The Tufts Daily - Thursday, October 10, 2019

Middle East discussion group reemerges under new name see FEATURES / PAGE 3

VOLLEYBALL

Jumbos crush competition, stay undefeated

‘Sunday Sessions’ documentary explores gay identity, conversion therapy see WEEKENDER / PAGE 4

SEE SPORTS / BACK PAGE

THE

INDEPENDENT

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T HE T UFTS DAILY

VOLUME LXXVIII, ISSUE 25

Thursday, October 10, 2019

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS.

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Finding no undue Chinese influence, Tufts renews contract with Confucius Institute

by Alexander Thompson News Editor

Tufts renewed its contract with the Confucius Institute, a Chinese government-funded language and cultural education center, until 2021, after a semester-long review process that was triggered by concerns over Chinese Communist Party (CCP) influence and suppression of academic freedom.

The review committee’s report, published Tuesday, found that while Confucius Institute instructors avoided sensitive political topics, there is no evidence of CCP propaganda being disseminated through the institute’s language instruction or cultural activities.

The review committee reached this decision by interviewing students and faculty, conducting outside research and analyzing Confucius Institute instruction materials.

The report also highlighted the benefits that the Institute provides in terms of language acquisition, cultural exposure and facilitation of foreign exchanges with Tufts in Beijing’s partner institution Beijing Normal University.

However, the review committee did find that the Confucius Institute presented serious “reputational and ethical concerns” for the university which led to a series of amendments to the new contract intended to safeguard academic freedom, tight-

en Tufts’ management of the institute and improve transparency.

In a statement, University President Anthony Monaco said that his administration had worked to balance the concerns of those who opposed contract renewal with the benefits the Institute provides.

“We think the enhanced oversight and controls we’ve adopted will ensure that the Confucius Institute at Tufts University will continue to operate in the spirit of academic freedom that we cherish and promote,” he said.

Mingquan Wang, a senior lecturer of Chinese and director of the Confucius Institute, said in an email that he was pleased that students will continue to profit from his center’s programming and added that the contract changes would help make sure the institute complies with all of Tufts’ policies.

The new contract with Hanban, the department of the Chinese Ministry of Education responsible for funding Confucius Institutes, was signed by Provost and Senior Vice President Nadine Aubry on Sept. 16, and does indeed include substantial changes.

The contract runs 24 pages, up by seven from the initial 2014 contract, and states four different times that the Confucius Institute must follow all of Tufts’ policies and uphold academic freedom and freedom of expression, where the old contract made no mention of it.

ALEXANDER THOMPSON / THE TUFTS DAILY

Tufts renewed the contract for the Confucius Institute on Sept. 16., following a lengthy review process.

The new contract also drastically lowers the threshold for the university to terminate the agreement by shortening the duration of the contract from five years to two years and allowing termination with or without cause after 60-day notice and immediate rupture if the “image and

reputation” of the university are negatively affected by its association with the Institute. The previous agreement required a six-month notice to terminate the agreement. see CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE, page 2

TCA extends pledge to parents, alumni to withhold university donations until divestment

by Sarah Sandlow

Contributing Writer

Tufts Climate Action (TCA) is urging current Tufts seniors, alumni and parents to withhold donations to Tufts until the university divests from fossil fuels in a pledge posted on Facebook. The petition encourages alumni and parents to withhold donations or to donate only to Tufts’ Sustainability Fund.

Celia Bottger, an organizer on TCA, said the original pledge to withhold donations that was created in 2012 received many alumni responses when the campaign for divestment was just beginning.

“We thought it would be a really great tactic to pressure the administration to

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have another pledge that contributes to the names that are already on the list, but obviously divestment has still not happened at Tufts and still needs to, and a lot of people support it,” she said. “We just want to continue showing the administration that current students and alumni still support divestment and won’t donate until the administration divests.”

According to Bottger, a senior, the alumni and parent pledge has 160 responses as of Oct. 3 and the student petition, which calls on students to support divestment campaign, has over 400 signatures.

Temple Miller-Hodgkin, a member of TCA, said the pledge is in response to a resolution passed by the Tufts Community Union (TCU)

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Senate last semester. The resolution called for a carbon-neutral endowment and asked for an administrative response by October to discuss whether or not Tufts would divest from fossil fuels and the reasons for the choice.

According to Miller-Hodgkin, a sophomore, the motivation to redraft the earlier pledge came from a lack of administrative response to the resolution. He worked with Bottger to expand the pledge’s outreach.

In an Oct. 7 letter responding to TCU Senate Resolution 19–7, however, Executive Vice President Michael Howard said that the university would keep its investments in the fossil fuel industry.

Howard particularly cited the Divestment Working Group, which in 2014 released a

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report which said, given that less than 2% of the university’s assets were invested in fossil fuels and the great financial impact divestment would have on the university’s endowment, divestment would not be a prudent course for the university.

“While this remains the university’s official position on divestment, the Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees is aware of continued interest in the issue and is open to establishing a process to receive input and deliberate on this and similar topics,” Howard wrote, adding that University President Anthony Monaco had tasked him with creating such mechanisms.

NEWS............................................1 FEATURES.................................3 WEEKENDER..........................4

see TCA, page 2

FUN & GAMES.........................8 OPINION.....................................9 SPORTS............................ BACK

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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Thursday, October 10, 2019

THE TUFTS DAILY Jessica Blough Editor in Chief

EDITORIAL Ryan Eggers Justin Yu

Managing Editors Mykhaylo Chumak Austin Clementi Alejandra Carrillo Connor Dale Abbie Gruskin Liza Harris Robert Kaplan Elie Levine Natasha Mayor Alexander Thompson Daniel Weinstein Nico Avalle Andres Borjas Bella Maharaj Matthew McGovern Sara Renkert Jilly Rolnick Anton Shenk

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Contract renewal draws criticism from congressman, activists CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE

continued from page 1 The review committee report also advised that the university form a “program committee” exclusively appointed by the dean of Academic Affairs for Arts and Sciences that will have review power over the Institute’s curriculum, budget and staffing.

