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University officials hold forum on campus policing, safety
Center for State Policy Analysis releases report on ranked-choice voting ahead of Mass. ballot question by Coco Arcand
Contributing Writer
ANN MARIE BURKE / THE TUFTS DAILY
The Academic Quad is pictured on Aug. 28. by Alejandra Carrillo Executive News Editor
Senior university officials held a virtual forum yesterday to discuss the work of the campus safety and policing workstream, one of five workstreams created in July to address the dynamics of
policing on campus. The event was moderated by Hope Freeman and welcomed questions from members of the Tufts community. Freeman, who is the director of the LGBT Center, opened the forum by explaining that it was created to gauge students’ insights and
concerns with regard to the role of the Tufts University Police Department ( TUPD). Mike Howard, executive vice president, said that the workstream functions under the university’s broader initiative to become an anti-racist see FORUM, page 2
The Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life’s Center for State Policy Analysis (cSPA) recently released a report outlining the benefits and drawbacks of ranked-choice voting, the topic of a question that will appear on Massachusetts’ November ballot. If adopted, Massachusetts voters will have the option of ranking candidates in order of preference instead of casting a single vote for one candidate. The cSPA, which was created in February, focuses on legislative issues and ballot initiatives in Massachusetts. “We started off with that goal of providing nonpartisan evidence-based research on all [Massachusetts] legislative issues,” Evan Horowitz, executive director of cSPA, said. If the measure is approved, however, ranked-choice voting
will not be applied to presidential elections, according to the report. Under ranked-choice voting, voters are able to rank as many candidates as they wish to support, although they are not required to do so. This system will also require constituents to be more knowledgeable about candidates in order to vote responsibly. “It does require a little more from voters than the current system,” Horowitz said. “It’s especially hard for low information voters.” Ranked-choice voting will also ask more from the state’s election system. There may be instances where more than one round of counting will be necessary before a winner is declared, according to the report. Jesse Clarke, a political science doctoral student at the Massachusetts Institute of see VOTING, page 2
SPORTS
NFL Recaps Week 6: Buccaneers, Titans rise to the occasion, teams across the league capture impressive wins by Ethan Grubelich Contributing Writer
The NFL’s recent struggles with COVID-19 persisted as multiple teams’ practice facilities were temporarily closed due to positive test results leading up to Sunday in a week without Thursday Night Football. The fact that these cases did not force further adjustments to the current league schedule — which have been in place since Week 5 — gave the NFL a much-needed sigh of relief in Week 6. Week 6 marked the continued dominance of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans, signs of life from the Houston Texans and Atlanta Falcons under new head coaches, the arrival of Miami Dolphins rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, the proclamation of Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a Super Bowl LV contender and, most comically, the continued struggles of the Dallas Cowboys, this time at the
hands of a resurgent Arizona Cardinals team. While these results gave us some answers, they also left us with a lot of questions about how teams around the league stack up as the Nov. 3 trade deadline and halfway point of the 2020 NFL season quickly approach. Without further ado, let’s take a quick look at some of the matchups from Week 6. Houston Texans vs. Tennessee Titans Perhaps the most entertaining game of the week was that between the reigning AFC South champion Houston Texans — fresh off their first win of the season in the first game after firing head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien — and their division rivals, the undefeated Tennessee Titans. The Titans jumped out to a 14–0 lead in the first quarter, courtesy of two short touchdown passes by Ryan Tannehill. Deshaun Watson and the Texans climbed back, however, and took their first lead of
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The Washington Football Team is pictured in a game against the New York Giants on Oct. 18. the game (23–21) in the fourth quarter. The Titans regained the lead through a 94-yard touchdown run by Derrick Henry, but Watson’s two passing touchdowns put the Texans back on top. The Titans then sent the game into over-
time with a clutch game-tying drive, capped off with a 7-yard touchdown reception by second-year Titans standout A.J. Brown with four seconds remaining. In overtime, a 5-yard touchdown run by Derrick Henry won the game
OPINION / page 7
WEEKENDER / page 4
FEATURES / page 3
Residential Assistants should not be in charge of enforcing COVID-19 policies
Tufts alumnus, director Niels Mueller comments on new film, career in The Industry
Exclusive interview with Warby Parker co-CEO
for the Titans, 42–36. The Texans offense kept them in the game against a very tough opponent, but their exploitable run defense never stood a chance against Derrick Henry, see NFL, back NEWS
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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Thursday, October 22, 2020
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Administrators work to devise new policing model, redefine role of TUPD students. The workstream Mack said. “You can think of advance with regard to the FORUM
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continued from page 1 institution. The specific duties of the group include evaluating the suitability of Tufts’ current campus safety and policing model and providing recommendations to advance the university’s core values. He noted that the university is considering structural changes to its campus safety capabilities. “[ The workstream is] really looking at the model as it exists now for providing these [policing and safety] services, ensuring that it’s the right suite of services,” Howard said. “And then thinking about what’s the best way to deliver those important services.” Rob Mack, associate provost and chief diversity officer, elaborated on the composition of the workstream. According to Mack, it meets twice a week and is composed of faculty, staff, graduate students and undergraduate
