The Tufts Daily - October 5, 2021

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T HE T UFTS DAILY

VOLUME LXXXI, ISSUE 14

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS.

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Tuesday, October 5, 2021

Tufts Hong Kong Student Association considers restructuring amid concerns of exclusivity

by Flora Meng News Editor

The Tufts Hong Kong Student Association is actively considering restructuring its application process to be more inclusive and accessible to everyone in the Tufts community. According to HKSA President Josh Chung, the current application process takes into account applicants’ cultural background and connection to Hong Kong, which he acknowledges as outdated.

Sophomore Samantha Chan explained that she was initially contacted by HKSA prior to arriving at Tufts and attended a meet-up in Hong Kong, where she was encouraged to apply for the club. However, after applying to HKSA this past semester, Chan was among many others who were not accepted into the organization.

“I can’t exactly say for the club themselves because I’m not exactly sure what criteria they have in looking through the applications, but knowing some people who did apply at the

COURTESY JOSHUA CHUNG

Members of the Hong Kong Student Association are pictured on Sept. 28. same time as I did and didn’t get in as well, I can say that it’s quite competitive,” Chan said.

Chan discussed why she thinks opening HKSA to more members is beneficial.

“I have nothing against the application process or HKSA themselves, but I do think that it should be open to everyone,” Chan said. “I feel like not only

should it be just people that are from Hong Kong, it’s also a chance for other people to get to know about the culture and people from Hong Kong as well. So, I think it should be open.”

Despite the application-based nature of the club, Chung explained that HKSA aims to reach students all around campus and described how HKSA’s

Clingan, Mbah drop threats, Tufts lodging permits pass

by Yiyun Tom Guan News Editor

structure and application process differ from other groups. “[In some culture clubs], students … go through the application process for [an] E-Board [position], while other people are just general members who don’t really participate much in the general week-to-week planning of the club,” Chung, a junior, said. “However, HKSA members

are people who plan the club [events] … and then people who go to the events … they’re from the wider Tufts community.”

Chung also explained that HKSA is currently discussing how to update its structure and application process, noting that many club members consider the current application process to be outdated and unfair. According to Chung, many club members are open to the idea of restructuring the club to create an executive board and a general membership base.

“Some of them suggested a revamp of the application process, someone suggested to open the club [to all students] … as well as some compromise where [the club is] open … but you have to attend a certain amount of events,” Chung explained. “A lot of us suggested to structure our club like other culture clubs where … [there would be an] E-Board and then they would be having weekly meetings while the general club would be on the see HKSA, page 2

Diane Hessan talks the American electorate, political polarization

by Amelia Colafati

Despite threats from city councilors, the lodging license renewal for 31 Tufts University properties in Somerville passed Somerville City Council’s Licenses and Permits Committee unanimously.

The normally mundane annual license renewal gained attention when Ward 4 City Councilor Jesse Clingan and City Councilor-at-Large Will Mbah, who is also running for mayor, said during a Sept. 9 City Council meeting that they would oppose the permit renewals unless Tufts paid all of its dining workers summer wages.

However, Clingan and Mbah later dropped their threats during the Sept. 22 meeting of the city council’s three-member Licenses and Permits Committee. Clingan does not sit on the committee.

The three members of the committee, which includes Mbah, then voted unanimously to renew the permits, which will now go to a full vote of the city council to be approved.

Contributing Writer

MICHELLE LI / THE TUFTS DAILY

Dewick-MacPhie Dining Center, one of the dining locations on the Medford campus, is pictured.

Before the committee voted, Rocco DiRico, executive director of government and community relations at Tufts, argued that city councilors did not have the jurisdiction to vote “no” on this issue other than for inspectional and operational reasons, and that if the lodging permits do not pass, many Tufts students living on campus would be forced to live off campus.

At the Sept. 9 council meeting, Clingan expressed that Tufts does not do enough to support its dining workers.

“Tufts President Tony Monaco gets paid for three months of work $273,847, a Tufts Dining worker gets paid for three months of work $9,594,” Clingan said at the Sept. 9 meeting. “I can’t support an institution that doesn’t support its workers who were there for them through the pandemic when [the workers] would have to individually wrap every meal and deliver them to students. They went above and beyond and then they were treated like this.” see PERMITS, page 2

Diane Hessan (J’76), entrepreneur, researcher and author of “Our Common Ground” spoke over Zoom on Sept. 28 to the Tufts community about her work researching the true face of the American electorate. Sol Gittleman, the Alice and Nathan Gantcher university professor emeritus and Brighter World Campaign co-chair, led the discussion.

