TUFTS WOMEN’S SQUASH
SOC becomes Spirit of the Creative after criticism see FEATURES/ PAGE 3
Jumbos gear up for CSA Nationals
Author Christopher Golden talks about adversity on the path to becoming a writer see ARTS&LIVING / PAGE 5
SEE SPORTS / BACK PAGE
THE
VOLUME LXXV, ISSUE 11
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Monday, February 12, 2018
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Student activism leads the push for gender-neutral bathrooms by Sarah Minster Staff Writer
Gender-neutral bathrooms are being installed in Carmichael and DewickMacPhie Dining Centers and in the Mayer Campus Center by the Department of Campus Planning, in accordance with the LGBT Center student demands, according to sophomore Shannon Lee, the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate Diversity & Community Affairs Officer. There is no set date for these installations, though coordinations with janitorial staff to install single-stall bathrooms are under way, according to Associate Director for Campus Life Ashley Austin and TCU Senate President Benya Kraus. According to Austin, the gender-neutral bathroom in the Campus Center will be a converted janitorial closet, and according to Lee, floor plans exist for new bathrooms to be constructed in the dining halls. Lee said that the Department of Campus Planning has created floor plans for the construction of all-gender bathrooms in the Campus Center, Carmichael and Dewick. The Department of Campus Planning is also in the process of relabelling all single-stall restrooms on the Medford campus as gender-neutral, Lee said. The installation of gender-neutral bathrooms is the result of many years of student activism and demands, TCU President Benya Kraus, a senior, stated. “Students have been very clear that there are not enough all-gender or gender-neutral bathrooms on campus,” Hope Freeman, director of the LGBT Center, told the Daily in an email.
According to a Daily article from September 2016, advocacy for gender-neutral bathrooms was the basis of a campaign led by former Chief Diversity Officer Mark Brimhall-Vargas and former LGBT Center Director Nino Testa. An October 2017 article in the Observer entitled “We Just Want To Pee: The Fight For All-Gender Bathrooms on Campus” spurred action from TCU Senate, according to Kraus. Kraus also emphasized trans and queer students’ activism around this issue. “I think it’s important to highlight that this is a project that is coming from the trans and queer community, and it is their activism that has gotten it to the attention of administrators,” Kraus explained. “When we wrote our resolution, it was just to amplify … the demands that were already there.” Senior Liam Easton-Calabria, the personnel manager of the Rez coffee shop, is a student voice advocating for gender-neutral bathrooms across campus. EastonCalabria said he wrote a petition for multistall gender-inclusive bathrooms available at the Rez for students to sign, attracting support from the student body. “There should be gender-inclusive bathrooms all over campus, hands down, and it’s shocking that there aren’t any in the Campus Center. Some of my coworkers have to leave the building to find a suitable bathroom,” Easton-Calabria told the Daily via email. “We decided to collect signatures and set up meetings with the administration, as a way of saying, look, we have student support in this. Let’s make the signage on the upstairs bathrooms inclusive.” Austin stated that a primary goal of the Office for Campus Life is to listen to student voices and respond with supportive action.
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A gender-neutral bathroom in Richardson is pictured here on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015. “Our goal is to just offer a space in this building for students, faculty, staff, members of the general public who frequent this building as well to feel like they have a safe space,” Austin explained. However, student demands remain unsatisfied, according to Easton-Calabria. Plans for bathroom implementation have not been communicated to students, and the building plans remain unclear, according to Easton-Calabria. Easton-Calabria stressed that multistall inclusive bathrooms remain a top priority. Lee and Austin both said that there are no plans to install multi-stall gender-inclusive bathrooms in the short term, though these bathrooms are a longterm priority. Easton-Calabria also spoke about the difficulty students have faced in receiving support from the administration. “The most difficult part has been getting answers from the administration. For a school that claims to have high regard for its queer students, it has not been forthright with its bathroom plans. Shouldn’t we be celebrating these upcoming developments? Why are they being so silent?” Easton-Calabria said. “Trans and GNC [gen-
der-nonconforming] students need to be involved in this process.” Though some students remain unsatisfied with the administration’s efforts, Kraus said she feels that this is a positive action to make Tufts a more welcoming and supportive place. She said that the push for gender-neutral bathrooms is an effort to re-examine Tufts’ priorities as an institution. “This is both a symbolic and material effort to [ask] … ‘Will we invest and build both the physical space as well as the social space to be welcoming of trans and gender-nonconforming folks?’” Kraus said. Freeman echoed her support for the gender-neutral bathrooms. She, like EastonCalabria, stated the long-term goal of creating multi-stall gender-neutral restrooms. She said she hopes that through this change to the bathrooms, Tufts can become a national leader in conversations surrounding the rights of trans and non-binary students. She emphasized the importance of listening to student input. “Students have been the leaders in creating pathways to what they want to see on campus,” Freeman wrote. “Access to restrooms is a right, especially to the community that we are trying to foster here at Tufts.”
State Department officials advise about travel abroad by Natasha Mayor News Editor
Michelle Bernier-Toth, acting deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Overseas Citizens Services, and Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Study Abroad Representative and Gilman Program Officer at the State Department Theresa Gagnon spoke via webcam to a room full of close to 25 study abroad and international safety advisors from the greater Boston area during a roundtable discussion in Dowling Hall on Friday. Bernier-Toth and Gagnon were originally supposed to be in Medford for the talk but were unable to travel from Washington D.C. because of a government shutdown, according to Diplomat in Residence for New England Jon Danilowicz.
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The shutdown in question was in regards to the national budget and lasted from 12:01 a.m. on Friday morning to around 8:40 a.m. that day, when President Trump tweeted that he had signed a bill that would allow the government to reopen. Bernier-Toth, who said she has worked for various overseas services for 17 years, began by saying that in the 2015–2016 academic year, more than 325,000 U.S. students went abroad. “A fundamental responsibility of the State Department is taking care of U.S. citizens abroad,” Bernier-Toth said. “Students are a key part of that.” Bernier-Toth said the Bureau of Consular Affairs in the State Department works closely with the ECA and Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) to disseminate important security information to U.S. citizens abroad.