plans to develop recommendations for the university by December and is primarily focused on outreach efforts. “[ The workstream] is deeply invested in many different points of view, and we are at this point in mid-October, spending our time doing community outreach,” Mack said. Sam Sommers, professor and chair of the Department of Psychology, opened the forum to pre-submitted questions from students. He first spoke about concerns raised by Resident Assistants about the presence of armed police officers when Tufts Emergency Medical Services are called to a scene. Mack responded that this issue has been of high priority for members of the workstream, who are considering replacing an authorized police officer with another trained professional. “That’s a model that does exist in other campuses,”
it as a hybrid model where you’re separating resources based on skills and needs, as opposed to our current model, [where] everything [is] being responded to by a sworn officer.” A student participant later asked if the university can commit to ending its participation in counterterrorism training trips in Israel and military trips abroad. Mack said that members of the workstream are reviewing the trainings and will provide recommendations. During the forum, Howard said that the arming of officers is not atypical. He added, however, that the university will continue to discuss this notion. “The norm for urban campuses like ours does tend to be arming … the active shooter type situations … has led to that,” Howard said. “We, as a committee, will be having a discussion about this topic, and seeing what ideas we can
topic of arming.” He also discussed an incident that occurred last month, where TUPD was mistakenly called on three women of color who were putting a mask on the Jumbo statue, as part of an initiative by the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life. “That investigation is well underway,” Howard said. “All data on the event itself … has been completed at this point. We’re waiting for the final findings from the law firm doing the investigation.” Mack explained that university administration is working to update the TUPD website for transparency around data, budgets and information, more broadly. He said the workstream will continue to devise ways of creating or refining a system that is responsive to the communities’ needs. “We are working quickly this semester to reimagine a new model,” Mack said.
Maine used as model to study impact of ranked-choice voting on election system VOTING
continued from page 1 Technology and lead researcher of the report, said cSPA’s goal was to provide specific and accurate information regarding ranked-choice voting. “There’s been a lot of information flooding the zone on ranked-choice voting, and we sought to actually put down what is true and what is not true,” Clarke said. Horowitz echoed Clarke’s sentiments. “The whole point is just to help voters understand the trade-offs involved, what might happen if the ballot initiative passes,” Horowitz said. One significant advantage of ranked-choice voting is that it provides greater assur-
ance that the winner of an election has received a majority of the votes. “Seeing how when there [are] so many candidates in the field, how the person who wins can win by such a small amount, with such a relatively small fraction [of ] support … I think ranked-choice voting would really make it so the candidate who wins actually has to get a majority support in the election,” Amanda Westlake, a sophomore, said. However, the report indicated that ranked-choice voting may weaken voters’ trust, as they will not know which candidate got their vote, after having cast their ballot. Both Clarke and Horowitz alluded to various legal issues
Maine has faced in adopting ranked-choice voting. “Maine has switched over to ranked-choice and they’ve seen a litany of legal fights around it,” Horowitz said. According to a survey cited in the report, Maine saw a reduction in constituents’ level of confidence after voting in a 2018 congressional election, where votes were reallocated several times to reach the final result. A shift to ranked-choice voting will also necessitate a more intricate ballot format that may be confusing to some voters and could lead to mistakes when filling out ballots. “If you are illiterate, or you aren’t a strong reader, it is difficult to fill out ballots anyways. [It changes] from a single column to a 20 by 20 grid, and it gets infinitely more complex,” Clarke
said. “If you are somebody who’s been historically disenfranchised, English [is] not your first language, it may be difficult.” Clarke emphasized that ranked-choice voting, like all systems, has positive and negative features, and that it will not completely change Massachusetts politics. “[Ranked-choice voting] is the same way of voting. And it’s going to give us the same system, it’s just slightly more complicated,” Clarke said. “There are good parts, there are bad parts. There are ugly parts, but it’s really not going to change the system.” Researchers are working to determine how the possible adoption of ranked-choice voting in the state will affect voter turnout and campaign finances.
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Features
3 Thursday, October 22, 2020
2020 vision: Warby Parker co-founder Neil Blumenthal discusses brand’s civic engagement, new store opening by Hannah Harris and Rebecca Barker Managing Editors
Preserving financial accessibility and a people-first mindset is paramount for Neil Blumenthal, a Tufts alumnus who co-founded the high-quality and fashionable eyeglasses company, Warby Parker. Blumenthal graduated from Tufts in 2002 with degrees in international relations and history. Blumenthal is currently occupied with the newest Warby Parker store opening, the company’s role in the COVID-19 pandemic and the upcoming election. Featuring a custom-built bike rack shaped as glasses, the store is now open at The Street Chestnut Hill in Boston. Blumenthal’s interest in civic engagement has shaped Warby Parker as a business: The company recently partnered with Vote 411, a nationwide voter information site launched by the League of Women Voters, as part of an initiative to ensure customers are knowledgeable about their registration status and informed about the upcoming election.
