The Tufts Daily - Thursday, March 17, 2022

THE

INDEPENDENT

STUDENT

N E W S PA P E R

OF

TUFTS

UNIVERSITY

E S T. 1 9 8 0

T HE T UFTS DAILY

VOLUME LXXXIII, ISSUE 34

BREAKING: Tufts to gradually roll back COVID-19 restrictions

by Alexander Janoff Editor in Chief

In an email sent to the Tufts community onWednesday, administration officials announced Tufts’ plans to “gradually lift” the COVID-19 restrictions that have been imposed since the pandemic’s onset forced the university’s campuses to remote learning in March 2020.

The email was signed by James Glaser, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences; Kyongbum Lee, interim dean of the School of Engineering; Rachel Kyte, dean of the Fletcher School; Dayna Cunningham, dean of Tisch College; Joseph Auner, dean of the University College; and Michael Jordan, university infection control health director. It prefaced the steps outlined in the email by noting that they are tentative and subject to change.

“We are taking these steps cautiously and will be able to do so only if the rate of COVID-19 cases among our campus population

remains low after returning from spring break,” the email read.

Administrators anticipate that, by the second week of April, required surveillance testing will be replaced with voluntary, once-weekly surveillance testing.

The university will still support testing for individuals who are symptomatic or traveling.

The email stated that individuals who exhibit symptoms of COVID-19 or come into close contact with a COVID-19-positive individual will be expected not to come to campus until they receive a negative test. Furthermore, in order to leave isolation, students will still be required to show a negative antigen test.

During the second week of April, Tufts will continue to require mask-wearing in all indoor spaces, except when alone, eating or in a dorm room accompanied by just a roommate. Faculty lecturing in large lecture halls will likely be permitted to lecture without a mask, see MASKS, page 2

Tufts community mourns the passing of sophomore Cher Xiong

by Chloe Courtney Bohl and Alexander Janoff Executive News Editor and Editor in Chief

Cher Xiong, a sophomore in the School of Arts and Sciences, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday evening, according to an email from university administrators. The email highlighted Xiong’s kind, outgoing nature and the impact their passing will have on the community.

“Cher was known as a fearless and adventurous person who was playful, had a wonderful sense of humor, and a warm and welcoming personality,” the administration wrote in the email. “Cher’s sudden passing will be deeply felt by their friends within the Tufts community, at their residence hall, and by everyone whose lives they touched.”

The University Chaplaincy hosted a gathering at the Interfaith Center on Monday for friends of Xiong and anyone impacted by their passing to come together and seek support.

Administration condemns SJP’s new BDS campaign

by Aaron Gruen News Editor

Editor’s note: Aaron Klein is the Executive Audio Producer at The Tufts Daily and also one of the two co-chairs of J Street U Tufts. Klein was not involved in the reporting, writing or editing of this article. Skyler Goldberg is the chair of The Tufts Daily’s Education Committee and also the president of Tufts Friends of Israel. Goldberg was not involved in the reporting, writing or editing of this article.

Tufts Students for Justice in Palestine announced its new Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign on March 14 in an op-ed published in the Tufts Observer. University administration and several Tufts student organizations targeted by the boycott condemned SJP’s decision and the BDS movement.

In a petition attached to its op-ed, SJP asked students to “refuse to join groups or projects that normalize or benefit [I]srael.” Several student organizations, including Tufts Friends of Israel and J Street U Tufts, are targets of the boycott. SJP also asked participants to boycott all

tuftsdaily.com

Thursday, March 17, 2022

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS.

Sabra and Pillsbury products, which are sold at Kindlevan Café and The Commons Marketplace, according to the op-ed.

“It is particularly disappointing that [SJP] have chosen to ask fellow students to boycott not just companies but other student groups on campus,” Patrick Collins, Tufts’ executive director of media relations, wrote in a statement to the Daily. “[SJP’s] most recent campaign is divisive and harmful. It doesn’t help foster important conversations – rather, it shuts them down while ostracizing fellow students.”

Students for Justice in Palestine also called for a boycott of Birthright, an organization which pays for Jewish young adults to travel to Israel; the Tisch Summer Fellows internship with the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish NGO; TAMID at Tufts, an entrepreneurship club which connects students to professional opportunities in Israel; and Visions of Peace, a Tufts Hillel program which facilitates a recurring Experimental College course and contains the Tufts Students for Two States coalition.

The goal of BDS, according to SJP, is “to make it economi-

cally and politically unviable for [I]srael to continue its violent occupation and colonization of Palestinian land.” SJP refused to comment for this article.

The day SJP announced its boycott, Executive Director of Tufts Hillel Rabbi Naftali Brawer and student president Allison Cohen issued a statement on social media condemning the campaign.

“The programs and student groups targeted in this boycott represent a wide spectrum of views on Israel whose main overlap is that they are committed to productive dialogue,” the statement read. “[W]e firmly believe that dialogue is the only route to deeper understanding between people of divergent views and a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.”

Although J Street U Tufts and SJP co-sponsored an event in the past, J Street U Tufts’ public support of a two-state solution, in combination with its national umbrella organization’s condemnation of BDS, factored into SJP’s decision to boycott the club, according to an email see SJP, page 2

MINA TERZIOGLU / THE TUFTS DAILY

Flowers are placed in front of the FIRST Resource Center to honor the life of sophomore Cher Xiong on March 16.

Tufts’ FIRST, Asian American and LGBTQ Centers organized a candlelight vigil for Xiong on Wednesday night. Hundreds of students gathered on the Reservoir Quad and carried can-

dles and flowers in a procession to the FIRST Center.

Late Monday night, several members of the Tufts commusee XIONG , page 2

BREAKING: Fletcher School severs relationship with two Russian universities

by Chloe Courtney Bohl Executive News Editor

The Fletcher School at Tufts University announced it will break off its academic relationship with the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), an elite research university under the umbrella of the Russian Federation Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in the wake of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Fletcher also cut ties with the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE), another Russian institution, earlier this month.

“Fletcher has had an eight year relationship with MGIMO,” Rachel Kyte, dean of the Fletcher School, wrote in an email to Fletcher students and faculty on Feb. 15. “It was established at a time of declining relations between the West and Russia as a means to strengthen understanding through open dialogue. Today we have made the decision to end that relationship because the University cannot in good conscience continue to have a

SPORTS / back

ARTS / page 4

OPINION / page 7

Two Tufts track and field athletes crowned national champions

Spring Fling opener Dayglow sits down with the Daily to discuss his young music career

Saving the Amazon is the best way to combat climate change

formal relationship with an institution whose leadership has come out in favor of the war against Ukraine.”

Patrick Collins, executive director of media relations, echoed Kyte’s sentiment that continuing the Fletcher-MGIMO partnership runs contrary to Tufts’ morals.