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She talked about the four steps of a traveler’s checklist: getting informed, getting required documents, getting enrolled in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) and getting insured. STEP is a program that allows travelers to register their trips with the government so they can receive pertinent information while abroad. Bernier-Toth showed the audience the newly redesigned, mobile-friendly Consular Information Program website, which details the levels of risk for traveling to any given country. She said that Level 1 is associated with low-risk countries like Canada, whereas a Level 4 travel advisory is given to Syria because of terrorism and armed conflict. There are travel advisories assigned to every country, detailing the specific risks and regions to avoid, according to Bernier-Toth.
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“We will be very specific about what those risks are and specific steps we want people to take to mitigate the risks to themselves if they choose to travel,” she said. Bernier-Toth said that if a place is not safe for embassy officials to travel to, then the State Department will warn U.S. citizens against traveling to that region as well. “Under the ‘No Double Standard Policy,’ these are places that we tell our embassy staff to not go, and so therefore we’re going to tell the public that too,” she said. Bernier-Toth listed the variety of services the State Department provides to U.S. citizens abroad, including aid with emergency passports, medical emergencies, crisis response, voting assistance and ensuring fair process for arrests.
NEWS............................................1 FEATURES.................................3 ARTS & LIVING.......................4
see STUDY ABROAD, page 2
COMICS.......................................6 OPINION..................................... 7 SPORTS............................ BACK
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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Monday, February 12, 2018
THE TUFTS DAILY Catherine Perloff Editor-in-Chief
EDITORIAL
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TCU Senate discusses economic diversity by Daniel Weinstein
Mary Carroll Zachary Hertz
Assistant News Editor
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The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate met in the Sophia Gordon Multipurpose Room to hear funding requests and one appeal, view a presentation on Tufts’ economic metrics and share community updates. TCU President and senior Benya Kraus opened the meeting and welcomed the newly elected TCU Senators: LGBTQ Community Senator Kathleen Lanzilla, a firstyear; Class of 2019 Senators Jonah O’Mara Schwartz and Steven Honig; and Latinx Community Senator Maya Velasquez. The newly elected senators then each gave brief introductions and shared their visions for their Senate careers. Following that, the meeting moved into the TCU Treasury section and the Senate opened the floor to Maggie Van Scoy, a first-year, to hear a funding appeal for Tufts University Social Collective (TUSC) for Tuftonia’s Day. The appeal had been tabled in last week’s meeting, and Allocations Board (ALBO) had recommended allocating $12,000. Van Scoy addressed the senate by requesting additional funding for an increase in the quality of carnival rides to ensure that students attend the event for longer periods of time. She added that TUSC also plans to increase the number of food trucks, as a common complaint about last year’s Tuftonia’s Day was the long lines for food trucks. Van Scoy said that TUSC spent less on Fall Gala and Winter Ball than in previous years, and as a result believes an increase in funding for Tuftonia’s Day is reasonable. Lastly, Van Scoy noted that TUSC presented a sheet that fully disclosed how the funds would be used as during the last meeting, Senate asked for further clarification. After a brief question-and-answer period, the senate then moved to a vote and decided to adhere to ALBO’s recommended funding of $12,000, 25–1–1. Next, TCU Treasurer Emily Sim, a junior, took the floor to introduce supplementary funding requests.
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The body voted to match the initial ALBO funding recommendations for the following groups: $292 for Children of Cultures of Africa (COCOA) for transportation, $150 for the Tufts Economics Society to develop a new Wix website for the group, $62 for the Tufts Real Estate Society to help fund their general spring budget, $980 for Tufts sQ! for transportation to a performance at a hospital in Waltham along with their five-day tour and A Cappella Fest at Deerfield Academy, $232 to the Catholic Community at Tufts for transportation to a spring retreat, $880 to the Association of Multiracial People at Tufts to fund speakers and purchase food for events, $780 to Tufts Labor Coalition to attend a United Students Against Sweatshops conference and $1,731 to Friends of Israel to attend the Israeli American Council Conference. Kraus then took the floor to share updates. She noted that new Elections Commission (ECOM) bylaw changes will now allow ECOM to appoint unopposed senators instead of holding an election, as described in a recent Daily article. Kraus added that there will be a GIM for prospective Class of 2020 Senators today at 9 p.m. in Braker 001, along with a candidates’ meeting this coming Wednesday at 9 p.m. She ended by noting that the Ginn Library, due to high levels of usage by undergraduate students, wants to assess the availability of study spaces on campus. TCU Vice President Anna Del Castillo, a senior, then opened the floor to community updates. TCU Class of 2021 Senator Janey Litvin then took the floor to note that the Tisch Library is considering installing printers in dorms and that Boston Burger Company plans to accept JumboCash in the future. Assistant Treasurer Sharif Hamidi told the body that the resolution to extend the pass-fail deadline to ten weeks into the semester for all students, regardless of class year, has passed a faculty vote. The Senate then moved to hear an affordability metric discussion led by TCU Trustee Representative Nathan Foster. Foster, a senior, noted that he wants to advocate for tuition affordability, especially
for students of lower-income brackets. He mentioned that he spoke with the Board of Trustees about this. The Board of Trustees communicated to him that Tufts compares their tuition to other schools and tries to match it accordingly. Foster shared that only 2.9 percent of Tufts students come from the bottom 20 percent income bracket, while over 77 percent come from the top 20 percent. He also mentioned that he spoke to Robert Mack, associate dean for Student Success and Advising, who informed Foster that tuition money goes directly into financial aid. Foster ended by suggesting that Tufts could possibly look into the number of students on Pell Grants to determine metrics. However, this method would not take into account students with undocumented status or international students, Foster explained. The floor was then opened to questions and comments about the presentation. TCU Class of 2021 Senator Mateo Gomez mentioned that he was against using Pell Grants to determine metrics for the previously mentioned reason of not taking into account international students or students with undocumented status. Gomez also argued that Senate should be realistic about the numbers and that decreasing tuition might also mean decreasing financial aid packages. Foster then shared his final thoughts about his presentation and noted that he wants to use metrics to demonstrate Tufts’ lack of affordability. He furthered that although this presentation was primarily given for the purpose of general awareness, he eventually wants there to be a resolution on this issue in the future. Lastly, TCU Diversity & Community Affairs Officer; Culture, Ethnicity & Community Affairs (CECA) Committee Chair; and sophomore Shannon Lee opened the floor to community senator updates. TCU Africana Community Senator Fatima Ajose noted that the kitchen in the Africana Center is almost finished and that the Pan Afrikan Alliance is doing a service initiative to collect menstrual products.
