The Tufts Daily - Friday, October 16, 2020

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Friday, October 16, 2020

Wave of student, faculty concerns prompts Department of Computer Science to address course workload

by Anton Shenk News Editor

Students have expressed concerns about the intense workloads of computer science courses, leading faculty to address the situation. The Department of Computer Science impaneled a task force to review the department’s curriculum, according to Department Chair and Professor Kathleen Fisher.

Fisher said that the task force is focused on “longer-term” changes and she anticipates it will conclude its work at the end of the academic year.

Some professors in the department have already begun to monitor and adapt course policies, including Professor Mark Sheldon, who teaches Data Structures (COMP 15).

“I want every student in Comp 15 to feel welcome and succeed. I want them to enjoy the experience and leave ready to tackle the challenges of more advanced courses and a professional career. If we are stressing students too much, then we want

to address that,” Sheldon wrote in an email to the Daily.

Sheldon said he has included planning flexibility in the course schedule this fall to extend deadlines and is offering additional office hours.

However, some students are still experiencing difficulties.

Matthew Hudes is a sophomore in Sheldon’s class.

“I spend over 15 hours a week on the homeworks which is a lot of time to spend … since it then limits the amount of time I can spend on my other courses,” Hudes wrote in an email to the Daily.

Dana Jacoby, a sophomore currently enrolled in Machine Structure and AssemblyLanguage Programming (COMP 40), echoed Hudes’ sentiment about struggling to balance computer science classes with work for other courses.

“I sort of go back and forth between whether or not [the workload] is fair. On the one hand it’s a 5 credit course that I signed up for knowing full well how much work it is. And I have

LYNDON JACKSON / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES

Halligan Hall, home of the Department of Computer Science, is pictured. been learning a lot from it. But it’s also detracting from my other classes,” Jacoby wrote in an email to the Daily.

Madeline McLaughlin, a sophomore also taking COMP

40, said she has about 30 hours of work every week for the class.

However, she believes the knowledge she has gained from the course outweighs its intense workload.

“Most people I’ve talked to emphasize how much they learned in 40 so in my opinion the workload is worth it see WORKLOAD, page 2

CIRCLE researchers discuss youth poll, civic engagement

by Peri Barest

Contributing Writer

The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) revealed in a June poll that youth engagement is higher in the 2020 election cycle than in 2016 and 2018.

Researchers from CIRCLE discussed the large impact of the

poll in the days leading up to the November election.

The poll, which oversampled 18 through 21-year-olds, saw that youth are partaking not only in the voting process, but in other forms of civic engagement, according to Peter de Guzman, CIRCLE research program coordinator.

“We often look at easier-to-measure metrics such as

registration and voting, but also we saw a lot of other methods of informal political participation such as volunteering, donating and talking about politics,” de Guzman said. “I think the most interesting one was the percentage of young people — this is around 20–27% — that said that they engaged in a march or demonstration [in 2020].”

NICOLE GARAY / THE TUFTS DAILY

A Somerville ballot drop box is pictured on Powderhouse Boulevard on Sept. 28.

Guzman explained that protesting and voting are often viewed as mutually exclusive civic avenues, but that CIRCLE’s research shows the contrary.

“Our research really shows that [protesting and voting are] just tools in the toolbox that young people can take advantage of to express their voice on the issues they care about,” he said.

CIRCLE Associate Researcher Kristian Lundberg added that these alternative avenues of participation expand the electoral process itself as well as the people involved in it.

“In 2020, it seems like young people are really stepping up to the plate in ways that we haven’t seen ever, which are all really encouraging signs from the standpoint of youth engagement,” Lundberg said.

In addition to general data about youth civic engagement, the poll surveyed young people about the candidates they support and the issues most important to them.

