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Davis Square Neighborhood Council hosts learning session on development, zoning and transparency

Jake Ren Staff Writer

The Davis Square Neighborhood Council hosted a co-learning session in the Joyce Cummings Center on Monday for community members to educate each other on the inner workings of development and zoning in Davis Square and the leverage residents have over such changes.

Zoë Fahy, a master’s student in urban planning, began the meeting by explaining the purpose of the co-learning session.

“The main reason we’re here is I think it would be really great in general if more people knew about zoning,” Fahy explained. “I think zoning and developing an understanding of how neighborhoods get shaped puts residents in a totally different position, right? It’s very empowering to know how things work.”

Before explaining the process behind individual development

projects, Fahy broadened the scope to discuss existing longterm plans for Davis Square. There are currently two city-created master plans for Davis Square: SomerVision 2040 and the Davis Square Commercial Area Plan, which focuses solely on Davis Square.

The Davis Square Commercial Area Plan lays out

IN SPORTS Tufts falls to Bates on Homecoming night

Max Druckman Senior Staff Writer

“It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” It may be a cliché, but that designation doesn’t make it any less true. Bates’ football team certainly found themselves following Yogi Berra’s words of wisdom as they stormed back to score twice in the fourth quarter and steal a Homecoming victory from Tufts.

Despite the result, it was special to see the Jumbo students and alumni out in full force.

“It’s always fun to play in front of your alumni and home crowd. Night games are always the best. The crowd was great,” senior linebacker Jeff Xu wrote in a message to the Daily.

Amid the tailgating and afternoon celebrations, the Jumbos set out to defeat the Bobcats for a fourth straight time. The Jumbos wasted no time getting on the board, taking their opening drive to the house after just four plays. The

four-play, 72-yard march was punctuated by a 42-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Hudson Weidman to sophomore wide receiver Keller Rogers.

“It’s always good to have a fast start,” Xu wrote. “I loved seeing our offense play this weekend.”

After three straight drives resulting in punts, Tufts’ junior quarterback Justin Keller had a pass picked off by Bates defensive back Samuel Christopher. The turnover set in motion Bates’ first touchdown drive of the game. Spearheaded by running back Ryan Lynskey, the Bobcats tied the game when wide receiver Matthew Holmes hauled in a 9-yard pass from quarterback Jack Perry. After getting the ball back from a Jumbo three-and-out, Perry connected on a 36-yard completion to set the Bobcats up within the red zone before

three primary goals: increasing accessibility and mobility on streets, updating traffic and pedestrian safety and improving public spaces.

Fahy noted that progress on the plan lacks clarity. She recalled struggling to find a reliable way to determine its status online.

see DSNC, page 2

IN FEATURES Should I blame Hinge for killing my rom-com dreams?

I will admit it — I have always been a hopeless romantic. Despite what the data says about fewer young people having romantic relationships, or the fact that dating apps make finding a connection as simple as a tap, I will forever be waiting for that moment of bumping into the person of my dreams on the T — or for Hugh Grant to spill orange juice on my white shirt like in “Notting Hill” (1999). Coming from a boarding school with only 240 total students, I was exhilarated by the thought of coming to Tufts: a campus brimming with students my age and endless opportunities for a ‘meet-cute’ — a chance encounter — in the hallway or the Kindlevan Café line. Which is why I felt surprised, even betrayed, upon discovering so many of my new college friends

were meeting their partners not in classrooms, dining halls or student band concerts, but on dating apps. Returning this year as a sophomore, three of my close friends were in committed relationships that began on Hinge.

Why, I wondered, when literally surrounded by other young people, would students turn to their phones for love — leaning on apps that I thought were reserved for millennials and my mother’s middle-aged divorcee friends? Has the landscape of romance transformed from what Meg Ryan advertised? Are meet-cutes dead — and are dating apps the future?

Statistically, dating has declined for Gen Z. According to the Survey Center on American Life, only 56% of Gen Z respondents dated during their teenage years — the lowest among

see HINGE, page 4

Sera Kwon Assistant Features Editor

STELLA JEONG / THE TUFTS DAILY

The Burren, a popular Irish pub in Davis Square, is pictured on Feb. 4.

PHOTOS BY: STELLA JEONG AND DOMINIC MATOS

Somerville residents air grievances on Davis Square public safety, homelessness at annual meeting

Originally published Oct. 10.

The city of Somerville hosted a meeting on Oct. 6 to discuss public safety and homelessness in the Davis Square and Seven Hills area. Residents continued to express concerns and frustrations despite city officials outlining steps they have taken to address the issue.

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne provided an update on the city’s efforts, with representatives from the mayor’s office, the Police Department and Health and Human Services Department responding to frequently asked questions. Residents then had the opportunity to address officials directly.

Ballantyne distinguished criminalizing homelessness — which she called “inhumane” — and maintaining a zero-tolerance policy for crime and violence. She said the city relies on evidence-based, data-tested strategies for addressing homelessness and public safety in order to connect unhoused individuals with housing and essential services.

“Everything we do is designed to help people out of the cycle of homelessness and to serve our full community,” Ballantyne said. “We operate with the core of compassion for all our residents, but not for harmful behavior.”

Ballantyne noted that addressing homelessness has become increasingly difficult amid rising unhoused populations both nationally and in Massachusetts. She added that federal funding cuts have worsened the situation.

The closing of a Cambridge overnight homeless shelter due to a lack of federal funding led to an influx of homeless individuals in Somerville, according to Ballantyne.

A pending lawsuit filed by Somerville residents against the expansion of a federally funded, 10-bed shelter on Chapel Street, run by the Somerville Homelessness Coalition, has further complicated city efforts.

“I note that that’s close to the number we tend to see sleeping overnight in Davis Square lately,” Ballantyne said.

She said the city had expanded efforts in Davis Square, including supporting the nonprofit Somerville Homeless Coalition and deploying community health outreach workers.

Karin Carroll, Somerville health and human services director, described the department’s “housing first” approach, which connects individuals to housing and supportive services, and emphasized its partnership with the Somerville Homelessness Coalition.

James Donovan, deputy chief of police, said that the Somerville Police Department has increased its presence and outreach in Davis Square, including a 100% increase in direct patrols and a 325% increase in park walk-and-talks.

Steve Craig, director of constituent services, noted that Somerville is “the first city in the nation to roll out a dual sharp disposal container” for needles, syringes and sharps.

Nikki Spencer, Ballantyne’s chief of staff, affirmed the city’s policy against sweeps of homeless encampments, calling them harmful and ineffective.

“Counterintuitively … [sweeps] can prolong homelessness,” she said.

Donovan reiterated the department’s strict no-tolerance policy for drug dealing but acknowledged that arresting individuals for drug possession is not always effective.

“When we do make arrests for drug possession, it’s been our experience that the courthouse doesn’t have a lot of tolerance,” Donavan said. “Most times, by the time the officer is done with their report, the person is released.”

Many residents claimed they have not seen tangible impacts of the city’s efforts.

“What you’re talking about doing here is not generating the results that you say it is,” one resident said. “I think the tone of this meeting has been completely tone-deaf and self-congratulatory.” His statement was followed by applause.

Several residents raised concerns about a lack of enforcement, saying police officers have told them the mayor “ties their hands” when it comes to enforcing drug possession laws in Davis Square.

“I understand that being homeless is not a crime, but …

how many people have been arrested for drug possession in the city?” one resident asked.

Donovan said that the law is being enforced, noting that 14 arrests have been made since June, including two on the evening of the meeting.

“I’ve never been told by any administration — again, 25 years in the Police Department — not to enforce any criminal laws,” Donavan added.

Ballantyne pushed back on some residents, saying they were sharing opinions rather than facts.

“The opinion and your ideas are your own,” Ballantyne said. “You will have a new mayor, they’re both here, and you can ask them what their new plans are for next year.”

She asked the two mayoral candidates who defeated her in the September preliminary election, Councilors Jake Wilson and Willie Burnley Jr., to comment. Wilson said he preferred not to turn the meeting into a campaign event, while Burnley Jr. briefly mentioned plans to use a new law and the Municipal and Industrial Financing Authority to help address the issue.

Plans for the Burren discussed at the DSNC meeting

development and the council’s potential role in negotiations.

“There’s an opaqueness sometimes with these planning documents where it’s articulating, ‘This is a policy goal,’ or, ‘We need to make things safer,’ but it’s really unclear,” Fahy said.

The council is applying to become a fully formed nonprofit organization, which would allow it more leverage at the negotiating table.

“The City of Somerville has an ordinance that allows neighborhood councils to exist as democratically elected representative organizations in the city,” Elaine, the president of the council, explained. “We can create bylaws, file them with the City Council, and if the City Council approves [them], we get the ability to negotiate community benefits agreements with development happening in our geographic area.”

During the meeting, attendees asked clarifying questions and expressed concerns regarding

David Booth, a Somerville resident, raised concerns about whether having the neighborhood council negotiate with developers would only lengthen negotiations that only larger developers could afford.

“It seems like it would probably disadvantage smaller developers that don’t have the resources to negotiate for like 12 to 18 months with the neighborhood council,” Booth said.

A representative from the Union Square Neighborhood Council explained that smaller developers are not automatically at a disadvantage.

“Often developers will tell you, ‘Oh, it took us 18 months or two years; the [DSNC] forced us to do this and everything.’ A lot of times it’s actually the other way around. We want to move, and they don’t want to,” she said.

She explained that larger projects may actually face more challenges because they require greater amendments to zoning in order to proceed.

“The bigger the project, the more they need in terms of the change in zoning — the more power you have as a council, as a community,” she said.

After Fahy explained the life cycle of a development project and the importance of residents getting involved as early as possible, a resident named Sue expressed confusion about how to track a project’s current stage.

“How is it that the broader community learns about the pre-application phase, and then how does the broader community then stay apprised of where a development review is along this continuum?” she asked.