“Our mission, essentially, is to send more diverse Americans to more diverse destinations abroad,” she said. She said this is accomplished primarily through two exchange programs: the Critical Language Scholarship and the Gilman Scholarship. Gilman Scholarships are awards of up to $5000 given to students who are receiving the Pell Grant to pay for college and would not otherwise have the opportunity to go abroad. Students studying one of many “critical need languages,” seen as essential for U.S.
national security, can further earn $3,000 to put towards their travel, Gagnon said. Gagnon went on to discuss the Fulbright Programs available to young graduates and young professionals. She said there are a variety of options for students and teachers, both in the U.S. and abroad, to travel for educational or teaching purposes, all of which can be found on their website. Gagnon encouraged advisors to inform their students about the opportunities available to them and welcomed any critical feedback.
Officials from U.S. Department of State outline study abroad precautions STUDY ABROAD
continued from page 1 She encouraged the advisors present to inform students of the tools at their disposal. She added that OSAC would provide consulting support and risk analysis of countries. Following a quick round of clarifying questions from the audience for Bernier-Toth, Gagnon stepped in for her part of the talk. Gagnon continued where Bernier-Toth left off and described resources and program options for students. Gagnon works for the U.S. study abroad branch of the ECA.
EVENTS ON THE HILL: WEEK OF FEB. 12 MONDAY “Myanmar in Crisis:What Happens Next?” Details: A panel of activists and politicians will discuss the recent systemic attacks against Myanmar’s Muslim Rohingya community. Speakers will include May Sabe Phyu, director of the Gender Equality Network and human rights activist from Myanmar, Ambassador Derek Mitchell (F ’91), former ambassador to Myanmar and senior advisor to the Asia Center at the United States Institute for Peace (USIP) and Reverend Susan Hayward (F ’06), USIP senior advisor on religion and inclusive societies. The event is sponsored by the The Henry Luce Foundation and co-hosted with the Fletcher Islamic Society, the Fletcher Dipomacy Club and the Humanitarian Action Society at Tufts University. Where and when: ASEAN Auditorium; 7–8:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY Summer Media Internships Info Session Details: Film and Media Studies Internship Director Leslie Goldberg will hold a session on landing a summer internship in media. Where and when: Granoff Music Center, Room 271; 12–1 p.m. THURSDAY Bone Marrow Cheek Swab Drive Details: Primary Care Progress (PCP) is hosting a cheek swab drive in the Campus Center to register students to be bone marrow donors. Where and when: Mayer Campus Center, Room 220; 12–5 p.m. FRIDAY “Lysistrata” Details: Tufts Department of Drama and Dance will premiere the play “Lysistrata,” born out of a collaboration with playwright
Ellen McLaughlin. According to its event page, the play “reminds audiences of the dangers of demonizing communities as ‘the other.'” Tickets for the Friday show are $10, and $15 for the general public and $10 with a Tufts ID at the shows on Feb. 17, 23 and 24. Where and When: Balch Arena Theater; 8–9 p.m. “Laughs of Love” Comedy Showcase Details: This Valentine’s Day-themed comedy showcase, hosted by Tufts Cheap Sox, will feature Major: Undecided, The Institute, Cheap Sox, TFL, Stand-Up Collective and HYPE!, and is a fundraiser for Next Step Central, a Cambridge-based charity focusing on supporting youth living with chronic illnesses. Where and when: Barnum 008; 8–10 p.m. - ELIE LEVINE
Monday, February 12, 2018
Features
SOC seeks to change name to reflect group makeup
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Ross Sonnenblick The Tuftonian Dream
The missing piece
W COURTESY RAY BERNOFF
Members of Spirit of the Creative, formerly Spirit of Color, perform at the group’s winter 2017 show. by Yanelle Cruz Staff Writer
On Jan. 19, dance troupe SOC posted a statement on its Instagram account announcing its decision to change its name from Spirit of Color to Spirit of the Creative. According to the statement, members of the black community have expressed concern in recent years that the low number of black students in SOC made its original name inappropriate. “Spirit of Color was created as a space for Students of Color at Tufts, and more specifically Black students. However, the makeup of our group no longer reflects the purpose and intention of our group’s original name,” the statement reads. These concerns were originally ignored by SOC because of the significant number of students of color in the group, the statement adds. “What we were failing to acknowledge was the difference between a lack of People of Color, and a lack of Black students on the team,” the statement reads. Kelly Burk, a director of SOC, told the Daily that the group is unable to provide detailed statistics on the racial or ethnic identities of its members, as such data is not actively collected. “Previous attempts to quantify our diversity have resulted in very complex and frustrating emotions, especially for multiracial members, and also had the potential to lead to tokenization of various members of the group,” Burk, a senior, told the Daily in an electronic message. In the spring of 2017, SOC began to have conversations about the criticism that they had received due to their lack of diversity and representation, although these two meetings were initially closed for only SOC members, according to Burk. “It took some time for the group to accept the criticism we were receiving and stop being defensive,” Burk said. “It also took some time to figure out the best way to have productive conversations about what was happening.” According to SOC’s statement, in November 2017, SOC held a meeting that was open to members of the black community at Tufts. Junior Caila Bowen attended this open meeting and expressed her discomfort at the group no longer living up to what its original name, Spirit of Color, represented. “People do not give enough credit to names. Names when said can evoke a pleth-
