The Tufts Daily - Monday, March 4, 2019

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Tufts builds on online summer courses see FEATURES / PAGE 4

Jumbos start NCAA tournament strong with 2 victories

Washington Post Arts reporter Geoff Edgers talks about music, journalism see ARTS&LIVING / PAGE 6

SEE SPORTS / BACK PAGE

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VOLUME LXXVII, ISSUE 28

Monday, March 4, 2019

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS.

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Tufts responds to allegations filed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts against Sackler, Purdue Pharma

by Gil Jacobson News Editor

Tufts responded to allegations submitted

by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey in court documents filed against the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma on Jan. 31. This follows reports that Tufts’ relationship with Purdue Pharma influenced its schools, research and degree programs, according to a Jan. 15 memorandum filed by the Attorney General’s office in the Massachusetts Superior Court. These documents are part of a lawsuit brought against Purdue Pharma by the Commonwealth in 2018 wherein Massachusetts alleges that the Sacklers engineered the opioid epidemic and profited from it.

In a motion to dismiss by Purdue Pharma, dated March 1, the company asserted that the Commonwealth’s lawsuit targeted them by using sensational language and fabricated the link between Purdue Pharma and the crisis.

In an email to the Daily, Tufts’ Executive Director of Public Relations, Patrick Collins, reiterated the university’s commitment to a high scientific and ethical standard. Collins said the information revealed in the lawsuits against the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma was “deeply troubling.”

“We will be undertaking a review of Tufts’ connection with Purdue to ensure that we were provided accurate information, that we followed our conflict of interest guidelines and that we adhered to our principles of academic and research integ-

rity,” Collins said. “Based on this review, we will determine if any changes need to be made moving forward.”

The Sacklers have come under increased scrutiny from Tufts students and alumni after a Jan. 31 New York Times report that Richard Sackler, a former president of Purdue Pharma, had directed the company to incentivize the sale of high doses of OxyContin. Andrea Koenigsberg, who wrote an op-ed about the Sacklers last year, said she hopes that a now-clear connection between the Sackler family and OxyContin will bring renewed attention to the issue.

“Up until that point, I think people just … ignored it, generally. But once that came out, it couldn’t really be ignored anymore,” Koenigsberg, a Sackler Ph.D. candidate, said.

Nathan Foster (LA ’18), one of the alumni the alumni working on this issue, called the actions revealed in the Commonwealth’s allegations against the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma “disgusting and disturbing.” He added that similar information has been public since at least 2007.

“In 2007, Purdue was fined $600 million for doing exactly the same things that they are currently getting sued for again,” Foster said. “There was this whole pantomime around ‘Oh, that’s just the company — the Sackler family, who just happened to own the company, have no involvement in their business.’ I have to imagine that should have seemed transparently ridiculous back then, too.”

New information makes clear that the Sackler family played an active role in set-

VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS / JOHN PHELAN

The Arnold Wing of the Tufts University School of Medicine is pictured. ting high drug prices, according to Foster.

The family took $4 billion from Purdue after their initial fine, according to Foster.

Foster expressed concern that Richard Sackler actively advocated for high costs on opioids.

“Even [in 2007] it should have been clear to anybody who thought about it,” Foster said. “The fact that Tufts has such a strong presence in the medical community should mean that we’re working to fight diseases and we’re working to keep people healthy.”

Foster noted that his own involvement in this issue was inspired by the scale of the opioid crisis.

“Just being a Tufts alumnus and knowing our involvement in the opioid crisis made me feel like I wanted to do something,” Foster said. “I’ve been involved in issues around making Tufts governance more accountable, and the fact that donors to the university were able to control the

see SACKLER, page 3

Local mayors, Somerville City Council declare their support for dining workers

by Alexander Thompson Assistant News Editor

The Somerville City Council and the mayors of both Somerville and Medford publicly backed Tufts Dining workers’ campaign for a favorable contract with the university over the past week, in a striking signal of public support.

A video of Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone endorsing the dining workers’ campaign was posted on Feb. 25 on the Tufts Dining Action Coalition ( TDAC) Facebook page, while a similar video of Medford Mayor Stephanie Burke followed on Saturday evening.

In both videos, the mayors wore “We love our cafeteria workers” buttons and affirmed their support for the Please recycle this newspaper

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workers in their negotiations with the university.

The Somerville City Council unanimously adopted a resolution affirming their support at their biweekly meeting last Thursday evening, according to a video of the city council meeting on the council’s website.

Somerville City Council President Katjana Ballantyne of Ward 7, which includes Tufts, said that she worked with organizers from UNITE HERE Local 26, the union representing the dining workers, to write the resolution. “ We’re neighbors, meaning we’re a community,” she said. “If we can help them, [we’ll] support them in any way because it became obvious For breaking news, our content archive and exclusive content, visit tuftsdaily.com @tuftsdaily

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how a lot of these workers create the home for the students who are away from their home.”

Dining workers and students sporting red t-shirts emblazoned with the slogan “One Job Should Be Enough” filled the City Council’s chambers and listened as the resolution, entitled “Supporting the Tufts Dining Workers ‘One Job Should Be Enough’ campaign,” was read out by City Clerk John Long.

The resolution took aim at the university’s labor policies before endorsing the campaign.

The resolution devoted special focus to use of temporary contracts, which it claimed increase economic precariousness and strain the school system and other city services; the resolution Contact Us P.O. Box 53018, Medford, MA 02155 daily@tuftsdaily.com

said one quarter of Tufts Dining workers have this type of contract.

“Large institutions such as Tufts University should lead by example by ensuring that ‘One Job Should Be Enough’ to live in Somerville,” it read.

The Somerville City Council then heard from two Tufts Dining workers, Lucson Aime, a first cook at DewickMacPhie Dining Center, and Paul Rudolph, a culinary production chef at the central kitchen and bakery, who spoke in favor of the resolution.

Rudolph recounted stories of former Tufts Dining workers who were afraid to retire until their 80s and others who had been forced to move out of Somerville

NEWS............................................1 FEATURES.................................4 ARTS & LIVING.......................6

see DINING, page 2 FUN & GAMES.........................8 OPINION.....................................9 SPORTS............................ BACK

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THE TUFTS DAILY Elie Levine Editor-in-Chief

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Somerville city councilors share stories of support for dining workers

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continued from page 1 because they could not afford rent.

“We take care of thousands of students each year, while me and my co-workers are forced to choose between healthcare and daycare for our kids. We should be able to pay for both and more while working for one of the richest universities in the United States,” Aime said.

Aime told the city councilors that he had been forced to move out of Somerville, and urged them to support the resolution.

“I really want to be able to look back on this day and know that the City of Somerville stood with us,” he said.

The floor was then opened to discussion and several councilors took the opportunity to weigh in on the situation.

Councilor Mark Niedergang of Ward 5, who also wore one of the red “One Job Should Be Enough” shirts, expressed his support for the workers before directly criticizing the University.

“I’m a Tufts graduate and my daughter is a Tufts graduate. I wish I could say that this is a surprise or unprecedented, but Tufts has a long history of treating its workers badly,” he said.

Councilor-at-large Wilfred N. Mbah also praised the workers’ movement and took the University to task.

“This is a moral issue. This is not something [Tufts] should be doing,” he said, “I hope [University President Anthony Monaco] will take swift action to address this issue immediately.”