“Something about the condition of this nation got to her a few years ago and led her in a somewhat different direction,” Gittleman said. “[She acknowledged] the nastiness of what was turning into political campaigns four, five years ago and decided that she wanted to do something about it.”

That led her to recruit 500 voters of varying demographics from across the nation, meeting with them once a week for four years to get to know them and to understand their interpretation of politics. She sent them everything from video clips to surveys,

FEATURES / page 3

ARTS / page 4

SPORTS / back

A closer look into Tufts’ rare books

Sex Education is back in session

Men’s soccer: one weekend, two shutouts

VIA AMAZON

The cover of Diane Hessan’s book “Our Common Ground: Insights from Four Years of Listening to American Voters” is pictured. asking them to respond honestly and compiling the responses in “Our Common Ground,” as well as in a column in The Boston Globe entitled “Understanding the undecided voters.”

One of Gittleman’s first questions related to the name of Hessan’s book. He asked if she ended up finding any common ground among voters. see POLITICS, page 2 NEWS

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FEATURES

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ARTS & POP CULTURE

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FUN & GAMES

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OPINION

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SPORTS

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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Tuesday, October 5, 2021

THE TUFTS DAILY Madeleine Aitken Editor in Chief

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HKSA to reconsider member restrictions HKSA

continued from page 1 e-list, and then they would get emails whenever there’s Tuftswide or HKSA-wide events.”

Unlike HKSA, the Chinese Students Association is a culture club whose membership is open to all Tufts students.

Alex Shi Yang, a social chair of CSA, explained the rationale behind the open membership policy.

“I don’t think it matters who you are really, if you’re interested you can just join because … we’re just hanging out, sometimes we’re doing things related to Chinese culture, sometimes we’re not,” Yang, a junior, said. “Our club is all about facilitating people to meet each other.”

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Yang explained that CSA offers a casual environment for students connected to or interested in Chinese culture to engage with one another.

“Something we promote heavily for CSA is that it’s not a big commitment as a club,” Yang said. “There are no requirements like [a] minimum amount of meetings.”

In contrast, Chung emphasized the importance of commitment for HKSA members.

“From what I’ve heard after talking to [past members] …

HKSA tried to be a fully open club and have everybody participate in planning events … and it didn’t go extremely well, because it was too many cooks in the kitchen, and they reverted back to being application based,” Chung said.

Tufts Community Union Diversity Officer Jaden Pena discussed the uniqueness of the structure of culture clubs at Tufts.

“I don’t think culture clubs necessarily need to be on the same page [as each other] because I believe different cultures and different culture clubs should have different goals and should have different conversations,” Pena said.

Aadhya Shivakumar, president of Tufts’ application-based International Club, explained that, similar to HKSA, I-Club members must apply to join but the club’s events are open to all Tufts students.

“I-Club’s open to everyone regardless of their nationality,” Shivakumar, a senior, explained.

“They don’t have to be interna-

tional, but one criteria we look for is that connection and willingness to serve the international community.”

Since all I-Club members are responsible for planning and organizing events, Shivakumar described I-Club membership as an executive board-like position.

Chung expressed that the conversations among HKSA club members in regards to reshaping the club’s organization have been productive.

“I feel like the entire club is very, very willing to change,” Chung said. “There isn’t a debate going on within the club; it’s just genuinely members who have ideas and are voicing their opinions within the club, and I think that’s actually very healthy.”

City of Somerville approves 31 university lodging permits PERMITS

continued from page 1 Mbah, who is casting himself as the most progressive option in this year’s mayoral contest, seconded Clingan’s comments and said on Sept. 9 that he would not support the renewals.

Over 130 dining workers ineligible for summer work at Tufts were denied unemployment benefits claims by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

However, Patrick Collins, executive director of media relations, said in July that only 70 employees had filed for unemployment claims at some point.

Dining workers noted that their claims were successful during summer 2020 and argued that as their contracts do not specify whether they are yearlong or academic year, they were, in effect, laid off by Tufts during the summer, which legitimized their unemployment claims this year.

DiRico suggested on Sept.

