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VOLUME LXXXIII, ISSUE 17
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Tuesday, February 22, 2022
Starbucks will open in the Joyce Cummings Center this summer by Ethan Steinberg News Editor
Construction is underway for a new Starbucks location set to open on the first floor of the Joyce Cummings Center as early as this summer, Tufts’ Director of Auxiliary Services Jason McClellan confirmed in an email to the Daily. The new store from the global coffee brand will be limited to pickup orders, and its entrance will be near the new MBTA Green Line stop set to open this spring. The university is working with Starbucks on the possibility of offering JumboCash as a payment method, McClellan wrote. The cafe will become the only major retailer to lease space inside a university-owned building on the Medford/Somerville campus. It will join Hotung, Kindlevan, Mugar and Tower cafes — all operated by Tufts Dining— as well as the student-run cafe The Sink as the sixth cafe on campus. McClellan told the Daily in November that the university was in negotiations with a cafe provider, but did not specify which brand the school
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The Cummings Center is pictured from the Memorial Steps during winter. was considering. Tufts initially offered the space to local coffee shops and cafes, but none showed serious interest, McClellan said.
Revival Cafe + Kitchen and Nine Bar Espresso, both coffeehouses with locations in Davis Square, told the Daily via email that their shops were not under consider-
ation for leasing the new space. Tamper Cafe, which, according to McClellan, leases space from the university in its current location, declined to comment.
The new Starbucks stores will offer pickup orders only, part of a companywide initiasee STARBUCKS, page 2
Josh Hartman steps down as director of Office of Residential Life and Learning by Madeline Wilson Assistant News Editor
Josh Hartman, senior director of the Office of Residential Life and Learning, will step down from his position on Feb. 25 after nearly four years at Tufts. He will transition into a new role as director of immersive experiences for Hillel International. During his time at Tufts, Hartman has been responsible for overseeing residential education, residential operations and fraternity and sorority life. “I have deeply enjoyed my time at Tufts and serving in this role has been a true honor and privilege,” Hartman wrote in an email to the Daily. “I’m proud of the work our team has done and I am incredibly confident and hopeful for the future with such a wonderful group of folks in place.” Hartman led the Office of Residential Life and Learning through the COVID-19 pandemic and was responsible for making a number of significant decisions regarding the university’s health and safety guidelines.
“After exploring dozens of options and dozens more permutations of each of those, Tufts decided on a few key elements – primary among them to dedensify our residential spaces where we could, add modular housing to accommodate isolation and quarantine students, implement a rigorous testing and [contact] tracing plan, and examine our policies to align them with COVID needs,” Hartman explained. Describing ORLL’s policy during the COVID-19 pandemic, Hartman emphasized that the university’s approach was student focused. “From the beginning we have strived to … support our students in an equitable fashion, accommodating for those with significantly stressful or extenuating circumstances,” Hartman wrote. “ORLL staff individually looked at all options in alignment with the institutional desire to reopen safely, and we found ourselves on the leading edge among our peer institutions in our plan for reopening and our constant handling of the journey that the pandemic has taken on campus.”
Tim Jordan, associate director for residential education, recalled Hartman’s dedication to ORLL throughout the pandemic. “There were a lot of difficult challenges and decisions to make over the last two years and Josh handled it all with grace,” Jordan wrote in an email to the Daily. “His positivity and leadership were key to keeping morale up during some of the more difficult times.” Hartman discussed ORLL’s decision to house students at the Hyatt Place in Medford after facing higher than expected enrollment for the Class of 2025. “Like many other universities across the country, Tufts found itself in a position where we had more incoming first year students than expected for fall of 2021,” he wrote. “Our team examined many options including a variety of hotels, and at the end of the exploratory process, the Hyatt Place provided the closest option to campus, which we prioritized as critical.“ While at Tufts, Hartman started the university’s National Residence Hall Honorary chapter as well as its Hall Council Program. He also managed
the development of Tufts Community Housing project and facilities renovations while growing the Residential Assistant program. Jordan noted Hartman’s positive impact on ORLL. “It is hard to overstate just how integral Josh’s presence has been in developing our residential program,” Jordan wrote. One big change during Hartman’s time at Tufts was an increase in student and professional ORLL staff to better support students. “We constantly look at our policies and processes and strive to ensure an equitable support of our student body,” Hartman wrote. “We have drastically increased our staff presence, both in terms of student staff and professional staff, which provides more direct support for all of our students.” Associate Director of Residential Operations Angy Sosa, who began working at Tufts the same day as Hartman, reflected on his leadership over the years. “In 2020, when our office had to unexpectedly run an earlier move out process, there were many changes that we need-
ARTS / page 4
OPINION/ page 7
FEATURES / page 3
Gracie Abrams sells out her first Boston performance
Financial firms must increase accessibility of summer internship opportunities
Community members respond to the Russia-Ukraine crisis
