The Tufts Daily - Wednesday, March 3, 2021

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VOLUME LXXXI, ISSUE 16

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Wednesday, March 3, 2021

TCU Senate releases Fall Exit Survey report, administration reviews recommendations

by Aditya Acharya Contributing Writer

The Tufts Community Union Senate published the findings of its Fall Exit Survey in a report released on Feb. 8. The survey was conducted in order to gauge students’ thoughts and sentiments regarding life on campus in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The report outlines survey results on academics, physical and mental health services, COVID-19 protocols, financial aid and employment, housing, dining halls and food services, the Tufts University Police Department and safety, transportation, campus life, campus spaces and commencement.

The survey and its report were conducted and compiled by TCU’s Administration and Policy Committee, led by Chair Ibrahim AlMuasher and Senators Trenton DeBonis, Valerie Infante and Annika Witt. TCU Senate President Sarah Wiener and Senator Claire Bolash provided additional support in the writing and reviewing process of the report.

The Fall Exit Survey is the second major survey to be conducted by TCU Senate after Tufts began adapting to the pandemic, the first survey being the Fall 2020 Student Feedback Survey that was released in June 2020 to determine students’ hopes and expectations for the fall 2020 semester. The Fall Exit Survey was conducted to provide direction for TCU senators in their future projects, in addition to

NICOLE GARAY / THE TUFTS DAILY

The Mayer Campus Center is pictured on Dec. 3, 2020. providing an assessment of how students’ interests are being met during the pandemic.

“The purpose of the survey was to [gauge] students’ thoughts and concerns around issues so that when Senators get to work on projects related to those issues, we can be accountable for doing so in good faith,” Wiener wrote in an email to the Daily. Additionally, when information like this is public,

it can serve as a measure for the community as to what extent decision-makers are acting in students’ interests or balancing their decisions with the interests of other stakeholders in the Tufts community.”

Of the main findings of the report, one of the most striking is students’ responses about their overall academic experience.

“The most common issue cited as impacting a student’s

Compositional Diversity work stream recommends initiatives to diversify Tufts

by Yiyun Tom Guan News Editor

The Compositional Diversity work stream, established alongside four other work streams by the “Tufts as an Anti-Racist Institution” initiative announced

by University President Anthony Monaco in July 2020, released its final report to the Tufts community on Feb. 17. Now submitted to the university’s senior leadership team for evaluation, the Compositional Diversity work stream incorporates data on Tufts’ compositional diversity and makes recommendations for improvement.

Provost anwd Senior Vice President Nadine Aubry, Vice Provost Kevin Dunn and Dean of Undergraduate Education for the School of Engineering Christopher Swan detailed the purpose of the work stream, including how it differs from the Equity and Inclusion work stream, in an email to the Daily.

“The Equity and Inclusion workstream focused on possible ways to make our institution more equitable and inclusive at all levels, including through our educational system for the Tufts community (faculty, staff, students) through trainings, curric-

ulum and classroom pedagogy,” Aubry, Dunn and Swan wrote.

“Compositional Diversity gathered data on who our students, staff and faculty actually are. From that data, we made proposals for ways to diversify all elements of our community.”

The members of the work stream were divided into four subgroups. Each group was tasked with assessing the compositional diversity of faculty, staff, students or administrative and academic leadership, and developing proposals accordingly. see DIVERSITY, page 2

learning and experience this semester was ‘lack of engagement with other students in classes,’ as stated by 389 [of the 478 total] respondents,” the report said. “The second most cited issue was ‘social isolation,’ by 357 respondents, and the third most cited issue was ‘mental health difficulties,’ by 280 respondents.”

While acknowledging the wide scope of issues outlined by

the report, AlMuasher found the data on students’ mental health to be the most profound.

“The most terrifying data, I think at least for myself, was looking at the data related to mental health and how people felt during last semester,” AlMuasher said. “Just thinking about ways that [Counseling and Mental Health Services], for example, see SURVEY, page 2

Early Decision applicants to Tufts up 19%, more diversity in applicant, accepted pools

by Jack Maniaci

Assistant News Editor

This year, Tufts received over 3,000 applications in its Early Decision rounds, an increase of around 19% from last year’s number, roughly 2,500. Alongside this growth, Tufts’ Early Decision applicant pool is more diverse.

“Over the [last two years], we have seen a 51% increase in first-generation-to-college applicants, a 43% increase in international applicants, a 54% increase in Black applicants, a 46%

ARTS / page 4

OPINION / page 7

SPORTS / back

Golden Globes presenters call for inclusion, representation

Tufts should explore spring break alternatives to support student well-being

Daily Sports section weighs in on professional, university athletics during COVID-19

increase in Latinx applicants, and overall a 30% increase in Early Decision applications from US students of color,” Dean of Admissions JT Duck wrote in an email to the Daily.

According to Duck, this increased interest was seen in all of Tufts’ undergraduate schools.

While these numbers represent Early Decision applicants as a whole, the cohort of students actually admitted through Early see ADMISSIONS, page 3 NEWS

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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Wednesday, March 3, 2021

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In survey, students note lack of engagement with others, social isolation, mental health difficulties SURVEY

continued from page 1 could be empowered to support more students and create longer-term relationships with students and longer-term support … is something that I think is a very valuable idea that I wasn’t really thinking about before this survey was conducted.”

TCU senators crafted the recommendations that were included in the report with the input of a large group of people.

