The Tufts Daily - Monday, November 30, 2020

THE

VOLUME LXXX, ISSUE 48

INDEPENDENT

STUDENT

N E W S PA P E R

OF

TUFTS

UNIVERSITY

E S T. 1 9 8 0

T HE T UFTS DAILY

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS.

tuftsdaily.com

Monday, November 30, 2020

Fletcher School rebrand sparks controversy, community outcry

Winter break housing options to be limited for students

by Arielle Galinsky Contributing Writer

AVA IANNUCCILLO / THE TUFTS DAILY

The Flecther School is pictured on Oct. 14.

by Marianna Schantz Staff Writer

The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy recently underwent several marketing changes, including modifying its name to “Fletcher, The Graduate School of Global Affairs,” creating a new seal and remodeling its website. The rebranding sparked community uproar and led to an internal issue between a member of the Fletcher Board of Advisors and an alumna.

Patrick Collins, executive director of media relations, said that the school initiated the changes to attract more students and increase enrollment.

“The school evaluated its current marketing efforts and other metrics of performance and concluded it needed to expand its visibility to continue to attract highly qualified applicants and boost its enrollments across all degrees,” Collins wrote in an email to the Daily.

The Fletcher School also launched a new Master in Global Affairs (MGA) degree, a 16-month program designed to build skills and expertise in one field of concentrated study. The MGA degree offers full-time and part-time options and financial aid opportunities.

Collins noted that the name change was made to be more reflective of the way in which Fletcher has transformed over the years.

“Over the years, many current students and alumni have said the ‘Law and Diplomacy’ portion of the school’s official name does not reflect the way in which Fletcher has expanded across the many domains of global affairs,” Collins said. “Several years ago the school moved away from ‘law and diplomacy’ in its marketing efforts, but the change was never fully implemented. Part of the recent effort was to address this lack of consistency in the school’s name.”

However, the rebranding of Fletcher has prompted controversy among students and alumni for several reasons.

Fletcher alumna Aziza Mohammed (F’12), who created a petition against the rebranding, expressed her concerns about the new changes.

“Broadly speaking we don’t like the new logo,” Mohammed said. “We don’t like that they’ve gotten rid of the Fletcher flag, the Fletcher orange. We hate the new seal they’ve developed because it has a lot of problematic symbolism.”

Mohammed also noted that the new tagline, “Awakening Courage,” which has since been removed, was not well received.

She expressed discontent with the school’s decision to add stock photos to the website rather than photos of students and alumni from Fletcher. see FLETCHER, page 2

The availability of winter break housing for students will be limited as a result of heightened COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines, according to an email sent to the Tufts community on Nov. 9.

The university anticipates making winter housing accommodations for far fewer students than it has in the past, according to Director of Residential Life and Learning Josh Hartman.

Hartman cited health concerns as the reason for the university’s limited winter break housing capacity.

“We are not able to offer as much winter break housing as we have in the past due to the pandemic and health concerns related to an increased population on campus for that length of time,” Hartman wrote in an email to the Daily.

The university does plan to make exceptions for some students facing extenuating circumstances, however.

“There will be exceptions for international students who face travel restrictions, as well as for students with other significant hardships,” Camille Lizarríbar, dean of student affairs, wrote in an email to the Daily.

Those who wish to stay will need to request an exception through the Office of Student Affairs.

Nyla Samee, a sophomore from Mumbai, India, said that while there are currently no formal travel restrictions preventing her from returning to her home country, she does not plan to travel back home during winter break.

“I’ve decided that it’s best for me to not travel back to see HOUSING, page 2

AVA IANNUCCILLO / THE TUFTS DAILY

President’s Lawn is pictured on Oct. 30.

School of Engineering to launch 2 online graduate programs in data science, computer science

by Sam Klugherz

Assistant News Editor

SOPHIA ELIA / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES

The Science and Engineering Complex is pictured on Sept. 18, 2019.

The Tufts School of Engineering will launch an online Master of Science in Data Science program and an online Postbaccalaureate in Computer Science program in September 2021 to meet the growing demand for coding skills and offer a flexible way for working professionals and students to advance their careers in data science and computer science.

The School of Engineering collaborated with Noodle Partners, an online program management company, to develop the new programs and course material.

The announcement of the new programs follows the launch of an online Master of Science in Computer Science program last fall, which was also developed by the School of Engineering and Noodle Partners.

Dean of the School of Engineering Jianmin Qu explained that the Master of Science in Data Science program will support students hoping to enter the data science industry.

“We strive to develop programs that meet the needs of emerging technology and advancing society. Data Science is currently one of the fastest growing programs in the country, and the U.S. Bureau

FEATURES / page 3

ARTS / page 4

SPORTS / back

Comfort foods symbolize connection, culture for many students

A tribute to the late Taiwanese filmmaker Edward Yang

Move over Cowboys: Washington is the NFC East it team

of Labor reports that the demand for data-science skills will drive an increase of more than 25% in employment in the field through 2026,” Qu wrote in an email to the Daily.

Martin Allen, associate teaching professor in computer science and director of online programs, added that data science skills are valuable in every industry and that the new online master’s programs will be useful for students of any field.

“Data science is something that every field, every area, every industry is increasingly drawing see ONLINE, page 2 NEWS

1

FEATURES

3

ARTS & POP CULTURE

4

FUN & GAMES

6

OPINION

7

SPORTS

BACK

2

THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Monday, November 30, 2020

THE TUFTS DAILY Alex Viveros Editor in Chief

EDITORIAL Managing Editors Jake Freudberg Associate Editors Jilly Rolnick Alejandra Carrillo Maddie Aitken Jessica Blough Tom Guan Liza Harris Alex Janoff Matt McGovern Sara Renkert Sarah Sandlow Anton Shenk Carolina Espinal Sam Klugherz Alexander Thompson Alicia Zou