Stephanie Schwartz, director of communications at Fletcher, further explained the decision to end the Fletcher-MGIMO partnership in a written statement to the Daily.

“Recently, the Rector of MGIMO endorsed the war against Ukraine,” Schwartz wrote. “Fletcher leadership indicated to the Rector its strong disagreement with his and other Rectors’ support for the war, and expressed support for the brave alumni, faculty and students of MGIMO who have called for meaningful peace negotiations and an immediate end to the war.” see FLETCHER, page 5 NEWS

1

FEATURES

3

ARTS & POP CULTURE

4

FUN & GAMES

6

OPINION

7

SPORTS

BACK

2

THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Thursday, March 17, 2022

THE TUFTS DAILY Alexander Janoff Editor in Chief

— EDITORIAL — PERI BAREST SAM RUSSO PHOEBE WONG Senior Editors

ELIZABETH FOSTER KENDALL ROBERTS Associate Editors Chloe Courtney Bohl Executive News Editor Delaney Clarke Executive Features Editor Maeve Hagerty Executive Arts Editor Faye Shen Li Thijssen Executive Opinion Editor Makenna Law Editorial Editor Isaac Karp Executive Sports Editor Alex Viveros Investigative and Science Editor Aaron Klein Executive Audio Producer Mina Terzioglu Kiana Vallo Executive Photo Editors Ty Blitstein Executive Video Editor Michael Wu Executive Graphics Editor

— PRODUCTION — MAC CALLAHAN Production Director Mike Kourkoulakos Maddy Noah Charlene Tsai Executive Layout Editors Julia Shannon-Grillo Abigail Vixama Executive Copy Editors Elise Fong Sydney Spivy Executive Social Media Editors

— BUSINESS — CAMPBELL DEVLIN Business Director Hannah Harris Emily Walker Outreach Coordinators Joe Posthauer Web Manager Contact Us P.O. Box 53018, Medford, MA 02155 daily@tuftsdaily.com thetuftsdaily tuftsdaily tuftsdaily

Please rec ycle this newspaper!

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.

VIEWPOINTS Viewpoints represent the opinions of individual Opinion Editors, Staff Writers and Contributing Writers for the Daily’s Opinion section. Positions published in Viewpoints are the opinions of the writers who penned them alone, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Daily itself. All material is subject to editorial discretion.

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.

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

tuftsdaily.com

Tufts to lift mask mandate in April MASKS

continued from page 1 so long as COVID-19 cases continue to decline.

By the third week of April, university administrators expect to replace all surveillance testing with testing for symptomatic or traveling individuals only. At this point, masks will be optional for all individuals.

The email stressed Tufts’ strong support for continued mask-wearing indoors, even once they become optional, while reminding community members to respect their peers’ comfort level and mask-wearing decisions throughout the transition period.

Tufts will continue to require masks on shuttle buses and on all forms of public transportation, a requirement aligned with current federal guidelines which require mask-wearing on public transportation and in transit hubs across the country.

The email also announced that — effective immediately — actors, musicians and singers are no longer required to wear masks or use personal protective equipment during their performances. These individuals are, however, still required to wear masks and PPE during rehearsals and practice, and audience members are still expected to wear masks.

SAM RUSSO / THE TUFTS DAILY

Shir Appeal, one of Tufts’ a cappella groups, is pictured performing without masks on March 16.

Over 100 students gather on Res Quad in honor of Xiong XIONG

continued from page 1 nity painted a pink band on the Tufts cannon in Xiong’s honor.

In light of Xiong’s passing, Counseling and Mental Health Services is offering drop-in hours from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. through Friday. The University Chaplaincy Office is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the week, and the chaplains and advisors can be reached

at 617-627-3427. Students can reach the counselor-on-call or the dean-on-call by calling the Tufts 24/7 Help Line at 617-627-3400.

Ears for Peers, Tufts’ anonymous, student-run and confidential hotline, is also available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., daily.

Community members are encouraged to donate to a GoFundMe organized on behalf of Xiong’s family.

“Cher was a light in so many people’s lives, and they will be missed greatly,” the GoFundMe organizer wrote. “Everyone who knew them was extremely fortunate to be a part of their life.”

The email was signed by University President Anthony Monaco, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences James Glaser, Dean ad interim of the School of Engineering

Kyongbum Lee, Dean of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life Dayna Cunningham, Dean of Student Affairs and Chief Student Affairs Officer for AS&E Camille Lizarríbar and University Chaplain Reverend Elyse Nelson Winger.

If you would like to share memories of Xiong for publication, please email the Daily at daily@tuftsdaily.com.

Tufts administration, student groups disavow BDS campaign SJP

continued from page 1 that SJP sent to J Street U Tufts’ co-chairs.

In its petition, SJP rejects the twostate solution as white supremacist. “[The two state solution] perspective fails to recognize Israel as a settler colonial state and Zionism as a white supremacist ideology,” the petition says.

In contrast to SJP’s characterization of its club in the petition, J Street U Tufts publicly denounces Israeli occupation; the club tweeted on March 13 that it believes “Israel is carrying out a system of military occupation and Jewish supremacy that is unjust, counter to Jewish values, and violates international law,” and is currently working to pass H.R.5344, a bill that “would impose restrictions on Israeli military funding, halt the building of settlements, affirm Palestinian self-determination, and undo harmful Trump era policies.”

Violet Kopp, co-chair of J Street U Tufts, said that the club was “in pretty close contact” with SJP prior to the boycott.

“We think that, as a club, we have a lot more ideological similarities with [SJP] than not,” Kopp, a sophomore, said. “So [our inclusion in the boycott] definitely came as a surprise.”

J Street U Tufts was made aware it would be included in the boycott on March 9, five days before SJP’s op-ed was published. “[ W ]e genuinely appreciate your efforts to move young Jews on the issue of the occupation,” SJP wrote in an email to J Street U Tufts’ co-chairs, explaining their decision to include the club in the boycott. “[B]ut we cannot in good faith ignore the fact that as an organization, J Street not only condemns BDS, but also consistently uses rhetoric of ‘conflict,’ denies Palestinians’ right to return, refuses to acknowledge ‘Israel’ as a white supremacist settler-colonial project, and promotes a ‘two-State solution.’”

Although SJP’s BDS campaign does not directly name Tufts Hillel, it targets several organizations under the Hillel umbrella, including Visions of Peace and FOI.

Ian Kaplan, a political co-chair of FOI, condemned SJP’s in an email to the Daily.

“FOI stands against this boycott and proudly affirms its commitment to Zionism and the state of Israel,” Kaplan, a first-year, wrote. “Allowing SJP to shut down nuanced conversation about Israel is both unproductive for diversification efforts and dangerous for Jewish students.”