“The recommendations are actually the work of the whole team, discussions between me and Sarah, and people on A&P, as well as people in other committees and what we have heard from other senators and our friends around campus,” AlMuasher said.

The Tufts administration has received TCU Senate’s recommendations and is currently reviewing them, according to Patrick Collins, executive director of media relations at Tufts.

“We appreciate and welcome the TCU Senate’s recommendations, across many areas of university operations, that it has developed from the exit survey,” Collins wrote in an email to the Daily. “The suggestions are being reviewed and considered by each of the units to which the report was provided … We’re grateful for the input and the TCU Senate’s continued collaboration.”

According to AlMuasher, TCU Senate is forming working groups to prepare discussions with the Tufts administration on the various topics outlined

in the report. Each working group is led by a member of the Administration and Policy Committee.

“Our goal in trying to create these working groups is to make sure that [the administration] gets a chance to discuss the results with students and to actually work on the recommendations that we have put forth,” AlMuasher said.

As these working groups move forward in their discussions with campus officials, AlMuasher said he believes some of the outlined recommendations, such as increasing email communication with the financial aid office and promoting the use of reusable bags at the dining halls, will be more tangibly implemented than others, like

encouraging the Police Advisory Working Group, Tufts University Police Department Chief and members of the administration to “work with student and faculty organizations to evaluate and overhaul [Tufts University Police Department] policies that make [Tufts University Police Department’s] active harm to students of color permissible.”

AlMuasher noted that the inclusion of certain questions on the Fall Exit Survey was recommended by the Tufts administration itself, such as questions on workload and commencement. “[The administration] is looking for student [voices], so this is maybe a reason why the survey could be helpful and why there can be some optimism about it,” AlMuasher said.

Work stream recommends diversifying faculty, says university should ‘commit to listening’ to Indigenous students DIVERSITY

continued from page 1 The faculty subgroup, chaired

by Dunn, acknowledged that the compositional diversity of Tufts’ faculty falls below its aspiration, and shared recommendations.

The group advises creating positions that will attract more diverse candidates; naming a diverse committee to serve on annual reviews and promotions; increasing Tufts’ Walnut Hill stock and making these rentals available to faculty, “prioritizing those with the most economic need”; and increasing the university’s salary transparency, among others.

Aubry, Dunn and Swan elaborated on their recommendations for faculty hiring practices and how departments can recruit more diverse candidates.

“Sometimes, when a faculty member leaves the university or retires, departments will look to replace them with a replica; that is, try to find someone whose area of teaching and research is exactly the same,” Aubry, Dunn and Swan said. “We would like to encourage departments and schools to always be refreshing their sense of what fields are essential, and, in the process, open up areas of study that might attract more BIPOC faculty. This, we hope, will enable us to continually reimagine who we are and what education itself looks like.”

They also discussed the proposal for salary transparency, including a call for the university to oversee periodic reports on faculty data that also shows intersectional information.

“This data could be given by department, by race, gender, rank, field etc. It shouldn’t be difficult to then create intersectional data,” Aubry, Dunn and Swan said. “Such a report would ideally be available to all faculty.”

The student subgroup, chaired

by Dean of Admissions JT Duck, examined barriers to recruitment and retention of students of color at Tufts.

In terms of admissions, the report proposes continuous assessments of the role of standardized test scores and financial aid and scholarship, as well as the “bias or structural limitations of admission committees” at each of Tufts’ schools, among others. It also proposes diversifying faculty and staff to attract more diverse applicants.

The “Native and Indigenous Students” section of the student subgroup part of the report recommends that the university “commit to listening” to Native American and Indigenous students and to consider establishing a formal land acknowledgment, among other initiatives.

“We anticipate that students, faculty and staff, particularly student-facing departments and services, will be intimately involved in discussions of how the university can adopt meaningful changes in this space to ensure we bring this recommendation to life,” Aubry, Dunn and Swan said.

The student subgroup section also includes a subsection called “The Underrepresentation of Black Students.” “[Tufts should] regularly assess initiatives related to the recruitment, enrollment, and support of

Black students to determine their effectiveness, and to keep relevant offices, staff, and faculty accountable for making progress,” one of the proposals in the report said.

Aubry, Dunn and Swan elaborated on what keeping these members accountable entails.

“A key to our anti-racist efforts will be that all members of the community, all departments and offices be accountable for efforts at diversification and for making our campuses welcoming and safe spaces for all members of our community,” Aubry, Dunn and Swan said.

The staff subgroup, chaired

by Director of Human Resources Strategies Maureen Sonnie, investigated hiring and retention practices “that could be improved to support our diversification efforts,” the report said.

It recommends being more “deliberate” in seeking diverse candidates; increasing electronic sourcing of applicant pools; and undertaking a “race/ethnicity equity study in relation to pay for staff and faculty,” among other proposals.

Led by Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Daniel Jay, the senior leadership subgroup studied the composi-

tional diversity of Tufts’ administrative and academic leadership.

The group observed some progress, but said underrepresentation remains a problem.

“The review revealed some gains in diverse hiring into leadership positions, including among individuals of Asian heritage and women (across all races); however, underrepresentation of certain groups persists,” the report said.

Its proposals include an “institution-wide systematic plan for [the] development of senior leaders that is focused on diversity and inclusion”; considering faculty members mentoring women and students of color for more senior positions; and developing “mandatory, comprehensive education for committee members on hiring bias,” among others.