“We did see among certain populations, such as the Black youth sample, that policing of communities of color … was [an] important issue for young people,” de Guzman said. “We saw for the Latinx youth subsample

FEATURES / page 3

ARTS / page 4

OPINION / 7

Professors, students speak about implications of Barrett nomination

21 Savage’s latest drop ‘Savage Mode II’ brings one of the best hip-hop releases of the year

Tufts’ COVID-19 plan sets example for peer institutions

that immigration was a pretty salient issue.”

Lundberg agreed that it is important to recognize the diversity of young voters and to abandon the idea that all young people are a monolith and care about the same issues.

“Different young people in America, depending on your race, your class or where you live in the country, differentially impact how able you are to participate in civic life,” he said.

In CIRCLE’s poll, 58% of youth said they would vote for former Vice President Joe Biden compared to 24% who would vote for President Donald Trump.

Specifically, 78% of Asian youth, 73% of Black youth and 59% of Latinx youth plan to vote for former Vice President Biden.

JumboVote Student Chair Lidya Woldeyesus said she is worried that young people who do not support either candidate will not vote at all.

“Young people are not happy with the two presidential candidates and were hoping for a different result,” she said. “I’m just concerned that that will deter people from going to the polls or voting absentee.” see POLL, page 2 NEWS

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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Friday, October 16, 2020

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Professors face difficulties in reforming courses, addressing rigor WORKLOAD

continued from page 1 because each assignment has a specific set of skills that you learn from it,” McLaughlin wrote in an electronic message to the Daily.

Fisher and Sheldon both noted the challenges facing the task force as they reckon with whether or not to make changes to the department’s curriculum.

“Designing or updating the curriculum in the introductory sequence is a complex task that involves many factors. For example, students come in with a wide variety of backgrounds, and we don’t want to turn any of them away,” Fisher wrote in an email to the Daily. “There are many courses that require these intro-

Please rec ycle this newspaper!

ductory courses as prerequisites, and we need to prepare students for all of them.”

Sheldon similarly explained that the nature of his course makes it challenging to reform it without impacting students’ future academic and professional pursuits.

“Like Data Structures courses elsewhere, Comp 15 also functions as a gateway to the major and to professional practice. Almost every upper-level course has Comp 15 material as an essential prerequisite, and the material it teaches is regarded as central to entry-level programming jobs and internships,” Sheldon said.

Computer science courses have always been rigorous, but now students are navigating

these difficulties in the midst of a pandemic.

Dean of Academic Advising and Undergraduate Studies for the School of Engineering Jennifer Stephan said that she has seen increasing concerns over the workload of computer science courses.

“I have been at Tufts for a little over four years now. In this time, it seems that I have been hearing more concerns about the workload of comp classes, although I do not have concrete data to support this statement. I wonder how the pandemic and new modes of teaching and learning may be contributing to students’ experiences in their comp sci classes,” Stephan wrote in an email to the Daily.

Sheldon said he believes the loss of in-person instruction this

semester has made it more challenging to understand the foundation of student concerns.

“Just as students are missing in-person interactions, faculty are likewise less able to keep informal tabs on how our courses are going … we are all learning together how to work in this new environment,” Sheldon said.

The task force may not conclude its work until the end of the academic year. Despite this, students are optimistic that professors will make changes in the meantime, and that those changes will support their success.

“It does seem like [the department is] open to change …

[Professor Sheldon] has seemed very receptive to what people have had to say,” Hudes said.

JumboVote works to emphasize importance of local politics, civic engagement POLL

Editorialists

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continued from page 1 Lundberg said that this gap reveals the work that the campaigns still need to do to attract young voters.

“This kind of tracks with what we’ve also seen in the data where young people are becoming more disillusioned and less incentivized to join political parties,” Lundberg said. “So there is definitely some room to grow there and for campaigns and parties and other stakeholders within the ecosystem of elections to reach out to young people.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a larger portion of voting is being conducted via absentee and mail-in ballots. Woldeyesus said she is concerned that, even if students are civically engaged, they will miss the deadlines for requesting ballots.

Lundberg said that responding to a poll with the intention of voting is different from submitting a ballot.

