The Tufts Daily - Monday, February 11, 2019

MFA presents animated, fiction, documentary films from Japan see ARTS&LIVING / PAGE 7

FENCING

Jumbos fare well with 4 wins, 2 losses at multi-meet

Women’s swimming and diving team sets personal records ahead of NESCAC Championships see SPORTS / BACK PAGE

SEE SPORTS / PAGE 7

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T HE T UFTS DAILY

VOLUME LXXVII, ISSUE 13

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Monday, February 11, 2019

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS.

Defense contractor Raytheon comes to career fair, protesters follow

by Alexander Thompson Assistant News Editor

Around a dozen protesters, including a Tufts professor, several Tufts students and activists not affiliated with the university, assembled for more than an hour on Friday in front of the Steve Tisch Sports and Fitness Center to protest the presence of a Raytheon Company booth at the Tufts Spring Career Fair.

The protest, which was organized by Massachusetts Peace Action, Massachusetts Peace Action Next Gen and the Coalition to Stop the Genocide in Yemen, distributed flyers to passing students and held a banner that read “STOP weapon sales to Saudi Arabia,” while one of the demonstrators with a bullhorn inveighed against Raytheon, a Waltham, Mass.-based defense contractor.

The company produces a variety of military weapons systems, such as missiles and targeting systems.

The protest came as part of a series of protests by Massachusetts Peace Action which also took place at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and are scheduled to occur at University of Massachusetts Amherst, according to the flyer being distributed by the group.

The Coalition to Stop the Genocide in Yemen has protested against Raytheon at MIT, Northeastern University and Boston University in recent weeks, according to its Facebook page.

Gregory Victory, executive director of Career Services at Tufts, told the Daily in an email that the Career Center works to provide students with a broad range of options and that the presence of an organization at an event should not be considered an endorsement of that organization.

“The Career Center consistently encourages students to do their due diligence to select opportunities that best

align with their personal interests and values,” Victory said.

Ryan Costello, a member of the Coalition to Stop the Genocide in Yemen, told the Daily that the protesters had three demands: for Tufts to stop inviting “war profiteers” like Raytheon to campus, for Tufts to release the details of the university’s financial relationship with such companies and for the university to cut ties with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Saudi Arabia and the UAE have led a military intervention in Yemen since 2015, backing government forces against Houthi rebels.

Weapons manufactured by Raytheon, specifically the MK-82 and MK-83 bombs and the Paveway II guided bombs, have been used by the Saudis in Yemen, and these weapons have been specifically traced to the deaths of civilians, according to a CNN report.

Raytheon had not responded to multiple requests for comment by press time.

Gary Goldstein, a professor of physics and astronomy who was protesting, decried Raytheon’s contribution to the crisis in Yemen and said he hoped the protest would open students’ eyes to the situation.

“I think it has an impact, as you see the students who are walking by, who are being informed about something they don’t know,” he said. “Tufts is being complicit in causing this humanitarian crisis in Yemen, by supporting Raytheon and allowing them to recruit here.”

Tufts’ Executive Director of Public Relations Patrick Collins wrote in an email to the Daily that the university respects the right of the student groups to exercise their free speech but did not comment specifically on the university’s relationship with Raytheon, Saudi Arabia or the UAE. “Tufts has a long and deep commitment to global relations, and has developed many educational and research relationships around the world to share knowledge and solve local and global challenges,” he said,

ALEXANDER THOMPSON / THE TUFTS DAILY

Protesters speak out against Raytheon at the career fair held at the Steve Tisch Sports and Fitness Center on Feb. 8. echoing comments he made to the Daily in a Nov. 16 article.

Collins said that these international relationships had helped advance research and educational access and that Tufts remains committed to global engagement.

Tufts has historical ties to Raytheon; the American Appliance Company, the precursor to Raytheon, was founded by Tufts alumni Vannevar Bush (A 1913) and Laurence Marshall (A 1911) in 1922. Bush and Marshall both served on the Tufts Board of Trustees. From 1970 until 1980 the Chairman of the Board of Raytheon Charles F. Adams served on the Tufts Board of Trustees and also served on the The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy Board of Visitors for 20 years. The scholarship that bears his name continues to fund Fletcher School students every year.

Tufts University, according to federal data analyzed by the Associated Press and pub-

lished in an Oct. 30 report, has benefited from some $41.9 million in donations from the Saudi Kingdom and government-owned Saudi entities between 2011 and 2017. Tufts received the third largest amount of any American university.

Emily Colwell, a senior who participated in the protest, said that she did not expect the university to change its investments or other behaviors in response to the protest.

“It’s about being aware and individually responsible enough to consider the role you play in institutions to which you belong,” Colwell said.

The demonstrators never numbered more than 12, and Thomas ChangDavidson, a sophomore who visited the booth, said he did not notice the protest. He added that he did not know much about the see RAYTHEON, page 2

TCU Senate calls on Tufts to integrate voter registration into SIS

by Robert Kaplan

Assistant News Editor

The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate met in the Sophia Gordon Multipurpose Room on Sunday night to hear a resolution supporting an easier method of voter registration in addition to several supplementary funding requests.

The resolution, titled “19-2 A Resolution Calling on Tufts University to Integrate Voter Registration with the Tufts Student Information System (SIS),” was

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co-authored by Matthew Tolbert and TCU Senator Griffen Saul.

According to Tolbert, a sophomore, the resolution was inspired by a similar initiative at the University of Chicago, which integrated TurboVote with the university’s online platform similar to SIS. Tolbert explained that his efforts to garner support from the university administration were unsuccessful.

“The administration doesn’t want to take on the responsibility of another job, but [the effort] needs enthusiastic student support,” Tolbert said.