In another change that could be crucial, the new contract also states that Tufts has “exclusive management control” over the Confucius Institute.

Bonnie Glaser, the director of the China Power project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a foreign policy think tank, told the Daily that if the university does exercise total control over the Institute in practice, it would be a game-changer.

“If Tufts is calling all the shots and can defend all of its interests, then perhaps Tufts has changed this template … that the Chinese have used in the past,” she said. “That would show some flexibility in the Chinese side in order to sustain these Confucius Institutes — that they’re willing to make compromises.”

This potential shift comes after years of controversy over Confucius Institutes, according to Glaser.

“These Confucius Institutes, in the beginning, were seen as fairly innocuous, but over time they have raised more concerns,” she said.

Glaser says that there is evidence that institutes are one relatively minor part in the global influence campaign China has been waging to positively influence its perception abroad.

“They are ways of spreading China’s narrative about itself under the guise of culture and language,” she said.

However, she said that every program is different and that she did not know if this applied specifically to Tufts’ program.

The U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations released a scathing report on the Institutes in February calling them tools of Chinese soft power and influence, while the 2018 Defense Authorization Act barred any university hosting a Confucius Institute from receiving Department of Defense funding for language instruction.

Meanwhile, the lawmakers, including Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) have been sending letters to individual universities demanding they close their programs.

Amid this surge of criticism, 27 universities across the country have closed their programs for various reasons.

Tufts’ own review was prompted by a May 2018 letter to Monaco from Congressman Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) that called on him to close the Institute.

In an exclusive statement emailed to the Daily, Moulton was sharply critical of the contract renewal.

“Tufts’ decision is troubling at best, deeply naive at worst, and the school must exercise extreme scrutiny over the terms and conduct of the Confucius Institute over the next two years,” Moulton said.

Moulton called on Tufts to not only review its decision, but its entire process for assessing organizations like Confucius Institutes.

“I strongly encourage Tufts to reconsider their decision, and I also encourage the university to adopt rigorous processes to review the risks inherent to international projects with countries and entities that threaten academic freedom,” he said.

Moulton pointed to statements by the CCP that called the network of institutes key to their global influence strategy and said that Confucius Institutes run counter to American values of freedom of scholarship and intellectual exploration.

Diana Chigas, senior international officer and associate provost, who chaired the review committee, said that there was a wide discrepancy in opinion between external critics of the institute, like Moulton, and students with personal experience with the Confucius Institute’s programming.

“Members of our community who have worked closely with the Confucius Institute at Tufts University told us they had not encountered the kinds of concerns that critics have raised about Institutes elsewhere,” she said in a statement.

Instead, Chigas said that students who have participated in the Institute’s programs recounted the improvements they made in their Mandarin skills or cultural events the center organized like the Moon Cake celebration.

Haitong Du is one of those students. An international student from China, Du came to the Confucius Institute looking for a community space and attends cultural activities sponsored by the center. He said he’s seen no signs of CCP propaganda.

“In zero circumstances have I seen or heard the Confucius Institute or affiliates of the Confucius Institute promote anything remotely political. It’s purely culture,” he said.

He criticized outsiders who have never been to Tufts for trying to deny access to Chinese language instruction to the univer-

sity community based on their own beliefs about international politics.

Gao Qing, executive director of the Confucius Institute U.S. Center, which provides support to institutions based in the United States, heralded the decision to renew the contract as an encouraging sign for centers and described the programing they provide as “vitally important” in today’s globalized world.

He panned criticisms like Moulton’s as “baseless allegations” and advocated for other universities to follow Tufts and conduct reviews that he believes would disprove the claims against them.

“A lot of the criticism comes from misconceptions and misinformation about what the program is and also a lot of the allegations simply come from the close-minded [people] that don’t see the necessity of global connections and prefer isolation,” he said.

Not everyone is as content with the decision.

Lhadon Tethong, director of the Tibet Action Institute, who extensively lobbied Tufts and Monaco to close the center in 2018, said that she was disappointed with Tufts’ decision and derided the contract changes that the university made as cosmetic.

“The idea that you can control or micromanage their behavior through tweaking the contract or making some structural adjustment to the program I think is … ultimately beside the point,” she said. “It’s textbook to win hearts and minds through these language initiatives and like dumpling nights.”

The soft power of Confucius Institutes is subtle, she said, fostering love for the Chinese language and a CCP-endorsed version of Chinese culture so that students begin to separate those aspects of the country from its repression in Tibet and Hong Kong and against Muslims. Tethong sees this distinction as impossible and dangerous.

Tufts is no stranger to criticism for its ties with foreign governments. A Tufts Daily investigation last year revealed that the university has received almost $60 million from Saudi Arabia, and that President Monaco met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2018.

In contrast, the response to the Confucius Institute controversy has been much more robust, with the university releasing the review committee’s extensive report and pledging that it will make future Confucius Institute contracts and budgets publicly available.

The review committee report revealed that Tufts has received $409,810 from China to run the center since 2015, even though it was not required to do so by law.

Robert Kaplan contributed reporting to this article.

Responding to Senate resolution, Tufts remains steadfast against divestment TCA

continued from page 1 The letter makes no mention of what specific processes that Howard or the board would assume.

Grace Anderson, an organizer of TCA, said becoming carbon-neutral is the first step toward complete divestment from fossil fuels. She explained carbon-neutrality as a shared investment in fossil fuels and areas such as sustainable energy. She said that a main worry with agreeing to a carbon-neutral endowment is that going forward, the administration may not be open to complete divestment.

Anderson, a sophomore, said the response from alumni thus far has been positive, especially coming from recent Tufts graduates.

TCA received messages from alumni asking how they can help and support TCA.

Miller-Hodgkin said the club wants to sit down with an administrative member or faculty by the end of the semester to discuss the university’s plans and how it can work with TCA. “That’s really the only way forward,” MillerHodgkin said. “It’s not just going to be, ‘Oh, we saw this petition we’re just going to divest 100% right now.’ We really have to make them come to the table and actually talk to us to get it past them.”