Fahy and members of the audience provided three answers: attend DSNC meetings and sign up for its newsletters, review the city calendar on the Somerville government website and subscribe to city officials’ newsletters, which review ongoing projects in Somerville.

The audience then split into small groups to discuss particular concerns about points

raised in the meeting as well as hopes for future development, before reconvening to share their ideas.

The Burren is slated to close for the duration of construction on the 500-unit Copper Mill development on Elm Street. This remains a point of concern for residents and has been raised in Davis Square Neighborhood Council meetings in the months since the project’s proposal.

To address a lack of transparency in development projects such as Copper Mill, one group suggested setting up bulletin boards outside the project site so residents could view proposed plans and participate in the public comment process.

“The building with the Burren in it should have a big spread that shows this is what’s planned,” one attendee said. “This is when the next board meeting is for the Davis Square Council; this is when the next zoning meeting is; this is the city councilor you’d contact; this is the board email address to contact.”

DSNC continued from the front

Anika Parr Deputy News Editor

STELLA JEONG / THE TUFTS DAILY

Davis Square is pictured on Nov. 14, 2024.

CARE introduces Community Integrity Program

Joseph Assistant News Editor and Contributing Writer

Originally published Oct. 15.

This year, Tufts’ Center for Awareness, Resources and Education is rolling out the CARE Community Integrity Program, an educational initiative geared toward helping students who have caused, or are concerned about causing, harm to another member or group in their community. CCIP is a revised version of the national Science-based Treatment, Accountability and Risk Reduction for Sexual Assault program, which was created for people found in violation of sexual misconduct law, opting for a more personalized approach.

CARE Director Alexandra Donovan was trained for the program last year and currently has 10 students going through it.

“[CCIP] is coming out of this real need that people have [who think]: ‘I’m getting either a vibe that people are thinking I’m weird, or I don’t know how to go to a social [event] or to a party. I don’t know what I would do. It’s freaking me out,’” Donovan said. “So it’s not that they are about to commit sexual misconduct, but they’re getting feelings like, ‘I don’t know how to do this.’”

The program is designed for both students who have gone through the Tufts Office of Equal Opportunity programming and are found in violation, as well as self-selecting students who want the educational help of CCIP.

These students are being referred to the program either by themselves, peers or possibly a leader in a student organization they are a part of.

“What we’re seeing is that people [who] don’t want to report to OEO but want some education for the person that did what they did, we’re finding that middle ground of here’s something that we can offer,” Donovan said.

Although the CCIP curriculum is based off of a national program, it has been altered significantly to provide a more specialized education that aligns with Tufts’ values.

CARE’s ongoing updates aim to reflect its mission of supporting the Tufts community. This year, CARE worked to lower the cost of the sexual health vending machines items, providing a more affordable option for products such as Plan B, which is now $9, compared to CVS where it is sold for around $50.

“The vending machine, we want that to be the lowest cost it can possibly be,” Donovan said. Their efforts have seen significant results — with Health Services reporting around a 90% reduction in students seeking Plan B according to Donavan. She said most opt for the accessibility of the vending machines instead.

For senior Kelly Jimenez, a co-lead coordinator of the Sex Health Reps program, this change is about more than convenience.

“I’m really happy that we found a way to be able to bring the prices down,” Jimenez said.

“I really hope that it’ll just make it more accessible to more people and help more people get the supplies they need to make sure that they can be safe and have fun.”

CARE has also expanded their outreach initiatives this year. The long-running “Sexy Sips” podcast, created to answer questions about relationships, consent and sexual health, is being expanded to YouTube in order to reach a broader audience.

“We’re all super excited about the move to video,” Jimenez said. “Podcasts [can] do better on YouTube … and I think it would help to give a face to SHR even further than, like, the ‘Hump Days’ and the social media posts that we already do.”

Beyond the recent changes to improve accessibility for students, the center is also developing a new consent training,

reshaping its approach to consent education based on the feedback from the SHR.

“The consent training is a new training for the Sex Health Reps,” Donovan explained. “They spent a whole semester thinking it through, focus grouping it and trying to find out what works and what resonates.”

Dom Balise, a senior and social media coordinator for SHR who was part of the review process, believes the new training could make a lasting impact.

“I think it’s really smart,” Balise said. “As much as we try to educate people through our events and social media and podcasts, trainings could definitely be even more impactful.”

For SHR member and sophomore Abheri Basak, the project reflects the larger mission of CARE and her own personal motivation for being part of SHR.

“My biggest thing when I joined Sex Health Reps was, I wanted to raise awareness about consent,” Basak said. “People know that consent is really important, but still it gets lost when you’re actually in those situations. So I feel like having more formal training for students might be more helpful.”

Together, the new initiatives reflect CARE’s commitment to abiding by its student-centered mission. Donovan emphasized that CARE is always adapting to meet students’ needs, staying true to the student call from which it was founded in 2014, in response to the advocacy for improved sex education and resources that would be able to support the students.

“We are here to serve students,” Donovan said. “And if we’re not serving students, that’s so very important for us to know.”

Updates to Medford linkage exaction program pass Massachusetts House of Representatives

Originally published Oct. 15.

The Massachusetts House of Representatives approved updates to Medford’s linkage exaction program, which enables the city to charge developers fees to offset the cost of public infrastructure improvements, sending the bill to the State Senate.

“With these updates, we’ll be better positioned to meet our funding needs and continue providing the vital services and community resources our residents rely on,” Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn wrote in a statement to the Daily.

The changes were introduced to the state legislature via

home rule petition, which, in Massachusetts, is a request from a city to the state legislature for passage of a special law granting the city authority to act beyond their typical local powers.

Medford has designed linkage revenue to be funneled into four categories: police and fire, water and sewer, roads and parks. The current linkage fee schedule charges developers a fee per unit in residential projects, per room in hotels and per 1,000 square feet gross floor area in commercial buildings. Industrial projects and office buildings are also charged linkage fees.

The petition outlines two major changes to the linkage program, which has not been

modified since its adoption in 1990. First, it would increase the number of years between reviews of exaction levels from three to 10. Although reviews every three years were required in the original 1990 special act, they have never been conducted by Medford.

Second, it would adjust fees over time based on the Consumer Price Index, tying them to inflation and raising them incrementally from the 1990s levels. Medford City Councilor Matt Leming explained that because Medford has not been completing reviews of the fees every three years, the linkage revenue the city is getting right now is unduly low.

“The linkage amounts that we have right now are the exact same ones that we had in 1990 and they are between one-half and one-third as valuable, due to the effects of inflation, today as they were back then,” Lemming said. “We’re charging way too little right now.”

Leming said reviews of the fees are important because they determine how much the city should be charging developers.

“If you ended up charging developers too little, which we do now, then you don’t have enough money to actually update the infrastructure,” he said. “If you end up charging them too much,

then developers will just never do anything, because it’s too expensive.”

Leming added that reviews, conducted with the help of outside firms, are additionally vital so developers will not have cause to challenge the fees in court and get them thrown out.

The city is also exploring the possibility of adding affordable housing as a fifth linkage fee revenue bucket to finance the Affordable Housing Trust, which was created in 2023. A 2024 City Council resolution supporting this idea says that “there is a need for long-term, sustainable revenue streams to fund this Trust.”

The linkage program, particularly after updated fees are calculated, allows the city to receive increased revenue and keep the government working amid budget concerns that led to a tax override being passed last November by residents for Medford schools. Although linkage does not fund schools, increased revenue for other city services could dispel fears over the city’s lack of funds.

“Linkage fees are extremely helpful to our core community services and open spaces,” Lungo-Koehn wrote. “As the City works to update these fees and create a new revenue stream for affordable housing, this home rule petition represents a critical step forward.”

State Rep. Paul Donato, who represents Medford and sponsored the Home Rule Petition in the State Senate, said updates to the linkage program were an opportunity for the city to shield itself from changes at the federal level.

“I was passionate about the fact that the linkage program will allow additional funds at a time when we need as many funds as we can because of what’s going on at the federal government,” Donato said.

Leming said previous progress on updating linkage fees likely stalled due to a lack of willingness to go through the state legislature. However, he pushed discussions forward out of a desire to improve a program that has long been stagnant.

“This is basically a municipal tool that has been allowed to have just been collecting dust for many years,” he said. “It is pretty important because it’ll allow us to get more money to fix up our roads, for our police and fire departments. I’m trying to use it as a mechanism to fund affordable housing, which we really need more of in the city.”

A third and final reading of the Home Rule Petition was passed by the House of Representatives on Sept. 22 and was read in the Senate on Sept. 25.

Amelia Sammons and Neveah

JAMIE SONG / THE TUFTS DAILY

The outside of the Tufts University CARE Office is pictured on Sept. 30.

Julian Glickman Deputy News Editor

VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The chambers of the Massachusetts House of Representatives are pictured.

FEATURES

What’s the down-low on dating apps in college?

HINGE continued from the front

millennials (69%), Gen X (76%) and baby boomers (78%). For those still interested, many turn to dating apps for convenience.

“It’s really easy,” senior John Cha said. “It’s also difficult to meet someone outside of an app now, because I think there are a lot of people that, just in general, socially, spend more of their time online.”

In an anonymous survey of Tufts students, over 40% reported that they actively use dating apps. But many students do not download the apps chasing “the one.” Instead, they use them first for entertainment.

“I was at this party … and my friend pulled up Bumble on his phone and projected it to the TV screen, and we started playing the dating app game and swiping,” Cha said.

However, Cha downloaded Tinder soon after the party, and two weeks later, he matched with the girl who would eventually become his girlfriend.

Sophomore Riya Chandra agreed with Cha’s assessments of Hinge. Like other platforms, these apps are built to keep users scrolling.

“Scrolling on Hinge [feels] the same as scrolling on Instagram or TikTok,” Chandra said.

“It has to be designed for them to make money,” Cha said. “And the best way for them to make money is to keep people on the apps. … It’s like social media and addicting in any other type of way.”