ed to implement,” Sosa wrote in an email to the Daily. “Josh was instrumental in many of the changes within our office over the years, including ensuring that we could continue our mission as a department within the pandemic.” Jordan also praised Hartman’s work and legacy. “[Hartman] was a major reason I wanted to come and work at Tufts, as his vision for the department and drive to execute that vision made me feel comfortable moving halfway across the country to work in a growing department,” Jordan wrote. “His positivity, work ethic, and student-centered mindset have set the tone for our communities over the past four years.” Hartman says that his decision to take the job at Hillel International reflects his interests and identity. “I’m hopeful that my time at Tufts has resulted in some benefit for the University and ORLL,” Hartman wrote. “I have worked hard alongside an outstanding staff team to continually try to improve and enhance the residential experience for Tufts students.” NEWS
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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Tuesday, February 22, 2022
THE TUFTS DAILY Alexander Janoff Editor in Chief
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Starbucks in Cummings Center to offer only pickup orders STARBUCKS
continued from page 1 tive to encourage use of the Starbucks mobile app and expedite ordering, the company’s website says. There are fewer than 50 pickup-only Starbucks shops in the United States and only one in Massachusetts, according to the Starbucks website, but the brand concept has grown quickly since the pandemic began. The first Starbucks pickup shop opened in Manhattan in November of 2019, just before the onset of the pandemic. Since then, the multinational coffeehouse chain said it was closing up to 400 stores nationwide and shifting
its focus toward pickup-only shops like the one moving into the Cummings Center. Sink manager Luca Rogoff told the Daily in an email that he and his two co-managers aren’t concerned about the arrival of the new cafe, which could potentially rival the student-run shop. “There’s a lot of places around here to get coffee, but people come to the Sink for the heart and soul of a student run atmosphere,” Rogoff wrote in an email. “I imagine they’ll still come even with another Starbucks nearby.” Sophomore Azita Shirinzadeh, a loyal Sink customer, said she’ll continue to order her favorite espresso
drink — a Lucy in the Chai with oat milk — from the student-run shop even after the new Starbucks arrives. Shirinzadeh said she mainly frequents The Sink because it’s located near her downhill dorm, but she also enjoys the atmosphere. “It’s really nice to just see a friend working behind the counter,” Shirinzadeh, who hails from Starbucks capital of the world Seattle, Wash., said. “I do like Starbucks, but I do think … going to The Sink has made me so particular about my coffee.” McClellan said he does not expect the new Starbucks to heighten congestion in the Cummings Center, since
the cafe will have its own entrance. “ We think Starbucks will satisfy high demand within our university community and beyond for Starbucks’ coffee and other goods,” McClellan wrote. “The University is excited to partner with Starbucks on their innovative pickup-only concept for the Cummings Center. We believe the pick-up only concept is ideal for our students, faculty, and staff as well as the greater Medford/ Somerville Community.” Hotung Cafe will continue to sell Starbucks-brand coffee next year after the new store moves in, director of Tufts Dining Patti Kloss wrote in an email to the Daily.
This Week in COVID-19: Tufts breaks weekly record case number; students isolate in Homewood Suites
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Tufts experienced one of its most unpredictable periods of the pandemic last week, as cases soared to record-breaking highs on the Medford/Somerville campus in what can only be attributed to the highly-infectious omicron variant. Oddly, Tufts’ spike in cases came as coronavirus numbers dropped across the county, the state and the country as a whole. The university reported its second highest number of raw cases in one day on Feb. 15, with 67 new cases on the Medford/ Somerville campus. Tufts’ weekly average reached an all-time high on Friday, with an average of about 46 students testing positive
per day. That metric was at 19 students the week before. The highest number of cases reported in one week throughout the pandemic occurred when 321 cases were reported in the week leading up to Friday. Despite this daunting rise in cases, there have been signs of improvement over the past few days. While a whopping 187 cases were reported from Feb. 14 to e Feb. 16, 80 cases were reported from Thursday to Saturday. The 17 new cases reported on Saturday also mark the lowest number of raw cases reported in a single day since Feb. 7. Still, the weekly average number of cases remains high, with an average of 44 students testing positive per day as of Saturday. Only time will tell if cases will plateau or rise again over the upcoming week.
With the pandemic’s positive trend beyond the Medford/ Somerville community and on campus earlier in the semester, Tufts relaxed COVID-19 policies for all sports teams and clubs over the past several weeks. Athletes no longer need to take rapid COVID19 tests on competition days, which was required last spring. Spectators who are vaccinated and masked are now allowed to attend indoor varsity games like basketball and lacrosse. A total of 144 individuals were in isolation on Saturday. The Mods remain busy, and many students have been transported to the Homewood Suites Hotel in Arlington while they are sick due to capacity. Students in the Mods receive two meals a day for brunch and dinner from Tufts Dining
and are required to be in isolation for at least five full days or until they no longer exhibit symptoms. The same requirements apply for students in the Homewood Suites, though those in the hotel receive two UberEats vouchers a day, are transported to their destination via a Tufts shuttle and may room with a COVID-19-positive Tufts student. Although COVID-19 cases continue to decline at the city level, Somerville residents with disabilities face social and medical challenges as a result of the pandemic. From delayed operations in health care facilities to inadequate outdoor dining setups for immunocompromised individuals, COVID-19 continues to have a domino effect on Tufts’ host communities.