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JumboVote volunteer Lidya Woldeyesus read a statement to the TCU Senate in support of the resolution.

“By passing this resolution, this body will be affirming its commitment to supporting the civic learning of the members of this community,” Woldeyesus, a firstyear, said.

TCU Senator Carolina Olea Lezama questioned the authors on the effect of the resolution on students who are not eligible to vote in U.S. elections, should the resolution come into effect.

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“There’s a worry that the assumption everyone can vote can be alienating to undocumented immigrants who can’t vote here,” Olea Lezama, a first-year, said.

Tolbert added that he hoped the resolution would help galvanize student support for the initiative.

“Student support is really what we need to take this to the next step,” Tolbert said.

“This resolution can signal that support.”

The first of several supplementary funding requests heard by the TCU Senate

NEWS............................................1 ARTS & LIVING.......................3 OPINION.....................................5

see SENATE, page 2

FUN & GAMES.........................6 SPORTS............................ BACK

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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Monday, February 11, 2019

THE TUFTS DAILY Elie Levine Editor-in-Chief

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SLUSH fund will close soon, TCU President says

EDITORIAL

David Levitsky Anita Ramaswamy Managing Editors Luke Allocco Jessica Blough Austin Clementi Charlie Driver Jenna Fleischer Juliana Furgala Kat Grellman Abbie Gruskin Liza Harris Zachary Hertz Gil Jacobson Rachael Meyer Cathy Perloff Hannah Uebele Joe Walsh Alejandra Carrillo Robert Kaplan Noah Richter Jilly Rolnick Alexander Thompson

Associate Editor Executive News Editor News Editors

Assistant News Editors

Grace Yuh Executive Features Editor Costa Angelakis Features Editors Jenna Fleischer Sean Ong Michael Shames Fina Short Sidharth Anand Assistant Features Editors Amelia Becker Mark Choi Sarah Crawford Claire Fraise Jacob Fried Mitch Lee Ellie Murphy Ananya Pavuluri Libby Langsner Executive Arts Editor John Fedak Arts Editors Tommy Gillespie Stephanie Hoechst Setenay Mufti Christopher Panella Rebecca Tang Danny Klain Assistant Arts Editors Yas Salon

Aneurin Canham-Clyne Shane Woolley Simrit Uppal Kaitlyn Meslin Amulya Mutnuri Arlo Moore-Bloom Yuan Jun Chee Ryan Eggers Liam Finnegan Jeremy Goldstein Savannah Mastrangelo Maddie Payne Haley Rich Brad Schussel Josh Steinfink Sam Weidner Julia Atkins Tim Chiang Jake Freudberg Noah Stancroff Helen Thomas-McLean Alex Viveros

Executive Opinion Editor Editorialists

Executive Sports Editor Sports Editors

Assistant Sports Editors

Daniel Nelson Investigative Editor Madeleine Oliver Executive Photo Editor Christine Lee Photo Administrator Anika Agarwal Staff Photographers Ann Marie Burke Mike Feng Ben Kim Max Lalanne Meredith Long Julia McDowell Evan Slack Kirt Thorne Caleb Martin-Rosenthal Executive Video Editors Lawrence Ojugbeli Ann Marie Burke Video Editors Annette Key

PRODUCTION Daniel Montoya

Production Director Ryan Eggers Executive Layout Editors Catalina Mengyao Yang Mia Garvin Layout Editors Jordan Isaacs Maygen Kerner Aidan Menchaca Kiran Misner Alice Yoon Isabella Montoya Executive Graphics Editor Myshko Chumak Executive Copy Editors Justin Yu Caroline Bollinger Copy Editors Mary Carroll Rachel Isralowitz Ali Mintz Nihaal Shah Liora Silkes Avni Ambalam Assistant Copy Editors Rebecca Barker Nathan Kyn Simone Lipkind Chloe Lyu Ethan Resek Ryan Shaffer Aadhya Shivakumar Filipa Sturm Russell Yip Abigail Zielinski Deepanshu Utkarsh Esra Gurcay Rebecca Tang Asli Akova Ercan Sen Amy Tong Mitch Navetta Amanda Covaleski Olivia Ireland Lillian Miller Chris Panella

Executive Online Editor Executive Social Media Editors Social Media Editors

Assistant Social Media Editors Outreach Coordinator

BUSINESS

Olivia Davis Executive Business Director

JULIA MCDOWELL / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES

The TCU Senate convenes in the Sophia Gordon Multipurpose room on Sep. 30, 2018.

SENATE

continued from page 1 was from the Filipinx Student Union, who were appealing the Allocations Board (ALBO) recommendation for their new budget.

According to TCU Treasurer Izzy Ma, a sophomore, the group was officially recognized by the TCU Judiciary in fall 2018.

The Filipinx Student Union was requesting $994, but ALBO only approved $714 for the group, which excluded funding for a speaking event.

Isabella Urdahl, co-treasurer of the Filipinx Student Union, explained why the funding for the speaking event, which would host four Filipinx Tufts professors, was important it be included.

“It’s important that we invite these professors and hear how their identities affected their career paths in academia,” Urdahl, a first-year, said.

TCU Senator and ALBO member Ayden Crosby explained why ALBO initially approved a lower total for the new group’s budget.

“There was a miscommunication on the [honorarium request],” Crosby, a sophomore, said. “It was perceived as a social event.”

The original request for $994 was approved in full.

The Senate approved an ALBO recommendation of $694 for the Tufts Asian Student Coalition (TASC) for funding a speaker event with Kelly Uchima. The request was approved with 25 senators in support and one senator in opposition.

Petey Greene, a service initiative supporting correctional education through the Tisch College for Civic Life, sought $1000 for its budget, according to an ALBO report.