Perhaps finding love, like many things today, has turned into another commodity mediated by our phones. But is that always bad? For a dating app to keep people hooked, it can’t boast a 100% success rate, but it still needs a real draw. What are those benefits? For one, the screen can soften the scarier parts of flirting.

“It’s like if you have a couple of drinks — you can tell you’re getting a little bit more social,” Cha said.

It’s easy to be ‘smooth’ behind a screen; you can workshop a witty line and send it when you are ready. Face to face is often different. In an anonymous survey response, one student wrote: “I was all sly on the apps, then in person I turned non verbal. She invited me to sit on her bed and I had one a-- cheek on, one off, literally as far as possible from her on the bed. We met at 9 pm and were done by 9:45, with her saying she was tired.”

Second, the apps can lower certain social risks. Asking someone out has always carried stakes; Mr. Darcy was certainly trembling before confessing, “You have bewitched me body and soul,” in Jane Austen’s iconic “Pride and Prejudice.” But today, the risk can feel amplified with group chats and social media.

“I think it can be really scary to approach people,” sophomore Kalen Lauring said. “There’s a really big risk … of getting made fun of. You know when you ask someone out and they say, ‘No,’ there’s a high chance they text all of their friends.”

Online, the “no” lands softer, and it helps that mutual interest is often pre-screened. As Cha put it, “It’s comforting and very easy if you meet someone in the context where you know that they’re also looking for something.”

According to Chandra, Hinge also addresses potential issues with access and inclusion.

“[Dating apps levels] the playing field,” Chandra said. “If you’re in college, sometimes it feels like you have to be super extroverted to actually talk to a guy, meet a guy. … Being on Hinge gives everyone a chance, no matter who you’re friends with or if you go to parties or not.”

And then there are concerns with privacy — especially on a small campus like Tufts. Junior Will Miller, who also met his girlfriend on a dating app, appreciates the privacy that apps like Hinge provide.

“Tufts has a limited amount of people … and everyone knows each other,” Miller said. “If you start talking to someone, people are bound to find out. … I personally like to keep it more private.”

Chandra echoed his sentiment in her response. “I am

GRAPHIC BY SHANNON MURPHY

someone who doesn’t like to mix my worlds. … I liked how separate my Hinge was [from] my friends,” she said.

Finally, the pool is simply wider online.

“30 years ago, if you went to Tufts, I think it would be pretty hard for you to be dating someone from BU, but now I could name a dozen relationships I know that are intercollegiate,” Cha said. “The sea [now has] much greater potential options.”

But these same features that make app-based dating feel safe can also flatten connection. In a system optimized for convenience, matches are frictionless — built on a few photos or an awkward voice memo — and detachment can be just as easy.

“I feel like I’m seeing such a weird snapshot of people, and I’m making such superficial decisions [for] what direction I want to swipe on someone,” Cha said.

For some, however, that very design is one of the app’s greatest strengths. Lauring said, “I wasn’t really looking for a relationship off Hinge; I was kind of just looking for hookups, and for that, I think it’s fine.”

For Chandra, talking to her boyfriend on Hinge “made it seem fake for a good month.”

“I didn’t take him seriously for a long time, which I think is definitely [different] than if I met him [in-person],” she said.

Still, rapid connections carry risks when the text chemistry does not translate in person.

Lauring recalled a frightening encounter with a Hinge date who refused to leave. The date canceled his train home and intentionally left his phone in the student’s dorm to attempt to stay the night.

“When we went back to my room, he really tried to move on me,” she said. “I was putting pillows on my lap, and he was moving them off. He kept leaning in, and I kept leaning back.”

She had to beg their roommate to come back just to get him to leave.

“I don’t really know what happened. … He was texting very normally before this. It was just kind of weird,” she said.

So where does that leave us?

The 10-year-old me who knew every line from “When Harry Met Sally” (1989) would call it a tragedy that our generation relies on yet another layer of technology to mediate something so human. But the 19-year-old me sees it differently. Dating apps are not strictly good or bad, nor are they proof that Gen Z has “forgotten how to socialize,” as my father likes to believe. Rather, they reflect the digital era we live in.

“I feel like if dating apps existed in an older time, people would have used them,” Lauring said. “The fact that dating apps exist … [is a] reflection of where our society is at generally.”

She added that the digital impulse is broader than just in the dating sphere: “We’re using technology to look for these easier ways to do things. We’re trying

to mix anything social into something [with a] tech-related barrier of computers between us.”

Hinge and Tinder may not be classic rom-com material, but they are tools in an era that prizes convenience and reach. For some, they can still be an avenue for real connection in a world that often feels distant.

“Give more people a chance,” Chandra said. “[If] you think there’s a kind of chance that you’ll like [a person] then — and you want that actively — then you might as well match with [them] and then you can never talk to [them]. Or, you can, and it can be great.”

Even so, this does not have to mean meet-cutes are dead. Over 70% of survey responders said that meet-cutes still happen “sometimes” or “often.” One student wrote, “I met my current boyfriend in the communal co-ed bathroom in Stratton (floor-cest!!). … We’ve been dating for two years now!” Another shared, ”[In] my [first] year, I met my boyfriend on a street corner because I overheard him saying he was from the same state as me.”

So, perhaps my dream of meeting my soulmate on the sidewalk is not a total lie. Until this happens to me, I will keep an open mind — maybe even dabble on Hinge. The person of my dreams could still be the next person to open the door for me or in my logic class. Or they could be at another school, just one like or swipe away.

Peter Bendix takes Tufts education with him to the big leagues

Jaden Gardiola Contributing Writer

Originally published Oct. 15.

Tufts alumnus Peter Bendix (LA’08) does not have a fixed job description. As the president of baseball operations for MLB’s Miami Marlins, Bendix’s work spans across the organization and involves numerous aspects of the team, from player development to creating a successful culture within the clubhouse.

“I don’t know [if] I have an average day,” Bendix said. “You have different phases throughout the year.”

For Bendix, those phases can range from spending his day in an assortment of phone calls and meetings to traveling with the team’s minor league affiliates. One week he was “hunkered down,” focusing on the MLB draft. He described the days prior to the annual MLB trade deadline similarly.

“It really varies, but I think a lot of my role is really trying to put other people in a position to succeed, because I can’t do everything,” Bendix said.

If there is anybody who knows the intricacies of off-the-field teamwork within an MLB organization, it would be Bendix. After becoming an intern for the Tampa Bay Rays fol lowing his graduation from Tufts in 2008, Bendix worked in numerous baseball devel opment and research roles before being promoted to Rays general manager in 2021.

Even still, Bendix recalled falling in love with baseball through his early connection to the Guardians and their success at the time.

“I’m a huge fan of every sport, but the intricacy, the nuance of baseball, all of the different storylines of baseball, the romanticism of baseball, it’s all special,” Bendix said.

Nearly two decades into his baseball career, Bendix always returns to his childhood fandom as a core part of his work.

“The idea that I can help influence some 10-year-old kid to become a Marlins fan because the Marlins are good and fun and they’re gonna be a baseball fan for the rest of their life … that is so exciting,” Bendix said.

In his first year at Tufts, Bendix enrolled in a class on sabermetrics, a statistics-based baseball evaluation system most famously depicted in Michael Lewis’ bestselling book “Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game” and its 2011 film adaptation.

“The class itself was incredible,” Bendix said. “[Sabermetrics 101] really propelled me on this path.”

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“The bravery of somebody like Billy Beane to go against the grain, especially given his background and all of that? All of that, I think, is really real,” Bendix said. “You would never mistake me for a major league shortstop, and the fact that someone like me can run a team … 20 years ago, I think that was just not a thing.”

Interestingly, as a first-year at Tufts, Bendix said he wished to be a general manager in the MLB, but for his home town Cleveland Guardians, formerly known as the Indians.

“I had no idea what I was saying when I said that,” Bendix said. “I didn’t have the slightest clue what it meant to be the general manager or in any leadership position of a baseball team.”

Growing up in Cleveland, Bendix said he’s always been a sports fan. But with the Browns having relocated to Baltimore and the Cavaliers playing out of the Richfield Coliseum — about 30 minutes away from downtown Cleveland — the Guardians were the team most accessible to him as a young fan.

“My first formative sports memories are of one of the best baseball teams ever, in the 1995 Cleveland Indians,” Bendix said. “It was hard not to be a baseball fan at that point.”

Historically speaking, Bendix’s claim is completely valid, as the 1995 Cleveland team boasted 100 wins in a 144-game season fueled by a statistically dominant offense.

Unfortunately for Bendix, however, the team would eventually lose in the World Series to the Atlanta Braves.

Bendix said he appreciated the trailblazing nature of the course — the concept of mainstream sabermetrics was relatively novel to the baseball world — as did other students and baseball fans like himself who’d taken the course in the Experimental College.

“It solidified my interest in the analysis of baseball [and] … my desire to learn more about it and to pursue it further,” Bendix said. “It really led me to where I am right now.”

Bendix laughed at the comparison to Billy Beane, a figure in “Moneyball” who served as the Oakland Athletics’ general manager from 1997 to 2015.

“I wish that was what it was like,” Bendix said, referencing a scene during the film in which Beane completes a trade with only a handful of phone calls.

However, Bendix credits Beane and the Athletics for pioneering alternative paths to success in baseball that gave people like himself, those with close to no prior high-level baseball experience, a chance to work in the MLB.

Bendix looks back on his time at Tufts as fundamental to his development into the front office executive he is today. He cites his major advisor — and fellow baseball lover — Professor Steven Cohen as highly influential to his journey.

“I had a hard time picking my major because I was interested in a broad number of things,” Bendix said. “I realized, alongside him with his help, that my skill … was synthesizing information across domains, departments, et cetera. Reflecting on it, I think that’s my biggest skill within baseball as well.”

After graduating in 2008 with a degree in American studies, Bendix quickly found himself working in a Major League organization as an intern for the Rays. Bendix recalled his path into the internship as both fortuitous and rewarding. In the winter following his graduation, Bendix travelled to Las Vegas in order to attend the MLB’s annual winter meeting, a large-scale event in which representatives from each team convene to discuss trades, rule changes and other offseason talking points.