ora of emotions. And seeing a group full of mostly white people dancing under the name “Spirit of Color” doesn’t evoke anything positive,” Bowen told the Daily in an electronic message. Burk explained that members of SOC ultimately voted on changing the group’s name before their show last fall. She added that after brainstorming and considering different options, the group chose Spirit of the Creative, which was originally suggested on the Black Jumbos Facebook group. “One of the things that was important to the group was keeping the same letters ‘SOC’ as our acronym,” sophomore David Park, an SOC member, said. According to the statement, members of SOC felt that it was necessary to change the group’s name after realizing that they had lost touch with its history as a dance group for black students. Several other groups on campus openly discussed their history as artistic spaces created by and for black students in a Feb. 21, 2017 article in the Tufts Observer. Sophomore Desmond Fonseca, a member of BlackOut Step Team, shared how his team continues to honor its history as a space for black students. “I can’t imagine a BlackOut that doesn’t center blackness and black student experiences,” Fonseca told the Daily in an electronic message. “The team is mostly black men. The art form of step itself is black. The music we step to is black. Our skits are often directly tied to a black American culture. Even with a white captain, BlackOut is unquestionably a black space for black students at Tufts University.” A long-term goal of SOC’s current leadership is to educate members on both the history of the group and the history of hiphop as a black art form, according to both Burk and Emma Bednarski, an assistant director of SOC. “It will take time to implement this because we’re currently not equipped to teach this and there is a lot we need to learn, but we hope to someday be able to share with our members why the history of hiphop and the history of SOC are important,” Bednarski, a sophomore, said. Another one of SOC’s new initiatives is an overhauled audition process. Previously, the group’s auditions required dancers to learn and perform the choreography in the span of just of a few hours, according to the statement. The new process introduced two sessions for students to learn the choreography and
an optional review session, all of which took place the week before auditions, according to a video posted to the group’s Facebook page. Park noted that having time to learn and review the choreography may encourage students who have not had formal dance training to audition for the group. “This new process is more inclusive of all socioeconomic backgrounds, because in the past, the audition process was easier for those who could afford to take dance classes and had a dance background prior to auditioning,” Park said. First-year Zoe Adamopoulos was successful in both last and this semester’s auditions and expressed support for the new audition process. “I think what they did for auditions this semester was really great because it allowed for people to not only have a week to practice the audition piece, but also gave them a good idea of the level of dance with SOC,” Adamopoulos said. Sophomore Kingsley Udoyi auditioned for SOC every semester since his first year at Tufts but was only successful in this semester’s audition. He said that the new audition process allowed participants to focus on enjoying the dance, rather than perfecting the routine. “They gave people the opportunity to actually ask questions to see what they are looking for, to practice, practice, practice and get it down and to be able to be more comfortable on the stage and show more of their personality,” Udoyi said. “Because you spent all week practicing, it should be drilled into your head.” Bowen said that these changes are positive steps towards making SOC a more inclusive dance group. “The end of this audition process alone brought at least three black people on the [team] that I personally know of. I can’t speak to any other [student of color], but considering the history of the group — that speaks volumes,” she said. Moving forward, Burk said that SOC is excited to continue establishing new initiatives that will make the group more accessible to everyone who is interested in joining. Park thanked the black community on campus for their time dedicated to expressing their opinions and attending the open meeting, which has been incredibly valuable to everyone at SOC. “One of the many reasons for the name change was to make sure people felt comfortable with SOC as a group and this insight would have never been possible without the black community at Tufts,” Park said.
hen you were young, maybe you 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 Jessie Lan spent last night engaged in a deep, unfiltered conversation with her roommate, but before she had a roommate whom she could tag in memes, she had two parents whom she could ask questions. She says, “The typical child is always like, ‘Why? Why? Why?’, and then their parents get annoyed. That was also me.” Jessie’s parents got annoyed, and then they got her the game “Ace Attorney” to play on her brother’s Nintendo DS. In the game, she served as a dauntless defense attorney, fearlessly foiling the evil machinations of her opposing prosecutor. Jessie recalls that at the age of 10, “I liked the idea of helping people, saving them, finding out exactly what went wrong with the witness testimony.” Jessie loved spotting inconsistencies in the characters’ commentaries, and her discerning ear for detail extended far beyond the virtual confines of her video game. She remarks that in her everyday life, “I would try to play devil’s advocate and probe deeper. If someone said a statement, I’d be like, ‘Is that really what you mean?’” As a young girl, Jessie dreamed of becoming a CIA analyst so that she could “discover the secrets of every single mystery,” but in high school, her AP Language class clued her in to a valuable piece of introspective insight. She explains, “When you’re thinking about rhetoric and the way that authors use words, it relates to their purpose and why they chose those words specifically. That brings you to thought and articulating in language, which leads to linguistics and that brings you to cognitive science.” Eventually, then, a car brought her to Tufts in August, and this semester, Jessie expects the class Introduction to Cognitive and Brain Sciences to bring her much satisfaction. She says, “I want to know how the brain becomes more than just a brain, how it formulates the mind and consciousness.” In essence, Jessie wants to learn how the brain spreads ideas, so at Tufts, she has joined TEDxTufts, the motto of which is “Ideas worth spreading.” Although part of Jessie still wants to become the “super cool detective” that she envisioned as a child, at TEDx, she won’t have to do much sleuthing in order to uncover people’s passions. She comments, “I like learning what makes people tick and hearing what they’re excited about” and conveniently enough, the TEDx platform is largely dedicated to disseminating dreams. For now, Jessie is just dedicated to the schoolwork that she finds so fascinating. She reveals, “I know what I like learning about, but I don’t know what career I want to come out of that.” Thus, in order to determine a suitable career for herself, Jessie gets to undertake some investigative work. Much like in the games she played on her DS, she just has to identify what she calls “the missing piece.” Ross Sonnenblick is a sophomore majoring in psychology and international literary and visual studies. He can be reached at ross. sonnenblick@tufts.edu.