After the councilors finished speaking, Ballantyne announced the passage of the resolution. This was met by a standing ovation from dining workers and students.

Ballantyne told the Daily the Somerville City Council will mail a copy of the resolution to Monaco today.

Patrick Collins, executive director of public relations at Tufts, disputed the characterization of Tufts’ labor policies presented at the meeting.

“The university values all of its employees, many of whom are union members, and we appreciate the important work that our dining employees do for Tufts and its students,” he wrote in an email.

Rocco DiRico, executive director of community relations at Tufts, said that Tufts continues to maintain great relationships with local governments.

DiRico cited a recent speech given

by Mayor Burke at Tufts, a visit by the Somerville state legislative delegation to campus and various partnerships with the City of Somerville as evidence, and said that the negotiations are not jeopardizing this cooperation.

“In this case, the Somerville City Council is expressing its support for a particular cause and we respect their right to do so,” DiRico wrote in an email.

“We value our partnership with the City and appreciate their willingness to work with the University.”

Ballantyne offered a measured appraisal, calling the partnership between Tufts and Somerville “off-and-on.”

Dining workers and student activists were encouraged by the support of the political leaders and counted the resolution’s adoption as a victory in their campaign, said Joel Appel-Kraut, a member of TDAC present for the meeting.

“Every time somebody stands up in support … of the dining hall workers it adds another voice, adds another person saying that this is what should happen and this is what solidarity looks like,” Appel-Kraut, a first-year, said.

Tina Lavanga, who works on a temporary contract at Hotung Café and

was present at the council meeting on Thursday, said that she felt touched by the councilors who had told their stories about organized labor and past labor struggles at Tufts.

“I felt very good seeing all the students and my co-workers being there and seeing all the city council supporting us — it’s wonderful,” she said.

Lavanga went on to say that the support from Somerville would help them win a new contract and that the workers are ready to do “whatever it takes.”

Mike Kramer, the lead negotiator for UNITE HERE Local 26, urged the University to take note of the resolution.

“The unanimous passage of this resolution shows that the communities that surround Tufts recognize that the demands of the dining workers are reasonable and reflect the values of these communities. It’s time for the university administration to recognize the same thing,” Kramer wrote in an email to the Daily.

However, Kramer said that the two sides still disagree over several of the workers’ key demands.

Collins said that the University had made proposals on economic issues back in December, which have yet to be resolved, but that tentative agreement had been reached on 27 issues, including five during the latest round of talks on Feb. 27.

“The parties continue to negotiate in good faith over benefits, wages and paid time off. The University remains committed to reaching a contract that is both fair and fiscally responsible,” he wrote.

Kramer said that the university simply opposes the union on some of the economic issues.

“The proposals aren’t terribly complicated,” he said.

News

Monday, March 4, 2019 | News | THE TUFTS DAILY

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Purdue Pharma responds to bias allegations, issues motion to dismiss SACKLER

continued from page 1 curriculum of this school, were able to gain personal benefit from it just demonstrates the need for more democratic governance of the university.”

In its motion to dismiss, the company responded directly to allegations by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that the company was controlling research on pain treatment at Tufts. It attributed such allegations to Purdue programs provided to Tufts Health Plan providers.

“Purdue presented a program called ‘The OxyContin Crisis’ as part of a broad effort by Purdue to address prescription medication abuse awareness and prevention with a number of different organizations and healthcare providers,” the motion reads. “Among the hundreds of programs Purdue supported across the country are programs in Massachusetts entitled ‘Tufts Health Care Institute Program on Opioid Risk Management’, ‘Safe and Effective Opioid Prescribing for Chronic Pain’ and ‘Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies and Opioid Drugs: What the Pharmacist Needs to Know.’

Purdue did not control the content of any of these presentations.”

The motion also highlights Purdue’s role in providing grants to the National Association of State Controlled Substance Authorities based in Massachusetts and to

other charitable institutions for purposes unrelated to the opioid crisis. It emphasizes the inaccuracies in the Commonwealth’s amended complaint.

“If the Commonwealth had facts to support its narrative, it would have included them in the Amended Complaint,” the motion reads. “It is telling that the Attorney General’s office chose instead to resort to selective (and misleading) citation of Purdue’s internal business documents to attract media focus.”

Purdue Pharma’s internal analysis provides data showing patients being kept on OxyContin longer than 90 days, according to information provided to the Daily by an official in the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office.

The information also posits that Purdue staff warned the Sackler family in 2016 that it could lose over $23 million if it backed down from its high-dose strategy.

Koenigsberg first became invested in this issue when allegations against the Sackler family came to light in a 2017 article in The New Yorker. After reading the article, she started circulating it among other students and post-baccalaureate candidates at the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences.

“After I realized no one knew anything about the Sacklers at this school, I decided to write that [op-ed],” Koenigsberg said.

“Mostly at that point it was to bring aware-

ness so people knew what was going on. At that point, I was not pushing for a name change or anything — it was supposed to be informational.”

Foster said interested community members held a February meeting as part of a larger effort to respond to the allegations surrounding the Sackler name in light of the opioid crisis. Foster and the other students involved are currently working on a list of demands to bring to the university.

“There’s a good amount of organizing going on around this,” he said. “One of the things we talked about was organizing a petition. Other things are going through the more formal leadership structures — so talking to the Dean of the Sackler School and President Monaco.”

Foster added that a group of students is currently arranging a meeting with University President Anthony Monaco about the issue later this month. Nick Nasser, a student at the School of Medicine and one of the people working on this meeting, could not provide further details about the group’s strategy at press time. He did, however, note in an email to the Daily that the group planned to send a letter to university administrators last week, provided they receive support from the student body.

Koenigsberg thinks the university should do more to acknowledge this issue and its relationship to the Sackler family.

She stressed her frustration with Tufts’ lack of transparency on the matter.

“When I was asking about current donors to see if the Sacklers were still currently and actively donating to the school, they were like ‘We can’t release information about different donors,’” Koenigsberg said. “I wish the school would be a little more transparent about the exact sort of funding and current contributions from the Sacklers because their whole defense is, ‘Oh, they funded the creation of the school back in the ’80s before OxyContin was even a thing.’”

Collins confirmed the school’s establishment in 1980 by then-University President Jean Mayer and the Board of Trustees to promote graduate and interdisciplinary health education. Mayer and the Board subsequently established the Arthur M. Sackler Center in 1983.

“In both cases, the naming gifts were provided to the university more than a decade before OxyContin was introduced to the marketplace,” Collins said.

Collins declined to comment further on recent donations to the university. “[Unless] otherwise required by law we do not share data on our donors except for specific reasons as outlined in our policies or to occasionally recognize certain donors, with their agreement, for their generosity and support of the university,” he said.

TCU Senate considers amendments to constitution Assistant News Editor

The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate met to discuss supplementary funding requests and hear announcements from officers, committee chairs and members last night in the Sophia Gordon Multipurpose Room.

TCU Parliamentarian Sharif Hamidi, a sophomore, announced two upcoming resolutions that the TCU Senate will hear on Sunday, March 10.

According to Hamidi, the two resolutions scheduled for next week are titled “S. 19-5 A Resolution Calling for Tufts University to Explain their Complicity in Opioid Crisis, and Make More Transparent the Selection Processes for and Actions of Board Members and Advisors,” and “S. 19-6 A Resolution Calling for Systematic Increases in the Influence and Presence of Student Voice.”