According to TCU Senator Karishma Chouhan, the organization had previously covered its own costs but now sought TCU funding.

“They’ve been paying out of pocket,” Chouhan, a sophomore, said. “But they’re seeking TCU funding now.”

Petey Greene’s request for $1000 was approved unanimously.

Tufts Bhangra, a competitive traditional Indian dance group, requested $930

for transportation and equipment costs, according to an ALBO report. The request was unanimously approved in full.

TCU President Jacquelin Chen reemphasized the importance of the Swipe it Forward program, noting the dismal state of the swipe bank.

Chen, a senior, also mentioned that applications for the Students Lifting Up the Spirit of the Herd (SLUSH) fund will close this Wednesday.

TCU Senator Grant Gebetsberger, in following up on last week’s resolution on gender parity in the Tufts administration, mentioned correspondence with Judy Neufeld (LA ’05), who worked with the nonprofit foundation that commissioned the study on gender parity in higher education which prompted the resolution.

“We were approached by Judy Neufeld to form a group on campus that would contrinue advocacy for gender parity and continue to effect change on the ground in a sustainable way,” Gebetsberger, sophomore said.

The TCU Senate then adjourned for the evening.

Raytheon booth draws mixed reactions from career fair attendees RAYTHEON

continued from page 1 company, and when he spoke to one of the representatives he discovered they were not offering jobs in his field.

Elliot Lam, a sophomore who visited the booth, gave a similar explanation.

“As an undergraduate, I think it’s important to get experiences everywhere,” he said.

Lam said he saw the protesters but did not know there was a connection to the Raytheon booth. In any case, Lam said he does not see himself working at Raytheon.

The protesters, who were present from around 12:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., did find some success in reaching out to students.

Zoe McKeown, a first-year, spoke with the protesters while walking in front of the gym and expressed support for their cause.

“Student protest activity is watered down or nonexistent [on campus],” she said. “It’s good to see people standing up for what they believe in and thinking about their global impact.”

Noah Richter contributed to the reporting of this article.

Events on the Hill — Week of Feb. 11

by Jessica Blough

Executive News Editor

TUESDAY “Re-enchanting the World: Feminism and the Politics of the Commons” Details: Silvia Federici, a professor emerita at Hofstra University who co-founded the International Feminist Collective, the Committee for Academic Freedom in Africa and the Wages for Housework campaign, will discuss her new book, “Re-Enchanting the World: Feminism and the Politics of the Commons” (2018).

Where and when: ASEAN Auditorium; 5:00–7:00 p.m.

WEDNESDAY “A Cappella Extravaganza with Pitch Perfect Producer Deke Sharon”

Details: Alumnus Sharon (LA ’91) will lead the Tufts Concert Choir, Tufts Chamber Singers and several student a cappella groups in a concert of a cappella music. Sharon has worked as an arranger, music director and producer for the “Pitch Perfect” movie series. Tickets are required.

Where and when: Granoff Music Center; 8:00–10:00 p.m.

“Lunchtime Talk Series: Algorithms and/as Culture” Details: Nick Seaver, assistant professor of anthropology and science, technology, and society, will discuss the intersection of algorithms and culture and delve into how algorithms are more than inhuman forces.

Where and when: Tisch Family Gallery in Aidekman Arts Center; 12:15–1:15 p.m.

THURSDAY “Puffins: The new canary of climate change” Details: At this week’s Environmental Studies Lunch and Learn, Derrick Z. Jackson, environmental writing fellow at the Union of Concerned Scientists, will discuss the reemergence of puffins in Maine and what this indicates about their environment.

Where and when: Curtis Hall Multipurpose Room; 12:00–1:00 p.m.

FRIDAY “Between the Lines: Writing True Stories with Grace Talusan” Details: As part of the Asian American Studies Spring Series, participants will reflect on and write about a document or photograph that holds personal value.

Where and when: Tisch 314, Tisch Library; 2:00–4:00 p.m.

Monday, February 11, 2019

ARTS&LIVING

MFA hosts the Boston Festival of Films from Japan

ISABELLA MONTOYA / THE TUFTS DAILY

Promotional posters for ‘Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms’ (2018) and ‘Shoplifters’ (2018) are shown.

by Ruijingya Tang Arts Editor

From Feb. 1 to Feb. 28, the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) presents the Boston Festival of Films from Japan. The featured films represent various genres, including animation, fiction and documentary films. The films also touch on a variety of themes and subjects. Two films, specifically “Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms” (2018) and “Shoplifters” (2018), explore the value of companionship.

“Maquia” is a Japanese fantasy film written and directed by Mari Okada. The film tells a poignant tale of companionship and the human capability to love.

The story starts in the removed, ethereal kingdom of the lorphs — a clan of demigods who stop aging once they reach their teenage years. The lorphs are preoccupied with weaving hibiols, which are long, silky tapestries that tell the many narratives of human lives. The calm life of the lorphs soon vanishes as the community gets sacked by their neighboring human kingdom of Mezarte. The titular protagonist (voiced by Manaka Iwami) becomes separated from the rest of the clan during the chaos and starts her long journey of seeking companionship in the human world.

The emotional void at the core of the seemingly perfect lorph life reflects the story’s adoration for the bittersweet sentimentality associated with mortality.

The beautiful tranquility and harmony among the lorphs exists at the expense of their right to love. The lorphs’ world is one of repetition and stability, hence permanence. The film shows multiple scenes of lorphs weaving hibiols: one weft at a time, over and over again. The monotony of the movements literally weaves the lorphs’ fates into one unchanging and unvaried piece of cloth, on which the past, present and future appear as indistinguishable from one another.