“Civic engagement has always been one of Warby Parker’s social impact pillars, and the biggest part of civic engagement is voting,” Blumenthal said. “[With] the absence of state or national action to make Election Day a holiday … businesses have to step up and help.” Customers can check their registration status through QR codes in Warby Parker stores and find relevant voter information for their state. The company implemented a number of measures for employees as well, including paid time off to vote on Election Day and easily accessible resources about registration and absentee ballot deadlines. It has also encouraged employees to use paid volunteer hours to work as poll workers. Warby Parker has taken on a number of longer-standing civic initiatives as well, such as its “Buy a Pair, Give a Pair” program, which has distributed over seven million pairs of glasses across the globe to those who face financial or accessibility challenges. Blumenthal attributed the growth and success of the company, which was valued at $1.75 billion in 2018, to what
he calls “the basics”: providing fair prices to customers and a fulfilling environment for employees. He compared other high-quality glasses prices to those of Warby Parker. “[We] provide great value to customers, which is good quality at a fair price … $95 prescription glasses instead of $400 glasses,” Blumenthal said. Blumenthal believes these ideals are fundamental to the retention of customers and employees. He noted that on top of offering affordable prices, Warby Parker prioritizes customer service and employee safety, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We ensure social distancing within the stores,” Blumenthal said. “We’re sanitizing frames before and after any customers touch those frames, and we’ve created contactless payment features.” Blumenthal said the company began discussing potential COVID-19 precautions and preparations in late 2019 and was one of the first national retailers in the country to close due to the pandemic. “At the time, we really viewed it as a supply chain risk because we do some of our frame manu-
facturing in Italy and China and Japan,” he said. “Once it started to become more of a health risk for our customers and our employees, we continued to communicate to our team what was going on.” Blumenthal hosted “fireside chats” between his employees and health experts — including an epidemiologist the company hired. Blumenthal hoped these conversations would allow employees to gain a deeper understanding of the virus’ transmission and the needed precautions for employees to protect themselves and others. Blumethal described how his Tufts education shaped Warby Parker’s past and current initiatives and his overall career in business. He attributed his entrepreneurial mindset in part to his Tufts experiences. “When you think about entrepreneurship or business more broadly, it’s really about problem-solving, and I learned a lot of that at Tufts,” he said. Blumenthal also reflected on his experiences with Tufts’ Institute for Global Leadership and the Education for Public Inquiry and International Citizenship program: a year-
long, in-depth course that allows for students to explore critical thinking and effective leadership within a global context. Blumenthal believes successful entrepreneurship is misrepresented in today’s culture. “There’s this myth that most entrepreneurs come up with their business in their dorm room where it’s actually quite the opposite. The majority of entrepreneurs in America are in their 30s or 40s, versus their 20s,” he said. “While I’m obviously a big proponent for entrepreneurship, part of my advice to college students and recent grads would also be, don’t feel like you have to rush into entrepreneurship.” According to Blumenthal, success instead hinges on self-awareness and knowledge of one’s strengths, weaknesses and passions. He described the importance of character in this process. “[Successful people] tend to be givers versus takers,” Blumenthal said. “The type of person whose friend calls them for advice and their friends know that they’re super reliable. They go out of their way to help others succeed.”
4 Thursday, October 22, 2020
WEEKENDER
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Director Niels Mueller discusses new film, time at Tufts, love for cinema
COURTESY CLARK BLOMQUIST
Cooper J. Friedman (left) and Niels Mueller (right) are pictured while filming “Small Town Wisconsin” (2020). by Tuna Margalit Arts Editor
It’s a Saturday night. You and your friend who lives a few doors down mosey on over to Curtis Hall to film a pilot episode for a TV show that the two of you spitballed into existence. Neither of you have any experience directing actors nor filming them. That’s fine. You’re not under too much pressure. After all, you’re working with non-professional Tufts actors who answered an ad you put out for the roles. It may seem inconsequential to you now but, down the road, this fun experiment leads to five careers in Hollywood. A pleasant pipe dream to aspiring film and media studies majors, this is director Niels Mueller’s (LA’83) real origin story. The Daily got the chance to speak to Mueller about everything cinema — from his childhood memories of watching international films in a local theater to his new project, “Small Town Wisconsin” (2020). Recalling his beginnings at Tufts, Mueller spoke fondly. “I didn’t realize how spoiled I was having the tremendous actors that we had at Tufts until I came to [the University
of California, Los Angeles] film school and the actors weren’t as fantastic,” he said. “These were the first actors I actually worked with and I didn’t know how to direct and they were teaching me and Gary [ Winick] when we shot a TV series at TUTV called ‘Tracks Inn.’ It was a hotel along the railroad track … that runs right past campus and we thought, ‘Okay, well that will explain the sound we will hear when trains go rushing by.’ Oliver Platt was behind the desk of the hotel, Hank Azaria played a guest twice … there’s another wonderful actor, [Andrew] Polk, who played the bellhop, and then Kayla Black — another excellent actor at Tufts — played a permanent resident of the hotel but we were all kind of teaching each other, really. I have a very strong [memory] … the first time we shot an episode of the series, Gary and I thought we could do it all with three cameras … we were calling out directions … and it was a disaster, you know. We had never done it. We didn’t rehearse the camera moves, we didn’t know how! So, Gary and I just looked at each other and we just started laughing. We knew we were gonna have to re-do the whole thing but that was how you learn — you fail.”