The group added that they did not address retention because they found that when diverse leaders left Tufts, it was often to move to a higher position, but noted that opportunities for promotion within Tufts’ leadership should be expanded.

“It would be imperative to have resources to find ways for our own leaders to move up at Tufts,” the report said.

SEOHYUN SHIM / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES

Ballou Hall is pictured on April 11, 2017.

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Casey Cummings Coffee Talk

Davis Square Donuts & Bagels

I

t’s a gray, rainy Saturday morning and yet, just an hour ago, I found myself standing in an out-thedoor line waiting for an egg and cheese on an asiago bagel. This wasn’t just any bagel sandwich — it was a Davis Square Donuts & Bagels bagel sandwich.

What made all those people willingly stand in the rain for a bagel? Well, obviously,

Features the shop’s responsible compliance with COVID-19 guidelines played a role. The entire process — from waiting in line, to ordering, to getting your hot bagel — was systematic. Customers waited outside until they were called in to place their order.

Then, customers were directed back outside to wait for their order until a worker happily delivered them a fresh bagel sandwich (or donut). Despite these restrictions, every worker, from the cashier to those on the egg-flipping and bagel-toasting teams, seemed happy to serve customers.

While waiting for my bagel outside, I noticed that 6 feet away from me stood a mother holding her preschool-aged

child’s hand. The child was dressed in pink rain boots, a pink winter coat and, of course, a pink mask! This must have caught the cashier’s eye because, a minute later, she cleared a space in the shop (where indoor seating used to be) to allow the mother and child to wait in the warmth.

Davis Square Donuts & Bagels’ customer service alone has led me to support this small, local business through the uncertainties of the pandemic.

Besides being a COVID-19friendly, local business with great customer service, Davis Square Donuts & Bagels serves some fantastic breakfast. The eggs are fried fresh to order; none of that pre-cooked or

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microwaved stuff ends up on your sandwich. The options of cheese you can add to your bagel range from the classic cheddar, to the bougie feta, to the adventurous ghost pepper.

And iconically, their bagels are huge! So, in summary, waiting for 10 minutes in the rain was well worth it.

Now on to my favorite part: What do I order?

Best sandwich: I keep it classic (and affordable) with an egg and cheese on an asiago bagel ($5.75), or, if I’m feeling inspired from all that reading in my Intro to Nutrition class, an egg white and cheese on their wheat everything bagel ($6.50).

What I want to try next: I’ve never tried one of their donuts,

which are bigger than my face, but their strawberry shortcake donut with cream imported from Greece is next on my list!

How I finesse the menu: I can never decide between egg and cheese or cream cheese on my bagel. With this tip, I don’t have to! Since the bagels are so large, I eat my sandwiches openfaced; the ratio is just better that way. With the leftover half of the bagel, I spread on cream cheese (which is free from DewickMacPhie Dining Center). The final product: the best of both worlds for the cost of one!

Casey Cummings is a sophomore studying international relations. Casey can be reached at casey.cummings@tufts.edu.

Tufts makes pandemic accommodations by extending ED deadline, making standardized test submission optional ADMISSIONS

continued from page 1 Decision has seen similar growth in diversity.

“The percentage of admitted US students that are students of color has grown from 34% two years ago to 48% this year.

The percentage of admitted students that are first-generation-to-college has grown from 10% to 14% in that same time, and the percent of the admitted cohort that are international students has grown from 13% to 15%,” Duck said.

This year, Tufts made changes to its application timeline to accommodate students dealing with the disruptions that have come out of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on secondary education.

“We moved our ED 1 application deadline back from November 1 to November 17th,” Duck said. “The spirit of this was to allow students interested in applying to Tufts more time to settle into their senior year before making the decision about whether or not to apply via the first round.”

One specific disruption to students’ applying to college this year was the lack of opportunities to take standardized tests, usually necessary for college applications. In another effort to accommodate applicants, Tufts is experimenting with altering the requirement of standardized test scores for admissions.

“Tufts is SAT/ACT test-optional this year as part of a three-year pilot program. 55% of Early Decision applicants did not submit an SAT or ACT score.

52% of admitted ED students did not submit an SAT or ACT score,” Duck said. “We worked carefully to adjust our review process so as to not advantage students who did submit scores, and not disadvantage those who did not.”

According to Duck, the pilot program has proven successful so far in this effort.

NICOLE GARAY / THE TUFTS DAILY

A stuffed Jumbo elephant is pictured on Feb. 8.

“The harmony between the percentage of applicants without scores and the percentage of admitted students without scores is one indication that we were able to strike an appropriate balance,” Duck said.

Some details about the numbers of the Early Decision cohort are still uncertain. Though both the first and second rounds of Early Decision are complete, and all applicants have received their decisions, newly admitted students have several options available to them after they are accepted.

“Some of our Early Decision students opt to take a gap year, some have participated in the Tisch 1+4 Bridge Year Program, and a small number withdraw for personal reasons after having been admitted,” Duck said.

Students accepted in the Early Decision cohort applied for a number of different reasons, many of them representative of the appeal of Tufts in normal years. One accepted student, Giorgia Giannico, said that

she was drawn to Tufts by the opportunity to study multiple disciplines.