Hamidi also announced two future resolutions still being developed, one of which will call on Tufts to implement a shadow grading system for first-semester first-year students, and the other which will call on Tufts to establish a carbon neutral endowment.

Hamidi also noted that several potential amendments to the TCU Constitution have been proposed, which could be listed on the ballot for the spring TCU election.

TCU President Jacqueline Chen and Vice President Adam Rapfogel, both seniors, explained the amendments that have been proposed so far. They include a change of election rules such that any Tufts student may run for TCU President, given that they pass a threshold of signatures to qualify, and the addition of a School of Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) senator, which Chen noted would give voting power to the existing SMFA representative.

Other additional proposed amendments include a name change for the position of TCU Community Representative to TCU Community Senator, support for an undergraduate voting member of the Board of Trustees, a requirement that the administration respond to all TCU resolutions, and requirements that the offices of TCU Historian and Outreach Committee Chair be filled by the same individual.

The TCU Senate also heard several supplementary funding requests.

Tufts Blockchain Club, a newly recognized club, sought $857 for its new group budget, but was recommended only $747 by the Allocations Board (ALBO). The ALBO recommendation of $747 passed with 25 senators in support and none opposed.

The Tufts Financial Group initially requested $3,975 for a networking trip to New York City, but was only recommended $3,498 by ALBO, according to its report. The ALBO-recommended total of $3,498 passed with 23 senators in favor, three opposed and two abstaining.

United for Immigrant Justice requested $1,939 to cover transportation costs for a conference on immigration reform in Charlotte, N.C., according to an ALBO report. The ALBO-recommended total of $1,584 passed by acclamation.

According to an ALBO report, Roots x SWAT requested $4,241 for registration, travel and lodging costs for the College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational in Houston, Texas. The ALBO recommendation of $3,574 was passed by acclamation.

According to an ALBO report, Ears for Peers originally sought $1,392 to cover costs for its retreat in Cape Cod but was only recommend-

ed $1,225 by ALBO. The ALBO-recommended total of $1,225 was passed by acclamation.

TCU Historian Rebeca Becdach, a sophomore, spoke about her meeting with a representative from the Tufts Student Fund.

“They reached out to us, wanting to see if we wanted to fundraise in a similar way,” Becdach said. “So we thought it was … a good idea to fundraise for the Student Support Fund.”

Before the TCU Senate adjourned, Senator Pedro Andre Lazo Rivera, a junior, mentioned his recent correspondence with students at the University of Florida, who seek to organize a national initiative in response to Title IX policy changes by the U.S. Department of Education.

According to Lazo Rivera, the University of Florida students seek to pass resolutions among student governments nationwide, which would decry the changes to the Title IX policy announced

by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos in November 2018.

Lazo-Rivera explained that he believed supporting the initiative would send a message.

“As students, we’re not okay with it,” Lazo-Rivera said.

ION OF STA IAT TE OC

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Features

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Online summer course program at Tufts continues to expand

RACHEL HARTMAN / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES

Students work with computers in a lab in Eaton Hall on Sept. 30, 2017.

by Ellie Murphy

Assistant Features Editor

Online summer courses are an option for Tufts students looking to take classes that they might not necessarily be able to fit into their schedules during the fall or spring semesters. According to the Summer at Tufts website, the online courses are “designed to provide high-quality, flexible, and interactive courses to Tufts and visiting students.” The website also notes how the serves as a flexible format in which “students have greater freedom to interact with course content” than they would during the regular semester.

In recent years, there has been a push to expand the online programs offered at Tufts. In the 2013–2014 school year, faculty at the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering adopted a two-tier system to approve more online courses in response to their popularity. More recently, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy has decided to offer an online masters program in global business that will commence in May. The online summer course program for undergraduate students offers a wide array of courses, including Modern Race and Racial Politics and Principles of Economics.

Joseph Auner, the dean of academic affairs for the School of Arts and Sciences, Ruth Anne Murray, the director of Open Enrollment Programs, and Karen Mulder, an executive associate dean and and executive director at Tufts University, spoke to the advantages of taking an online course over the summer.

“There are multiple benefits to taking an online course over the summer at Tufts. To begin with, summer is a wonderful time to

take a course, whether to earn credits, to devote more time to a challenging course, or to explore a new area of interest. Online learning allows a student the flexibility of both place and time. Students don’t need to travel to campus and can log into their class day or night, whichever suits their schedule best,” they explained in a joint email response to the Daily.

Phoebe Taylor, a first-year planning on majoring in political science with a minor in computer science, sees the online course program as a way to take classes in subjects she wouldn’t otherwise be able to. Since Taylor’s schedule is filled with political science and STEM courses, the summer program allows her to explore other areas of study, such as economics.

“I wanted to take economics because I think it is a valuable skill to have regardless of my major, and I feel it is important that I have a basic understanding [of economics],” Taylor said. “I think everyone should know how markets and the general economy works. My course load during the regular academic year is too demanding to take a difficult class like [Principles of Economics]. Having the online class over the summer would allow me to devote more time to it than I otherwise could.”

In addition, Auner, Murray and Mulder explained that the flexible schedule allows for students to do other things, like work a summer job. They also believe that taking an online course over the summer acquaints students with using Canvas, submitting papers online and sharing documents.

“This format is particularly helpful for students with full- or part-time jobs or internships, as well as those with family commitments. Online courses can also

help students to develop their computer skills as they learn search techniques for academic material, learn to navigate Canvas and create and share documents.

Some students prefer the online class environment because they find it easier to concentrate without classroom activity, while others find that they can participate in class discussions more easily than in face-toface class sessions,” they said.

Taylor also felt that the flexibility of the online summer course program adds to its academic value. She explained that being able to work at her own pace would allow her to feel more comfortable learning the material.

“I’ve never studied anything like economics before, so being able to really take my time and dig into the material would help a lot with my understanding of it,” Taylor said.

While the online courses are less rigidly structured than those offered during the regular semester, Auner, Murray and Mulder insisted that they maintain the same standards of quality and rigor. They explained that students and faculty are surveyed about their experience to ensure that Courses are satisfactory.

“Tufts online classes are rigorous academic experiences, developed by Tufts faculty to meet the high standards for which Tufts is known; AS&E undergraduates can count up to 15 semester-hour units worth of Tufts online courses toward graduation.

In most cases, faculty have developed online courses based on the same courses they regularly teach in the classroom. Both online and in-class courses that are brand new, with the exception of special topics courses, are reviewed by the curriculum committee. In addition to the standard

course evaluation process, students and faculty are also surveyed about their experience and satisfaction with all aspects of the course. Those new to this format will be surprised at how engaging and interactive online courses can be. Students are expected to log in frequently and interact with faculty and fellow students through online interactive tools,” they explained.

The process of forming a course into a condensed, online format is multifaceted. Auner, Murray and Mulder explained that department chairs and their academic deans work with the Summer at Tufts leadership team to ensure that online material can be learned in a six-week timeline. Tufts Technology Services also collaborate with academic advisors to ensure that the material can be adequately presented online.

“Decisions about what courses to offer in the Summer Session, both in-class and online, are made by department chairs and their academic deans in consultation with the Summer at Tufts leadership team.

