The Tufts Daily - Wednesday, March 31, 2021

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VOLUME LXXXI, ISSUE 34

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Wednesday, March 31, 2021

TCU Senate unanimously passes TREE resolution on private prison divestment, university will not take action

by Sara Renkert News Editor

TCU Senate voted unanimously in a virtual meeting on March 14 to pass a resolution calling on the university to divest from corporations that profit off of the private prison system.

Tufts for a Racially Equitable Endowment introduced the resolution in response to the university’s inaction following a November 2020 referendum, which similarly called on the university to divest from private prisons. The referendum passed with overwhelming support from members of the undergraduate student body who voted.

The resolution cites background information about the prison industrial complex, the contribution of corporations to the War on Drugs and the continued “systematic incarceration of marginalized groups.” TREE also noted in the resolution that numerous corporations and institutions have already committed to cutting ties with the private prison industry, including major banks like Chase Bank and Bank of America, and private universities such as Columbia University.

The purpose of the resolution is to encourage Tufts to do the same.

Mabel Pence, a member of TREE who helped introduce the resolution, explained why they chose to engage in additional action this semester after last semester’s referendum.

“The goal of the TCU resolution was to follow up on the referendum passing last semester, and the lack of response by the university,” Pence, a junior, wrote in an

ANN MARIE BURKE / THE TUFTS DAILY

President’s Lawn is pictured on March 22. email to the Daily. “We’re hoping we can further show the administration that the student body supports TREE’s demands and therefore increase the likelihood of convening the [Responsible Investment Advisory Group].”

The resolution, which acts as a follow-up to last semester’s referendum, according to Pence, was also an opportunity for TREE to elaborate on its requests.

“The resolution allowed us to go more in depth as far as the rea-

sons why divestment is important and our specific demands, including the formation of a [RIAG],” Pence said.

According to TCU Parliamentarian Taylor Lewis, the resolution has the same essence as the referendum last semester but is intended to further demonstrate students’ support for this cause.

“A resolution like this allowed the authors to make more specific requests such as the establishment of a RIAG, and calling

for an equitable investing process,” Lewis wrote in an email to the Daily. “Additionally, while the referendum last semester was approved of by a large percent of the student body, a resolution can further help support this cause through the support of student leaders.”

The point of getting a resolution through TCU Senate is to demonstrate to the administration that it has student support, according to Sarah

Wiener, president of TCU Senate.

“I think our vote serves as a snapshot in the timeline of student advocacy and sentiment around private prison divestment,” Wiener wrote in an email to the Daily. “I see TREE’s resolution as evidence of student voice to be used as a lobbying tool when TREE works directly with adminsee TREE, page 2

City Councilor Katjana Ballantyne joins Somerville mayoral race

by Jack Hirsch

Assistant News Editor

Somerville Ward 7 City Councilor Katjana Ballantyne announced her campaign for mayor of Somerville on March 9. The office is currently held

by Joseph Curtatone, the city’s longest-serving mayor, who announced earlier this month that he is not running for reelection after nearly 20 years.

Though Ballantyne was not able to be reached for comment, she explained her background and goals for the future in her campaign announcement.

“I’m running to represent the values and culture of Somerville, to make sure that everyone’s voice will be heard in city hall and I’m running because our next Mayor needs to have the skills and experience to be our chief executive,” Ballantyne wrote in the announcement.

Ballantyne also emphasized that the mayor and City Council need to do a better job listening to the community.

“It takes a little longer to engage everyone in making decisions, but an inclusive process creates buy-in and leads to our proudest achievements,” she said.

According to her campaign website, Councilor Ballantyne immigrated with her family to the United States when she was four years old, after being adopted in Greece and living in Germany. She went on to become the first person in her family to earn a college degree and has spent three decades working in international business, startup companies, nonprofits and local governments.

“I moved to Somerville nearly thirty years ago, and discovered a place that was fast changing, but was embracing its diversity and progressive values,” Ballantyne

said. “Somerville was a place where I felt I could fit in, and I’m forever grateful that my husband Rick and I planted our roots and raised our two daughters here.”

She has also previously served as board president of the Somerville Community Corporation and was elected twice as City Council president.

Somerville City Councilorat-Large Kristen Strezo, who has worked with Ballantyne, praised her work in the City Council.

“I am happy to say that I’ve worked with Ballantyne throughout the years and I know her to

FEATURES / page 3

ARTS / page 5

EDITORIAL / page 7

‘We really don’t have time to wait’: Students activists unsatisfied by partial divestment

Awards ceremonies fail to recognize the complexity of stories about the female experience

With previous ties to Sacklers, Tufts has a moral obligation to advocate for harm reduction in Somerville

be a thorough and thoughtful City Councilor,” Strezo wrote in an email to the Daily.

During her time in office both as a city councilor and as the City Council president, Ballantyne has worked with Tufts on numerous projects, initiatives and programs. Tufts’ Director of Community Relations Rocco DiRico outlined Tufts’ collaboration with Ballantyne on a community testing program.

“Most recently, we worked with Councilor Ballantyne on a community testing program see MAYOR, page 2 NEWS

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ARTS & POP CULTURE

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FUN & GAMES

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OPINION

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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Wednesday, March 31, 2021

THE TUFTS DAILY Megan Szostak Editor in Chief

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University is open to having conversations about investment impacts TREE

continued from page 1 istration and hopefully, a [RIAG].”

Passing such a resolution has the power to bring about important discussions on campus, Wiener said.

“Resolutions like this are also useful for starting conversations in the community about areas where Tufts’ public commitment to values like being an anti-racist institution are fulfilled or not,” Wiener, a senior, said.

The resolution is not binding for the university. Patrick Collins, executive director of media relations at Tufts, said that Tufts will not be taking action in response to the

Senate’s vote, citing the university’s small percentage of indirect investments in private prisons.

“The university holds no direct investments in private prisons,” Collins wrote in an email to the Daily. “When the university last reviewed its detailed holdings through commingled funds last year, the university’s exposure to private prisons through commingled funds was less than 0.01% of the total portfolio.

Similar to other major university endowments, nearly all of the university’s investments are held in commingled funds … managed by third parties.”