The kingdom of the lorphs is also rather monochromatic. The demigods hang their treasured hibiols in a soaring white castle; the mountain rocks in their land are also white, much resem-

bling delicately shaped icebergs. The lorphs, all blonde-haired, jiggle around in their natural gardens in white gowns.

The overall light-colored palette used to portray the lorph world indulges the audience comfortably in an undisturbed sensual experience, a state that conveys a lack of change.

Young lorphs like Maquia are taught to not love humans, because as immortal as they are, they will eventually outlive any human, and live in solitude thereafter.

However, while in exile, Maquia breaks such doctrine as she adopts an orphaned human baby as her son, naming him Ariel. Maquia’s motherhood is met with numerous challenges. The most significant one comes towards the end of the the film, when the old Ariel arrives at the end of his short human life, and Maquia, still teenage-looking, confronts the emotional consequence of her choice to love a mortal.

The film eventually resolves Maquia’s struggle of letting go of Ariel through the theory that life persists through memories. Sitting beside Ariel’s deathbed, Maquia bids him goodbye with a bittersweet “see you later,” indicating that she will continue to meet him in her memories. After leaving Ariel, Maquia more explicitly articulates this concept that “as long as [she is] alive, Ariel’s hibiol’s going to continue.”

Another film featured in The Boston Festival of Films from Japan is “Shoplifters,” a sensational international success among Japanese films released last year. Written and directed

by Hirokazu Kore-eda, “Shoplifters” has received numerous prestigious accolades. It won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film award at both the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes.

Just like “Maquia,” “Shoplifters” pulls at people’s heartstrings with its optimism towards humans’ potential to love. The film title refers to a complicated poor family of five unrelated people. Hatsue, an elderly woman, is the grandmotherly authority of the family. She supports her “daughters,” Aki and Nubuyo, Nobuyo’s

husband Osamu and Nobuyo and Osamu’s “son” Shota with a pension that she receives from the death of her late former husband.

As closely knit as they seem in the film, the five people are not actually related by blood. Aki is actually the granddaughter of Hatsue’s late former husband; she chooses to live with Hatsue due to the hardship of once living with her parents, who develop a strong, toxic favoritism towards Aki’s younger sister. The story never explicitly explain how Nobuyo and Osamu become part of Hatsue’s household, but it is implied that Hatsue takes this poor couple not only out of kindness, but also out of the fear for a lonely death. And Shota is found by Nobuyo — unable to bear her own children — and Osamu in a car when the couple goes shoplifting. Later, Nobuyo and Osamu also choose to adopt Yuri, a neighboring girl with an abusive mother. With almost all its characters having major flaws in their lives, “Shoplifters” suggests companionships — and not necessarily those that one is born with —as a way for people to complete one another and lead better lives.

“Shoplifters” also exposes the lack of voice for the poor in highly bureaucratic modern society. When Nobuyo and Osamu get arrested for “illegally kidnapping” Yuri, which then reveals their by definition illegitimate familial relationship with Shota, the police repeatedly stress the legal impropriety of the couple raising the children. Without further investigating into what Nobuyo and Osamu actually do to care for the kids or finding out about the abusive relationship between Yuri and her biological mother, the police return Yuri to her birth family and send Nobuyo to prison. The police’s disregard of Nobuyo and Osamu’s attempts at self-advocacy during interrogations reveals the vulnerability of the socio-economically disadvantaged when confronting institutions.

Although Tufts students can access the MFA for free with valid Tufts IDs, they must purchase tickets to attend the films featured in the film festival. Tickets can be purchased on the MFA website.

3 tuftsdaily.com

Drew Weisberg Hidden Panels

‘Superior Spider-Man’ issue 5 Many comic book fans inquire: ‘How come (insert superhero here) doesn’t just kill the bad guys? Then the bad guys wouldn’t be able to get out and hurt more people.’ Ok, enough with the straw man.

Comic book heroes who don’t kill people shouldn’t start, and I can think of no better example of why than issue five of “Superior Spider-Man” (2013–2014) from Marvel Comics. Taking place in the larger context of the “Superior Spider-Man” story arc, Peter Parker’s mind has been hijacked by longtime nemesis Doc Ock, who has resolved to be a more effective crimefighter, while Peter’s consciousness can do little else than occasionally give minor input or allow one of his greatest enemies to access his memories.

The issue picks up after a mass shooting at a fast-food joint that has been dubbed the “Burger Town Massacre.” No, you didn’t read that wrong. Spider-Man is fighting a mass shooter, bearing the aptronym “Massacre.” While the shooter is not without his fantastical elements (he does have a visible metal plate sticking out of his head), Massacre is a shockingly real villain. He’s not a guy with the ability to control water, and he can’t fly — he’s just really good at killing people with guns and bombs. He doesn’t see people as targets — he sees them as resources — which Spider-Man discovers when he finds a group of five hostages strapped to explosives early in the story. The real emotional gut-punch, though, is the issue’s ending. After tracking Massacre to Grand Central Station, the villainous SpiderMan beats him quickly, though does little to slow the carnage. Ultimately, he catches Massacre off guard and picks up a gun himself, pointing it at Massacre’s head, execution-style. While I’m not queasy when it comes to guns, there is something deeply unnerving about SpiderMan holding an assault rifle. This is the point, though, and we see Peter’s inner strength personified in a ghostly vision of himself that begs Spider-Man not to go through with it. Massacre himself, who up to this point has been shown as devoid of emotion, begins sobbing and saying it’s the first time he’s been afraid in a long time. All the while, Spider-Man asks the crowd what he should do, with one bystander even screaming for him to “do it.” After almost three agonizing pages, Spider-Man pulls the trigger, his mask lit up by the muzzle flare.