Considerations about what courses are well-suited for the online format include how student learning, the delivery of course content, and student-faculty interaction can benefit from the online modality. We also look for courses with broad appeal and relevance to student interest. Online courses have to be developed in collaboration with the Tufts Technology Services following their policies and procedures. Faculty have found success with online courses in a huge range of disciplines,” they said, While this opportunity is beneficial to many students, taking an online course that counts for credit requires Tufts undergraduate students to pay a fee of

see ONLINE COURSES, page 5

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THE TUFTS DAILY | Features | Monday, March 4, 2019 F e at u res

Online courses at Tufts offer more flexible classroom experience ONLINE COURSES

continued from page 4 $990 per credit. Considering that most courses are three to four credits, taking one course amounts to about $2,970– $3,960. While this additional fee may deter students from taking an online course, there are a small number of scholarships available based upon financial need.

When asked about financial assistance provided to undergraduate students who are interested in taking an online course, Auner, Murray and Mulder said that online courses are less costly in comparison to courses offered during the regular academic year and pointed out the scholarships offered to students who demonstrate financial need.

“Online classes, like all courses offered during the Summer Session, are priced

lower per SHU [semester credit hour] than the cost of tuition during the academic year. Our courses are priced competitively with our peer institutions. The financial aid office has funds to provide a limited number of small scholarships for Summer Session courses for matriculated students.

The priority is for students with the highest need, particularly those who are Pell grant recipients,” they said.

S

I’VE NEVER UNDERSTOOD WHY MY HUMAN WON’T LEAVE THE HOUSE WITHOUT HER LEASH. I THINK SHE’S AFRAlD OF GETTING LOST. BUT IT’S OK, I KIND OF LIKE SHOWING HER AROUND. — HARPER adopted 08-18-09

Megan Szostak Lisztomania

Czech it Out

T

he first law of thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed. Except in extraneous cases about which I am most certainly not qualified to discuss, something cannot arise from nothing. What makes music so amazing is its ability to defy this fundamental law. This week, I will be focusing on the Czech nationalist movement of music, and how, within the span of just a few decades, nothing turned into something that would endure for years.

Up until the 19th century, England, Italy, France and Germany were the main producers of music in Europe. With globalization during this century, however, aspiring composers and musicians from musically underdeveloped countries were able to achieve international recognition.

The Romantic era of composition lasted roughly from 1810 until around the first World War. This era was characterized by emotional and densely orchestrated works, including major symphonies, concertos, tone poems and operas. At this time, waves of nationalism passing through Europe led to ‘national schools’ of music, where aspiring musicians and composers came to learn in a country’s signature style which was often influenced by folk songs, natural landscape and history.

One of the most amazing success stories of a national school of composition is that of the Czechs’. Czech nationalist composers, namely Bedřich Smetana, Antonín Dvořák and Leoš Janáček, were integral in the development of the Czech style of composition. Smetana pioneered the use of the Czech natural landscape as a source of inspiration for his compositions, and wrote a series of tone poems — an orchestral work telling a story — entitled “Mà Vlast,” or “My Country.” The most notable movement of this work, “Vltava,” depicts the movement of the Moldau River from its beginnings as a small spring and its transformation into one of the largest rivers in Europe. Around 20 years after Smetana achieved international recognition, Dvořák set out to do the same, and, in 1892, famously traveled to the United States to aid in the establishment of an American school of composition. Just as he had done in Bohemia to help advance the Czech nationalist style, Dvořák wove folk melodies of Native Americans and African Americans into his compositions to show conservative American composers how they could use the unique aspects of their country to establish an equally unique musical style. Dvořák wrote several pieces about his experiences in America, including one of his most famous works, his ninth symphony, nicknamed the “New World Symphony,” which employs American folk melodies. Soon after Dvořák and Smetana had established themselves and the Czech nationalist style of composition, other composers, such as Leoš Janáček, followed in their footsteps and used Czech and other Eastern-European folklore to spark inspiration. Once the Czechs had a style of composition that they could call their own, along with several internationally recognized composers, the entire country saw a wave of patriotism coming into the 20th century.

Suggested Listening: Bedřich Smetana: “Mà Vlast,” Overture to the Bartered Bride Antonín Dvořák: Symphony No. 9, “From the New World,” String Quintet No. 3 in E-Flat Major Leoš Janáček: “Idyll for Strings” Megan Szostak is a first-year who has not yet declared a major. Megan can be reached at megan.szostak@tufts.edu.

6 Monday, March 4, 2019

ARTS&LIVING

tuftsdaily.com

Tufts alumnus Geoff Edgers gives talk on his new book

by Elizabeth Sander Staff Writer

Tufts alumnus Geoff Edgers (LA ’92) came to Varis Lecture Hall this Wednesday to discuss his new book, “Walk This Way: Run-DMC, Aerosmith and the Song that Changed American Music Forever” (2019).

He also came to speak to students and professors about how he landed his current position at The Washington Post as a national arts reporter, and doled out plenty of advice for students seeking a career in journalism.

His book follows the trajectories of Aerosmith and Run-DMC, building up to the moment when they meet in the studio wherein this herald of rap culture was born. Edgers’ idea for this book began after he wrote an article in 2006 for The Washington Post about the song “Walk This Way,” featuring never-before-seen content and beats released from the recording studio. Aerosmith’s song and its effect on rap music history fascinated him, and he was eager to delve deeper into the world of Aerosmith, Run-DMC and their fantastical creation.

Many fans of this song mistakenly believe that Aerosmith somehow saved or discovered Run-DMC, an American hiphop group from Queens. What they do not know is that in the year 1986, Aerosmith’s popularity was at a low. Therefore, Edgers argues that Run-DMC actually boosted Aerosmith’s career and their own, in ways neither group could have predicted.

Edgers explained that the angle he took in the book was that of an opinionated narrative; he did not want it to be a simple history, but for it to have character and ‘spice’ in order to engage readers with this song and emphasize its importance.

So how important was this song, really?

Well, for starters, it was the first rap song to be played on MTV, making it a milestone in the popularization of rap music and its sound.

The book contains everything from LL Cool J quotes, such as, “your ego is not your amigo,” to the candid argument between Steven Tyler and Joey Kramer about who created the “Walk This Way”

COURTESY WASHINGTON POST

The cover of Geoff Edger’s (LA ’92) ‘Walk This Way: Run-DMC, Aerosmith, and the Song that Changed American Music Forever’ (2019) is pictured. beat. (Spoiler: they both think they did in the crowd could have overlooked his it.) The story behind the song is long passion for this work. and sometimes complicated, especially if The other half of the lecture discussed one does not know the figures well. But the Edgers’s career, which was striking in way Edgers spoke about it, not one person more ways than one. Perhaps it was his

daring decision he named names in an investigative piece on R. Kelly arguing that the music industry enabled him to sexually assault underage girls. Or maybe it was his article on the lawsuit filed against the Boston Symphony Orchestra by a flautist getting paid less than the male oboist sitting beside her.

It is no wonder so many in the audience expressed their wishes to read the articles he was most proud of; they show not only his extreme dedication as a reporter but also a bold career in breaking innovative stories.

