The Tufts Daily - Monday, March 11, 2019

Student group explores opportunities in cannabis industry see FEATURES / PAGE 4

WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD

Rhemi Toth earns All-American honors for first time in career

New POC comedy group diversifies Tufts’ scene see ARTS&LIVING / PAGE 6

SEE SPORTS / BACK PAGE

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T HE T UFTS DAILY

VOLUME LXXVII, ISSUE 33

Monday, March 11, 2019

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EPIIC Colloquium hosts 34th annual symposium

by Matthew McGovern Contributing Writer

This year’s Education for Public Inquiry and International Citizenship (EPIIC) Colloquium covered the topic “Migration in a Turbulent World,” addressing the topic extensively at the 34th Annual Norris and Margery Bendetson EPIIC International Symposium last weekend.

The EPIIC Colloquium and accompanying symposium have been a staple at Tufts for the last 34 years. Each year, the Institute for Global Leadership (IGL) at Tufts runs the year-long course.

The symposium, which took place from March 7 to March 9, featured two keynote speakers: Miroslav Lajčák, president of the United Nations General Assembly and minister of Foreign and European Affairs for the Slovak Republic, and Sir Paul Collier, a professor of economics and public policy at the University of Oxford and director of the International Growth Centre.

Along with the two keynote speakers, there were numerous panelists from around the world, who the IGL invited to the symposium, according to Heather Barry, associate director of the IGL. There were eight panels consisting of three to four experts per panel, whose discussions were moderated by students of the EPIIC Colloquium.

Heather Barry, who participated in the third annual EPIIC Colloquium in 1988, spoke to the Daily about how the program has evolved over the years and what has stayed the same.

“The goals of the program have remained consistent since the begin-

DOGACAN COLAK / THE TUFTS DAILY

Sophomores Madison Reid and Shaobo Zhou introduce the panelists for the EPIIC Symposium on March 7. ning,” Barry said. “This includes encouraging students to explore complex issues, suspend their preconceptions and deal with ambiguity in these discussions.”

She added that the EPIIC course was not originally a year-long course, but it

was established in response to a need for nuanced discussion following the 1985 Flight TWA 847 hijacking.

The primary EPIIC instructor is Abi Williams, director of the IGL and professor at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, but the course has frequent

guest lecturers from a range of disciplines. The topics of the EPIIC course are chosen prior to the start of the academic year, then students enroll in the yearlong course in the fall.

Generation Citizen, began the event by reading two excerpts from his new book.

He said that the excerpts, and his book as a whole, are intended to show the importance of youth engagement with politics and democracy, which Generation Citizen is dedicated to promoting. Generation Citizen’s website states that its main purpose is to work to “ensure that every student in the United States receives an effective action civics education, which provides them with the knowledge and skills necessary to participate in our democracy as active citizens.”

“This book is trying to prove two fundamental things. One is that politics can be positive, and can be a way of getting things done. The other is that, in order for that to work, young people have to be at the forefront,” Warren said.

Warren said the book allowed him to trace the historical impact of young people at the forefront of times of change.

Following Warren’s reading, Wu and Viviescas joined him for a conversation on their experiences with politics, their thoughts on youth engagement in politics and their advice for future and aspiring activists.

Wu began the conversation by recounting how her entrance into a challenging and inequitable political system helped her realize the importance of reaching out and getting new people involved.

“The system is set up to keep going on its own with the same people who have always been involved, and it works great for them and not so much for those that have been left out,” Wu said, recalling how

her rise in politics shaped her position on inclusiveness. “Politics is how you open up the doors, [get] people to the table and then start to change policy.”

Viviescas, a high school student and member of Generation Citizen, also spoke of his experience organizing a gun buyback program in Massachusetts last May, saying he learned anyone could make a difference.

“Every time a new person came in they were like, ‘I can’t believe you guys are doing this; you guys are too young for all of this,’” Viviescas recalled. “People were skeptical [but] we ended up raising over $4,500 in a month. In the end, we ended up getting 39 guns off the streets of Lowell.”

see EPIIC SYMPOSIUM, page 2

Tisch College, Generation Citizen host discussion on youth empowerment in politics

by Noah Richter

Assistant News Editor

Tisch College of Civic Life and Tufts Generation Citizen hosted a discussion on Friday with CEO of Generation Citizen Scott Warren, Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu and youth activist Julian Viviescas on the role of youth in politics.

According to the Tisch College website, the event was held in part to celebrate the release of Warren’s new book, “Generation Citizen: The Power of Youth in Our Politics” (2019). Warren signed several copies for the audience following the discussion.

Warren, a former social entrepreneur in residence at Tufts University and CEO and cofounder of the non-profit organization

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see GENERATION CITIZEN, page 2

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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Monday, March 11, 2019

THE TUFTS DAILY Elie Levine Editor-in-Chief

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Wu, Warren, Viviescas encourage local, daily political engagement GENERATION CITIZEN

continued from page 1 Warren then asked Wu and Viviescas their beliefs regarding the particular role of youth in political culture.

Wu emphasized the role of youth in addressing today’s critical issues, specifically regarding climate change.

“It’s really on our shoulders to make some changes,” Wu said. “From now to 2030 is going to be the most creative, transformative and collaborative period in human history — just because it has to [be]. We have no other choice but to make it so, and our generation of young people are the only ones who can really make that happen.”

After Warren, Wu and Viviescas finished their discussion, members of the audience were invited to ask their own questions.

When asked what advice they have for young people who are looking to make change in their communities but are unsure of how to get involved, all of the guests stressed the importance of daily practices of staying informed and of consistent political participation.

Warren emphasized the value of smallscale, daily political engagement.

“I would say reading the paper and understanding what’s going on in your own community is a way of staying engaged, picking up the phone and calling someone is a way of being engaged, coming to an event or going to a town hall meeting is a way to stay engaged,” he said. “Those formal ways [like voting] matter, but there’s informal ways to get engaged, too.”

Wu, speaking from her experience as a legislator, emphasized the importance of contacting the local government.

“The disconnect happens when we don’t believe our actions will actually do anything,” Wu said. “Especially at the local level, it doesn’t take that many contact emails, Twitter messages or calls for an

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Scott Warren, CEO of Generation Citizen, discusses his new book ‘Generation Citizen: The Power of Youth in Our Politics’ (2019) with the audience in the Rabb Room on March 8. issue to be elevated to a level where an elected official is being told by staff.”

Wu also stressed the importance of organizing and working together with officials who can support issues.

“Whenever you have a chance, it’s good not just to point out a problem but to give them something they can support you on or something they can do,” she said.

In an interview with the Daily following the event, Tufts Generation Citizen

Executive Director Julia Grier said that the event was exciting for the Tufts chapter.