Patrick Collins, executive director of public relations at Tufts University, said in an email that although the impact of the pledge on alumni and others involved is unclear at the moment, the office of the university’s executive vice president plans to arrange a meeting with TCA. According to Bottger, the divestment campaign is another way to show the Tufts administration that the entire Tufts commu-

nity supports divestment, not just the current undergraduate student population.

Bottger said going forward, TCA plans to have actions every Friday in front of Ballou Hall. Members plan to make a quick speech before giving the administration a list of names of new people who signed the pledge at each event. TCA is also planning future action for parents’ weekend.

“I hope that [the campaign] makes the Board of Trustees realize that their investments have political consequences and where they choose to invest the money that has been donated or paid to by Tufts students, Tufts parents, Tufts alumni, that we care where that money goes,” Bottger said. “Even though they control the investment, it’s not okay that they’re invested in fossil fuels and ultimately they’re making a political statement by supporting the fossil fuel industry.”

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Features

IGL’s Middle East Research Group continues seeking insights under new name

ANN MARIE BURKE / THE TUFTS DAILY

Members of Middle East Research Group, formerly New Initiative for Middle East Peace, pose for a portrait on Oct. 9.

by Rachel Isralowitz Contributing Writer

On a research trip last March, junior Taylor Lewis boarded a bus to Marrakesh, with plans to interview college professors about Morocco’s education system. Little did he know that while on the bus, he would encounter young experts on Moroccan schools — in the form of two outgoing second graders. Lewis said that he now holds the conversation that they had as a treasured memory. “[The students] just started speaking to me in Arabic. It was just the most surreal thing,” Lewis recalled. “I was so used to speaking to officials and college professors, and then I just had this conversation in broken Arabic with two second graders. They gave me a kiss on the cheek and then I left.”

Lewis met these students while on a research trip to Morocco with 14 other members of the Middle East Research Group (MERG), which was formerly known as the New Initiative for Middle East Peace (NIMEP).

MERG is a student-run club that partners with the Tufts Institute for Global Leadership (IGL). Participants organize research trips and engage in discussions about the Middle East.

Heather Barry, associate director of the IGL, said that students created the club around 2004 in order to start a more comprehensive dialogue about the region, rather than focusing solely on the IsraeliPalestinian conflict. “[The students] wanted to … involve people from all different backgrounds, whether they were from the Middle East or not, who were interested in thinking about the region as a whole,” she said.

While the number of participating students has fluctuated since then, the organization was revamped last year with approximately 25 student participants. More recently, the club decided to change its name from New Initiative for Middle East Peace to Middle East Research Group. The group will be updating its website and logo within the coming weeks to reflect the change.

Lewis, who serves on MERG’s executive board, explained that this change was designed to emphasize the club’s goals.

“First of all, it’s not a new club, it’s an old club that we are bringing back. Second of all, the focus of our club is less about ‘peace,’ which is a very political thought and dynamic. We wanted to focus on all sorts of topics, including the culture of the region, economics and politics,” he said.

He added that the club did not want to give an impression of believing that they had all the answers.

“We also think it sounded a little bit ‘presumptuous’ as if our small, student-run think-tank can solve peace in the Middle East. We’re not going to pretend that we can do that,” he said.

Rather, according to senior and current co-president Miranda Macaulay Miller, MERG seeks to establish a discourse on Tufts campus that promotes understanding of the Middle East outside of the classroom.

“While I am studying Arabic and studying the Middle East, I don’t feel like I often get to hear from other students about what they are thinking about the region. So it’s really cool to have people talking about it all in one place,” Miller said.

MERG holds weekly discussions that revolve around these issues, Barry said.

Often, students complete a reading beforehand, which helps drive the discussion. In addition to these more informal conversations, the club puts on one to two big events per semester, often headlined by keynote speakers. Club members cited last year’s symposium on the civil war in Yemen as one of their proudest accomplishments.

Junior and past co-president Uzair Sattar noted that MERG invited a multitude of speakers to discuss both the geopolitics and humanitarian aspects of the war. Participants organized the event just a month after the club’s reconstitution.

“The group picture we took after the symposium was probably one of my favorite moments with [MERG] because of what it meant to all of us. Being able to pull it off with such a new club and such a small club really set the tone for the rest of the year,” Sattar said.

In addition to these on-campus events, MERG organizes an annual research trip.

Last year, 15 members of the group traveled to Morocco. According to Barry,

these students explored a range of issues including migration, water security, education development and art. The students gained hands-on experience by conducting a series of interviews with Moroccan city officials, businessmen and college professors.

Senior and current co-president Esra Gurcay spent her time in Morocco researching the promotion of Sufism — a branch of Islam often defined as “Islamic mysticism” — as a strategy for counter-terrorism.

As a part of her research, Gurcay spent the day at Al Akhawayn University, in Ifrane.

Gurcay said that initially, she only had official plans to interview one professor from this university. By the end of the day, she had interviwed five.

“It was surprising to me to see that these amazing, very accomplished professors would respond to our emails. Especially since we were these random students from the U.S., doing a research project on something that we didn’t even know that much about,” she said.

Students found that these types of interactions enhanced the research they completed prior to arriving in Morocco.

“You have to do a lot of research before going on the trip, because it’s not like staying in a country for a week and a half is going to get you all of your answers.

That being said, the trip really allowed me to see what I was researching in a different light and talk to some amazing people,” Lewis said.

The group is in the process of selecting the location for their next research trip.

Lewis said that potential locations include Cyprus or Algeria. All Tufts students are welcome to apply to go on the trip, not just those who participate in MERG. In the meantime, Lewis and other members of MERG look forward to an upcoming panel on antiquities in the Middle East.

“We are really trying to expand our outlook by looking into more cultural aspects that are not always discussed a lot. We are currently reaching out to professors to try to get speakers. It’s just going to be one panel, likely in the third week of October.