Rachel Coll and John Cho, who lead the Visions of Peace ExCollege course, told the Daily in an email that “the opinion piece in the Observer does not accurately describe Visions of Peace’s content, objectives, and guest speakers.”

Coll and Cho, who are sophomores, added that the course “[does] not promote any singular opinion, method of peacebuilding, or political stance.”

In response to SJP’s boycott, TAMID wrote on social media, “We are disappointed to learn that an organization on campus feels that students should not join TAMID because of its association with the Israeli economy … We will continue to uphold

the areligious and apolitical nature of our group.”

Kopp believes that by lumping together student groups like FOI and J Street U Tufts, SJP overlooks the nuances between them.

“While we have friendly working relationships with some of those groups, we also are by no means the same, or have the same political opinions,” Kopp said. “In fact, a lot of the work we do as J Street is going to groups like Hillel and groups like Friends of Israel and saying let’s talk, let’s have a conversation, but also, we want to put a lot of pressure on them to acknowledge more parts of the occupation.”

Kopp believes SJP’s move to boycott other clubs is counterproductive.

“I think dialogue needs to be central to any social justice movement,” Kopp said. “That’s not to say that it should be in the place of tangible solutions and structural change and oppressors’ taking onus and responsibility and undoing the harm they’ve done, but you can’t get there without having conversations.”

tuftsdaily.com

Features

Generation Conscious reimagines access to sustainable hygiene products on college campuses

by Amelia Becker Features Editor

For many students, sustainability can feel like a goal that is out of reach. It can be hard for them to find information on how to implement sustainable practices in their daily lives, and the cost of sustainable products can pose a further barrier.

Generation Conscious is a company that seeks to address environmental justice issues with an emphasis on accessibility for historically marginalized communities. The company partners with college campuses to bring affordable, sustainable hygiene products to students, especially those who don’t have money to spare on sustainable options.

Several Tufts students have connected with Generation Conscious and are looking to bring some of the company’s products to campus.

Greg “GL” Genco, the CEO of Generation Conscious, founded the company after seeing the health impacts of waste transfer stations on his home community of Jamaica, Queens, N.Y. where most of the city’s toxic waste facilities were built within one mile of low-income Black and brown communities.

Genco was further inspired to start Generation Conscious after learning about the impact climate change would have on his family members in Trinidad and Tobago.

“As I got older, I started to realize that wasn’t by mistake — that was actually by design — and we do this systemically across the country,” Genco said. “It really, really frustrated me that Black and brown people abroad and at home are disproportionately bearing the brunt of the climate crisis yet contribute absolutely nothing to it.”

Through intergenerational conversations with friends and family, Genco learned about liquid-free and plastic-free hygiene products that were common in places like Iran and India, he said.

“Generation Conscious … is committed to reimagining environmental justice inspired by indigenous principles and history, which imagine a much more circular kind of economy and relationship to the Earth where it’s more about getting resources, but then recycling them or biodegrading them in a way that doesn’t generate as much waste as our current economy does,” Sofia Friedman, a senior involved with Generation Conscious, said.

Generation Conscious is committed to combating eco-classism by giving communities that have been harmed by environmental injustice first access to the cost-effective products.

“Sustainability is talked about a lot … but I do think it’s hard for people to grab on to it if you’re already in a situation where you feel like you are underprivileged and you have no control over what’s happening,” Kailani Day, a first-year student involved with Generation Conscious, said.

Genco conducted surveys and interviews to understand which products people wanted.

He found that people ages 16 to 24 were more likely to try a new form of hygiene product and go out of their way to eliminate waste using refill stations, which is why college campuses have been the focus of Generation Conscious’ partnerships.

Currently Generation Conscious sells laundry detergent sheets and toothpaste tablets, both of which are water- and plastic-free. Students can purchase subscription plans and get these products at refill stations on campus. The company sells 100 laundry sheets for $20, which is 20% cheaper than

3 Thursday, March 17, 2022

JoJo Lee Innocent Pleasures

The magic of middle-grade fiction

T COURTESY SOFIA FRIEDMAN

Organizers of the Tufts Generation Conscious coalition are pictured with Generation Conscious founder and CEO Greg “GL” Genco.

Tide Pods purchased on an Amazon subscription, Genco noted.

In order to address hygiene insecurity, each school with a refill station has to pay upfront, allowing around 300 to 1,000 low-income students to access the refill stations for free.

“As someone who was [a] first-gen [college student], who was basically on a full scholarship, I know how difficult it is to have to just deal with everyday purchases and everyday items,” Genco said.

Generation Conscious is largely a student-run company, with students’ operating and maintaining the refill stations, as well as developing marketing campaigns, working on product development and learning business development. It aims to provide first-generation, low-income and students with DACA status work opportunities with fair wages so they can build experience in the burgeoning circular economy, Genco said. Currently, approximately 130 students are leading Generation Conscious coalitions on over 50 campuses.

Friedman learned about Generation Conscious when she was doing research for the final project of her Earth Matters class, which focused on small steps you can take to become waste-free in your home, something Friedman herself has been working to do.

Friedman reached out to Generation Conscious with the graphics she created and was soon connected with the organization.

“I was so happy to have found an organization that was committed to environmentalist work but rooted in indigenous wisdom and experiences of communities of color, because as a mixed individual — my dad is white and Jewish, my mom’s Nicaraguan — I have been finding it hard to find spaces to combine my background and my passions, and I really love the way Generation Conscious isn’t just an environmentalist organization, but it is an environmentalist organization that explicitly aims to combat eco-classism,” she said.

Day and Friedman created a survey and sent it to the Tufts student body through class year Facebook pages to gauge student interest in a low carbon, waste-free refill station and products students would want to see on campus. The two have been focusing on community engagement, as well as educating students about Generation Conscious’ mission and products, Day said.

“Tabling is important because not only will people that are interested get to know more about how the laundry sheets work, but also people who are a little bit skeptical … can also voice their concerns and help us be better at

communicating what will actually be going on,” Day said.

According to Friedman, students have been excited to learn about the organization and products. Over 200 students have signed a one-pager in support of Generation Conscious’ values and goals, and they’re working on gaining more before pitching the project to the administration.

“We’ve really mobilized, we’ve gotten a lot of people excited about the work that we’re doing and the potential to make sustainability and a sustainable life A) accessible and B) affordable,” Friedman said. “The momentum has been crazy and super exciting.”

Along with community engagement, Day explained that a written proposal about getting a refill station on campus is being worked on. The proposal is inspired by template proposals from other schools but will be specific to Tufts based on student responses through surveys and tabling. “[We would] have a meeting where we pitch the hygiene refill station and explain that the organization covers a lot of the cost of installing it and maintaining it,” Friedman said. “So it’s really overall a net benefit economically and socially, and environmentally to the campus.”

