The Tufts Daily - Wednesday March 7, 2018

Student groups build diverse communities, spread awareness of Asian, Asian-American cultures see FEATURES / PAGE 3

MEN’S LACROSSE

Jumbos on point to begin 2018 season

Oscars ceremony makes attempt at celebrating diversity see ARTS&LIVING / PAGE 5

SEE SPORTS / BACK PAGE

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Wednesday, March 7, 2018

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Fletcher hosts former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin for Issam Fares Lecture

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Former Prime Minister of France, Dominique de Villepin, discusses the challenges posed by the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Issam M. Fares Lecture held in Cohen Auditorium.

by Daniel Weinstein Assistant News Editor

The Fares Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy welcomed former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin as the speaker of this year’s Issam M. Fares Lecture. Villepin spoke on the prompt, “Can we still save the two-state solution?”

Addressing close to 200 people in Cohen Auditorium, Villepin advocated for increased global cooperation on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and argued that recent transformations in the region

provide a new context for thinking about future developments.

After introductions from University President Anthony Monaco, Dean of the Fletcher School James Stavridis and Fares Fares (LA ’92), son of Fares Center founder Issam Fares,Villepin began his discussion by providing context for the current situation in Israel-Palestine.

Villepin noted that, after 70 years, there is no clear solution in a situation fraught with historical and symbolic tensions. He views the ongoing conflict as a failure on the part of the international community, most prominently the United Nations. He also articulated that, consequently, the two-state solution is currently not viable.

Following this introductory overview, Villepin claimed that the situation is also seemingly unsolvable because other scenarios such as the one-state solution and the annexation of the West Bank by Jordan and Gaza by Egypt are improbable.

Villepin also said that complete Israeli annexation of the Palestinian Territories would lead to undesirable results. He noted that a state in which both Israelis and Palestinians live, but in which Palestinians lack equal rights, is not sustainable.

“History teaches us that there is no lasting way to impose apartheid. Whether in South Africa, whether here in the U.S. or in [French Algeria], it has become clear that that is not an option,” Villepin said.

In the midst of bleak prospects and a lack of solutions in the status quo, Villepin argued that we should focus on recent changes in the Middle East, such as the emergence of other conflicts, divisions, increasing economic prominence and modernization, when thinking about the future of the twostate solution and the peace process.

“Although the Israeli-Palestinian conflict used to be center-stage, it is not so much anymore, as it is now one of many others in the region … With new divisions emerging in the region, I think it is in the interest of all parties to find new agreements on the peace process,” Villepin told the Daily in an interview.

In light of these transformations, Villepin then discussed the severe risks that result from the acceleration of new conflicts and changes across the Middle East, referencing the Iran nuclear deal and the volatile situations in Iraq and Syria.

To avoid these pressure points, Villepin believes that leaders must avoid what he calls “diplomatic temptations.”

“I believe that our duty is to avoid war at all costs, and to do that we must avoid diplomatic temptations, particularly the temptation of the blame game prevalent in the Jared Kushner-led Middle East plan,” Villepin noted.

To conclude his lecture, Villepin argued that it is important to resist the status quo and start thinking of new ways to mitigate the situation in Israel-Palestine and rethink the prospect of the two-state solution.

“To go ahead, we need new tools. There is a need for a structure, a new process of dialogue where Israel-Palestine would only be one part. I believe in a more global and integrated process,” Villepin said.

After the main portion of the lecture, Stavridis and Villepin discussed the parallels between the situation of the Middle East with that in Europe, the roles China and Russia might play in the future of the IsraeliPalestinian conflict and other topics.

When asked in an interview about the impact Villepin hopes the lecture will have on the Tufts students and community as a whole, Villepin mentioned that he hopes students will “raise the good questions” when engaging this topic because, according to him, in the study of international relations, questions are more important than answers.

“Of course, each one of us has his or her own beliefs and understanding of who should take advantage. But at the end of the day, we need to compromise,” Villepin told the Daily. “And if you are asking the good questions, you will more easily find the common ground to make progress.”

Tufts tells applicants to feel free Biomedical engineering to protest Parkland shooting department to vote on new co-op program

by Jenna Fleischer

Assistant News Editor

Since the recent mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., high school spurred protests from high school students nationwide, Tufts has joined other colleges and universities in quelling applicants’ fears that protesting firearm policies might be met with repercussions from admissions departments.

In a Feb. 23 blog post on the Tufts Admissions website, Karen Richardson, dean of Undergraduate Admissions and Enrollment Management, responded to

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applicants’ fears that protesting could hurt their applications.

“I want to assure you that Tufts is a place where civic engagement is not only tolerated; it’s encouraged … strongly,” Richardson wrote.

“So, when you act on your values, in a principled way, on issues about which you feel passionately, it will not be held against you in the application process. In fact, we may even take notice,” the statement said.

In an email interview with the Daily, Richardson said that Tufts Admissions posted a note on their website as they became see ADMISSIONS, page 2

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by Melissa Kain News Editor

The Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) at Tufts is creating a co-op program for undergraduates, with the first co-op placements offered as soon as next spring. According to Qiaobing Xu, an associate professor of BME, the program will allow students to participate in full-time paid job placements for six months during the school year.

Xu said that a variety of companies are interested in working with Tufts in the

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co-op program, as the department has been building relationships with them for several years.

“Since this is starting with the biomedical engineering department, the companies that we have reached out to are the pharmaceutical companies and also the biotechnology and medical device companies,” he said.

To participate in the co-op program, BME students will first be required to take a course he will teach see CO-OPS, page 2

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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Wednesday, March 7, 2018

THE TUFTS DAILY Catherine Perloff Editor-in-Chief

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Admissions shows support for high school students' activism ADMISSIONS

continued from page 1 aware that students were expressing concerns to assure peaceful protesters that participating would not adversely impact their applications to Tufts.

“It’s understandable that some high school students might be worried about balancing their future college prospects with what they feel is an obligation to speak out on an important issue for our country,” Richardson said. “We have a long tradition at Tufts of encouraging civic engagement and we think it’s entirely appropriate for students who feel they want and need to be heard on an issue to speak up.”

Noah Weinflash and Kevin Dunn, both tour guides, said that they do not know of any prospective students who have asked about Tufts’ policy on protesting.