“Answering the poll is very different from actually being able to cast a ballot,” he said. “[Many factors] go into being able to cast a ballot such as access to the ballot and having the opportunity and the capacity to vote.”

De Guzman discussed that the poll can encourage youth to take action and spread information to others who may be unfamiliar with the voting process.

“The best way that groups could make this data actionable is to understand that, despite increases from past elections, there are still a lot of young people that aren’t getting reached out to and also a lot of young people that don’t understand

some basic information about voting,” de Guzman said.

Lundberg explained that disenfranchising people with felony convictions can discourage youth from voting, even those without criminal offenses.

“They might think that because they have a misdemeanor or some other sort of interaction with the legal system they too might not be welcome to vote,” Lundberg said.

“Some of our research finds that even the perception of barriers can be demotivating for young people.”

Beyond the barriers created by the pandemic, de Guzman said there are many structural inequities that can prevent certain groups from voting.

“One thing that CIRCLE prioritizes is thinking about underrepresented communities that

are marginalized in American society by systems and thinking about how to close those gaps in participation and empower them,” he said.

Beyond the 2020 election, JumboVote is working to emphasize the importance of local politics, Woldeyesus said.

“Local politics really matter,” she said. “I’m hoping that that message is being communicated that a lot of these decisions that are coming out [from city council] about your day-to-day life … is dictated by your local politics.”

Looking forward, Lundberg said that CIRCLE will be examining exit poll data and margin-of-victory statistics to determine whether young people were influential in swinging the election and to see how their voting preferences differ from those of older generations.

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3 Friday, October 16, 2020

‘A lot is at risk in this election’: Students, faculty weigh in on Supreme Court confirmation

JOE RAVI / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The United States Supreme Court is pictured.

by Chris Duncan

Contributing Writer

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died on Sept. 18, 2020, and there was nearly no time to mourn. Discussion and speculation over her replacement on the Supreme Court dominated the national news cycle before she was even in the ground. Most pundits believed correctly that it would be Judge Amy Coney Barrett of the U.S Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, who President Trump formally nominated on Sept. 26.

Barrett has attracted attention for her seemingly more conservative views compared to Ginsburg.

She wrote a lengthy dissent in the 2019 case of Kanter v. Barr approving of “virtue-based restrictions” on voting and jury service but not on gun ownership, and signed on to a newspaper advertisement calling to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2006. If she is confirmed to the Supreme Court, many say it would further tip the balance of power in the judiciary toward conservatives. And with issues of key importance to voters coming before the court soon, including the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and, potentially, the results of the election itself, the confirmation of Judge Barrett is a daunting prospect for some, as well as a key reason to get out the vote this November.

For Tufts junior Max Price, who helped organize the vigil in Justice Ginsburg’s memory, the legitimacy of government institutions, including the court, is central in his voting calculus this year.

“A lot is at risk in this election,” he said. “All of those institutions function only with the trust of the people, which is at all-time lows right now.”

Price said he knows little about Barrett herself, but he is not surprised by Republicans’ swift action to fill the vacancy, citing when Senate Republicans blocked the confirmation of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court for nearly a year before Donald Trump took office.

“It wasn’t shocking to see the Republicans pivot from their position from 2016,” he said.

To earn the public’s trust, Price said, politicians must govern with “logical consistency,” of which Republican leadership in the Senate has lacked.

As such, Price believes the Republican party will face consequences at the ballot box.

“I think the election results will demonstrate that they’ve failed to earn the public’s trust,” he said.

Tufts Professor of Political Science Brian Schaffner agrees, but sees the court issue quite differently.

“The court is largely a non-issue for voters,” he said.

According to Schaffner, the new vacancy provides a unique opportunity for Republicans to increase lasting conservative influence in the judicial system.

“If you’re the Republican party, you’re basically looking at what right now looks like you’re going to get creamed in this election,” he said. “The one thing [Republicans] can do is make sure you have good representation on the court for years to come … especially if it doesn’t really matter for whether or not they’re going to lose this election badly.”