Since the “Tracks Inn” days, Hank Azaria has gone on to win four Emmys for his work on “The Simpsons” (1989–), Oliver Platt has been nominated for a Golden Globe, a Tony and multiple Emmys, Andrew Polk has appeared in hit shows like “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (2017–) and “House of Cards” (2013–18), Gary Winick directed “Tadpole” (2002) and “13 Going on 30” (2004) and Niels Mueller has directed the Cannes-screened “The Assassination of Richard Nixon” (2004) and “Small Town Wisconsin.” A whole stable of talent, to say the least. “Small Town Wisconsin” recently had its U.S. premiere at the 36th Annual Boston Film Festival. The film follows Wayne Stobierski (David Sullivan), a Wisconsinite and divorced father from a small town, working part-time jobs to care for himself and Tyler (Cooper J. Friedman) — his son he rarely sees. Due to Wayne’s alcoholism and lifestyle, his ex-wife Deidra ( Tanya Fischer) wins full custody of their son. After finding out that Deidra has imminent plans to move to Arizona with her new husband and Tyler, Wayne takes his son into bigcity Milwaukee for one last adventure for Tyler to remember his father.
Layered into the story is a meditation on addiction, desperation and misguided nostalgia — the Cerberus-like foe that haunts America’s Heartland. Discussing these ailments plaguing the Midwest, Mueller said, “There’s this misguided longing for an America that once was … on a couple of levels. One, because you just can’t go back. The past is the past. We’re always evolving and moving forward. But also, I think there’s often this idea that the past was perfect. No, the past was filled with problems, and we’ve moved forward as a society and made, I think, strides on many fronts … But that said, within the context of this film … and the social and economic struggles at the center of this, hopefully, very entertaining piece with a lot of humor and heart… there is an underpinning of desperation. I am asking the question, what exactly is going wrong in America’s Heartland? Why is there a rural addiction crisis? What lies behind that? Things were already starting to come apart in the ‘70s … certainly by the ‘80s. So you’d almost have to harken way back. And again, if you actually do harken back, there are all kinds of other problems that are part of that [past] society. So again, it’s
that yearning for something that, on some level, is completely impossible and that you don’t truly want. We need to move forward.” In terms of the film’s style, “Small Town Wisconsin” shares some similarities to the Italian neorealist films of the 1940s and early 1950s. One scene in particular exudes the essence of this era. As the emotional buildup of the film reaches its peak, we see Wayne, Tyler and their cousin Matt (Braden Andersen) at a professional baseball stadium, making their way to the front of the line. The success of the trip feels like it comes down to how this one father-son experience goes. This turns every moment leading up to the beginning of the game from mundane to dread-inducing. So many things could go wrong and we know that Wayne often can’t stop himself from making crucial mistakes. “[My] film is not … overtly political … but it does have that layer of social commentary to it and that’s what the neorealists did so well. [ They just told] these stories of common people and looking at their everyday lives but you understood the whole see FILM, page 5
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Thursday, October 22, 2020 | WEEKENDER | THE TUFTS DAILY
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Mueller tells of his career in film industry, gives advice for future filmmakers FILM
continued from page 4 situation they were living in within that time period and that country and that context, and I kind of felt like we’ve succeeded at that with ‘Small Town Wisconsin.’” Many of Mueller’s memories of youth revolve around film. “My father would take my older brother and me to go see films at UWM — University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. They put up films from abroad and that was really what started really sucking me into films, watching some of these foreign films that I really didn’t understand but they had me leaning in and [thinking,] ‘wow, this is using film in a very different way’.” One story that still manages to get a laugh out of Mueller features his parents and their differing taste in film. “My parents would go to the movies a lot,” he said. “I remember being at home when they went out to see ‘A Clockwork Orange’ — the Kubrick film — and they came home and my mother was not in a good mood because she had walked out very quickly. It was too violent for her and my father said, ‘Okay, I’ll be right out,’ but he was so engrossed [that] my mother just sat out in the lobby eating popcorn until the film was over. Usually, they enjoyed the films together but that one was too much for my mother.” Stanley Kubrick is one of the three all-time directors that