Nothing is finalized yet but it is in the works,” Lewis said.

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Thursday, October 10, 2019

Kenia French Antidotes to Climate Apathy

The Amazon

T

he Amazon rainforest is still burning, and it’s very sad. Here’s my SparkNotes version of the current situation: Although deforestation rates in Brazil decreased 75% between 2005 and 2014, rates of fires have dramatically increased after the election of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, and have been linked to illegal logging. These fires threaten indigenous rights and threaten biodiversity — so activists are organizing to demand increased protections for the lungs of our planet.

That being said, let’s talk about economics! Or as I like to call it, the longtime scapegoat for governments and politicians refusing to take environmental action.

Petroleum, gold and timber are not the only lucrative industries fueled by the Amazon, despite what Bolsonaro may want everyone to think. Carlos Nobre, a leading climate scientist in Brazil, created the Third Way initiative, which is a push to see the biological assets of the Amazon as more valuable than the products that could be created through deforestation. In other words, the Third Way aims to promote a view of the Amazon as more valuable standing than destroyed.

In practice, the Third Way can take many forms. Some are medicinal: collaborating with local communities to share and cultivate plants involved in traditional medicine.

For example, guaraná (Paullinia cupana) is a plant found in the Amazon with properties that can potentially treat Alzheimer’s, certain cancers and liver diseases. Plants in the Amazon hold endless medicinal potential, which could impact the lives of many people.

Some forms are agricultural: Carlos Andretti is a former cattle rancher in Mato Grosso, Brazil, who is regenerating previously deforested land using sustainable farming techniques. Andretti planted peach palms, coffee, teak trees, fruits and vegetables that regenerate soil. What’s most interesting about Andretti’s case is that his switch to sustainable farming was based on a purely economic rationale: since his land was too small for cattle, he needed to think creatively. Now, he’s making three times as much selling agricultural products than he would have raising cattle on the same amount of land.

Ecotourism is another strategy local people have used to make money while promoting conservation, both biological and cultural. Sacha Runa Ecolodge is run by a Kichwa Community in Yasuní National Park, located in the Ecuadorian Amazon. In this region, working for the petroleum industry is incredibly common, but ecolodges like Sacha Runa provide people with another opportunity.

Bolsonaro’s government is not the only factor implicated in the destruction of the Amazon: corporations like BlackRock, JPMorgan Chase, JBS Beef, Cargill Soy, Walmart and Costco are just as responsible.

It’s on us as global citizens to hold these corporations responsible for the destruction they cause by advocating for policies that will adequately regulate them.

My takeaway from all this is that while the current situation in the Amazon is bad, it does not have to be. Luckily, the fires aren’t yet threatening the heart of the forest, and luckily, large, untouched portions of the Amazon still exist — it’s not all gone! And it’s not too late to protect what’s still there.

Kenia French is a senior studying international relations and environmental studies. Kenia can be reached at kenia.french@tufts.edu.

4 Thursday, October 10, 2019

Colette Smith and Madison Lehan Love It or Haute It

F

Flannels

all has been slow to arrive this year, but temperatures have finally started to dip. Symbols of fall are popping up all around us: Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks (and pumpkin spice coffee at Dewick!), pictures of apple-picking on my Instagram feed and crunchy leaf piles all around.

Today, we discuss the classic flannel that is so very indicative of the cool fall weather.

Beans: Flannels mean one thing: fall has arrived. And with the amount of flannel happening on Tufts campus, fall has definitely arrived. There is nothing like cozying into a nice oversized flannel, putting on a beanie and going out into nature. If you are outside in the fall but not wearing a flannel, you aren’t really taking full advantage of Boston’s greatest season. As my loyal readers know, I am a huge fan of stripes. Flannels, in a way, are a different and fresh take on stripes. The only difference is this pattern utilizes both the horizontal and vertical axis. Truly revolutionary and totally radical. When I look out over the Prez Lawn in peak November, I expect to see all the colors of the flannel rainbow. The flannel possibilities are truly endless. They keep you warm without committing to full-on jackets. And then you can stay in denial about how cold it actually is outside. Some say the winter solstice defines the start of the season, but I disagree. So long as people have on a flannel as their outermost layer, winter has not yet arrived. The collar also provides formality without sacrificing the fun flair of a patterned shirt. It can usually substitute for a white collared shirt when wearing a suit. So, grow out those Movember beards early, slip on some Blundstones, have a photoshoot at an apple orchard, jump into a pile of dead leaves, drink so much apple cider you puke and by golly put on a flannel and enjoy the fall.

Coco: Flannels are one of those clothing items that conjure up memories that make you feel as warm inside as the flannel makes you warm on the outside. I do not think that anyone would argue that they should be on the cover of Vogue for their high style, but I think most people can appreciate the perks that a good flannel provides. They are warm and cozy but make your otherwise couch-potato look slightly more presentable, which is always a plus. Instead of rolling up to class in your sweatpants and crusty sweatshirt, swap in a flannel and people will be asking you what the occasion is because of how impeccably dressed you are. Take this concept one step further and swap the sweatpants for leggings or jeans, throw in some brown boots and a scarf, and you’ve got yourself looking like a true fall girl on Instagram! Congratulations! All in all, I think that the flannel is truly an item for the everyman. Whether you are going out to chop lumber or pick pumpkins, the flannel will not let you down.

Colette Smith is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. Colette can be reached at colette.smith@tufts.edu. Madison Lehan is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. Madison can be reached at madison.lehan@tufts.edu.

WEEKENDER

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Alumnus’ documentary ‘Sunday Sessions’ brought to Tufts

by Tuna Margalit

Assistant Arts Editor

The Experimental College and the film and media studies department co-hosted a screening of “Sunday Sessions” this past Thursday. The observational documentary — produced, edited and brought to Tufts by alumnus Allen Irwin (LA’10) — puts a spotlight on the modern forms of conversion therapy, focusing on one religious young man’s experience through the controversial process.