“I thought this talk was really inspiring, [with] both Councilwoman Wu and Scott Warren and Julian talking about the change they’ve made in their community and the power that youth have,” Grier said. “Just having people talking positively about the potential that we have … is super important and energizing for us … I think it’ll be really exciting to bring this energy back to our chapter.”

Migrant challenges a core question at this year's EPIIC Symposium EPIIC SYMPOSIUM

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continued from page 1 While IGL faculty facilitate discussion and research, much of the responsibility is on the students to research experts, invite them to the symposium and assemble the panels, according to Williams.

“They are involved in all aspects of its organization including the panels, speakers, breakout sessions, publicity, working with the international student delegations and logistics,” Williams said. “The panels will be moderated by the EPIIC students who have been rigorously studying and researching the multidimensional aspects of migration since last September.”

Isabel Rosenbaum, a member of the EPIIC Colloquium, was on the program committee, which involved organizing and moderating a panel at the symposium. Her program, “Barriers To Belonging: Integration, Adaptation, and Exclusion,” featured a labour member of British Parliament and a Canadian senator for Ontario.

“The core question [of discussion] was what are the challenges once they have

migrated already, whether it be a refugee, an economic migrant or an academic migrant?” Rosenbaum, a sophomore, said.

“Also, what will it ideally look like?”

The international delegations of students, which came from nine countries and four continents, are also a large component of the annual symposium. The international students, along with students of the United States Coast Guard Academy, the United States Military Academy and the Virginia Military Institute, totaled 66, according to the symposium’s program.

“The IGL originally had a partnership with universities in China, and wanted to expand the number of universities involved,” Barry said. “Peking University has participated the whole time, and National University of Singapore was also one of the original participants. Brazilian university students [then] came on through a student connected with Tufts.”

Barry said the network of students, alumni and academics that the IGL contribute each year to the EPIIC Symposium is an important element of its annu-

al symposium, as well as the academic course itself.

“Many alumni remain involved with the IGL, upwards of 70 to 80 percent of them,” Barry said. “This year, three EPIIC alums are coming back to speak as panelists — [they’re] the experts this time around.”

After the symposium takes place, the last component of the EPIIC Colloquium is an Inquiry program, in which EPIIC students work with high school students throughout the Northeast, mentoring them as they do research on a specific topic. Carlos Irisarri, a sophomore who is participating in his second EPIIC Colloquium, spoke with the Daily regarding the EPIIC Inquiry element.

“The [high school] students create briefings, do research and debate about a specific element of migration,” Irisarri said of this year’s program, titled “Cities at the Vanguard: Migration and the Metropolis.”

“What if mayors ruled the world? The main impacts of migration are on the city scale, but mayors make very little policy in that department.”

The topic of next year’s EPIIC Colloquium has not yet been announced.

TRASHING ONE EGG WASTES 55 GALLONS OF WATER

News

Monday, March 11, 2019 | News | THE TUFTS DAILY

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TCU Senate calls on university to respond to Sackler accusations, opioid crisis

by Robert Kaplan

Assistant News Editor

The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate met to hear two resolutions, review announcements on Swipe It Forward and tenure track position funding in the Consortium of Studies on Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora and hear several supplementary funding requests on Sunday evening in the Sophia Gordon Multipurpose Room.

The resolutions, titled “S. 19-5 A Resolution Calling for Tufts University to Explain their Complicity in the Opioid Crisis and Clarify the Oversight of Trustees and Advisors” and “S. 19-6 A Resolution Calling for Systematic Increases in the Influence and Presence of Student Voice on the Tufts University Board of Trustees.”

The TCU Senate passed both resolutions.

The first resolution, authored by TCU Senators Jonah O’Mara Schwartz, a senior; Sarah Wiener, a sophomore; Shane Woolley, a senior; and Trustee Representative Connor Goggins, a sophomore, follows Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey’s June 2018 lawsuit against Purdue Pharma and its executives for misleading the public on the addictive nature of opioid medications and profiting from the enterprise.

The text of the resolution explains that Purdue Pharma, which the Sackler family has historically controlled, has wielded influence over pain research, literature access and education since the foundation of the Sackler School of Biomedical Sciences and its Master of Science in Pain Research, Education and Policy. The resolution asks that “Tufts release information regarding potential complicity by the Tufts administration in allowing the School of Medicine’s academic curricula to be unduly influenced

by Purdue.”

O’Mara Schwartz explained that the scope of Tufts’ alumni footprint in the medical sector amplifies the culpability that the university holds, since many Tufts Medical School graduates work across states with the highest rates of opioid addiction, such as Massachusetts and Maine.

O’Mara Schwartz added that Tufts’ administration should not dismiss this resolution in the same way they have responded to previous resolutions.

“Until the decision makers at Tufts are lowered from their ivory towers where they can’t hide from the students, the public and any recourse from their actions, Tufts has failed to learn its lesson,” O’Mara Schwartz said.

Woolley explained how Tufts should begin to respond.

“It’s possible that Tufts may remove the Sackler name from buildings as many are asking for, and consider the whole matter done,” Woolley said. “We’d like to reiterate that this is not enough. Tufts University must explain how the MS-PREP program or Richard Sackler’s tenure as an advisor continued for years. ”

JULIA MCDOWELL / THE TUFTS DAILY

The TCU Senate convenes in the Sophia Gordon Multipurpose room on Sept. 30, 2018.

Woolley added that systemic changes must be considered in order to fully address the situation.

“Tufts must then change the bylaws, the lack of oversight and perhaps who it employs to prevent this from happening again,” Woolley said.

After debate ended, the resolution passed with 27 senators in favor, none opposed and one abstaining.

The second resolution, authored by TCU President Jacqueline Chen and TCU Vice President Adam Rapfogel, as well as Wiener, O’Mara Schwartz and Woolley, called for the addition of student-elected voting members to the Board of Trustees.

The text of the resolution explains that under the current system, three undergraduate students are appointed each year to attend committee meetings of the Board of Trustees but lack voting power and the ability to attend all meetings of the Board of Trustees.

The resolution cites 18 instances of state college and university systems, state laws and private colleges and universities that allow for or require undergraduate students or recent graduates to have full voting membership on their respective institution’s Board of Trustees.

The resolution also calls for four undergraduates to be elected to the Board of Trustees, taking office for four-year terms upon graduation.

Chen, a senior, explained that the authors introduced the resolution with the hope of making the high-level, longterm decisions that the Board of Trustees makes more accessible to undergraduate students, and make the Board of Trustees itself more representative of the Tufts Community.

Rapfogel, also a senior, compared the system that the resolution calls for to one already in place at another institution.

“All we’re asking for is like what Princeton has,” Rapfogel said. “Where students are elected after they graduate, so it’s not like they have some conflict of interest regarding the decisions they make.”

After debate ended, the resolution was passed with 28 senators in support and none opposed.

Chen also announced the further institutionalization of the Swipe It Forward meal bank program, following a meeting with her, Rapfogel and Executive Vice President Patricia Campbell.