Additionally, Edgers provided a great deal of advice about his career in journalism. When asked informed by how to track down important people, he explained that one has to be obsessive about getting the right people. In his profile on Jimmy Kimmel, he did not want just any producer or writer to comment, so instead he worked to get a hold of Ellen DeGeneres, David Letterman and Howard Stern. After this declaration, the entire room gasped in awe.

Edgers also mentioned that “you have to get told ‘no’ a lot,” but that it’s all part of the game. After many unanswered inquiries, the only way he was able to get through to LL Cool J was by tracking down his personal email in library archives. Apparently, LL Cool J was happy to speak with Edgers; he simply hadn’t received any of the requests from his publicist. As Edgers explained poignantly, “most people around celebrities are just barriers,” so the only way to get to them is to circumvent the system.

For example, when he interviewed Eddie Murphy for an article and spoke about his frustration in not being able to get a hold of Chris Rock, Murphy responded with, “oh, I’ll just text him,” and Edgers’s problem was solved in fifteen minutes.

Perhaps the best thing about this talk, though, was Edgers’ three Tufts professors sitting in the front row, pleased with the success of their former student. Professor Strong, Professor Ullman and Professor Levinson were important in this journey, as they helped him achieve the degree in English that landed him the career he loves.

And where did he begin this journey? As an Arts writer and editor for the Daily.

Why is comedy TV obsessed with the afterlife?

by Daniel Klain

Assistant Arts Editor

For the longest time, comedy television was the way to take a load off. Americans would come home from work tired and turn on the television to hang out with their friends on the screen. With the innovation of the workplace comedy, viewers got to feel included as they watched a group go through their ups and downs. In turn, the show did not care about the actual work, just the place and the people.

However, the current climate is quite different. The way we consume media and comedy television has changed so much.

“Miracle Workers” (2019–) on TBS feels like a proper representation of this history and change. The show centers around two angels in heaven, played by Daniel Radcliffe and Geraldine Viswanathan, who have two weeks to save Earth before God, played by Steve Buscemi, destroys it.

While the show seems more philosophical than the usual sitcom, it does contain a lot of the typical tropes and a sort of meta-awareness of those tropes. The set of the show constantly reminds viewers

of its depiction of heaven as a workplace.

Pictured as “Heaven Inc,” there are background and establishing shots that show heaven to be both a factory and an office space where people have specific jobs.

As the plot develops, it becomes clear that the creators of “Miracle Workers” understand that sitcoms always hit similar notes. While speaking about a heterosexual couple in love, Viswanathan’s character rants about the relationship. With her co-star and colleague Daniel Radcliffe in focus during the speech, the show is openly using the relationship of the characters on Earth as a metaphor for the classic willthey-won’t-they storyline told over and over again in comedy television, and more specifically addressing the already noticeable romantic tension between the two main characters.

The opening scene of “Miracle Workers” shows God watching local cable news reports to show the catastrophic state of the world, when suddenly a news story shows a person thanking God for their good fortune.

God re-watches the clip over and over to hear his praise, only to hear the story end with the fact that the person is now dead. In

ISABELLA MONTOYA / THE TUFTS DAILY

Two seated figures in the clouds symbolizing the afterlife are pictured. a moment, “Miracle Workers” captures the overwhelming sense of dread in the world and the sociopathic desire of those in power to only want to hear compliments. Neither of those things feels out of touch.

“Miracle Workers” is quite good television, especially given the fact that it works within

the confines of sitcom television as it airs on TBS, rather than having more flexibility, as it would if shown on a streaming platform.

More importantly, it feels like its existence is the result of a growing trend in comedy TV. see MIRACLE WORKERS, page 7

Arts & Living

Monday, March 4, 2019 | Arts & Living | THE TUFTS DAILY

Comedy seems to keep finding humor in the afterlife MIRACLE WORKERS

continued from page 6 Over the last year there have been three new shows, all mostly leaning towards comedy and centering around the afterlife.

Amazon released the Alan Yang-led show “Forever” (2018) last fall, which focuses on a married couple together in the afterlife, only a couple weeks ago Netflix dropped “Russian Doll” (2019), which tells the story of a woman living a groundhog-day-style life to try and deal with her past; and now we have “Miracle Workers” — not to mention NBC’s hit “The Good Place” (2016–). When it rains, it pours.

It might be a stretch to try and find a reason as to why all these shows are popping up at the same time, but there’s no doubt that they share similarities. The main theme recurring throughout all of them is the idea of actions and consequences. Each show talks about why people decide to do things in our modern time and the influence of those decisions on both the people that make them and the rest of the world.

In a sense, these shows have examined morality in a time where viewers mimic the actions of figures they see in the world.

Comedies have long been known to be adaptive, both from production and

narrative standpoints. As the industry has gone through multiple cycles of revolution over the past twenty years, comedy television has been able to fit the needs of the medium while also trying to stay culturally relevant through its plots. As dramas seem to dive further into prestige television, their themes may be relevant but the stories themselves are so well produced and so sharply focused that they feel completely removed from society and our everyday lives. Comedy has cleverly evolved to reflect a growing sense of fear and panic about the current state of American culture.

AT FIRST I WAS EMBARRASSED. ME, A CAT, LIVING WITH A SINGLE GUY. BUT WHEN I WATCH HIM PICK SOMETHING UP WITH HIS HANDS AND EAT IT, I CAN’T HELP BUT LOVE HIM. — MARU adopted 01-10-10

7

Audrey Carver Shuttle Talk

Mushky Rice

T

he first time I met her was brief and barely memorable — we sat a few rows apart on the 9:30 a.m. shuttle and I admired her shoes.

The second time I met her, she welcomed me into an old warehouse whilst suspended from the ceiling and wearing a hand-sewn cape, where she later allowed a room of strangers, including myself, to cut her hair.

The third time I met her, I made it a point to ask her name.

Mushky Rice, a senior at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts (SMFA), is easily one of the most vibrant artists I have met during my commute.

She is outgoing, intelligent and incredibly interesting. Everything about her, especially her art, is colorful. She has studied at the SMFA for two and a half years. Her art practice has evolved from mostly traditional drawings and paintings to a wide breadth of mediums including textiles, mixed media, sculpture and performance. Her work, like the enormous quilt she is stitching and the performance exhibition that I initially met her in, focuses mainly on exploring, understanding and reinventing the traditional Chassidic Jewish culture that she was raised in.

“It was a very intense community,” she tells me, reflecting on her childhood in San Raphael, Calif. “I had very little contact with any kind of secular thinking for 22 years.”

It was only after attending several boarding schools and finding some strong role models that she has come to embrace an independent way of thinking. Rice recently decided to break from the Chassidic community.

“It was the hardest thing that I have ever done and am still doing. Things like language, food and family, things that were such important parts of my life, I am still learning how to navigate their loss,” she told me.

Her art plays a huge role in this transition. She has cautiously begun to make art about her religious — or secular — transformation authentically, with performance being a especially unique, personal and expressive element of her art practice.

“I feel like a lot of people use religious iconography [in art] without really going into its full meaning — it’s easy, and they do it because they can, and I really didn’t want to do that,” she explained. “[It is] important to have … [your art practice] really strongly rooted in something that you connect to, something that is important to you.”

In the reflection piece I saw her perform, she wore a hand-sewn tunic bearing the words “Cut my hair,” and silently walked through the audience, handing out scissors. One by one, we cut away her curly locks, some more aggressively than others, until she was left with a bag of curly brown hair and a very short pixie cut.