He added that since commingled funds are not customizable,

Tufts does not have the jurisdiction to change them.

Collins did, however, emphasize the university’s commitment to discussing the impacts of its investments.

“The university is committed to a robust exchange of ideas and concerns surrounding its fiduciary responsibility to steward its financial assets while also taking potential social impact into account when making investment decisions,” he said.

Collins underscored the institution’s openness to the creation of a RIAG. “The process provides students with a reliable mechanism to raise concerns to the attention of trustees,” Collins said. “The administration and trustees are always

open to students using the RIAG process to call the University’s attention to issues of concern, and RIAG is one mechanism for helping to focus the University on a particular issue.”

Pence noted that TREE is now working on a proposal for a RIAG to be established.

Pence stressed that while members of TREE recognize the difficulty of divesting from private prisons, they nevertheless view it as necessary.

“We understand that the fact that the $72,000 currently invested is in a commingled fund may present a challenge to divestment,” Pence said. “But any money invested in the private prison industry, directly or indirectly, is unethical.”

Mayoral elections to be held this fall MAYOR

continued from page 1 which provided free COVID19 tests to neighbors that lived close to campus in Ward 6 and 7 of Somerville,” DiRico wrote in an email to the Daily.

DiRico explained that as a nonprofit organization, Tufts cannot support or endorse a political candidate in local, state or national elections, but that its involvement with Ballantyne has been positive.

“Tufts has enjoyed a great working relationship with Councilor Ballantyne and the other members of the Somerville City Council,” he said.

He expanded further on this.

“We value our collaborations and partnerships with the cities of Medford, Somerville, Boston and the town of Grafton,” DiRico said. “While the leadership of those municipalities have changed over the years, one thing that won’t change is

Tufts’ commitment to supporting the communities that we call home.”

Councilor Ballantyne will be joining William Tauro in the race, who announced his campaign for mayor of Somerville in October.

Ballantyne concluded her campaign announcement by calling on those who share her progressive values to join her campaign.

“We know we can live our progressive values, nurture our

institutions, support our local businesses, keep our city safe, and keep building upon what’s great here so we can all thrive together,” she said. “That’s why I’m running to be the next Mayor of Somerville and, if you share those goals too, I ask you to join us.”

A preliminary election is scheduled for Sept. 14 and the general election will be held on Nov. 2. Inaugural day is scheduled for Jan. 3, 2022.

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Katjana Ballantyne joins a Somerville community meeting held at the Tufts University Administration Building on March 5, 2020.

TRASHING ONE EGG WASTES 55 GALLONS OF WATER

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Features

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Tufts defends divestment decision as TCA calls for full divestment from fossil fuels

by Justin Yu

Blackbird Doughnuts

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Copy Editor

Tufts announced on Feb. 10 its decision to ban direct investment in “120 coal and tar sands companies with the largest reserves” in a statement emailed to the community. According to the same email, Tufts will also allocate between $10 million and $25 million toward “positive impact funds” in climate change over the next five years. While Tufts does not currently have any direct holdings in coal and tar sands companies through internally managed accounts, this decision prevents Tufts from any future holdings. According to the statement, the steps that Tufts is taking are based on the recommendations of the Responsible Investment Advisory Group in its December 2020 report.

Approved on Nov. 2, 2019, the RIAG was formed with the goal of assisting the university in examining the social impact of its financial decisions and investments. The RIAG is a non-standing group consisting of students, faculty, administrative staff and trustees, which convenes when a proposal is approved by a sponsor, which then must be approved by the Tufts administration. The RIAG’s financial recommendations to the Tufts Investment Committee are nonbinding. The current RIAG addressing Tufts’ investments in fossil fuel companies was established following an initial proposal drafted by members of Tufts Climate Action in December 2019.

The December 2020 RIAG report lists six concrete recommendations regarding divestment from fossil fuel companies.

The recommendations are largely based on an in-depth analysis of Tufts’ finances within its endowment; research on divestment policies and strategies of other colleges and universities; and a review of Tufts’ history with fossil fuel divestment.

Pressure for Tufts to divest from fossil fuel companies is not just a recent occurrence. In February 2013, a group of Tufts students submitted a proposal demanding that the university divest. This prompted University President Anthony Monaco to establish the Tufts Divestment Working Group, a committee of students, faculty and trustees designed to advise the administration regarding decisions surrounding divestment.

In a report delivered to President Monaco on Jan. 9, 2014, the Tufts Divestment Working Group recommended that Tufts refrain from divesting due to the potential negative impact on its endowment. In particular, the report suggested that divestment would lead — by conservative estimates — to a loss of $75 million in the ensuing five

Casey Cummings Coffee Talk

CONNOR DALE / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES

Tufts Climate Action gathers in front of the Mayer Campus Center to advocate for fossil fuel divestment on Feb. 12, 2020. years. Instead, the group recommended the establishment of a Sustainability Fund, which today is known as the Green Fund.

The 2014 investment policy was kept in place for several years thereafter. In 2019, pressure from a unanimous TCU Senate resolution calling for a carbon-neutral endowment, along with weekly divestment demonstrations outside of Ballou Hall, finally led the Board of Trustees to approve the creation of a RIAG process.

In a statement posted online responding to the announcement, TCA acknowledged that the decision to partially divest is the result of years of hard work by student activists.

“TCA is excited about this meaningful step toward climate justice at Tufts,” the statement says. “This decision is the culmination of many years of hard work and advocacy, and we are grateful for the dedicated student and faculty activists who made this happen. We hope that the decision signals a willingness of administration to listen to community demands and make Tufts a more democratic institution.”

However, in the same statement, TCA expressed dissatisfaction that Tufts is not fully divesting due to continued indirect investment in coal and tar sands companies and that the new policy does not specifically target oil and natural gas companies. “[W]e are not satisfied until full divestment, and TCA will continue working toward this goal,” the statement says.

According to Patrick Collins, executive director of media relations at Tufts, the university will continue to have exposure to fossil fuel investments due to its involvement in various commingled funds and separately managed accounts. These are funds

in which Tufts invests along with other co-investors.