In addition to partnering with college campuses, Genco hopes to bring Generation Conscious’ refill stations to other communities, allowing community members to become stakeholders in this work.

“I want to create an entire paradigm shift in the way that we think about, consume and dispose of everyday products. … We want to replace every liquid dispenser that’s plastic with a durable, reusable, refillable dispenser for liquidless sheet products,” Genco said. “As we start to even get a bit bigger, [it’s about] really starting to think critically about how we could provide local communities with our … refill stations and the inventory for free, such that they can actually start to generate money on their own and create a localized economic engine where they live.”

Students who are excited about Generation Conscious’ mission and values can get involved with bringing a refill station to Tufts and raising further awareness about this project, Friedman said.

“This is a small but growing community,” Genco said. “We’re here to make sure that we’re supporting this equitable and just transition that’s going to be required to decarbonize our economy [and] provide everyone with a better chance to live a … just life of dignity.”

he Tufts English Society Instagram lies. Contrary to what the account’s introduction of me as the society’s public relations manager claims (and setting aside the question of whether a play can rightfully be considered a book), Sophocles’ “Antigone” (circa 441 B.C.) is not my favorite written work. The objective of this column is to uplift the practices that spark joy in us, to remove guilt from the equation of pleasure-partaking. Yet in the previous context, and most other ones, I won’t publicly profess my love for “The Seems: The Glitch in Sleep” (2007) — my actual favorite book and possibly the closest thing I have to religion. It’s smart, clever, punny, begins with an NDA, raises philosophical queries about metaphysics and faith and is written for 10- to 14-year-olds.

I have long surpassed the age range of middle grade’s target audience, but I still devour books generally considered within the reading ability and interest of 8- to 12-year-olds on a daily basis. Middle-grade fiction often gets labeled as “juvenile” or “childish,” and while those descriptors are technically accurate, I disagree with their connotations. It is one of my core beliefs that there is something uniquely pure and real and transcendent about this literature and that its magic doesn’t have an expiration date. It touches upon universal and timeless themes of finding acceptance, purpose, family — and it’s fun.

As an English major, I feel guilty for spending my free time not reading “highbrow” literature but, instead, exploring worlds bursting with dragons and “tweenage” angst. But why?

My love for reading as a child is what made me gravitate toward English classes, what motivated me to declare a major in English. These books are where I first learned empathy, fear, how to mispronounce facade and satyr, what narcolepsy is, the meaning of life. They’ve made me into the person I am today, a person who derives enjoyment from tracing the development of characters in 19th-century British literature and early 2000s middle-grade fantasy alike.

I’m currently TA-ing a course on epics in which we’re comparing the stories of various ancient cultures, stories featuring monsters and demons and magic that have been the study of scholars for centuries. Neither the material nor the work we’re doing with it is taken any less seriously because of the fantastical content that was meant to appeal to all ages, and our discussions reveal the historical and contemporary significance of such works.

Yet something doesn’t need to have hidden depth for us to justifiably enjoy it. It can simply be an escape, and middle grade’s trademark mixture of humor and heart is perfect for that.

I never had an official “Percy Jackson” phase — I was scarred after getting in trouble for reading “The Sea of Monsters” (2006) during class time — but lately I’ve been traversing campus with a spring in my step. My secret?

I’m listening to the series on audiobook, contemplating how the 100-eyed Argus winks — with all eyes but one open, all but one closed, 50-50, somewhere in between? It’s a puzzle that blows the Mike Wazowski debate out of the water, and I’m reminding myself that you can never be too old for this.

JoJo Lee is a sophomore studying English. JoJo can be reached at josephine.lee@tufts.edu.

4 Thursday, March 17, 2022

WEEKENDER

tuftsdaily.com

Alt-pop hot rod Dayglow runs the bedroom pop world

Indie pop artist Dayglow (Sloan Struble) is pictured.

by Michael Friedman and Megan Szostak Staff Writer and Arts Editor

For alt-pop sensation Sloan Struble, aka “Dayglow,” everything is ‘fair game’ when it comes to making music. The 22-year-old singing, songwriting and producing triple threat propelled to virality as a teenager with the release of his debut album “Fuzzybrain” (2018) and has amassed near-

COURTESY POONEH GHANA

ly 7.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify since then. Infectious melodies and colorful harmonies seem to pour out of Struble’s (notso) fuzzy brain and will soon spill onto the Academic Quad in a highly anticipated performance at the university’s Spring Fling concert.

Dayglow is a project: Sloan Struble is the man behind the operation, but he doesn’t perform alone. In a 2018 interview with BLEND Magazine, Struble said, “If

you know who Tame Impala is, the structure of how they work is it’s one guy named Kevin Parker, and he writes and produces everything in his house. [Parker] is the mind behind it and [Tame Impala] tours as a band, so I’m hoping to do that with Dayglow. I wrote and produced it all in my room and played all of the instruments.”

Struble’s childhood bedroom in Aledo, Texas doubled as a recording studio in the production of “Fuzzybrain,” which Struble began writing in 2017.

In an interview with the Daily, Struble shared that he didn’t expect his project to be such a hit.

“I would just make stuff because it was fun,” Struble said.

“And I wasn’t trying to blow up or anything. I wasn’t trying to make a career out of it.”

But his music did blow up.

Despite not being able to read music, Dayglow is becoming a household name, one that is associated with artists such as Mac DeMarco, Logic and Ritt Momney.

“I saw Jack Antonoff [at Corona Capital],” Struble said.

“We were both getting salad.

And it seems like he might have known my music.”

Struble isn’t just a songwriter known by Antonoff; he is a self-proclaimed producer, releasing all of his music from his bedroom, where he wrote, recorded and produced his hit debut album.

His discography expanded in 2021 to include his sophomore album, “Harmony House.”

“I made the music myself, I made the videos myself, I didn’t have a label … I didn’t have managers,” Struble said. “Usually people are backing something, even if the face is one person.

There’s usually a team behind it. And for my situation, it was really weird because I was just completely alone.”

Struble demonstrates in both of his album releases that he thrives at the intersection of genres. He draws inspiration from a variety of artists, and his own music reflects his diverse influences. “Fuzzybrain” plays with the bedroom pop sound with its warm vocals and dreamy soundscapes, whereas “Harmony House,” which has clear 80s synth pop roots, features upbeat dance tunes that would flow well in any yacht rock playlist.

“I feel like the jump from ‘Fuzzybrain’ to ‘Harmony House’ was really different,” Struble said. “But because I’m a producer, I think people will allow me to do whatever I want. … It’s really nice that I can just have the freedom to make whatever I want, and I don’t have a label telling me what to do.”

This artistic freedom will allow Struble to take his next release in yet another direction — New Wave.