Executive News Editor Deputy News Editor News Editors

Assistant News Editors

Ryan Shaffer Executive Features Editor Sid Anand Features Editors Amelia Becker Jillian Collins Claire Fraise Evelyn McClure Kayla Butera Assistant Features Editor Megan Szostak Executive Arts Editor Devina Bhalla Arts Editors Ryan Eggers Steph Hoechst Tuna Margalit Chris Panella Yas Salon Elizabeth Sander Colette Smith Rebecca Tang Geoff Tobia Drew Weisberg Assistant Arts Editor Liz Shelbred Priya Padhye Paloma Delgado Amulya Mutnuri Mike Wilkinson Caroline Wolinsky Abhilasha Bhasin Eliza Dickson Sara Kessel Milli Lu Emily Nadler Grace Prendergast Faye Thijssen Sam Wilner Julia Baroni Carys Kong Annabel Nied Valeria Velasquez Juju Zweifach

Executive Opinion Editor Op-ed Editor Senior Editorialists

Editorialists

Editorial Cartoonists

Sruthi Kocherlakota Executive Sports Editor Tim Chiang Sports Editors Matt Goguen Jeremy Goldstein Aiden Herrod Pranav Jain Ananda Kao Delaney Tantillo Arpan Barua Assistant Sports Editors Jacob Dreyer Henry Gorelik Ethan Ling Arnav Sacheti Alex Sharp Eric Spencer Austin Clementi Executive Investigative Editor Arlo Moore-Bloom Executive Audio Editor Anne Marie Burke Executive Photo Editors Nicole Garay Aidan Chang Staff Photographers Patrick Milewski Menqi Irina Wang Austen Money Executive Video Editor

PRODUCTION Kevin Zhang Production Director Rachel Hsin Executive Layout Editors Yanqing Huang Laura Mogannam Campbell Devlin Layout Editor Tys Sweeney Executive Graphics Editor Sam Farbman Graphic Designers Freya Gupta Helen He Kristina Marchand Calisa Sana Ethan Schreiber Ethan Steinberg Colton Wolk Brendan Hartnett Julian Perry Mariel Priven Kate Seklir Abigail Zielinski Mykhaylo Chumak Justin Yu Aedan Brown Elizabeth Kenneally Makenna Law Michelle Li Tiffany Namkoong

Executive Copy Editors Deputy Copy Editors

Copy Editors Assistant Copy Editors

Executive Social Media Editors

BUSINESS Robert Kaplan Business Director Devina Bhalla Account Managers Coley Goren Sharan Bhansali Business Managers Norice Lu Evelyn McClure Patrick Milewski Luke Allocco Outreach Coordinators Sam Russo

Contact Us P.O. Box 53018, Medford, MA 02155 daily@tuftsdaily.com thetuftsdaily tuftsdaily tuftsdaily

Member of Fletcher Board of Advisors makes hateful comments against Fletcher alumna, resigns FLETCHER

Rebecca Barker Hannah Harris

Please rec ycle this newspaper!

tuftsdaily.com

continued from page 1 “We didn’t go to Fletcher to awaken our courage,” she said.

“We went there to learn. We already had courage.”

Alfredo Ramirez, a firstyear Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy student at Fletcher, also created another petition opposing the changes. He said alumni have expressed concern over the rebranding.

“Fletcher is much more than a logo and SEO,” he wrote in an email to the Daily. “If the Administration is truly intentional about increasing the appeal and reach of Fletcher … it should consult with students and alumni about what made Fletcher so special to us in the first place.”

Though there were informal focus groups and interviews conducted by the school’s administration in July and August to gauge the opinions of some students, many feel as though these were not held in an honest and transparent manner, according to Mohammed.

“[People in the focus groups] weren’t told why they were being interviewed … and a lot of the alumni who participated in these focus groups and interviews feel like they were very much misled,” Mohammed said.

Additionally, students and alumni have raised issues about the MGA degree.

“It’s targeted at part-time, more casual students,” Chris Ellison (F’12) said. “[The MGA is] something that causes us to look more like and have curricula more like schools which are behind us, not ahead of us.”

When Mohammed posted her petition on LinkedIn, she received hateful messages from Liz Musch, a member of the Board of Advisors at Fletcher. Musch threatened to report her to LinkedIn if the petition was not taken down by the end of the day.

“She wrote publicly under the LinkedIn post with my petition and privately to me that I was an outof-control terrorist who was out

to destroy The Fletcher School,” Mohammed said. “And then I had until the end of the day to remove my petition, or she would report me to LinkedIn.” Screenshots of the LinkedIn exchange circulated among Fletcher students and faculty, according to Mohammed.

Rachel Kyte (F’02), dean of The Fletcher School, said that Musch offered her resignation from the Board of Advisors.

“The comments unmistakably violate so much of what we value at Fletcher including mutual respect, diplomacy, and cooperation, and we apologize for the harm this has caused our community,” she wrote in an email to the Daily. “We remain committed to ensuring that our community embraces and lives our commitment to these values in all that we do.”

Musch did not respond to the Daily’s request for comment.

Because of community dissatisfaction with the rebranding, the school decided to include photos of

Fletcher students and alumni on its website and removed all references to “awakening courage,” according to an email sent by Kyte to alumni on Nov. 21.

However, students continue to work with the administration to address remaining issues.

“There are still ongoing discussions between students themselves and also with the administration about how best to move forward with these issues and discussions,” Ramirez said.

According to Collins, the administration has paused its rebranding efforts and opened a comment section on the myFletcher intranet student portal in efforts to welcome community feedback and consider its options moving forward.

Collins recognized that the rebranding campaign did not have its intended effect.

“Despite the campaign’s good intentions, the changes were perceived as disregarding the school’s history and unintentionally discrediting past graduates,” he said.

Remaining on-campus students encouraged to follow COVID-19 health guidelines over break

HOUSING

continued from page 1 Mumbai as [COVID-19] cases are extremely high there,” Samee wrote in an email to the Daily. “I think that traveling internationally to a [COVID-19] hotspot is only asking for trouble. Not to mention, one week of my winter break would be used to quarantine upon arrival in India. It’s not worth the money and the long trip.”

Students seeking to secure winter housing have also explored other possible options if the university does not grant them on-campus accommodations.