9 that dining workers’ claims were unsuccessful not because Tufts violated its contract with the workers, but because the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance did not extend a relaxation of unemployment criteria that was instated during the previous summer due to the COVID19 pandemic.

The Somerville City Council has vocally supported Tufts Dining workers in their disputes with the university ever since it unanimously endorsed their unionization campaign in 2018.

Clingan was among those who demonstrated on campus this July in support of the workers’ summer pay demands.

Other elected officials and candidates present included Katjana Ballantyne, Ward 7 city councilor and Somerville mayoral candidate; Mary Cassesso, Somerville mayoral candidate; and Judy Pineda Neufeld, candidate for

Somerville City Council Ward 7.

Though Somerville residents and Mayor Joe Curtatone have floated threats to become firmer with Tufts over issues like payment in lieu of taxes, Clingan and Mbah’s threats over the permits last month represented the closest the city has come to putting those words into action.

Tufts is required to obtain housing permits from its host communities every year under state law. In Somerville, a lodging house is defined as “a house operated for profit, where rooms are let to four or more unrelated persons, including fraternity houses and school dormitories.”

When asked about the consequences for Tufts should the lodging permits not be granted, DiRico conceded that Tufts would not be able to house many of its students on campus.

“We have 4,000 students on campus, and, without lodging licenses, they would have to find housing elsewhere,” DiRico said.

Council President Matt McLaughlin subsequently referred this dispute to the Licenses and Permits Committee.

Three City Council members of the Licenses and Permits Committee — White, Mbah and Scott — were all present at the Sept. 22 meeting.

Clingan, though he is not a member of the committee, announced before the vote that he would like to see Tufts compensate its workers for their losses over the summer.

“I spoke to all the interested parties, and I am fine with these [renewals] moving forward, although I just want to say that I think that Tufts handled this entire situation really poorly,” Clingan said. “I’d like to urge Tufts to sit down with those workers and with the union representatives to work something out.”

Alexander Thompson contributed to the reporting of this article.

Hessan discusses political polarization in national politics POLITICS

daily@tuftsdaily.com

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continued from page 1 “When it comes to policy, there is generally much, much more common ground than you would think in the U.S.,” Hessan said.

“Let me be clear on what I mean by common ground, because it’s not universal agreement, it’s not a bunch of Americans sitting in a circle and singing kumbaya …

[Common ground means] you can basically get 80% [of the country] to compromise on a particular solution.”

She said that politicians aren’t incentivized to make compromises even when agreement can be found.

“The act of resolving the issue takes away talking points for politicians, so we perceive that we agree upon nothing,” Hessan said. “We have perceptions of the other side that are really inaccurate.”

Hessan also discussed how education factors into polarization and voting habits. She said that while many people think that Democrats are smarter because more educated people tend to vote

for Democrats, she believes that the statement involves a definition of education that is too narrow.

Multicultural exposures contribute to a broadening of perspective that can shape Democrats’ beliefs.

“Education is a huge factor but not for the reasons we think,” she said. “College is about so much more than just the intellectual knowledge that you get.”

Gittleman then asked about Hessan’s outlook on the future given her research.

“I tried to write a book of hope,” she said. “If there is all of this common ground, it seems to me if we change the nature of the conversation that we have in our country, we have a fighting chance at a minimum to just bring the heat down and get us out of the paralysis we are in.”

The conversation then shifted to how the perception of candidates can impact voters’ choices.

Gittleman said the most recent presidential election saw many voters who were disillusioned with both options on the ballot and asked what advice Hessan would give to politicians in either party.

“Seventy-eight percent of American full-time workers say they live paycheck to paycheck,” she said. “Seventy-one percent are in debt … Our citizens are burnt out … [Voters] are still rejecting any signs of elitism in their candidates because what it signifies is that we don’t understand [their issues].”

The conversation then shifted to audience questions. Hessan said that while she doesn’t have one simple answer to resolve some of the issues inherent to politics in the United States, she thinks that a change to the two-party system could prove beneficial.

“There’s never been a time in our country that’s riper for a third party,” she said. “And I understand that the funds and infrastructure you need to have a third party are outrageous and make that very, very difficult to happen, but there is division within the Democratic party … and division among Republicans about where their party ought to go.”

She said as people learned about her research, they often asked whether she talked to a lot of people who initially voted for former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and then voted for former President Donald Trump, or who initially voted for Trump and then voted for President Joe Biden. She said she found that the biggest shift was for voters to become less partisan in general.