According to the RIAG report, as of June 30, 2020, within the total return pool — Tufts’ largest portfolio — $10.3 million (0.5% of the portfolio) was invested in the now-banned coal and tar sands companies, roughly $9.6 million of which was through commingled funds and the rest through separately managed accounts.

Commingled funds are critical to the university’s endowment.

The RIAG report states that the total return pool held $2 billion in assets at the end of fiscal year 2020, 87% of which was through commingled funds, 11% through separately managed accounts and 2% through internally managed accounts.

“Our endowment, like those at many other universities, uses commingled or pooled funds,” Craig Smith, interim co-chief investment officer, wrote in an email to the Daily.

“Investments in commingled funds offer Tufts the benefits of scale, access to leading investment managers and broad portfolio diversification.”

Commingled funds and separately managed accounts are managed by third parties; thus, Tufts is unable to dictate where these funds end up.

“One characteristic of this investment structure is that investors cannot dictate the guidelines of the commingled fund; they can only choose whether or not to invest under guidelines specified by the fund manager,” Smith said. “To divest from one particular industry would require divestment from the entire fund, with potentially significant implications for returns and costs.”

Tufts’ endowment allows it to fulfill its mission, including

providing the funds for student financial aid and scholarships.

As commingled funds make up the vast majority of Tufts’ endowment, divestment from entire commingled funds would significantly impact Tufts’ endowment and what the university is able to provide. Considerations concerning the negative impact on Tufts’ endowment create a significant barrier to the university’s ability to completely reduce its exposure to fossil fuels.

While Tufts is not able to dictate underlying investments in commingled funds and separately managed accounts, it has committed to encouraging third party investment managers to include environmental, social and corporate governance concerns in their decision making. Smith is optimistic about Tufts’ ability to accomplish this.

“We are encouraged by trends among the investment managers with which we work. While they are taking positive steps, we are committed to advocating for them to accelerate their adoption and incorporation of ESG measures as they move forward,” he said.

However, in addition to Tufts’ continued indirect exposure to coal and tar sands companies, TCA also expressed disappointment that Tufts’ new initiative does not target oil and natural gas companies.

“Full divestment is important because oil and [natural] gas companies are putting out fossil fuels … that are destroying the environment just as much [as coal and tar sands],” Temple Miller-Hodgkin, a TCA member and student member in the RIAG, said. see DIVESTMENT, page 4

ith 61,500 Instagram followers (@blackbirddoughnuts), Blackbird Doughnuts is something everyone must try at least once while in the Boston area. Blackbird has multiple locations throughout Boston, including one in Harvard Square. So, if you’re looking for an excuse to leave campus (in a socially distanced way, of course), go grab a doughnut from Blackbird! A quick glance at the shop’s Instagram highlights tons of fun doughnuts.

In addition to the classic doughnuts that it offers year-round, its March menu includes flavors such as mint chocolate chip, tiramisu and Irish soda bread, among others. Seriously, these doughnuts put Dunkin’s to shame.

Arriving at Blackbird for the first time, I was impressed with the compliance with COVID-19 guidelines. Customers waited in a socially distanced line and markers on the floor signaled where they should stand. After placing your order, you are quickly handed your doughnuts and directed outside, where Blackbird offers a few tables for outdoor seating.

With the beautiful weather we have been seeing recently, who wouldn’t want to sit outside while enjoying the best doughnut of their life?

Besides their unique doughnuts, Blackbird Doughnuts’ menu is quite extensive. Like any worthy doughnut shop, Blackbird offers hot and iced coffee, cold brew and teas. But its menu gets a little bit adventurous with options like the apple cider slushie or the frozen hot chocolate (my roommate ordered a frozen hot chocolate and she gives it very fond reviews!).

Here are my hot takes: The best doughnut: The tiramisu doughnut was phenomenal. It is stuffed with the perfect amount of coffee cream and topped with coffee icing, powdered sugar and cocoa powder. I rate it 10/10 for sure.

What I want to try next: Every month, Blackbird offers new doughnut flavors on its monthly menu, which often center around that month’s holidays. For example, the Irish soda bread doughnut corresponded with St. Patrick’s Day. So, I am waiting to see what is on its April menu. Perhaps some Easterinspired doughnuts? I will definitely be going back to try any new flavors!

How I finessed the menu: This is a hot take for sure, but the best part about Blackbird is that you can add soft serve ice cream to any drink on the menu. Of course, I added soft serve to my cold brew coffee and it was possibly the best coffee I’ve ever had. Inspirational. Game-changing.

I mean, it was basically a milkshake!

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

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THE TUFTS DAILY | Features | Wednesday, March 31, 2021

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Student members of RIAG and TCA discuss transparency in Tufts investment DIVESTMENT

continued from page 3 Miller-Hodgkin, a junior, acknowledged that coal is the most harmful fossil fuel and if he had to choose, he would rather Tufts just divest from coal and tar sands than just divest from natural gas. But he doesn’t believe that should mean oil and gas companies should go unpunished.

“I definitely think that the whole fossil fuel industry is … at fault for a lot of these atrocities and a lot of the companies that are involved in oil and natural gas have been implicated in some of the worst pipeline spills,” he said. “It’s not just coal and tar sands.”

In order to progress the fight for climate justice, Miller-Hodgkin believes that all perpetrators must be held accountable.

“If there’s a wrong being perpetrated, you shouldn’t just compromise … that’s not how we envision justice. It has to be [that] all of the bad actors have to participate in the positive change that we want to see in the world, not just the worst.”

While Miller-Hodgkin applauds the university for divesting from future coal and tar sands companies, he believes that the university’s actions were motivated more as a result of market forces than anything else and that Tufts waited until coal became no longer profitable to finally divest.

“We already did not have stock in coal and tar sands, which makes sense because coal, especially, is kind of on the natural fade out. Coal is becoming less and less profitable as an industry and in general, fossil fuel companies in the sequence of how bad they are from the environment are starting to fade out anyway,” he said.

Miller-Hodgkin fears that Tufts will follow a similar approach in terms of divesting from oil and gas companies.

“What I can definitely see happening is the administration waiting until they naturally end up not invested in any oil and gas companies because it’s not profitable. And then saying, ‘Oh well, now we can divest because we don’t have any money in [the industries] anyway.’ I definitely think that we should [divest from oil and gas] while we still have some skin in the game,” he said.