“Starting next year, all premium meal plans will automatically be donating one swipe per semester,” Chen said. “This is really exciting because it’ll start out with 1,500 meal swipes.”

Rapfogel also announced the Consortium of Studies on Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora, which will have full academic departmental status by fall 2019, is set to grow substantially in the immediate future.

“Tufts received from the [Andrew W.] Mellon Foundation a $1.5-million grant to cover three tenure-track positions within the [Consortium of Studies on Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora],” Rapfogel said.

The TCU Senate also heard several supplementary funding requests from student organizations.

The first of these was Students for Justice in Palestine, which sought $3,520 to cover speaker costs for events during Israeli Apartheid Week, according to an Allocations Board (ALBO) report. TCU Senate voted to allocate the requested amount, with 24 senators in favor, none opposed and four abstaining.

The Arab Students Association sought $3,460 for additional speaker costs for Israeli Apartheid Week, which was approved by the TCU Senate with 24 senators in favor, none opposed and four abstaining.

ENVY sought $100 to cover transportation costs to a competition in Worcester but was only recommended $88 by ALBO, according to its report. The TCU Senate passed the ALBO-recommended total by acclamation.

ROOTSxSWAT sought $2,500 to cover the costs for a feature poet at its send-off show before a major competition, according to an ALBO report. TCU Senate allocated the requested amount, which was passed by acclamation.

Design for Social Good, a newly recognized student group, was sought $485 for its new group budget, according to an ALBO report. TCU Senate approved the requested amount, which was passed by acclamation.

The Vietnamese Student Club sought $1,800 for a performer at its culture show on April 13, according to an ALBO report. The TCU Senate voted to approve the requested amount, which was passed by acclamation.

Sino-US Relations & Group Engagement sought $5,114 to cover costs for seven speakers at its upcoming symposium, but was only recommended $4,014 by ALBO, according to its report.

The TCU Senate approved the ALBOrecommended total of $4,014 with 20 senators in favor, three opposed and five abstaining.

Cooperation and Innovation in Citizenship sought $623.60 to cover food costs for its upcoming policy challenge on housing policy, which visiting undergraduate students from the University of Michigan will attend. The ALBOrecommended total of $276 was passed with 15 senators in support, nine opposed and three abstaining.

ALLIES was allocated $2,653 by the TCU Senate for a field simulation event, which ALBO members explained was a recommendation representative of personal contribution requirements in the treasury procedures manual.

Events on the Hill — Week of March 11

by Jessica Blough

Executive News Editor

MONDAY “On Climate Change, We’re Toast. And if we don’t get serious now, probably burnt toast.”

Details: Carnegie Mellon University Professor Granger Morgan, whose research centers around climate change, public policy and environmental systems, will host a discussion on cli-

mate change sponsored by the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy.

Where and when: Cabot Intercultural Center, Room 702; 5:30 p.m.

TUESDAY “Distinguished Speaker Series: Jeff Flake” Details: Former US Senator from Arizona Jeff Flake will address the Tufts community at this semester’s second installment of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life

Distinguished Speaker Series.

Where and when: ASEAN Auditorium; 6–7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY “Housing Rights Panel” Details: Tufts Democrats and Tufts Housing League will put on a panel discussion regarding tenants’ rights and problems with the Tufts housing system.

Where and when: Terrace Room, Paige Hall; 6:30–8 p.m.

THURSDAY “Supporting Each Other, Supporting Ourselves” Details: The Women’s Center will collaborate with the Africana Center and Tufts Green Dot to create a workshop for all gender identities focused around the themes of self-care and empathy.

Where and when: Women’s Center; 7:30–8:30 p.m.

4 Monday, March 11, 2019

Features

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Cannaclub looking to explore a new frontier in The Future is Female cannabis industry

Megan Szostak Lisztomania

T

here is no doubt that the modern feminist movement has been championed by women of all backgrounds. Within the last two centuries, women have provided novel ideas and thought processes to many different fields. Many women who have led movements of suffrage or who have made breakthrough contributions to science are widely recognized — and rightfully so.

However, women who have made great strides in music have often gone unrecognized.

With International Women’s Day having recently passed, I thought it would be appropriate to dedicate this week’s column to women composers. Although few and far between, women represent some of the best and brightest composers to have ever lived despite many not having been given a fair chance to exercise their talents during their lifetimes.

One of the earliest known female composers is Hildegard von Bingen, a German nun born in 1098. Along with composing for her monastery, she made great contributions to science and philosophy. Composing gave nuns and monks an outlet for their emotions regarding sacred texts, and several, including Hildegard, reported to have had melodies and ideas given to them directly by God. Hildegard’s works include a “morality play” entitled Ordo Virtutum (c. 1151) which, unlike most compositions from the medieval period, is not dominated by religious themes. It is an allegory about the struggles of Virtues and the Devil for the human soul. This work is proof of Hildegard’s strides in disciplines of both music and philosophy.

Many centuries later, during the Romantic Era of composition, several female composers, including Clara Schumann and Fanny Mendelssohn, gained recognition. Fanny Mendelssohn was the older sister of famed German composer Felix Mendelssohn, and the two were said to have been extremely close.

As a German woman living in the first half of the 19th century, Fanny was often deprived of opportunities to publish her work. However, her brother Felix published hundreds of Fanny’s works under the name “F. Mendelssohn,” which many of the conservative musicians of the time assumed to stand for “Felix” Mendelssohn.

Although it was difficult for Fanny to achieve international fame for her compositions, she has posthumously become one of the most respected Romantic era composers. Fanny’s compositions have a unique sound that is a stark contrast to many of the heavily orchestrated works of the early Romantic Era. It is likely that the light and graceful melodies in her music stem from her femininity.

The title of this column, “The Future is Female,” is somewhat misleading. In my opinion, music is a discipline which should not be dominated by a single gender, whether that be male or female. The world works best when people of different genders, sexual orientations, races and religions all are given the opportunity to contribute to society and offer unique perspectives. The future is not female, but will involve more contributions of women in disciplines that have been historically dominated by men.

Suggested listening: Hildegard von Bingen, “Ordo Virtutum” (c. 1151) Fanny Mendelssohn, “Piano Trio in D minor” (1850) Clara Schumann, “Three Romances for Violin and Piano, Op. 22” (1855) Amy Beach, “Gaelic Symphony in E Minor” (1896) Rebecca Clarke, “Sonata for Viola and Piano” (1919) Megan Szostak is a first-year who has not yet declared a major. Megan can be reached at megan.szostak@tufts.edu.

VIA CANNACLUB AT TUFTS FACEBOOK PAGE

The logo for Cannaclub at Tufts is pictured.

by Michael Shames Features Editor

Disclaimer: Arlo Moore-Bloom is the head of the student advisory board for Cannaclub.