“It’s a really good album that I’m really proud of. It’s definitely different than the past two records in a lot of ways,” Struble said. “It’s very dancey.

Kind of as if Passion Pit and Phil Collins and LCD Soundsystem and The 1975 were all in a room together.”

While Struble was unable to share when this album will be released, members of the Tufts community should get ready to hear several of these New Wave tracks at Dayglow’s performance at Tufts this April, where Struble will share the stage with Aminé, Bia and Ella Jane.

“I’m excited; it’s gonna be really fun,” Struble said. “It’s always interesting, getting to play alongside other artists who make different types of music.”

Struble’s Tufts appearance won’t be Dayglow’s first in Boston; he gave an acclaimed performance at the Paradise Rock Club last October. After the regrettable cancellation of his 2020 tour due to COVID19 and an extremely successful U.S. “Harmony House” tour last fall, Dayglow is planning to embark on yet another tour in the coming weeks, with performances in countries including the United Kingdom, France and Australia.

“We’re touring a lot this year, which is gonna be really fun,” Struble said.

While Dayglow may be scoring high on Billboard’s alternative charts, Struble remains down-to-earth and hasn’t lost sight of what it’s all about.

“I really, truly, from the bottom of my heart, love to make music,” Struble said.

Domee Shi’s ‘Turning Red’ is a significant Pixar addition

by Ryan Fairfield Staff Writer

Pixar has become one of the most renowned animation studios of the modern day. Pixar has continuously pushed the boundaries of animation; however, they have been criticized for their lack of diversity. Out of their 25 films, few have centered on female protagonists, and Pixar had only once before featured an Asian lead. With their most recent film, “Turning Red” (2022), Pixar finally brings representation to a community that has been frequently underrepresented in both Pixar and Disney films while also bringing much-needed female representation behind the camera.

“Turning Red” makes Pixar history in more ways than one.

“Turning Red” is the first Pixar feature-length film directed solely by a woman, Domee Shi. The film also features an all-female leadership team, with women holding the titles of producer, visual effects supervisor, production designer and associate producer. Prior to directing “Turning Red,” Shi won an Oscar for her animated short film, “Bao” (2018). In both works, Shi draws on her Asian Canadian

identity for inspiration and succeeds in telling authentic, beautiful films that many members of the Asian community — and outside of it — can connect with.

Simply put, “Turning Red” is a story about a complex mother-daughter relationship. Set in Toronto in 2002, Meilin Lee is the daughter of Ming Lee and has spent all 13 years of her life working to make her parents proud of her and be the perfect daughter.

As Meilin matures, experiences puberty and tries to discover her own identity, she struggles with how her desires conflict with what her mother expects from her.

On top of beginning her teenage years, which is hard enough for anyone, whenever Meilin gets too stressed or excited, she turns into a giant red panda.

The red panda resembles Meilin at her truest self, when she is her most vulnerable, chaotic and emotional. The panda transformation also resembles puberty and how when a young person goes through puberty, they have to work through a mix of uncomfortable changes and situations in order to come to terms with who they are becoming, both physically and emotionally. Pixar films

rarely tackle topics that could make viewers ‘uncomfortable,’ which is why “Turning Red” is refreshing and proves that Pixar is moving in a more open, diverse direction.

Because “Turning Red” is an animated film, every color, shape and movement was meticulously discussed before selection, which leads to a stunning showcase of art and symbolism. While a majority of the characters and settings are ‘chunky cute’ — a term coined by the film’s creators in which everything is shorter and rounder, leading to a more playful atmosphere — Ming Lee defies that artistic style. With broad, sharp shoulders and a slender build, Ming’s power and influence is not to be underestimated, and the juxtaposition between her and Meilin in their scenes together emphasize the power dynamic between them.

The city of Toronto is also animated in a way that feels almost utopian; with vibrant, soft colors, the city appears welcoming and inviting.

When Shi started this film, she was very clear in making her story specific. The exact setting of Toronto in 2002 was chosen by Shi for a reason: It was a nostalgic

period for Shi herself. To stay true to her Canadian roots, Shi drew inspiration for both the animation and voice cast from Canada. Some of Toronto’s iconic landmarks are featured, including the SkyDome and CN Tower, as well as small nods to Toronto that any Toronto native will recognize, such as the Daisy Mart and Meilin riding the Rocket, the nickname given to the trains on Toronto’s transit system.

Shi also paid tribute to Canadians in the cast, as she cast the legendary Asian-Canadian Sandra Oh to voice Ming Lee. Alongside Oh is another Canadian native, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, who is best known for her work on Mindy Kaling’s “Never Have I Ever” (2020–).

The mother-daughter storyline is the heart of “Turning Red” and likely the part most Asian viewers will be able to relate to. The film opens with Meilin saying, “The number one rule in my family: Honor your parents.” This concept of filial piety is still greatly rooted in Chinese culture today.

“Turning Red” works to show that as one grows up and starts to become their own person, their dreams might conflict with their parent’s expectation of them, but one can still honor their parents

and be their true self as long as there is communication and understanding.

“Turning Red” earns its place as a Pixar classic and one of the most groundbreaking Pixar films to date. With animation that feels new to the audience yet maintains the classic Pixar aesthetic alongside an original story that brings attention to an underrepresented group in film, “Turning Red” shows that Pixar is working to be a more innovative studio dedicated to telling new and relatable stories.

COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The promotional poster for “Turning Red” (2022) is pictured.

A r t s & P o p C u lt u r e

Thursday, March 17, 2022 | Arts & Pop Culture | THE TUFTS DAILY

NEWS

Fletcher's split from Russian institutions receives mixed response

5

RaiAnn Bu Micro-Trend of the Week

He was a punk; she did ballet

T

The Ukrainian flag is captured on display in The Fletcher School at Tufts on March 15.

FLETCHER

continued from page 1 The MGIMO Press Office did not respond to the Daily’s request for comment.

In addition to being a highly ranked university, MGIMO is a think tank and feeder to the upper echelons of the Russian Federation Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s minister of foreign affairs, is the chairman of MGIMO’s Board of Trustees.

Tufts is not the first university in the Greater Boston area to join in the chorus of voices denouncing Russia’s aggression and the institutions complicit in it. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced on Feb. 25 that it would end its partnership with the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology. The member page of MGIMO on the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs website has also been taken down, suggesting that the association has also severed its relationship with the Russian university.

Before Fletcher cut ties with MGIMO, Tufts Professor of Political Science Oxana Shevel spoke to the Daily about why the partnership with the Russian university needed to be terminated. Shevel, who is the president of the American Association for Ukrainian Studies, a country expert on Ukraine for Global Citizenship Observatory and an associate of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, said it was a straightforward question of morality whether to continue the relationship in light of the MGIMO administration’s public support of Putin’s war.