Sophomore Julia Silberman, another TCA member, agreed.

“To be on the forefront of fossil fuel divestment, [Tufts] would have had to [divest] years ago because the movement really started [in] the 2010s — I believe [for] Tufts, around 2012. So, they are way behind there. They’re just following the market at this point,” Silberman said.

While the university did not explicitly include oil and natural gas companies in its new initiative, many companies on the restricted list have natural gas reserves.

“While the list of prohibited companies will not specifically

target natural gas companies, they will include companies with natural gas reserves/operations,” Collins wrote in an email to the Daily. “For example, the Tar Sands 20 list includes major oil companies, which will also have natural gas reserves/operations.”

When asked why the university isn’t specifically targeting oil and natural gas companies, Collins responded that the university is simply following the recommendations provided by the RIAG. Both Silberman and Miller-Hodgkin expressed concern that the university’s dependence on the RIAG report is a means of using the report as an excuse not to do more for the environment.

“A lot of the [university response was] ‘because the RIAG said so,’ and it’s true they were taking the RIAG recommendations, but it’s kind of disappointing that they were using that as a limitation rather than a jumping off point,” Silberman said.

Silberman cites the two-tofive-year reevaluation policy as another example. As part of the new initiative, the university has also committed to revisiting the decision and evaluating its progress in two to five years.

“We think the plan to revisit these decisions in 2 to 5 years is prudent in light of the rapid pace of change in the fields of environmental sustainability, energy production/consumption, and investing,” Collins said. “The RIAG recommended that time frame, which provides the university with time to review the impact of the policy changes and then consider any potential needed changes.”

But Silberman believes — given the imminent dangers of climate change — two to five years is too long to wait to revisit this initiative and the university should have shortened this time period.

“The climate crisis is imminent — there are already millions

of climate refugees. We really don’t have time to wait,” she said.

As a member of the RIAG, Miller-Hodgkin voiced additional concerns about the decision-making process within the group.

“One of the considerations we had [in the RIAG] was that whatever we came up with had to be passed by the Board of Trustees, so we had to come up with something that we assumed would be conservative enough that the Board of Trustees would pass,” Miller-Hodgkin said.

Miller-Hodgkin believes this affected the way the RIAG approached its decision making.

“The RIAG had to think …

‘Will the trustees pass this? Is this something that the trustees will even consider?’ And so we already lost a lot of the steam by thinking of it that way,” he said.

Though Miller-Hodgkin is proud of the work the RIAG accomplished, and he is ultimately content with the student representation in the group, he would have liked the RIAG to have gone a lot further. A major limitation in divestment, according to Miller-Hodgkin, is that the system of college investing is inherently flawed. He believes that the entire system needs to be transformed.

“Tufts was thinking about how much it could do without fundamentally changing the way that the system works. And I think that they could have done more to actually change the system that underlies how Tufts invests and how [it] participate[s] in shaping the future of what college investment looks like,” he said. “I think that’s what a lot of the divestment movement is about.”

Miller-Hodgkin likens the current structure of college investing to a game of Jenga, where Tufts has set itself up as a tall Jenga tower and is unable to pull out any investment pieces. But he believes solutions exist once the structure is rearranged, citing studies that have

shown no loss of returns despite full divestment from fossil fuel companies. Specific studies are detailed in TCA’s 2019 proposal to establish a RIAG. Silberman echoed this sentiment, citing that precedent already exists.

“If other universities and countries and states can do it, Tufts University can figure it out,” Silberman said. She cited New York City’s plan to divest its pension fund, along with the University of California’s full divestment from fossil fuels.

“There is precedent … They could follow the precedent, they could make their own, but they didn’t really do either.”

According to the RIAG report, of the four-year institutions in the United States that have a plan to divest from fossil fuels in some form, only one institution with a larger endowment than Tufts — the University of California — has pledged to divest fully.

While Collins maintained that Tufts’ current level of divestment is appropriate, he emphasized the significance of the initiative as a whole.

“The steps taken by the university as part of this initiative — including prohibiting direct investments in coal and tar sands companies, investment up to $25 million in positive impact funds, and calling on external investment managers to incorporate environmental concerns into their decision-making — demonstrate its deep commitment to the cause of sustainability and the university’s continued leadership in higher education,” Collins said. “We’re proud of the steps we have taken and believe they will make a significant contribution to addressing the crisis of climate change.”

An aspect of Tufts’ initiative that Silberman is particularly excited about is the money that Tufts is allocating toward positive impact funds.

COVID-19 AT TUFTS

“We really like this idea of reinvestment,” Silberman said. “It’s not just taking your money out of something; it’s putting that money back into ethical funds.”

While optimistic, Silberman is hesitant to make a judgement.

“But we’d also like to know where specifically this money is going,” she said “[Are] these positive impact funds? [Or] are they more like [commingled] funds where it’s going to be more [confidential]? Or is it going to be like direct investments into renewables, for example. So, I think … it’s hard to make a judgment on whether or not we’re happy with it until we know more information.”

Indeed, the university has made increased transparency a primary focus. Detailed in their statement is a plan to create a dashboard that will communicate Tufts’ progress on the initiative’s action items. Moving forward, Miller-Hodgkin hopes to hold the university accountable regarding its pledge of transparency.

“We want to make sure that we’re involved in the implementation process,” Miller-Hodgkin said. “[There’s] a lot of wiggle room on some of the [administration’s responses so] we want to make sure that there’s a bit more transparency than there currently is going on.”

Despite the disappointment from Tufts’ decision, TCA will continue to push forward. For now, according to Silberman, TCA will not only continue to organize demonstrations, but also continue to work together with the university as they continue to pursue full divestment.

“We’re trying to take a sort of halfway route between continuing to have a good relationship with the administration … but we’re also trying to do demonstrations like normal TCA … actions,” she said. “Ultimately, divestment will be, in my opinion, a result of collaboration, because they’re not going to do it on their own.”