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Arts & Living
Monday, February 12, 2018
Chapter 26 of ‘Riverdale’: Just some ‘typical’ Cooper family drama
COURTESY BETTINA STRAUSS / THE CW
Lili Reinhart as Betty and Madelaine Petsch as Cheryl on the CW’s hit show Riverdale (2016 –). by Alison Epstein
Executive Arts Editor
You know the parenting in Riverdale is bad when FP comes off looking like father of the year for helping cover up a murder. But seriously, where is Child Protective Services when you need them? Cheryl has been emotionally abused for years and it’s continued now that her mother is neglecting her to live her “harlot” lifestyle, Veronica’s in a mob family and her parents are definitely kind of murderers and now Betty has gotten herself tangled up in a murder cover-up thanks to her mom and creepy brother (not to mention that her dad is just kind of a huge jerk). Aside from the end reveal, “Chapter 26: The Tell-Tale Heart” felt mostly like filler. The stuff with the Lodges’ schemes and feud with the Serpents is overly complicated and confusing for a show like this, but hopefully it will come together in the next few episodes. But as always, this week’s installment of “Riverdale” (2017–) had its moments, so let’s dive in. We pick up right where we left off last week, with Betty wondering why there’s a dead guy on their floor. Betty suggests calling the police, which is truly shocking considering the number of times Betty should have called the police and did not, but Alice orders her not to so Chic won’t get taken away. Clearly the apple didn’t fall far from the tree in this case. Speaking of apples, Betty spends approximately three hours cleaning a bowl of them during the bleach-filled Cooper family murder cover-up. Her mom assures her that the guy didn’t touch them, but Betty can’t seem to stop
herself. And here is sign number one that Betty is finally breaking. Sign number two is her hanging up on precious Jughead right after he calls to say he loves her. Poor Jug is now all worried he’s bad in bed, but the next day Betty explains that his skills were completely up to par and she was just distracted by “typical Cooper house lunacy.” Sure, Betty. Betty, however, continues to spiral, vomiting in the school bathroom and eventually revisiting the body that she and her mom had thrown in a sewer tunnel, otherwise known as her mom’s favorite childhood hideout. No comment. Betty then steals the dead guy’s phone and starts calling people on it. (We always knew Betty had a death wish.) Alice and Chic, on the other hand, decide to pretend like everything is fine, even playing a casual game of Clue. (Alice Cooper in the dining room with the lamp?) Betty bursts their bubble quickly once she figures out from the guy’s phone that he was a dealer, and the reason he visited the Cooper house was not to receive gigolo services from Chic like Chic told them, but rather to sell him drugs. Betty goes off on Chic and he starts crying, but when no one’s looking he smiles through his apparently fake tears. Chic is evil, help. Betty finally cracks and confesses everything to Jughead. Hey Betty, maybe it would have been nice to also let him know you kissed Archie and lied about it, so Jughead knows his options before committing to risking jail time for you? But okay, you do you. After discovering that the dead guy’s car had been parked in front of the Coopers’ for
two days and neighbors had complained about it, Betty and Alice finally realize they are in way over their heads and call the best murder accomplice in town, FP. Good times when he was in jail for helping to cover up Jason Blossom’s murder. FP takes over and buries the body, also covering it in sodium hydroxide so it will decompose. Hey, thanks for these helpful murder tips, “Riverdale”! So for now at least, it seems like this murder is behind them. The only loose end is Hal, who thinks something suspicious is going on (valid) and can’t stop popping by the house to terrify Chic. Betty finally gets him to leave by threatening to tell Alice about his relationship with Penelope Blossom. Thanks for the tip, Cheryl. Random fun fact: the actor who plays Hal was in a Hallmark movie with Meghan Markle and played her boyfriend. Have fun never looking at Hal (or Meghan Markle) the same way again. There were, in fact, some people in Riverdale who were at least claiming to not be involved with a murder plot this week. While the investigation of Papa Poutine is ongoing, Hiram assures both his daughter and Archie that he had no part in that hit, although continuing to refer to him as Papa Poutine may be crime enough. Hiram has his hands full with Mayor McCoy anyway, who is trying to stall their plans. (Yes, it is still unclear exactly what their plans are.) Hiram and Hermione decide they want to shame McCoy into resigning so she won’t be in their way anymore by publicly revealing her affair with Sheriff Keller, but Veronica goes behind her parents’ backs and lets McCoy in on the plan so she can resign on her own terms before the Lodges can humiliate her.
While all this is going on, Archie is still dealing with this FBI guy, who is now trying to get Archie to bug Hiram’s office. This dude was literally right next door when Alice Cooper bludgeoned a guy to death, but somehow is still only focused on this Hiram Lodge mob business? Doesn’t seem like the FBI’s finest. Well, surprise, surprise, that’s because it turns out he isn’t actual FBI (told you). Hermione has Archie dropped off to meet her at a cliff side (for dramatic effect, duh) and reveals to him that she and Hiram hired Agent Adams as a test to see whether Archie would remain loyal to the family. For a second it looked like she might push him off the cliff, but instead she’s boring and informs him that he passed and he’s now in the family. For all the buildup, it is a fairly lackluster reveal, especially since it was pretty clear from the start that this guy was not real-deal FBI. Guys, “Riverdale” isn’t coming back until March 7. Such a travesty. The good news is the preview for the new episodes was literally incredible, and honestly may have been better than the episode. There was definitely a glimpse of a Black Hoodlooking figure (Chic?), and Veronica and Jughead were totally shown about to kiss, possibly as revenge for the Betty-Archie smooch? Let’s ditch this boring Lodge Riverdale takeover plan (notice how little time was spent on it in this recap?) and get back to the teen shenanigans please. “Riverdale” returns with new episodes on Wednesday, March 7 at 8 p.m. on The CW. Full episodes available on Netflix and cwtv.com.
tuftsdaily.com
Monday, February 12, 2018 | Arts & Living | THE TUFTS DAILY
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Alec Provost The Art of Games
Short games deserve more love
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EDDIE SAMUELS / THE TUFTS DAILY
Christopher Golden (LA ’89), the New York Times bestselling author, speaks at an event hosted by Tisch Library in the Hirsch Reading Room on Thursday, Feb. 8.
Author Christopher Golden talks time at Tufts, writing inspirations by Stephanie Hoechst Contributing Writer
On Thursday, Feb. 8, Tisch Library hosted a talk from New York Times best-selling author and Tufts alumnus Christopher Golden in the Hirsh Reading Room. Golden graduated from Tufts in 1989 with a double major in English and history and a concentration in classics. Since then, he has written and collaborated on an extensive body of work, including novels such as “Tin Men” (2015) and “Snowblind” (2014), series such as “The Secret Journeys of Jack London” (2011– 2013), “The Shadow Saga” (1994– 2014) and “The Hidden Cities” (2008–2011) and media tie-ins, such as novels for “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (1998–2003), “Hellboy” (1997– 2008), “Uncharted” (2011) and “Alien” (2014). In addition, Golden writes for video games, comic books and graphic novels, and he appears on the podcast “Three Guys with Beards” (2015–). Golden’s son, Nick Golden (LA ’16) interviewed his father in the conversational, oftentimes lighthearted discussion. Golden spoke on some of his philosophies about writing, influential teachers he had at Tufts, works that inspired him as a child and some of the challenges that can come with being a professional writer. Golden’s work is mainly in the horror and fantasy genres. Growing up, Golden was inspired by what Nick dubbed a “pulp era of the ’70s,” which included the Marvel comic series “Tomb of Dracula” (1972–1979) and the TV series “Kolchak: The Night Stalker” (1974–1975) and “The Twilight Zone” (1959–1964). “Those three things,” Golden said, “until I discovered Stephen King, were sort of the perfect storm of elements that really influenced me.” Golden spoke fondly of his time at Tufts, discussing some of his favorite teachers.