“I chose to apply early to Tufts because of its interdisciplinary arts program and combined degree program which is very rare. Seeing that I have two very different passions (art and computer science), Tufts gave me the opportunity to continue studying these two subjects together,” Giannico wrote in an electronic message to the Daily.

Giannico said she attended a studio art summer intensive at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts prior to applying and loved the approach that the faculty had and the freedom given in the coursework.

Migdalia Lopez, another accepted student from the Early Decision cohort, applied through the Early Decision II round. Originally, she went through the QuestBridge National Match process in early December, for which Tufts was her first ranked school. Initially thinking she would apply Early

Decision I, she changed her mind and took advantage of the application timeline at Tufts to ensure her application was the best it could be by waiting for Early Decision II. “I knew Tufts was my dream school but I didn’t want to rush it,” Lopez wrote in an electronic message to the Daily. “Instead, I decided to take my time and write the very best supplements I could and apply through the ED 2 pool.”

The reasons she listed behind her decision to apply Early Decision reflect much of the university’s appeal.

“The campus, dining options, community, engineering school, location, research [opportunities], student involvement, diversity, and liberal arts setting all in one place made my small southern town self fall in love with Tufts,” Lopez said.

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Arts & POP ARTS Pop CULTURE Culture

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Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Golden Globes hosts 78th show amid controversy, pandemic

by Stephanie Hoechst Arts Editor

“Wow, another amazing, weird, wonderful Golden Globes,” co-host Amy Poehler said to wrap up the Golden Globes this Sunday.

And weird it was. Meme-able Zoom fails, the “Emily in Paris” (2020) and “Prom” (2020) nomination debacle and the strangeness of watching Hollywood stars sitting at home in their living rooms decked out in full glam. Although, Jason Sudeikis notably accepted his award for Best Television Actor in a Musical or Comedy in an already-internet-famous tie-dye sweatshirt. This year’s Globes were weird, sure, but then again, when are they not?

First and foremost, this year’s Golden Globe Awards were overshadowed by a recent surfacing of the fact that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the 87-person group of international journalists who decide the awards, doesn’t have a single Black member — and hasn’t in the last 20 years. While outrageous on its own, the controversy was amplified when the HFPA passed over several Black-led, critically acclaimed films from the past year for Best Picture, including “Judas and the Black Messiah” (2021), “Da 5 Bloods” (2020), “The United States vs.

Billie Holiday” (2021) and “One Night in Miami” (2020).

After a few jesting roasts of this issue in their opening monologue, Poehler and co-host Tina Fey eventually called out the HFPA for their lack of diversity: Poehler said, “Everyone is, understandably, upset at the HFPA and their choices. Look, a lot of flashy garbage got nominated, but that happens, okay? That’s like their thing. But a number of Black actors and Blackled projects were overlooked.” Fey continued, “And look, we all know that awards shows are stupid … even with stupid things, inclusivity is important, and there are no Black members of the Hollywood Foreign Press. You’ve gotta change that. So here’s to changing it.”

Though this issue underscored the entire ceremony — Jane Fonda used her time accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award to speak on the importance of representation — a few moments of triumph for actors and filmmakers of color still managed to give space to the voices of marginalized communities.

Chloé Zhao, a Chinese filmmaker, became the second woman and the first woman of color to win Best Director at the Golden Globes for her film “Nomadland” (2021), which also won Best Motion Picture — Drama.

Andra Day won Best Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama for “The United States vs. Billie Holiday”; Daniel Kaluuya won Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for “Judas and the Black Messiah”; “Minari” (2020) won the best Foreign Language film award; “Soul” (2020) won Best

VIA IMDB

Hosts Tina Fey (left) and Amy Poehler (right) are pictured in a promotional poster for the 78th Golden Globe Awards.

Picture — Animated and Best Original Score; and, with a tearful and moving acceptance speech by his wife Taylor Simone Ledward, the late Chadwick Boseman won the award for Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (2020).

On the television side, “The Crown” (2016–) cleaned house with a win for Best Television Series — Drama as well as wins for Emma Corrin, Josh O’Connor and Gillian Anderson (Olivia Colman and Helena Bonham Carter also scored nominations); “Schitt’s Creek” (2015–2020) dominated the comedy category (Best Television Series — Musical

or Comedy and Catherine O’Hara for Actress in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy); and “The Queen’s Gambit” (2020) scored a win for Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television and Anya Taylor-Joy for Best Actress — Mini-Series or Television Film. In addition, the Cecil B. DeMille award went to Jane Fonda, as mentioned, and the Carol Burnett Award went to television giant Norman Lear.

As for the event itself, comedy bits, mishaps and Zoom awkwardness reigned supreme. The Globes were hosted this year (weirdly enough) with Poehler in

Los Angeles and Fey in New York, with first responders attending in person, socially distanced and masked, while all the celebrities video-called in from home.

Notably funny moments include when sweatshirt-clad Sudeikis made his rambling, yet strangely grounded acceptance speech (during which Don Cheadle made a loving “wrap-it-up” motion); Kaluuya’s audio cut out during his acceptance speech; Tracy Morgan cracked up after he mispronounced “Soul” as “Sal”; Emma Corrin showed off her cat to Olivia Colman; Maya Rudolph and Kenan Thompson accepted a joke award for Least

Original Song as Beverly Jackfruit and François Jean-Rudy; and Sandra Oh tried a hilariously awkward photobomb bit featuring dinosaurs on a sled behind her while she presented “Palm Springs” (2020) as a nominee for Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy.