Superior Spider-Man’s fifth issue is a departure form the superhero formula, taking on several weighty concepts and juggling them all effectively. It asks a lot of readers, more so than almost any other issue of the book that succeeds it. Writer Dan Slott had a debate over the extremes of Spider-Man’s brand of vigilante justice, its effectiveness, and addressed the mass shooting epidemic all in an issue of one of Marvel’s flagship titles. If nothing else, issue five deserves to be remembered as a daring leap that sticks a landing that introduced a welcome shade of realism to the typical Spider-Man canon.

Drew Weisberg is a first-year who has yet to declare a major. Drew can be reached at Mitchell.Weisberg@tufts.edu.

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THE TUFTS DAILY | Arts & Living | Monday, February 11, 2019

FEATURES COLUMN

tuftsdaily.com

MUSICAL OVERVIEW

Megan Szostak Lisztomania

‘The Lightning Thief’ musical introduces fresh If it ain’t Baroque, concepts while honoring source material don’t fix it

O

ne of the most interesting things about music is that it is a vein of history that, when followed closely, can tell the story of human progress. Different centuries are characterized by different ideals such as nationalism, sanctity and progressivism, and in the same way these values are represented in politics, technology and societal norms, they are also expressed in music and art. The first distinct period of music on which I will be focusing is the Baroque, which lasted from around 1600 until 1750 and includes music that can often be heard in the background of scenes depicting the homes of the mega-rich in movies. Today, Baroque music is often associated with the highest socioeconomic classes, but during the period itself, this was far from the truth. A rise of the middle class during the Baroque lead to more people with a disposable income, which was often spent on goods and services that were once restricted to the wealthy, such as concert attendance and music lessons.

Additionally, the increasing leniency of the church, which had previously monopolized composition and musical performance, made music more accessible to the general public and gave composers and performers an open platform onto which they could project new ideas without the fear of being accused of heresy. The ideal of progression in the Baroque era is also seen in science and technology, with such technologies as the telescope and scientific discoveries such as Newtonian physics. Similarly, the discipline of music was also progressing, seeing the introduction of new musical styles including the concerto and the sonata.

The concerto, which is characterized by music for a virtuosic soloist and an orchestra accompaniment, is most closely associated with composer Antonio Vivaldi. A Venetian born in 1678, Vivaldi is most known for his work, “The Four Seasons,” along with hundreds of concertos. Many of his concertos were written for students due to the increasing demand for children’s music lessons, and many of these student works are still very widely practiced and performed today.

The sonata, like the concerto, was written for a solo instrument, but instead of an orchestral accompaniment, a keyboard part supported the soloist. The first true piano was not invented until around the year 1700, and was not widely used until the time of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who was born in 1756. Instead, Baroque sonatas were often written with a harpsichord or clavier part to support the soloist. The harpsichord, as the name implies, is very closely related to the harp; rather than the keys activating hammers that strike the strings of a piano, the keys of a harpsichord pluck the strings to generate sound. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750), perhaps the most celebrated composer of alltime, frequently wrote for keyboard instruments and pioneered ideas of harmonic direction and tonality in music, both of which are still compositional techniques used today.

Suggested works: Tomaso Antonio Vitali: “Chaconne in G minor” Arcangelo Corelli: “Concerto Grosso No. 8 in G minor” Antonio Vivaldi: “Violin Concerto in A minor” George Philipp Telemann: “Trumpet Concerto in D Major” J.S. Bach: “The Well Tempered Clavier No. 1 in C Major — Prelude” Megan Szostak is a first-year who has not yet declared a major. Megan can be reached at Megan.Szostak@tufts.edu.

VIA FAYETTEVILLE FLYER

The promotional poster for ‘The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical’ (2017) is shown.

by Cole Friedman Contributing Writer

“The gods are real. And they have kids. And those kids have issues,” a Greek choir of tweens bemoans in the opening of “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” (2017), which played at the Hanover Theatre in Worcester, Mass. last weekend.

That display of raw sixth-grade angst was all it took to hook the audience completely on this delightful, if inconsistent, musical. It’s not to say that “The Lightning Thief ” is some deep, poetic, psychological look at a beloved young adult novel — how could it be? — but rather, when faced with a flat-out fabulous cast and a very catchy pop/rock score, how can anyone resist?

Based on the first book in the mega-popular “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series by Rick Riordan, the touring version of the 2017 off-Broadway production, itself an expanded version of a 2014 Theatreworks USA production, is fairly faithful to its source material. The musical still follows Percy Jackson (Chris McCarrell), recently expelled from his fifth school in six years, as he discovers he is a half-blood, a child of both a god and a mortal. After his mother dies protecting him from a minotaur, Percy makes his way to Camp Half-Blood, where he receives a hero’s quest to prevent a war between the Gods and save his mother from the Underworld. While it perhaps would be enough for fans of the series — this writer included — if the show’s creators, Joe Tracz, the playbook author, and Rob Rokicki, the score creator, chose to replicate the novel exactly, they smartly avoid that trap. Instead, we are treated to a wildly empathetic, stand-alone musi-

cal that embraces the pain of loss at all ages and understands the resulting drive to prove oneself. Even more astutely, Tracz and Rokicki expand outward from Percy’s point of view and apply empathy to every character. This is especially true for Grover ( Jorrel Javier) and Annabeth (Kirsten Stokes), Percy’s friends who accompany him on his quest and both receive affecting second-act solos.

Perhaps even more importantly, as the show is aimed at young audiences, the script and score are also downright hilarious. “Lost,” the second-act opener where Percy and his compatriots panic at the thought of dying in in New Jersey, of all places, comes to mind as an example of the show’s delicious wit.