According to Richardson, Tufts Admissions at large has not received any direct questions on the topic, either; however, she said it would not be surprising if they do it in the future.

“Prospective students usually don’t ask about many social justice issues … but I make it a central part of the tour when discussing student life and student activism,” Weinflash, a junior, told the Daily in an email. “It’s certainly something that I’ll be continually mentioning in my tour going forward, to try to highlight Tufts’ commitment to activism.”

While Weinflash was proud of this public statement supporting civic engagement, he noted Tufts was not the first school to do so.

“While I certainly think this is a positive decision for admissions to make, I don’t think Tufts admissions deserves as much credit as the universities who were the first to make similar announcements,” Weinflash said.

Dunn was similarly supportive of Tufts’ recognition of and support for students, but also expressed some reservations.

“I appreciate that Tufts Admissions is choosing to recognize and support students who risk academic disciplinary action in order to stand up for what they believe in,” Dunn, a junior, told the Daily in an email. “However, I fear that this statement may encourage some students to engage in protests to try to stand out in the admissions process rather than for a genuine concern for the cause.”

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Dean of Admissions Karen Richardson poses for a portrait outside of Bendetson Hall on Sept.

13th, 2016.

Other schools in the Commonwealth, including MIT and Boston University, have made statements similar to the one issued by Tufts.

“We hold our students to a high standard and give them a wide berth,” MIT Dean of Admissions and Student Financial Services Stu Schmill wrote in a blog post. “It would be at best quixotic, and at worst hypocritical, if we treated our applicants differently, penalizing them for engaging in responsible, responsive citizenship as the students at Stoneman Douglas [High School in Parkland, Florida] and elsewhere have done.”

In a message on Boston University’s admissions page, Kelly Walter, associate vice president for enrollment and dean of Admissions, wrote, “We stand in support of every high school student who chooses to participate in peaceful protests, such as the March For Our Lives and the National School Walkout Day, or who thoughtfully and respectfully exercise their freedom of expression.”

Richardson noted that some students feel comfortable going to rallies, while others feel more comfortable pursuing other activities that are meaningful to them.

“We like engaged students who try to change the world around them for the better.

We encourage that kind of behaviour at Tufts,” Richardson said. “So we’ll consider students’ activism on this particular issue just as we would

their activism on other issues or their activities in other areas. We weigh them all equally.”

Dunn emphasized that he believed students who have shown a certain level of involvement and commitment should benefit from any consideration on Tufts’ part.

“I think applicants who are involved in activism on more of a prolonged basis should be recognized more than applicants who were involved in one protest,” Dunn said. “I also think leadership and initiative in these protests should carry more weight than participation.”

Weinflash said he was optimistic that Tufts’ statement is a step in the right direction, but he also hoped the admissions officers recognized that this would not be the final step towards a more fair and holistic treatment of students moved to political action in controversial times.

“I’ve gotten to know some of the admissions officers throughout the past couple years, and each one has been optimistic, thoughtful, and seems to really care about letting in students who will make Tufts a better place,” Weinflash said. “I think they will look favourably on students who take action in the wake of the shooting, and I hope it will also make them more accepting when they see students facing repercussions for protesting other issues in the future, even if it’s not as high stakes as gun violence.”

BME department to vote on offering new co-op program CO-OPS

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continued from page 1 in the semester prior to the job placement, Xu said.

“In this class, we plan to teach them how to interact [within] a professional industry,” Xu said.

Xu added that the course will include guest lecturers from companies so students can hear their perspective, as well as guest lecturers from the Career Center so students can prepare their resumes and hone their interview skills.

According to Xu, there is no limit on how many students can participate in the program, though most participants will likely be juniors and seniors.

Ilse Allen, the department manager of BME, has been working on the administrative side of preparing for the co-op program. Xu and Allen said speaking with co-op programs at other universities was helpful in creating Tufts’ program.

Allen said she had spoken with faculty at Northeastern University, the University of Massachusetts Lowell and other schools to learn more about their versions of the program.

Allen said that the goal is to start the co-op program in spring 2019 and continue it for six months, but the approval process is still underway. Xu said that BME faculty will vote on the change at a faculty

meeting on March 28.

Allen also said that support for the program has been strong throughout the School of Engineering.

“It’s a very new thing for Tufts, and because there’s a lot of complicated pieces involved with it, we want to make sure everything is covered,” he said. “We want to make sure we’re not forgetting something big, because we’re new to this, and it’s different at different schools.”

Allen and Xu said that a co-op program will be extremely important for biomedical engineers at Tufts.

“The reason that we are interested in this particularly is because BME is one of those disciplines where, if you have experience doing research, especially in an industrial environment, it’s very good for you when you’re applying for [graduate] schools,” Allen said. “This is a discipline where there’s a lot of hands-on research when you’re an undergrad, and this helps people get the experience they need in order to go forward in the workforce or in going to grad school.”

David Kaplan, a BME professor, also emphasized the importance of work experience.

“Students want to see the practical side of what they are learning, so this gives them a new option toward that goal,” Kaplan told the Daily in an email.

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Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering Qiaobing Xu, who will teach the required class for the new engineering co-op pilot program, poses for a photo in the Science and Technology Center on Feb. 22.

Xu said he hopes the opportunity to work in co-ops will help students define their career path by showing them the benefits of working in industry versus going to medical or graduate school. Also, according to Kaplan, companies will likely become more familiar with Tufts because students will be able to work for six months, as opposed to solely during the summer.

“As a department, we are quite excited about providing this option to our students,” Kaplan said. “We feel it will make a significant difference for some of the students in terms of career choices.”

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Features

Asian, Asian-American cultural groups balance interest, identity

3 tuftsdaily.com

Derek Castle R.E.A.L Talk

No guarantee

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Jia Wen Goh, president of the Singapore Students Association, poses for a photo on March 1.

by Ilana P. Goldberg

Assistant Features Editor

There are currently 10 Asian and Asian-American culture and interest groups on campus that are recognized by the Tufts Community Union, a number of which meet regularly as part of the Pan Asian Council, according to the Asian American Center’s website. These groups strive to provide communities for students of different backgrounds who identify as Asian or Asian-American, but vary in how far-reaching they hope to be in their influence on the greater Tufts community, according to several organization leaders.