“I got a hotel room at the Excalibur at the very end of the [Las Vegas] Strip for, like, $30 a night,” Bendix said. “I walked to the Bellagio where the winter meetings were happening and literally hung out in the lobby and sent emails to a whole bunch of people beforehand.”

Bendix said he got “a surprising number of responses” to his inquiries, which allowed

him to set up meetings with a handful of organizations. Bendix eventually decided to work in Tampa Bay due to the team’s relatively small front office and their recent postseason success. He interviewed with James Click, Erik Neander and Chaim Bloom, each of whom would later ascend to executive front office positions themselves.

Nearly 15 years after his start with the Rays, Bendix was officially named the president of baseball operations for the Miami Marlins in November 2023 — a contentious hire following the departure of previous general manager Kim Ng (who had led the team to its first full-season playoff berth in 20 years).

Reflecting on the hire, Bendix said his transition to Miami was initially like “drinking from a firehose.”

“You’re taking in so much information, you’re learning so many things all at once, and understanding what needs to be done and then trying to figure out how to do it,” Bendix said.

He added that his lengthy career with the Rays allowed him to navigate his own direction and philosophy for the Marlins.

“I had a really solid understanding of what a good culture looks like [and] how it contributes to winning games … especially [for] a lower revenue team,” Bendix said. “Having that vision, having both seen it, lived it, tried to enhance it myself, being able to understand what good looks like and what elite looks like — all of those things provide the vision and the guidance that allowed me to come here and understand what it is that we need to do.”

Bendix credits his time in Tampa as being central to his understanding of good leadership, team culture and player evaluation.

“There are multiple different ways to be successful,” Bendix said. “If you can be successful and enjoy the job at the same time, that’s ideal.”

During Bendix’s second season at the helm of the Marlins’

front office, the team rallied to win an additional 17 games from the previous season — nearing a franchise-record single-season improvement. Bendix said the team’s continued success lies in their ability to remain disciplined.

“People mistake discipline for not trying to win. That’s not at all the case,” Bendix said. “Discipline is understanding what it is that you are building, what you are attempting to achieve and what the steps are along the way to achieve [them].”

Even as Bendix sits at the helm of baseball operations for a multi-million dollar professional sports organization, in actuality, he’s an effortlessly normal guy. Rather surprisingly, Bendix said early on, he had developed doubts about moving forward with a career in baseball.

“It was very, very long hours for very, very little money, and a lot of it was enjoyable, but also it was frustrating and … could be disheartening at times,” Bendix said. “As I learned more, it became far more fulfilling and gratifying.”

Bendix added that he felt the uncertainty of the job and its direction caused him to feel uneasy about his future in baseball.

“There wasn’t a path to follow,” Bendix said. “That uncertainty of not having a vision for what exactly this could look like, it was exciting because you could make it your own, but it was difficult. … Ultimately, that idea of helping the team and adding value … is what keeps me going.”

Bendix told a story about how he’d once asked then-Rays employee Bloom for advice on getting into an MLB front office. Bloom purportedly responded by telling Bendix to figure out what separated him from others with the same dream of working in baseball.

“I’m not done developing that answer,” Bendix said. “I’m always trying to figure out what separates me.”

COURTESY MIAMI MARLINS

Peter Bendix is pictured at a press conference.

Understanding drivers of antimicrobial resistance in rural Malawi

The clinical approval of penicillin in 1945 kicked off a 25-year period that is now commonly referred to as ‘the golden age of antibiotic discovery,’ in which antibiotic discovery progressed at a dizzying pace. In the nearly 80 years since antibiotics emerged on the scene enmasse, their usage has ballooned. Now antibiotics can be found in a plethora of industries, from human medicine to agriculture to livestock.

Antibiotics revolutionized medicine — their discovery cut deaths from infections, lowered maternal mortality and made chemotherapy and organ transplants more widespread. However, the immense benefits provided by antibiotics are threatened by a phenomenon known as antimicrobial resistance. When an antibiotic is used to treat an infection, it will not always be 100% effective. If there is even one cell that has a mutation that provides resistance, that one cell can then multiply and grow, spreading its resistant DNA as it replicates. Decades of widespread antibiotic usage have given rise to many of these resistant bacteria that continue to spread and threaten the efficacy of antibiotics in a wide variety of situations.

Antimicrobial resistance in Neno

The phenomenon of antimicrobial resistance is not equally distributed across the globe. Lowand middle-income countries are disproportionately feeling the effects of this crisis. Among these hard-hit areas is Malawi, a small country located in the southeast of Africa, bordering Mozambique, Zambia and Tanzania. I spoke with Dr. George Limwado, a physician in Neno District, Malawi, to better understand the drivers, effects and research surrounding antibiotic resistance in the region.

Neno District is a rural area in southern Malawi with a predominantly agricultural economy, primarily based on subsistence farming. Limwado works with Abwenzi Pa Za Umoyo, the Malawi branch

of the larger international Partners in Health. In that role he both practices medicine in the Neno District Hospital and conducts research with PIH.

Limwado explained that there are a variety of factors contributing to the spread of antimicrobial resistance in Neno. First, awareness of antimicrobial resistance, both of its causes and consequences, is low throughout the district, and this contrib utes to ongoing engage ment in behaviors that perpetuate the issue of resistance.

Second, the lack of diagnostics contributes to antimicrobial resistance proliferation because many patients with viral infections are given antibiotics due to the lack of access to the appro priate diagnostics. One example of this is respiratory syncytial virus, an upper-re spiratory tract infection that commonly presents with cough and shortness of breath. The issue with RSV is that it presents with similar symptoms to bacterial pneumonia. However, given the lack of RSV rapid test availability at the health facilities, many physicians just prescribe antibiotics for all upper respiratory tract infections due to difficulty in differentiating between viral and bacterial respiratory infections from clinical observations alone. Antibiotics cannot treat an RSV infection but they do provide the microbiota within our bodies more opportunities to develop resistance.

al resistance in Neno, and last year, Limwado co-authored a study that assessed the extent of antibiotic self-medication and knowledge of antimicrobial resistance in the district. In this study, researchers interviewed more than 500 people and asked them two questions: Have you been self-medicated in the past six months? And, are you aware of antimicrobial resistance?

cated in the previous six months. “The striking thing,” Limwado said, “was that they had gotten these antibiotics from a [health] facility, but they decided to keep some so if they were given maybe a dose for five days, they would only take for two or three days [and] once they feel better, they could keep the other medications and use it later to self medicate.”

Third, antibiotics continue to be used as growth promoters for livestock in Neno. “There has not been much collaboration between departments, [specifically] the human health department and the agriculture sector … who’s antibiotics in particular, are still being used as growth promoters in farms, which is also an action that contributes to antimicrobial resistance” Limwado noted.

Finally, antibiotic self-medication is a huge driver of antimicrobi-

After Limwado had explained the root causes of antimicrobial resistance in Neno, I wanted to understand the scope of this problem. How many people have resistant infections? How does this impact outcomes and mortality rates?

As it turns out, Limwado and some other researchers in Neno have been trying to answer these same questions. They have collected a data set of 269 samples from between June 2024 and June 2025 from select cases suspected

NDM-CRE infections rise in the US

infections by drug-resistant bacteria. One such bacteria, called New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase-producing carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales, is considered especially dangerous due to the fact that the bacteria are “resistant to some of the strongest antibi -

Enterobacterales are a group of bacteria that exist normally within the gut of humans and animals; however, they also the potential to cause infection. Common species of enterobacterales include

of resistance. The samples come in a variety of forms including blood, cerebrospinal fluid, wound swabs and urine. Preliminary analysis found that 85, 72 and 62% of the samples contained resistant strains of E. coli, Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. One important note about these findings is that samples were only collected from certain severe cases that presented in the hospital. Optimally, this would be done on a larger scale with a more random assortment of samples; however, due to resource limitations this was not possible. Also, analysis of this data has not yet been completed or published, so findings are not

with a cough, then is sent to get a chest X-ray and then is sent to a specific ward for treatment, that patient’s data is now spread between three paper registers in three different locations in the hospital. Gathering and aligning all this data for research is both difficult and time consuming.

The landscape of Neno District also presents challenges. Getting to some remote villages in the district can mean hours in a vehicle each way, and many roads become treacherous or even impossible to traverse when it rains.

The way forward

Limwado emphasized that any long-term solution to antimicrobial resistance in Neno must begin at the community level. He and his colleagues are developing a district-wide education campaign that will involve outreach in village meetings,

the barriers to research in Neno District. Limwado explained, “The community doesn’t really know what all this research is all about. So I think we need to refine as well as to rethink and maybe observe them when we are preparing our pro posals and our research ideas. Basically, I think engaging the community way from the begin ning, so that they are in the know, [is important].”

Additionally, because most community members have only a primary or secondary education, researchers must design materials that are clear and accessible.

Data collection also presents a few challenges, and one pri mary reason for this is that most health records are kept physi cally — as opposed to digitally — for both the district hospi tal and primary care facilities. In District Hospital, this means that each department has their own paper register with patient data, so if a patient first presents at the outpatient department

Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter cloacae and Citrobacter freundii. Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales are bacteria that have resistance to one or more antibiotics, like carbapenems, which are often considered the “last-line” treatment for serious drug-resistant bacterial infections. Enterobacterales can gain carbapenem resistance through a variety of methods. One such method is via the production of carbapenemase, which is able to break down carbapenems. In the case of NDM-CRE bacteria, they produce an enzyme called New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase, which causes

resistance to a wide range of antibiotics, including carbapenems. NDM-CRE can cause infections, including pneumonia, urinary tract infections and bloodstream infections.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a report on Sept. 23, noting an over 460% increase in NDM-CRE infections between 2019 and 2023 that resulted in many difficult-to-treat infections. It is also notable that this report is not the first that the CDC has produced on CRE and NDM-CRE infections in the country. In 2022, the CDC reported roughly 12,700 infections and 1,100 deaths due to CRE. Another report earlier this

NDM-CRE infections from 58 in 2019 to 388 in 2024. What is more concerning about the new CDC report is that the researchers did not obtain data from many highly populated states, including California, Florida, New York and Texas, in their calculations. Due to this, Assistant Professor of Medicine Jason Burnham of Washington University in St. Louis believes that the number of infections is “definitely underestimated.”