He is also the executive sports editor at The Tufts Daily. Moore-Bloom was not involved in the writing or editing of this article.

One of the fastest-growing enterprises in the United States, the cannabis industry has been encouraging dialogue surrounding the recreational and medical use of cannabis. The cannabis industry was valued at $9.3 billion in 2016 and is continuing to expand. After working at Casa Verde Capital, a venture capital firm focused on the cannabis industry with a team including Snoop Dogg, senior Julian Goldhill was inspired to start an organization exploring the cannabis market on campus.

“It was interesting for me to apply my knowledge of economics and finance to an industry that really goes against the grain of traditional economics in a lot of ways,” Goldhill said. “It really is the new frontier.”

Goldhill attributes his interest in the industry to his ambition.

“The research says that there is a lot of potential in the cannabis industry,” Goldhill said. “You could be selling anything and if you talk about the [value and growth] that we are seeing in this industry, I would be interested.”

While Goldhill understands the controversy surrounding the industry, he wants to remove the stigma.

“The cannabis industry and cannabis itself as a plant have been stigmatized since the 1930’s, with the Marijuana Tax Act,” Goldhill said. “And now, we are seeing the reversal of age-old institutionalized laws, so there is a need for our club.”

Last year, Goldhill met fellow senior Eric Brook, who also had an interest in the industry, but for very different reasons. Throughout his life, Brook had battled weight loss, pain, and fatigue. This resulted in a Crohn’s Disease diagnosis in his junior year of high school.

Even after emergency surgery and a very intense chemotherapy treatment, Brook still had active inflammation damaging his body.

He decided to do his own research on effective ways to treat and deal with his disease and come across cannabis as a possible alternative. Brook, who had never tried cannabis before in his life, implemented the plant into his treatment regimen.

“Within a month, I was in remission,” Brook said. “I went from a 95-pound, incapacitated high school senior who could not even attend classes to a healthy college-bound

student once again.” According to Brook, cannabis now helps him with pain and symptom management, as well as long-term remission.

Brook, a politically active student who had volunteered for Barack Obama’s reelection campaign in 2012, also worked on Kamala Harris’ campaign for senate. At this time, cannabis was still more of a taboo subject, so he chose to keep his experiences to himself.

“I had to hide who I was and a big part of my life during that time,” Brook said.

However, in 2016, Brook decided to get more involved in the industry and worked on the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, which legalized cannabis for adults in California. The next summer, he worked at Ceres Group Holdings, which gave Brook a firm background in venture capital and private equity.

When Goldhill approached him about starting Cannabis Club on campus, Brook expressed interest.

“It was fun to share that interest with someone, and we realized we had a similar vision for what this club could look like,” Brook said.

According to Goldhill, Cannaclub, which started in January, is currently an event-oriented club and will be hosting speakers and discussions about the industry.

“We want to provide students with a structured and supportive environment to learn about the industry,” Goldhill, who serves as president, said.

Brook, who serves as vice president, agreed, and noted the community aspect that he hoped to cultivate.

“We want to use the club as a platform to bring in various speakers and create a connected community among Tufts students interested in the industry,” Brook said. “I have met so many different Tufts students with so many different interests related to the industry.”

On March 10, the club hosted Dr. Jordan Tishler, a physician with a focus on using cannabis to treat a wide variety of illnesses who serves as treasurer and board member of Doctors for Cannabis Regulation, president of the Association of Cannabis Specialists.

Beyond having Cannaclub host its own speakers, Goldhill hopes to get involved in other events already happening on campus. Among those events is “The Cannabis Debate,” which will be hosted by Tufts Experimental College on March 29th, where a panel of various experts will discuss the state of the industry.

Additionally, Goldhill wants to avoid the perception that the club is for students who smoke marijuana. “This is not a cannabis enthusiasts club,” he said. “Not everyone interested in the industry is a smoker.”

In addition to the informative and educational purposes of Cannaclub, both Goldhill and Brook hope that the club can open up career opportunities for club members.

“I want the club to be helpful to people looking to explore the job options in the industry,” Brook said.

According to Goldhill, in April the club will host members of the company Vangst, a hiring platform for the cannabis industry that connects businesses with job speakers.

“I think that will be a great opportunity to learn about the business side of the industry and potential job trends,” Goldhill said.

Brook acknowledged that rectifying the industry’s past is a personal goal for him. “[I want to] help individuals, particularly [people of color], who have unfairly had their lives uprooted by archaic and racist laws,” Brook said. However, Brook did not feel like this was a realistic goal for the club, given its current mission.

“One of the unfortunate realities of the plant being regulated as it is [is that it] results in any government-funded organization, like Cannaclub at Tufts, being prevented from promoting any cause, even if it is socially just,” Brook said. “The goal of the club is to disseminate information about the industry, [so] we cannot directly do anything to that effect while [maintaining our current goals].”

In terms of the future of the club, both Goldhill and Brook are hoping their successors can expand the club’s mission. Brook sees the club as a chance for students to become interested in the industry.

“As somebody who really discovered the cannabis industry on his own, I’d love to be able to provide younger students with a platform to get involved in the industry,” Brook said.

While the club is looking to become officially recognized within the next school year, Goldhill anticipates that external sponsors will eliminate the need for additional funding from the TCU Senate.

Goldhill wants the club to go beyond the knowledge-based curriculum that it is focusing on for this semester.

“I want the club and its resources to allow students to take initiative and conduct research on specific parts of the industry that they are interested in, whether that’s regulation, science, business or incarceration,” Goldhill said. “It’s all about understanding what the students want, and I want to have a good understanding of the club’s direction before I graduate.”

COVERING IMMIGRATION IN THE TRUMP ERA

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An Evening with Award Winning New York Times Journalist Nicholas Kristof

Nicholas Kristof, New York Times Columnist, two time Pulitzer Prize winner, and CNN contributor, joins the Tufts Hillel Merrin Moral Voices to speak on the topic of immigration. Often hailed as one of the most important journalists of our time, he will be discussing the media coverage of immigration through the past few presidencies

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8PM | COHEN AUDITORIUM

Tickets available Monday March 11th at 10:30am at the Campus Center and Online at https://tuftstickets.universitytickets.com

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6 Monday, March 11, 2019

ARTS&LIVING COMEDY GROUP FEATURE

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Tufts’ first POC comedy group, ‘Comic Relief,’ makes its public debut

3 c

KYLE LUI / THE TUFTS DAILY ‘

‘Comic Relief’ is pictured here at its first show on March 8.

by Tommy Gillespie Arts Editor

“Comic Relief,” Tufts’ first POCcentered comedy group, held their inaugural show, “Speculation: is the Sriracha Diluted Here?” on Friday evening. The hour-plus show featured acts ranging from a stand-up compare-and-contrast between French monarch Louis XIV and a mock talk show to a TED talk on how to use Tinder to scam free rides off men. The level of interest garnered by the event took even the members of Comic Relief by surprise, forcing a change of venue.