With her colorful history and dedication to understanding it, the artist’s practice is a testament to this statement. Be sure not to miss her senior thesis show in May, and make sure to look for Rice around Brookline after graduation. Though she is not yet sure what direction her work will take her, I am excited to see what she creates next.

Audrey Carver is a first-year at the SMFA studying fine art. Audrey can be reached at audrey.carver@tufts.edu.

8

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Monday, March 4, 2019 | FUN & GAMES | THE TUFTS DAILY

F &G FUN & GAMES

LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY David: “I’m going to disappoint you for the next five minutes.”

LINDA C. BLACK ASTROLOGY

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Actions could misfire. Private meditation and reflection suits your mood and recharges your energy. Relax and make plans.

Difficulty Level: Hoping for a snow day.

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Opinion

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OP-ED

Defining refugees in a changing climate

by Joshua Clarkson and Gabriel Haddad Contrary to what the current American government may be saying, the climate is, in fact, changing. Any scientist or academic of any repute would tell you as much. A changing climate brings higher incidences of extreme weather events. Just look at Houston, Texas, which has had three ‘oncein-500-years’ floods since 2015. Meanwhile, rising sea levels and other gradual changes that are side effects of global warming tend to generate headlines that foresee armageddon. Just last year, The Guardian ran a piece titled “Rising Seas: ‘Florida is about to be wiped off the map.’”

Indeed, the effects of climate change can be seen and felt the world over, and yet the international community is still lacking in its response to the plight of people affected by climate change. There is no international definition of, or policy for, the so-called ‘climate refugees.’

Per the United Nations High Committee for Refugees (UNHCR) 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, a refugee is a person “who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion.” The general meaning is thus that a person should not be forced to return to a country in which their life and liberty are at risk. We propose that climate refugees should be accorded protections as other refugees are and that the definition of a refugee requires fundamental some changes.

Asylum seekers — the people who cross an international border to apply for refugee status — are those people who lack safety in their countries of origin. Thus, these people seek entrance into another country — nearly always as a last resort, to preserve their lives. Now, we must consid-

er if ‘climate refugees’ fit into this framework. The concept of climate refugees remains fairly ambiguous, without any formal definition at present. This difficulty stems at least in part from the differentiated experiences of different peoples and regions in the face of climate change.

For some, monumental natural disasters strike overnight. Others may deal with rising sea levels or desertification, processes that take years, if not decades to have visible effects.

The UNHCR’s definition for refugees includes citizens of the Maldives and Kiribati, whose island territories are literally ebbing away daily. This also includes people in Bangladesh or the Philippines dealing with catastrophic storms and flooding. Yet, just because there are unique challenges posed by climate refugees, this clearly does not mean that they should receive no recognition.

Some might immediately throw out this definition, saying it is idealistic, and that it is not the international community’s responsibility to clean up the physical and metaphorical mess caused by a flood in another country. However, the international community already recognizes that these people require protection. Why else would the United States Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance have spent some $1.6 billion on disaster response activities worldwide in the 2017 fiscal year alone?

Humanitarian efforts to protect vulnerable populations due to natural disasters, in addition to man-made disasters, are already widespread and rife with international spending.

While international funding is often lifesaving for thousands of people, it also serves as an admission that the populations receiving this aid are at risk. In other words, these people have credible fears for their lives and well-being. Per our definition, these people are indeed climate refugees and have cred-

The Harsh Reality

ible asylum claims. Surely, people fleeing a region devastated by an isolated disaster incident should only be accorded asylum for a limited amount of time, as opposed to people whose countries disappear, necessitating permanent resettlement.

While the wide variation of climate refugees will need more localized and differentiated solutions, the first step is their actual recognition by the international community. Thus, the definition of “refugee” would more effectively protect the world’s vulnerable populations if it were broader, something like: “a person who is unable or unwilling to return to his/her country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of death or impingement on his/her natural human rights.” In other words, a refugee is someone whose well-being is not ensured by his/her government.

Certainly, as populations feel the effects of climate change more and more in the coming decades, more climate refugees than ever will need protection, and it is time that the international community takes notice.

If you are interested in learning more about this pressing issue, join the Institute for Global Leadership and students from around the world at this year’s Education for Public Inquiry and International Citizenship Symposium: “Migration in a Turbulent World,” from March 7 to 9.

The symposium will include three days of far-reaching discussions on pressing challenges regarding international migration, including the impacts of climate change on migration.

The full schedule and free tickets can be found at https://bit.ly/2IOWKar Joshua Clarkson is a sophomore studying international relations and can be reached at joshua.clarkson@tufts.edu. Gabriel Haddad is a sophomore studying international relations and can be reached at gabriel.haddad@tufts.edu.

BY SHANNON GEARY 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 Executive Business Director.

9

Monday, March 4, 2019

Tys Sweeney Repeal and Replace

Landlording

D

ear Fellow Students, Last week, I wrote about the importance of transparency in university decision-making. Our community faces an unprecedented housing crisis, and as with any other multifaceted issue, opacity serves only to obstruct mutualistic solutions. Tufts Housing League, Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate and many other groups on campus have been involved in negotiations and activism to improve the quality of life on campus, and while progress has been made, the problem persists. Rooms meant for two are converted to sleep three; students pay more and more for off-campus housing; Tufts resists moral and comparative arguments against a tiered system. Landlording of this nature is cruel and ineffective; current policies and actions are not enough to solve the problem. We must repeal the university’s toxic landlording and replace it with a transparent, solution-oriented body and process for addressing this truly dire issue.

As Tufts continues to add students and the MBTA expands the Green Line to Medford, our communities will face multiple upward price pressures. Tufts has a responsibility to its students to actively seek a solution to every effect of the housing crisis: overburdening our host communities, overcrowding in our dorms, price and rent increases and more. There are right ways to do this and wrong ways.

So far, Tufts has taken some half measures, including adding beds to existing rooms and purchasing a fraternity house. By adding beds, Tufts creates forced triples, crowding halls and dorms designed for far fewer students.

The resulting living situation is nothing like what incoming students expect, results in an unhealthy environment and stresses infrastructure. Adding beds has clear negative effects which undermine it as a viable solution to our crisis. I approve of Tufts’ purchase of 123 Packard, since it will have a positive net benefit as a new social and living space open to the Tufts public; however, it does little to address housing concerns. The students living there now will be replaced next year with other students. Even with added capacity, the increase in housing options will be minimal.

Real solutions have been proposed. TCU Senator Grant Gebetsberger signaled his support for a popular option: a new high-capacity dorm on Fletcher Field, especially with the Green Line extension compounding existing pressures.

“Tufts needs to guarantee on-campus housing for students, and that is only possible with more dorms or high-capacity apartment-style buildings,” Gebetsberger wrote via instant message. Other solutions have been proposed as well, such as adding stories to current dorms, and almost anything will be better than packing extra students into rooms.

So how do we get there?

Negotiations by student groups, including resolutions by TCU Senate, have made the university aware of student concerns, but ultimately the situation is unresolved.

We need transparency, solution-oriented dialogue, and decisive action.

I urge President Monaco to form an executive committee to address housing solutions.