Mueller said he would want to share a meal with. The other two are Werner Herzog and Yasujirō Ozu. While Mueller was in the process of making his first feature film, “The Assassination of Richard Nixon,” he had the pleasure of meeting Herzog. “[Herzog] had me over to his house,” he said. “He had the same agent that I had right before I was going to shoot ‘The Assassination of Richard Nixon’ and I asked my agent, ‘Would you ask Werner Herzog if he’d read my script? I would love to talk to him and get advice before I shoot.’ It was a tremendous moment for me when my agent called me up and said, ‘Werner read the script, and he is inviting you over for lunch.’ That was tremendous. And he actually came to set; he came while we were filming a sequence that was very involved with squibs [and] gunshots on a jetliner. He was looking at the monitor and that’s a moment I’ll always remember because Sean Penn’s first take was just unbelievable, everything about it. You could see the excitement on Werner Herzog’s face, too, as we finished that first take. It was just so perfect.” Speaking on the experience of directing actors like Sean Penn, Don Cheadle and Naomi Watts in his directorial debut, Mueller remembered the nervous excitement he had. “With ‘The Assassination of Richard Nixon,’ I was really given a Cadillac to drive the first time out. I feel nervous anytime I’m gonna take on a big project. I
hadn’t done it before… and I was going to be working with Sean [Penn] and Don Cheadle, who had far more experience than I did with making films. But that said, I had the great benefit, on ‘The Assassination of Richard Nixon,’ of the financing falling apart for four years straight, after I met Sean. So I had four years to get to know Sean. We’d get together periodically and talk about the film and sometimes [read] scenes out loud. We got comfortable with each other. And I will quickly say as an aside … Sean is a very rare actor in Hollywood … I had financing behind me when I met him, and he said, within the first hour or so of us meeting, ‘I want to make this film with you.’ And he shook my hand, and then the financing fell apart. 9/11 happened, which, as you can imagine…” The film tells the story of a man planning and then attempting to hijack a plane. “Financing became more difficult after 9/11, as did the practicality of shooting at an airport. I called Sean and I asked him if he still wanted to make the film with me. And he said, ‘I shook your hand.’ … ‘I will make this film with you.’ Just very rare.” “On [the] first day of shooting ‘The Assassination of Richard Nixon’ the first shot was Don and Sean walking … and it’s … a tracking shot as they’re walking toward [a] garage. And, you know, one of your jobs as a director is call ‘action’ and ‘cut’. Well, I kept forgetting to call ‘cut’ because I was walking alongside
the cameras. Here’s, you know, Sean Penn and Don Cheadle … saying these words that I’d written with Kevin Kennedy, my writing partner, and it’s just kind of overwhelming … I’m a big fan of both of their work. They’re just such tremendous actors, but then I said, ‘Okay. All right. You’re a part of this process. Remember to call ‘cut.’” Remembering to call “cut” nears the top of the list of best pieces of advice an aspiring director could get. However, the first piece of advice Mueller would give is to take advantage of the many filmmaking resources that are available to everyone in a way that they weren’t back when he was starting out. “[Write] a script. If you’re really passionate about something, it’s going to choose you to do it. [It’s not like,] ‘As much I would like to just go to medical school right now, I really feel like I have to do this’ … Beyond writing a script, which is exactly what I’d do if I wanted to be a writer or director … you guys have technology available to you that I did not have coming out of Tufts. With digital technology, we can make really good-looking films that are technically very high quality. You can do it and do it on a budget, so I also say, ‘Go out and make the films.’ Youth is a plus in this business. If you come out and you’ve got a great script, you’ll get a job … If you have a great script that speaks to a demographic that networks are interested in, you can leapfrog past everybody
with all their experience out here. So think about that but then really go for it.” As for what the future holds, Mueller said his career path is often filled with uncertainty. Still, he embraces this unknown. “What I like about filmmaking is that it’s project-to-project, so it’s not like you’re putting 40, 50 years doing the same thing over and over again. I’m always interested and curious to explore something new. But you have to be prepared for uncertainty, so my future has always been uncertain. But I’m okay with that. Like I mentioned I’m putting together a pitch of a TV show based on a very successful novel. I won’t mention the title. I have hopes for that. I’m writing something of my own, that I hope to make at some point, not in too long.” Mueller concluded by offering a final bit of wisdom: “When I first started writing after film school … I was writing to get to the next scene as opposed to letting the characters start to just live … it’s almost the same thing I said about directing — be ready to throw out all that preparation you’ve done. Because the great thing is … when you can actually start hearing [your characters], they may take you in a different direction than you imagine and then you adjust. To me, [writing is] always a mysterious process. You have to kind of follow your muse or your own instinct on that.”