For instance, both Singapore Students Association (SSA) and Vietnamese Students Club ( VSC) prioritize building a stronger community within their membership, especially in light of the recent change to a TCU bylaw reported in an Oct. 20 Daily article. While culture clubs previously had to host three events for the entire Tufts community, they are now only required to hold one open event.

“I think our focus for this year under this leadership is to focus more on the Singapore community rather than spreading the culture, and that is in line with why we decided to cut down on the fall [semester’s] big event, because by cutting down, we then have

more time and effort to have a lot more community events,” sophomore Jia Wen Goh, president of SSA, said.

Goh said that SSA holds community events approximately once a month, such as an end-of-semester dinner, Deepavali celebration and Lunar New Year celebration. Unlike these community events, the culture show towards the end of the spring semester is more geared near spreading Singaporean culture.

“For the entire Tufts community, [while in the past] we’ve had one big event per semester because of the cultural club rule, this year we are changing it to one big event, which we are going to host in April, and it’s like the [event in which] we introduce the culture to the Tufts population,” he said.

Senior Tony Nguyen, president of VSC, shared that VSC is also placing a greater focus on its own community, especially after the removal of the three-event requirement.

“We do a lot more internal events now. So we do more community bonding, dinners — we went to the Loj, for example,” he said.

Nguyen explained that this is in line with the ultimate goal of the club. “[The goal is] to create a space for Vietnamese people on campus, where we can feel understood and safe and not have to explain stuff,” he said.

According to Nguyen, the club consists of a diversity of Vietnamese and Southeast Asian-identifying students.

“People who tend to join VSC are people who [are] Southeast Asian and view themselves as part of that history of war-torn country, first-gen — [their] parents probably came to America because they were running away from war,” he said.

Nguyen added that he believes the purpose of VSC is to focus more internally on the students in the club, rather than working to spread Vietnamese culture to the entire Tufts community.

“I would say it’s more internal. I personally believe that,” he said. “Not every culture club is like that, and I totally understand that, and not all [ Vietnamese student organizations] are like that, but I personally stand for ‘this is a space for Vietnamese people.’”

Other organizations, such as Japanese Culture Club ( JCC*), Korean Students Association (KSA) and Tufts Association of South Asians ( TASA), share this goal of providing a space for students who identify with their respective communities but also emphasize spreading their culture to the greater Tufts community. JCC* co-presidents Miriam Weiss and Hiroto Watanabe, both juniors, outlined the two major goals of the group.

“Build community is one. Two is [to] enrich the Tufts community with Japanese culture,” Weiss said.

Echoing this sentiment, sophomore see CULTURE CLUBS, page 4

ach R.E.A.L. student is different and each story is unique. I recently had the chance to speak with Rachel Fridman about her story.

Rachel is in her third semester at Tufts as a political science major. She moved to Massachusetts from Florida and currently lives off campus in Medford. But like most stories from R.E.A.L. students, there were a few twists and turns along her path to Tufts.

Rachel grew up in Argentina, where the education system is very different to what we have here. She explained to me that in Argentina, access to a college education is open to any student who has completed high school. This takes the pressure off students, but in some cases, like Rachel’s, you only do the work that is necessary knowing that college is a guarantee.

Being an average student in Argentina did not prepare her for college life in the States. She was not ready for the culture shock of admissions and rejections from American colleges. She attended Miami Dade College (then Miami Dade Community College) in preparation for college life, to save money on tuition and to give her a better shot at getting into a good program.

Rachel was unable to transfer to a fouryear program right away. Financial burdens kept it just out of reach, but she kept trying.

She had made it this far and intended to complete her journey.

During her second round of applications, she researched political science programs and Tufts ranked high on every list.

With a little bit more research, she found out about the R.E.A.L. program. She was hesitant. American University, her first choice, was competitive, but the R.E.A.L. program was even harder to get into.

American University had a 25.7 percent acceptance rate and Tufts was only 14 percent. It was daunting.

When she was accepted into the R.E.A.L. program, her feelings about the program changed. She received a phone call to welcome her to the program. No other university had treated her with such a human response.

Someone was there to answer questions and to walk her through the process. She was no longer an ID number or a faceless email.

She does not regret her decision to move from Florida to attend Tufts. Her experience here has been amazing and she has taken advantage of the opportunities given to her. Last semester, Rachel was one of five undergraduate students chosen from Tufts to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Germany. This is an amazing opportunity for any student, but for a R.E.A.L. student especially. This is what make Tufts so different from other universities. We are students just like everyone else.

Rachel had to fight hard to get where she is today, and she has to fight every day to stay. She remembers there was a sense of alienation and a sense of loneliness during her first semester. Being new to the school and to the city was overwhelming for her.

One suggestion she made during our conversation was to start a peer network for R.E.A.L. students. Sometimes you just need someone to tell you it will be okay.

Derek Castle is a senior majoring in English and a staff writer at the Tufts Daily.

Derek can be reached at derek.castle@ tufts.edu.

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THE TUFTS DAILY | Features | Wednesday, March 7, 2018

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Asian, Asian-American culture groups explore diversity of experience through events CULTURE CLUBS

continued from page 3 Vedant Kothari, TASA’s culture show director, elaborated on TASA’s ultimate goals of providing a community for South Asian students and giving the greater Tufts community a peek into the meaningful parts of their culture.

“It’s kind of like a gateway into our South Asian festivities,” he said. “We really enjoy sharing that with friends that you make here, because your life here is mixed between people who are sometimes from where you’re from, and then people who are definitely more diverse and part of a bigger Tufts community. It makes you feel really good when someone who isn’t typically a part of these festivities or celebrations really enjoys the idea or the actual event itself.”

According to Kothari, TASA’s typical calendar consists of executive board meetings as well as larger, annual events that are organized with other groups on and off campus for the South Asian community.

“Usually Diwali and Holi are in conjunction with the [Hindu Students Council],” he said. “There’s the culture show, and then there are more specific cultural bonding sessions, like last year the South Asian association at Wellesley came to Tufts.”

TASA’s biggest event is their annual culture show held during the spring semester, which includes dance and music performances showcasing South

Asian culture. Kothari added that participation in the show is open to the entire Tufts community.

