Travis Percy Ana Karen Manriquez Prado Rachel Wahlert Isabella Kahhale A17, Wendell Phillips Speaker 2017

Light refreshments will be served. All are welcome to attend.

THE WENDELL PHILLIPS AWARD The Wendell Phillips Award was established in 1896 to honor Boston’s great orator and advocate for abolition and women’s and Native People’s rights. The award is given annually to a senior who demonstrates both marked ability as a speaker and a high sense of public responsibility. Selected by the Committee on Student Life, the winner is the one graduating senior invited to offer a speech as part of Commencement, and the speech takes place during the Baccalaureate Service. It is intended to deliver a social justice message for our time.

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THE TUFTS DAILY | Comics | Monday, March 12, 2018

tuftsdaily.com

Comics

LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY Lexi: “I break rules, Evan.”

Comics

SUDOKU

Puzzle 1 (Easy, difficulty rating 0.44)

Ask the Daily: I have a bad professor. What should I do?

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: I’ve had bad professors before, but this goes way beyond what I consider to be acceptable levels of incompetence, bad teaching and rudeness. This professor is new to Tufts, so I WANT to give them the benefit of the doubt, but the situation has only gotten worse as the semester progresses.

This professor assumed we all took high-level courses that are not a prerequisite; they assign poorly written assignments with tons of typos and incorrect information; they just recently assigned a huge assignment that they expect us to work on over spring break (the midterm is only a few days before spring break and the assignment is due right when we get back); and honestly they are just bad at teaching. If being a bad teacher wasn’t enough, this professor dodges questions, refuses to listen to student concerns and is unhelpful in office hours and on Piazza.

Is there ANYTHING we can do about this? I would talk to the professor directly, but they have acted so annoyed with me and rude to me when I’ve voiced concerns that it’s made me too uncomfortable to talk to them again.

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Difficulty Level: Going to Montreal cause you didn’t make any plans until two Generated by http://www.opensky.ca/sudoku on Sun Mar 11 23:50:10 2018 GMT. Enjoy! weeks before the break.

Friday’s Solution

ANSWER BY ELLAH NZIKOBA

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: My advice to you would be to, first, consider the importance of the class to you. If it’s not for your major, then you definitely do not have to stress yourself staying in the class.

Most of the graduation requirements can be fulfilled with various other classes whose professors and teaching style may be more suited for you. If you don’t have any choice other than to stick it out in the class, try to find some other students in the class to work on assignments with. Other people are obviously feeling the same way; it will benefit you all to get together and go over materials so you don’t have to rely on the teacher’s poor teaching method as much.

This being the professor’s first time teaching, it may be helpful to try looking at the situation from their perspective. They are possibly lost on how they’re supposed to conduct class, translating into their rude behavior and disorganization. Perhaps teaching is as stressful to them as learning is for you and they simply have not gotten the hang of balancing it all. In this case, try to change your approach of how you voice your concerns to them; not straight out criticizing them but rather trying to understand what it is that they are trying to accomplish and what their expectations are of you. It could be that they are reciprocating the feelings they are getting from students and perhaps approaching them with respect, as hard as this will be given your experience thus far, will change the way they respond to concerns.You can reach out now if you feel comfortable enough to do so or you can wait to give them feedback by filling out course evaluations.

If all else fails, definitely reach out to the department chair and/or your dean and explain what’s going on.

CROSSWORD

Opinion

Monday, March 12, 2018

OP-ED

On March 14, the one month anniversary of the Parkland shooting, Tufts students and students around the country will walk out of their classes in a showing of solidarity and a call for action. We walk out to protest all forms of gun violence: from police brutality, to mass shootings, to systemic forms of gun violence that disproportionately affect black and brown communities. We are calling on our leaders to change legislation accordingly. At Tufts, those participating will gather on the Residential Quad at 10:00 a.m. to hear fellow students’ stories on gun violence. The event will last 17 minutes, to honor the 17 lives lost in Parkland.