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Features
Community perspectives on the crisis at the Russia-Ukraine border by Lars Kirchhoff Contributing Writer
President Vladimir Putin of Russia reportedly ordered troops to be deployed into the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine on Monday, a move that will likely further escalate the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Earlier in the day Putin signed a decree, officially recognizing the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics in eastern Ukraine. The area had been occupied by Russian-backed rebels since the 2014 Maidan revolution in Kiev, which saw the pro-Russian government ousted. The Biden administration responded by announcing economic sanctions against anyone who does business in the region. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki wrote in a statement that additional economic sanctions are planned “should Russia further invade Ukraine.” Jeffrey Taliaferro, professor of political science with expertise in security studies and international relations, said that Putin’s escalation of the conflict is rooted in the country’s experience with the West since the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991. “Post-Soviet Russia was plunged into a decade of economic turmoil and political turmoil while the United States began to expand NATO into the territory that Russia considered to be its near abroad,” Taliaferro said. “The fact that this alliance not only … continued to exist after the Soviet Union’s demise but had expanded to include the Soviet Union’s former client states and even three former Soviet republics — Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania — was seen by Vladimir Putin and many Russians as an insult, as a humiliation and as a threat.” Oxana Shevel, associate professor of political science with expertise in the post-Communist region, pointed out the resistance that Russia could face, should Putin decide to invade. “There are going to be massive sanctions, international isolation, there could be discontent in Russia, because this war with Ukraine is not popular, unlike [the] annex-
ation of Crimea, which was very popular,” Shevel said. Shevel also wondered whether an invasion of Ukraine would help Putin reach any of his goals. “He wants Western recognition of Russia’s special role in the region, generally, and in Ukraine, specifically. I don’t think … invasion would accomplish him this,” Shevel said. According to Putin, Russia’s special role in Ukraine is fraternal in nature. In July 2021, the Kremlin published an essay written by Putin, titled “On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians” in which Putin claims that Ukraine is the “Little Russia” to his own “Great Russia,” a claim rooted in the Kievan Rus empire that ruled the area in the 9th century. While the two countries do share many cultural and historical ties, for many Ukrainians, the recent escalation of the conflict is likely to accelerate a process of de-identification from these ties, Shevel explains. “It’s really ironic, I think, that given … Putin supposedly is trying to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and turning away from Russia, … his policies actually accelerate that very possible development,” Shevel said. A recent poll by the International Republican Institute found that a majority of Ukrainians now favor their country entering the European Union over a trade union with Russia and its allies. The poll also found that 54% of Ukrainians now favor joining NATO, whereas before 2014, the number stood around 25%, Shevel noted. Ashley Aron, president of the Russian Slavic Central Asian Student Association (RSCA), said that the conflict likely would not cause tension among the club’s diverse membership. “I’d hope that people would still be able to bond under their unique identities,” Aron, a senior, said. “Russia and Ukraine have technically been at war before. And I don’t know if it’s going to change as much because Ukrainians are, from my perception … very used to this concept of war.” Artem Dinh, a member of RSCA who lives in the Russian/Slavic Culture House, said the conflict is not an issue that is typically talked about.
BY MIRIAM VODOSEK
Dinh, who is Vietnamese-Ukrainian, grew up in Vietnam but spends his summers with relatives in Ukraine. He noted that his relatives experienced economic turmoil, as did many others in the region, after the 2014 revolution. Some of Dinh’s friends joined the Ukrainian military and attended military school. Dinh recounted how before the revolution, it was considered normal to speak Russian — he speaks Russian with his friends. However, the developing nationalist movement changed this. “People try to speak more Ukrainian,” Dinh said. “If you go to the west of Ukraine, … I guess speaking Russian might not be the best thing you could do.” Christopher Miller, assistant professor of international history at the Fletcher School and co-director of Fletcher’s Russia and Eurasia Program, said the escalation of this conflict relates to Ukraine deviating from Russian politics and society. “Ukrainian politics and society are not becoming closer to Russia but the opposite,” Miller said. “Ukraine is developing in a direction that would make it less amenable to compromises with Russia in the future.” Miller is not optimistic about relations between the two countries if Russia does not accept Ukraine’s wish for sovereignty. “The problem is that Ukraine wants to be a sovereign country and Russia doesn’t want it to be a sovereign country that can defend itself,” Miller said. For Dinh, Ukraine finds itself in a difficult position between powerful countries. “Ukraine, unfortunately, has been a really weak country over 30 years with instability [and] corruption,” Dinh said. “It has never been able to stand on its own feet … in the middle of these superpowers. So, it has been pulled back left and right, left and right. And at this point, since it’s getting pulled to the West too much, Russia’s pulling back.” Asked if he believed Russia will escalate the conflict to all-out war, Dinh expressed a common sentiment of uncertainty. “I don’t know what Russia wants to accomplish from actual bloody war. But we never know what Putin thinks, right?”