Like a lot of things this year, the awkward pandemic setup worked as was probably expected — far from normally, but about as close to normally as we’re going to get for this year’s slate of awards shows. At least we can finally rest easy knowing that we won’t have to say “Golden Globe-winning series ‘Emily in Paris.’”

A&P

Wednesday, March 3, 2021 | Arts & Pop Culture | THE TUFTS DAILY

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‘Dickinson’ gets distracted in Season 2

by Emmy Wenstrup Contributing Writer

Amid a sea of lesbian period pieces, “Dickinson” (2019–), an Apple TV+ original series starring Hailee Steinfeld as the eponymous poet, has emerged. First airing in 2019, the same year that “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” had its debut at Cannes, the show stood out as a satire of these oft-moody dramas, stuffed with modern music and language alongside observations of the ridiculousness of 1850s New England life. Season 2, which premiered on Jan. 8, features new characters, fun new cameos and a touch of witchcraft.

The series follows the life of poet Emily Dickinson, and the new season primarily focuses on her quest for literary fame. One vehicle for her to do so are salons, in which members of high society gather and celebrate the cultural and intellectual achievements of the day. It is at one of these events that Emily meets newspaper editor Sam Bowles (Finn Jones), to whom she eventually submits some of her poetry. Much of the season deals with her dilemma of whether or not to publish. While a mysterious “Nobody” warns her against the dangers of fame, Emily struggles with her own desire for recognition.

Encouraging her is the rather arrogant Bowles, who becomes a sort of love interest for Emily. Given her previous romantic connection with Sue (Ella Hunt), the pivot toward Bowles is a bizarre choice.

So much of Season 1 is driven by the Sue and Emily dynamic, but that relationship is now sidelined by the poet’s new focus on Sam and her need to be recognized.

Beyond that, Sue, who is newly married to Emily’s brother, is both reduced to a side character and a vain, superficial woman who recklessly spends money. The show’s exchange of Sam for Sue is the season’s greatest mistake.

However, where they demoted Sue, they elevated Lavinia (Anna Baryshnikov). Previously, Emily’s sister had been little more than the ‘dumb one’ in the family — a vapid narcissist who cared mostly about her desire to marry. This season, Lavinia asserts her independence after several marriage proposals

Chris Panella Comfort Cartoons

Eccentric ‘Ed, Edd n Eddy’

T

his week, we’re looking at a Cartoon Network classic, “Ed, Edd n Eddy” (1999–2009). The series follows three middle school boys — the titular Ed, Edd (nicknamed “Double D”) and Eddy — throughout their daily shenanigans, which often involve money schemes, jawbreakers and embarrassing moments.

The boys’ plans are usually foiled by their cul-de-sac neighbors: Jonny 2×4 (and his wooden

A promotional poster for the TV series “Dickinson” is pictured.

VIA IMBD

from her new love interest, Henry Shipley (Pico Alexander), who insists she be a traditional house-

wife. The sex-positive Lavinia refuses to meet his standards, resulting in the show’s best new

dynamic that provides some of its funniest moments. Adding to that is the show’s continued use of

friend Plank), Jimmy, Rolf, Sarah, Kevin and Nazz. The Kanker Sisters, who live in a nearby trailer, appear too. The sisters’ plots usually involve their love and obsession for the Eds, who don’t feel the same way.

“Ed, Edd n Eddy” sets up interesting conflicts between all of these characters. The three Eds aren’t exactly friends with the other neighborhood kids — rather, they’re social outcasts, which strengthens their bond as a trio.

But these three couldn’t be more different. Ed’s dumb but lovable, Double D is intelligent and anxious and Eddy sports a short temper and acts as the de facto leader of the group. These eclectic personalities lead to fighting within the group that’s both humiliating and hilarious.

It’s that combination that makes the series so special. They aren’t exactly lovable protagonists (most of the time). When Ed, Edd and Eddy develop their schemes to make money to buy jawbreakers, their plans often come at the expense of others.

In the first episode, the three set out to catch a “serial toucher,” who’s stealing everyone’s belongings, eventually capturing Jonny and torturing him until he falsely confesses to the crime. When Ed, Double D and Eddy discover that there never was a serial toucher — rather, all of the items were simply misplaced by their owners — they still use the money they raised to capture the toucher to buy jawbreakers.

The show doesn’t let them get away with their lie. A series

of events leads to the boys losing their jawbreakers and chasing them down the street into the setting sun. This structure is relatively prevalent throughout every episode of the show, even when the focus is, say, a bet involving gravy between Ed and Eddy, or Rolf’s meals of seafood. No matter what, the boys fight for and almost get what they want. That rectification doesn’t mean “Ed, Edd n Eddy” has it out for its titular trio; rather it resets the balance at the end of each episode, allowing for the next episode’s trio to start back at the bottom again. If the goal is to get jawbreaker candies, then Ed, Double D and Eddy can never get too close without going back three spaces.

millennial and Generation Z slang, which helps cement its status as a satire of a dreary period piece.

The show’s best moments have always been those that deal with the supernatural and borderline ridiculous, a trend that stays true during its second season. Episode 3 centers around a seance, which allows the show to deliver comedic moments while still advancing its plot. Similarly, this season also includes an episode in which a newly published Emily becomes invisible, offering several clever moments that allow the show to explore the ever-current subject of the treatment of female artists.