Our rally is a part of a larger national movement, #Enough, which is organized by high schoolers from around the nation with support from the Women’s March. This movement, which has taken off alongside Parkland’s student activism, has significantly more weight than most previous pushes for legislation after gun violence. They are calling for prevention on all fronts, to not only reduce mass shootings, but also reduce police violence, destabilizing foreign policy and systemic violence in black and brown communities. (Our rally adds to these stated demands, making sure that gun suicides are a part of the conversation.)

Amazingly, instead of fading from the media circuit, the students are continuing to gain momentum by planning the March for Our Lives event in Washington on March 24, and another walkout for April 20, which marks the 19th year since the shooting at Columbine.

This movement is important as violence and the frequency of shootings increase exponentially, while gun laws only grow more relaxed.

Each day, an average of 96 Americans are killed by guns. In 2017, 15,580 people were killed by guns, and another 31,178 were injured. About two-thirds of these deaths were suicides. Last year saw 346 mass shootings, each of which

had a rippling effect on the survivors, their communities and all communities that have witnessed mass shootings.

We stand up with the students and survivors from Parkland, Sandy Hook, Columbine and all other victims of gun violence when we say enough is enough. Students and teachers have a right to learn without fearing a shooting. We all have a right to live without being afraid of gun violence. This movement is pushing for legislation to allow that to happen.

We demand the following: We demand that Congress expand background checks to all gun sales. Currently, some private sellers can legally sell firearms without performing a background check, giving access to those who should not be allowed to purchase guns. Congress must act to close this loophole.

We demand that Congress act to ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines, which are frequently used in mass shootings.

We demand that Congress promote safe storage of guns to reduce suicides and accidental deaths by firearms.

We demand that Congress pass a gun violence restraining order law, which would allow courts to temporarily block dangerous individuals from purchasing and possessing guns. This is an area where our state government can act, too; Massachusetts has no such law on the books, but the Democratic supermajority in the state legislature could easily make it a reality.

We demand that all elected officials and candidates decline campaign contributions from the National Rifle Association (NRA), a lobbying group that represents the firearm industry. The NRA has repeatedly killed any bill that could hurt gun sales, showing that they are more concerned about their own profits than people’s lives.

Currently, the Center for Disease Control is legally forbidden from using government money to research gun violence as a public health issue. We demand that this law, called the

tuftsdaily.com

Anita Ramaswamy Anita’s Angle

Enough is enough

by Nate Krinsky and Monique Dubois

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Dickey Amendment, be overturned, and that the government fund research on gun violence.

Given that 987 people were shot and killed by police last year, and that many black and brown communities justifiably distrust the police, we demand that Congress act to end the militarization of police departments and instead move towards disarming the police. Countries like England and Wales have unarmed police officers, leading to much lower rates of police shootings. We should strive for a similar system in the US. Crucially, we demand that all current and future gun legislation be implemented equally and fairly among all races and classes. The infamous murder of Philando Castile, a law-abiding, black gun owner killed for legally possessing a weapon, is evidence that enforcement of gun laws is racialized and disproportionately affects marginalized communities.

What we are asking for is not radical. These are common sense proposals that will save lives and allow us to live without fear.

We have seen too many acts of gun violence to stay silent. We cannot stand idly by and wait for this episode to fade from memory. Students from Parkland and from all over the nation are making sure that this time, we won’t forget. Despite those trying to divide us, most agree that gun laws should be stronger; 97 percent of this country supports stricter background checks. Expressing this unity is crucial as we push for sensible legislation to prevent the massive amount of gun violence our country faces daily.

Come show your support and walk out on March 14. Together, we can make a change.

Nate Krinsky is a junior majoring in electrical engineering. He can be reached at nathan.krinsky@tufts.edu. Monique Dubois is a first-year who has not yet declared a major. She can be reached at monique.dubois@tufts.edu. They are organizers with the Tufts Progressive Alliance.