ARTS & POP CULTURE

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Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Hollywood can’t break the male gaze

COURTESY FLICKER

Mahershala Ali, Emma Stone, Viola Davis and Casey Affleck are pictured from left to right at the 89th Oscars ceremony on Feb. 26, 2017.

by Emmy Wenstrup Contributing Writer

I recently had the pleasure of watching “To Die For” (1995), which stars Nicole Kidman as an ambitious, hyperfeminized woman who stops at nothing for success. It clearly served as an inspiration for “I, Tonya” (2017) and “Promising Young Woman” (2020) — all of which cleverly subverted the male gaze by satirizing the “girlboss” narrative. While the latter film is up for five well-deserved Academy Awards this year and “I, Tonya” received a few acting nominations, “To Die For” won only best actress for a musical or comedy at the Golden Globes. Though the major film and TV awards ceremonies — the Oscars, Emmys and Golden Globes — have significantly improved at recognizing genuine male gaze-free stories about women, there is still a staggering amount of unrecognized work about the female experience.

The “male gaze” is a term that was first used in the context of cinema by feminist thinker Laura Mulvey to describe the depiction of women in media as seen through a heterosexual male lens. Film has often relegated female characters to mere side pieces or love interests for leading men — the women of the James Bond franchise are an obvious example of the male gaze at work. However, even the most independent, ambitious and authoritative female characters can still be portrayed by the male

gaze. These usually fall into the girlboss category.

A girlboss is a supposedly feminist character — one with equal or even greater power than her male counterparts — that still is characterized by the male gaze. Female superheroes, for instance, are often defined by this gaze — Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes to mind. Black Widow’s impressive combat skills, witty one-liners and independence convince viewers that she is a powerful female character. In reality, the character was little more than an over-sexualized, girlboss sidekick. Such characters are often costumed in revealing clothing, framed in ways that highlight their “ideal” bodies, and serve as little more than sidekicks to a broader plot. As much fun as female characters can be, it’s important to recognize when they are filling the girlboss role and existing under the male gaze.

The members of various entertainment awards’ voting bodies seem to be unaware of this phenomenon — they are quick to reward girlboss media and ignore more complex female stories. The complete omission of Michaela Coel’s “I May Destroy You” (2020), a miniseries that follows a young woman who is processing her rape, from this year’s Golden Globes nominations sticks out like a sore thumb. “The Queen’s Gambit” (2020), another story about a woman coping with trauma, took home the award for Best Television

Motion Picture. Unlike the female lead in “I May Destroy You,” Beth Harmon of “The Queen’s Gambit” exists without complexity and yields to the male gaze. In doing so, “The Queen’s Gambit” made a girlboss out of its main character, whereas “I May Destroy You” explored the nuanced experience of female trauma, free from the male gaze.

Another woman’s grief story, “Fleabag” (2016–19), commanded the comedy category of the 2019 Emmys for its second season.

Season 1, though, was completely dismissed by the major awards ceremonies. In the show, writer and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge explores the titular character’s grief through an innovative use of breaking the fourth wall. Its award-winning second season importantly introduced a male character — a priest — opposite her to serve as a savior of sorts, rescuing Fleabag from her trauma and transforming the strong female lead into a damsel in distress. That said, its second season was outstanding and absolutely deserving of its accolades. The priest (Andrew Scott) added a new layer to the show, even if he could be boiled down to a mere savior. It is more than disappointing, however, that “Fleabag’s” complex and edgy first season was ignored by major awards ceremonies.

Comedy is an important way for female writers to make their points.

The aforementioned works use humor to criticize the male gaze and, by extension, the concept of

the girlboss. Some also use it as a coping mechanism — the middle school cringe comedy series “Pen15” (2019–) highlights the awkward beauty of formative female friendships and uses humor to emphasize its embarrassing realities and relatability of its characters.

Its comedy and general dialogue both showcase how meaningful these relationships can be while exploring characters’ experiences with race and femininity. Another genuine tale of the female experience, “Pen15” was nominated for a writing Emmy in 2019, but has received no other major awards’ recognition.

Instead of awarding these more complex portrayals of the female experience, voters choose to nominate films that succumb to the male gaze (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (2019), for example) or films that oversimplify the female perspective. Indeed, even stories about women written by women don’t necessarily offer complex takes on the female expe-

rience. For example, this year’s awards darling is “Nomadland” (2020), which focuses on the journey of one woman across the western United States as she navigates financial hardship. Though its main character is a woman, “Nomadland” almost entirely removes the concept of gender from its defeminized narrative.

The movie gets not at the experiences of women but at those of a universal humanity. Major awards ceremonies have no problem recognizing works with female leads, just not works about the unique feminine experience.

Awards ceremonies refuse to recognize these media because to do so would question their authority. For too long, excellence in the film industry has been defined by a male narrative — the industry has rewarded works that explore the experiences of men. To recognize the value in genuine stories about women would challenge what excellence really means to the industry.

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THE TUFTS DAILY | Arts & Pop Culture | Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Derin Savasan Hot Take

Seth Cohen was the true protagonist of ‘The O.C.’

O

n Aug. 5, 2003, “The O.C.” (2003–07) premiered on Fox and changed the lives of an entire generation by managing to perfectly capture the awkward spirit of adolescence — a feeling that transcends space and time.

I revisited the show during my one-day spring break (thanks, Tufts!) by binging all

four seasons of it on Hulu.

Needless to say, I have a few questions, the biggest of which is: Who was the true protagonist of the show? And after many years of beating around the bush, I’ve come to decide that it’s Seth Cohen — contrary to popular belief.

Now, for those of you who’ve been living under a rock, I’ll recap the show’s premise real quick: “The O.C.” is a deliciously soapy, quintessential teen drama set in Orange County, California.

It’s about Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie), a smart guy “from the wrong side of the tracks,” who gets caught stealing a car. The county appoints him a lawyer, Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher (LA’77)), who sees his kindred potential and takes him to live with his family in the wealthy community of Newport Beach.

A typical fish-out-of-water story.

So, where does Seth (Adam Brody) come in? Well, he’s Sandy’s son. Seth has this neurotic, yet self-assured personality that speaks to my soul but doesn’t really fit in in Orange County. He’s an avid sailor who loves comic books and has a toy horse named Captain Oats to whom he confides his secrets.

He’s quick with his quips but never hurtful. He’s the sole inventor of Chrismukkah and a total loner until Ryan arrives.