Its meetings should be open to the public, and it should be populated by students, professors, board members, administrators and community representatives. The back-andforth needs to end. Opacity must be peeled back. Toxic landlording must end. Action must include all of us.

Sincerely, Tys Tys Sweeney is a sophomore studying political science. Tys can be reached at tys. sweeney@tufts.edu.

10

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Monday, March 4, 2019 | Sports | THE TUFTS DAILY

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Tufts to face Messiah in the Sweet 16 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

continued from back page the Jumbos. While the Jumbos continually poured points in from range as well as from the paint, it was their chances at the line that eventually led the Jumbos to victory in the fourth quarter. The Jumbos went eightfor-10 on free throws, amounting to eight out of their 15 points of the fourth quarter.

With under 30 seconds remaining in the game, the Jumbos had worked their way to a three-possession game at a score of 52–46, and as a result went on to win the game by said score. That night, the Jumbos were led by the rallying efforts of DeCandido, who scored a whopping 20 points over the course of regulation, tying her second-highest scoring effort of the season.

Coach Carla Berube, who has led the team to all of their NCAA championship tournament appearances in program history, spoke about the tough win on Saturday night.

“It was good enough to win two games.

I’m not sure if it was our best basketball, but in the times where we needed to play well, we did, in big moments especially in last night’s game,” Berube said. “Yesterday’s game … was hard scoring. Haverford’s defense is pretty good and stingy. For us to battle through that, and get the stops we needed to and then the scores we needed to on the other end, was big.”

DeCandido also had an impressive performance on Friday night against Western

New England College, converting five out of her 11 field goals along with three free throws for a combined 13 points.

DeCandido was one of four Tufts players who dropped double-digit points in the team’s dominant display against Western New England. Leading among these was first-year guard Janette Wadolowski, who made all seven of her field goal attempts and scored 18 points in total.

Although the score may resemble a seemingly flawless victory for Tufts, the frequency and ease at which Tufts’ defense was breached became a cause for concern, particularly in the second quarter.

Although the Golden Bears consistently struggled shooting from range, scoring just one out of their 11 attempted 3-point shots, they found success in driving the paint and finding previously unknown holes in the Jumbo defense. In addition to their three layups, the Golden Bears got 10 free throws, of which they completed seven for a 70 percent conversion rate. The Golden Bears closed out the second quarter by outscoring the Jumbos 17–13, and went into the half trailing just 36–27.

The Golden Bears were unable to replicate their success from the second quarter coming out of the break, as the driving force of the Jumbos scored at will, with DeCandido putting up 10 points in the third quarter. DeCandido was constantly able to find space in the post as the Jumbos ultimately finished the game as the offensive powerhouse they’ve proven themselves

Nate Hartnick Stat Talk to be this season, closing out the game with a final score of 70–44.

DeCandido spoke about the team’s challenges in the second quarter.

“At least for Friday’s game, it was the first NCAA game for our [first-years], and kind of the first one of the season, so we were really excited to get started on our home court,” DeCandido said. “The whole thing about the NCAA tournament is the fact that if you want to advance, you have to win. After we won on Friday, we had to completely forget about it and move on to the next team.”

Berube echoed DeCandido’s words regarding the competitiveness of play in the NCAA tournament.

“Overall, at this time of the year, it’s about surviving and advancing and making it to the next round,” Berube said. “We’ve done that, and we’ll watch some film and work on things over the next week to get ready for our next opponent, Messiah.”

With two wins under their belt and the victory over Haverford, Tufts moves on to face Messiah College (28–1) in the Sweet 16 on Friday in a location that remains to be announced. Although the Messiah College Falcons are on a 28-game winning streak following an opening season loss, they haven’t faced a dominating force quite like the Jumbos so far this season. Should Tufts come out on top, they will advance to their seventh Elite Eight appearance in program history and be one step closer to their ultimate goal: an NCAA title.

Jumbos nearly break even in FDU Invitational the sabre match, bringing Tufts to a 19–8 victory, their third win of the invitational.

“Our greatest strengths have been team spirit, but also individual performances from Zoe Howard, Alison Cheng and Hannah Fruitman,” coach David Sach said.

“They have all finished the season with good win percentages against varsity teams. Zoe especially fenced very well at FDU in the absence of her teammates who were feeling sick and couldn’t compete until after lunch.”

Although Tufts ended the day with a 19–8 loss to Wagner, they were very happy with their performance at this FDU Invitational.

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“As a team, our weakness has been our inability to keep the full team healthy, so we are often competing under-strength,” Sach said. “Although we’ve been hit by injuries all season, the spirit of the team has been excellent. Even when we have not been fielding full teams due to injuries and illness, we have still managed to win matches.”

The Jumbos will play one last time in their 2018–19 season on Sunday, March 10, in the NCAA Regionals at Vassar College.

NATIONAL A SS

FENCING

continued from back page ing a man down and forfeiting three bouts. Similarly, Fruitman and first-year Caroline Hayes came away with the épée win as Fruitman swept all three matches again and Hayes took two. In sabre, Jeong, sophomore Lillie Ahearn and Waskow won every match, sweeping 9–0 to bring home Tufts’ second win.

The Jumbos’ momentum carried into their next match-up against LIU Post.

Howard and Cheng swept in foil, Fruitman mimicked in épée, and LIU Post forfeited

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0

The Rise of the Milwaukee Bucks

I

f you asked a casual NBA fan to name the team that leads the league by a wide margin in overall record, average point differential and defensive rating, nearly all would guess the Golden State Warriors. This would be a reasonable guess — the Warriors possess perhaps the richest collection of talent in NBA history.

However, those fans would be wrong, as the team currently dominating the league in most statistical measures is the relatively unknown Milwaukee Bucks.

On Friday, the Bucks became the first NBA team to clinch a playoff berth with a win over the Los Angeles Lakers. They currently boast a 48–15 record and are on pace for 63 wins. This development has come as a surprise to even the most seasoned NBA experts, as Milwaukee has nearly the same roster that posted a mere 44–38 record last year and was eliminated in the first round.

The Bucks’ primary change this past off-season came not on the court, but on the sidelines, as they hired respected coach Mike Budenholzer. Budenholzer is a wellknown disciple of legendary San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and led a surprising Atlanta Hawks squad to 60 wins and a conference finals appearance in 2015.

There are few coaches in the NBA who truly make a difference, both by commanding the respect of their players and installing a clear system — Budenholzer is one of these select few. The key to his game plan is spacing: running a smooth offense by spreading the floor with shooters.

While Budenholzer has inserted himself as the clear favorite for Coach of the Year, the catalyst behind Milwaukee’s rise is 24-yearold superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

“The Greek Freak” — a seven-foot-tall perimeter player with incomprehensible reach — stands as perhaps the most terrifying physical specimen in the NBA. Budenholzer’s system has finally allowed him to maximize his unlimited potential.

The Bucks’ acquisitions of sharp-shooting bigs Brook Lopez, Ersan Ilyasova and Nikola Mirotic have created the perfect environment for Antetokounmpo. He is constantly surrounded by four players who can knock down 3-pointers, preventing the defense from clogging his driving lanes. Lopez’s development is particularly remarkable: known as a classical back-tothe-basket big man who didn’t even shoot threes until two years ago, he now ranks 12th in the entire league in 3-point makes.