“We originally were planning to have it in the Women’s Center,” sophomore member Campbell Simmons said.

“Then we saw almost 200 people interested in the event on Facebook, so we had to move to Braker [Hall].”

The steady evolution of Comic Relief from a handful of people having conversations about comedy in the Women’s Center into a performance group that can fill a lecture hall began last semester. It started with the group’s founder, sophomore Trina Sanyal, who came to Tufts as a first-year looking to get involved in the comedy scene on campus.

“When I applied to Tufts, I was really excited about joining the comedy groups here, so my first semester, I auditioned for a bunch of groups,” Sanyal said. “I was also in a [ Tufts Funny Ladies] show, which was super

lovely, with a really awesome group of people” Sanyal also noticed in her experience with Tufts’ existing organizations that the comedy scene on campus lacked diversity.

“I was one of the few people of color in the group,” she explained. “It didn’t keep me from pitching things or being encouraged in that space, but I began to wish there was a space for people of color on campus.”

The initial idea behind Comic Relief grew out of this desire for Sanyal to have a venue in which she could more comfortably engage with comedy in an unfettered manner.

“My experience with comedy has always been extremely political,” she observed. “Before I came to Tufts, my friends and I always saw it as a political tool … a way of raising and upholding each other’s voices.”

Sanyal said that without any longterm plans in mind, she decided to hold a meeting at the Women’s Center.

Fatima Blanca Munoz, the interim program administrator at the time, encouraged Sanyal to host the first meeting there. The first meeting in the Women’s Center was not designed to plan any kind of public performance; rather she initially intended it to serve as a forum for people of color to have conversations about comedy.

“I didn’t anticipate it to become as big of a performance group as it now has become; I always thought it would

be a space for people to come and talk about what they’ve experienced and what they think is funny,” Sanyal explained. “I was trying to build it into more of a community before it became a performance group, and now it’s luckily both.”

Though Comic Relief was not originally conceived as a performance troupe, the group’s members found that having a dedicated space enabled them to express their comedy more authentically.

“A lot of us share in our experiences, and because of that, we can also critique each other’s work in a way that’s productive, and not questioning whether the experience is true or not,” Sanyal said.

Her fellow members echoed that the group gives them a platform to inhabit their comedic personas more fully.

“Comic Relief gave me a space to express my experience … in a college environment that can sometimes be alienating,” sophomore Zara Wermers told the Daily in an electronic message. “[ They] encourage me to be unapologetic in my identity.”

The cross-section of comedy that arises out of this close-knit environment addresses everything from obsessive speculation about the sex lives of Mr. and Mrs. Incredible to a sketch depicting bored FAFSA employees during the government shutdown.

Other sketches mined humor out of the tedious U.S. visa process, which

depicted Comic Relief members posing as ‘Murica-loving patriots seeking to infiltrate the country.

“I remember being outside the office with my parents, and we had to do three interviews … After the last one, we finally got a green card,” explained sophomore and co-writer Joy Maina.

Framing the sketch like a tepid job interview allowed Maina and her partner, sophomore Bizaye Banjaw, to lampoon the bureaucracy immigrants face in the U.S. “It’s a job being an immigrant in this country,” a deadpan Maina said.

In another sketch, Simmons portrayed an author in a book interview that rapidly devolves into a mindless stream of contextless academic buzzwords and Sudoku.

“We wanted it to degrade and make less sense as it went along,” Simmons said. “It ended up coming out just the way we wanted it to.”

Following the success of its first show, Comic Relief does not currently have concrete plans for its next event, but the impressive turnout for “Speculation” certainly promises something in the future for the group.

Possibilities mentioned included a potential performance at Jumbo Days.

For now, however, its members are in no rush to dive headfirst into another frenzy of writing, rehearsing and planning. Or perhaps, like this interviewer, they are still distracted thinking about the logistics of Elastigirl’s expandable breastfeeding.

Arts & Living

Monday, March 11, 2019 | Arts & Living | THE TUFTS DAILY

ON-CAMPUS THEATER

3Ps’ ‘Mr. Burns: a post-electric play’ explores pop culture in post-apocalyptic world

MADELEINE OLIVER / THE TUFTS DAILY

A scene from a dress rehearsal of ‘Mr. Burn’s: a post-electric play’ is pictured.

by Libby Langsner Executive Arts Editor

From Thursday, March 7, to Saturday, March 9, one can find Tufts University’s Pen, Paint & Pretzels’ (3Ps’) major show playing in Balch Arena Theater. This show, titled “Mr. Burns: a post-electric play,” revolves around two things most would consider unassociated: “The Simpsons” (1989–) and the apocalypse. In the three acts of this show, the characters must find a way to continue on with their lives, and in the process, come to understand the importance of storytelling and collective memory.

When the stage lights rise for Act I, five characters, a few lawn chairs and a bonfire greet the audience. The characters are dressed in rags, and it is obvious, from the man standing guard with a flashlight and a woman shaking in the corner, that something terrible has occurred, though what exactly has happened to them is not immediately evident. Unexpectedly, the audience was made aware of “The Simpsons” even before the end of the world has been addressed. The characters onstage speak and laugh about some of their favorite episodes, desperately trying to help each other remember the best lines.

With the introduction of an intruder, Gibson, things begin to shift. The post-apocalyptic world is made painfully evident. When the other characters meet him, they each bring forward a notebook with a list of names — either people they knew or family members

they lost — in hopes that this new person might have come across them in his journeys. The play’s tone saddens with the realization that he has not. But then they are opening beers and reminding themselves of “The Simpsons,” to help them pass the time and recall the entertainment they used to treasure.

Perhaps the most poignant line in the first act is: “Not knowing, that’s the problem. I think I could handle anything, if I just knew what it was.”

Maria says this in response to a frightening conversation dealing with the fact that none of the characters know how many nuclear plants exist in the United States. Some believe there are 12 and others hear there are hundreds. This, along with familiar New England towns and roads, creates an eerie feeling, leading the audience to think that this apocalypse could very well have happened yesterday.

The second act takes place seven years after the first, and the characters are now a part of an acting troupe, where their livelihood revolves around performing episodes of “The Simpsons.”

This play cleverly showcases the growing importance of “The Simpsons” because this troupe must compete with other troupes for ‘episodes’ to perform, as well as buy ‘lines’ from survivors who remember them, so they can fit together the pieces to create a full episode.

This introduces the theme of collective memory, exhibiting the importance of remembrance in order for humanity to move forward after so much strife.

Act II of this show is a wild ride.

Viewers are met with the realization that in a post-apocalyptic world, “Diet Coke might just be gone,” and a discussion of the efficacy of commercials in convincing people they need products. There is even a dance medley including songs like “All Star” (1999), “Single Ladies” (2008) and “thank u, next” (2018).