“If in the end Tufts fails to provide me housing for winter, I am thinking about renting a room/ apartment in Boston,” Chelsie Wei, a first-year, wrote in an email to the Daily.

Samee also shared her alternative plans if on-campus housing is not feasible.

“If Tufts doesn’t give me housing, I’m definitely going to sublet in the Medford/Somerville area,” Samee said.

Wei hopes the university can accommodate student needs.

“I honestly wish there’s enough room to meet every student’s needs because [COVID-19] has caused so [many] problems … You never know who needs to stay here over winter break,” Wei said.

Students who are granted on-campus housing during the winter period will not be allowed to remain in their current fall housing assignments. Instead, they will be required to relocate to specifically designated winter housing facilities, according to Hartman.

Samee and Wei both expressed concerns about the availability of food options during the winter break, and Wei discussed the social isolation that could occur if only a few people decide to stay on campus In an effort to provide opportunities for bonding during the winter break, Tufts plans to continue to allow reservations of university spaces with the hope that students can come together, as long as they follow COVID-19 guidelines.

“Students can also reserve a variety of rooms in academic spaces on campus to gather in groups of no more than ten (to comply with gathering regulations), so it is our hope that those spaces allow another opportunity for getting together,” Lizarríbar said.

The COVID-19 testing protocol will remain in place during

winter break, according to Marie Caggiano, medical director of Health Service. She said that all students permitted to live on campus are expected to abide by the health protocols outlined by the university.

“Testing during winter break will continue as normal … For students who test positive and need to isolate or are identified as close contacts of a person who tests positive, Tufts will continue to offer supports including housing at the mods, food delivery, and case management,” Caggiano wrote in an email to the Daily.

Students who live on campus over the break will have access to the standard resources provided by the Health Service and Counseling and Mental Health Services, according to Caggiano.

School of Engineering collaborates with Noodle Partners to launch online programs ONLINE

continued from page 1 on, whether they call it data science or machine learning,” Allen said.

Qu noted that the computer science program will similarly provide opportunities for students hoping to build their computer science skills.

“In addition to a positive employment outlook for Data Science graduates, Computer Science careers continue on an upward trajectory, so offering the Post-Bac in Computer Science, which can connect directly to [the School of Engineering’s] online [Master of Science in Computer Science] program, will enable professionals to learn new skills that better fit into their career aspirations,” Qu said.

Allen expanded on what the program will offer students.

“The post-bac, in particular, it does serve as a standalone certificate, so it’s a very lightweight, less than a master’s degree, way to add some extra CS skills to your resume,” Allen said.

Qu also emphasized the importance of flexibility in offering these new online programs.

“Working professionals are often trying to balance a career, family life and other responsibilities, which can make a traditional learning format challenging.

Adding a convenient and more flexible way to learn will provide an accessible option for them to continue their education,” Qu said.

Allen remarked that many in the first cohort of Tufts’ online Master of Science in Computer Science program are students looking to change their career trajectories.

“With the online students, we’re seeing a lot of people who want

to change careers or advance in a different direction in their career,” Allen said. “We have a few people who are students who graduated, and it’s more convenient, because maybe they’re working already, to do a part-time degree.”

The new programs also serve to complement the on-campus School of Engineering programs in data science and computer science, according to Allen.

Qu commented on the School of Engineering’s partnership with Noodle Partners, recognizing the importance of Noodle’s support in developing the programs.

“Noodle has a flexible business model that allowed the CS faculty to run the program as they saw best for their students without restrictions,” Qu said. “So far the faculty have been very happy with the support they have received from Noodle, so it made sense to

select them for these additional programs.”

Lee Bradshaw, chief strategy officer at Noodle Partners, explained the role of Noodle as a supportive partner to Tufts.

“Tufts delivers a rigorous academic experience with really incredible faculty, and we do the behind-the-scenes work to keep the program running smoothly for students and faculty,” Bradshaw wrote in an email to the Daily.

Noodle also assists the School of Engineering and the Tufts Office of Graduate Admissions throughout the student recruitment process, according to Bradshaw.

“The goal is to provide a seamless Tufts experience to all prospective students throughout the application process that is consistent with the mission and core values of Tufts University and the School of Engineering,” Bradshaw said.

tuftsdaily.com

Features

3 Monday, November 30, 2020

Getting cozy with comfort food

WWKAAUTOR / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Comfort food is pictured.

by Emma Bittar

Contributing Writer

As it gets colder outside, we’re all staying in more, getting cozy watching our favorite movies, wrapping ourselves up in blankets and enjoying time alone or with those we care about. Of course, there’s also a bowl of warm macaroni and cheese on your lap, because what better way is there to get cozy than with some classic comfort food?

When you think of comfort food, you may think of macaroni and cheese, soup or some other kind of warm food, but it is so much more than that. To some, eating comfort food is an act of self-care. To others, it is a reminder of their home or family. Regardless of how you think about it, each of us has food that brings us comfort in some shape or form.

Lily Volper, a sophomore, described how texture impacts her perception of comfort food.

“For me, a comfort food that comes to mind is carrots and caesar dressing. I really like the crunch. It’s very satisfying for me,” Volper said.

However, during this particular time of year that is filled with foods like stuffing, potatoes, soup and an endless variety of pies, Volper is excited for a different dish.

“Sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top,” Volper said. “Come fall, come Thanksgiving, I’m always looking forward to that particular dish. It’s very good.”

Our perception of comfort food is influenced by our family and the other people that we surround ourselves with as well.

Audrey McGlothlen, a junior, described how her mother has influenced her ideas of comfort food.

“It’s a lot of stuff that my mom thinks of as comfort food, I then also think of as comfort food. She would make this salad with peas, ched-

dar cheese and mayonnaise,” McGlothlen said. “It’s super easy but it just makes her feel good, so we all just eat it on lazy days or there’ll be specific dishes that she makes to make us feel better.”

During Thanksgiving, McGlothlen’s idea of comfort food changes but is still linked to her family nevertheless.

“Stuffing is a big one for me, and homemade cranberry sauce that has chunks of cranberry … and it smells like cinnamon. That was the one dish I was allowed to help cook, so that has a lot of memories for me,” she said.