“I had the best professors,” Golden said. “George Marcopoulos, who is no longer with us, was my advisor for four years and the greatest single teacher I ever had in my life. I modeled a character after him in my first novel.” Along with being his advisor, Professor Marcopoulos furthered Golden’s interest in storytelling when he taught Golden’s Byzantine history class. “He was so funny and so engaging and so detailed in his storytelling,” Golden said. “This is what I love about history. It’s all stories.” Other influential teachers included Jay Cantor, whose creative writing class Golden took his first year, and Alan Lebowitz, with whom Golden studied English and creative writing over the course of his time at Tufts. While at Tufts, Golden explained, he moved his aspirations away from film school as he became more interested in writing and the horror genre. “I knew in every one of those classes that I was passionate about stories, about storytelling,” he said. This particular interest was quite evident when he diverged from the creative writing crowd at Tufts. “All of my classmates wanted to write about marching on Washington, and I wanted to write about zombies marching on Washington,” he said. After writing so many short stories for his classes, Golden realized that the daunting task of writing a novel could actually be a realistic goal. In his senior year, Golden began writing his first novel, “Of Saints and Shadows” (1994) in Stratton Hall. Golden discussed some of the difficulties being a writer can pose. He admitted that balancing all of his projects could be a challenge, but that forcing himself to narrow his focus can help. “You just have to pick your moment,” Golden said. “See what’s burning brightest of all the fires that need to be put out. Focus on that one thing.”
With such a busy schedule, Golden mentioned that it is still important to take a break and spend some time on less pressing work. “The one thing I do that’s just for fun is Jim Moore, Jonathan Maberry and I do this podcast, ‘Three Guys with Beards,’ which we mentioned, but I also do a podcast with my buddy Brian Keene, another fellow author, called ‘Defender’s Dialogue,’ Golden said. ‘Defender’s Dialogue’ is just Brian and I, every week, talking about the 1970s Marvel Comic series ‘The Defenders’ just for fun … It’s the ultimate fanboy self-indulgence.” In addition, Golden discussed some of the assumptions that with so many instant entertainment services like Netflix, people are not reading anymore. “It is not true that people don’t read anymore,” Golden said. “It’s true that you need to get people’s attention.” While people may have different opinions of series like “Harry Potter” (1997–2007), “Twilight” (2005–2008) and “Fifty Shades of Grey” (2011–2012), Golden argued that they all succeeded in getting people to read. “Dan Brown [author of ‘The Da Vinci Code’ (2003)], whether you think he’s a good writer or not, brought so many people into bookstores,” Golden said. Golden stressed that at the end of the day, being a writer is about continuing to influence people to read. “Writing is not a competition,” Golden said. “Some genres think they’re competing for space, but… it doesn’t matter. I want people to be successful. I want people to read. Other writers did that for me when I was coming up, and we try to pass that along to other people because the goal is to get people to read. If 10 million people buy your novel, hopefully a few of those people are excited about reading and then go on to read other people’s books.”
oth “DOOM” and “Titanfall 2” are first-person shooters that released in 2016 to critical acclaim. Both are violent romps with an over-the-top story. Both are fast-paced and fun. But I look back much more fondly upon my time playing “Titanfall 2.” Why? Because at 15 hours, “DOOM” had overstayed its welcome, whereas “Titanfall 2” was six hours of nonstop thrills. I’m not opposed to long games. My favorite game of all time is “Oblivion” (2007), where I sunk 300 hours into the world of Cyrodiil. It took me 80 hours of death to beat “Dark Souls” (2011) for the first time, and it is now one of my favorite games. But the difference is that those games were not going 100 mph the entire time. “Oblivion” had long walks through mystical forests and (badly animated) conversations with townspeople. “Dark Souls” forces you to take your time and constantly introduces new enemies for you to learn. In contrast, “DOOM” has you barreling through countless demons and macabre levels. After about the 10-hour mark, you stop getting as many new enemies, guns or environments. While I was still having fun for those last five hours, it didn’t feel fresh and by the end, I was glad to see the credits. “Titanfall 2,” on the other hand, never felt stale. Even though the action never let up, it was short enough that it never became exhausting. Every level gave you a twist on the gameplay formula only to give you an entirely new twist in the next level. All the environments felt unique and creative, with the story quickly moving you from one outrageous scenario to the next. That’s not to say that “DOOM” is the worse game. It controls better, looks better and is arguably more fun for those first 10 hours. Yet I can’t think about “DOOM” without remembering those last five hours. Just like how “Ulysses” isn’t better than “The Great Gatsby” just because its longer, “DOOM” isn’t better than “Titanfall 2” just because of its length. Beyond just the quality of games, as time goes on, short games become more and more practical. When you had all the time in the world back in middle school, long games made a lot of sense. After a month or two of allowance, odd jobs and finding change between the couch cushions, you could buy a $60 game and play it for 100 hours until you saved up the money for the next game. But with essays, problem sets, internships and social lives, gaming often gets put by the wayside. We can’t as easily find the time for an 80-hour game anymore. Thankfully, a short game can be just as rewarding. If you have a Saturday free, you can experience the entirety of “What Remains of Edith Finch” (2017) or “Titanfall 2,” as opposed to finishing the tutorial of “Persona 5” (2016). Sometimes, short games are the best way to hold onto your love of gaming in an increasingly busy world. Alec Provost is a junior majoring in history. Alec can be reached at alec.provost@ tufts.edu.
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THE TUFTS DAILY | Comics | Monday, February 12, 2018
Comics
LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY Elie: “I think [Michael Scott] is such a thinker.”
Comics
SUDOKU
Puzzle 1 (Easy, difficulty rating 0.43)
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NON SEQUITUR BY WILEY MILLER
Difficulty Level: Watching a 17-year-old win an Olympic gold medal and accomplish more than you ever will in your whole life.
Generated by http://www.opensky.ca/sudoku on Mon Feb 12 01:40:14 2018 GMT. Enjoy!