“The culture show is probably where the most non-South Asian people get involved,” he said. “They definitely do get involved a decent amount.”

Members of TASA extend beyond South Asian-identifying students to include anyone who wants to be involved in the community, according to Kothari.

“Anyone who wants to be a part of TASA is really a part of TASA,” he said.

“You just have to be interested in South Asian culture.”

Similarly, Weiss explained that membership in JCC* is open to anyone with a strong connection to Japanese culture or a desire to learn about it, such as people who are studying the Japanese language.

“I think we make an effort to include people who we would consider to identify with the culture,” Weiss said. “If you’re interested, we put you on our email list, and we have events that you can come to, but we try to create a club that has people that are more than just interested, whether that means they’re Japanese or not.”

Watanabe described the diversity of backgrounds within JCC*.

“It’s a very mixed bag in terms of who’s from Japan, who’s from the States, who has Japanese parents, did you keep up with a lot of traditional things that you would do in Japan,

versus ‘I grew up in the middle of Kansas and I was very involved in a more American culture instead,'” Watanabe said.

Weiss added that people of different backgrounds find meaningful connections through the club’s diversity of events.

“Just being Japanese because you grew up in Japan versus [being] Japanese-American is two really different things. Like I grew up in Japan, my mom is Japanese, and for me, the 3/11 [event] affects me a lot more, whereas for a lot of other people, the Day of Remembrance will affect them more because they’re JapaneseAmerican and that’s their family’s history,” Weiss said.

According to senior and KSA president Gill Eun Kang, KSA also has a diverse group of members, including members of the group’s executive board who are not Korean.

“On our [executive] board, two people are non-Korean, one person is not Asian at all and we have quite a few members who aren’t Korean,” she said. “But I think, [in] KSA, what we strive for is to be friends with each other and just have fun and do things together, before putting Korean culture into everything we do.”

A big shift for KSA this year has been to open up the club’s membership to more than just the executive board, as well as to focus on strengthening the club’s community in general, as Kang shared.

“The past two years before this academic year, I think there was some concern about people who weren’t part of the culture club’s [executive] board, how their opinions aren’t being reflected when they have just as much of a right to represent the Korean population at Tufts,” she said.

One way that the KSA has promoted this shift has been through the implementation of a gajok system.

“We have this thing called the gajok system — it means family in Korean.

So it’s like a peer group system where everyone is part of a gajok, it’s kind of like a Fo-fam,” she said. “I guess it’s just a way for people who want to get together and eat Korean food, or cook Korean food, or watch a Korean movie … We’ve had a lot of interest from non-Koreans to join too.”

Kang explained that the next step after building the community within KSA is to spread a greater awareness of Korean culture, beyond Korean pop culture, to the greater Tufts community.

“I think moving forward, [our goal is] definitely showcasing more aspects of Korean culture that aren’t necessarily known to as many people,” she said. “I feel like we try to put things like K-pop out there just because it’s more familiar, but I think the goal for the future would be to kind of get more people learning and familiarizing [themselves] with other aspects of Korean culture that might not be recognized as much.”

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.

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

ARTS&LIVING

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Oscars 2018 celebrate diversity, but can’t let go of the past

by Cassidy Olsen Arts Editor

Following 2017’s Best Picture mix-up and a year of public revelations about sexual assault in Hollywood, Sunday’s Oscars ceremony was under immense pressure.

How could a night defined by excess and self-congratulation be serious, humble and celebratory all at once?

The result was a ceremony that attempted to place diversity at the forefront, with presenters and winners regularly making calls for greater inclusion of women, people of color and immigrants.

“The Shape of Water” (2017), the nostalgic outcast love story from Mexican director Guillermo del Toro, took home Best Picture and secured del Toro’s first Oscar win as Best Director.

“I am an immigrant,” del Toro began his emotional acceptance speech. “I think that the greatest thing our art does and our industry does is to erase the lines in the sand. We should continue doing that when the world tells us to make them deeper.”

While del Toro was favored to win Best Director after taking home the title at numerous other award shows this year, the Best Picture category was no sure thing.

Many believed the controversial “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (2017) still had the Academy support to secure a win, while others speculated an upset from Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” (2017).

Yet in retrospect, “The Shape of Water” was the obvious choice for this year’s top prize: Magical and moving, serious without tragedy, del Toro’s film celebrates diversity, inclusion and acceptance in a way that feels vital, and is wholly more palatable for a wide range of Academy members than “Three Billboards” or “Get Out.” The other big-hitters didn’t go home empty-handed, however. Comedy writer-turned-director Jordan Peele landed Best Original Screenplay for “Get Out,” making him the first black screenwriter to win the award. It’s unusual for a horror film to receive recognition for its writing, especially from a first-time filmmaker, but “Get Out” has broken down a number of assumptions the industry has about, well, everything.

VIA FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Director Guillermo del Toro poses in the press room with the Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director during the 90th Annual Academy Awards on March 4 in Hollywood, Calif.

Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell both took home expected wins for their roles in “Three Billboards,” for Best Lead Actress and Supporting Actor, respectively, with McDormand delivering a rousing acceptance speech and calling on every woman nominated in the audience to stand.

“Look around, everybody. Look around, ladies and gentlemen, because we all have stories to tell and projects we need financed,” McDormand said. “Don’t talk to us about it at the parties tonight. Invite us into your office in a couple days or you can come to ours, whichever suits you best, and we’ll tell you all about them.”

For a ceremony so invested in the future of the industry, it did spend a whole lot of time romanticizing the past. In lieu of a song-and-dance opening, which would have been tone-deaf opposite host

Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue about Harvey Weinstein and #MeToo, the night began with faux-grainy black-and-white footage of the audience as Jimmy Kimmel put on his best Transatlantic announcer voice. Following the retro trend, montages of classic films and previous nominees played before each major category was announced. This year marked the 90th installment of the awards, and honoring the show’s roots seemed to be an easy, inoffensive way of signaling the common ground uniting the Oscars audience after a year of division.

Sadly, the nostalgia seemed to fight with rather than complement the larger celebration of diversity. Speeches from winners of color were unfortunately juxtaposed by montage clips that featured actors in brownface, and Gary Oldman, who has been accused of physically abus-

ing his ex-wife, took home the trophy for Best Actor in “The Darkest Hour” (2017) for his portrayal of Winston Churchill.