THE EVOLUTION OF STANDARD WRITING

by Rebecca Tang The Tufts Daily is a nonprofit, independent newspaper, published Monday through Friday during the academic year, and distributed free to the Tufts community.

The content of letters, advertisements, signed columns, cartoons and graphics does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Tufts Daily editorial board.

EDITORIALS Editorials represent the position of The Tufts Daily. Individual editors are not necessarily responsible for, or in agreement with, the policies and editorials of The Tufts Daily.

OP-EDS The Op-Ed section of The Tufts Daily, an open forum for campus editorial commentary, is printed Monday through Thursday. The Daily welcomes submissions from all members of the Tufts community; the opinions expressed in the Op-Ed section do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Daily itself. Opinion articles on campus, national and international issues should be 600 to 1,200 words in length and submitted to 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.

ADVERTISING All advertising copy is subject to the approval of the Editor-in-Chief, Executive Board and Executive Business Director.

The Endowment and the Journalists

T

ufts students may have a reputation for being outspoken, but we’re not the only school whose student journalists have ascended to national prominence because of their opinions. Anthony Scaramucci’s cease-and-desist letter earlier this school year, intended to intimidate The Tufts Daily into retracting an unflattering opinion piece about him, created a stir both on campus and in national headlines. Princeton’s school newspaper tangled with right-wing media outlets over the restructuring of their editorial board. And last week at Yale, David Swensen, chief investment officer and one of the most acclaimed investors ever, got into a particularly nasty fight with the student-run Yale Daily News (YDN) over the holdings of Yale’s $27 billion endowment.

The YDN published an article covering an event critical of the endowment’s holdings.

Students at the event criticized Yale’s investment in the Boston-based Baupost Group, a hedge fund that holds Puerto Rican debt. They also took issue with Yale’s fossil fuel holdings as well as alleged investments in the private prison industry. Swensen was incensed upon reading the article. In a heated email exchange with the student paper’s editor-in-chief, he submitted a letter to the editor in response, defending the endowment’s holdings. During the editing process, the situation escalated and Swensen used his position of power to intimidate the editor-in-chief, calling her a “coward,” her actions “disgusting” and asking if she understood “simple English.” Swensen alleged that the the student reporter had not contacted the Investments Office for more information. Editor-in-chief Rachel Treisman fired back, pointing out that the reporter had indeed communicated with the Investments Office before authoring the piece. Treisman was courageous to uphold the newspaper’s commitment to rigorous fact-checking and not let Swensen’s power or title intimidate her.

Censorship continues to be an issue of national prominence, especially given the Trump administration’s hatred of the media and intimidation tactics against journalists. Debates about freedom of the press and the media’s role in a healthy democracy are being held on a stage for all to see, and students have a crucial role to play in this discourse. Student journalists must continue the crucial fight against institutional powers that wish to silence them. Last semester, The Tufts Daily’s managing board pointed out that this newspaper has a “proud history of speaking truth to power.” Leaders of student newspapers should keep this philosophy in mind when grappling with tough issues, as Treisman did.

But while Swensen’s words were reprehensible for a professional representing the university, the situation is not entirely black-andwhite. Swensen was right to point out that the university does not actually have any holdings in private prison investments. The students protesting extrapolated this conclusion from seeing that the university holds funds managed

by BlackRock and Vanguard but did not realize that Yale’s holdings through these funds are not even investing within the United States, let alone in U.S. private prison companies.

Ultimately, there are two sides to every story, and both school administrations and student journalists should be mindful that facts and details always make for a more convincing argument than angry rhetoric.

Anita Ramaswamy is a junior majoring in political science. She can be reached at anita.ramaswamy@tufts.edu.