Friday’s Solution
CROSSWORD
Friday’s Solution
Monday, February 12, 2018
Opinion OP-ED
Elections are not optional by Jesse Comak I write to express concern regarding the recent news that the Tufts Community (TCU) Elections Commission (ECOM) will be amending its bylaws to do away with formal elections for those running unopposed for their respective offices, as reported in “TCU Senate shares election updates, hears funding appeals” from the Feb. 5 edition of The Tufts Daily. As a former member of the TCU Judiciary, this news immediately caught my attention because, to do so, ECOM would be violating the TCU Constitution. The TCU Constitution states that “All members of the TCU shall be entitled to … actively participate in the TCU government by … electing the members of the government” (Article I, Section D, Subsection 3). This right isn’t qualified; it does not make exceptions for cases when voting will not affect the outcome. Even those who run unopposed are elected if and only if the members of the TCU cast votes for them. Otherwise this right is infringed. Nothing short of casting votes would satisfy the plain meaning of “electing.” I myself ran unopposed twice for a seat on the Judiciary, but I still showed up on the ballot both times. It isn’t fun to run unopposed, but I never for a moment believed that I should get to skip the ballot. Even if it wouldn’t affect the outcome, I wanted to see myself and those running alongside me on the ballot on election day. And my reasons are partly sentimental, partly idealistic, partly legal and partly practical. The legal reasons I have well established. If I did not appear on the ballot, I would not be legally entitled to take my
seat. If the members of the TCU have the right to elect me, then I can’t be elected without them doing so. They must be afforded the opportunity to cast their votes, not just the opportunity for a hundred of them to sign a petition if they happen to be in Carmichael at the right time. And that leads to the other side of the legal argument: To run for office, you must get some of your fellow students to sign a petition for you to appear on the ballot. By signing, they are effectively asking the Elections Commission to put your name on the ballot so everyone may vote. Skipping the election for those running unopposed means denying the wishes of the petitioners, which while not strictly unconstitutional, does not comport with the spirit of the law, at least in my estimation. I will admit that in part, I am driven by sentiment, expressed above, and by ideals. In a democracy, elections happen no matter what. Formal elections occur all the time, for much loftier offices than TCU Senator, in which only one person is running. Why should the TCU be different? The retort might be that the TCU is under no obligation to be the same, and in fact has different needs than a country; what is even lost by letting the default winner win without formality? I would argue much is lost. There is a cost to bear here. Beyond the unconstitutionality of this proposed policy, which is reason enough to enjoin it, there is a practical drawback. When offices and candidates don’t appear on the ballot, it takes away a layer of transparency. Not only do the members of the TCU have the right to elect their senators, justices and Committee
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
BY SHANNON GEARY
on Student Life (CSL) members, but they deserve to know which of their representatives ran unopposed. They deserve to know how much of the current government ran unopposed. How else can they see which parts of the government might be in need of their candidacy in the future? What better way to know how well their electoral system is functioning? Is the current government a government by default? It isn’t a sin to be elected unopposed, it is outside any one person’s control, so I’m not advocating for people to view those who do as less than a full representative. They are not, and in my time in student government, I saw a group of individuals utterly dedicated to improving the lives of their fellow students and ensuring a fair and well-governed system, many of whom ran unopposed. However, it is true that without real choice, elections feel less important, attract fewer voters and generally serve democracy worse. How can this be fixed if the unopposed candidates are hidden while the contested elections are highlighted? This creates a skewed view and denies to the members the opportunity to at least see the name of their representatives before they take their offices. I sincerely hope that the Elections Commission will reconsider their policy or, failing that, that the TCU Judiciary will carry out its constitutional duty to enjoin its enforcement. As an alumnus, I have no direct stake in the matter; my rights as a TCU member ended at commencement, but I didn’t want to let this news slide by unnoticed and unchallenged. Jesse Comak is an alumnus of Tufts (A ’14). Jesse can be reached at jesse.s.comak@ gmail.com.
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Anita Ramaswamy Anita's Angle
The great divide
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very school has its cliques. The high school in “Mean Girls” had its desperate wannabes, burnouts and the infamous “Plastics,” conveniently identified by which table they chose to sit at during lunch hour. At Tufts, social groups are just as stratified but less easily identified. Yes, we’re all liberal arts students united in our love for all things quirky (note to Admissions – are we still allowed to say that?). But dig a little deeper and you’ll find that meaningful interaction between people from different backgrounds with different mindsets is rarer than it should be. From the “athlete section” in Dewick to the Crafts House and beyond, physical spaces on this campus are often associated with the groups that occupy them and their (thinly-veiled) ideologies. And at a place like Tufts, where students are prone to passion over apathy, even the smallest-seeming issues can turn into monumental debates. In my experience, the average Tufts student is opinionated, wellread and convinced that they’re always right. We are often too quick to speak before listening, and we, consciously or subconsciously, label our peers based on their on-campus affiliations. Even more alarmingly, it can feel at times like there is no middle ground. If you’re not a capitalist, you’re an idealistic fool. If you’re not a communist, you’re an oppressor. Strong beliefs are crucial in guiding one’s everyday decision-making and giving our lives meaning, but we must also be open-minded enough to absorb information without filtwering it through a pre-existing bias. This is, of course, impossible, but we can certainly at least make an effort towards humility. Having strong beliefs but also being willing to admit when we are wrong sounds like a classic case of having one’s cake and eating it too. There is a clear social stigma against changing one’s mind — ever seen a political candidate accused of “flip-flopping?” But I think the prevalence of such accusations, especially in college, remains at odds with the entire point of a liberal arts education. We should hold onto our convictions, but also be willing to examine our blind spots. As college students, even as mere mortals, do we really have all the answers? Professor Carol Dweck of Stanford gave a TED Talk on her idea of a “growth mindset,” or the power of believing that you can improve. Through this lens, one’s traits and talents are not seen as fixed; rather, they are cultivated and constantly being reshaped. We are always in the process of learning, not least because we attend a university with tremendous resources and a diverse student body. The irony is that truly open-minded discourse often occurs in the ivory towers of our classrooms, but less often in the personal and more intimate spaces we inhabit. So even if you’re not an athlete, stride into Dewick this week and strike up a conversation with a stranger. Remember that at Tufts, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Anita Ramaswamy is a former executive opinion editor at the Daily. She is a junior majoring in international relations. She can be reached at anita.ramaswamy@tufts.edu.
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.