“For the most part, the biggest movement I saw was a move of Democratic voters to become independents, and Republican voters to become independents,” Hessan said. “I really see a lot of the country becoming more moderate.”

With so much on the line in regards to issues like climate change, infrastructure, racism and immigration, Hessan said she remains optimistic that American politics can change.

“As a country, we have enormous problems,” she said. “The anger and the blaming has so distracted us, and Washington is paralyzed. We have to do better, and I believe that we can.”

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Features

Q&A: Christopher Barbour, Tisch Library’s curator of rare books, on making the past accessible

COURTESY CHRISTOPHER BARBOUR

Christopher Barbour, curator of rare books & humanities collections librarian, is pictured assisting Sylvie Merian, a scholar and fellow librarian from the Morgan Library, in her study of one of Tisch Library’s manuscripts.

by Chris Duncan Staff Writer

Christopher Barbour is the curator of rare books at Tisch Library. During his years at Tufts University, he has preserved and considerably expanded the university’s collection of rare books, allowing it a level of care and attention not previously received. Barbour said his work has changed the way that he thinks about the history of books and writing, but more than anything, it has been a tool to connect with others from the past and present.

Tufts Daily (TD): What is your professional background? How did you get to where you are today?

Christopher Barbour (CB): It’s not a straight line. When I was an undergraduate studying medieval and early modern history, I wasn’t thinking about becoming a librarian, and when I went to library school a couple years later, I wasn’t thinking about becoming a special collections librarian. But in the course of time … I found myself working at Brandeis University in the library there, and there was opportunity for, a need for, extra hands [to work] with the rare books collection, and that’s where I got my feet wet with rare books, and also where I got an excellent introduction to preservation of rare materials from the preservation officer there, Leslie Reicher, who was superb in her job. And those experiences and skills I brought to Tufts after 10 years.

TD: What were your first experiences with rare books like? What kinds of texts did you work with?

CB: My first experience was helping to mount an exhibit of the university’s Baldwin collection of Shakespeariana, and in addition to having this library of [Scholar Thomas Whitfield Baldwin’s] books, Brandeis also held the first Folio of Shakespeare and several of the Quartos.

And I remember working late one evening typing up exhibit labels at a time when we didn’t have word processors, nervously making mistakes … It was a long evening.

But the exhibit was very satisfying to work with. I was working with the head of special collections, who was also the Judaica librarian, and taught in the doctoral program in near eastern Judaic Studies.

So he had two full-time jobs, and … that’s why extra hands were needed. Later, some cataloguing projects were undertaken there, particularly in the McKewParr collection, which was focused on the era of Europe’s discovery of the rest of the Western Hemisphere. So, gradually I began to wake up to this kind of material, and to learn about it, and … [When I came to Tufts], there was a rare books collection here that had not had the attention of a rare books librarian at any time in the past, so it was a wonderful opportunity.

TD: What sort of work do you do here at Tufts?

CB: The collection really started to come together in 1953 when an alumnus of the class of ‘28, Walter F. Welch Jr., began donating rare books … with the intention of providing Tufts students with examples of the history of writing through the development of print, and even up to then-current day with examples of 20th century fine-press books … He wanted to share his love for the history of writing

and the history of books with current Tufts students. And between 1953 and the late 1960s, he … built a collection of medieval manuscripts, early printed books, books about the history of the book … writing, calligraphy and many other items. In 1965 when the Wessell Library opened, a special collections department was built which occupied half of present Level 3 in Tisch Library. There were other collections … [including] a [Universalist] book collection. Universalists were founders and backers of Tufts and there was a school of theology here, the Crane School of Theology, for a long time. Hosea Ballou’s collection may have been part of what was here at that time, and there were university archives — you know, the records of the university. From 1965 to the time I came here, the sole staff position responsible for the special collection was the university archivist. University Archives is a fulltime job … So the rare books collection didn’t really get very much attention. It starts in the Eaton Library. Walter Welch’s gifts were there, occasionally displayed, but never really accessible. They [came] to Wessell, [but] many items, especially items in Latin, were never catalogued.

There was a lot of work to do once we got our hands on it.