The Bucks’ roster is the epitome of modern NBA basketball: Nearly everyone can shoot threes and switch across multiple positions on defense. Khris Middleton, a sweet-shooting, multi-positional wing, constitutes the perfect wingman for Giannis. Both are capable of defending the best perimeter player on opposing teams as well as commanding the offense. The Bucks’ backcourt similarly fits this mold — Eric Bledsoe and Malcolm Brogdon double as lockdown defenders and legitimate offensive threats. Overall, the Bucks’ greatest strength is their depth of well-rounded players. Analysts tend to dismiss teams lacking star power as non-playoff threats, but the Bucks have the tools to break this stereotype. While they possess only one true superstar, the bulk of their rotation players possess no major weaknesses. Milwaukee is a perfectly constructed team, built for the nuances of pace-andspace basketball.

Nate Hartnick is a junior studying English and political science. Nate can be reached at nathaniel.hartnick@tufts.edu.

12 tuftsdaily.com

Sports

Monday, March 4, 2019

Women’s basketball advances to Sweet 16

by Alex Viveros

Assistant Sports Editor

This weekend, the No. 4 Jumbos (27– 2), fresh off of its NESCAC championship victory, competed in the first and second round of the NCAA Championship Tournament. In Tufts’ 11th successive trip to the NCAA tournament, the team defeated Western New England and Haverford to secure their ninth Sweet 16 appearance in program history.

Junior guard/forward and co-captain Erica DeCandido addressed what the team must do moving forward in the tournament.

“I think we’re just super excited,” DeCandido said. “[The games were] true NCAA wins, and all teams are coming out to play this time of the year … because [everyone’s] season is on the line, so they really just want to go after it. We just have to be the team that wants it more.”

The Jumbos hosted the Western New England College Golden Bears (20–9) on Friday night, followed by a Saturday evening game against the Haverford College Black Squirrels (22–7). While Tufts defeated Western New England by a comfortable final score of 70–44 on Friday night, the team found it harder to get things going against an unranked Haverford College.

On Saturday, the Black Squirrels posed a similar threat to the defensively driven NESCAC clashes last week against the No. 6 Amherst Mammoths and No. 3 Bowdoin Polar Bears. The score remained close throughout the 60 minutes, with the Jumbos edging out the Black Squirrels in the fourth quarter and winning by a tally of 52–46.

The game marked the third lowest-scoring contest of the season for the Jumbos: They only scored fewer points in their two games against Amherst this season.

On Saturday, the Black Squirrels juggled the score and executed effectively against the strong defense, rapidly finding themselves with an early 5–3 lead over the Jumbos. Although Tufts quickly regained the lead and converted 15 points in the first quarter, Haverford stayed close behind

CHRISTINE LEE / THE TUFTS DAILY

Junior guard/forward Erica DeCandido shoots a free-throw in Tufts’ 52–46 victory over Haverford on March 2. them, closing out the quarter trailing just 15–13 against the Jumbos.

Following their promising first quarter, the Black Squirrels capitalized on finding holes in the Jumbos’ defense throughout the remainder of the first half. Although Tufts scored an unanswered six points to open the second quarter, Haverford quickly rallied. Haverford junior guard AnnaSophia Capizzi went on a streak, scoring an unanswered eight points, including two 3-pointers, to level the game at 21 apiece going into the half. Haverford’s unanswered points came as a result of their pressing defense, forcing the hosts to convert just one of their 11 field goal attempts for a disappointing 9.1 percent.

The hosts struggled to regain a solid lead in the third quarter as the Black Squirrels

continued to barrel down on the Jumbos’ offense. Tufts kept up by driving the basket; out of the Jumbos’ eight made field goals, four were layups, with two by DeCandido.

Despite the Jumbos’ improvements in scoring, the Black Squirrels continued to demonstrate their willingness to stay in the tournament and not be sent home packing.

The Black Squirrels outscored the Jumbos 17–16 in the third quarter, which included a ridiculous layup by junior guard Maddie Galic that left spectators in shock and tied the score at 35–35; her and-one conversion gave the visitors the lead. In fact, Haverford closed out the quarter by completing three consecutive free throws, taking a promising 38–35 lead going into the fourth quarter. However, Jumbo first-year guard Molly Ryan showed that the Jumbos

had no intention of going down early. With just one second remaining on the clock, Ryan hit a quick jump shot, knocking down two points for the Jumbos at the buzzer and sending them into the fourth quarter trailing 38–37.

Tufts capitalized off of the clutch play by Ryan and proceeded to crush Haverford’s playoff hopes in the fourth quarter.

Reinvigorating the defense that carried the team to the NESCAC Championship, Tufts pressured Haverford into scoring just three out of their 11 field goals in the fourth quarter, good for just 27.3 percent.

With the defense looking solidified, Jumbo senior co-captain and guard Jac Knapp, along with DeCandido, led the charge for

see WOMEN'S BASKETBALL, page 11

Women’s fencing brings home 3 wins in Fairleigh Dickinson University Invitational

by Julia Atkins

Assistant Sports Editor

The Jumbos traveled to Fairleigh Dickinson University to compete in the Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) Invitational on Sunday, Feb. 24, matching up against seven other schools: Stevens Institute of Technology, FDU, Drew University, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Long Island University Post (LIU Post), The City College of New York (CCNY) and Wagner College. The Jumbos fared well with three wins over FDU (14–12), CCNY (20–7) and LIU Post (19–8).

The Tufts team lost to Stevens (22–5), Drew (20–7), NJIT (20–7) and Wagner (19–8).

“This invitational was one of our last of the season,” first-year Dorothy Waskow said. “We practice all season for these moments and it’s cool to see the things we work on in practice come into fruition.

Even having to forfeit a lot of bouts with two girls injured and two on-and-off the whole day battling illness, we still had so much team camaraderie and were never disheartened.”

Tufts had a difficult time in their first match against Stevens. Junior

EDDIE SAMUELS / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES

Senior foilist Zoe Howard fences at the Northeast Fencing Conference Multi-Meet hosted by Boston College on Jan. 28, 2018.

Elliot Pavlovich and sophomore Subin Jeong managed to claim three bouts in sabre to Stevens’ six. With one player out and three forfeited bouts, the foil squad struggled to make up points,

though senior co-captain Zoe Howard struck once. The Jumbos again had to forfeit another three points in épée with a second player down, losing 8–1 in epee and 22–5 overall.

The Jumbos picked themselves back up after the first knock and defeated FDU 14–12 in a back-and-forth battle. Both teams had one player down in épée and the score ended in a 4–4 tie. Moving into sabre, FDU forfeited three points and both Pavlovich and Jeong won all three of their matches, pushing Tufts ahead. In foil, Howard was left to fend for herself with two players down and still swept all three of her matches to bring Tufts to the finish line.

Tufts struggled through the following two match-ups against Drew and NJIT, losing to both teams 20–7. However, there were a few momentous highlights for the Jumbos. First-year Hannah Fruitman swept in épée against Drew and had two bouts against NJIT while Howard claimed two bouts on her lonesome against NJIT. In the end, both Drew and NJIT proved to be fierce competitors.

Tufts made a comeback in their fifth match-up against CCNY, turning their previous scores around and winning 20–7. Howard and first-year Alison Cheng swept all three of their matches in foil, winning 6–3 despite play-

see FENCING, page 11