“MGIMO — its administration, its deans — are justifying this invasion of Ukraine,” Shevel said. “They’re parroting Russian propaganda, their deans have been on BBC talking about it, justifying the war … the president of the whole university signed an open letter in support of the war. … As far as I look at it, it’s completely morally unacceptable for Tufts to be affiliated with an institution like this.”

She qualified her condemnation of the Fletcher-MGIMO academic partnership with an acknowledgement that many students at MGIMO have spoken out against the war in an open letter, defying the university’s public position.

“That’s not to say that [Fletcher] cannot cooperate in different ways and give a plat-

form to, say, students or occasional faculty in MGIMO who may speak against [the war],” Shevel said.

Before Tuesday, MGIMO students were enrolled jointly with Fletcher students in a course on U.S.-Russia relations taught by Fletcher professor and Co-Director of the Russia and Eurasia Program Chris Miller.

The MGIMO students met virtually with their Fletcher counterparts and collaborated on academic projects. In previous semesters, students enrolled in the joint course have traveled to meet each other in-person as well. In her Tuesday email, Kyte wrote that — effective immediately — MGIMO students would no longer participate in the course.

Sam Bonelli, a second-year Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy candidate at Fletcher enrolled in the U.S.-Russia Relations course, said the decision to sever the Fletcher-MGIMO relationship stifles dialogue between Russia and the U.S. at a critical juncture in global politics.

“While I agree that we cannot in good faith have a relationship with any entity that endorses the war and adamantly denies the harms happening, this decision only supports the Kremlin’s agenda, reinforcing the narrative that the West is trying to strangle Russia,” Bonelli wrote in an email to the Daily. “This course was created in response to deteriorating relations between the West and Russia to foster open dialogue – we cannot end it when dialogue is needed most.”

Bonelli said that Kyte’s announcement email came as a surprise to Fletcher students enrolled in the U.S.-Russia Relations course.

“We had no idea this was happening and we learned at the same time as everyone else,” she wrote. “We had group presentations (groups made up of Fletcher and MGIMO students) scheduled for tomorrow and were completely caught off guard.”

Bonelli believes that the MGIMO students in the course have yet to receive the news in an official capacity, which she thinks reflects poorly on Fletcher and on U.S. dialogue with Russia more generally.

“As far as I know, MGIMO students have not found out about [the end of the Fletcher-MGIMO partnership] in an official capacity,” she wrote. “I can’t help but think about how they

NATALIE BROWNSELL / THE TUFTS DAILY

are feeling and reacting to our abrupt absence.”

Taylor, another Fletcher student enrolled in the U.S.-Russia Relations course who requested that their name be omitted to protect their privacy, echoed Bonelli’s sentiment that ending its collaboration with MGIMO is counterproductive to Fletcher’s mission as a school of law and diplomacy.

“There’s no one that’s going to be affected by this except for everyone in the class,” Taylor said. “It’s not going to do anything other than potentially prevent criticism of [Fletcher], which is my perception of the move.”

Taylor said the joint Fletcher-MGIMO course was valuable for helping Fletcher students gain insights into both the Russian diplomatic perspective and the Russian media landscape as Putin wages war on Ukraine.

They stressed that their disappointment that the class will not move forward jointly with MGIMO students does not equate to an endorsement of Russian aggression.

“No Fletcher students are supportive of Russia’s invasion and none of us were convinced by the narrative of a special military operation in Donbas as they were claiming, which is the Kremlin’s official narrative,” Taylor wrote in an email to the Daily.

The course will move forward with only Fletcher students, but Taylor and Bonelli expect the absence of their MGIMO classmates to significantly weaken the course’s impact.

“What is a U.S.-Russia relations course with only U.S. perspectives?” Bonelli said.

Fletcher also terminated its academic partnership with HSE University. The partnership previously consisted of a joint course titled International Environmental Law, co-taught by Visiting Fletcher Professor David Wirth and HSE University Professor Daria Boklan and available to both Fletcher and HSE University students.

“Fletcher’s relationship with the Higher School of Economics has ended this month and we have given notice to them that we are not renewing the agreement at this time,” Schwartz wrote.

Kyte did not mention the end of Fletcher’s relationship with HSE University in her March 15 email to Fletcher students and faculty.

Ty Blitstein contributed reporting to this article.

he ballet platform has become one of the most coveted new shoes of the season, featured on the runway by designers such as Simone Rocha, Miu Miu, Comme des Garçons and Cecilie Bahnsen. The style has surely begun to make its way into the closet of TikTok influencers, capitalizing off of the ephemerality of the trend. However, this does not discount the history and creativity of asking what would have happened if she didn’t say ‘see u l8ter boi.’

The ballet platform blends two fashion subcultures: the hard, punk stylings with classic, soft aesthetics of dance wear, resulting in a multiple-inch-high ballet shoe that is often duetted with long straps or buckles imitating ribbons on a ballet shoe.

Retrospectively, we can see the punk subculture as one of the most influential styles on current trends. Within the past five years, we’ve seen revivals of staple punk fashion pieces featured in current trends such as the Vivienne Westwood resurgence, slip dresses, corsetry, DIY fashion, gender-neutral wear and most popularly, platforms. Curiously, there hasn’t been an overall nostalgia for punk and alternative styles, with each trend seemingly independent of each other.

The classical ballet flat has fallen victim to the ‘platformarization’ of 2022, with every shoe pumped to the heights of an orthopedic nightmare. Its pervasive influence has refitted boots with a platform and stretched to reinterpret more sacred silhouettes like the Crocs platforms or the upcoming Air Jordan 1 platforms. Even sneakerheads aren’t safe.

On the other hand, ballet as a clothing aesthetic is more recent. With its rise attributed to a desire for more formal loungewear during the pandemic, ballet wear has slowly eased us back into our yoga pants, now titled ‘flared leggings,’ and skin-tight bodysuits.

Ballet culture has always been marked as the pinnacle of femininity, with ballerinas exemplifying a beauty standard of grace, elegance, youth and thinness. This makes ballet culture an obvious muse for fashion, inspired by artistic performance.

However, something notable about both subgroups is their history of exclusion. Ballet has been one of the biggest perpetrators of fatphobia and racism, exclusively featuring one thin, white prototype. Ballet pushes the narrative of a precarious image of thinness and conformity over diversity. This has resulted in numerous stories of abuse within ballet companies resulting in eating disorders, discrimination and assault.

Likewise, the punk community has also been historically white despite its inherent culture of rebellion — a significant action for many oppressed non-white groups. This disconnect is possibly due to the optics; a white person challenging the status quo is exceptional, whereas a Black person challenging the norm is simply existing. The punk community builds off of an intentional anti establishment sentiment which often does not cater to people of color. Furthermore, neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups have long been sections of the punk community, discouraging interest among people of color.