Schaffner’s research into public opinion has shown that undecided voters are not likely to consider the Supreme Court when casting their ballot.

“The people who are undecided at this point are not the kind of people who pay attention to

things like Supreme Court confirmations,” he said.

But that may change as the prospect of overturning the ACA approaches. The bill, which is coming before the Court on Nov. 10 under the case of California v. Texas, remains popular despite years of opposition from Republicans. The bill has come up before the Supreme Court before and been narrowly upheld, but its prospects under a more conservative court are dimmer.

“Health care is always a big issue for Americans,” Schaffner said.

The ACA matters for swing voters, too. Barrett, in her confirmation hearings this week, suggested the ACA may be safe, but also conspicuously dodged a question asking whether Medicare was even constitutional. As the election and California v. Texas comes closer, Schaffner said Democrats are likely to focus on the ACA. “You’ll see the democratic ticket really focusing on that aspect,” he said.

But Price is more concerned with the potential long-term ramifications of Barrett’s nomination.

Things like discrimination protections as well as voting and reproductive rights matter more to Price than any kind of electoral repercussions.

Another Tufts faculty member, former Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court Dennis Curran, urges against a rush to judgment. Curran has seen firsthand the rigor of the judicial confirmation process and, furthermore, has faith in the judiciary.

“When an individual raises their right hand to God … they take an oath to God to faithfully execute the laws of the United States,” he said. “That means you put aside your personal preference.”

Curran is also not convinced that Roe v. Wade will be overturned with Barrett’s nomination.

He cited a talk at Jacksonville University in 2016 when Barrett was still a professor at Notre Dame Law School.

“She only sees the Supreme Court nibbling around the edges [of abortion rights]. She did not predict a wholesale overturning or reversal of Roe v. Wade,” Curran said.

Curran says the Court “strives for unanimity,” noting there have been more unanimous decisions in the past five years than five-tofour decisions.

When it comes to the current discourse around the Court, Curran is worried.

“They’re the last place we turn to for our trust,” he said. “If we lose our courts to these political assassinations, it’s over.”

Schaffner too acknowledges the subsection of voters who follow the court do increasingly perceive it and approve of it on partisan terms. Curran blames this on legislators in the House and Senate, who leave legislation deliberately vague, figuring that “they’ll throw it to the courts and the courts will handle it.” This refusal to craft clear policy, Curran said, creates a vacuum the judiciary must fill, increasingly having to rule on the legality of legislation, effectively legislating from the bench.

One solution proposed to this partisan debate has been to “pack” the courts — expanding the number of justices to equalize the balance of power or even tip it in the other direction. Massachusetts, in fact, is home to some of the practice’s staunchest advocates like Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Joe Kennedy III. This is easy for the government to do — the court can be expanded using simple legis-

lation, with no need for sweeping constitutional changes.

Curran abhors this prospect.

“It’s a very bad idea,” he said.

“You just don’t change the rules of the game.”

Another potential fix to the issue is term limits: limiting the amount of time that justices are permitted to serve on the Court.

The legality of this measure is more questionable, but Curran is more open to it. He believes in the need for “younger blood in the judicial system.” He added that judges tend to overstay their welcome.

“A lot of [judges] just get enamored with the power,” he said.

Judges, Curran said, should adhere to the mantra of “leave them wanting you.”

Schaffner is open to both reforms. He thinks one reason the Court feels so opaque is because of justices’ long terms on the bench.

“You appoint somebody and they’re there for 40 years. It just doesn’t come up that often, and we don’t talk about it that often,” Schaffner said. “Actually going through this process more frequently would help bring more attention to the Court and the difference it makes … and it would be nice to have more justices as well.”

For now, the Court languishes in relative obscurity compared to the rest of American politics. It remains the figurehead of a branch of government unaccountable to the people and coated in dense language that few outside of law school are willing to really put in the time and effort to get to know.