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Maker’s Space Ulee Wintle
The making of a makerspace list for the purpose of makers’ making
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ith this being a brand-new column, I thought I’d take this week to offer some insight into the wonderful resources you have as a Tufts student. If I did my job right, my first article has left you thoroughly inspired to make something — a new side table, plateware or a cutting board, perhaps. But you’re stumped! You don’t have the tools or the space to get crazy and creative! Luckily for Tufts students looking to make, there are several free-to-use places on campus. First and foremost is a lesser-known space tucked away on the first level of the SEC called the Nolop Lab. Complete with eight (soon to be 12) 3D printers, a laser cutter, a water jet, soldering tools and various woodworking and metalworking tools, it is well equipped to handle your basic fabrication needs. The staff is incredibly friendly, knowledgeable and helpful (I know because I’m one of them!) and are a great resource within the lab. We also hold workshops every few weeks. Nolop is populated mostly by engineering students, but it is open to anyone and is great for beginners and experienced makers alike. If you can’t find what you need at Nolop, and you have a Mech-E buddy that can swipe you in, there’s the Bray Lab across the street. While technically for engineers, I’ve found that no one questions you once you’re inside. They boast such a wide variety of hand and power tools including a lathe and a milling machine. Unfortunately, the lab is open only by appointment right now. In general, Bray is for more serious fabrication, and I wouldn’t recommend it for beginner builders. If ceramics, jewelry making or fabric is more your jam, look no further than the Crafts Center. Located in the basement of Lewis Hall, the Crafts Center is a great place to make freely and safely. It houses a variety of tools and craft stations including paint and paper, screen printing, a woodshop, glass and jewelry making and more. It’s student run — they’re very nice — and completely free! It’s a great place to learn a new craft or perfect an old one and meet other passionate makers along the way. I would highly suggest joining their Facebook page to keep up with events, workshops and other relevant information. Last, but certainly not least, is the Fabrication Studio at the SMFA. Though not as close to most of us, it is another great resource, and definitely worth mentioning. It is designed to help artists with installation, sculpture and other 3D projects and thus has a plethora of woodworking and metalworking tools. If you live near Fenway, or love a 45-minute bus ride both ways, this shop is for you. There are several non-Tufts resources in the Greater Boston area, but unfortunately that’s outside the scope of this article. Plus, none of them are free. So take advantage of our school’s resources and come visit me in Nolop. I’ll be the dude with the crazy hair and the sawdust-stained jeans. Ulee Wintle is a junior studying political science. Ulee can be reached at ulysses. wintle@tufts.edu.
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Arts & Pop Culture
tuftsdaily.com
Tuesday, February 22, 2022
‘Peacemaker’ shakes up the superhero genre with high-octane action and humor by Nate Hall
Contributing Writer
Everyone loves a good superhero story. In 2021, characters like Scarlet Witch, Loki, Shang-Chi and Spider-Man captured people’s attention and dominated the entertainment conversation. What do they all have in common? They come from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While Marvel continues to reign supreme, its main competitor, DC, has begun to pose a threat to Marvel’s untouchable status. After releasing two successful films last year, “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” (2021) and “The Suicide Squad” (2021), DC is trying its hand at television with “Peacemaker” (2022–), a new series that’s worth a watch. Created by “Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014) director James Gunn, “Peacemaker” premiered on HBO Max this January. A spinoff of Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad,” the series follows Christopher Smith (John Cena), also known as Peacemaker, an aggressive mercenary who will do anything for peace, no matter “how many men, women and children [he has to] kill to get it.” Picking up after the events of “The Suicide Squad,” Peacemaker is recruited by the U.S. government to join a shady black ops mission known as “Project Butterfly.” Working alongside Peacemaker are new recruit Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), NSA agent Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), tech expert John Economos (Steve Agee), team leader Clemson Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji) and Adrian Chase / “Vigilante” (Freddie Stroma), a young crimefighter who idol-
izes Peacemaker. While working to complete his mission, Peacemaker faces off against his racist father (Robert Patrick), the local police department and a host of other adversaries. In his role as the title character, Cena steals the show. He adeptly toes the line between an arrogant, egotistical killer and a broken man with a complicated past — not quite a hero, not quite a villain. He’s meant to look ridiculous, with a red and blue costume and a pet eagle named Eagly. Cena himself described the character as a “douchey Captain America who would kill a kid,” but there’s much more to him than that. Cena captures your attention every second he’s on screen, and he handles moments of over-the-top violence, crude humor and emotional depth with equal proficiency. While the entire cast has its strengths, Cena’s best moments are with Vigilante, who acts as Peacemaker’s loyal sidekick, and Adebayo, who forms a strong platonic bond with Peacemaker. Adebayo grapples with her own personal challenges as a black lesbian lead throughout the series, and her character is a refreshing addition to superhero media. James Gunn deserves praise for his writing and direction, allowing the story to grow from week to week without taking things too far or losing sight of the show’s focus. The humor is a mixed bag — some jokes are sharp and witty, while others drag on too long and don’t quite stick the landing. The overall story arc of the series is strong, with several unexpected twists and a satisfying conclusion, along with plenty of great fight scenes along the way.
An image of the “Peacemaker” (2022-) opening credits scene is pictured.
Because it’s a television series targeted to a more adult audience (TV MA), Gunn is able to get away with more raunchy humor and gory violence than your typical superhero movie. This may be too much for some viewers, but once you buy into the absurdity of the show, you can’t help but enjoy it. The series is enhanced by top-notch visual effects, costumes and production design, but its biggest technical strength is its music. The 1980s hair metal soundtrack gives the series a distinctive style and ties key moments in the show together, reminiscent of the retro scores of Gunn’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” films. Each episode opens with the introduction dance number of epic proportions set to the tune of “Do Ya Wanna Taste It” (2010) by metal band Wig Wam that’s so entertaining you’ll never want to hit ‘Skip Intro.’ Additionally, Peacemaker himself has a personal connection to the music used in the series, which makes the soundtrack all the more impactful and well suited. Despite its over-the-top antics, “Peacemaker” stays grounded, allowing its characters to grow and form connections with each other. At the heart of the action-packed story is a strong emotional core that explores the power of friendship and the challenges of overcoming past traumas. The show, which was renewed for season two last week, successfully achieves a delicate balance of action, humor and storytelling and will hopefully inspire future superhero stories to take themselves a little less seriously.
COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
TRASHING ONE EGG WASTES 55 GALLONS OF WATER
A Compendium of Actors Henry Chandonnet
Steven Yeun, indie darling
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teven Yeun is a rising force within the film industry. He gained his initial fame on television hit “The Walking Dead” (2010-2022), but soon segued that television fame into bigger film roles. “Burning” (2018) brought Yeun a big hit, gaining popularity in indie circles and expanding into some modest Oscar buzz. It wasn’t until 2021, however, that Yeun would get his Oscar nomination with his leading role in the dazzling “Minari” (2020). Yeun now continues this strong career trajectory with a recent role in the film adaptation of Stephen Karam’s “The Humans” (2021), and is soon to star in Jordan Peele’s newest project, “Nope” (2022). In sum, Yeun has successfully used his acting prowess and cult following to carve a hole for himself within the industry. The most physically demonstrative role of Yeun’s abilities would be his leading feature in “Minari,” a drama centering on the lives of a Korean American family and their move to rural Arkansas. In the film, Yeun plays Jacob, the Yi family’s optimistic patriarch. Throughout the film Jacob is pictured as both high-achieving and fallible. He desperately wants to build a better life for his family, but in that process find himself at odds with some of his family’s deeper needs and desires. The story is quiet and deeply human, using cinematic nuance to create emotional connection. Within that strong narrative, Yeun is charismatic, light-hearted and up-lifting. He allows you to see the value in a character who can often be problematic, and to empathize with his struggles. For that, Yeun accomplishes the task of the film: making small, poignant acting choices to cement the broader narrative of hope in strife. Another sign of good acting is the ability to make something out of a supporting role. This is all too true of Yeun’s work in “The Humans.” The film follows the Blake family Thanksgiving, hosted by daughter Brigid Blake (Beanie Feldstein) in her Chinatown apartment. What follows is an hour and a half of love, tension, and complex family drama. Within the film Yeun plays Richard, Brigid’s boyfriend who tries hard to impress her parents. Though a smaller role within the film, it is often Yeun’s character who brings levity and lightness to an incredibly solemn narrative. In a recurring bit, Richard goes on about his wild dreams as an attempt to connect with Brigid’s father, Erik (Richard Jenkins). These brief moments of quaint joy provide respite for the film’s drama, and are crucial to the viewing experience. In this way, Yeun was able to turn a smaller character into the light-hearted backbone of the film. Steven Yeun has indefinitely etched out a space for himself with the indie film market. His acting brings emotional resonance to small, succinct moments. Everything is filled with intention, from the largess of his dialogue to things as small as the expressions he makes. As Yeun grows his celebrity and expands into bigger movie markets, it will be interesting to see how he brings this strong emotional clarity to bigger-budget films. Henry Chandonnet is a first-year studying political science. Henry can be reached at henry.chandonnet@tufts.edu.
A r t s & P o p C u lt u r e
Tuesday, February 22, 2022 | Arts & Pop Culture | THE TUFTS DAILY
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Gracie Abrams sells out The Sinclair for her ‘This Is What It Feels Like’ tour by Ryan Fairfield
Contributing Writer
Gracie Abrams has quickly become an artist many have grown to love and admire at the young age of 22. From partying with Taylor Swift at her 32nd birthday to her music inspiring the hit song “drivers license” (2021) Abrams has shown that her music and character have impacted fellow artists and fans alike, which make it come as no surprise that she was able to sell out her concert at The Sinclair in Cambridge on Feb. 12. Abrams opened with the first track of her 2021 album, “Feels Like.” Between energetically waving to the audience and going up to the edge of the stage to hold hands with her fans, Abrams kicked off her concert with a spectacular performance and set the mood for the rest of the concert. With both her albums, “minor” (2020) and “This Is What It Feels Like” (2021), Abrams showcases her musical range. From upbeat pop songs to emotional piano ballads, Abrams creates music for a variety of moods and was sure to highlight that at her concert. Shortly after her opening song, Abrams chose to slow it down with “Better” (2021) before migrating to a vibrant red piano to perform “minor” (2020) Despite “minor” being a slower, more soulful song, the predominantly college-aged crowd belted every word with just as much energy as the opening song,
proving the longevity and popularity of her first album. In a whiplash moment, Abrams rose from her piano to perform her arguably most anticipated song: “21” (2020). A complete contrast from the previous song, “21” is an energetic, breakup song that had the audience happily jumping around during the chorus and rushing to grab their phones, desperate to capture the moment on camera. Following the conclusion of “21,” Abrams took a short break from singing to talk and engage with the crowd. Abrams’s connection to her audience is one of the factors that made the concert feel even more personal. From taking selfies on various fan’s disposable cameras to briefly talking to another fan’s friend on FaceTime, Abrams was sure to show her fans just how much she loves and appreciates them. Additionally, Abrams gave a little shoutout to her mother’s side of the family, who came down from Maine to watch her perform and were standing up in the balcony. With both her fans and family there, Abrams was going to be sure to give a memorable, special performance. After her break, Abrams decided to keep things slow with “Friend” (2020) and “Painkillers” (2021) before energizing the crowd with a lively performance of her single, “Mess It Up” (2021). In stark contrast to “Mess It Up,” Abrams continued with “Camden” (2021) where she simply stood in front of the
Gracie Abrams performs at The Sinclair on Feb. 12.