ExCollege Director Howard Woolf introduced Irwin to an attentive crowd in the basement of Olin Center for Language and Cultural Studies. The two have known each other since Irwin’s time at Tufts. Woolf has made it a point to keep the door open for filmmaking alumnae to present their projects at their alma mater. In an interview with the Daily about the process of bringing Irwin and his film to campus, Woolf said, “We’ve stayed in touch over the years since he’s graduated and I knew he was working on the film and, when they had it finished, he said, ‘You know, I’d love to bring it up to Tufts,’ and I said, ‘Yeah, let’s see what we can do.’”

The documentary follows Nathan Gniewek, a late-twenties Marylander who is struggling with being both a devout Christian and gay. The three main environments in which the documentary observes Nathan’s experience are the Gniewek family’s house, a Christian conversion therapy weekend retreat and the private home of Nathan’s therapist — licensed clinical professional counselor and conversion therapy-proponent Christopher Doyle — which is where Nathan’s sessions take place.

The documentary screening was followed by a discussion panel made up of Irwin, LGBT Center Director Hope Freeman and Film and Media Studies Lecturer Natalie Minik. Contextualizing the documentary and its topic within contemporary United States social policy, Freeman highlighted two eye-opening facts: this past April, Massachusetts became the 16th state to ban conversion therapy (since then, two others have as well), and the majority of states do not have legislation that makes it illegal for companies to discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Minik asked Irwin if the documentary has yet to be showcased in Christian communities, to which he replied, “There have been some organized screenings at church groups … we’ve gotten feedback from some screenings that people really disliked it and thought it was almost endorsing [conversion therapy] to other people that have polar opposite responses.”

Per its website, the documentary can be watched on iTunes, Amazon and Kanopy.

In an interview with the Daily, Irwin discussed his overall goals for the film, saying, “We basically just want as many people to see it, weight in on it and hopefully it can start some discussions and ultimately, maybe, help.”

On why he believes his documentary’s specific portrayal of conversion therapy is important, Irwin told the Daily that it’s an extremely relevant issue.

“We have a vice president who actively supports this kind of therapy, and I think it’s important for people to see this therapy in a very specific and real format where they can understand how difficult

VIA IMDB

‘The Sunday Sessions’ (2019), an observational documentary, is produced and edited by Allen Irwin (LA’10). it is for people who are in it to even recognize that its not working or they might be being subtly manipulated in a way,” he explained. “It’s not as simple as another cinematic reference of people doing shock therapy or things that seem more overtly evil or torturous. It’s a lot more complex and subtle than that and I think is probably more prevalent than a lot of people even realize because it’s in these very cloistered communities that … you could know someone who’s doing it and not even know about it.”

The documentary’s screening came on the heels of a homophobic incident on Tufts campus, in which a slur was found written on an undergraduate’s dorm room door. Though the documentary was not screened as a response or in any relationship to the incident, the timing made the documentary all the more pertinent in emphasizing the need to continue protecting vulnerable communities.

During the panel, Freeman expanded on the idea that the documentary’s portrayal of conversion therapy was subtle.

“It felt subtle, but there were also certain parts that [Christopher Doyle] didn’t want filmed … so we can’t make assumptions about what was subtle and what wasn’t. And there was a little bit of violence at the beginning where [Doyle] shoved something into [Nathan’s] chest,” she said.

Freeman went on to lay out in more detail the violent subtexts of conversion therapy, in terms of both Doyle’s tactics toward manipulating Nathan and the practice taken as a whole. “One of the things I

noticed was the isolation techniques as well, as [Doyle’s] like, ‘Push these people out of your life,’ so then [Nathan’s] even more in crisis because he’s by himself, he’s having all these thoughts, and then he’s working with a person who, it feels like, wants to keep him in that chaos,” Freeman said.

Freeman also discussed the relevance of performing masculinity, especially while thinking about toxic masculinity and misogyny. “Patriarchy and toxic masculinity [are] rooted in homophobia and transphobia because we have these ideas around what gender is supposed to be doing and if you’re not doing that, and you’re doing the opposite, all of a sudden you’re a ‘sissy’, all of a sudden you’re ‘not strong enough’, all of a sudden you ‘don’t know what you’re doing,'” she said.

Retrospectively discussing the screening and panel event, Woolf pointed out that “It’s very hard to get people to come to things, especially these film screenings … I must have had a dozen emails from people saying, ‘I really want to come, but I’m too busy.’” That being said, Woolf thought that “the screening went well … Everybody was very attentive. They were riveted, really.”

On his plans for the future, Irwin noted that he will be slowing down on work for now, in order to raise his eight-monthold baby. But, once he does get back to working full throttle, his goal is to “always be trying to squeeze in something that [he finds] meaningful and interesting from a creative perspective, while also keeping the lights on with the commercial work.”

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THE TUFTS DAILY | FUN&GAMES | Thursday, October 10, 2019

F &G FUN & GAMES

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8

CROSSWORD

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Opinion EDITORIAL

Tufts should mandate flu vaccination, improve logistics During the early months of 2018, a particularly devastating winter, an estimated 80,000 Americans died because of the flu. The previous recent record death toll stood at 56,000. In some families, the idea of getting yearly flu-shots has been ingrained since childhood, while for others, the flu shot is viewed as something optional — unnecessary even.

Universities, a prime location for contagion due the density of people on campus, should mandate their students, professors and staff get yearly flu shots. Tufts should implement an annual flu-shot policy to protect both members of the university and the surrounding community from the devastating consequences of the flu.

The purpose of the flu shot is simple: protect ourselves and, more importantly, highly vulnerable populations. As a higher number of people in the general population get vaccinated, the rate of circulation of the virus decreases, thus protecting the weakest of the herd — young children and those older than 65.

It’s important to keep in mind that not only Tufts University, but Medford and the greater Boston area feel the debilitating effects of an insufficiently vaccinated population. Immunocompromised people that reside nearby indirectly rely on the healthy population’s flu vaccines, so

this isn’t just about increased absences or echoing coughs in lecture. It’s about protecting those of us who aren’t as wellequipped to protect ourselves from this potentially fatal yet common virus.