To stage this quirky mix of humor and heart, however, director Stephen Brackett and set designer Lee Savage resort to the idea of a rock concert, seemingly held in an abandoned Grecian warehouse, complete with scaffolding and lightning graffiti. While this choice does reflect the youthful energy and rock nature of the musical, it does force the action down center and allow the actors to occasionally emote instead of staying present and truthful. Brackett and Savage attempt to compensate for this with very imaginative staging and some anchoring set pieces respectively, but both cannot avoid an intermittent sense of wandering, especially as the show drags while remaining at Camp Half-Blood for the majority of the first act. The rock concert frame also swallows the sound (designed by Ryan Rumery), as important lyrics get lost in the pop ether, and allows the choreography (done by Patrick McCollum) to be a little too wild, especially during a campfire number. In my book, howev-

er, these are minor points, as the show still looks great. Savage goes all-in on the rock concert format and washes the stage, and often the audience, with sharp colors, while costume designer Sydney Maresca clearly had fun styling each character (think: Hades as a fashion icon). The puppets from AchesonWalsh Studios also are very impressive, particularly the terrifying Minotaur and a hilarious cameo from a dead youth choir in the Underworld.

Speaking of impressive, the entire cast is, which is what really sends the musical into the stratosphere. All the actors devour their respective roles, but kudos go to Ryan Knowles, who might rival BenDeLaCreme for best Paul Lynde impression, and Jalynn Steele, an exquisite disco diva, for their ability to juggle both tender and outlandish characters. One can also not forget the spectacular Chris McCarrell, who turns a potentially whiny protagonist into the most entertaining tween ever seen onstage, and the wonderful Kristin Stokes, who smartly becomes the steady center amidst the show’s chaos and later subverts that image with the best number in the show in my book, “My Grand Plan.”

Even the terrific performances, exquisite visuals and tasty writing cannot save the show from a lack of a wholly satisfying ending. Even with a great finale, “Bring On the Monsters,” there are still some unresolved questions about Kronos and Luke, the show’s main villains, which is a direct result of focusing on only one book in an epic series of five. In the finale, however, Percy promises that he’ll “be back next summer. You’ll see me again.” One can only hope we will, especially if he returns with another deeply enjoyable musical in tow.

Monday, February 11, 2019

Opinion CARTOON

Roses are red, violets are blue, this Valentine’s Day please don’t give me the flu

BY SHANNON GEARY

Call for Submissions!

Beyond the Classroom:

Student Forum for Research on Women, Gender, and Sexuality

Submit proposals

by March 7

Friday, April 5, 2019 12:00PM – 4:30PM Rabb Room, Lincoln Filene

This forum is an opportunity for all students to share their work on women, gender, and/or sexuality with the wider Tufts community. Undergraduate and graduate students from a range of disciplines present on research that includes creative projects and performances done in classes or independently.

(Refreshments will be provided)

• Students each present for 5-7 minutes.

• We welcome submissions of any length and help you work to develop the presentation.

• Please submit: a paragraph proposal-long of the research and, if it is complete, part or all of the project.

Submission Deadline: Monday, March 7, 2019 **Applications should be submitted to the WGSS office at 111 Eaton Hall or by email to wgss@tufts.edu**

5 tuftsdaily.com

Tys Sweeney Repeal and Replace

Tilton Lane

D

ear Fellow Students, Tilton Lane needs to go. The paved area between Hodgdon, Lewis, Tilton, Bush and Haskell Halls is a disaster waiting to happen. The constant flow of traffic swirling through tight spaces and around multiple blind corners presents a clear and present danger to the unobserving students checking Instagram or changing the music in their AirPods. There is a solution: let’s repeal and replace Tilton Lane.

As I returned to Lewis this Friday after the Career Fair and entered Tilton Lane, a large yellow Penske truck moved about awkwardly and honked its horn as several students wandered past, oblivious to the recklessness of the driver. I’m not sure if the truck had any business being there, but the driver took it rear-first into the mud in front of Crafts Center. By the time TUPD arrived, the wheels had spun deep ruts into the Lewis Courtyard lawn. I watched from my window as the truck was laboriously towed away. The lawn is still a mess.

This is an extreme example, but other vehicular errors are common. Uber drivers constantly try to pull a full circle around the rain garden in front of Lewis only to get stuck, and turn around. Students drive too quickly down the narrow — and short — street. A semi-truck once fully blocked the entrance of Lewis for nearly half an hour. I believe we should close Tilton Lane to all but vital traffic. The cost would be negligible, and substantial risk and inconvenience would be eliminated.

As smart as we claim to be here at Tufts, I’ve got to say: I see too many people crossing streets with their noses in their phones. Though I’d like to believe otherwise, I don’t think we’ll reverse this trend with any alacrity. Nevertheless, as a community, we have to protect our members, and mitigating the risk of vehicle-pedestrian accidents is easy — like installing the flashing stop signs on Professor’s Row. Restricting access to Tilton Lane would fulfill this goal and would have a substantial and immediate secondary effect on the downhill residential community. In addition to eliminating the risk of accidents with too-large trucks and overzealous Uber drivers, noise would be reduced, and the mutilated, rutted grass could regrow. The Lewis courtyard has been victimized by tire tracks, and the walls of the courtyard act together to amplify sound when machinery and vehicles operate in the are — which is often.

Some vehicles will need continued access to Tilton Lane, including the TUPD and maintenance. Other vehicles need not enter, and the dumpsters can be moved to reroute garbage pick-up. Making the whole area more pedestrian-friendly will go a long way to improving the downhill part of our community. We should repeal Tilton Lane and replace it with a rational solution: Tilton Promenade.

Sincerely, Tys Tys Sweeney is a sophomore studying political science. Tys can be reached at tys. sweeney@tufts.edu.