“Dickinson” provides commentary on 21st century phenomena, despite its 1850s setting. It often includes ironic one-liners, such as last season’s discussion of voting Republican to achieve “justice for all people in this country” and this season’s insistence from Bowles on the immortality of print newspapers. In one episode, the show’s female characters go to a spa and receive bizarre treatments in a critique of the ubiquity and absurdity of “wellness culture.”

The show’s surprisingly star-studded cast continues to excel, with this season’s cameos matching those from John Mulaney and Wiz Khalifa last season. Regulars Steinfeld, Jane Krakowski (the Dickinson matriarch) and Baryshnikov shine as well — Baryshnikov perhaps due to the elevation of her character this season.

While its best elements continue to work, this season is a notable decline from its strong first. For the majority of the season, it seemed like the show couldn’t decide whether Emily and Sue were to continue as romantic soulmates or just be best friends after Sue’s marriage.

In some moments, their relationship is explicitly romantic; in others, Sue acts as only a token best friend character to whom Emily could vent her frustrations.

Thankfully, the last few episodes are a notable improvement, but they are hardly enough to make up for the dull plots that dominated the season — though a pitch-perfect tail end came awfully close.

Beyond its plot, “Ed, Edd n Eddy” features a really interesting animation style. It’s simultaneously classic and zany. The show’s characters are designed with iconic features — Eddy’s three slicked hairs and big teeth, Double D’s hat (it’s unknown if he’s hiding a bad haircut or some sort of birthmark underneath) and Ed’s big green jacket. The animation is matched with slapstick sound effects and violence, all creating a hilarious and often eccentric environment.

“Ed, Edd n Eddy” is available on HBO Max. Chris Panella is a senior studying film and media studies. Chris can be reached at christopher.panella@tufts.edu.

6

THE TUFTS DAILY | Fun & Games | Wednesday, March 3, 2021

F& G

LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY Rebecca: “Any other time I could have been licking beer off a frat floor.”

Fun & Games

SUDOKU

LINDA C. BLACK ASTROLOGY

Pisces (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Study options and possibilities. Get into domestic renovation and family projects. Physical action for home improvement produces satisfying results with Mars in Gemini.

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Difficulty Level: Walking to Dewick in the wind.

Tuesday’s Solutions

CROSSWORD

tuftsdaily.com

Opinion

7 Wednesday, March 3, 2021

VIEWPOINTS

In the absence of spring break, Tufts should provide opportunities for rest

by Grace Prendergast Opinion Editor

This spring, we returned to campus on the heels of an extended winter break, following a decision to delay the start of the semester. This schedule allowed additional time for staggered arrivals and was vital to protecting our community’s health. However, the accompanying reduction of the traditional week-long spring break may carry consequences for student well-being. The single Friday off from classes does not provide students an adequate break to offset feelings of academic burnout and emotional exhaustion. To address these effects, Tufts should provide wellness days throughout the semester to offer students a necessary break from school.

Burnout and exhaustion at the end of a semester aren’t uncommon, yet the fall 2020 semester seemed to amplify many of these feelings to an unprecedented intensity. With the pandemic limiting the scope of on-campus social activities, many students found themselves with fewer outlets to recharge in the midst of a demanding week.

Overwhelming course loads compounded feelings of stress and fatigue. While some professors have recognized the need to adjust syllabi and accommodate their course policies for their students’ well-being, one glance at the academic calendar serves as a daunting reminder that there are few moments to recover during the spring 2021 semester.

A Feb. 16 article highlighted TCU Senate’s efforts to imple-

Eli Striker The Strike Zone

The resurgence of right-wing nationalism in Germany Content warning: This column discusses anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.

S

ince the end of the Third Reich, Germany has been praised for its acknowledgment of the horrific crimes that the nation committed during the Holocaust, as the state has devoted copious resources to the study of anti-Semitism.

However, despite Germany’s

ment a Wellness Week, a gesture that would provide students a period of much needed mental rest. This initiative entails mental health and mindfulness programming, along with a request that faculty not assign midterms or exams during the proposed Wellness Week. As notable as this proposal is, it remains up to professors to participate in it. Though it may require professors to shift some scheduling or logistics, the benefits of partaking in such programming would far outweigh any drawbacks. The alternative — not having some form of a break — could have detrimental effects on students’ social, emotional and mental well-being.

Without an adequate break, already-impacted productivity levels will worsen. Lack of needed rest will leave students feeling unfocused and unable to effectively complete work.

Further, the inability to take a break may heighten levels of anxiety and stress. If the quality of work decreases as a result of exhaustion and stress, the efficacy of a semester without a break comes into question.

Rather than sustaining an unhealthy and unproductive academic environment, professors should see the positives in implementing a break. By doing so, students will be more engaged and motivated in the weeks that follow. A short time away from rigorous course loads would change the dynamic of the second half of the semester for the better. Instead of operating under the mentality of just “getting by,” students would feel their intellectual curiosity restored.

Like Tufts, other schools had to adjust their academic calendars to factor in a late start and mitigate risks associated with student travel, either truncating or eliminating spring break altogether.

Wesleyan University chose to give students a Tuesday and Wednesday off; this midweek break appears to be an attempt to minimize student travel while also preserving a period of rest. Alternatively, Harvard University circumvented a mid-semester break all together, instead opting for “Wellness Days” dispersed throughout the semester. In both cases, these universities attempted to formulate creative replacements for the

traditional spring break while still adhering to COVID-19 safety guidelines. It is within Tufts’ reach to do the same.