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Monday, March 12, 2018 | Sports | THE TUFTS DAILY

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Tufts crushes Messiah in Sweet Sixteen, bows to Bowdoin WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

continued from page 1 The Jumbos knew they had to fight hard in the second half to edge out their opponent and continue to build off of the momentum they had built in the first.

“Going into half, we had cut their lead down to 10,” Knapp said. “We kind of regained some momentum.

They had a lot of the momentum in the beginning of the game, but in the second quarter we picked it up and started to play … Jumbo basketball, and the momentum shifted. Coach [Carla Berube]’s message to us during halftime was [that] we had 20 more minutes, and we had to leave it all out there. We had to play for our seniors, play for this team and play for a chance to keep advancing and play next weekend.”

Baptista scored Tufts’ first six points of the third quarter, while Bowdoin senior forward Lydia Caputi made a layup to maintain the lead. At the 4:24 mark, DeCandido’s layup brought the Jumbos within six of their opponent, 37–31. However, Bowdoin ended the quarter on a 7–2 run to take an 11-point lead into the final period.

The Polar Bears then went on a 13–0 run to begin the fourth, essentially sealing the end result. Knapp responded at the 5:05 mark with a layup for the Jumbos’ first points of the quarter, but Choate did the same for her team on the other end of the court soon after. While the Jumbos were unable to catch the Polar Bears, they fought through the final whistle with tenacious full-court pressure. In the final game of her collegiate career, Baptista

led Tufts in points (18) and rebounds (six), while also recording two steals and two blocks. Knapp finished with 12 points, four rebounds and four steals.

On Friday, Tufts snapped Messiah’s 13-game winning streak to book its ticket to the Elite Eight for the fifth straight year. The Jumbos put up the first points of the game at the 7:34 mark of the first quarter with Knapp’s two free throws. DeCandido then added two more following a steal by senior guard and co-captain Lauren Dillon. Tufts extended its lead to 8–0 on a layup by Knapp and a jump shot by Baptista. Messiah sophomore forward Leah Springer scored her team’s first points with 4:31 remaining in the quarter to cut Tufts’ lead to six. However, Tufts charged ahead, extending its lead to 22–8 by the end of the quarter.

The Jumbos continued to impress on both ends of the court in the second frame. While Springer opened the scoring with a pair of free throws, DeCandido responded with a jump shot. The rest of the quarter was all Tufts, as the team went into halftime with a 42–16 lead. DeCandido tallied 16 points, two rebounds, a block and a steal in the first half, while Knapp — who played all 20 minutes — posted 15 of her own, while adding three rebounds, three steals and two assists. Dillon finished the half with six points and a team-leading four assists, to go with a pair of rebounds and steals. Springer was the Falcons’ leading scorer, coming off the bench to contribute six.

The third quarter began with two made free throws by Baptista and

another layup by Knapp. At the 8:01 mark, Knapp stole the ball from Messiah junior guard Maci Thornton and added two more points. The Westfield, N.J. native then converted a three-pointer off a dish from Dillon.

Messiah responded with 10 points in the final five-and-a-half minutes of the quarter, but Tufts went into the fourth with a commanding 55–26 lead.

Tufts sophomore guard Lily Paro knocked down a couple of three-pointers in the first minute of the final quarter to continue the Jumbos’ scoring barrage. Alibrandi also made her presence known off the bench, scoring five straight points, which included an old-fashioned three-point play and a layup. The Jumbos ultimately walked away with a dominant 70–39 victory.

Knapp finished the day with a team-leading 23 points, her careerhigh. DeCandido added 16 points and a team-high six rebounds, as well as two steals and two blocks. Dillon led the team in assists with seven, and also posted six points, four steals and three rebounds. Due to their large lead, the Jumbos were able to give valuable tournament experience to many of their bench players, who combined to score 18 points. Tufts didn’t let a single opposing player reach double-digit points, as Messiah senior forward Hannah Brown led her team with nine.