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THE TUFTS DAILY | Fun & Games | Thursday, October 22, 2020
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Opinion EDITORIAL
Tufts should better enforce residential cohort system
BY JUJU ZWEIFACH Even long before the pandemic, Residential Assistants (RAs) played an integral role in facilitating community and promoting safety within residential halls. These responsibilities increased this semester, as RAs have had to adapt to being some of the primary enforcers of the residential cohort system. A lack of guidance from the university has led to increased stress among RAs. As we approach the second half of the semester and upcoming winter months, Tufts must better support its RAs and enforce the residential cohort system in order to foster community within dorms and protect the health of its students. The residential cohort system, one of the many systems instituted by Tufts to curb the spread of COVID-19, was intended to provide students with the opportunity for more personal, social contact with peers. Within cohorts, which typically consist of six to 12 people, students can relax social distancing guidelines as long as they are still wearing masks. In the Fall 2020 Campus Guide, Tufts acknowledged the risk that these cohorts might pose given the breach of social distancing requirements. Thus far, Tufts’ preventionary measures have been successful in preventing outbreaks on campus; however, the approaching cold and flu season and isolating winter warrant the university’s more strictly enforcing residential cohorts.
Despite the importance of this system, some RAs have felt that they were left in the dark about their responsibilities in enforcing cohort system rules. At the beginning of the semester, RAs experienced confusion surrounding cohort assignments, as well as frustration in response to a lack of guidance from the university. Mina Shokoufandeh, a sophomore RA in Haskell Hall, expressed that while Tufts extensively trained RAs going into the semester, there is still a lot of pressure on RAs. “RAs cannot serve as police of COVID policy and, personally, I often feel like this is the case,” Shokoufandeh wrote in an electronic message to the Daily. “I do not want to be feared as an RA and I sometimes feel like that is what’s happening.” Due to inadequate communication about the cohort system from the university, some students living in residential halls were unaware of who was in their cohort when they arrived on campus. First-year student Ami Sao spoke to the general feeling of unease among the first-year community, stating that she felt the cohort system had not allowed her to create the community that she had hoped for. “I didn’t know who my cohort was for a while and … cohorts didn’t [really] play a huge role in who I talked to because of that,” Sao said. Although residential cohorts were created in part to foster a sense of commu-
nity and connection among students, insufficient enforcement of cohort systems has caused the opposite effect for some. Furthermore, this confusion and lack of transparency surrounding cohorts could lead to the relaxing of social distancing requirements and intermingling of cohorts, making contract tracing more difficult and endangering more students on campus. In this time of uncertainty, it is particularly important to have a strong support system in students’ places of residence, especially for first-year and transfer students. In the spring and beyond, Tufts must do a better job supporting RAs and fostering community within residential halls by increasing transparency regarding the cohort system. Before the start of next semester, the university must clearly communicate cohort lists to both residents and RAs. Additionally, the Office of Residential Life and Learning should offer more resources and support to RAs in the process of training and adapting to cohorts. This could include hiring additional university employees who are responsible for enforcing cohort systems and social distancing within dorms. Residential cohorts are integral to the success of Tufts’ on-campus operations and the creation of a sociable yet safe campus environment. By prioritizing these systems, Tufts can support both the mental and physical health of residents and RAs, this semester and beyond.
7 Thursday, October 22, 2020
Jack Clohisy The Weekly Rewind
The dangers of childhood stardom
Justin Bieber recently released his newest single “Lonely,” which centers on the criticism and solitude he faced during his childhood rise to fame. In the song he croons, “Maybe when I’m older, it’ll all calm down / But it’s killin’ me now.” Bieber’s debut single “One Time” was released in 2009 when he was only 15 years old. Afterwards, his fame grew exponentially; his first studio album “My World 2.0” (2010) topped the U.S. charts and established his name in early 2010s pop canon. An individual of such success must have it all together, right? Not always. This type of pressure is what leads child stars to an adolescence full of pressure and scrutiny. Take Miley Cyrus. Many Gen Z babies remember Cyrus’ internet-breaking single “We Can’t Stop,” released in 2013. Just two years after watching a young, innocent Hannah Montana on Disney Channel, fans were shocked to see such a drastic change to Cyrus’ public image. Many criticized Cyrus for this ‘new version’ of herself. Later on in 2013, The Guardian wrote, “the Wrecking Ball video doesn’t demonstrate a woman exploring her sexuality, it depicts a woman exploring the iconography of porn.” This criticism is frustrating, to say the least. For decades, women — including female child stars — have been taught to be intriguing but not promiscuous, warm but not sexual. When Cyrus experimented with her image, she was criticized for not fitting the mold TV producers had previously forced her into as a child actor. Bieber experienced his own fair share of backlash. His 2014 DUI arrest was just one example of the many times he has faced widespread shaming for his actions. He laments on “Lonely,” “And maybe that’s the price you pay / For the money and fame at an early age.” Feeling that “no one gave a shit” about his mental state, Bieber experienced a sense of isolation that no one would have expected from a chart-topping celebrity. Any adolescent struggles with understanding the consequences of their actions and discovering their identity, so for child stars to have their development constantly publicized is especially damaging. Bieber cuts, “They criticized the things I did as an idiot kid.” Cyrus and Bieber did not deserve the negativity spewed at them during these formative periods of their lives. To expect a teenager to completely apprehend the world around them is unrealistic and dangerous, and can take a toll on their mental health. As seen with celebrities like Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Bynes and Bella Thorne, one’s on-screen personality does not necessarily correlate with their true identity. Child stars emerge with enormous pressure to fit societal expectations. In reality, anyone who has experienced the tumult of adolescence knows that it is unfair and unreasonable to write someone off for mistakes they made as a teenager. Growth and experience should be celebrated, as child stars have to eventually break from the societal standards imposed on them to embrace their true identities. Jack Clohisy is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. Jack can be reached at jack.clohisy@tufts.edu.