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THE TUFTS DAILY | FUN & GAMES | Monday, February 11, 2019

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Sports

Monday, February 11, 2019 | Sports | THE TUFTS DAILY

Fencing swings for the fences, goes 4–2 in Carzo Cage

7

Nate Hartnick Stat Talk

Talent evaluation in a changing league

A

EDDIE SAMUELS / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES

Senior épéeist Annie Alaya lunges at an opponent at the Northeast Fencing Conference Multi-Meet hosted by Boston College on Jan. 28, 2018.

Assistant Sports Editor

In their first home event this season, the Jumbos competed in the Carzo Cage for their second Northeast Fencing Conference MultiMeet on Saturday. Tufts faced off against Wellesley, Smith College, UMass Amherst, Sacred Heart, University of New Hampshire and Boston University (BU). The Jumbos fared very well with four wins and two losses, improving from their previous multi-meet.

The Jumbos struggled to start the day with a 19–8 loss to Wellesley. Tufts claimed the foil in a 5–4 win, with two wins apiece from senior co-captain Zoe Howard and first-year Allison Cheng. They did not fare as well in épée and sabre, losing 7–2 and 8–1, respectively.

“Wellesley is always a big meet and one that we know we have to prepare for,” Georgia Kollias, a sophomore, said. “We’re pretty evenly matched and it’s always a fun one to see how well we do.”

Despite the slow start, the Jumbos picked themselves right back up and went on a fourmatch winning streak. Tufts crushed their second opponent, Smith College, in a 21–6 performance, with two shutouts in foil and sabre. All three foilists, Howard, Cheng and Kollias, went undefeated alongside junior Elliot Pavlovich, sophomore Subin Jeong and sophomore Lillie Ahearn for sabre.

“I felt that I personally fenced so much better than I did at our last multi-set and I’m really happy about that,” Kollias said. “I was thinking more and being more tactical. It was really nice to practice new moves and have a success rate with them.”

The Jumbos’ next matchup against the UMass Minutemen was more of a nail-biter. Tufts came out strong in foil, winning six bouts to UMass’s three, with a shutout from Cheng. However, with two épéeists out injured and the forfeit of six bouts, first-year Hannah Fruitman was left to fend for herself in épée, winning one bout to UMass’s eight.

Although they fell to UMass’s swords in épée, the Jumbos made up for it with a 7–2 comeback win in the sabre category. Jeong second undefeated effort led the Jumbos to a close 14–13 victory.

“It’s so cool to see Subin succeed after walking onto the team as a sophomore,” said Pavlovich. “She knocked off one of the ref’s iced-coffees from the table at one point too, which made everyone laugh during a stressful day.”

Tufts had a similar outcome facing their fourth opponent, Sacred Heart, dueling their way to a 15–12 victory; the team came up strong in foil and sabre, but did not succeed in épée due to three forfeited bouts. Cheng and Howard continued their hot streaks with two more shutouts in foil, followed by two

wins a piece in sabre from Pavlovich, Jeong and Ahearn.

In another crushing display of strength, Tufts beat New Hampshire by a larger margin of 19–8, including a second shutout of the day in foil by Howard, Cheng and Kollias. Despite playing on her lonesome, Fruitman came up with three bouts to New Hampshire’s six, an improvement from her previous play. To finish the match, New Hampshire fell to Tufts’ swords with a score of 7–2 and two shutouts from Pavlovich and Ahearn.

Tufts ended their day with a tough battle against BU. Tufts’ proven strongest asset of the multi-meet was their foil squad, who again went undefeated against BU to start the match off with promise. However, épée continued to suffer due to six forfeited bouts, resulting in a final loss of 8–1. The Jumbos’ sabre squad was unable to get even a single bout from their match with the Terriers, who soared through their bouts with a 9–0 win.

“Although we were consistently down one or two players for épée and had to forfeit points, it was pretty cool that we still did very well in general,” said Pavlovich. “We didn’t have any subs, either. We were on a high from our successes and it was great to see everyone in good spirits.”

The Jumbos fence next on Saturday, March 2 in the NEIFC Championships at Wellesley.

ION OF STA IAT TE OC

TERS RES FO

NATIONAL A SS

by Julia Atkins

FO

U N D E D 192

0

ny NBA fan can attest to the evolution that the league has undergone in recent years.

Basketball has transformed into a game centered around 3-point shooting and pace-and-space offense. Gone are the days of grind-it-out post play, as the defensive battles of the mid 2000s seem like a faraway memory. The average team today attempts 31.4 3-pointers per game — nearly double the 18.1 which the NBA averaged 10 years ago.

While this offensive revolution seems to have infiltrated all aspects of the game, it hasn’t had an equivalent influence on NBA talent scouts. Confusingly enough, the top draft picks each year often lack the skill most emphasized in today’s league: shooting the ball.

Ben Simmons, the consensus top prospect in the 2016 draft, has not let his complete lack of shooting ability (he’s never made a 3-pointer in an NBA game) hold him back from stardom. He fills up the box score with ease, evoking flashes of, dare I say it, a young LeBron James. However, Simmons’ magic faded in last year’s playoffs as Celtics coach Brad Stevens masterminded a plan which walled off the paint from Simmons, effectively forcing him out of his comfort zone.

Simmons has regained his mojo this season and even showed the beginning signs of a turnaround jumper, but it remains unclear how his game will survive the focused game plans of playoff basketball.