While critical darling “Lady Bird” (2017) from first-time feature director Greta Gerwig went home without a single trophy, dues were finally paid to veteran filmmakers who had yet to receive an Oscar in their careers. Cinematographer Roger Deakins won for “Blade Runner 2049” (2017) after 14 nominations, and 89-year-old screenwriter James Ivory took home Best Adapted Screenplay for “Call Me By Your Name” (2017), becoming the oldest person to win an Oscar ever.

Jimmy Kimmel did his best to balance an evening that whiplashed between celebratory and somber, but here’s hoping Tiffany Haddish and Maya Rudolph, the breakout duo of this year’s ceremony, get the hosting gig next.

The singles bar: Spring Break edition

by Justin Krakoff Arts Editor

With break right around the corner, check out some of this season’s biggest releases that will be the perfect soundtrack for the week off!

“Top Off” — DJ Khaled featuring Jay-Z, Future and Beyoncé In perhaps what was one of 2017’s most unlikely turn of events, DJ Khaled finally became a star. After 10 studio albums, the Snapchat-famous DJ landed back-toback hits with “I’m the One” and “Wild Thoughts,” both off his album “Grateful” (2017). However, said record had been preceded by the release of the so-staleit-hurts “Shining” (2017), featuring pop culture icons Jay-Z and Beyoncé. On “Top Off,” Khaled calls upon their services once more and brings in Atlanta-based rapper Future in an attempt to right the wrongs of their first collaboration. The result is a decidedly average trap-inspired banger.

The three featured stars all sound indif-

ferent on their verses, failing to create any true moments of stardom. At this point, it is largely accepted that Jay-Z will never regain his former glory, and while he shows a bit of a spark here, his verses ultimately fall victim to cheap shots at Meek Mill and simply mentioning expensive items. Beyoncé, too, feels wasted here, especially when compared to the masterful flow found all over her last studio album, “Lemonade” (2016). Future does a decent job of playing the role of the hook girl, but he has little to work with as he uninspiringly repeats, “I took the top off the Maybach.” While “Top Off” is more listenable than “Shining” will ever be, Khaled still has much work to do.

Rating: 3/5 “No Excuses” — Meghan Trainor With another Singles Bar, the law of diminishing returns evidently applies to Meghan Trainor. The doo-wop songstress returns to the retro-inspired sonic palette of her debut studio album, “Title” (2015), in order to craft “No Excuses,”

the lead single to her forthcoming third studio album. While she embraces the feminist message purported on her sophomore album “Thank You” (2016), Trainor fails to reinvent the wheel on this release. “No Excuses” is catchy enough, using a groovy baseline and vintage-sounding guitars to call a man out for his disrespectful behavior. While this message may fit within the current political climate of the Time’s Up movement, the song structure itself feels too generic, rushing through unmemorable verses to get to the chorus. Here, Trainor puts her songwriting chops on display, using a clever call-and-response method around her answering, “Someone else” to draw the listener in. It is moments like these that serve as reminders that Trainor is indeed a capable star, but for most of “No Excuses,” she simply fails to make good use of them.

Rating: 2.5/5 “Django Jane” and “Make Me Feel” — Janelle Monáe

After two critically acclaimed albums, it might be possible to conceive that Janelle Monáe, one of R&B’s most daring purveyors, would surely fall short at some point. This assumption would be wrong. Although the 32-year-old songstress may have taken an extended hiatus to work on landmark films such as “Moonlight” (2016) and “Hidden Figures” (2016), Monáe is finally back with her third LP “Dirty Computer,” which is scheduled to be released on April 28. In preparation for the release, she dropped two tracks, which could not be more different. The hip-hop-influenced “Django Jane”is a triumph for Monáe both personally and thematically. She remains unafraid to tackle complex social issues, unapologetically declaring, “Let the vagina have a monologue / Mansplaining, I fold ’em like origami.” The track very much speaks to the current conversations this country is having, delving into issues around sexuality and race. see SINGLES BAR, page 6

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THE TUFTS DAILY | Arts & Living | Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Christopher Panella A Column From Galaxy Far, Far Away

tuftsdaily.com

Singles from Janelle Monáe, Kasey Musgraves both build on stars' existing careers

Episode 5

H

ear ye, hear ye! For this column, I’d like to talk about Rian Johnson’s recent reveal of deleted scenes from “The Last Jedi” (2017). The film is set for its home entertainment rollout starting March 13 on different apps for download and continuing on March 27 for its Blu-ray debut.

With “The Last Jedi” basically done theatrically, the blood vessel-bursting debate of whether or not it was a box office disappointment is expected to heat up again, much to my annoyance.

As I will rant about to anyone willing to listen, it was never going to beat the phenomenon of “The Force Awakens” (2015). China, the second largest box office in the world, never showed the original trilogy and isn’t big on Star Wars, but I digress.

There are 14 confirmed deleted scenes included in the home entertainment and after reading about some, I have thoughts. Johnson discussed a few of them with Entertainment Weekly on March 2, explaining why they were cut (mostly due to pacing) and what they add to the film. Deleted scenes are, in my opinion, tricky. All films have them, and they often re-spark debates about the film’s storytelling. Expect this for “The Last Jedi.”

These scenes include BB-8 showing Rey saying goodbye to Finn while he was recovering at the end of “The Force Awakens.” BB-8 apparently filmed the goodbye and was showing it to Finn to remind him of Rey and his friendship.

Another noteworthy scene is Captain Phasma dying again. Yes, she got two death scenes.

This scene basically shows Finn telling other Stormtroopers about how Phasma gave the Starkiller base shield codes to Finn in “The Force Awakens” to save her own life. Phasma kills the other Stormtroopers to hide her secret, fights Finn, gets shot and falls into the fiery abyss. This one feels a little more like a definitive death for Phasma, while the one we actually got leaves her fate unknown and gives Abrams the ability to use her in Episode 9.

Using her could give her a backstory so she doesn’t become Boba Fett 2.0.

Just saying.

My favorite deleted scene is of Rey disobeying Luke. The scene follows a raiding tribe of Ahch-To, the planet Luke has exiled himself on, coming to invade the village of the nun caretakers Luke lives with. He decides to let this play out and warns Rey that they will just keep coming back in larger numbers, while Rey grabs her lightsaber and decides to protect the village.