“You have to be there to understand it,” Curran, who is teaching Constitutional Law this semester, said. “And, I suppose the next closest thing to being there is taking my course.”

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Friday, October 16, 2020

Florence Almeda Live-streamed and Quarantined

21 Savage, Metro Boomin shine as a team again on ‘Savage Mode II’

Marc Rebillet and Erykah Badu

R

ocking side to side in front of a psychedelic backdrop, clad in nothing but a silk robe and boxer briefs, Marc Rebillet lived up to his eccentric reputation at the Coyote Drive-In livestream on June 27 in Fort Worth, Texas.

I was first introduced to Rebillet this summer by an old friend and have been fascinated by his music ever since.

Electronic artist, singer and comedian, the self-proclaimed “Loop Daddy” is known for improvised loops, a wailing, ’70s-ballad-singer-type voice and, most of all, an air of absurdism so captivating, it’s hard to look away. In 2016, before the wave of pandemic-induced livestreaming grew popular, Rebillet began streaming performances from hotel rooms and various apartments across New York. In one, he crowdsources topic ideas and creates an entire song inspired by the Rubik’s Cube. In another, he has a conversation with “the voice in his head” by manipulating the pitch of his voice to sound as if there’s actually another person in the room. Not only is he one of the most prolific livestreaming musicians I know, but he also exudes a kind of creative energy that I can’t help but try to capture in this column.

While you can always count on Rebillet to cook up something original, what made his drive-in livestream particularly special was his collaboration with a surprise guest: Erykah Badu.

Referred to as the “Queen of Neo Soul,” Badu’s style is influenced by R&B, ’70s soul and ’80s hip-hop — a perfect match for Rebillet’s sound. As with any improvised show, I was a little nervous to see how they would mesh with each other and their audience.

However, within the first few minutes, it became clear that the two had a natural chemistry, working seamlessly together to create a surreal experience.

As audience members at the drive-in got settled in their cars, Rebillet laid down jazzy chords while Badu provided the vocals, encouraging the audience members to honk their horns in time with the song.

Visually and aurally, the performance was a kaleidoscope of rich house beats, layered synths and experimental sounds. Badu sported bright orange rain pants and a wire contraption balanced on top of her head; Rebillet was up to his usual antics, gyrating to the beat while zealously turning up knobs on his keyboard. As someone in the Youtube comments noted, the livestream felt like an Adult Swim special, and I couldn’t agree more. To me, this performance was a kind of chaotic release, one that gave me a brief escape from this reality and an introduction into another.

Florence Almeda is a junior studying music and community health. Florence can be reached at florence.almeda@gmail.com

COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The cover of 21 Savage’s album “Savage Mode II” (2020) is pictured.

by Miles Joseph

Contributing Writer

“Are things better or worse the second time around? Can we really do anything more than once?” Morgan Freeman asks in “Runnin,” the opening track of “Savage Mode II” (2020), 21 Savage’s newest album.

The essential trap album “Savage Mode” (2016) solidified rapper 21 Savage and producer Metro Boomin’s status as legends of the Atlanta hip-hop scene. Since then, 21 Savage has become a consistent, well-respected rapper, and Metro Boomin has become one of the best hip-hop producers of the 2010s. “Savage Mode” was an excellent record but has not aged well due to its inconsistency and the later proliferation of Metro Boomin’s production.

Improved delivery from 21 Savage, the sinister production of Metro Boomin and narration from Morgan Freeman make “Savage Mode II” 21 Savage’s best album yet. If it weren’t for a few out of place and mediocre songs, “Savage Mode II” would be a nearly flawless project.

“Savage Mode II” sounds more like a continuation of his previous album, “i am > i was” (2018) rather than a sequel to “Savage Mode.” Metro Boomin’s production is as menacing and cinematic as ever, but 21 Savage’s sinister, slow mumble has been replaced by an energetic, fastpaced delivery style. In “Savage Mode,” his voice alone was chilling and enhanced his persona. “Savage Mode II” proves that

21 Savage has definitely improved as a rapper, but his new style isn’t as raw and results in fewer of his signature one-liners.