If the idea of a Wellness Week seems too broad or unfeasible given curricular constraints, there are alternative avenues professors could take that would have a significant impact on the mental and emotional well-being of students. In place of one class session during the week that would have been spring break, professors could provide time to check in with students and allow a space for reflection. Another alternative could involve canceling or lightening smaller assignments and homework periodically, freeing up the occasional afternoon.

Students can use that time to safely connect with friends outside of class or rest.

A traditional spring break is out of the question. That being said, a period of mental rest is still possible — and necessary.

Giving students time off has the power to bolster their performance and engagement in the remaining weeks of the semester. Yes, providing this break is a choice; but it’s a choice that shows students that their professors are receptive and understanding of this unparalleled student experience.

highly publicized atonement for its actions during the Holocaust, far-right viewpoints and Nazi memorials are present in rural areas of the European nation. Moreover, right-wing nationalism has witnessed a resurgence in German politics. The “Alternative für Deutschland,” a far-right party running on an anti-immigrant platform, has gained significant ground in Germany’s parliament in recent years, winning the third-most seats of any party in the 2017 elections.

Unfortunately, despite widespread German condemnation of anti-Semitism, nationalistic views, such as those espoused by the Alternative für Deutschland, have caused Islamophobia to increase in recent years across the country, in the wake of an influx of refugees. Although Germany claims to have atoned for its xenophobic past, the recent rise of far-right politicians and an increase in Islamophobic

rhetoric indicates a disparity between Germany’s self-perceived tolerance and the actions of the German population as a whole.

In a recent presentation at Tufts, anthropologist Sultan Doughan discussed the intertwinement of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in Germany.

Doughan’s presentation revolved around the disparity between how Germans treat Jewish people and how they treat Muslims. Per Doughan, Germans believe that because they strongly condemn anti-Semitism, they are inherently tolerant people. However, she stated that many Germans expect Muslims to fully assimilate into German culture, and that there is little tolerance for the practice of Muslim traditions in mainstream German society. Moreover, according to Doughan, nationalist extremism is seen as a phenomenon that exists on only the right-wing fringes of society.

In reality, even liberal German political parties have recently utilized Islamophobic rhetoric, which has facilitated harassment and violent treatment of Muslims with little social or legal consequence.

Doughan explained that Islamophobia has increased across Germany since 2015, when Angela Merkel permitted hundreds of thousands of Muslim refugees who had fled war-torn regions, such as Syria, to enter “the homeland.”

Since this decision, acts of Islamophobia have increased significantly in Germany; in 2020, there were 632 Islamophobic crimes reported between the months of January and November. Most notably, Doughan described how a right-wing extremist gunman attacked two hookah bars in the city of Hanau in February 2020, killing nine innocent civilians. Events such as the Hanau shooting demonstrate that although Germany has

allowed many refugees into their homeland, the country has done little to curb the rise of xenophobia and Islamophobia.

Unfortunately, right-wing extremism has once again infiltrated national politics and catalyzed the systemic mistreatment of a religious minority within Germany. Tragically, Muslim immigrants are not the only minority in Germany to have experienced increased violence in recent years; anti-Semitic crimes increased by about 26% from 2018 to 2020. Although the German government’s rejection of anti-Semitism is commendable, the country will only truly address its legacy of nationalistic violence if it addresses the blatant hate crimes against Jewish and Muslim people within its borders today.

JUJU ZWEIFACH / THE TUFTS DAILY

Grace Prendergast is a sophomore studying political science. Grace can be reached at grace.prendergast@tufts.edu.

Eli Striker is a sophomore studying international relations. Eli can be reached at eli.striker@tufts.edu.

8 Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Sports

Daily sports survey: Unpacking the COVID-19sports overlap

by Jeremy Goldstein Sports Editor

In an email addressed to students on Feb. 28, University Infection Control Health Director Michael Jordan announced updates to COVID-19 protocols at Tufts.

Among them was a relaxation of a previous rule prohibiting in-person varsity athletic practices. Jordan said that varsity teams could begin to meet in person so long as they abide by physical distancing measures.

A week and a half before this announcement, the Ivy League announced on Feb. 18 that all spring sports will be canceled.

Tufts and the NESCAC waited for the Ivy League to make a decision on the fate of winter sports before canceling the season on Oct. 8. While optimistic COVID-19 data may paint a rosy outlook for competitive spring athletics, this precedent could suggest a grimmer prospect.

The case of Tufts’ spring athletics is just an isolated example among a greater national uncertainty regarding the tricky overlap between COVID-19 and sports.

Members of the Daily’s Sports section filled out a brief survey regarding the COVID-19 and sports overlap, ranking their confidence levels in various scenarios on a scale of 1 to 5. Consider this the section’s collective reaction to national news.

College Athletics The NCAA has recently announced plans for their annual — 2020 notwithstanding — men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments, popularly known as March Madness.

To avoid travel complications, the NCAA’s contingency plan will see the tournaments restricted to a single state — the women’s tournament will be in Texas and the men’s tournament in Indiana. If a team faces a COVID-19 induced restriction, they are to be replaced seed-for-seed with the highest-ranked non-tournament qualifier.