I think there’s a human desire for everything to be perfect right now, but the evolution and the stories make life more interesting. I was very lucky to begin working with this collection, and I was very lucky to have professors who were enthusiastic to work with me, and over time we started small with one or two items in a class see BARBOUR, page 4

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Kevin Zhang Tales from the T

MBTA-0001

T

he T, greater Boston’s transit system, is one of the quickest, cheapest ways to get around the city — but it can certainly be confusing for first-time riders. Maybe you’re from the suburbs and are too used to driving everywhere. Or maybe you’re from outside the U.S. and are too used to trains that actually run logically. In any case, here’s a brief, by no means comprehensive, guide on how to use the T. First, there’s the issue of getting on.

The most convenient way to pay your fare is with a refillable CharlieCard, which you can get for free from red-shirted T agents at Park Street (and many other downtown stations). Simply load your CharlieCard at a ticket machine, then tap it on the turnstile and go! If you don’t have a CharlieCard yet, you can buy a paper CharlieTicket at the ticket machine, or, if you’re taking the bus, pay with exact change. Subway fare is $2.40 and bus fare is $1.70. If you transfer between a bus and subway (or vice versa) within two hours of first getting on, however, you only need to pay $2.40 (and if between bus and bus, only $1.70).

Now we need to understand the T map. The T has 4 subway lines — the Red, Orange, Green and Blue lines — that meet at a quartet of transfer stations in downtown Boston: Park Street, Downtown Crossing, Government Center and State. Stations indicate directions based on these four stations: “Inbound” means towards downtown and these stations, while “Outbound” means away from downtown. Train directions are indicated by the train’s last stop, as some lines split into branches. One application of this: to go from Davis to downtown via the Red Line, take the Ashmont- or Braintree-bound train inbound; to get back, take the Alewife-bound train outbound. Another application: the Green Line notoriously has multiple outbound branches (B, C, D and E); make sure you check the train’s last stop on its signs so you get on the right train and branch!

The MBTA, Boston’s transit agency, operates several other lines alongside the T. There’s the aforementioned buses, whose routes connect to most communities not on the subway. There’s the Silver Line, whose SL1 branch connects South Station to Logan airport (like the Green Line, check the last stop!). And there’s the Commuter Rail, pricier but great for longer-distance travel as far out as Providence, Worcester and Rockport.

There’s plenty of apps, like Google Maps or Citymapper, that can help plan your journeys across all these lines for you, while also providing arrival times and other useful information (Not sponsored, although if Google’s marketing team wants to help me pay for groceries, my inbox is open).

Lastly, some general tips. The subway stops running at around 1 a.m.: Be prepared. Plan your trips in advance, especially on weekends when construction occurs. When boarding, move inside the train, away from the doors. Keep your CharlieCard filled. Be considerate of others, and enjoy your ride!

Kevin Zhang is a junior studying civil engineering. Kevin can be reached at kevin.zhang7@tufts.edu.

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THE TUFTS DAILY | Features | Tuesday, October 5, 2021

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Courses adapt to incorporate special collections into curricula BARBOUR

continued from page 3 [or] one class visit. We evolved, [and] more professors came on board in different disciplines. We organized more of the collection, catalogued more of the collection and we began to expand the collection to build on Walter Welch’s work. And we’ve reached a point now where classes can be taught focused on the collection in the library every week. I want to cite especially three professors that any story about special collections should mention: Karen Overbey, Cristelle Baskins … and Alicia Rankin, who teaches history of the book and history of medicine. These were three key figures who helped me build the collection, and brought their classes, brought their students.

And once the students get hold of rare books, they take off, because oftentimes they excite their imaginations. The books — they will change their way of thinking by showing us how people different from us think, work, live, what they fought over, what they believed in. This is very inspiring, and I’ve seen this time and again

with students — once they latch onto something, it can change the course of their education …

A major figure in the rare books field, Michael Suarez, who is the director of the Rare Books School … once told me, “Your job at Tufts is to create wonder.”…

And professors also have been working with this collection, and some have changed the way they teach. So it’s been a remarkable experience here, and it’s thriving.

TD: What would you say to students if they felt intimidated by rare book collections?

CB: I can remember being 18 years old and walking into an antiquarian book shop for the first time and I had exactly that reaction. I grew up with books, but not books like these … my first reaction was, “This is interesting, but this is interesting to other people. I’m happy with the Penguin paperback edition.”… I didn’t know what they meant.