NDM-CRE bacteria were previously considered uncommon in the United States, and there are not many treatment options available. Researchers

Shoshana Daly Executive Science Editor

Shanzeh Haider Deputy Science Editor

have noted that only two antibiotics are known to work against NDM-CRE infections. However, these antibiotics are expensive and must be administered intravenously, meaning they cannot be taken orally and typically must be administered in a healthcare setting. This leads to more complications when thinking about the feasibility of treatment options.

CDC epidemiologist Danielle Rankin highlights that “there is risk that this could spread into communities, meaning that common infections like urinary tract infections that are usually treated with the oral antibiotics may increasingly need to be treated with the IV antibiotics and require hospitalization.”

Another major barrier to care for patients and control

the spread of infection is due to the fact that the tools available to detect NDM-CRE infections are not often found in healthcare settings since this was not previously a major concern. Furthermore, individuals with NDM-CRE are asymptomatic until an infection develops, and from this, the symptoms that the individual will experience are varied based on the infection. By ensuring “healthcare providers have access to testing,” providers will have an increased ability to choose appropriate treatment, Rankin said.

According to the CDC, researchers are still working on understanding all of the reasons for this increase in cases of NDM-CRE infections. Potential causes of NDM-CRE infections

include the overuse of antibiotics. Susan S. Huang, professor of infectious diseases at the University of California Irvine School of Medicine, explained that unnecessary use of antibiot ics leads to the death of healthy gut bacteria, allow ing room for bac teria like NDM-CRE to multiply. Huang believes that an increase in antibiotic use during the COVID-19 pandemic may have played a role in this increase of NDM-CRE. The CDC reported that 80% of patients

hospitalized with COVID-19 from March to October 2020

so many antibiotics been prescribed for a viral disease,” Huang wrote.

NDM-CRE bacteria can be spread through contaminated surfaces, and, hence, spread can be caused by inadequate hand hygiene and disinfection of surfaces. Healthcare professionals, patients and visitors in hospital settings are encouraged by experts to frequently wash hands and avoid contacting any potentially contaminated surfaces. Those most at risk include people who have taken many antibiotic courses, people in hospitals who have had repeated or long stays and those who have been in contact with someone who had an NDMCRE infection. As research continues to be uncovered about the NDM-CRE bacteria, it is important to stay informed and updated.

A look inside the Tufts laboratory fighting drug-resistant bacteria

Verena Runstadler Contributing Writer

Throughout the past few decades, antimicrobial resisto cultivate.

appropriately growing, and so I think it’s very timely that we finally have a space here at Tufts to work on this,” she said. While CIMAR has exist -

Professor Bree Aldridge — associate director and combinatorial treatment core director of the Levy Center for Integrated Management of Antimicrobial Resistance, professor of molecular biology and microbiology at Tufts University School of Medicine and professor of biological engineering at Tufts University School of Engineering — underscored the necessity of the space. “The concern about [antimicrobial resistance] is

example. First, however, Davis acknowledged the need to get the space up and running with projects in order to demonstrate the workforce capacity of the space. An ongoing project will examine the ability of Klebsiella pneumoniae to adapt its defense against antibiotics in different environments. Klebsiella and current projects Klebsiella, while it may not be as well-known as antibiotic-resistant bacteria like methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus

aureus, is a highly opportunistic infectious agent and can pop up in many different infection types. “It’s definitely a concern for neonatal infections,” Davis said, comparing it to an Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Enterobacter pathogen. According to Davis, “Klebsiella is very very good at adapting its physiology to grow in different environments.” This makes the bacteria also very good at acquiring resistance to different drugs. The way that Klebsiella may react to antibiotic treatment differs in the lungs, where there may not be many amino acids available, as opposed to the bloodstream or the urinary

With this in mind, researchers like Davis are looking to study the ability of the bacteria to resist different drugs in media designed to mimic different conditions in the body. “We need to essentially develop lab recipes,” Davis said. Researchers will pair this in vitro work with mouse models to study the in vivo component.

Currently, there’s very little consistency when it comes to combination-testing different drugs and a lack of research looking at how combinatorial drug treatment is affected by bacterial infections in different environments in the body. While some bacteria don’t seem to differ much in their ability to resist antibiotics in different locations, Klebsiella in particular can have dramatically varied responses.

“It was very important to take into account the growth condition, and the implication would be: Different therapy might be more appropriate in different infection spaces,” Davis said. Understanding the responses of bacteria like Klebsiella to antibiotics not only aids in clinical spaces, as Davis points out, but also in the antibiotic development pipeline. Early antibiotic development involves a great deal of in vitro work, and the ability to test different compounds in media mimicking different environments in a con-

sistent and controlled manner could be extremely beneficial.

Two features make the LCDRD uniquely poised to tackle this kind of work. One is the presence of the so-called ‘drug printer,’ quite literally an HP printer that can dispense nanolitre amounts of drugs into 96- or 384-well plates. This ensures that the combinatorial drug testing can be done at high throughput.

The other factor is the Diagonal Measurement of N-Way Drug Interactions platform, originally designed by Aldridge. The most widely used screening method in combination drug testing is called the checkerboard assay, which can test differing combinations and levels of drugs against each other. Usually done in a standard 96-well plate, this method presents problems when working with four-way drug combinations, for example, as Aldridge does in her work with tuberculosis. If working with a four-way combination treatment, a researcher would need twenty-five 96-well plates to test

printer, which can accurately deposit the precise nanolitre amounts needed in each well.

Altogether, the LCDRD is poised to aid scientists like Aldridge and Davis in their research, as well as collaboration with other academic institutions, industry partners and clinicians.

Antimicrobial resistance today In imagining a world rife with drug-resistant pathogens, spaces like hospitals could become dangerous to individuals with or without active infections. Routine infections like those caused by Streptococcus bacteria could become very difficult to treat, or at the very least more difficult to live with.

There are other concerns, too, especially concerning antimicrobial resistance in livestock populations. Infections in livestock populations that impact the ability of them to be used for food or that kill off large numbers of livestock could be dangerous. It could result in rising food prices or make food more difficult for people to obtain. Regardless, antimicrobial resistance in all formats will impact vulnerable populations the most. So what motivates researchers to work on projects like these?

not be usable as a high-throughput screening method, however, without the use of the drug

“The goal and hope [is that] we would be able to push this all the way to clinical translatability,” Davis said.

“The idea that something I’m doing on a Tuesday afternoon could … provide information that clinicians could use to make life less uncomfortable for someone. … We’ve got a chance to make life more comfortable and give them more time with their family.”

Late Night At The Daily Gretta: “I did not have relations with that AVOCADO <3.”

SUDOKU CROSSWORD

MINI CROSSWORD

‘Monstrous

The Antithesis Ethicists

Phone foibles

Eric Frankel and Kate McAndrew

Inquiry:

I often stay up too late because I want to decompress after a long day of activities and homework, so I end up scrolling on my phone. The problem is I don’t get enough sleep and feel grumpy the next day. How can I relax at night without staying up too late and also have phone time?

Eric:

I will invoke a “do as I say, not as I do” tone for this question, because god knows I love a little revenge bedtime procrastination. Revenge bedtime procrastination is soooo fun! Getting some truly you time while you lay in bed can feel like a great reward, but the costs are your entire next day! It creates a feedback loop. You wake up tired and you’re busy, you unwind on your phone at the end of the day, and you stay up– to then wake up more tired tomorrow.

To change the cycle you have to change the behavior. When attempting to break/create habits I adopt a ‘friction’ mindset. If you want to relax at night and not stay up too late, increase friction with your phone and decrease friction with other calming things like reading or meditation. Have an alarm on your phone for ten or eleven PM and when it goes off, put your phone on airplane mode and (if you can) leave it outside your room or farrrrrrr away from your bed. I am terrible at this. Make a roommate an accountability buddy, suffer together! Invest in a cute alarm clock that you can set and will wake up to. I bet Kate has touched on this, but if you live in a house, don’t allow your phone in your room (or in a dorm, no phone in your bed). The easier thing is to decrease friction with the good. Is there a book from your childhood that you’d love to re-read? Put it on your bedside table. Also on that bedside table, have a tiny pad of paper where every night you write down three things you’re grateful for.

Going cold turkey on your phone is unrealistic, and a little cruel, a little phone time is awesome! To be mindful of your phone time, set timers for yourself, download a screen-

‘New Beginnings’ by Anna Kaufman

time app like Opal (which I use!). I have an Opal ‘session’ running 24/7 on my phone, where to unlock social media I have to wait an ever-increasing amount of time on a loading page where it leads me through breathing exercises, and I get a max of fifteen minutes before everything relocks.

Give yourself grace. We were given these pacifiers that are engineered to keep us awake, alert, and on. So give yourself five minutes right now and plan out a non-phone nighttime routine that you’re excited about. I recommend the Life Kit podcast episode “How to stop revenge bedtime procrastination.” Listen to all nineteen minutes of it tonight and then tuck your phone in goodnight.

Kate:

I think a lot of people, me included, struggle with this. At least for me, screen time limits and deleting apps doesn’t work. I have found that the easiest thing to do is to physically separate myself from my phone.

At our house we do “no phone in room”. Meaning we try to never even bring our

myself to scroll which makes stopping easier. My housemates and I are able to hold each other accountable which is super helpful in making sure this rule sticks.