While various students and members of faculty make sure to get their flu shots on a yearly basis, many are not able to, either due to economic restraints or lack of accessibility. By mandating a campus-wide flu-shot policy, the university will significantly help eliminate the factors holding people back from getting the vaccine. While some may argue that receiving the vaccine is a personal choice, immunizing all at this institution would lead to increased herd immunity. There are, of course, certain cases where people should avoid getting the vaccine: For example, those with severe allergies to ingredients in the flu vaccine should make sure to consult with a doctor or possibly steer clear from receiving it altogether.

For the majority, however, mandating the flu shot would not only help protect the individual receiving the vaccine from harm, but also make sure that their families and the nearby communities are not put in danger. Since the flu is able to be passed on before individuals show symptoms, an infected individual is able to communicate the virus easily, making the flu particularly dangerous.

There are many steps the university can take toward making it easier for students who are hindered from accessing the flu shot. One of the most common reasons for abstaining from getting the vaccine is the lack of accessibility or time.

On-campus clinics are brief, and off-campus pharmacies are not easy options for Tufts students with packed schedules. By setting up pop-up clinics at easily accessible points on campus, such as the Mayer Campus Center or the entrance to the Tisch Library, students across campus will be able to quickly and efficiently get their flu shot on the way to class. Spreading out the location points of these pop-up clinics will also reduce long lines and the complete shutdown of other aspects of Tufts Health Service during flu-shot clinics.

Furthermore, the university should ensure that the flu shots are free for everyone on campus. Completely eliminating any fees, copays or contributions from students would likely boost student acceptance of vaccines, and by making vaccines free for faculty and staff, Tufts would be protecting the community as well as providing an important service and benefit to employees. By implementing a mandatory, free and accessible flu vaccination policy, Tufts would take a huge leap towards protecting its community members.

EDITORIAL CARTOON

BY CARYS KONG 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.

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Thursday, October 10, 2019

Noah Mills and Caitlin Colino Spaceship Earth

A land of opportunity?

A

t Tufts there are large systems of advisors and administrators who work to help students find success, opportunities and employment from the day students matriculate to after graduation. Many hours go into championing us to become the pioneers of public policy, the researchers who discover the next form of renewable energy and the ambassadors of tomorrow’s world. At the end of one’s time here there likely are many amazing possibilities ahead. That opportunity is not normal. Being a Tufts student is not normal.

Being constantly surrounded by opportunity can make it easy to forget that most people do not have the same privileges.

Globally more than seven billion people are living their lives, all interconnected in some form or other. Nobody can go through life alone, and without cooperation on a massive scale, humanity could never have progressed in the way that it has. For all those who find fortune and success, there are many more who are left behind, rejected or not even eligible to apply in the first place.

For example: In a magazine article from 1913, Russian author Peter Kropotkin questions if prisons are working as they should.

It does not take very long in his analysis for him to state prisons “are breeding places of criminality; that they contribute to render the antisocial acts worse and worse; that they are, in a word, the High Schools, the Universities of what is known as Crime.” Just as Tufts works to provide opportunity, prisons work to suppress those inside.

To be fair, there are some prisons that do provide some level of opportunity and education, but those are outliers. Instead, incarcerated people are subject to constant scrutiny and random searches, instilling paranoia into their daily lives. These conditions can have no effect other than hostility towards the government which has incarcerated them, Kropotkin states in the same article. If prisons are universities, the curriculum is frustration and little else. The programs for people leaving prison are often extremely limited, and reentry often comes with many obstacles.

The consequences of the lack of opportunity shows. Five year recidivism rates in the US sit just above 76%. That’s as if Tufts had a graduation rate of 25%; there would be outrage. For American prisons, that’s business as usual.

What this all means is that our environments have profound effects on our behavior. If we are placed in environments with support, we are able to grow and learn, but placed in confinement, it’s like a flower trying to grow in sand. Institutions in the United States have been built to provide some with opportunity and others with nothing.

In the face of climate change, we need everyone to work together because we cannot fix it alone. We must guarantee that systems are designed to help everyone improve and abolish those, like prisons, that keep people down. We need to make sure everyone has the opportunity to learn about things like climate change, if we ever want a united front to fight it. To all those fighting for climate justice in order to succeed, one cannot forget those who are forced to stay out of the fight.

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

THE TUFTS DAILY | Opinion | Thursday, October 10, 2019

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OP-ED

Acknowledging our settler-colonial present Tufts University’s Medford campus is located on Wôpanâak (Wampanoag) and Massachusett traditional territory. Tufts’ Walnut Hill was once one of the hills in a slave-holding estate called Ten Hills Plantation. Both Africans and Native Americans were enslaved in the colony of Massachusetts, and trade in Native American and African laborers made Massachusetts a driving force in the Atlantic slave trade. A student-led movement culminated in the establishment of Indigenous People’s Day at Tufts in February 2016, and last year, students and faculty worked together to establish a minor in Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS). This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Africana Center at Tufts — also the fruit of student protest. Meanwhile, faculty have been thinking about how to incorporate an acknowledgement of the settler-colonial present at Tufts. Here, a group of interdisciplinary scholars reflect on why such acknowledgements are important.

Land acknowledgements, Indigenous Peoples’ Day and the NAIS minor are each results of an ongoing process recognizing Indigenous land, history and knowledge — the form, content and grammar of a people.

But recognition of peoplehood is incidental to its becoming; by definition, recognition does not contribute meaningfully to the expression of Indigenous sovereignty, it only bears witness to it. Rather, recognition is the attunement of self to other, and Indigenous Peoples’ Day marks an important moment for us to reflect on how that process continues to condition our relationship to the future horizon. In that spirit, I celebrate and honor the ongoing courage of those students, staff and faculty that continue holding fast and firm to the hope for a better world. Our work to fully realize that vision continues apace, of course. Nevertheless, I am comforted by the steady illumination of those brighter tomorrows that give shape and direction to our journey today.