As we draw inspiration from older styles and niches, it is important to remember what the audiences of these aesthetics represented and encourage a reinterpretation inclusive of all bodies and races.

4/10. Definitely a fan of the premise, but I would rather buy a classic loafer.

RaiAnn Bu is a sophomore studying community health. RaiAnn can be reached at raiann.bu@tufts.edu.

6

THE TUFTS DAILY | Arts & Pop Culture | Thursday, March 17, 2022

F& G

tuftsdaily.com LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY

A r t s & P o p C u lt u r e

SUDOKU

Mac: “I’m afraid my haircut makes me look like Manny the Mammoth from Ice Age.”

LINDA C. BLACK ASTROLOGY

Pisces (Feb. 19–March 20) Adjust to changes. Reach a Full Moon turning point with a partnership. Compromise and collaborate for shared commitments. Adapt for new solutions. Love strengthens foundations.

SEARCHING FOR HEADLINES...

Difficulty Level: The 8 a.m. SMFA shuttle.

Wednesday’s Solutions

CROSSWORD

tuftsdaily.com

Opinion VIEWPOINT

The Point of No Return: Why the Amazon should be a priority

by Henry Murray Staff Writer

The destruction of the Amazon rainforest has been profound and consistent over the last several decades, but in the last few years it has drastically accelerated and is nearing a critical point. As we have seen little progress from conservation efforts, our only hope has been that the rainforest can rebound on its own, but research is showing that this will not always be the case. The damage to the Amazon is making it more susceptible to and less equipped to recover from environmentally damaging events and activities like droughts, logging and fires. The changes to the rainforest are becoming irreversible.

As humans, our responsibility for climate change should not be up for debate.

There exists mounting and irrefutable evidence demonstrating how anthropogenic carbon emissions since the industrial revolution have warmed our planet. Yet, there are still people who want to attribute global warming to so-called natural changes in the climate and other unfounded theories.

While these people may continue refusing to accept the blame and eschewing their responsibility to do something about it, no one can refute our responsibility for transforming the dense, lively Amazon rainforest into a barren, grassy savanna.

This is a significant point in the movement for increased environmental efforts, and we should focus on this rainforest not only because of our undeniable responsibility

but also because of the inevitable global impact that will arise from losing that ecosystem. We, as humans, currently have the chance to prevent a large-scale physical impact on the Earth.

Greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide sit in our atmosphere and trap radiation, heating the Earth. The deforestation of the rainforest releases a striking amount of carbon dioxide into the air.

A healthy Amazon can store carbon in its trees and soil, but if we damage the ecosystem, we will release 90 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the air. If the world wants to reach a state of carbon neutrality, the Amazon is one of the best assets right now, but it could become one of the biggest adversaries.

The policies of world leaders have always shaped the capabilities and progress of environmental movements.

Given his ambitious promises to prioritize environmental issues, Joe Biden’s election should give us hope that the U.S. will reestablish itself as a global leader in conservation efforts. While this will help, as Biden has offered to contribute billions of dollars to help maintain the Amazon, we first need to solve the problem in the home of the Amazon. Jair Bolsonaro took power in Brazil in 2019, and, since then, the rate of destruction to the rainforest has increased dramatically, with an over 40% increase of forest fires and deforestation having occurred over the past three years. Brazil’s president

severely weakened the government’s ability to prevent and respond to logging and other illegal activities damaging the Amazon. Norway and Germany also put together the Amazon Fund to help Brazil in its conservation efforts, but they revoked the money, rightfully so, after observing Bolsonaro’s practices. Fortunately, Bolsonaro’s unethical rule may soon come to an end. Brazil will hold its presidential election in October 2022. Currently, Bolsonaro’s competitor, former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, is leading the polls. We can hope that if da Silva were to win, he would make the Amazon one of his priorities and reinvigorate the effort to save it by working with Joe Biden and other foreign leaders to get the funding back.

The Amazon should be the number one priority right now in the fight against climate change. While policymakers argue about how much money to put where, stalling efforts to implement protective policies and failing to adequately push for the implementation of renewable energy technology, we should focus first on saving the vast area of natural infrastructure for removing carbon dioxide from the air and storing it. We are nearing the point where our selfish actions and negligence could make an irreversible impact on our planet, and we are past the point where we can continue to ignore our responsibility to act.

7 Thursday, March 17, 2022

Natalie Brownsell Blue, Brown & Green

It’s time to unplug — literally

O

f the 92.9 quadrillion British thermal units of energy consumed by the U.S. in 2020, 62.3 quads were considered “rejected energy” by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This means that more than two-thirds of the energy consumed in the U.S. in 2020 was released into the environment — mostly as heat — and provided no economic or societal benefit at all. In other words, over twothirds of all energy consumed in 2020 was wasted. This waste comes from inefficiencies in technology that allow energy to be lost as heat while converting one form of energy into another or while running technology.

These numbers are concerning, but the situation is made even more distressing by the fact that these numbers do not account for energy that was actually used but wasn’t necessary. This means that out of the 30.6 quads of energy that were actually used, not even all of that energy was truly needed. For how much energy gets lost along the way to power buildings across the U.S., that makes every bit of energy that was used unnecessarily that much more wasteful and significant.

Energy waste and unnecessary energy consumption are massive issues. Energy needs cost both the U.S. and individuals large amounts of money every year, yet much of the energy we pay for is still going to waste. This is an area of global impact that we have a unique ability to control, because much of it is dictated by and centered around our choices. Making the choice to drive a more energy-efficient car, to turn off the lights and to close the window before you leave the room are all impactful actions that reduce needless energy waste. Pro-efficiency choices like installing better insulation or switching to LED lightbulbs are also things we have control over that cut down on energy waste and needless use.

According to the Office of Sustainability’s “Data Dashboard,” Tufts consumed 0.86 million Btu of energy in 2020. Every light switch turned on, every window left open and every long shower contributed to this large number. Energy waste is all around us in our everyday lives, and a significant part of it stems from individuals’ actions.

Transportation accounted for most of petroleum-based energy consumption in the U.S. in 2020. That means the planes, cars, trucks, buses and trains we all use constantly to get from A to B were the number one culprit for petroleum energy use. Worse still, almost 80% of this energy was “rejected.”

As we all enjoy spring break next week, I urge you to consider and appreciate the energy being consumed as you travel.

Keep in mind that how you travel impacts not only how much energy is used but also how much is rejected. More than this, remember to turn off and unplug electronics and appliances before leaving to prevent needless energy use while you’re away and contribute to reducing Tufts’ energy usage, choice by choice.

Natalie Brownsell is a sophomore studying applied environmental studies. Natalie can be reached at natalie.brownsell@tufts.edu.