Malcolm Cox, a sophomore, explained that one of his favorite dishes has been inspired by his family and culture.

“One of my great aunts makes this really good oxtail stew. She makes it for me every year on my birthday and it’s just really special,” Cox said.

Comfort food isn’t necessarily a specific dish, though.

It can also be associated with a concept or memory that brings us nostalgia or peace.

McGlothlen associates comfort food with home, along with being cozy and at ease.

“My mom makes a really big deal every time I come home to ask what food she should make and what restaurants we should go to, so I’ve gotten a lot of practice identifying the foods that remind me of home,” McGlothlen said.

Cox, on the other hand, associates comfort food with his environment rather than a specific dish or mood.

“I think of it more as being around people that I care about, and eating food that I enjoy and that makes me feel good … especially something that I can share with other people,” Cox said.

Cox is an avid cook and finds profound meaning in cooking, demonstrating how the process of cooking can be significant to how we view comfort food, too.

“The amount of time and effort that goes into making something that other people are going to eat makes the experience a lot more personal and a lot more special,” Cox said.

On the other hand, McGlothlen, who also enjoys cooking immensely, doesn’t associate cooking with comfort food.

“I’ve been cooking a lot with my partner this semester, so there’s now a lot of joy and positive vibes around cooking together and coming up with new dishes,” McGlothlen said.

“But I dont think it’s the same ‘cuddle up in a blanket and eat whatever I’m being served’ kind of vibe.”

Perhaps the most interesting part of our conception of comfort food is how it evolves over time as new people and recipes are introduced to our lives.

McGlothlen reflected on how initially, Thanksgiving may seem like it would be a time where everyone comes together and clashes.

However, she finds that more harmony occurs than she would expect.

She spoke about how family members brought new dishes to Thanksgiving and added to their family traditions.

“When my uncle started dating his girlfriend, they would bring new foods. Now, on top of my favorite cranberry sauce, we also had to have canned cranberry sauce,” McGlothlen said. “I just like the symbolism of it all mushing together.”

Cox has a similar perspective and explained how cooking different foods can allow him and his family to explore other cultures and traditions.

“I’ll make things that I find really interesting, and possibly dishes that my family hasn’t really had before from other cultures, that I have had before,” Cox said.

Regardless of what your definition of comfort food is, we can all think of times where we have been stressed or upset, and have turned toward a specific food for comfort. Volper thinks it’s extremely important to embrace this idea.

“There’s absolutely no shame in eating comfort food … Sometimes you just really need to indulge yourself, especially during these very stressful times,” Volper said. “We really need an outlet sometimes, so feeding yourself with comfort food is a great way to relieve stress.”

So, the next time you feel the urge to have some comfort food, don’t hesitate. Enjoy the feelings or memories that it may bring to you. Food is not just fuel, it is a connection to parts of ourselves that we may lose sight of with time and our responsibilities.

4

Arts & POP ARTS Pop CULTURE Culture

tuftsdaily.com

Monday, November 30, 2020

Director Edward Yang illuminates complexities of Taiwanese history

by Yiyun Tom Guan News Editor

Hailed as one of the trailblazers of the “Taiwanese New Wave,” the late Edward Yang’s films put the spotlight on a country underpinned by rapid economic growth, globalization, urbanization and political liberation. As a narrative artist, Yang’s genius lies in his portrayal of how these changes distill into every aspect of life. This article looks at four of his seven feature films, “Yi Yi” (2000), “A Brighter Summer Day” (1991), “Terrorizers” (1986) and “Taipei Story” (1985), in which Yang not only maps the socioeconomic changes in Taipei but also investigates concepts such as oppression, gender, violence and the nature of love.

Ultimately, his examination of the antinomies of social class, the cycle of oppression and violence and the unattainability of ideal love doesn’t apply only to Taiwan but is universal.

Yang’s films are permeated by a stifling sense of loss and melancholy. Part of the trick is his frequent employment of wide and still shots as well as the overall slowness of his narrative. The other reason is political and economic: In an interview with the New Left Review, Yang stated that Taiwan in the 1980s experienced tremendous economic growth, especially in the technological sector. This also means that those who work in traditional industries, or don’t have the credentials to adapt to rapid modernity, are left behind. In “Terrorizers,” Li Lizhong (one of the most common Chinese names, so much so that it conveys mediocrity), a monotonous doctor, knows only to work harder in the hopes that his boss will someday recognize him. It is no surprise that he loses his wife, who is part of the emerging urbanite creative class, to a software entrepreneur.

In the interview, Yang explained that the two main characters of “Taipei Story” “represent the past and future of Taipei.” The protagonist, Lung, is someone who is left behind by the economic tide because he lacks the credentials for any career advancement, having spent his teenage years playing little league baseball for his city. Chin, the other protagonist and Lung’s lover since childhood, is only slightly better integrated into the new economic landscape, being reliant on a boss from the mainland. A rising tide doesn’t lift all boats. The lack of upward mobility for people who lack the skills most convenient for their times and, especially for males, a traditional sense of masculinity

that ascribe a man’s worth to his career success together create desperate individuals.

This is exemplified by Li and Lung, who fail to see better lives for themselves while their acquaintances, those who are more willing to acquiesce and follow the trend, get ahead.

The married couple in “Yi Yi” also experiences middle-age inertia but for slightly different reasons. NJ, looking to salvage his business, doesn’t want to sacrifice his integrity and be muddled in fraudulence for a business deal. When he is finally about to reach a deal with personal sincerity, he’s still one step behind his phony cousin and business partner. His wife Min-Min is worn out by the mundaneness of her white-collar job; more devastatingly, her mother is paralyzed and the doctor recommends the family to “talk to her” more. Yet Min-Min finds little in her ennui-infused urbanite life worthy enough to share with her mother and thus concludes that she has wasted her life, which prompts her to escape into a temple. With Min-Min gone, NJ seeks to rejuvenate his life by getting together with his teenage lover again. The couple, both members separately married, travels through the crowded streets of Tokyo and a quiescent temple, the shots of those scenes juxtaposed beautifully with NJ’s daughter TingTing going on a date with her boyfriend. Yet NJ finds neither the opportunity to relive his teenage years nor the courage to love again.