If you live in a dorm this could be easily adapted to “no phone in bed” and charging your phone across the room from you overnight. Or maybe you could completely power off your phone after you brush your teeth and are ready for bed. If you have a roommate try and see if they will do it with you.

In general, I think the biggest thing is not scrolling right before you go to sleep. Decompress after your day for a few minutes, then shut your phone off or put it in a different room, then get ready and go to sleep. If you feel like you need entertainment before you sleep you could read a book, do a crossword puzzle, or something like that.

Vermin’ by Thea Katz

Tufts Friends of Israel

For the first time since Oct. 7, 2023, the families of the hostages can finally breathe again. After nearly two years of waiting, praying and fighting for their return, all of the living hostages are back in the embrace of their loved ones.

As members of Tufts Friends of Israel, we are deeply relieved and grateful to witness these reunions. No community — on campus or elsewhere — should overlook the suffering these families have endured and the human lives at the center of this tragedy.

The hostages were taken on Simchat Torah in 2023, a day that should have been defined by singing and dancing. For two years, that day carried grief

OPINION

Op-Ed: Hatikvah, The Hope

instead of joy. This year, with hostages finally home and fighting ceased, Simchat Torah can once again be marked by hope rather than sorrow.

The war that followed was a direct response to an unprecedented attack on civilians, including mass murder, rape and abductions that shocked the world. Israel acted to protect its citizens and secure the release of those taken. At the same time, we must acknowledge the Palestinian civilians who lost their lives over the course of the war. Recognizing their suffering does not weaken support for Israel’s right to defend itself; it reflects a commitment to both compassion and moral clarity.

It is striking that many who spent two years advocating for a ceasefire remain silent now that a real deal has achieved one. The time has come to see if they are genuine supporters of peace.

With the hostages home and a deal now in place to end the war, we are grateful to all who helped make this possible — Israeli, American and international forces alike. For Israelis, it is a moment to begin looking ahead after the devastating attack two years ago. For Palestinians in Gaza, it could signal the start of a future free from Hamas’ oppression and violence, one that holds the hope of rebuilding and peace. For all of us, it is a reminder that peace and hope require both courage and realism. Both sides must now uphold the terms of the agreement, which in the immediate term means protecting the ceasefire and ensuring the return of the bodies of the 21 murdered hostages still being held, including two Americans: Itay Chen and Omer Neutra.

Here on campus, we must choose dialogue over contempt. We do not all have to agree, but we must engage like the people we claim to be — curious, serious and willing to listen. Tufts should be a place where hard conversations happen without shouting matches or litmus tests. That is the spirit behind our programming this semester, including a briefing and Q&A with Professor Alon Burstein on Friday at 1 p.m. in Rm. 104 of Barnum Hall, open to anyone who wants to understand the situation more deeply, whether or not they share our perspective.

A few days ago, on the anniversary of Oct. 7, we painted the cannon with the words “Bring Them Home” and the title of Israel’s national anthem, Hatikvah, “The Hope.” At the time, it was a call into the unknown, a reminder that

hope was all we could hold onto. Now, with the hostages home, we can finally say, “welcome home,” and that hope feels real.

We at Tufts Friends of Israel remain hopeful — hopeful that the hostages’ return is not just the closing of a nightmare but the restoration of lives. Hopeful that mourning and relief can exist side by side. Hopeful that, even amid the current devastation, Gaza can rebuild and its people can live in peace. Hopeful that this campus can respond to the moment with seriousness, empathy and respect.

The joy of reunion does not cancel out the grief of loss, but it offers something rare after so much pain: a reason to look ahead.

With — hope — for a better future,

Tufts Friends of Israel

Everyone watches women’s basketball, even men who belittle it

In 1996, after much struggle to prove that women’s sports were a viable business model, the NBA Board of Governors approved the concept of a women’s-only league. On June 21, 1997, the WNBA officially began competition. On Saturday, the WNBA capped its 29th season with the Las Vegas Aces crowned the 2025 champions. Initially a league of only eight teams, the WNBA now boasts 13 active teams and recently announced expansion efforts to five new cities to accommodate the immense surge in viewership and attendance in recent years. In 2024, the WNBA set an all-time viewership record — its most-watched season in 21 years. Online viewership wasn’t the only statistic that improved during the 2024 season — in-person attendance also skyrocketed, shooting up 48% from the 2023 season and marking the highest total attendance in 22 years. All 12 teams saw an increase in home game attendance, with the Indiana Fever leading the pack with a 319% increase. Recently, WNBA officials announced that the league has already broken its single-season attendance record for 2025.

Following the WNBA’s trend, women’s sports in general are experiencing a cultural renaissance. Since the establishment of Title IX — which prohibited sexbased discrimination in federally

funded activities, there has been an increase in athletic opportunities available to female athletes — women have dominated athletic fields. Alongside legends such as A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, Alyssa Thomas and Breanna Stewart, standout rookies have helped usher in a new era for the league. For one, Caitlin Clark’s 2024 debut with the Indiana Fever after the draft prompted a surge in viewership and game attendance. Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky and Cameron Brink of the Los Angeles Sparks have also significantly impacted league popularity. This season, rookie Paige Bueckers of the Dallas Wings elicited a similar response, with WNBA viewership steadily increasing, up 7% from 2024.

Unfortunately, as viewership increases, so does discourse, disrespect and mistreatment — from leadership and fans alike. WNBA players’ salaries remain drastically lower than those of their male counterparts. The objective differences in revenue between the WNBA and NBA have prompted a noticeable disparity in respective salaries, calculations indicate that the average WNBA salary should be roughly one-quarter that of the average NBA salary. Instead, WNBA players earn about 80 times less than the average NBA player. Furthermore, the current WNBA player contract — unlike the NBA player contract — does not guarantee that a portion of general

league revenue will go to the players. Although viewership isn’t necessarily in the hands of the league administration, the disparity between the NBA and WNBA league contracts indicates that, at its core, this is an administrative issue.

Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx recently made a statement at the Lynx’s postgame conference, shaming the league’s commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, for her apathy towards the players and her unwillingness to pay them what they’re owed. Players are rightfully outraged by the enormous surge in viewership benefitting higher-ups, while not being reflected in their personal salaries.

Administrative shortcomings have also left players at the mercy of racist, misogynistic and homophobic discrimination from onlookers. In a 2024 interview, Engelbert failed to address the often misogynistic and racist roots of online discourse. More recently, the entirety of the WNBA was subjected to what I would go so far as to deem sexual harassment. Not once, not twice, but four times, various game attendees have thrown sex toys onto the court. Throwing anything on the court creates the potential opportunity for injury, but hurling phallic objects at women while they work is blatantly sexist.

For fans, sports games are social events. For players, they are work. These athletes dedicate hours to preseason

bootcamp, practices, games and film review sessions. Subjecting women to male genitalia while they work in a female-dominated space is blatant sexism and harassment. By pelting players with phallic objects, fans suggest that their dedication to their professional careers is irrelevant — what’s superimposed over every three-pointer, every MVP designation and every playoff game is that, in the eyes of the men assaulting them, they are objects of sexual desire.

Although men make up a slight majority of WNBA viewership, they are also the primary perpetrators of the constant

sexualization of women in athletic fields. Beyond such overt acts of harassment, misogyny manifests in the casual devaluation of women’s achievements. Women in sports become the scapegoats for sexism and misogyny, likely due to the fact that athletics are a historically male-dominated space. Women deserve appropriate representation in athletic fields and non-discriminatory treatment. The fact that WNBA players face both shockingly low salaries and sexual harassment on the job is a dismal reminder that we’re still fighting to receive equal treatment in a field men have commandeered.

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OP-EDS: Op-Eds provide an open forum for campus editorial commentary and are published Monday through Friday. 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

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The matchup between the Minnesota Lynx and Washington Mystics on July 24, 2019 is pictured.

Marina Aptekman and Sadie Roraback-Meagher

Originally published Oct. 15.

Editor’s Note: Sadie RorabackMeagher is a deputy opinion editor for the Daily. Roraback-Meagher co-wrote this article with someone outside of the Daily’s staff.

Since at least the ’60s, the Russian, Slavic and Central Asian house, formerly known as the Russian House, has served as an essential cultural hub for Tufts students. From eating pierogies while playing board games to belting out Russian karaoke, the house has provided Jumbos with a unique opportunity for daily immersion in Russian and various Eastern European cultures, forging lifelong friendships and

Op-ed: Apply for the Eurasian House!

having fun. In an effort to foster a more united community passionate about Slavic culture, the residence will be changing its name to the ‘Eurasian House’ — and we would love for you to join us in this new chapter!

The Eurasian House is intended for students interested in the Russian language as well as the countries and cultures of Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia who want to live alongside their Slavic-enthusiast peers.

Whether you’re from a post-Soviet state, hope to hone your Russian skills or just want to connect with others over a bowl of borsch, then the Eurasian House is the home for you.

As a member of the house, you’ll not only find a community, but you will also play an import-

ant role in the broader Tufts celebration of Slavic culture. In the past, the house has hosted events open to all, including film screenings and tea ceremonies, enabling students to deepen their knowledge of Slavic culture and bond with peers. The house also provides students with the chance to perfect their culinary skills by learning how to make delicious pelmeni and blini. If you’re interested in helping organize events to celebrate Eastern European and Central Asian culture, then we strongly encourage you to apply. Anyone who wants to contribute to — or revel in — the knowledge of Slavic culture will be welcomed in this house.

With the adoption of the name Eurasian House, we hope to create a more unit -

ed community that prioritizes friendship and learning. We recognize that Russia’s war in Ukraine has understandably made many hesitant to celebrate anything associated with Russia. While the Eurasian House remains sponsored by the Department of Russian and Eastern Studies, we want to make it clear that the program and house do not support or endorse the actions of the Russian government. In fact, the Russian program has organized events to support Ukraine, such as hosting a concert of traditional Ukrainian folk music with all proceeds going to help Ukrainians.