Luckily, Metro Boomin’s production keeps the tone of the album dark.

Throughout the album the chemistry between 21 Savage and Metro Boomin is incredible. “Runnin” and “Glock in My Lap” are some of the few songs that actually live up to the name of the album.

On “Runnin,” which features a sample from Diana Ross’s “I Thought it Took a Little Time” (1976), 21 Savage aggressively raps about how he makes people afraid of him. “Glock In My Lap,” produced by Metro Boomin, Honorable C.N.O.T.E. and Southside, begins with the three consecutive producer tags over a murderous beat, building tension before 21 Savage starts his first verse. 21 Savage does not disappoint, as his flow is infectious and his hook is catchy.

Unfortunately, “Savage Mode II” has the same consistency problems as its predecessor, albeit to a much lesser degree.

“Mr. Right Now,” featuring Drake, is the most disappointing song on the album. It is not a bad song by any means, but there is nothing savage about 21 Savage and Drake rapping over a bright beat about their relationships. It is completely out of place on “Savage Mode II,” and sounds like one of the more forgettable songs from a Drake album. “Rich N—- S—,” featuring Young Thug, also does not feel like it belongs on a Savage Mode tape,

but its quality more than makes up for it.

21 Savage delivers a signature great hook while Young Thug effortlessly flexes his wealth over a dreamy, string-heavy beat from Metro Boomin, making it one of the most enjoyable songs on the album.

Listening to Morgan Freeman describe the difference between a snitch and rat on “Snitches & Rats (Interlude)” is absolutely surreal. The following song, “Snitches & Rats,” would be forgettable if it were not for an excellent feature verse from Young Nudy. “My Dawg,” on the other hand, offers the very best of Metro Boomin and 21 Savage and sounds like it could’ve been on the original “Savage Mode.” 21 Savage addresses his U.K. heritage with multiple flows over a beat that sounds straight out of a horror movie. On “Steppin on N—–,” 21 Savage raps over an ’80s-inspired hiphop beat, which is impressive but didn’t sound particularly good.

The album concludes with two introspective songs, “RIP Luv” and “Said N Done.” 21 Savage reflects on how hardship has made it difficult for him to find love, and concludes the album fittingly, as he calmly raps about the possibilities of what his future could look like.

While it is much less dark than its predecessor and slightly inconsistent, “Savage Mode II” is not only 21 Savage’s best work so far, but one of the best hip-hop releases of the year. 21 Savage again proves he is a perfect fit for Metro Boomin’s cinematic and spooky production.

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Opinion

7 Friday, October 16, 2020

EDITORIAL

Tufts sets standard for containing the spread of COVID-19 When Tufts announced the reopening of campus in June, some community members expressed apprehensions surrounding the efficacy and the safety of Tufts’ fall plan; as with most activities during the pandemic, returning to campus came with significant risks. In reflecting upon the past weeks, however, Tufts’ commendable job limiting the spread of COVID-19 became evident.

Tufts’ semiweekly testing system for students, faculty and “student-facing” staff, comprehensive preventative measures and transparency of testing metrics facilitate this success, as seen in the current 0.02% seven-day positivity rate by unique individual.

Through Oct. 13, Tufts reported no positive COVID-19 cases in its seven-day total among Medford/ Somerville students. For a cam-

pus located about six miles from a large city, these rates speak to Tufts’ commitment to preserving its community’s health and well-being.

This commitment clearly extends beyond campus borders with Tufts’ recent decision to provide free COVID-19 tests to neighbors in Medford and Somerville. This effort, in tandem with Tufts’ pilot COVID-19 study of pooled tests for K-12 schools, demonstrates its receptivity to Medford and Somerville residents’ earlier concerns with reopening campus. Although there will always be risks in a pandemic, testing is a necessary step toward protecting our surrounding communities.