As you can tell, Ryan and Seth are two very different teen heartthrobs. But their dynamic as two brothers is the driving force of the series. Regardless, the question remains: Who is the protagonist of this story?

Well, to answer such a tough question, we have to conduct an investigation.

If we’re talking about who had the emotional backbone

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to hold the “core four” friend group together, Seth takes the cake. While he may not have as much skeletal support as Ryan to be the group’s physical backbone, his self-deprecating sarcasm usually keeps his friend group together through thick and thin. As the series progresses, all the characters get funnier because Seth’s humor has rubbed off on them. He also has many creative pursuits — ultimately attending the Rhode Island School of Design to study illustration — and a great taste in music — his favorite band being Death Cab For Cutie. Ryan, on the other hand, listens to, like, one song by Journey throughout the show.

In terms of romance and drama, I’d say it’s nearly tied.

After all, Ryan’s life is drenched in drama. Throughout the

series, he ends up cage fighting, crashing a car, moving back to Chino and losing Melissa because (spoiler alert) she dies.

In a way, his drama extends to the afterlife. Seth and Summer (Rachel Bilson), however, have this “When Harry Met Sally” (1989) type of relationship that you can’t help but root for. They both have toy horses — Captain Oats and Princess Sparkle — who are basically also a couple.

The choice is pretty clear.

While we do follow Ryan’s story and how his arrival changes this rich town of Newport Beach, Seth brings a unique flavor to the television that assures his status as the show’s true protagonist.

Derin Savasan is a first-year who has not yet declared a major. Derin can be reached at 2derinsavasan@gmail.com.

7

THE TUFTS DAILY | Fun & Games | Wednesday, March 31, 2021

F& G

tuftsdaily.com LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY Mariel: “I realized I didn’t go outside yesterday.”

Fun & Games

SUDOKU

LINDA C. BLACK ASTROLOGY

Aries (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Maintain positive cash flow. Communication gets you around a structural breakdown. It pays to recycle. Reinforce the basics. Coordinate with your partner for extra credit.

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Difficulty Level: The decision to impulsively order JP Licks or not

Tuesday’s Solutions

CROSSWORD

8 Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Opinion

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EDITORIAL

To actively fight the opioid crisis, Tufts must advocate for supervised injection sites in Somerville The dominant public health issue of the past year has been, without question, the COVID-19 virus. But during the pandemic, some of the public health crises that once captured headlines have wreaked just as much havoc as they did before this pandemic — among them, the opioid epidemic. As the United States moves forward with its vaccine rollout, offering the hope of ending the pandemic, it is also important to consider how opioid use has upended the nation with no cure in sight.

In Massachusetts, at least 1,141 people died from opioid overdoses during the first nine months of 2020, a comparable figure to that point in the previous year. These deaths are part of an epidemic that was spurred by the pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma’s aggressive marketing of prescription painkillers, whose addictiveness was often undersold by the company and its owners, the Sackler family. It is particularly important that our community play an active role in combating this crisis because Tufts itself benefited from the profits made by Purdue Pharma. As the Sackler

family faced criticism for its marketing tactics, its members tried to build more positive reputations as patrons of museums and universities, including Tufts, which has received roughly $15 million from the family since 1980.

In 2019, Tufts announced that it would change the name of its Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, following activism from students and faculty. And to its credit, Tufts went beyond just symbolic measures, accompanying the name change with the creation of a $3 million endowment for initiatives to prevent and treat addiction and substance abuse. Tufts’ willingness to openly address its relationship with the Sackler family and cut its ties before other universities was a promising sign that the university remained committed to being a pioneer in harm reduction, a philosophy of public health that meets people at their current state and provides care with the recognition that people are often unable to maintain complete abstinence from drugs. But thus far, the actions of the resulting Tufts Initiative on Substance Use and Addiction have been limited to

BY CECILIA OROZCO providing $150,000 in seed funding for research on substance abuse and addiction. To truly demonstrate its commitment to a community that has lost family, friends and neighbors to the opioid epidemic, as well as show that it can be a leader in addic-

tion research, Tufts has a unique opportunity: It can help the city of Somerville to open one of the first supervised injection sites in the nation.

Supervised injection sites, where people can inject drugs under the supervision of nurs-

VIEWPOINTS

es and authorized medical staff, have thus far been opened in countries such as Canada and Australia, but not the United States. In 2019, Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone pledged to see EDITORIAL, page 9

A call for Andrew Cuomo’s resignation amid sexual harassment allegations and misreporting on deaths in nursing homes

SAM FARBMAN / THE TUFTS DAILY

by Emily Nadler Opinion Editor

Content warning: This article discusses sexual violence.

Over the past month, Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York has faced multiple sexual harassment allegations and reports of inappropriate behavior. Additionally, his administration has been accused of misreporting the number of nursing home deaths in New York during the early stages of the pandemic. This combination of events is a decisive moment in Cuomo’s career, marking what will likely be his downfall after a period of national recognition for success-

fully curbing the spread of the pandemic in New York City during the spring and early summer of last year. It is imperative that Cuomo be held accountable for his actions; Cuomo is unfit for office, and lawmakers, regardless of political party, should call for his resignation.

The sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo emerged in a pattern similar to cases involving other politicians and men in positions of power: It starts with one, and then many more follow. It happened with Brett Kavanaugh: Only a week after Christine Blasey Ford alleged that Kavanaugh assaulted her in high school, Deborah Ramirez, a college class-

mate of Kavanaugh’s, also stepped forward with an allegation. The #MeToo movement has enabled countless other survivors to step forward and finally be heard, yet in the case of Brett Kavanaugh, these serious allegations backed up by evidence were not enough to disqualify him from a seat on the Supreme Court.

In 2018, elected officials exercised a blatant disregard for the clear signs pointing to Kavanaugh’s unfitness that were unearthed during his confirmation hearings.

To avoid replicating these injustices, the lawmakers of New York should push for one of two courses of action: Cuomo’s resignation or the acceleration of impeachment proceedings. The impeachment inquiry by the State Assembly has already begun and amounts to a radical move, considering the state of New York has not had an impeachment in more than 100 years. These measures, however, are fit considering the gravity of the situation. Even members of Cuomo’s own party, including Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer, are calling for him to step down.