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8 Thursday, October 22, 2020
Aiden Herrod The Turf Monster
Outside-thebox NFL awards picks
T
he NFL is a team sport first, but the awards at the end of the season are where individual accomplishments are highlighted for the best and brightest players of the league. We’re almost halfway through the season at this point (wow), and I wanted to use some outside-the-box awards picks as a way to shine a spotlight on some of the most exciting or under-appreciated players in this bizarre NFL season. Comeback player of the year: Alex Smith I’m putting this first because there is essentially zero chance anyone but Smith could take this award home. I cannot do justice to his miracle comeback from a gruesome leg injury about two
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years ago, but I highly recommend you look up his story and appreciate just how incredible and inspiring his return to the NFL field has been. Defensive rookie of the year: Antoine Winfield Jr. The rookie safety is playing lights-out football right now. It’s hard to quantify the effectiveness of a safety through stats, but it’s worth noting that he’s stuffed the stat sheet with an impressive 24 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble for good measure. He’s been flying up and down the field, making the Bucs defense a unit to fear. Just look at how Aaron Rodgers performed in Week 6, throwing his third-ever (in his entire career!) pick six and putting up a measly 10 points for the Packers. In a year where the most highly touted defensive rookie Chase Young has been missing in action due to injury, few players have been able to distinguish themselves from the pack. Winfield Jr. has a prime opportunity to become a household name by playing on a much-improved defense.
Offensive rookie of the year: Justin Herbert Justin Herbert was scrutinized ahead of the 2020 NFL draft for being inconsistent at Oregon. That didn’t stop the Los Angeles Chargers from making him the sixth overall pick, and so far the move has paid off in spades. Herbert looks like a bonafide star. Sure, he makes mistakes, but he’s ultimately made up for them with a stunning deep ball and gunslinging mentality that is simply a thing of beauty in the modern NFL game. The Chargers have been in every game this season with Herbert under center, and are ultimately a few missed kicks and miscues away from a winning record. Herbert will have to keep up the good work to leapfrog top overall pick Joe Burrow, but he looks like the real deal so far. Defensive player of the year: TJ Watt Arguably the best player on the best defense, Watt looks ready to step into his brother JJ’s shoes. With 4.5 sacks and an interception, Watt has been a menace to opposing quarterbacks all year. Just ask Baker
Mayfield, who was smacked into his worst game of the season in Week 6. This Steelers defense is for real, and with the loss of linebacker Devin Bush, Watt is going to need to take on an even larger role to put the Steelers in the playoffs. Offensive player of the year: Derrick Henry King Henry is ready to be crowned. He is must-watch TV right now, giving Tennessee a one-man wrecking crew at running back. The 247-pound Titan ripping off a 94-yard touchdown run this past Sunday was a feat of herculean strength. Henry is an easy bet to lead the league in rushing yards in a year defined by injuries to multiple star running backs, and his impact on the Tennessee offense will only become greater as we head into the colder winter months. Coach of the year: Kevin Stefanski Whoever puts the Browns in the playoffs should get this award on the spot. Stefanski has made the most of the Browns talented personnel, converting the team into a run-first unit that gashes opposing defenses with the likes
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of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt at running back. He’s been able to take the ball out of Baker Mayfield’s hands to minimize offensive miscues, and the defense has been opportunistic with Myles Garrett leading the charge. MVP: Kyler Murray Murray is having a season akin to Lamar Jackson in 2019. He’s running all over the competition and playing efficient and accurate at the quarterback position for a resurgent Arizona offense. He’s stuffing the stat sheets enough to be tied with Patrick Mahomes for the No.1 quarterback in fantasy football. Additionally, he could put the Cardinals, who boast little talent beyond a strong receiving group, in the playoffs. Murray is indispensable for making this offense tick, and he follows the pattern of the second-year breakout in Jackson and Mahomes of years past taking home the MVP hardware. Aiden is a junior studying film and media studies and entrepreneurial leadership. Aiden can be reached at aiden.herrod@tufts.edu
After firing their head coaches, Falcons and Texans find wins NFL
continued from page 1 who ran for 212 yards and two touchdowns. This culminated in a historic performance by the juggernaut Titans offense, who became the first in NFL history to have both a 350+ yard passer and a 200+ yard rusher in the same game. Denver Broncos vs. New England Patriots Staying in the AFC, we turn to one of the less entertaining, but still important, matchups of Week 6. The player of the game was certainly Broncos kicker Brandon McManus, who went a perfect six-forsix on field goals, including two successful attempts from 50+ yards. No turnovers by the Broncos offense through the first three quarters of the game kept the ball out of the hands of Cam Newton and the Patriots offense and allowed the Broncos to control the game. A steady performance by second-year quarterback Drew Lock turned sour in the closing stages, as two interceptions on consecutive drives gave the Patriots offense a shot at scoring a potential game-winning touchdown. However, they could not capitalize, and a turnover on downs sealed the big Broncos win in Foxborough by a final score of 18–12. This marks only the second Patriots loss in 38 games against first and