The 19 Daily staff members polled expressed varying levels of confidence in the NCAA’s ability to execute tournaments of a usual standard. While eight of 19 (41.9%) polled expressed a confidence level of 4 or greater, six foiled that tally with a score of 2 or lower. Another five were in the middle, at 3.

Confidence in a competitive spring season for Tufts athletes was not as high.

Thirteen respondents (68.4%) expressed a certainty level of 2 or lower on whether student-athletes will have a competitive season. Only one respondent answered with a 4 and none with a 5.

Samuel Charlton Long Shot

Yael Averbuch and Techne Futbol

S NICOLE GARAY / THE TUFTS DAILY

A sign announcing the closure of Tufts Athletics fields due to social distancing guidelines is pictured on a fence near the Ellis Oval/Zimman Field on April 25, 2020.

The NBA When asked to what extent they agree The NBA’s postponement of Tuesday’s with the decision to hold an All-Star game, contest between the Detroit Pistons and survey respondents were well dispersed. the Toronto Raptors marked the league’s Five respondents (27.8%) answered with 32nd rescheduling, around 5% of all games 1 (for the level of confidence), another in total. Along with numerous Toronto five answered with 2 and yet another five coaches, Raptors head coach Nick Nurse answered with 3. One respondent answered and 2020 All-Star forward Pascal Siakam with a 5. have both been sidelined for several days due to positive tests and contact tracing Fans in the stands protocols.

The MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays announced In 2020, the league famously hosted their a tentative plan to allow 7,000 fans for the playoffs in a bubble, where qualified teams beginning of the season at their home park, remained isolated in Orlando’s Walt Disney Tropicana Field.

World. When asked if the NBA can avoid a According to ESPN, leading infectious similarly styled bubble for the 2021 playoff, disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci suggest11 of 19 respondents (57.9%) expressed a ed that it “would likely take 75-80% of the confidence level of 4 or higher. population being vaccinated with the rate Meanwhile, the league’s decision to of infection staying very low” before MLB host All-Star events, which will take place should feature full stadiums. on March 7 in Atlanta, has been met with When asked about the likelihood of full mixed reviews in the press. baseball stadiums by October — the time of “No decisions during this pandemic MLB’s postseason — 14 of 18 respondents come without uncertainty and come with- (77.8%) answered with a 1 or 2 for the degree out risk,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver of confidence. said in an interview with ESPN. “This is yet When asked about their own preferencanother one of them, and yet it’s my job to es regarding attending professional sportbalance all those interests and ultimately it ing events, 10 of 19 (52.6%) Sports section feels like the right thing to do to go forward.” respondents expressed a comfort level of 4 Keisha Lance Bottoms, the mayor of or 5 at attending a reduced-capacity indoor Atlanta, has asked fans not to travel to event. However, only two respondents attend the All-Star events.

(10.5%) expressed the same level of com“I know that the NBA is taking all pre- fort if the indoor event had 50% or greater cautions necessary to make sure that they capacity. are not the source of a super-spreader The margin was slightly tighter concerning event, but we know that there will be peo- outdoor events: With a limited capacity, 13 of ple who will travel to Atlanta because the 19 respondents (68.4%) expressed a comfort All-Star game will be there,” Bottoms said level of 4 or 5. Only six of 19 (31.6%) selected in a statement. the same answer for 50% or greater capacity.

NICOLE GARAY / THE TUFTS DAILY

An empty Dussault Track is pictured.

tuftsdaily.com

ince Yael Averbuch was young, all she’s wanted to do was be a professional soccer player. It never mattered to her that at the time of her birth, or even when she started college, there wasn’t a professional league for women in the United States. She eventually accomplished her goals and more: she won national player of the year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and went on to have a wildly successful 16-year career both in the National Women’s Soccer League and with the U.S. Women’s National Team. She also helped form the National Women’s Soccer League Players Association in 2017 and served as its director until 2020.

When she decided to hang up her boots and leave the field, at least professionally, she pursued an entrepreneurial venture of her own, a path she often likens to playing soccer and training at the professional level. After mulling over what business to start, she founded Techne Futbol, an app that provides custom coaching advice and drills based on the user’s personal goals. However, as someone with limited business expertise and very limited resources, she found it tough to find support for her idea at first. She struggled to get momentum and didn’t know how to approach venture capital funding, so she decided to build the business from the ground up.

She began by creating a simple, free, weekly newsletter in which she provided several drills and videos explaining soccer concepts that she felt would help her readers improve their game.

The newsletter became a hit, quickly racking up over 100,000 subscribers.

Averbuch used this newsletter as a proof of concept, not only to potential funders but also to herself. She knew that if she weren’t able to get soccer players to subscribe to a free newsletter, then she certainly wasn’t going to be able to make a successful app that required players to pay for custom training plans.

She then began the second, and arguably more difficult, part of her business journey, developing her Techne Futbol app and converting free users into paying customers. The development process was both long and expensive, but it ended in a product that the team was proud of. The app provided drills and videos the same way the newsletter did, but it also tracked progress and set up training plans for subscribers and allowed players to group themselves by club team and compete among themselves.

Since then, Techne Futbol has been able to convert tens of thousands of users to their paid platform. Averbuch credits a great deal of this success to the mindset and mentality that she developed while training to be a professional athlete.

Samuel Charlton is a first-year who has not yet declared a major. Samuel can be reached at samuel.charlton@tufts.edu.