If I could’ve included any deleted scene, it would be this. It suggests that Rey isn’t fully understanding of the Jedi path and may be set up as a Grey Jedi in Episode 9. It also may establish the distrust Rey has toward Luke and his complacency. Of course, there are other scenes listed, and we get to see them all this month, so maybe my opinion will change.

As always, feel free to email me thoughts, and may the Force be with you!

Christopher Panella is a first-year majoring in film and media studies. He can be reached at christopher.panella@tufts.edu.

VIA SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT

A promotional image for DJ Khaled’s 2018 single “Top Off” is pictured.

SINGLES BAR

continued from page 5 “Make Me Feel,” while much less of an overtly political statement, is unafraid to be a serious pop anthem, embracing Monáe’s sexual liberation to address rigid societal ideas about sexuality. Sonically speaking, if Justin Timberlake is still taking notes after the failure of “Filthy” (2018), this is how one does a Prince-inspired track. Calling upon the services of the songwriting duo Julia Michaels and Justin Tranter, who were vital to Selena Gomez’s “Revival” (2015), Monáe shines in pop diva mode, giving her the best chance at a Top 40 radio hit in her career so far.

Simply put, this is what a high-quality pop song sounds like.

Rating: 4/5 and 4.5/5, respectively “Space Cowboy” and “Butterflies” — Kacey Musgraves With Taylor Swift having severed ties from her country roots for the foreseeable future, the lane for a country-pop star has remained wide open — until now.

Kacey Musgraves first burst onto the scene in 2013 with the masterful “Same Trailer Different Park,” which addressed many taboo topics in country music like safe sex, recreational drug use and acceptance of the LGBTQ community. Her sophomore follow-up, “Pageant Material” (2015), failed to create the same cult following, forcing her back to the drawing board for her third record. The result is the forthcoming “Golden Hour,” due out March 30, and the results could not be more excellent.

Before anything else, we are all human.

It’s time to embrace diversity.

Let’s put aside labels in the name of love.

Rethink your bias at lovehasnolabels.com

“Space Cowboy” is a delicate melding of vintage Americana with contemporary pop influences, addressing a love that has clearly run its course. In typical Musgraves fashion, she masterfully emotes the soft resignation of the ballad’s scenario, singing, “I know my place, and it ain’t with you.” The clever revival of the “Space Cowboy” trope feels apt here, demonstrating how Musgraves can push country music to new heights.

“Butterflies” is a bit of an emotional 180, seeing Musgraves bask in a new love.

The track, though a tad kitschy with the references to a butterfly’s life cycle and ability to fly, is another solid effort from the singer-songwriter, leaving much anticipation for “Golden Hour.”

Rating: 4/5 and 3.5/5, respectively

Wednesday, March 7, 2018 | Comics | THE TUFTS DAILY

tuftsdaily.com

Comics

7

LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY Zach: “Yeah, well, at least I can’t draw a line.”

Comics

SUDOKU

Ask The Daily: How can I settle down with the one who’s right for me?

Q

ANSWER BY HANNAH KAHN

: I'm really concerned that I won't be able to find someone I can be in a long term relationship with. I broke up with my ex a while back, and I'm trying to get back in the game, but it just never works out. For example, a few weeks ago, I liked this girl, but she didn't feel the same way. No problem, I shook it off and I got right back to it. This other girl I was crushing on was really cool, but I talked to her a bit more and she had a girlfriend. That was discouraging, but I was able to shift my attention to this other girl in my class. But then, I met this other girl that I like even more, so now I have to start all over again. It's just really annoying, and it's been like this forever. Am I doomed to be stuck in the chase? How can I settle down with the one who's right for me?

A

: First of all, I completely relate to the draining cycle of being single at Tufts, and I think more people do than let on. Sometimes it's lonely, sometimes it's gross, most of the time it's just exhausting. I feel like what exacerbates it is the false feeling that everyone around us is in a relationship — and scrolling through social media cluttered with couple pics doesn't help.

Difficulty Level: Using your ex’s netflix account to Netflix and Chill with your new girlfriend.

Tuesday’s Solution

I can't blame you for wanting a relationship, but don't discount the merits of being single!

Being uninhibited by commitment is kind of a lovely thing. I think having a relationship is underratedly difficult to balance with everything else Tufts students take on. The most delicious thing about being single is, between my classes and job and homework and everything else on my plate, I still have time to do things just for me. Now that I don't have a boyfriend, I do way more reading, writing, working out, listening to music, listening to podcasts, calling my grandparents, eating pizza and hypothesizing about the meaning of life with my friends, and all the other things that make me feel like me. If anything, being single has helped me find my place at Tufts. I hope you can find things that make you feel like you and enjoy them, too.

The somewhat unsatisfying truth is that I think the best way to find someone is to stop looking. In my experience, relationships start when I least expect them, and similarly, the best relationships begin at times I'm feeling most confident in myself. Being independent and self-assured is attractive. Single life allows you to figure out who you are on your own and, as cheesy as it sounds, become your best self. That's when the right people will come into your life, but in the meantime, take pleasure in prioritizing yourself.

CROSSWORD

Tuesday’s Solution

8 tuftsdaily.com

Aneurin Canham-Clyne Red Star

Fascism’s echoes

D

espite the political abuse of the term, fascism is defined by the actions of regimes in Italy, Germany and many Cold War US allies. In every case, fascists either seized control or won elections with corporate backing during times of crisis, often ousting a left-wing government, frequently with American support. They smashed unions and slaughtered communists and socialists.

As historian Michael Parenti documents “Minimum-wage laws, overtime pay, and factory safety regulations were abolished.

Speedups became commonplace … Workers toiled longer hours for less pay. The already modest wages were severely cut, in Germany by 25 to 40 percent, in Italy by 50 percent. In Italy, child labor was reintroduced.” The fascists privatized solvent state enterprises, then came corporate tax cuts, slave labor, genocide and war. Corporate tycoons and land-owners flourished until military defeat gutted the fascist regimes. It was the revolution of the haves against the have-nots.