mic and sang beautifully to the crowd. Keeping with the gentle, emotional vibe she established with the previous song, Abrams moved into “Long Sleeves” (2020) and “Alright” (2021). As the lights changed from purple to blue, “Rockland” (2021), one of her singles from “This Is What It Feels Like,” started playing. Along with “21,” this song was highly anticipated by fans. From the start of her career, Abrams has frequently credited Taylor Swift as one of her inspirations, which makes it no surprise that Rockland” is reminiscent of Swift’s eighth album, “Folklore” (2020) The Swiftesque feel to the song is definitely helped by the fact that one of the co-writers of “Rockland” is Aaron Dessner, who helped write much of the “Folklore” album. When approaching the bridge of the song, Abrams put her mic on the stand to grab her guitar, as fans eagerly cheered her on, before singing the bridge with dreamy riffs that are not on the recorded version. After placing the guitar back in its stand, Abrams brought the upbeat energy back with “The Bottom” (2021) and “Wishful Thinking” (2021), where she decided to get back to really engaging with her fans. Bouncing around the stage, making sure to alternate sides to interact with everyone down at the barricade, Abrams sang her heart out and coordinated her little jumps and spins to the beat of the drums.
To close out her set, Abrams concluded with her most popular song, “I miss you, I’m sorry” (2020). Starting off with nothing but a simple white light illuminating her face, the emotion on Abrams’s face was clear and with the song being one of her most popular, everyone was ready. As the song progressed, the lights changed from white to blue to emphasize the heartbreak and sadness of the song. For the three minutes the song was playing, it felt like everyone was screaming the lyrics alongside her, creating a beautiful ending to her set. Abrams jumped up from her piano and grabbed her mic to wish goodbye to her fans before leaving the stage. After no more than a minute, fans started chanting “Gracie,” eager for her to return for an encore. Abrams waited a couple of minutes for fans to get just a bit anxious, and much louder, before returning to the stage. With a smile on her face, Abrams approached the mic stand to address the crowd. Abrams briefly talked about her love for Boston and how grateful she was for the show and the fans, as this was her first concert in Boston. With the frequent mention of Boston, many Abrams fans knew which song was coming next — “Augusta” (2021). “Augusta” starts with the lyrics, “Feel like maybe I might go to Boston,” and the audience screamed those lyrics with joy. Abrams’s performance of
“Augusta” was fully acoustic, with just her and her guitar and truly highlighted her dreamy vocals. As she performed the song, some audience members decided to shine their flashlights and sway to the beat of the music. Soon enough, the venue was illuminated by dozens of phone flashlights. “Unlearn” (2021) followed “Augusta” before Abrams decided to close out with “For Real This Time” (2021). Flashes of purple, blue, and white light filled The Sinclair as Abrams danced around the stage, waving goodbye to fans as she sang. With the audience jumping around dancing alongside Abrams, the song proved to be the perfect closer to the concert. At the conclusion of the song, Abrams said to the crowd, “Bye, for real this time,” and whether an intentional or unintentional pun, it was the best way to finish. The best way to describe Abrams’s concert is a whirlwind of emotions. Her songs had the audience dancing, laughing and even crying at times, showcasing the wide range of emotions Abrams captures with her music. Abrams’s sold-out performance, and first Boston concert, proved to be a great success. Between finishing up her “This Is What It Feels Like” tour and opening for 14 shows of Olivia Rodrigo’s sold-out “Sour” tour, it does not look like Abrams is slowing down and fans can only wait patiently to see what music she releases next.
COURTESY RYAN FAIRFIELD
6
THE TUFTS DAILY | Fun & Games | Tuesday, February 22, 2022
uG n & Games F& F u n & G am e s
SUDOKU
tuftsdaily.com LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY
Kendall: “Why go to the Apple store when I can just go to Alex Janoff?”
LINDA C. BLACK ASTROLOGY
Pisces (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Advance explorations cautiously. Reinforce basic structures. Dreamy projects tempt. Focus intention, initiative and inspiration on a fascinating subject. Learn about something you love.
SEARCHING FOR HEADLINES...
Difficulty Level: Like going to a morning class after a break
Monday’s Solutions
CROSSWORD
a hairbrush.
Recycle me.