With the Elite Eight exit, Tufts ends the season with a 26–5 record. The Jumbos will graduate four highly decorated seniors — Baptista, Dillon, co-captain guard Jennie Mucciarone and guard Gina Doyle — who went 114–15

in their four years. Baptista finishes her stellar career as the third-leading scorer (1,337 points) and the fifth-leading rebounder in program history. Dillon, a two-time captain for Tufts, finishes as the team’s all-time leader in assists and steals. Knapp spoke to how much the seniors have meant to the team, as each one helped create its identity.

“Our seniors are a huge part of where we are and a huge part of the reason our program is what it is,” Knapp said. “They are such a special group, the four of them. They have done so much for this program. They are great leaders, they really showed the rest of us … how much hard work can pay off and the work ethic you need to play on this team. We wouldn’t have been where we were without them. We are really going to miss them next year.”

Alibrandi echoed her teammate’s sentiments, adding that the graduating seniors helped her and her fellow first-years adjust to being members of the team.

“The seniors, especially, did a great job of showing all of us the ropes and telling us how it is supposed to go. [ They] really created those expectations for us, and [inspired] all of us to be better, so as we look to the future, we know to follow their example and be role models for the … girls who will eventually come here. [ They taught us that] it’s all about being part of the program and every day trying to make yourself better, trying to make your teammates better and playing well so that you have a great time and a fun experience.”

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Sports

Monday, March 12, 2018

Arlo Moore-Bloom The Equalizer

Could Trump endanger the 2026 World Cup bid?

ALINA STRILECKIS / THE TUFTS DAILY

Junior midfielder Gabby Vinci possesses the ball in Tufts’ game against MIT at Bello Field on March 10.

Jumbos put on strong offensive display in win over Engineers

by Ryan Eggers

Assistant Sports Editor

The No. 12 Tufts women’s lacrosse team took on MIT (1–2) at home on Saturday, winning handily by a score of 21–10. The game came a few days after the team was scheduled to play Endicott, but last week’s harsh weather postponed that game until further notice.

Continuing a high-scoring trend from last week’s season opener (a 17–4 win over the Hamilton Continentals), the 21 goals that the Jumbos put up against the Engineers matched their season-high from last year. Tufts’ fastpaced action up and down the field has led the team to a high volume of scoring opportunities, as the team put up 48 shot attempts to MIT’s 25.

“We’re playing fast and moving the ball around pretty quickly,” junior attacker Dakota Adamec said. “Everyone has the lax IQ, and everyone has this connection that we’ve been trying to build over the last couple years. It’s finally being able to be showcased in the past couple games.”

The first half of the game saw lots of offense on both sides of the field as the teams found themselves tied 3–3 a mere four minutes into the match. The Jumbos took off from there, though, scoring eight straight goals to open up a commanding 11–3 lead. After a brief spell of back-andforth action in the final minutes of the half, Tufts headed into the break up 13–7.

Despite being up by six, the Jumbos felt they let up a bit too much on defense in the final few minutes of the half. They came out of the break with renewed defensive intensity, giving up only three goals to the Engineers in the second half.

“We talked about stepping up our communications and defaulting to basic defenses and fundamentals [at halftime],” junior defender Hedy Veith said. “I think people went [into the second half ] with that mentality and focused on the small things about defense, and I think that really helped out.”

Along with the defensive adjustment, Tufts again put together a potent offensive attack in the second half, scoring eight goals to bring its game total to 21. The scoring was very well distributed, with 12 Jumbos contributing a goal to the cause. The leading scorers of the afternoon were sophomore attacker Emily Games, junior midfielder Annie Sullivan and senior midfielder Caroline Nowak, all of whom notched three goals.

Team chemistry played a big role in Tufts’ offensive success, as well, with accurate passing a key factor. Despite the Jumbos’ control of possession throughout the game — underscored by their high volume of shots — they turned the ball over fewer times than the Engineers, with 20 to the visitors’ 25. Tufts also set up many of its goals with smart passes, recording assists on 12 of its 21 scores.