The No. 1 selection of the 2017 NBA draft, Markelle Fultz, has experienced perhaps the strangest start to a career of any top pick, as he has seemingly forgotten how to shoot the basketball. Call it whatever you like — injury issues, the yips, etc. — but the dynamic guard’s once-smooth shooting stroke now appears shaky and inconsistent. Fultz has been cautious to attempt many 3-pointers in his young career, as he is currently shooting a meager 4–15 over 33 games played. However, Fultz is difficult to align with the trend of non-shooting top draft picks, as he was considered a solid shooter in college and is clearly struggling with deeper issues.

The selections of double-double machines Deandre Ayton and Marvin Bagley III with the first two picks of the 2018 NBA draft have cast legitimate questions about the limitations of a low-post big man’s impact in today’s game.

The third selection, European wunderkind Luka Doncic, has already shown himself to be the star of his draft class by displaying a game perfectly suited to the modern NBA. He capably plays both on and off the ball, and generates quality looks for others through a plethora of crafty moves. By valuing athleticism and inside scoring over Doncic’s sharpshooting and basketball savvy, scouts took an obsolete approach to a rapidly changing game.

Zion Williams, college basketball’s scintillating sensation, possesses — stop me if you’ve heard this before — shocking athleticism, but lacks a consistent jump shot.

Williams’ superhuman physical profile has scouts and fans salivating, but his weaknesses are clear and familiar. They probably will not hurt him in college, but at some point he will face the issue which Simmons confronted against Boston. Whenever he faces that challenge, we will once again be forced to ponder how scouts evaluate basketball talent and the value of athleticism in comparison to shooting ability.

Nate Hartnick is a junior studying English and political science. Nate can be reached at nathaniel.hartnick@tufts.edu.

8 tuftsdaily.com

Sports

Monday, February 11, 2019

Women’s swimming and diving earns multiple personal records in Boston Winter Open

COURTESY PAUL RUTHERFORD

First-year Jeanette Khowong swims the butterfly at the MIT Invitational on Dec. 2, 2018.

by Savannah Mastrangelo Sports Editor

Despite competing as the only Div. III team at the Boston Winter Open, Tufts women’s swimming and diving claimed multiple collegiate and personal records to end its regular season. The competing Div. I teams included host Boston University, Boston College, Northeastern and Fairfield.

“I think all of us were so happy with how we did,” junior Taissa Gladkova said.

“There were countless lifetime bests, and college bests and the energy was just so good and positive. Going into this year, my coach said that we are on the edge of greatness and I really believe that, that we are capable of doing really great things and this beginning of our championship season really showed that.”

Junior Brooke Bernstein competed in the 50-yard freestyle, posting a 24.28 second time, placing eighth and earning the fastest Tufts time in the event. Bernstein also raced in the 50-yard butterfly, earning a 26.45 second time. Junior Hannah Truslow competed in the 500-yard freestyle, posting a 5:08.80 time and placing third, four seconds behind Northeastern senior Sophie Tallier.

Senior co-captain Ailish Dougherty competed in the last race of her Tufts career in the 1,650-yard freestyle, placing second in the event with a 17:53.63 time, good enough for a personal record.

Dougherty reflected with pride on her final race and her Tufts career.

“This was my last mile ever, and I have been swimming for 13 years,” Dougherty said. “I’m the only senior who has stuck with distance throughout the first four years of college, so it was really special for me to be able to swim that last mile.”

Swimming the mile has always been a test of enduring physical and mental strength, and the team’s support helped Dougherty during her final mile.

“People always ask me what I think about during the mile, and I don’t think about anything. I just think about how much it hurts, number one, but this race I really was thinking about how special this was,” she said. “I probably have done over 50 miles in my life, 50 of those races, and knowing that this was the last one and being there with all my teammates was really amazing.”

Dougherty cites the strength of the team’s support for each other as well as the passion of each swimmer as the main

reason why so many swimmers claimed personal and collegiate bests.

“Almost everyone who swam at this meet had a lifetime best or a college best,” she said. “What I was most proud of was that seniors and juniors who hadn’t hit times since high school were meeting those times, and it just goes to show that after four years of Div. III swimming you can still improve and I think it had to do with how passionate we all were.”

Other Tufts seniors also competed in their last regular season meet. Senior Alex Good competed in the 100-yard butterfly, placing tenth with a 58.09 second time, less than a second behind Maria Russo from Boston College and Maddie Mowad from Fairfield, who tied for eighth place.

Senior Caroline McCormick earned fourth in both the 100-yard backstroke with a 59.68 and the 200-yard backstroke at 2:08.90.

Younger talent also had a great showing at the meet; first-year Emily Payne swam a 53.95 second time in the 100-yard freestyle. In the 200-yard breaststroke, sophomore Rachel Marston earned fourth place with a time of 2:30.14, three seconds behind third-place junior Jamie Doherty from Boston College.

On the diving side, Gladkova earned a score of 202.12 in the three-meter dive, clinching second place.

“I get really nervous diving for three-meter and I think I was just trying to be calm and I knew that I could do all of these dives,” Gladkova said. “I’ve done them before and just repeating that and trusting my training and trusting my coach, and letting them [the dives] happen because I know they can.”

The Jumbos dominated the time trials, with Truslow boasting a first-place 2:09.37 in the 200-yard backstroke. The team of McCormick, sophomore Emma Seymour, senior Madeline Lee and first-year Serena Derderian posted the fastest time at the 200-yard medley relay at 1:50.71.

With the regular season coming to a close, the team feels as though the successes at the Boston Winter Open bode well for the upcoming NESCAC Championships.

“People were looking at the times we [Tufts] were all going and saying, ‘oh, these are the people who didn’t get invited to the conference team?’ It just shows how our fast our conference team is going to be and how competitive we are going to be in the NESCAC,” Dougherty said.

The NESCAC Championships start this Friday at Wesleyan.

TRASHING ONE EGG WASTES 55 GALLONS OF WATER