We must also acknowledge the importance of students’ compliance with social distancing and testing requirements on campus.

By testing on time, wearing masks and social distancing, students fulfill their responsibility to keep themselves and others healthy.

With no reported cases in its seven-day total among Medford/ Somerville students, Tufts fares much better than its peer universities with hybrid learning. At the similarly suburban Boston College, for example, 18 individuals tested positive between Oct. 12 and 18. Additionally, Tufts currently reports a 0.02% seven-day positivity per individual, while Boston College’s most recent account gives a much higher statistic of 0.16%. The comparably sized Villanova University provides concern as well; it invoked limited testing procedures for the fall semester and contributed a 0.30% positivity rate this past week.

In comparison to its neighboring communities, Tufts’ statistics

prove notably commendable; Somerville reported 0.39% positivity in the last two weeks, and Boston had a 4.4% positivity rate through Oct. 10. Despite its close proximity to these communities, Tufts’ low rates demonstrate its ability to successfully contain the spread of COVID-19.

With its extensive preventative measures and realistic risk evaluation, Tufts provides a clear example that a community can effectively control the pandemic.

This standard of diligence is possible and must extend beyond Tufts’ campus to other universities in the Boston Area. Other hybrid universities must follow Tufts’ lead by more strictly enforcing guidelines and enacting more comprehensive testing programs of community members directly and indirectly affiliated with the university. It is the

moral duty of reopened schools to take all measures possible to protect the health of their communities.

Regardless of Tufts’ immediate success, the impending winter and flu seasons may jeopardize the safety of our campus; as the semester progresses, students and administrators must remain committed to keeping our campus healthy. Indeed, robust testing is not a final solution. Students should not use their negative results and young age as an excuse to engage in unsafe activities, and Tufts administrators should not use our current success to assume our invincibility. By continuing these essential efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19, Tufts can preserve the health and wellbeing of its own community and beyond.

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BY JUJU ZWEIFACH The Tufts Daily is a nonprofit, independent newspaper, published Monday through Friday during the academic year, and distributed free to the Tufts community.

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Sports

8 Friday, October 16, 2020

Arnav Sacheti Hoops Traveler

tuftsdaily.com

Nadal dominates French Open — again

FC Barcelona, the basketball team?

T

by Alex Sharp

Assistant Sports Editor

In 2005, a 19-year-old Rafael Nadal won his first French Open title. This past Sunday he won his 13th, defeating Novak Djokovic 6–0, 6–2, 7–5. It was Nadal’s 20th career Grand Slam title, moving him into a tie with Roger Federer for the all-time record.

Federer was quick to congratulate his rival on Instagram and Twitter.

“I have always had the utmost respect for Rafa as a person and as a champion,” he said. “As my greatest rival over many years, I believe we have pushed each other to become better players. Therefore, it is a true honor for me to congratulate him on his 20th grand slam victory.”

Nadal’s dominance on the Roland Garros clay was on full display throughout the tournament; he did not drop a single set in his seven matches. It is the fourth time Nadal has won the French Open without dropping a single set. The win over Djokovic was also Nadal’s 100th French Open victory. He has lost only twice in 16 years at the French Open.

This year’s French Open certainly had a different vibe than years past. Fan attendance was limited due to COVID-19 social

distancing regulations and temperatures were much lower than usual, as the tournament is usually held in late May and early June. Many players opted to wear tights and long sleeve shirts during their matches to combat the less than desirable conditions. Days of rain also brought a dampness to the tournament, which, combined with the low temperature, made the balls much heavier and slower than usual.

“Some of those balls we were using you wouldn’t give to a dog to chew,” British player Daniel Evans said.

Although some thought the conditions would negatively affect Nadal and his signature topspin, he was unphased. Nadal smashed an unreturnable slice serve on match point to secure the victory over Djokovic.