As far as the Jumbos’ defense goes, giving up just 10 and four goals to their first two opponents has them feeling optimistic about the rest of the season. The rise of the team’s younger players and defensive chemistry have been crucial in keeping the ball out of the Jumbos’ own net.

“I feel great about [the defense],” Veith said. “I think we’ve had some underclassmen step up for some holes that we needed to fill from graduating seniors last year, and they’ve done a great job.

I think we’re really starting to find our groove with our defenders, as well as the midfielders that come down with us.”

The win gives Tufts a 2–0 record early in its 2018 season, with two impressive wins already on its résumé.

That perfect record will be tested on Wednesday when the Wellesley Blue visit Bello Field. Wellesley is coming off a 14–13 overtime loss to UMass Dartmouth, so Tufts will likely have to deal with a team hungry for vengeance. With the way they’ve been playing so far, though, the Jumbos are confident they can handle the Blue, and any of their other opponents this year.

“When we play fast and enjoy the game, that’s when we play our best,” Adamec said. “Going into Wellesley, we’re still going to be trying a few different things — moving players around, seeing who works best where … and of course trying to carry the energy and the fast play that we all know we’re capable of playing — into the game on Wednesday.”

Amidst the United States men’s national team’s (USMNT) horrific World Cup qualifying campaign and the consequently chaotic U.S. Soccer presidential election, the United States’ joint bid (with Mexico and Canada) to host the 2026 World Cup has largely been left alone. Competing against Morocco — which would be only the second African country, after South Africa in 2010, to ever host a World Cup — the tripartite bid that was originally considered a slam dunk now poses unique challenges for the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF).

With an expanded tournament of 48 teams, the three countries already have the stadiums, hotels and infrastructure in place that Morocco would have to build. It also helps that by 2026, every inhabited continent except Oceania will have hosted the tournament since the last North American-based World Cup, in 1994.

The 1994 World Cup — the first time the United States hosted the event — catalyzed the creation of Major League Soccer (MLS), the most successful professional soccer league in the history of the United States. It also inspired thousands of kids to drop their favorite sport and opt for the beautiful game.

Unlike the 2014 World Cup, which crippled Brazil economically, the 1994 edition left a previously bankrupt USSF with a $50 million surplus, which was used to grow the game at a grassroots level and help MLS take off.

The biggest cultural event in the world again presents U.S. Soccer with an opportunity to grow the game economically and culturally to unprecedented levels.

But the 2026 World Cup is no guarantee, and in fact, the United States’ negative international profile — especially in light of the unpopular Trump presidency — has turned the bid from a slam dunk to a pull-up jump shot.

To win the bid, the host nation(s) must garner 104 of the 211 FIFA member states’ votes when the voting takes place on June 13. ESPN reports that many soccer officials from those federations have problems with Trump’s travel ban, which impacts mostly majority-Arab countries.

Trump’s disparaging remarks toward minority communities and other countries — such as calling Haiti and several African states “shithole countries” — also hurt the United States’ international profile. Trump’s “America first” mentality raises questions regarding the U.S.’s ability to tolerate diversity for an event that will include teams from 48 nations and fans from many, many more.

While Trump likely won’t be near the Oval Office in 2026, member state officials have every right to judge the U.S. as it currently presents itself on the international stage. The World Cup bidding process is inherently political, as host nation hopefuls must convince the rest of the FIFA nations of their ability to host the tournament and why they deserve to do so.

Trump’s isolationist policies and rhetoric present a small, but substantial, roadblock to the 2026 World Cup bid. The world will be a different place in 2026, and hopefully, the actions of a few will not impede the greatest event on earth from coming to American shores and taking soccer from the shadows to mainstream American culture.

Arlo Moore-Bloom is a first-year who has not yet declared a major. Arlo can be reached at arlo.moore_bloom@tufts.edu.