In response to multiple sexual harassment allegations, an impending impeachment trial and the loss of support from close political allies, Cuomo continues to deny all allegations and claims he does not intend to resign anytime

soon. Cuomo isn’t fooling anyone; denying the accusations and dismissing calls to step down will not be enough to sweep these problems under the rug.

The turbulence in Cuomo’s governorship and exposure of cold truths did not end at multiple sexual harassment allegations. In fact, around the same time that many of these allegations surfaced, the Cuomo administration was accused of underreporting nursing home deaths by the thousands during the spring of 2020. The origins of the cover-up lie in criticisms surrounding a policy that required nursing homes to welcome back residents who had recovered from COVID-19 in the hospital. In contrast to the sexual harassment allegations which he vehemently denies, Cuomo admits to his part in this scandal, stating that it was a calculated political move.

The truth is that Cuomo lied to his constituents and tried to deceive the country with curated, exaggerated depictions of his administration’s efficacy in containing the spread of COVID-19 during one of the darkest moments of the pandemic in the United States. At the time, Cuomo was gaining national recognition for his daily press conferences, organized pandemic plans and commitment to containing the spread of the virus. #PresidentCuomo was trending on Twitter, and New

York City was able to bring new daily case numbers down to under 1,000 for most of the summer months in 2020. I, like many other New Yorkers, looked to Cuomo for hope and reassurance during an unprecedented and frightening time. While so much was still unknown about the pandemic, Cuomo offered robust plans and demonstrated leadership unlike anything coming from the Oval Office at the time.

Unfortunately, the recent scandals largely overshadow any praise or respect for Cuomo that so many New Yorkers previously held. His dishonesty during one of the most devastating parts of the early pandemic fractures the trust and goodwill that he fostered with many New Yorkers. Considering we are poised at a potential turning point in the pandemic, with over 3 million vaccinations administered in New York City, trust in leadership is essential. We cannot allow someone who comments on female coworkers’ wedding rings, looks down their shirts, makes comments about their looks and gropes one of his aides to continue to be viewed as a hero for New York. We cannot allow him to hold positions of power or lead at all.

Emily Nadler is a sophomore studying cognitive and brain science. Emily can be reached at emily.nadler@tufts.edu.

Opinion

Wednesday, March 31, 2021 | Opinion | THE TUFTS DAILY

9

Tufts’ Initiative on Substance Use and Addiction should take steps to support harm reduction EDITORIAL

continued from page 8 open the country’s first such site right here in Somerville, though the pandemic has forced the city to delay its plans. If the city were to open such a site, it would have the potential to both save lives and more broadly shift the opioid epidemic from being a criminal justice issue to a public health one.

Eli Striker The Strike Zone

‘Other Worlds’ and neoliberalism

N

eoliberalism, the ideology that the government’s primary purpose is to support the free market, has been one of the most important buzzwords in modern politics for the last 30 years. Neoliberalism considers government restrictions an impediment to freedom and encourages globalization and unrestricted trade among countries.

Although neoliberalism can be seen as all-encompassing, especially as our

Mayor Curtatone announced his plans earlier this month to not seek reelection, adding uncertainty to the future of supervised injection sites in Somerville. But if Tufts is truly committed to its Initiative on Substance Use and Addiction’s aim “to help the countless individuals and families who have suffered as a result of the opioid crisis,” it should lend its name

— and its financial resources — to backing a policy that studies have shown is associated with lower overdose mortality. As an institution that has accepted money made through the exploitation of people in pain, Tufts has both the opportunity and responsibility to offer its resources to support the opening of a supervised injection site.

Direct political advocacy regard-

ing an issue like this would without a doubt be controversial; what matters most for public health, however, is reducing fatality, not controversy.

There is no amount of money that can replace the lives lost to the opioid epidemic, nor is Tufts alone capable of changing the enduring criminalization of public health and systems of racial capitalism that have

obstructed equitable drug policy in this country. However, the Tufts Initiative on Substance Use and Addiction, with the help of researchers and students at Tufts, can take steps to help fund and advocate for a supervised injection site here in Somerville, which has the potential to save lives and reduce dangerous stigmas surrounding drug use.

world has become increasingly globalized, many scholars believe that there are viable modern alternatives to a market-based economy. The acclaimed anthropological duo, who write under the pen name J.K. Gibson-Graham, published an influential article dubbed “Diverse Economies: Performative Practices for ‘Other Worlds,’” which states that while neoliberalism is seen as the singular economic system in the modern world, diverse economic systems still exist across the globe today.

The article highlights how academia has been weaponized by capital to encourage the spread of neoliberalism. Modern social scientists have been trained to view neoliberalism as the only valid form of economic system, but this worldview is faulty; there are still a variety of economies in practice today, and it is crucial that these alternative

economic practices be considered valid.

During the last year, it has become increasingly obvious that the world cannot rely completely on globalization, as there will inevitably be some fault in a global supply chain. During the early months of COVID-19, masks were in short supply worldwide as outsourced manufacturers struggled to keep up with astronomical consumer demand.

The globalized process of COVID-19 vaccine distribution has caused lags in rollout; the European Union’s heavy reliance on the British-produced AstraZeneca vaccine led to catastrophe when concerns about the vaccine’s safety arose and there was no EU-produced vaccine to take its place.

Finally, the recent grounding of the behemoth container ship Ever Given has wreaked economic havoc across the world,

as the ship’s mistake disrupted supply chains worldwide.

Globalization, when utilized effectively, is a crucial component of the modern economy, as it allows products to be distributed across the globe, including to people who would normally lack access to key resources. However, the recent distributional blunders of key products such as vaccines and masks have demonstrated that we, as a society, cannot be completely economically reliant on globalization.

“Diverse Economies: Performative Practices for ‘Other Worlds’” highlights the potential gains that society will reap if people are able to consider economic systems other than neoliberal capitalism, such as local trade systems, gift giving and state allocations.

The article’s “reframing of the world city” section states that urban political and economic

structures are crucial “in defining the kind of world that is currently under construction,” or in other words, determining modern culture. For example, Gibson-Graham cites a hypothetical alternative economic relationship between Venezuelans and Londoners in which Londoners would assist in Venezuelan urban planning efforts in exchange for Venezuelan oil.