second-year quarterbacks at home in the regular season since 2001. The Patriots drop to a record of 2–3, which puts them 1.5 games back in the AFC East and under .500 in October or later for the first time since 2002, which is certainly a testament to the organization’s unparalleled success under Bill Belichick, but casts doubt on their playoff hopes in Cam’s first season with the team. Green Bay Packers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Over in the NFC, the conference’s power dynamics were turned on its head as Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosted Aaron Rodgers and the undefeated Green Bay Packers. Star running back Aaron Jones found the end zone as the Packers jumped out to a 10–0 lead in the first quarter, but it was simply all Bucs from there. Aaron Rodgers, who was having a stellar season thus far, began the Bucs scoring with a pick six to cornerback Jamel Dean in the second quarter. To cap off a four-touchdown second quarter for Tampa Bay, Brady linked up with tight end Rob Gronkowski for their first touchdown partnership as members of the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay did not allow Green Bay to score for the remainder of the game and won by a score of 38–10. Green Bay’s dominance to start the season
came to an abrupt halt against a Bucs team that had a lot to prove against a serious Super Bowl contender in the wake of a brutal loss to the Chicago Bears last week that ended with Brady uncharacteristically forgetting the number of downs and turning the ball over as a result. Maybe Brady really does play his best when he’s doubted most. Arizona Cardinals vs. Dallas Cowboys Monday Night Football brought us another inter-divisional NFC showdown as the Arizona Cardinals traveled to Dallas to take on the Cowboys, now led by Andy Dalton, who after nine years with the Cincinnati Bengals took over for star quarterback Dak Prescott, who went down with a season-ending ankle injury in Week 5. The Cowboys defense, which entered the game as one of the worst in the league, held its own in a scoreless first quarter, but was left vulnerable in the second quarter, as fumbles on two consecutive drives by Cowboys former All-Pro running back Ezekiel Elliott were exploited for the first two Cardinals touchdown drives of the game. Andy Dalton’s offense floundered while the Cowboys defense failed to close the floodgates. The final insult to injury was a nice 69-yard touchdown run by Kenyan Drake, who had per-
formed below expectations up to this point in the season, but had no problem carving up the Cowboys defense for 164 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The Cardinals ended up defeating the Cowboys 38–10, the same embarrassing four-touchdown margin by which the Buccaneers defeated the Packers the day before. Astoundingly, the NFC East is so weak that despite the loss and 2–4 record, the Dallas Cowboys still sit atop their division and are in line to host a playoff game. The Cardinals improve to 4–2 and sit 2nd in the NFC West, which on the other hand is likely the strongest division in football. Quick hits Baker Mayfield proved no match for elite defenses once again as the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Cleveland Browns, 38–7. In a season full of stunning comebacks, the Cincinnati Bengals’ early 21–0 lead evaporated as the Indianapolis Colts defeated them, 31–27. Rookie running back D’Andre Swift had his first career game of 100+ rushing yards to go along with two touchdowns as the Detroit Lions defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars, 34–16. The New York Giants picked up their first win of the season after a failed two-point conversion attempt by the Washington Football Team
with 36 seconds remaining for a final score of 20–19. Two touchdowns in the final four minutes by the Philadelphia Eagles weren’t enough and a failed two-point conversion attempt sealed the victory for the Baltimore Ravens, 30–28. All-Pro wide receiver Julio Jones made a strong return from injury as the Atlanta Falcons, in their first game after firing head coach Dan Quinn, picked up their first win of the season over the struggling Minnesota Vikings, 40–23. Nick Foles and the Chicago Bears never looked back as they took lead of the NFC North by defeating the Carolina Panthers, 23–16. The New York Jets are now the only team remaining without a win and highly-touted rookie Tua Tagovailoa — now named the Week 7 starter — made his first NFL appearance in the closing stages of an easy route for the Miami Dolphins, 24–0. Jared Goff ’s struggles on the road throughout his career continued as the Los Angeles Rams dropped the divisional matchup with the San Francisco 49ers, 24–16. The current AFC Eastleading Buffalo Bills struggled to compete with the AFC heavyweights for a second week in a row, this time losing at home to the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, 26–17.