SPORTS
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Arlo Moore-Bloom The Equalizer
Cordeiro wins, the revolution loses
Monday, February 12, 2018
WOMEN'S SQUASH
Tufts sweeps Boston University on Senior Day
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.S. soccer fans can stop holding their breath. After three rounds of voting at the Annual General Meeting in Orlando, Fla., Carlos Cordeiro was elected by voting delegates to the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) presidency, ending an emotional, turbulent and nasty election. In an election swarmed with eight candidates, many people in the soccer community hoped the elected president would revolutionize a federation that has failed in too many of its endeavors. Unfortunately for them, Cordeiro is not this candidate. Before running for USSF president, Cordeiro was the USSF vice president and has been deeply entrenched in the organization for years. Before that, he worked at GoldmanSachs. Cordeiro will bring his business acumen and governing competence, but he is severely lacking in the soccer department. Luckily for the U.S. soccer community, Cordeiro knows soccer is not his speciality. One of his stated goals is to bring in general managers for both the women’s and men’s national teams; this new position will oversee the daily operations of each national team. Perhaps most refreshing is Cordeiro’s promise to invest in the grassroots organizations of the game. His campaign commitments included making youth soccer and coaching licenses more affordable, two issues that plague the development of players in the U.S. As a Latino immigrant himself, he has said that he will increase involvement within that demographic, an area that the USSF has completely failed in — most publicly and recently in the Jonathan Gonzalez saga. Walking a tight line between in-house expertise and a candidate for change, Cordeiro’s stance in the past makes many wary. In Hope Solo’s pre-election speech, she accused Cordeiro of standing by while the USSF treated the women’s national team members like “second-class citizens.” The swath of diehard promotion/relegation advocates will be quick to dismiss Cordeiro’s pro-MLS stance and are already looking to start a new Federation from scratch on Twitter. Perhaps that will be Cordeiro’s biggest challenge (aside from dealing with numerous lawsuits and bringing the 2026 World Cup to the States, of course): Unifying a fractured soccer culture whose division was brought to the fore ever since that night in Trinidad and Tobago. That night made it clear to the U.S. soccer community that change was needed. Maybe that’s why Kathy Carter, who for many represented everything that was wrong with the USSF, failed in her campaign. And for the “change” frontrunner, Eric Wynalda, perhaps his harsh, revolutionary campaign scared the voting delegates, many of whom have little interest in such a vigorous shakeup of how soccer functions in this country. After that night in Trinidad and Tobago, I wrote this in The Equalizer: “Hopefully the leaders of U.S. Soccer will see the need for a comprehensive overhaul of our domestic game and begin to pressure for the dismissal of Gulati. Until then, U.S. fans should expect only more heartbreak.” The delegates recognized change was needed in voting for Cordeiro. But is the change he envisions enough? How will we know? Only the future will tell. Arlo Moore-Bloom is a first-year who has not yet declared a major. Arlo can be reached at arlo.moore_bloom@tufts.edu.
RAY BERNOFF / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES
Junior Sinclair Meggitt swings at the ball in a match against Dickinson at Harvard’s Murr Center on Friday, Jan. 20, 2017. by Sejal Dua Staff Writer
This weekend, the No. 17 Tufts women’s squash team (13–6) secured a landslide 9–0 victory over Boston University (2–13) at Belmont Hill’s Jordan Athletic Center. It was the Jumbos’ third sweep of the Terriers in as many years. With NESCAC Championships behind them and College Squash Association (CSA) Nationals right around the corner, the Jumbos approached this non-conference matchup with the same intensity as any other match. There was great energy at Belmont Hill, especially because with this match marking Tufts’ Senior Day, several students and parents came out to show their support. “This was a special game,” junior captain Chista Irani told the Daily in an email. “We had two four-year seniors, [Gabi Salomon and Lauren Banner], competing on our home courts for their very last time.” Salomon and Banner both put up strong performances against the Terriers, contributing two of their team’s nine wins. Banner topped BU junior Shelby Bannon in three sets (11–2, 11–5, 11–1), and Salomon also handily conquered her opponent, sophomore Julia Hess, in a three-set exhibition match (11–0, 11–2, 11–1). The younger Tufts players on the roster defeated their opponents in like manner. Their confidence and poise allowed three first-year Jumbos to record assertive wins against the Terriers’ lineup, which included no first-years. In the
fourth position, Tufts first-year Chloe Kantor beat BU sophomore Normandie Essig (11–2, 11–6, 11–1). Additionally, first-year Radhika Joshi easily took care of Terriers senior Molly Papermaster (11–2, 11–1, 11–0) in the seventh spot, only allowing Papermaster to take three games from her. Finally, Tufts first-year Julie Yeung had to fight a little harder to earn her four-set victory (4–11, 11–9, 14–12, 11–5) in the first position. “I went in a little unprepared to play because originally the top [three] were going to be sat out,” Yeung told the Daily in an email. “When I was asked the day of whether I would like to play, I took up the opportunity because I wanted to play more before our big matches next weekend at Nationals.” Falling to her Terriers opponent, 11–4, in the first set, Yeung quickly found herself in a disadvantageous position. In the second set, however, the San Jose, Calif. native made up ground and rallied for an 11–9 win. Yeung knew that the third set would likely decide the outcome of the match, as she was looking to secure the Jumbos’ sweep. After several momentum swings and 26 fiercely fought points, Yeung won her third set, 14–12, and then kept the same intensity to take care of the fourth and final set, 11–5. “My individual performance could have been better,” Yeung said. “But that’s the case for every game.” To underscore the gap between the two teams, all of the Jumbos who competed held CSA individual rankings above 3.0 (led by Yeung’s stellar 4.33 rating), while all of their Terrier opponents ranked between 2.0 and 3.0. On
paper, the Jumbos anticipated a win amid a maintenance week before CSA Nationals, but they made sure not to underestimate the Terriers. Junior Hannah Burns, junior Sinclair Meggitt and sophomore Katherine Deveaux of the Jumbos displayed their competitive intensity, with each defeating Terriers in straight-set victories. The upcoming weekend competition, CSA Nationals, represents a long-anticipated end-of-season contest for the Jumbos. “Nationals is always a big weekend, and the team has been working so hard all season for it,” Irani said. “We have seen many of the teams that we will see this weekend previously … so we just have to get on court with the same focus and intensity and bring home a win again.” Yeung echoed Irani’s optimism and confidence heading into Nationals, but at the end of the day, she just wants to step on the court and play with no expectations. “I don’t anticipate anything — I don’t like to think too much about anything before it happens,” she said. “I just like to go with the flow and the present moment, taking it point-by-point. Hopefully, though, we can finish at the top of the C division!” Having won four of their last six matches, the Jumbos are rounding into top form, as their season reaches its apogee this weekend. With a dominant 9–0 victory over Boston University under its belt, Tufts heads confidently into CSA Nationals, where the team went 2–1 last year to finish nineteenth in the nation.