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Opinion
7 Tuesday, February 22, 2022
VIEWPOINT
Rushing for a job in finance: The reality of early recruiting timelines by Chelsie Wei Staff Writer
If you open LinkedIn and enter the keywords “2023 summer,” you will find yourself with 6,438 job postings, as of mid-February 2022, regarding intern positions for Summer 2023. If you proceed to filter down openings by the following industries — “financial services,” “accounting” and “business consulting and services” — the number drops down to 3000. Financial services opportunities comprise many of the positions hiring for interns with a start date in 1 ½ years, and their deadlines are approaching fast. This is a crude way of demonstrating the point that big finance firms are pushing recruiting timelines earlier; the truth is they are. Companies now rely on summer interns in their junior year to turn into potential new hires after graduation, allowing students to enter their “pipeline” as early as the following summer through early insight and diversity programs. Using programs geared towards college students
with minimal industry knowledge, banks like HSBC have kindly provided rising junior positions that target young sophomores who are trying to get their feet wet in different industries. What is one to do, with as little as two years of college education, in investment banking companies and management consulting firms? Human resources may find their value astounding. As “we hire talent, not skills” becomes a new mantra for hiring, recruiters have been strategizing their interview formats, even reinventing the structure of recruiting processes so that their favored college candidates would come first on their lists. In this working world where required skills for a given position are constantly renewed year to year, companies strive to stay within close proximity to their potential college hires who are more willing to learn new skills on the market, often in return for lower pay. Recruiters lay their eyes first on their companies’ target school candidates, then their attention goes to other students in the pool. Students from non-target
schools may have voluntarily chosen to push their own timelines even earlier, starting off by networking with alumni and cold emailing associates, hoping to get a referral that could put their resume on the top of the candidates pile. Kevin Du is a sophomore at Tufts who is working towards a career in finance and referenced the early start to the internship process. “I [started] to prepare for the … internship early … last summer,” Du said. Having already applied to several 2023 summer internship positions, he has found networking as a sophomore at Tufts to be immensely beneficial to his job search. However, it came with the cost of possibly straining other involvements in life. What does it mean, for a student fresh out of high school, to participate in a rush for internships in the finance and management consulting career? In a school like Tufts that promotes a liberal arts education, many may not realize the ‘shortcuts’ and the extra effort it may take for an average finance student
until participating in on-campus finance organizations. However, that means the student may need to express interest in the finance industry as early as freshman year to be on par with the rest of their peers. Early recruiting timelines may also be stressful for lower-income students. For an industry that relies so heavily on networking among people in your close community, it can quickly translate into a problem for students coming from historically non-white colleges and HBCUs;as recently as 2018, only around 40% people of color took on entry-level jobs in finance. International students may also find themselves facing institutions that do not sponsor their employment, which is something that networking may not be able to solve. It seems antithetical to the basis of a diverse liberal arts education to push young students to participate in careers that require long-term commitment early on in higher education. With the goal of encouraging an exploratory mindset among students, Tufts has done a good job in making transfers among the
three undergraduate colleges as smooth as possible, and many students may not take classes that count towards their major until sophomore year. With that being said, industries like finance do not treat everyone equally — it seems to have grown more important for college students to explore their interests early, if financial services and management consulting should sound like an interesting enough career option. There should be no such thing as ‘breaking’ into the industry, though it summarizes the current state of the industry correctly. Financial services and consulting firms should not merely limit their radar to top colleges if they truly value talent. Talent acquisition teams need to realize that, with a recruiting timeline as early as that of now, there is an urgent need for increased accessibility in finance for underrepresented students. Higher institutions need to be warned of the same; there should be ample and visible resources for students interested in finance, regardless of the presence of a business major within the school.
8 Tuesday, February 22, 2022
Sports
Men’s ice hockey heads into NESCAC playoffs as 8th seed by Arielle Weinstein
Assistant Sports Editor
In the final weekend series of the regular season, Tufts men’s ice hockey played two competitive games, losing Friday night 3–0 to Colby College as well as their Saturday game against Bowdoin College 4–3 in overtime. Entering the weekend, the Jumbos’ record stood at 5–13–2 with a NESCAC record of 5–9–2.The two proceeding games would determine the seeding for the upcoming NESCAC conference championship tournament. The first game was against the Colby College Mules, the top ranked team in the NESCAC, whose record stood at 13–5–2. The Jumbos lost their previous matchup to the Mules 4–0 earlier in the season. However, this round of the series was much more competitive. In the first period, the scoring did not begin until almost halfway through, when Colby took the lead 1–0 on a wrist shot past Tufts senior goalkeeper Josh Sarlo. The rest of the period was fairly evenly matched in terms of possession. The Jumbos repeatedly called upon the help of Sarlo to keep the game at 1–0. In the second period, the game turned much more defensive, as both goalies refused to let the puck past. Colby goalie Andy Beran was able to stop a point blank shot from Tufts senior defenseman Tom Tresca to maintain Colby’s lead. The period remained scoreless until the very end, when with 22 seconds remaining, a shot rebounded off of Sarlo’s pads and was slotted home from directly in front of the net to double the Colby advantage. Entering the third period, the game stayed quiet offensively. Tufts was able to get an opportunity on a power play but couldn’t capitalize on its numbers advantage. Late in the third period, Tufts pulled goalie Josh Sarlo and attempted to cut into the Colby lead with a 6 on 5 attack, but Colby was able to score an empty net goal with just two minutes remaining to seal the final score at 3–0. Tufts was able to hold off all of Colby’s power plays, enabling it to keep the game close against a competitive team.