The argument surrounding the importance of “The Simpsons,” whether it is meaningless entertainment or a vehicle to relay meaning, becomes a key tenet of the show. This argument can perhaps explain why “The Simpsons” becomes so important in the third act, and how entertainment through storytelling will always be a pivotal part of society.

The third act surprised many in the audience. Looking around, one could see viewers stunned, afraid or beside themselves in laughter or a crazy combination of the three. This act takes place 75 years after the second and consists of an ‘adapted’ episode of “The Simpsons.” It is definitely wacky, but clever and hilarious all the same. It morphs the cartoon that the Simpsons themselves watch, featuring Mr. Burns and Itchy & Scratchy, into a storytelling masterpiece, showing viewers how the Simpsons help humanity endure.

As student director Jonah Greene, a junior, writes in the director’s note: “This show … highlights the importance of storytelling, showing the pop-culture of today becoming the mythology of tomorrow.”

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Audrey Carver Shuttle Talk

I

Alberto Checa

f I am being honest, I don’t understand performance art.

However, it is also a primary focus at the SMFA, which prides itself on pushing the boundaries of art school and exploring interdisciplinary media. Up-and-coming art students like the ones of the SMFA are the ones defining and developing the role of performance in contemporary art.

Alberto Checa is one of these artists, whose conversation on the shuttle home yesterday gave me new respect for performance work. Alberto’s pieces are thoughtful and emotional — they highlight hidden labor, the process of consumerist production and repetitive, undervalued workforce cycles. He is inspired by his mother’s relentless labor in a packing facility in his hometown of Miami, and many of his performances relate to physically exploring her experiences.

For example, he pushed a box like the ones packed and shipped at his mother’s factory the entire length of a beach, exhausting himself and displaying the type of concealed labor that his community members do daily. Another one of his performances involved two people wearing connected gas masks and packing boxes. As they worked, they breathed harder with increasingly limited oxygen, and eventually fell unconscious. He has packed, moved and installed cement boxes around Miami, swept a warehouse wearing a crucifix-like structure to mimic the housework his mother does despite the hernias in her back from a lifetime of labor and even done a DJ set while people built his platform by hand below him.

The most interesting thing for me is that, despite his projects’ success, he has not told his mother about them.

“She would be touched and all that, but I feel like she wouldn’t really understand why I am putting myself in these physically painful positions,” Checa said. “She would probably just tell me to stop, and I wanna keep going.”

When I asked him where he sees his work going, he was not entirely sure.

“It’s all about the process,” Checa said. “I started as a painter in high school, but then in the summer of junior year I went to a program at SAIC. I totally credit where I am at now to the two sculpture teachers there that pushed me to explore sculpture and performance.”

Now, he says he is not even sure how to classify his work. He uses performance elements, but he also sews, DJs and photographs.

More than anything, Checa takes his work seriously. He pushes himself physically to convey the painful experiences of his mother, and to explore the meaning of labor and futility, of process and production. Listening to him talk so passionately about his art and his relationship to his mother, I was touched.

When I asked him about the response to his work, he told me that other people are too. He said that in galleries and his his public displays, people come up to him and tell him how much they are able to relate to and appreciate his awareness of labor that too many take for granted.

If I am being honest, I still do not completely understand performance art. But now, after talking to Alberto, I want to try.

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

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Monday, March 11, 2019 | FUN & GAMES | THE TUFTS DAILY

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Opinion

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EDITORIAL

We need a living wage for students For many students, working on campus is a necessity. Students rely on campus jobs to cover the costs of student life, including tuition, fees, textbook costs, food and personal expenses. Tufts is long overdue in raising the student minimum wage. The wage for Tufts students is set at the current Massachusetts minimum wage, which is $12 an hour. This isn’t enough.

While Tufts remains stagnant in implementing change, other universities, both public and private, have surged ahead, raising their student minimum wages to at least $15 an hour. According to data collected by the National Employment Law Project (NELP), public universities including the University of Washington and those in the University of California system adopted policies in 2015 to raise their student minimum wages to $15 an hour after student workers expressed concerns about wages being too low to meet even their basic needs. In 2016, private universities such as New York’s Columbia University and New York University followed suit. Even Tufts’ very own Medical Center adopted a policy to raise minimum wage for all employees to $15.12 an hour in January 2016. Further, Tufts offered to pay dining workers $15 an hour as a minimum in a proposed wage agreement, though intransigence on other issues by

the university has provoked a strike vote.

Students who do the same type of work as dining workers as well as other campus jobs deserve the same hourly rate that Tufts offered its dining workers.

Providing fair wages for student workers grows more urgent each semester, as costs continuously rise for students. Tufts increased tuition an estimated 3.76 percent from last year’s tuition, for a sticker price of $70,941 for the 2018–2019 academic year. This is the equivalent of two years and 10 months of full-time work at minimum wage. While financial aid offsets this, students, especially upperclassmen, still need to pay for books, rent, food and utilities.

According to the College Board, for the 2018–2019 academic year, students are spending at least $1,240-$1,440 on books and supplies. Combine the cost of books with rising rent, as more and more students are forced into Medford-Somerville due to limited on-campus housing, and you have a recipe for academic poverty.

According to a recent survey conducted by the Daily, the majority (68 percent) of student respondents living in off-campus housing are paying between $800 and $899 per month for rent, with some (8 percent) paying over $1,000 per month. $12 an hour isn’t enough to cover these expens-

es. Student workers are allowed to work just 20 hours per week, meaning most will earn at most $960 a month, leaving students living off campus with between $60 and $160 for clothing, books, food and activities. Increasing the wage to $15 an hour leaves a student worker with $300 to $400 a month for those expenses — still a small sum, but far better than a $2-perday monthly food budget.

In an attempt to cover these soaring costs, students are under more pressure to find jobs on campus, as well as off campus to make up for the meager pay and low hours on campus work offers. But spending more time working only takes time away from studying, participating in extracurriculars and getting involved in the community. A low minimum wage spreads students thin, putting unnecessary strain on our academic and social lives as well.

This, in turn, increases alienation and social division.

Tufts needs to raise the minimum wage for student workers to $15 an hour. This raise would ease the burden on working-class students, materially improve the lives of many and give working students a chance to dedicate more time to academic and social pursuits. We should follow peer institutions in paying all workers, students and otherwise, a living wage.

Before anything else, we are all human.

It’s time to embrace diversity.

Let’s put aside labels in the name of love.

Rethink your bias at lovehasnolabels.com

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Monday, March 11, 2019

Tys Sweeney Repeal and Replace

Tufts Dining price gouging

D

ear fellow students, There is something audaciously wrong with Tufts Dining. The organization feels emboldened and entitled to mistreat dining workers and price gouge Tufts students. As dining workers prepare to vote on a strike this week, I wish them luck and hope the university will finally make the right decision. Meanwhile, there are other ethical issues that plague Tufts Dining. Venues on campus take advantage of a captive audience, marking up prices and deflating the value of student dollars.