The origin of fascism lies in nationalist responses to economic crises joined with ruling class backing. When productive forces collapse or profits drop, the capitalist class has two choices: to intensify exploitation of labor or to concede to the working poor. They only choose the latter under threat of general strikes in countries with strong labor movements and strong left-wing parties.

There is one major difference between America, Germany and Italy. The ruling class is undisputed here. After the First World War, Italy saw waves of strikes and militant worker uprisings. Throughout the 1920s, Germany saw several attempted revolutions that armed hundreds of thousands of workers and brought to birth a movement capable of partially challenging the power of German corporate elites. Even in the twilight of democracy, tens of thousands of Germans fought heroic street battles against the brownshirts, also known as the SA, as part of the Red Front, an alliance of communists and socialists which savaged the Nazis in major cities. But even these left-movements were too weak to stop reaction or transform society for the many. All we have is Shareblue and Woke Twitter.

The rich here broke labor and the left through a half-century of forgotten purges beginning with the Boston Police Strike and ending with the Black Panthers. They can destroy social programs, launch war after war after war, destroy the ecological basis of society and tear apart regulatory agencies without real opposition. Institutions can only constrain corporate power when they’re backed by an organized movement. There’s no obstacle to the development of American fascism.

Fascism is a rational choice for the ruling elite. The political situation in the United States offers us two paths: submission to the slow grinding of capital’s rule, or resistance of any kind. The rich won’t surrender their gains without pressure. They will continue to revoke right-after-democratic right and resurrect the worst features of capitalism, only now with apps to monitor your behavior. The absence of strong left resistance here makes the creation of a hyper-capitalist, authoritarian racial-caste system even easier. Fascism here would happen gradually, over several presidential terms, as society becomes more racist, less equal and less politicized.

Aneurin Canham-Clyne is a junior majoring in history. Aneurin can be reached at aneurin.canham_clyne@tufts.edu.

Opinion

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Pass on making distribution requirements pass/fail

by Noah Weinflash The Tufts Daily published an editorial on Monday suggesting that giving distribution requirements a pass/fail option will improve students’ experiences. No, it won’t.

They claim that people err away from difficult classes because they don’t wish to damage their GPA, and instead of taking Intro to Chem they take Plants and Humanity. Here’s the problem: If someone is trying to avoid work, passing Intro to Chem will be much harder than passing Plants and Humanity. This will just allow students to ignore their distribution requirements even more.

Why should we care about that? Because Tufts is a liberal arts institution, and we should aim to have a genuine understanding of many disciplines, not allowing us to find loopholes to make these requirements as easy as possible.

More importantly, distribution requirements allow first years and sophomores to find potential majors and minors. Most students come in to Tufts undecided; I took Intro to Cognitive Brain Sciences (CBS) to fulfill my natural sciences requirement. Had taking it pass/ fail been an option to still gain distribu-

tion credit, I would have. It would have made me less likely to major in CBS, both because I would have been less engaged in the class, and even had I paid enough attention to realize I was interested, I would have had to retake the class not pass/fail to gain credit for the major.

This would be especially problematic for non-male identifying students.

Why? Because, as Professor Lenore Cowen told the Daily in 2006, many women “stumbled” upon the field from an introductory course. Considering classes like Comp 11 are considered particularly daunting classes by many former students, it’s likely that many taking it would opt for the pass/fail option. While reducing stress for some students, it also means the ones who are interested are cut off from the major, unless they choose to take the class again next semester for a letter grade, and most likely losing potential nonmale students going into Comp Sci and other STEM fields. It’s similar to how female applicants are likely to wait until they’re 100 percent qualified, while men will apply after meeting 60 percent of the qualifications: For students suffering from impostor syndrome (which is most

of us during our first year, and especially non-cis-male students), we are likely to not consider ourselves ready to take on difficult classes. Allowing students to take these classes pass/fail gives a fallback that many will take advantage of, and in turn, take themselves out of the running to become a part of that major.

We want to encourage students to fully engage with classes, not give them more opportunities to take an easier route. The idea that allowing students to take a class pass/fail will make them engage more is ludicrous — I don’t deny that it would make the requirements less stressful for students, nor that some students would perform better with the option. But on the whole, we’d be making our education less well-rounded and giving more ways for students to work around the requirements without fully engaging. We’d also be cutting out a key way that many students — especially non-male ones — find their way into new majors and minors they weren’t planning on choosing before coming to Tufts. There are ways to improve learning at Tufts, but giving a way out of fully engaging with our distribution requirements is not one of them.

CARTOON

BY MARIA FONG The Tufts Daily is a nonprofit, independent newspaper, published Monday through Friday during the academic year, and distributed free to the Tufts community.

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

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.

Opinion

Wednesday, March 7, 2018 | Opinion | THE TUFTS DAILY

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THE TUFTS DAILY | SPORTS | Wednesday, March 7, 2018

David Meyer Postgame Press

Underdogs in March

W

e all know that fantastically cheery song that goes: “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” Now, most people think of that song and associate it with Christmas, but for me and many of my friends, we think of the beginning of spring. March Madness is just around the corner and, wow, I can already feel my heart beating through my chest. I can only imagine what it would be like to be invested in a team in the tournament.

I am a die-hard Rutgers fan. My dad went there, and even though I also have the option to root for Michigan (who just won the Big Ten tournament for the second year in a row, clinching a spot in the NCAA tournament) because my mom went there, I choose to root for the Scarlet Knights. That means that I have not had my team in March Madness in my lifetime, as Rutgers last made it in 1991. In spite of this, I cheer and scream my head off during every game. I have also been a lifelong Chicago Cubs, Bears and Bulls fan, so I know fan suffering.

This is not about me though; I just want to show that I know an underdog when I see one.

It is easier in March Madness because there are seeds. You typically know from the numbers next to the team’s names which one is favored.

A No. 16 seed has never beaten a No. 1 seed. Only eight No. 15 seeds have made it to a second round. A team seeded ninth or lower has never made the championship game. Those are true underdogs.

We love underdogs. A book by Tufts psychology professor Sam Sommers and Sports Illustrated Executive Editor L. Jon Wertheim scientifically demonstrated why. And there is no better time for an underdog than during March Madness. In the NCAA tournament, people expect the unexpected. It is, after all, called “Madness.” When a team is down two with a few seconds left, we not only want the losing team to hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer; we almost expect it. There is magic in the air during March that lets underdogs prove to the world that they can be great, too.