— Darren E. Lone Fight, Department of Studies in Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora In order to address our current environmental challenges, Environmental Studies

needs to be deeply grounded in an understanding of places, scaling up to understandings of bioregions and to the globe. Being grounded in places means beginning with the histories of those places and understanding how past and present injustices in those places relate in order to seek just solutions to current ‘wicked problems.’ Walnut trees occur only very rarely in New England forests (as is also true on Long Island). On the Tufts Medford campus, the very name, Walnut Hill, should thus call to mind for us the Massachusett Mystick community who deliberately planted the walnut trees that later settler-colonists observed and remembered in this place name. Land acknowledgement statements are doorways hopefully leading to more just solutions, solutions grounded in places and stories.

— Ninian R. Stein, Environmental Studies & Department of Anthropology Land acknowledgements mark the material dimensions of our university experience: that collective dispossession from the land we are on generations ago continues to shape Indigenous people’s lives. They should direct us to learn about contemporary efforts for Wôpanâak language resurrection and Mashpee Wampanoag struggles to hold land collectively. Land acknowledgments can act as the beginning of a promise to transform the university into a place where resources are mobilized for justice for Indigenous, black, immigrant, poor and other neighboring marginalized communities. Such acknowledgements are especially resonant for me because of my research and teaching on Palestine. Seeing places in relation helps me teach about world systems of capitalism and empire and about global solidarity campaigns. Land acknowledgements remind students that this colonial present must inform our approach to learning, expression and action at Tufts and beyond.

— Amahl Bishara, Department of Anthropology, Department of Studies in Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora The U.S. is a settler-colonial space whose cities are profoundly shaped by the arrival of non-Indigenous settlers claiming land and

citizenship that is entirely dependent on an ongoing structure of Indigenous dispossession and displacement. From a U.S. urban planning perspective, compared to other settler-colonial nations such as Canada and Australia, we are collectively silent on issues of land acknowledgement. And our silence is as deafening as it is unacceptable. This lack of recognition, this denial of belonging, especially when 72% of Native Americans live in urban or suburban environments, precludes any form of productive reconciliation.

Instead, urban planning theory and practice is dominated by elite imaginings of what our cities can become (sustainable, smart, resilient). As my urban planning students know, social justice never simply ‘happens,’ we must proactively fight for recognition because ultimately who can belong in our cities will determine what they can become.

— Julian Agyeman, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning As a family historian, I have written about my black and Creek (Mvskoke) ancestors, and the importance of familial and communal knowledge. At their best, land acknowledgments create space for engagement with Indigenous communities and knowledge, and with the complexities of the past and present. In “Black and Native New England,” our students travel to sites and explore the lesser-known enslavement of Native Americans alongside African Americans.

Such erasures of the past obscure collective understanding of the present. “In modern landscapes everywhere,” Keith Basso writes, “people persist in asking, ‘What happened here?’ The answers they supply … should not be taken lightly, for what people make of their places is closely connected to what they make of themselves…” I hope the memorialization of land, peoplehood and places at the heart of university acknowledgments will make more complex, diverse and complete the answer to the simple question, “What happened here?” and the closely related question, “What might happen next?” for generations to come.

— Kendra Taira Field, Department of History, Department of Studies in Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora

Space, land and place within settler-colonial histories, of which Tufts participates, is often discussed as a static, colonized body from which resources can be taken, when instead, Indigenous studies teaches that bodies are responsible to an intimate relationship — an embodied relationship — to the land as a living being. In following Anishinaabe scholar Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, she writes that the “land is pedagogy.” What kind of humility is required to learn from the land? In answering this question, we must see our bodies (and their attendant politics) in relation, one that has been shaped by violent histories of forced and voluntary migration, dispossession and survival. The new NAIS minor and the departmentalization of the study of Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora is a first step in reconsidering that lived relationship that we are all responsible to, one that is a living history without end. What would it mean for us to live with Indigenous People’s day, everyday, without exception?

— Lily Mengesha, Department of Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies, Department of Studies in Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora

Wôpanâak people organized complex polities, cultivated the arts and humanities and practiced international relations long before the arrival of settlers from Europe. On this very land, settlers fought wars of colonization against the Indigenous, including the 1677 war that claimed more lives as a portion of population than any other direct conflict on American soil, as Native author Paul Chaat Smith writes.

But Native people of the Northeast endured, creating new kinds of family and political community, inventing new means to hold on to beloved kin and land. We recognize the enduring and future-oriented sovereignty of the Wôpanâak people by land acknowledgement, and Native “survivance,” to use Gerald Vizenor’s word, braided with the ongoing endurance and social creativity of black folk, Latinx folk and Asian folk across the Americas. The university is a place to recognize that other futures are unfolding right now amongst us.

— Kris Manjapra, Department of Studies in Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora, and Department of History

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Sports

12 Thursday, October 10, 2019

Aiden Herrod The Zone Read

Week 6 division power rankings

tuftsdaily.com

Volleyball sweeps Williams, Hamilton with commanding performances

T

he NFL is a little over a month into the season, and we have a good sense of the contenders and the pretenders. With that in mind, here are my power rankings for the divisions.

1. NFC West: The 49ers are the only undefeated team in the NFC at 4–0. They have the stifling defense and creative offense to hang with the big boys. The Seahawks handed the offense to Russell Wilson and it hasn’t really failed since. The Rams look a little pedestrian, but there’s too much talent for them not to string some more wins together. The Cardinals? Well, there’s one in every division.

2. NFC North: Like the NFC West, there are at least three teams here that could make a deep playoff run. The Packers, Bears and Vikings all have talented defenses and good to so-so offenses. The Lions have the talent to hang with some tough teams each week, too.

3. NFC South: The Saints will be back to Super Bowl favorites when Brees is back. The Panthers are winning by just saying “screw it” and giving Christian McCaffrey every single offensive touch. The Buccaneers and Falcons are questionable at best, but both have high ceilings on offense.