The article hypothesizes feasible alternative economic models that would benefit people and societies on local and national scales. Such models should be seriously considered if we want to avoid overreliance on globalization and alleviate the rampant inequality brought about by neoliberalism.

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

10 Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Sports

Tufts swim and dive stages intrasquad meet, celebrates senior class

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Samuel Charlton Long Shot

Isaiah Kacyvenski and his Will Ventures Content warning: This column mentions alcoholism and domestic violence.

T

EVAN SAYLES / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES

Hamilton Pool is pictured on Feb. 16, 2018.

by Sophia Antezana Contributing Writer

This past weekend, the Tufts swimming and diving team competed in a special intrasquad race to highlight the senior class and celebrate the team’s hard work and dedication in a year without competition. During pre-COVID-19 times, the swim season typically lasts from November to March, ending in late March with the season’s pinnacle: the NCAA Div. III National Championships.

This year’s swim team was denied that opportunity because of the pandemic. However, it has practiced in the Hamilton Pool during both the fall and spring. This past weekend provided an opportunity for the swimmers to showcase their hard work and put it to the test by competing against one another. The team competed for three days during its typical practice times. Each individual raced in one or two events of their choice. In addition to allowing the team members to compete, the weekend was about celebrating a senior class that has dedicated so much to the program over the past four years.

This event was a special occasion for the 11 seniors on each of the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams.

Banners highlighting the Class of 2021 lined the lawn outside of the Steve Tisch Sports and Fitness Center. Swimmers excitedly entered the building, ready to compete. Senior Nathan Mitchell competed in the 200- and 100-yard backstroke.

“On Saturday, we had our senior recognition ceremony. The pool was decorated

with streamers, posters, and silly fatheads of each senior. It’s a tradition we do every year, and while many of our traditions had to be cut due to COVID-19, it was great to see that the juniors kept this tradition alive for our meet,” Mitchell said. “After we raced, we went up to the film and media room to watch a video slideshow with video messages from our teammates and parents. We stayed socially distant and cheered with our masks on. The only time we took our masks off was behind the blocks right before our race. It definitely felt different than a normal meet, but it was really awesome to feel the energy that Hamilton Pool embodies again.”

The positive energy was felt by other swimmers in the Class of 2021.

“My favorite part of the weekend was the chance to be together as one united team again for the first time since last March,” senior Emma Seymour said.

“Cheering, laughing, and enjoying my teammates’ company felt so wildly special and something I’ll cherish for years to come.”

Given that the 2020–21 team was unable to be entirely together before this weekend, many of the first-year swimmers did not have the opportunity to get to know the upperclassmen. However, the team culture that the seniors have helped establish in their four years at Tufts created a fun and competitive atmosphere where all team members felt united and supported by one another.

“Some of my teammates swam longer events like the 1000-yard freestyle and they had people running up and down the side of the pool cheering throughout

all 40 laps. When I swam, I heard even teammates I hadn’t gotten the chance to know all that well yet screaming my name. Despite our own results, we would get excited about someone else’s as if they were our own,” first-year Elise Fong said.

Even though the seniors will be graduating soon, they will leave a lasting legacy on the program.

“We are an eclectic mix of personalities.

Because of this, I believe we’ve shown our teammates to embrace their individuality, explore themselves and stay true to their underlying beliefs — something easier said than done,” Seymour said.

First-years have certainly felt this impact.

“I’m lucky to be on a team where people are constantly supporting and pushing each other through each and every grueling practice. This weekend was a chance for me to see people enjoying the challenge together on another level.

No matter what shape anyone was in, everyone raced their all while rooting for one another,” Fong said. “With constant setbacks and comebacks, having a team who prioritizes pushing and encouraging one another is such an important aspect of success.”

With the team’s culture firmly intact, Tufts swimmers are looking to continue their success into the next competition season. Before then, the team will be competing in another intrasquad meet in the coming weeks, for which they will be putting on their special racing suits.

This will serve as another opportunity for team members to display their passion and commitment to their sport and to one another.

his week’s Long Shot column is about Isaiah Kacyvenski, a former NFL linebacker. Kacyvenski played the majority of his career in Seattle, where he captained the Seahawks for three seasons, including their 2006 run to the Super Bowl. Overall, he had a wildly successful NFL career, but the projections for his success weren’t always so first-rate.

Kacyvenski faced huge adversity in his childhood. His father had alcoholism and exhibited abusive behavior toward his children. Kacyvenski’s family struggled through many bouts of homelessness during the early portions of his childhood, and his parents divorced when Kacyvenski was only 9. A few years later, his mother left the family to work as a missionary, and Kacyvenski and his siblings returned to live with their father. Living in upstate New York, Kacyvenski became a star student and the captain of the football team. Right before one of his last games as a senior, his mother was fatally hit by a truck while crossing the street. Kacyvenski was devastated, but chose to play anyway. He has since said that he played one of the best games of his high school career that night.

After high school, Kacyvenski attended Harvard University, where he studied on the pre-med track. It wasn’t until he reached the NFL that he developed a true passion for investing and entrepreneurship, but he credits his academic experiences at Harvard with much of his business success nonetheless. He began investing in small startups with his own money during his NFL career and developed a passion for the process of entrepreneurship through these experiences.

He took the experience he gained from this to try to start a venture capital fund. He began raising funds in 2017 for Will Ventures, which invests in firms “at the intersection of sports and technology.” He said in an early Feb. 1 episode of “The Game Plan” podcast that the fundraising was one of the hardest things he’s had to do, which certainly says a lot for someone with his background. According to Kacyvenski, the name Will Ventures is an ode to the willpower that helped him overcome the difficulties of his upbringing. Currently, Will Ventures is a thriving venture capitalist fund investing in sports, health and wellness. The firm funds many companies that develop products to help athletes perform at the absolute top of their game. Kacyvenski especially values companies that extend these athletics-focused products to the general public. Because, as Kacyvenski put it in “The Game Plan” episode, “Everyone, not just pro athletes, has the desire to feel good.”

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