SPORTS

8 Thursday, March 17, 2022

tuftsdaily.com

Jaidyn Appel, Lia Rotti win individual national championships in track and field

by Arielle Weinstein

Assistant Sports Editor

Tufts women’s indoor track and field team performed extremely well in the NCAA Division III Championships this past weekend.

With four athletes competing in separate events, the team accrued 20 points all together, enough for an eighth place overall finish. Two Jumbos won individual national championships in their respective events, with junior Jaidyn Appel winning the high jump and junior Lia Rotti winning the triple jump.

The meet started off with two Tufts athletes competing in their respective events on Friday.

First-year Sarah Firth participated in the pole vault championships after coming in third place at the New England Div. III Championships. She managed to clear a height of 3.70 meters on her third attempt, but did not clear successfully at 3.75 meters. The 3.70 meters was enough for 11th place overall, and second among NESCAC competitors. Firth’s personal best vault was at a height of 3.87 meters earlier in the season but couldn’t quite manage to equal that during the meet. The winning jump was at 3.95 meters from Meghan Matheny of Ithaca College.

The next Jumbo to compete was senior co-captain Hannah Neilon. She ran in the 800-meter preliminaries on Friday, coming in 10th. The top eight times qualified for the finals, and Neilon was just .27 seconds off of the mark with a time of 2:14.24. She placed third among the NESCAC runners. Her personal best was a time of 2:12.12 in 2021, and she qualified for the NCAA Championships with a time of 2:13.92.

In terms of their seasons overall, both Neilon and Firth competed very well at the championship meet.

The Jumbos experienced a lot more success on Saturday

Timothy Valk The Wraparound

NHL trade deadline edition

N

o matter where teams are in the standings, the NHL trade deadline is a pivotal point in the season. Top contenders have a chance to add the final piece to the puzzle that is their roster, while bottom feeders can stockpile draft picks and prospects to fuel their rebuilds. Some general managers look at the deadline as a great opportunity to patch holes while others, like Carolina’s Don Waddell, see it as “one of the most dangerous days in hockey”.

Late February is normally when the final transaction buzzer

Junior Jaidyn Appel is pictured competing at the NCAA Division III National Championships.

COURTESY HANNAH NEILON

through Rotti and Appel’s stellar performances.

Rotti, an athlete who participates in a wide range of events, qualified for the NCAA Championships in the triple jump by winning the New England Div. III Championships with a personal best 11.96 meter

jump. This put her as the No. 8 seed entering the championships.

With six attempts to score the longest jump, Rotti’s first two jumps were already over her personal best, at 12.03 meters and 12.00 meters, respectively. With two jumps remaining, Rotti found her-

self in second place behind Jasmine Claunch of Centre College. On her next jump, Rotti mustered an incredible 12.40 meter jump, surpassing Claunch to take first place.

“I think that PR that came out on my fifth jump was really in response to realizing that I had to step up and

rings, but this year’s deadline falls on Monday, March 21 at 3 p.m.

Eastern Standard Time. It’s been a season of surprisingly few roster exchanges to date — Tyler Toffoli to the Flames being the lone major one — but the action is bound to pick up as the date draws nearer.

So with that, let’s take a look at the news, rumors and speculation that have been bubbling up around the NHL.

is undoubtedly the cordon bleu. The Panthers, Bruins, Rangers and Avalanche are all rumored to have eyes on Giroux, who will fetch no less than a first round pick and top prospect.

The San Jose Sharks and general manager Doug Wilson have a decision to make on center Tomáš Hertl. The silky-smooth goal scorer is a pending unrestricted free agent, and the bottoming Sharks could certainly pick up a haul if they moved him.

Wilson’s desire to keep Hertl has him walking the fine line between contract and trade negotiations.

If there’s one wild-card team to watch on Monday it’s the Dallas Stars, who must make a decision on the fate of Swedish defenseman John Klingberg

amid its bid to make the postseason.

General manager Jim Nill already extended veteran forward Joe Pavelski, but whether the Stars will be buyers or sellers is yet to be seen.

North of the border, there’s increasing angst between the pipes.

Toronto’s Petr Mrázek has struggled mightily with starter Jack Campbell injured, and the Oilers’ Smith-Koskinen tandem wore out its welcome long ago. Ottawa’s Anton Forsberg and Arizona’s Karel Vejmelka highlight the slim pickings of goaltenders on the block.

Nearly all the top teams have next-to-zero salary cap space, making transactions harder to execute.

Look for the have-nots of the league to help facilitate

1.

2.

After a few weeks of dead phone lines, the first domino fell on March 14, with Anaheim trading defensive defenseman Josh Manson to the Colorado Avalanche for second round pick and prospect Drew Helleson.

While there may not be a true “big fish” target on the market like in past years with Kevin Shattenkirk, Matt Duchene and Taylor Hall, Flyers captain Claude Giroux

3.

4.

5.

6.

do something or else I would lose the championship,” Rotti said.

When Claunch couldn’t respond on her final two jumps, Rotti was crowned the national champion. Her 12.40 meter jump, not only a lofty personal best, set a new school record by .20 meters.

Appel participated in the high jump later in the day on Saturday. Entering the championships, she was No. 2 behind Breya Christopher of Wartburg College. “[Christopher] has kind of been … looking a little bit better than me this year in terms of just jumping higher, but I know that I’m someone who can use the energy of a big meet to get better,” Appel said.

She cleared the first six jumps on her first attempts, putting her in a one-on-one battle with Christopher for the title. On her third and final attempt at 1.76 meters, Appel cleared the bar.

Christopher missed on her three attempts at 1.76 meters, and Appel won the championship.

The title winning jump set a new personal best for Appel, whose previous personal record was 1.73 meters last season. With the win, she became the first woman to win a high jump championship in Tufts history.

Rotti and Appel earned 10 points each for their respective wins, giving the team a total of 20 points. This put them in eighth place overall, securing a second consecutive top 10 finish for the Jumbos at the NCAA Championships.

Track and field will look to build off of this momentum as the team heads into the outdoor season.

“We had lots of people step up, particularly in New Englands … and we came very close to winning,” Rotti said. “I think that going into the outdoor [season] that puts us in a very good place.”

7.

trades by taking on lucrative contracts.

As Waddell alludes to, the deadline can put organizations in deep trouble down the road. Of the 16 teams that will compete in the playoffs, only one wins the cup, meaning the overwhelming majority of additions will go for naught. But teams won’t stop searching for their own Blake Coleman or Barclay Goodrow: two deadline pickups by the Lightning that played major parts in their back-to-back Stanley Cup runs.

Enjoy Monday’s blockbuster trades and all the action in the coming week!

Timothy Valk is a sophomore studying quantitative economics. Timothy can be reached at timothy.valk@tufts.edu.