4. AFC West: This division is kind of a mess right now, but it’s here because Patrick Mahomes is good at football. The Chargers are in a slide but will likely rebound once Melvin Gordon gets into midseason form.

The Raiders aren’t completely miserable this year and should be able to win some games. The Broncos could tank, but they still have some pieces on defense to keep them competitive.

5. AFC South: Every team here is competitive, but none of them really scream “deep playoff run.” I love the Colts on both sides of the ball, but they have a lower ceiling on offense. The Texans are talented but can underachieve any given week.

The Jaguars and Titans both have talented defenses, and Gardner Minshew is a living legend, but I don’t buy their chances longterm.

6. NFC East: The Cowboys and Eagles both have Super Bowl aspirations, despite having question marks in various places on the roster or coaching staff. Wow, did I just criticize the Cowboys? I must be really pessimistic after last week’s loss. The Giants and Redskins bring this division down hard.

7. AFC North: Every team in this division is kind of a mess. The Ravens feel the most complete, but the Browns and Steelers are just dumbfounding. The Browns are underachieving mightily in the face of strong competition, and the Steelers may be trotting out a third-string quarterback this week. The less said about the winless Bengals the better.

8. AFC East: The Patriots are a very talented team, and Tom Brady is somehow still capable of throwing a football at age 42. The Bills are super talented on defense but they are inconsistent at best on offense.

The poor, sweet innocent Dolphins are charging less money for a ticket than the Miami zoo right now. The Jets could get better when Sam Darnold returns from his mono-induced hiatus this week, but until I see anything promising I consider them bottom feeders.

Aiden is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. Aiden can be reached at aiden.herrod@tufts.edu.

SEOHYUN SHIM / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES

Senior middle/opposite hitter Christina Nwankpa attacks the ball during Tufts’ 3–0 win against Amherst on Nov. 4, 2017.

by Arpan Barua

Contributing Writer

Weekend after weekend, the biggest party on campus continues to be in the Cousens Gymnasium where the No. 14 Tufts volleyball team dominates its opponents. This weekend the Jumbos defeated their two opponents to improve to 14–0, outscoring them by a total of 59 points.

The second game of the weekend stand was against Williams, who came into the game after a tough five-set loss to Bowdoin the night before. The Jumbo offense came out in full force as it had the night before, storming out to an 11–4 lead, with seven of those 11 points coming from kills. Before Williams had time to comprehend the situation, the Jumbos went on another blitz with a nine-point run and eventually finished the set 25–14.

The blitzes that Tufts went on this weekend became a defining trait of their victories as they started the second set with a 7–2 run and ended it on a 9–2 run, leaving its Williams opponents without any time to think. They were able to take the game away from Williams, and suddenly, it was two sets to none in favor of Tufts.

The final set of the weekend proved to be the toughest, as Williams refused to go down without a fight. Both teams opened the set cleanly, as they traded kills back and forth. It proved to be a big test for this Jumbo team, as no side held more than a two-point lead for the first 40 points of the set. However, just as they had done all weekend, the Jumbos held their composure, forcing errors from the Ephs and coming up with big kills to close out the set 25–23.

When asked about the nerves the players may have had in this set or throughout the weekend stand, coach Cora Thompson replied confidently, rep-

resenting the mindset and strength that has produced their 14–0 record and No. 14 ranking.

“Nervous is a word I wouldn’t use to describe our players,” Thompson wrote in an email to the Daily.

However, despite the impressive wins, the biggest story coming out of the two games was the emergence of senior middle hitter Christina Nwankpa, who has been a staple of the Jumbo starting lineup this season. She finished the weekend stand with a total of 23 kills, leading her team in both games and equaling her career-high of 12 against Williams, resulting in her selection as the NESCAC Co-Player of the Week.

When asked about the success she had over the weekend, Nwankpa had only her teammates to thank.

“Our back row provided amazing passes and great communication all weekend,” Nwankpa wrote in an email to the Daily. “We were able to stay in system which allowed for our setters to run a very dynamic offense.”

First on the weekend for the Jumbos was a Friday night victory over the Hamilton Continentals, where they beat their opponents by three sets to none in front of a crowd of over 100. The first set proved to be tricky, as Hamilton attacked their way back from an eight-point deficit to cut the Tufts lead to two by the middle of the set. This phased neither Thompson nor the players, as, after a quick timeout, the Jumbos recaptured the momentum to take the first set 25–19.

“I have been impressed this season with our team’s composure whether they are ahead or behind in any match,” Thompson said. “This past weekend was no different.”

The composure of the team was further made evident throughout the match, as

the team was able to navigate a tricky start to the second set. Hamilton started the set with the same aggressive way they had played through the first, as a string of kills left the Jumbos down 5–4. Once again, the Jumbos stayed composed and ignited an eight-point run and did not look back, winning the set comfortably 25–15.

By the third set, the Tufts attack proved to be too much for Hamilton, as the Jumbos opened the set with eight straight kills to go up 8–0. They did not let up in their attack and relentless pressure, ultimately winning the set and closing out the match 25–7.

Moving forward, the focus of the dominant Tufts volleyball team continues to be on each other. Thompson spoke about the mentality of the team and their thoughts on their undefeated record.

“We actually don’t focus at all on our record,” Thompson said. “Again 14-0 is a byproduct of doing our jobs every day and focusing on bettering our skill set.”

Nwankpa echoed the same sentiments, stating that for the Jumbos, it’s about the team and nothing more.

“We like to focus on the growth of our team connection and execution as a whole,” Nwankpa wrote. “We are more concerned with beating our best [than] falling to outside pressures.”

Up next for Tufts volleyball is a three-game away stretch against Clark University, Trinity and Brandeis University. All three teams are below .500, with records of 5–14, 7–8 and 4–12, respectively.

The scary thing about it all? Tufts is only looking to get better, which can serve as a warning to all their opponents to come.

“We still have a lot of work to do and aren’t playing our best ball yet,” Thompson said.