“A Brighter Summer Day,” set in the 1960s, during which the Kuomintang dictatorship reigned supreme, features a more grand yet deterministic social fabric. Yang cogently establishes a multilayered web of oppression: from the state to the education system, from complexly structured gangs to the intricate entanglements between their members, from corrupt workplaces to domestic violence. The school is divided into gangs, whose influence few teenage boys can resist. The sadistic nature of the education system, along with the oppressive teachers and administrators it produces who in turn perpetuate the system, means that gang disputes are the only outlets through which a boy can exercise his masculinity and find a sense of belonging. The protagonist, Si’r, has no viable alternative but to partake in the toxic culture — until he starts enjoying it, having made progress with the gang leader’s girl, Ming.

What makes the school gangs, their interwoven hierarchies and the loyalty and betrayal among their teen and

VIA IMDB

Clockwise from top left: Promotional posters for Edward Yang’s films “Yi Yi” (2000), “A Brighter Summer Day” (1991), “Terrorizers” (1986) and “Taipei Story” (1985) are pictured.

20-year-old members gripping and convincing is that the film demonstrates to us that they don’t have a way out: not through the brutal education system, not through the traditional parents who were raised in the same way. But in many senses, Si’r, his father and NJ from “Yi Yi” are similar, in that while they are not born rebels, they are too pure for the world around them. While they swim in an environment hostile to them, they have to maintain their own sense of integrity and expect people they love to do the same. Yet all they face are rejection and disappointment because the system doesn’t permit dissent.

All four films discussed in this article end with a grotesque act of violence, though the murder in “Yi Yi” is the least pronounced and the double ending of “Terrorizers” warrants a deeper viewing. The motives behind those actions are all clearly established: depressed individuals who fail to see a way out, not through a career, not through school and not through love. Yet much of the same can be said of the victims. Yang’s display of murder, however subtle like the one in “Yi Yi,” is the perfect culmination of his tragedy because everything builds up to it, yet it ultimately achieves little and only takes away the life of another victim

of the deterministic social fabric Yang establishes. The killings are futile.

And the teenage love so prevalent in Yang’s films? All four films feature teenage couples or adults getting together with their first love. In the latter case, the characters are disenchanted by adulthood and the rapid change of the world around them. Boats against the current of modernity, they ceaselessly seek to live their lives backward and retrograde into a simpler, more innocent time. The teenage lovers in Yang’s films are anxiously seeking the fruit of love but also get a glimpse of the disenchantment.

A&P

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

Monday, November 30, 2020 | Arts & Pop Culture | THE TUFTS DAILY

Hope Tala’s ‘Girl Eats Sun’ provides daydreams without depth

by Phoebe Wong

Contributing Writer

Despite being a relatively new, Londonbased artist, Hope Tala has quickly garnered acclaim in the United States in publications like Rolling Stone and Vogue.

Her new album, “Girl Eats Sun” (2020), continues to show her potential, not only through features with artists like sky and Aminé but also through her unique fusion of bossa nova and R&B influences.

At times, the album struggles to develop depth and originality beyond her few previous works. Nevertheless, her music immerses you wonderfully in a sunsoaked daze of summer love.

From the beginning, Tala has explored combinations of Brazilian bossa nova, jazz, soul and indie music. This style clearly carries through to her new album, with sensual guitar chords and playful flute notes forming the backbone for the opening tracks “Mullholland” and “Cherries.” Tala occasionally edges on resembling the overused style of Billie Eilish with her gentle, whisper-like voice in “Drugstore” and “All My Girls Like To Fight.” Thankfully, hints of her more complex influences still make these songs distinct. Spanish guitar chords prevent “All My Girls Like To Fight” from being like Eilish’s “all the good girls go to hell” (2019), and soulful piano balances out the pop-style chorus of “Crazy.” The overall bolder songs in the beginning of the album also set the tone with Tala’s unique style, so that listeners are more attuned to pick up

on its elements by the time they reach subtler tracks. However, the downside is that even with only six songs on the extended play (EP), they all start to sound too much like each other by the time listeners reach the end of the album.

In terms of subject, Tala mostly writes about love and breakups. She frequently uses motifs of fruit ripeness, the body and sunlight which span from single songs like “Cherries” to the title of the EP itself. While beautiful, her metaphor-rich lyrics sometimes sound like a slam poetry writer presenting flowery metaphors as overly profound. This is particularly true in this album, where her attempts to comment on female power in relationships come off as less nuanced than in previous songs. For example, her earlier song “Eden” (2018) explores patriarchy and unequal power dynamics, even in her own same-gender relationship, through the biblical story of Adam and Eve. Another previous song, “Lovestained” (2019), looked at both the positive and damaging effects of love with interesting implications for expectations of female purity. By contrast, “All My Girls Like To Fight” defies traditional gender roles by presenting women as aggressive and unapologetic, an undeniably important message but comparatively obvious.

This is surprising considering Tala’s love of analyzing traditional English texts and modern music alike. Tala received a degree in English literature from the

University of Bristol and turned down the opportunity to get her master’s at the University of Cambridge to focus on music. She even wrote her dissertation on Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly” (2015), and in a VICE article she admired his complicated political messages.

However, she commented that she doesn’t see herself as equally capable of writing music about politics. It’s perfectly understandable if she prefers to write about other topics, but the fact that her new EP continues the same musical and content-related themes without adding anything new makes it seem like she is not stretching herself to evolve. Clearly, she has much room to grow if she hopes to achieve her ambitious goals, reported

by Refinery29, to “win a Grammy [and] be a professor.”

That said, her career is still relatively young and she is off to a strong start. We can still appreciate the pleasant simplicity of “Girl Eats Sun” while we wait to see what Tala does next. In fact, a Dork article quotes her saying that the lightheartedness of the love song “Crazy” is intentional; with such serious matters like COVID19 threatening the world right now, Tala knows that listeners hardly need anything more serious weighing on their minds. As we anticipate both Tala’s next release and the end of the pandemic, “Girl Eats Sun” is well worth a listen, even if just for the romantic daydream of a post-COVID-19, care-free summer day on the beach that it provides.