“We put ourselves in a position too many times, where we’re forced to kill. … When we do put ourselves in that situation, our penalty kill has been great,” firstyear forward Tyler Sedlak said. Colby outshot Tufts 39–17 with Sarlo making 36 saves throughout. In terms of the playoff picture, Friday’s loss didn’t damage the Jumbos’ chances at the 8th seed as Connecticut College also lost to Bowdoin College 5–3 to keep the standings where they were. Saturday’s game against the Bowdoin College Polar Bears proved to be a much more back-and-forth affair. Bowdoin’s overall record stood at 7–9–4, while their NESCAC record was 7–7–3.In their previous matchup against Tufts, the Polar Bears outlasted the Jumbos, winning in overtime 3–2.In order to have complete control of their fate in the NESCAC seedings, Tufts needed a win to secure the 8th seed. Right off of the bat, about 30 seconds into the game, Bowdoin scored on a pass from behind the net to a point-blank finish by first-year forward Luke Wheeler to put the Polar Bears up 1–0. Bowdoin kept high pressure on Tufts and peppered shots at sophomore goalie Peyton Durand, but he was able to keep them out of the net for the remainder of the period. Tufts had a few chances on a power play midway through the period, but Bowdoin goalkeeper Alex Kozic was not letting any pucks past him. In the second period, the Jumbos came out with renewed energy and were able to get off early shots on goal to put pressure on the Polar Bears’ defense. Soon after, they gave up a penalty on a hooking call. Luckily for Tufts Bowdoin was called for a holding penalty less than a minute later, and the following minutes proceeded in 4-on-4 fashion. With 13 minutes remaining in the period, the Jumbos set themselves up perfectly with a beautiful pass from junior forward Mason Kohn to Sedlak who wristed the puck into the side netting to tie the game 1–1. However, not 30 seconds later, a rebound shot off of Durand was put into the back of the net to restore the Polar Bears’ lead. Later in the period, Tufts put itself in a difficult situation by being on the wrong
The Tufts men’s hockey team is pictured during their game against Amherst on Feb. 12.
end of two penalty calls which resulted in a two-man advantage for Bowdoin. The Jumbos stayed disciplined and orchestrated great defense to kill the penalty. They rode that momentum into the tail end of the period and kept sustained pressure on the Bowdoin defense. Sophomore forward Andrew Maynard played an excellent cross-ice pass to sophomore defender Jacob Iida, who slapped the puck home to tie the game 2–2. Not to be outdone, with a mere two seconds remaining on the clock, Bowdoin retook the lead on a deflected wrist shot from the right flank of the goal to go up 3–2 heading into the third period. The third period turned into a more defensive affair. Bowdoin had two penalties called against them which resulted in power plays for Tufts, but the Jumbos were unable to capitalize. With a minute remaining, Tufts pulled their goalie and put high pressure on the Bowdoin line of defense. The effort paid off as Sedlak scored off of a pass from firstyear forward Harrison Bazianos to send the game into overtime. “It was a great pass from Harrison Bazianos as he was in behind the goal line, and he put it out in front, [he] made it easy for me,” Sedlak said. The overtime didn’t last very long as Bowdoin’s Nate Clark won the puck off of a faceoff victory in the Bowdoin offensive zone, skating unguarded towards Tufts’ net. He was able to put a shot around Durand to win the game 4–3 for the Polar Bears. Durand made a whopping 45 saves in the effort, keeping the Jumbos competitive for the majority of the game. The Jumbos will finish their season with an overall record of 5–15–2 and a NESCAC record of 5–11–2. With Connecticut College’s loss to Colby on Saturday, Tufts secured the 8th seed and will host Middlebury College in the first round of the NESCAC conference playoffs this Friday. “Any team in this league has a chance [to win] on any single night, and I think that’s important to remember coming into playoffs,” senior captain Justin Brandt said.
KIANA VALLO / THE TUFTS DAILY
tuftsdaily.com
Sports and Society Oliver Fox
Moral bureaucratic bankruptcy
A
s of my writing this column, the Beijing Winter Olympics have just officially concluded, and China is still committing crimes against humanity. The most active listeners of reports of China’s continued human rights abuses will continue to hear only silence, even while the Games are held in Beijing. That’s because that’s exactly what the Chinese government wants you to hear. I have written at length about the impact of the Olympics on international relations, but the failure of the Beijing Games to affect any significant change or even bring about international conversation surrounding Chinese crimes is a blatant sportswashing job by the International Olympic Committee and the Chinese government. Several weeks before the Games, Chinese officials made it abundantly clear to athletes and other involved parties that there would be no tolerance for speech that violated Chinese law. This encompasses essentially anything remotely critical of the government or their continued subjugation and cultural destruction of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. Not one athlete openly criticized the Chinese government while at the Games, something I don’t blame them for whatsoever. The case of Peng Shuai provided an example of what would happen if these rules were violated. However, it’s still important for those outside of the Games to criticize these abuses. From NBC’s bottom-line defending broadcast, held in a stranglehold by Chinese authorities threatening a lack of access, to the Games’ countless corporate sponsors and those that support various teams, no one is free from blame. But allow me to highlight who could have stopped this all from the outset: the IOC. Countries do not simply bid to host the Olympics with no questions asked. The IOC can, and does, intensely audit all potential host nations. There are countless inflection points where the IOC could have rejected Beijing’s bid for the Games over the past seven years. However, the IOC asked their questions, and found nothing wrong enough to change course. The IOC generally hides behind their remit, basically saying they have no ability or responsibility to affect the internal policies of sovereign nations. But the irony in that explanation is as insulting as it is stupid. The World Anti Doping Agency, an IOC-founded body whose non governmental members are composed entirely of IOC representatives, barred Russia, undoubtedly a major global power, from competing in the Olympics going forward due to widespread doping. Even though they could not stop Russia from drugging athletes, they could stop them from competing. It is well within the IOC’s remit to stop China from hosting the Games when their crimes against humanity are obvious to those who don’t conduct a multiyear evaluation of its suitability. Excuses are not what makes the Olympics into more than just a sporting event. When John Carlos and Tommie Smith raised their fists for Black Power at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, they did so knowing that it would cost them and their careers greatly. The IOC’s hands were tied down for years, not by their purview but by cowardice. Oliver Fox is a first-year studying history. Oliver can be reached at oliver.fox@tufts.edu.