Rutgers may not be in the tournament this year, and your team may not be either, but I encourage you to root for all of the underdogs out there.

Duke may be a fun team to watch, but many of those players have a moment of glory in the public eye every game or will have a chance in the NBA. Why not instead root for Lipscomb, which had never made the Big Dance before this year? We love to consider ourselves as underdogs in our own stories. We love to prove the haters wrong. We love to show that we can get an A- even if we watch Netflix instead of studying.

If we do that, then we must support the other underdogs like us who are waiting for their one shining moment.

David Meyer is a sophomore majoring in film and media studies. David can be reached at david.meyer@tufts.edu.

tuftsdaily.com

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Sports

12 tuftsdaily.com

MEN'S LACROSSE

Jumbos earn pair of decisive victories to kick off 2018 campaign

EVAN SAYLES / THE TUFTS DAILY

Senior midfielder Zach Lesko holds off a defender in Tufts’ 23–5 win over Hamilton on March 4.

by Onat Tarimcilar Staff Writer

In its first official action since falling to Wesleyan in the 2017 NCAA tournament, the No. 9 Tufts men’s lacrosse team registered a pair of convincing wins over Hamilton and Keene State. Despite its opening weekend being reduced from two games to one due to weather, Tufts quickly established itself as a NESCAC powerhouse with a 23–5 romp over Hamilton (0–1) in Clinton, N.Y. on Sunday. Two days later, the Jumbos trounced the Keene State Owls (1–2) in their home opener at Bello Field by a score of 24–10.

Tuesday night, Tufts sought to maintain its hot start to the season against a Keene State team that it defeated 26–14 in last year’s NCAA tournament. For the second straight game, the Jumbos roared out of the gates. Tufts put six shots past Keene State senior goalie Mathew Howe in the opening 15 minutes, including three from senior attacker Andrew Seiter, while shutting out Keene State on the defensive end. The Owls responded with improved play in the second quarter, scoring five goals to the Jumbos’ six, but the hosts stretched their lead to 12–5 at halftime. Tufts junior attackers Danny Murphy and Ben Connelly both equaled Seiter’s three first-half goals with three tallies of their own.

The Jumbos didn’t hold back after the break, tacking on five scores in the third quarter and seven in the fourth to hold the visitors at bay. Connelly led

all players with six goals, while Murphy added five assists to his three scores for a game-high eight points. Sophomore goalie Mason Pollack earned his second win of the year, making 16 saves on 24 total shots.

On Sunday, the Jumbos’ strong offseason training regimen showed immediately, as they reeled off 16 unanswered goals to begin play against the Hamilton Continentals. The dominant run was highlighted by three goals from Murphy and was capped by Seiter’s goal with more than eight minutes left in the second quarter. Murphy was one of three Jumbos to record four points on the day, illustrating the visitors’ offensive prowess. Connelly, who recorded a goal and three assists, noted that the scoring barrage wasn’t simply an early-season fluke.

“We returned a lot of guys on the attacking side of the field from last year,” Connelly said. “We all feel very comfortable with everyone we are playing with, so we should be able to put up big numbers.”

After Tufts’ highly anticipated matchup with No. 7 Cortland (2–0) was postponed due to a winter storm, the team shifted its attention to a much weaker Hamilton squad. The Continentals finished last season with a 4–11 record and a 1–9 mark in the NESCAC. Nevertheless, the Jumbos remained focused from the top of their roster through the bottom, as explained by junior midfielder Nick Katz.

“We obviously watch film on our opponents and pay attention to the scouting report, but we also go into every game just concerned with our-

selves,” Katz said. “We don’t care if we are supposed to beat them or not. We know that if we stick to our fundamentals, we will win.”

Led by their starters, the Jumbos posted a shutout in the first quarter while pouring in 10 goals. Tufts converted on 10 of their 17 total shots and only turned the ball over four times, compared to Hamilton’s 10 giveaways in the opening frame. Among all the positives that Tufts took away from the game, the team’s transition play — converting turnovers into offensive opportunities — stood out. The Jumbos held an advantage over the hosts in ground balls (69–45) and successfully converted 27 of 29 clears from their defensive zone.

“Our ability to create turnovers, retrieve ground balls and quickly start our counterattack and score goals was awesome,” Katz said. “It’s a part of the game that involves the whole team, so it is always nice to see that come together.”

The Jumbos’ defense allowed just four shots in the first quarter, all of which were stopped by Pollack. The Arlington, Va. native remained in the game through the end of the third quarter, posting 13 saves in his 45 minutes of work. With the Jumbos leading 19–4 after three periods, Pollack was relieved by senior Robert Treiber, who made three saves in the fourth quarter and conceded only once.

Tufts’ early lead also gave coach Casey D’Annolfo an opportunity to give valuable NESCAC experience to his younger players, many of whom made a significant impact. Sophomore midfielder

Nick Shanks opened the scoring with a goal just over two minutes into the first quarter, and all four of the Jumbos’ goals in the final frame were scored by underclassmen. Perhaps most impressively, first-year midfielder Evan Cunningham was Tufts’ main face-off man this weekend, winning 12 of 22 attempts in his first-ever collegiate game.

“The [first-years] played really well, which was great to see in the first game,” Connelly said. “We have had a good offseason with them, so everyone on the team feels comfortable with each other. But it’s always hard for the [firstyears], no matter what. Chemistry will get better as the year goes on, but they are off to a great start.”

Tufts can also count on a healthy dose of senior leadership and production from its upperclassmen this season. Murphy led the team with 95 points (54 goals, 41 assists) last season, earning Honorable Mention All-American honors for his efforts. The team’s trio of senior captains — defender Connor Lansdale, midfielder Cam Irwin and midfielder Frank Hattler — provide strong leadership, as well as on-field impact.

“We all look to them to set the tone, and throughout the offseason, they’ve done that job,” Connelly said.

“We are all confident in ourselves and they keep us going. They have stepped up a lot from last year and are taking ownership.”

Tufts (2–0) will play another non-conference opponent when it visits Stevens Institute of Technology (3–0) in Hoboken, N.J. on Saturday.