VIA SPOTIFY

The cover Hope Tala’s album “Girl Eats Sun” (2020) is pictured.

5

Maeve Hagerty Maeve’s Music Mondays

Irish music, from traditional to punk

I

f you couldn’t tell from my name, I have Irish ancestors. Lots of them.

I’ve grown up around Irish music and constantly find myself returning to it for comfort and reassurance. From punk rock to traditional, the scope of Irish music is impressive and unique. Let’s dive right into some of my favorite artists and songs across the decades.

The most famous of Irish music is probably fiddle music. Often characterized by folksy, upbeat tunes passed down through the generations, Irish fiddling is full of improvisation and intended for live performance. My favorite fiddle group is Celtic Fiddle Festival because of its memorable use of the guitar and the rawness of its sound. “Leaving Brittany” from the 2005 album “Play On” is for me a noteworthy song for its lilting violin harmonies and the rhythmic use of guitar. At once melancholy and playful, it seems to embody much of the essence of Irish fiddle music. One of the group’s most popular songs, “Music For A Found Harmonium/La Partida/Roumanian Tune/Calgary Polka/Leaving Brittany” (1993), seamlessly links several traditional Irish themes to the amazement of a live audience; just when the music seems to settle into a pattern, the melody changes again. “Suite De Loudeac” (1993) features a breathy guitar accompaniment to two twisting violin harmonies that showcase the skill of the fiddlers. By contrast, “Misty Mountains of Home” (1993) and “Canyon Moonrise” (1993) offer a more nostalgic energy, and I often find myself listening to them before I sleep at night.

Within the more folksy Irish music category, you will find the band Clannad.

With songs like “Dúlamán” (1976) sung in traditional Irish Gaelic that also make use of the Irish flute, the group focuses mainly on old Irish love songs. “Siúil, a Rún” (1976) is one such love song, with verses in English and choruses in Gaelic. On the other hand, The Dubliners is an Irish band famous for its more quick-moving jigs.

“The Rocky Road to Dublin” (1964) is one of their most famous of these and reminds me distinctly of what I imagine plays frequently in Irish pubs on Friday nights.

Still, more popular Irish music has come in the form of rock ‘n’ roll. Instead of the world-famous U2, I’m going to focus on my two personal favorite Irish rock bands. The first of these is The Cranberries.

Known for “Zombie” (1993), their song of protest about the Troubles, a period of violence which shook Ireland during the late 20th century, The Cranberries are truly a powerful band. Led by the wailing and emotional voice of Dolores O’Riordan, the band released many other amazing songs like “Linger” (1993) and “Ode To My Family” (1993). The second of my favorite bands is the Anglo-Irish band The Pogues, which incorporates traditional folk music with punk, and oftentimes a humorous twist. Its songs “Sally MacLennane” (1985), “Dirty Old Town” (1985) and “A Pair of Brown Eyes” (1985) are particularly catchy and representative of the Celtic-punk fusion. Additionally, the band’s rendition of the famous “The Parting Glass” (1985) was one of my most listened-to songs on Spotify for almost two years.

So, until next week, happy listening!

Maeve Hagerty is a first-year who has not yet declared a major. Maeve can be reached at maeve.hagerty@tufts.edu

6

THE TUFTS DAILY | Fun & Games | Monday, November 30, 2020

F& G

tuftsdaily.com LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY Ethan: “[The Tufts Marriage Pact asked], ‘would you rather be left at the alter or leave someone?’ I put 1, be left.”

Fun & Games

SUDOKU

LINDA C. BLACK ASTROLOGY

Sagittarius (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) Collaborate and compromise for shared commitments. Adjust to new circumstances. The Gemini Eclipse reveals stress points with a partner. Begin a six-month relationship phase.

SEARCHING FOR HEADLINES...

Difficulty Level: Trying to finish work over Thanksgiving break

Tuesday’s Solutions

CROSSWORD

Opinion

tuftsdaily.com

7 Monday, November 30, 2020

OP-ED

Two years since Tier Town: The survivor’s manifesto Anonymous Content warning: This article discusses sexual violence.

Last year, I wrote an anonymous op-ed detailing my experiences with rape and abuse within Tufts student-activism. It’s now been two years since that cold night in Tier Town, yet despite subsequent calls to action, very little has changed since then.

The culture of sexual violence in Tufts student-activism has only worsened in the past year. The calls to action that I wrote back then — asking for less than the bare minimum — still remain unanswered.

The institutions and organizations that allegedly exist to support survivors and students of marginalized genders have failed to do so.

The Tufts Women’s Center knew that it could take action to address sexual violence within Tufts student-activism long before any survivors made public statements about our experiences. We were concerned that the rapist and abuser in question, who had engaged in a pattern of abuse and assault against several transgender students, would be able to cause further harm if the Women’s Center did not take preventative action to ensure that individuals within their community would not enable perpetrators.

Two survivors began the reporting process by discussing their experiences and concerns with Hope Freeman, director of the LGBT Center and interim director of the Women’s Center. Multiple student employees within the Women’s Center were made aware of the situation months before my first op-ed.

When asked how the Women’s Center might act to prevent the possibility of its space being used to enable abuse, Women’s Center community members and student

Matt Rice The Countdown

Biden’s cabinet won’t satisfy progressives

P

resident-elect Joe Biden announced his nominees for key national security and foreign policy positions in the administration. It was a get-together of Obama administration alumni, including a former secretary of state, two former deputy national security advisers and a 35-year veteran of the Foreign Service.

Although they each bring years of experience in the national secu-

employees responded with denial and defensiveness. Instead of meaningfully addressing the serious issue at hand, they centered the conversation around their feelings and derailed the discussion. When I reminded them that the center had knowingly continued to lend institutional power to those who enabled abusers, an individual labeled my claims “misinformation.” They acted as though the news of the Women’s Center’s complicity was new information, even though I had previously told them I didn’t feel safe there because of their refusal to act.