Meal swipes are accepted at limited locations on campus, and restrictions on rollover and refunds entrap students in a system where they can never get their money’s worth. We must repeal the rapacious and entitled structure of Tufts Dining, replacing it with one more in tune with students’ needs, and respectful of the rights of workers and the Tufts community.

Two financial issues facing students using Tufts Dining are the structure of the meal plan system and intentional and pervasive price gouging. Meal plans at Tufts are structured to expire at the end of a semester, with Tufts Dining absorbing any leftover swipes, not refunding the unused money to students or rolling it over to the next semester. According to my calculations, students pay an average of $12.48 per meal swipe. Even five unused swipes are significant. While students can donate swipes to Swipe It Forward, this program suffers from the same limitations regarding rollover, as noted by an editorial in the Daily last month.

Perhaps Tufts Dining needs all the extra money from unused swipes to remain solvent. Outside of the meal swipe program, the equally rapacious practice of price inflation is rampant. Venues on campus offer goods at significant markups. Perhaps this, too, is a hedge against insolvency. For the purpose of this article I studied Hodgdon On-the-Run, and considering a basket of goods from milk to Ragu sauce, I determined the average price markup is 117 percent over those at bfresh, our local grocery. A box of pasta that costs $0.99 at bfresh is $3.79 at Hodgdon (283 percent markup). A Luna is marked up 249 percent. Further, meal swipes that cost $12.48 at market can be redeemed for significantly less depending on the meal period. Breakfast swipes are worth $6.04, which is only $2.78 by purchasing power parity.

One of the main food resources on which Tufts students rely thrives on astronomical price gouging.

This is an unjustifiable pattern at Tufts Dining. Perhaps they’ve bitten off more than they can chew. Perhaps price gouging and fighting against a fair contract are two sides of the same financial coin. Whatever the excuse, it’s not enough.

The time has come, Tufts Dining. Own up. Don’t hide behind false enthusiasm for the undergraduate experience. Give dining workers a fair contract, and give students fair prices.

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

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THE TUFTS DAILY | ADVERTISEMENT | Monday, March 11, 2019

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Sports

Monday, March 11, 2019 | Sports | THE TUFTS DAILY

Toth earns All-American honors as Tufts runners show out at nationals

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Nate Hartnick Stat Talk

Lebron James — a king dethroned?

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MADELEINE OLIVER / TUFTS TRACK AND FIELD

Junior Rhemi Toth passes her competition during the 1K race on Jan. 27, 2018.

WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD

continued from back page “It was really fun to have it in Boston,” Tierney said. “To have all the spectators

be able to come out. It was awesome to have a bunch of familiar faces there, having more people to talk to before and after the races.”

Next up for the Jumbos is the start to the outdoor season. They’ll kick off their spring season by hosting the Snowflake Classic on March 30 at home at the Ellis Oval track.

The “It’s Not Like I’m Drunk” Cocktail 2 oz. tequila 1 oz. triple sec 1/2 ounce lime juice Salt 1 too many 1 automobile 1 missed red light 1 false sense of security 1 lowered reaction time Combine ingredients. Shake.

Have another. And another.

Never underestimate ‘just a few.’

Buzzed driving is drunk driving.

eBron James has an annual tradition: He coasts through the regular season, then activates “playoff mode” just in time to make a remarkable Finals run. Each year, doubters inevitably claim that he has ceded his title as the best player in the world only to end up looking awfully foolish. But his first season in LA has been disastrous enough to legitimately pose the question: has the King’s reign come to an end?

Rumors started buzzing when LeBron joined a young, if not immature, Lakers squad this past offseason. Was he conceding the possibility of competing for championships in exchange for a lavish Hollywood lifestyle and opportunities for business ventures? Would he trade the home-grown core for established superstars?

The Lakers’ downward spiral began, ironically enough, in a seemingly season-defining win over the Warriors. Early in the third quarter, LeBron drove to the lane and lost control of the basketball.

As he reached for the ball, he pulled his groin muscle and, though originally alleviating concerns over the injury’s severity, missed the next month. Despite stepping up to blow out the Warriors in LeBron’s absence, the Lakers’ supporting cast would struggle without their leader, accruing a 6–12 record.

Even upon the King’s return, the Lakers have failed to regain their early season mojo. They have now lost five games in a row, and six of their last seven, effectively killing their playoff chances. LeBron, while ranking at a not-terrible 46th in defensive real plus-minus, often exhibits an embarrassing lack of effort on the less glamorous end of the floor. In one viral sequence, young forward Kyle Kuzma had to shove him forward in order to close out on a shooter. A veteran leader, let alone arguably the greatest player in the game, needs to set the tone for his teammates.

LeBron’s disengagement is taking a toll: After placing as high as sixth in defensive efficiency earlier in the season, the Lakers have fallen to 14th.

LeBron cannot afford to relax given the Lakers’ poor roster construction. In a head-scratching attempt to invert the tried-and-true formula of surrounding him with shooters, the Lakers’ front office signed poor-shooting veterans who also carried off-the-court issues. The roster has thus amounted to a young core desperately trying to prove themselves to ownership (aka LeBron), disgruntled veterans unhappy with their minutes and an increasingly frustrated LeBron. The chemistry disintegrated when the Lakers publicly tried to trade nearly half its roster for Pelicans star Anthony Davis.

LeBron has done little to repair this fracture, instead questioning his teammates’ “sense of urgency” to the media.

It’s difficult to see any silver linings in this inaugural season in LA. Management has proved incompetent, the young players often look apprehensive in the spotlight and LeBron now has another year of mileage on his body. The King has no escape route available; his four-year contract locks him in for the foreseeable future. Unless the Lakers can somehow convince a star to join this debacle of a team or trade for one without gutting their roster, LeBron’s future championship possibilities appear overwhelmingly bleak.

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

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Sports

Monday, March 11, 2019

Men’s tennis falls in season opener to Brandeis

by Tim Chiang

Assistant Sports Editor

The No. 22 Tufts Jumbos fell short in their season-opening match to the No. 10 Brandeis Judges 7–2 on Saturday.

After working hard in the off-season since October, the Jumbo’s were disappointed by their performance in singles, but first-year Isaac Gorelik found a silver lining in the team’s strong play in doubles.

“Brandeis has some of the best doubles teams in the country,” Gorelik said.

“The matches were really close. We knew Brandeis was really good, so it was an encouraging thing to see. We played way better in doubles than anyone expected, and it showed us the hard work we put in paid off.”

The Jumbos drew first blood with a victory in No. 3 doubles, as junior Ben Biswas and sophomore Niko Hereford broke past the duo of first-year Colt Tegtmeier and senior Tyler Ng in a tight tiebreaker, 8–7 (2).