Given that Tufts unfortunately does not offer any Slavic languages besides Russian, the

The MBTA must crack down on fare evasion

Eurasian House can serve as an outlet for such learning to take place. We hope the house will be filled with the melodic sounds of Ukrainian, the twanginess of Polish and the softness of Bulgarian. We want students from all backgrounds to feel welcome and motivated to expand their knowledge of Eastern European and Central Asian cultures in a supportive and inclusive environment.

The Eurasian house is meant to be a home — one where all students, regardless of who they are, can find a sense of community. If you want your housing experience at Tufts to be especially meaningful, then we encourage you to apply on SIS by Wednesday at 5 p.m.

Keshav Srikant Staff Writer

Originally published Oct. 14.

In September, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, responsible for Boston’s public transit network, announced they would be cracking down on fare evasion — the practice of traveling on public transit without paying. This move comes after the MBTA has already lost tens of millions of dollars from unpaid fares. According to a 2021 MBTA analysis, the system lost between $5 million and $6 million in annual revenue from unpaid fares on subways, trolleys and buses. Including the com muter rail, the MBTA lost an additional $10–20 million each year. When an NBC investigative team scoped out several Green Line stations near Boston University, they found that almost every passenger board ed the train without paying.

This lost revenue matters. The MBTA ranks among the worst pub lic transit networks for derailments

in 2024, and delays are frequent.

Furthermore, the design of the MBTA’s subway lines make many routes deeply inefficient. For example, a trip from the Joyce Cummings Center to Assembly Row takes a mere 10 minutes by car, but roughly 40 minutes on public transit.

This is problematic because having reliable public transit is important.

Public transportation reduces traffic

notes that proximity to public transit correlates with higher employment, suggesting a link between transit access and economic mobility. They note: “availability of public transit influences job accessibility, commute times, and overall economic outcomes.” The MBTA’s inconsistent service denies Greater Boston the full realization of these benefits.

As part of its

pullsintotheMedford/TuftsGreenELine

newest crackdown on fare evasion, the MBTA announced it will deploy representatives throughout the system — named the Fare Engagement Team — to conduct fare checks. Riders caught without a valid fare will first receive an official verbal warning, followed by a $50 citation for the next three offenses and $100 citations for each additional offense. This is a good start — and the MBTA

the agency reported a noticeable decline in fare evasion. Crime also dropped — though this might only be indicative of correlation rather than causation. Second, the MBTA should be prepared to increase citation amounts if current enforcement efforts fail to deter fare evasion.

emotions this romantic melodrama evoked quickly earned it a place at the top of my list of Hong Kong classics, despite its poorly translated English title. The original Chinese name, “Tian Mi Mi,” literally means “Sweet Honey,” a far better description of the film’s tender yet heartbreaking tone.

On my flight back to Boston from Hong Kong, I watched “Comrades: Almost a Love Story” (1996), a Hong Kong film directed by Peter Chan and starring Leon Lai and Maggie Cheung — the perfect ending to my summer. The bittersweet

Beyond Cheung’s ethereal beauty in every frame, “Tian Mi Mi” conveys a poignant message about materialism, class and personal identity. In the film, Cheung’s character leaves Guangzhou for Hong Kong in search of a better life and a chance to climb the socioeconomic ladder. Upon arrival, she takes advantage of her ability to speak Cantonese, adjusting her style and mannerisms to pass as a Hong Kong native and conceal her mainland identity. Set in the ‘80s, the film captures a prevalent sentiment and

hardship of the time: the shame associated with being from the mainland. Mainlanders were often depicted as unsophisticated and uncultured, while Hong Kongers — shaped by British colonial rule from 1842 to 1997 — were associated with modernity as a result of Westernization.

Throughout the film, Cheung’s character remains driven by one singular goal: wealth. In her pursuit of material success, she works tirelessly to earn money everywhere she goes, leaving little time to build meaningful friendships. In the film’s final moments, she moves to New York, believing that doing so signifies she has “made it” in life — both financially and socially.

Cheung’s character illustrates how personal identity can

become blurred when one immigrates in search of socioeconomic mobility. Watching her struggle to find belonging in the increasingly capitalist cities of Hong Kong and New York while fighting to survive financially forces the audience to confront how the pursuit of wealth reshapes our sense of self. Her desire for money extends beyond comfort; it becomes a means of seeking legitimacy and acceptance in a world where wealth and social class have come to define one’s worth and place in society.

While Cheung’s character’s struggles must be contextualized, we should not underestimate their relevance to contemporary America — the world’s largest immigrant hub. Why might it seem that many immigrants, in coming here to pursue a ‘better’ life financially, may feel

Finally, the MBTA should better publicize its new, easier ways for consumers to pay. For example, in 2024, the MBTA implemented tapto-ride technology, eliminating the cumbersome process of purchasing and refilling CharlieCards. Riders can now simply tap a credit or debit card, or use Apple Pay, to enter subway stations or pay for buses. Furthermore, on the Green Line, passengers can pay on board rather than at station machines — allowing them to catch trains more quickly without skipping payment. The MBTA should make it clear that these options exist and that paying fares is now easier than ever. Meanwhile, as Tufts students, we can do our part by paying our fares and contributing to a stronger, more sustainable transit system — for ourselves and for the thousands of people in surrounding communities who rely on effective public transit.

compelled to conceal their country of origin? “Tian Mi Mi” reminds us that wealth and identity are inevitably intertwined — that being from a place deemed ‘backward can negatively cause one to internalize that very perception. As an international student myself, I am grateful to have come to America not out of necessity, but by choice — not as an escape, but as an opportunity. Perhaps it is a privilege to be able to move somewhere without it drastically changing my perception of where I am from. And perhaps acknowledging that privilege is the first step toward understanding the deeper, often invisible ties between wealth, identity and belonging.

Linda Huang is a senior studying economics, international relations and philosophy. Linda can be reached at peixuan.huang@tufts.edu.

The Bigger Picture

Maggie

Linda Huang

ARTS & POP CULTURE

R.F. Kuang’s ‘Katabasis’ exposes the hell of higher learning

Annika Pillai Executive Arts Editor

R.F. Kuang has never shied away from ambitious storytelling. From the imperial critique of “Babel” to the literary satire of “Yellowface,” her novels combine social insight with inventive narrative. In “Katabasis,” she turns her attention to a new and rather audacious terrain: academia itself, imagined as a literal underworld. The result is a darkly funny, rather unsettling meditation on ambition, power and the cost of striving for academic recognition.

Kuang, who is pursuing a Ph.D. herself, infuses the novel with her lived experience as a graduate student. The work feels organic, lending every grievance and critique an air of authenticity.

At the story’s center is Alice, a Ph.D. student at Cambridge who, in magick (yes, it is spelled that way) gone awry, accidentally kills her mentor, Professor Jacob Grimes. Determined to secure her academic future –– and haunted by guilt –– she descends into the underworld to retrieve him. Joining her is Peter, a fellow student whose effortless brilliance stands in stark contrast to Alice’s desperate work ethic. Their journey through the

Eight Courts of Hell is vivid, with each circle mirroring a darker side of academia: impossible workloads, abuse and relentless comparison to peers.

At times, Alice is a difficult character to read. She judges Peter’s effortless brilliance, acts selfishly and consistently makes questionable decisions. On paper, she should be deeply —, yet Kuang presents these flaws unapologetically, rendering Alice compelling even as she infuriates the reader. As you peel back each layer of her prickly exterior, Kuang reveals an exhausted woman who wants more but is too tired to try.

Peter, too, is no flat foil. Kuang explores the downside of his brilliance, his insecurities and his twisted relationship with Grimes. Together, they illuminate the central tension of academia: the pursuit of recognition often comes at the cost of warped ethics (or a lack thereof).

That said, “Katabasis” is not perfect. The narrative is bloated –– no text needs to exceed 500 pages –– and the concepts are severely overexplained. Kuang seems not to trust the reader to follow the philosophical and mathematical theories she introduces; after a while, it is difficult not to skim. Furthermore,

though Alice is a compelling character, her cruelty can be hard to swallow. Kuang requires the reader’s trust in her warped ideas. If you grant it, the narrative is easily digestible –– however, if you are unable to follow Alice, you may struggle to make it past the early chapters.

A true highlight –– and something to be expected if you have read some of Kuang’s other works –– is her prose. Each sentence feels purposeful and sharp, balancing wit with a light sense of humor. For a novel built on such a grim premise, the writing remains light and readily absorbable. In its more intense moments, such as Alice’s contemplation of the Lethe –– the mythical river that erases memory –– Kuang conveys both exhaustion and the desire to escape. Despite the fantastical premise, Kuang captures the larger theme of academia’s faults in a journey that feels viscerally real.

As a whole, “Katabasis” offers a sharp critique of academia as a form of hell: punishing, hierarchical and gendered, rewarding brilliance without acknowledging the resilience behind it. Alice’s idolization of Grimes mirrors the pressures many women face to admire and emulate figures who

abuse their power. Meanwhile, Peter’s inherent genius reflects society’s obsession with talent over work ethic. The novel explores the cost of ambition and illustrates how success in an institutional system often requires you to compromise everything about yourself.

“Katabasis” succeeds because it balances fantasy with insight. The descent into

AI actor Tilly Norwood makes digital debut

Sarin Chaimattayompol Contributing Writer

We’re seeing more and more fake people in our lives, from AI interviewers to social media scammers to automated customer service agents. And now, we may see them on the big screen.

Tilly Norwood, an AI-generated actor, made her debut on July 30 in “AI Commissioner,” a short comedy sketch generated entirely by artificial intelligence. The scenes jump abruptly — from an office cubicle to a movie set to a poolside. Curiously, the characters ramble nonsensically, producing the same effect as nodding along to an investment banker discussing “macro-driven alpha generation and multi-asset liquidity strategy.” If you ask AI to create a comedy sketch, you may get exactly what you asked for, and quickly realize it isn’t actually what you wanted.