They argued that the topic was so upsetting that they needed myself and other survivors to care for them as they processed the information, and that anything short of enthusiastically providing this emotional labor would be unjust.

This conflict spilled over into other student-activist organizations. I had hoped to discuss the possibility of Tufts Labor Coalition (TLC) releasing a statement in support of survivors as a response to my op-ed in a more timely fashion with anyone who was willing and able to do so. As a member of TLC, I felt it was important for my organization to affirm solidarity with this activist issue and reassure me that its space was safe for survivors. In response, another organizer accused me of excluding “the survivors in TLC” as if I was not also a survivor in TLC in need of support, suggesting that because two individuals within the organization found the subject upsetting, no discussion of the issue by any other individuals was allowed until those individuals had processed it sufficiently. Their response showed that they valued the comfort of some over the safety of others. This made me feel unwelcome in the organization, as it seemed that the only acceptable survivors were the ones that did not challenge well-liked

campus institutions or hold their friends accountable.

When we returned to campus at the beginning of the spring 2020 semester, an individual who had responded dismissively to the concerns I had raised regarding the culture of defending and enabling abuse in Tufts student-activism would go on to repeatedly make unwanted contact with me, both in person and online. In response, I obtained a Stay Away Request against them.

I could have filed a report with the Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) regarding their behavior. I believed that it could fall under harassment, retaliation and stalking, three separate violations of the version of the Sexual Misconduct Policy that was in place at the time. However, after having been through one unhelpful reporting process, I have no faith left in OEO to do anything useful.

Another space implicated in this string of complicit campus institutions was Action for Sexual Assault Prevention (ASAP), specifically its Survivor Space events. I had previously mentioned this issue to individuals within ASAP leadership, specifying that an individual who attended Survivor Space had taken part in the efforts to derail my call to action, to which they agreed to ask that individual not to attend Survivor Space events. Instead of following through on this promise, those leaders attempted to convince me that my concerns regarding their behavior were more problematic than the behavior itself.

They advised me that I needed to stop seeing every adverse action as similar to the abuse I had survived, despite clear parallels that I later outlined in my second op-ed.

I felt that I was no longer welcome as a survivor who challenged rape culture within Tufts student-activism, and I stopped attending their events. While the students respon-

sible for excluding me from the space no longer hold leadership positions, ASAP never held them accountable for it.

A mere two days after I published that op-ed, a TLC delegation showed up to my workplace during my shift in order to discuss some issues with a Tufts Dining manager.

Even if this was a coincidence, it did succeed in intimidating me.

These spaces all shared one damning response: you knew. And yet, you did nothing.

Every promise made to me has been broken. The policy where OEO will advance to a Formal Complaint and investigation if more than one report is filed against the same respondent? Never initiated with the group of survivors, despite four separate complainants reporting violations of the Sexual Misconduct Policy. The apology that the Women’s Center promised me back in December 2019? Nonexistent, even a full year later.

The institutions and individuals responsible for this harm cannot claim to be unaware of the problem. This has been brought to your attention time and time again. If you support organizations that you know have silenced survivors, you are complicit at the very least. Even those who consider themselves allies of mine have failed to make good on their promises of support when I needed them most. Empty words of support mean nothing when those who express them simultaneously sing the praises of the campus institutions that have harmed me.

I am just one person. I cannot build a movement on my own. If we are to create change and seek justice for survivors, we must unite and fight back. Yet my every effort to do so has continually faced opposition and betrayal.

Those beautiful moments of solidarity and coalition-building

that many other student organizing campaigns have been so fortunate to experience are foreign to me. I am incredibly proud of their work, and yet as I celebrate their power and strength, I am saddened to know that the Tufts student-activist community has deemed me unworthy of the same.

The inaction of both the community and the university continues to cause harm. I feel it in the dread that chills my body when I log into a virtual class, hoping to avoid hearing the hypocrisy of organizers who claim to fight for justice yet also befriend abusers.

It’s been two years since she laid hands on me in the tent city, but it still feels like today. Justice and healing are as out of reach as they were the morning after.

I am doing my best, but it is an immense task to heal from trauma that is still ongoing.

When we received the news that campus would be shutting down, some part of me felt relief that I would no longer have to risk encountering abusers in my daily life at Tufts. The option to complete courses remotely this fall came as a great relief to me. I would be able to complete my final year at Tufts without ever setting foot on an unsafe campus. Yet the remote experience lacks many of the resources and opportunities offered to in-person students. I had no choice but to select a clearly inferior remote mode of learning due to Tufts’ refusal to prevent and address sexual violence.

I don’t know what to ask of this community anymore. My most basic requests have been rejected time and time again. From my place outside the Tufts community, I cannot determine how exactly Tufts should do better beyond what I have already asked for. Now, it is up to you to advocate for justice for survivors at Tufts.

rity arena, they personify a managerial, technocratic, return-to-normalcy establishment rather than the progressive leadership we need right now. It’s safe to assume Biden’s remaining cabinet nominees will be no different.

The control of the U.S. Senate depends on two runoffs in Georgia in early January. If Democrats can unseat Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, the Senate will be split 50-50. With Vice President-elect Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote, every single Democratic senator would have to support Biden’s nominees (assuming either few or no Republicans defect). In a Senate where Joe Manchin or Kyrsten Sinema has the power to kill a nomination, progressives shouldn’t hold out hope for a leftwing cabinet.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Biden will nominate Janet Yellen, former chair of the Federal Reserve, to be the nation’s first female treasury secretary. She has an impressive resume and her ambitions to fight wealth inequality are admirable, but in her role as Fed chair, she never had to manage financial regulation, international sanctions or tax policy. If she is confirmed, progressives can only hope and pray she aggressively pursues a recovery plan that lifts working Americans instead of Wall Street.

Considering the unknown Senate outcome and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s shrunken House majority, Biden’s climate legislation may already be dead.

If he had hoped to nominate a Green New Deal supporter like Jay Inslee or Gina McCarthy to lead the

Environmental Protection Agency or the Department of Energy, Republicans and Manchin would likely stop him swiftly. They would severely impede progressive policy from being implemented on the executive end, not to mention any regulation of coal production, banning fracking on federal lands or raising emission standards.