Brandeis fired back with a close win of their own at No. 2 doubles, as firstyear Paris Pentousis and sophomore Owen Bartok displayed a valiant effort but ultimately fell to first-years Adam Tzeng and Jeffrey Chen, 8–6.

“We thought the match was closer than ever,” Pentousis said. “At first, we got broken at 1–1, then we were down a break against Tzeng, who’s a lefty. He had a very good slice [serve] out wide which was hard to return. When we were down 5–4, we adjusted and were ready to put our returns in play, and we managed to get the break back for 5–5.”

Tufts continued to dig deep at No. 1 doubles, but sophomore Boris Sorkin and junior Nathan Niemiec were defeated in another close match, 8–6, by junior David Aizenberg and sophomore Anupreeth Coramutla.

After posting a 2–1 lead at the conclusion of doubles play, Brandeis continued to tally points up on the scoreboard by taking five of the six singles matches, with four of them in straight sets.

“Heading into the match we thought we could really take it to them in singles,” Gorelik said. “But it turned out the other way around. I feel like we came short in singles since we [had] put pressure on ourselves to beat them there.”

RAY BERNOFF / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES

Junior Ethan Bershtein approaches a drop shot during Tufts’ 6–3 loss to Middlebury on April 8, 2018.

Although Brandeis went on to clinch the match after victories in No. 4, No. 3 and No. 2 singles with a 5–4 advantage over Tufts, Sorkin’s victory at No. 1 singles and Bartok’s three-set battle at No. 6 singles were highlights for the Jumbos.

Bartok, who walked on to the team as a first-year last season, battled back to level the score after dropping the first set 6–3, but eventually lost in a high-pressure, extended tiebreaker to sophomore Rajan Vohra, 6–3, 3–6, 14–12.

At No. 1 singles, Tufts’ Sorkin topped Brandeis’ Aizenberg in straight sets (6–3, 6–4). This past fall, Sorkin made Tufts tennis history by clinching the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Cup Div. III singles national championship to cap off an incredible individual season. The sophomore sensation also seized the Middlebury Invitational A-Flight singles title on Sept.

16, 2018, and ITA New England singles crown on Sept. 30, 2018.

Upon reflecting on the loss, senior co-captain Ross Kamin expressed the team’s need for more experience and play, especially given the Jumbo’s young line up this season. Ten of the 16 players on this year’s roster are either first-years or sophomores.

“It’s always tough first match when we’ve just been playing against ourselves over the whole offseason,” Kamin said. “But having lot of younger guys in the lineup, I think everyone needs more match play and to develop more match toughness. It’s just [about] getting more matches under our belt.”

Next week from March 16 to March 23, the team will have plenty of opportunities to gain the experience they need over their spring break trip to California where they will face off against top out of conference teams, including No. 18 Sewanee and No. 11 Pomona-Pitzer.

After having somewhat disappointing results at the conclusion of last year and missing the NESCAC tournament for two

consecutive years, the Jumbos are especially hungry to prove themselves this season and reach the playoffs. The team hopes to compete with other top teams in the NESCAC, which is widely considered the most competitive conference in Div. III. Currently, 5 of the 11 teams in the conference are ranked in the top ten nationally.

Among one of the many first-years looking forward to their first spring break with the team, Jack Moldenhauer expressed his optimism heading into the series of matches over the trip.

“We’re confident we can be one of the best teams in the country,” Moldenhauer said. “We’re a young team, we’re only going to get better, and everyone’s excited to compete well over in California.”

The Jumbos look forward to bouncing back on the court on March 16 over their spring break trip, where they will first face off against Caltech in sunny Pasadena, Calif.

Toth, Tierney represent Jumbos at NCAA Championships

by Bradley Schussel Sports Editor

The Div. III Indoor Track & Field NCAA Championships took place over the weekend, with two Jumbos qualifying and showing out at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston. Junior mid-distance runner Rhemi Toth competed in the mile, placing seventh in the finals to earn All-American honors. Senior distance runner and co-captain Kelsey Tierney in the 3k and finished 10th place in her event.

To get to the final race for their respective events, the runners first had to pass the preliminaries on Friday. Toth placed ninth in the mile preliminaries with a time of 5:03.48. This time was a mere 1.83 seconds ahead of runners outside of the top ten, which was the cutoff for the one-mile final on Saturday.

Toth posted a time of 4:55.13 in the final, a career best and good for seventh place. Just 0.39 seconds separated her from the eighth-place finisher, but she was a

comfortable eight seconds ahead of ninth, where the All-American window closes.

The junior knew she was running a good race in the final, but she noted that was not so focused on the clock during the action.

“While I was running I wasn’t looking at the clock at all,” Toth said. “I was just trying my best to stay with the girls ahead of me.

I think [in] races like those, where all I’m thinking about is trying to catch the girl in front of me, I end up surprising myself with my time.”

Toth remarked that she was always looking ahead, trying to figure out if she could stay in All-American contention.

“I was counting the girls ahead of me the whole race,” she said. “I knew I was in eighth place coming into the last couple laps. Only the top eight finishers get AllAmerican, so I was basically running for my life to keep that position.”

And keep the position she did, as she was able to earn the first All-American honor of her career. Toth took part in the distance medley relay in year’s indoor

championships, so this was her first time running individually on the national stage.

Needless to say, she made the most of the opportunity.

As for Toth’s captain and teammate, Tierney qualified for the NCAA championships with a time of 9:47:48. This was, and remains, a personal record for Tierney in the 3k race. That time got her to the prelims, in which she came in sixth place, posting a time of 9:58.64. This time was well within the top-12 time needed to advance to the final race.

In Saturday’s 3,000-meter final, Tierney placed 10th out of 12 runners with a time of 10:08.26. Tierney had stiff competition in the finals, as she was 11.5 seconds behind the ninth-place finisher and 13 seconds from earning All-American honors at the eighth spot.

“I didn’t place as high as we had hoped,” Tierney said. “But I was happy to be there. I was just excited to get another chance to race.”

Tufts garnered two points from Toth’s mile finish. The two points placed the

Jumbos in a tie for 64th place. NESCAC rival Williams took home first place in the meet with a whopping 42 team points, which was unattainable for teams like Tufts, who only had two runners qualify.

The meet took place in the Reggie Lewis Center, right in the Jumbos’ backyard. This created a sort of home-field atmosphere for Tufts’ runners.

“It was definitely nice being able to sleep in my own bed the night before the race,” Toth said. “Because the race was so close, the atmosphere was a lot more relaxed. The whole week before, it kind of felt like I was getting ready for just another normal weekend of racing.”

This obviously helped Toth’s efforts, as evidenced by the All-American finish and career-best time. The meet was also just a short T ride away from campus, so many of Toth’s and Tierney’s friends, family and teammates were able to make the trip to cheer on the Jumbo runners.

see WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD, page 11