In the final 30 seconds of the video, Norwood appears: a radiant, smiling brunette seemingly in her 20s, standing on a red carpet. She has also featured in mock trailers for action, horror and historical films, demonstrating her broad range. On Instagram, she has amassed tens of thousands of followers, posting clips of her ‘work’ and ‘behind-the-scenes’ experiences.

Eline Van der Velden, CEO and founder of the U.K.-based AI production company Particle6, announced the launch of a new

AI talent studio, Xicoia, at the Zurich Film Festival. According to Vox, Xicoia is devoted to creating “hyperreal digital stars” for film, television, social media, podcasts and more. The rollout centered on Norwood, the studio’s first creation, who Van der Velden revealed was being eyed by several talent agencies.

How will AI actors like Norwood be used? Presumably, people with nefarious intentions might produce exploitative content. Businesspeople may cast her in commercials (though one wonders what happens, when she ends up endorsing two competing brands). Assuming lawsuits don’t stop these systems from consuming copyrighted material (including faces of performers, influencers, models, which will be overused into oblivion), shots that are physically impossible or ethically fraught today could become instantly available. Studios, producers and filmmakers could use AI actors like Norwood — that is, if film industry labor unions let them.

Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, the labor union representing actors, answered with a resounding no. On Sept. 30, the organization declared, “SAGAFTRA believes creativity is, and should remain, human-centered” and that “‘Tilly Norwood’ is not an actor,” condemning AI training on “countless professional performers — without permissions or

compensation.” Producers cannot use synthetic performers without notifying the union and honoring contractual obligations.

Hollywood is no stranger to controversy, but few have sparked such a mix of interest, anxiety, outrage and curiosity as Norwood. Deadline reported that actors such as Melissa Barrera and Kiersey Clemons suggested boycotting agencies that sign her. Mara Wilson questioned why none of the “hundreds of living young women whose faces were composited together to make [Norwood]” could be hired instead.

During a recent “Saturday Night Live” broadcast, Amy Poehler returned to the Studio 8H stage and couldn’t resist poking fun at Hollywood’s newest obsession. “I remember watching the show in the ‘70s, sitting in my house in Burlington, Mass., thinking, ‘I wanna be an actress someday, at least until they invent an AI actress who’s funnier and willing to do full frontal,’” she said as the audience roared.

Later, Poehler shifted to one of those faux-sincere tones that stand-up comedians use to set up a story before the punch line: “I know it can feel like times are very tough right now, and in some ways they always have been and they always will be, I’ll just say this: If there’s a place that feels like home that you can go back and laugh with your friends, consider yourself lucky, and I do. And to that little AI robot watching TV right

hell is both entertaining and unsettling, offering a tale that is both thought-provoking and engaging. Her ability to create characters who are both compelling and deeply flawed, along with a world that feels realistic, is her greatest strength. For all its excesses, “Katabasis” proves Kuang’s willingness to risk too much rather than settle for too little.

now who wants to be on this stage someday, I say to you, ‘Beep boop beep boop,’ which translates to ‘You’ll never be able to write a joke, you stupid robot.’” Industry anxiety stems from the knowledge that synthetic content will soon look indistinguishable from live-action footage, upending the recruitment of human talent. Norwood is proof that change is already underway.

Van der Velden has addressed the global backlash on her own and Norwood’s Instagram accounts, insisting she does not see Norwood as a “replacement for a human being, but a creative

work — a piece of art.” She further described Norwood’s creation as “an act of imagination and craftmanship.”

Tilly Norwood may never win an Oscar award, but the team behind her arguably deserves recognition. It is striking to imagine a future in which AI-driven films dominate cinema, and Xicola has offered a trailer of that reality and the firm’s technological prowess. Perhaps Norwood’s debut was precisely that: a marketing stunt designed to draw attention to the studio. And maybe, in reality, she is not the job-snatcher she has been made out to be.

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R.F. Kuang is pictured at the 2025 Edinburgh International Book Festival.

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Tilly Norwood is pictured.

The Bobcats overpower the Jumbos in a Homecoming nail-biter

Lynskey powered his way into the end zone for the Bobcats’ second score of the game.

The Jumbos entered the second quarter of what looked to be a barn burner, trailing by a score and struggling to contain Lynskey. Still undeterred, on their first drive of the quarter, the Jumbos matriculated down the field, spurred on by a defensive pass interference call. Weidman found junior wide receiver Matt Rios in the end zone, with Rios reeling in an over-the-shoulder catch to tie the game at 14.

Regarding Weidman, Xu elaborated, “He is a great player and has worked very hard this off season.”

Things remained quiet until four minutes were remaining in the half, when Lynskey punched in his second score of the game. No. 4 powered over the Jumbo defensive line to gain four yards and cross the pylon. Not to be outdone, the Jumbos compiled a responding drive that featured seven rushing plays of their own, split between Weidman and junior running back Christian Shapiro. Their pounding of the rock paid off, as graduate student receiver Henry Fleckner snagged a 10-yard pass from Weidman while backpedaling, knotting the game at 21 as halftime commenced.

On their first drive of the second half, the Jumbos

What

to

make of

the college basketball preseason Top 25

Owen Short

With about three weeks to go until the opening tip of the college hoops season, we finally have the first official Associated Press Poll of the 2025–26 season. Most of the names and general rankings aren’t very surprising, given all the time spent analyzing these now mostly finalized rosters, but there are still some important things to highlight. Here are my biggest takeaways from the preseason Top 25.

A new No. 1 team

For the first time in program history, the Boilermakers start the season at the top of the sport. Given the roster and the steady coaching of Matt Painter, they have an easy argument for

assembled another balanced drive, traveling 73 yards down the field into the Bobcats’ end zone. The only completed pass of the drive was a six-yard launch to junior wide receiver Matt Greco to set up fourth-and-one. Shapiro converted the fourth down with a two-yard run, before gliding untouched into the end zone two plays later after Tufts faked out the Bates defense into thinking Weidman had kept the ball following the handoff. After two punts closed out the quarter, the Jumbos found themselves in the driving seat of a back-and-forth contest as crunch time approached.

The Jumbos’ defense appeared up to the task of halting the Bobcats on their quest for a comeback. Sophomore linebacker Ryan Horigan made a key tackle on Lynskey on a fourth-and-two play to force a turnover on downs. With just over 10 minutes remaining, the Jumbos appeared to be in control of the contest.

However, with five minutes remaining, a special teams play prompted the Jumbos’ undoing. Bates punter Parker Huynh-Benningfield launched a boot downfield, with Tufts sophomore returner Cameron Pineda calling for a fair catch. The ball clipped the foot of defensive back Ryan Saccu, allowing the Bobcats to recover what went into the books as a muffed punt. The Bobcats capitalized, with Lynskey scor-

the No. 1 spot. Still, Purdue has yet to finish the job — similar to the No. 2 team: Houston. After losing in the 2024 championship game, Painter is definitely feeling the pressure to hoist the trophy this season. They will need lead guard Braden Smith to continue his stellar pla AP Poll from last year, along with their star forward Trey Kauffman-Renn. Their low roster turnover — returning five of their six top scorers — should allow them to start the season right where they left off. Who’s the face of this year’s Big East?

The clear top dogs in the Big East landed right next to each other in the poll: UConn at No. 4 and St. John’s at No. 5. It’s tough to say who will end up the better team. UConn brings back much of its scoring from last year, most importantly forward Alex Karaban and guard Solo Ball, who combined for 28.7 points per game last season. St. John’s, meanwhile, returns star forward Zuby Eijofor but focused heavily on the transfer portal, landing the top transfer class in the country. Both teams fell short in last year’s tournament, but their coaches have plenty of postseason pedigree. From a talent standpoint, I think the Johnnies edge out

ing his third rushing touchdown of the evening on a two-yard rush. A missed extra point, however, meant that the Jumbos clung to a 28–27 advantage.

Nonetheless, the Bobcats regained possession after a Jumbo three-and-out and uncorked a seven-play drive, which saw Lynskey find the end zone again — this time on a 24-yard scramble — for his fourth rushing touchdown of the contest. Following a successful two-point conversion, the Bobcats led 35–28 with just under one minute to go.

“The triple option is a tough offense to go against and Lynskey is a hard runner,” Xu remarked. Weidman and the Jumbos returned to the field ready to knot the match at 35, but their efforts were fruitless. After two quick completions to Shapiro and Fleckner, defensive back Major Spencer III intercepted a Weidman pass, all but sealing the game for the Bobcats.

In the end, Weidman finished with a solid 204 passing yards and 85 rushing yards, along with three passing touchdowns. The stars of the

show however were Lynskey — who totaled 221 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns — and the Bobcat defense, which picked off Weidman twice.

Though the final result left much to be desired, the Jumbos can keep their heads high following an instant classic of a Homecoming game. They look to get back to .500 at 3–3 next Saturday in Clinton, N.Y., against Hamilton.

“Unfortunate that the game ended the way it did. We are working hard to come out better next week,” Xu concluded.

the Huskies, but UConn head coach Dan Hurley’s roster continuity should keep the Big East on alert. Their two matchups this season are shaping up to be can’t-miss TV. Is Duke top six?

The Blue Devils find themselves at No. 6 in the preseason poll — a ranking I find a bit questionable. While it’s hard to imagine a season where Duke isn’t among the top contenders,

I do have some questions about this somewhat lackluster roster. Headlined by No. 3 recruit Cameron Boozer, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer brought in one of the top first-year classes in the country — but I’m not sure that’s enough. Duke lost most of its scoring from last season, bringing back just three of its top nine scorers. Although Duke did make it to the Final Four last year, led by Cooper

Flagg, I think that was an anomaly in today’s transfer-heavy landscape. Luckily for the Blue Devils, the ACC appears weak yet again this year, so if they can manage the out-of-conference schedule, another top seed in March could very well be in their future.

STELLA JEONG / THE TUFTS DAILY

Junior running back Christian Shapiro gets tackled with the football during the game.

Moments ‘til Madness

GRAPHIC BY GRETTA GOORNO