Avril Haines, Biden’s nominee for director of national intelligence, has drawn deserved criticism from progressives in the media. As deputy national security adviser for President Barack Obama, Haines was instrumental in managing the country’s notorious drone program which was responsible for a considerable amount of civilian deaths in Yemen. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s investigation into the Bush torture program dug deep into the CIA’s

involvement. It was later revealed that the CIA was spying on the Senate Intelligence Committee in order to undermine its investigation.

Haines’ involvement in the spying efforts is not known, but her position as deputy director makes her at least somewhat responsible for the illegal methods the CIA deployed in spying on the U.S. Congress.

Due to the Senate and Biden’s general inclination for nominees from the establishment, progressives are likely to spend the next few years fighting with the leader of their party. In any administration, personnel is policy, so these nominees will impact the Biden administration more than anything else.

Matt Rice is a senior studying political science. Matt can be reached at matthew.rice@tufts.edu.

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

The content of letters, advertisements, signed columns, cartoons and graphics does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Tufts Daily editorial board.

EDITORIALS Editorials represent the position of The Tufts Daily. Individual editors are not necessarily responsible for, or in agreement with, the policies and editorials of The Tufts Daily.

OP-EDS The Op-Ed section of The Tufts Daily, an open forum for campus editorial commentary, is printed Monday through Thursday. The Daily welcomes submissions from all members of the Tufts community; the opinions expressed in the Op-Ed section do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Daily itself. Opinion articles on campus, national and international issues should be 600 to 1,200 words in length and submitted to opinion@tuftsdaily.com. The editors reserve the right to edit letters for clarity, space and length. All material is subject to editorial discretion and is not guaranteed to appear in the Daily. Authors must submit their telephone numbers and day-of availability for editing questions.

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

8 Monday, November 30, 2020

Sports

tuftsdaily.com

The Washington Football Team deserves more credit

ALEXANDER JONSEI / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The Washington Football Team is pictured during a game against the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 25.

by Luke Ito Contributing Writer

Patriots fans looking to root for another team this season, with New England’s record at 5–6, would probably not find themselves rooting for the Washington Football Team. Maybe they would choose the Dallas Cowboys who, between Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper (and Andy Dalton, of course), had the makings of a fun team to watch. Or maybe Patriots fans can put aside their broken hearts and root for Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Or, if all else fails, they can cheer on whoever had the chance to deck Drew Brees in a given week.

It’s safe to say that Patriots fans most likely won’t find themselves falling for the Washington Football Team. Surely the Patriots would stay as good as ever and nothing would change the team’s chemistry despite the departure of the greatest quarterback of all time, right?

Watching the Pats has become significantly harder recently, so fans might need a way to get some sort of winning feeling every

week. Something about watching the Washington team, which is currently tied for the lead in the NFC East despite its 4–7 record, is exciting. Let’s talk about why.

The offense Washington’s offense, numbers-wise, is in the bottom 25 of almost all major offensive categories.

Many of the offense’s problems can be traced back to the lack of a quarterback. Dwayne Haskins has been a bit of a bust (through no fault of his own), Kyle Allen suffered the second-most brutal injury to an NFC East quarterback this year and is done for the season and Alex Smith is, well, old. However, under a veteran like Smith who plays patient football and is seasoned enough to make your basic throws, the team can get drives going.

Additionally, the trifecta of wide receiver Terry McLaurin and running backs Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic makes Washington one of the most exciting offenses to watch.

When Gibson, a rookie wide receiver who became a running back, is talented enough to get fellow running back Adrian

Peterson released, you know you have something. Then, add J.D. McKissic, who has the second-most receiving yards among running backs this year behind Alvin Kamara, and McLaurin, who is first in his draft class (which included wide receivers A.J. Brown, D.K. Metcalf, Darius Slayton, and Hollywood Brown) in receptions and receiving yards.

Suddenly, Washington has one of the best two-back combos in the league. Washington’s offense is missing a lot of pieces: a franchise quarterback, a slot receiver and, most importantly, a standout O-line. But they definitely have a few of the most underrated and explosive skill players in the NFL, something that keeps fans coming back every week.

The defense When it comes to defense, Washington is far better off.

Ranking toward the upper side of almost all defensive categories (yards per game, points, sacks), Washington has a solid defensive unit. Undoubtedly, the most exciting part of the defense is the pass rush, whose front four is made up of former first-round picks Montez Sweat and Chase

Young, both defensive ends, along with Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne, defensive tackles.

That terrifying front has helped to get Washington 36 sacks, good for second overall in the NFL. Now, to be honest, the defense doesn’t help the argument that Washington is a fun-to-watch football team; most fans watch for the offense. However, there is something to be said for a defense that allows the offense to operate under less pressure and creates a game script that gives their offensive tools the chance to run their best plays. It also doesn’t hurt that the defense is led by Young, the 2019 second overall pick, who has the potential to be one of the rare players in the NFL who makes defense just as entertaining to watch as the offense.

The stories The final part of Washington’s appeal comes from the stories that have emerged in their 2020 season. This team has stories that make fans want to root for them. The first of these is coach Ron Rivera’s battle against cancer, for which he completed chemotherapy a few weeks ago. A talented coach who took a strug-

gling Panthers team to success a few years ago and made the most out of a very poor situation toward his latter years with Carolina, he’s a smart coach who deserves NFL success. Speaking of terrible medical circumstances, a once-injured Alex Smith is now starting after two years out of the NFL. Smith is coming back from a compound fracture that almost led to amputation, and he looks to be in pretty good shape. The fact of the matter is that Washington is a team with stories that make you want to root for them, with good people overcoming massive adversity.

Watching Washington is not like tuning into a serial action show, where fans know that they will get a heart-pounding, tense and explosive result every episode. It’s closer to a slow-build, will-they-won’t-they romance arc on a comedy. Maybe one week there will be a moment that makes spectators go, “Oh! That was almost it!” Some weeks there won’t. But what matters is that this team is going somewhere.

Fans might not know when it will happen, but at some point, sparks will fly.