“Well of course I played an amazing level of tennis, no?” Nadal said during his post-match press conference.

Djokovic, who sits behind Nadal and Federer with the third-most Grand Slam titles in history, was outclassed by Nadal from the opening game. The Serbian world No.1 was somewhat fatigued coming into the final after surviving a five set thriller (6–3, 6–2, 5–7, 4–6, 6–1) against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semifinals on Friday.

“Well I don’t have much to say but that I was completely overplayed by Rafa, the better player on the court,” Djokovic said in a press conference after the final. “He played a perfect match, especially in the first two sets.”

Andy Murray, the three-time Grand Slam winner from the United Kingdom, also praised Nadal and his unprecedented success at the French Open before an ATP event in Germany.

“I don’t think what he has done at Roland-Garros will ever be beaten,” Murray said in an interview. “I think it’s one of the best records in sport, maybe the best. I don’t think it will ever be repeated and I actually don’t think anyone will get close to it.”

It’s fair to say that the last two decades have been the golden era of men’s professional tennis. Federer turned professional in 1998, Nadal in 2001 and Djokovic in 2003. The three have dominated the game ever since and still show no major signs of slowing down. The race for the all-time Grand Slams record will surely be exciting to watch as the three stars enter the twilight of their careers.

They’ll get their next chance to rewrite the record books at the Australian Open in January 2021.

ION OF STA IAT TE OC

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Arnav Sacheti is a sophomore studying quantitative economics. Arnav can be reached at arnavsacheti@gmail.com

COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Rafael Nadal is pictured.

NATIONAL A SS

his week, my travels take me to Spain — provided that I successfully cross the language barrier. My lack of soccer knowledge is compensated by my fascination with international basketball. Lucky for me, I quickly discovered that behind the iconic soccer franchise logos of FC Barcelona and Real Madrid rests an unexpected — yet powerful — non-soccer legacy.

These franchises have teams that also compete in the basketball league known as Liga ACB. The league is widely regarded as the second-most prestigious domestic basketball league in the world, behind the NBA. Although the league is certainly formidable in its own right, most players still have the ultimate dream of playing in the NBA; Liga ACB is seen as one of the best options to prepare for the NBA. Several NBA players got their professional basketball starts in Liga ACB, including current NBA superstar Luka Doncic, as well as Spanish basketball legends Marc and Pau Gasol.

Much like the NBA, Liga ACB provides a professional competition setting, and can be more grueling than American college basketball. In addition, salaries are substantial and players have a large platform to build a brand.

Basketball remains one of the most popular sports in Spain, second to soccer.

This combination of basketball popularity and athlete dedication is rare for a country outside of the United States, but it all stems from Spain’s steady commitment to the sport and, in part, the success they have had on the international stage.

The Spanish men’s national basketball team has had a dominant stretch of success on the international stage, winning the World Cup in 2019 and the EuroBasket Championships in 2015. In total, they have 27 medals in their 86-year history in international competition. Their sustained success stems from a commitment to hard work and camaraderie which prioritizes the national pride of the sport and its players.

The big question looms though: Why is there so much passion for a sport that is not native to the country and is not viewed as particularly popular? For that, we need to take a small history lesson: It all started with a priest from Barcelona named Eusebio Millan who was traveling in Cuba in the early 1920s. He noticed some people playing basketball, and he realized that it would be a perfect sport to play in Spain, especially due to the winter climate, which makes outdoor sports nearly impossible to play.

Much like with the story of the United States, Spain’s start in basketball came because of its ability to keep people active in the winter. Millan introduced the game at the school where he taught in Barcelona, and founded a team called Layetano.

Within just a few years, the strong regional passions that defined Spanish culture took on a new form through basketball battles between the Spanish-speaking Madrid and Catalan-speaking Catalonia. From there, the fan investment in the sport grew exponentially and has not subsided since.

But this shouldn’t be surprising. In a country where fans fawn over a ball that collides with a net, basketball appears to be no exception.

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