And now, when I go into a classroom, my 18-year-old self is there with me. Because … You know, it’s a book. It may be large and beautiful, but even then, how do you understand what it

is? One of my jobs is to help students understand that books are reflective of the people who make them who are not only the author … There are scribes, there are illuminators, there are rubricators, there are the people who made the parchment, there are the binders. All of them do have a profound effect on the book we end up looking at. We could pick up a book that was published a month ago, and that would tell you a lot about how people work in our society [today]. It’s possible now to print a book by pushing a button or pressing some keystrokes, and a machine does the rest. But that tells us a lot …

There’s a lot to learn. I’m learning all the time as well, along with students and professors. It’s very inspiring work, for me as well as for students and professors.

TD: How can students begin to engage with rare books at Tufts?

CB: There is a research guide on the Tisch website about special collections that tells a bit about our operation … We have published a new website, and right now special collections’ presence as we have created it so

far on the new website is under the header ‘Uniquely Tufts.’

It’s not an extensive site, and there are a number of us talking about and planning a more extensive website. For now you can go to Tufts research guides and look for special collections.

That is a brief introduction to it. We hope, next year, perhaps in the spring or fall, to open a space devoted to special collections in the Tisch Library proper, as well as to incorporate programs and items to exhibit from the SMFA’s library, which has special collections devoted mainly to artist books, and special collections at the Lilly Music Library as well. This effort is not simply to focus on a space in the library, but to make this space the occasion to have more social media presence, to have items on exhibit, and to have visibility … There’s also a Flickr page, if someone searches Flickr for Tisch Library special collections … They can see images of a number of our books. There are even complete images of a number of our medieval manuscripts. That’s

Fall 2021

not the ideal format to look at them, but certainly you can see the highlights there. The digital scriptorium, which is easily found on Google, can be searched, and there are at least two of our medieval manuscripts there in complete images … I talk a lot about medieval manuscripts because we put a lot of effort into that collection, both to unveil what Walter Welch gave to us and also to expand it. In 2016, an exhibition entitled “Beyond Words,” a collaboration of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Houghton Library at Harvard [University] and the McMullen Museum at Boston College mounted over 200 manuscripts from Boston-area collections, and Tufts was for the first time represented on a stage of international stature [there]. We’re also occasionally posting on Tisch instagram. If one were to go to Instagram and search the hashtag #tischrarebooks, it would be easy to find a series of posts over four or five weeks last fall in which I gave an introduction.

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Tuesday, October 5, 2021

‘Sex Education’ Season 3 teases young love and heartache

by Jaden Shemesh Contributing Writer

Content warning: This article mentions sexual assault.

The hit coming-of-age show returned this month for its long-awaited third season, and it’s as emotionally gripping and sexually informative as ever. Season 2 of “Sex Education” (2019–) saw the exit of Headmaster Groff (Alistair Petrie), the growth of the rift between Maeve (Emma Mackey) and Otis (Asa Butterfield) and Jean’s (Gillian Anderson) discovery of her pregnancy. Season 3 of “Sex Education” finds many of its characters readying themselves to explore their individuality and desires as single, young adults in their final year of high school. Moordale Secondary School’s new headmaster, Hope Haddon (Jemima Kirke) rebrands the school, implementing strict rules and regulations against sex transparency and positivity.

The love story between Otis and Maeve takes a much-deserved backseat to the plethora of characters that were introduced and expanded upon last season. Maeve grapples with the absence of her mother and her growing feelings for Isaac (George Robinson), which unfortunately was the least enticing aspect of this season. Their chemistry is apparent, but viewers may find it grueling to take much interest in their on-screen time. Maeve’s trajectory in general seems to have run its course this season, at least in terms of its appeal in comparison to less-developed characters, like Ruby (Mimi Keene). Otis’ brief relationship with Ruby is far more compelling than the overstretched romance he has had with Maeve.

With the help of Otis and her friends, Ruby learns to open herself up to the possibility of love.

Viewers will especially notice their growing affection for Ruby in her absence from the final episodes.

Adam (Connor Swindells) and Eric’s (Ncuti Gatwa) relationship is perhaps the most layered this

Raga Chilakamarri On Demand

‘Generation,’ confusion, emotion and other things that end in -ion

I

’ve only recently reconciled with the fact that I’m a member of Generation Z. Beyond being a Sagittarius born in the Year of the Dragon, I’m not quite sure where I expected to lay in the generational matrix;

season. Their connection is not easy for Eric, whose story feels more rushed than in the past but still stays true to his desire to explore his individuality more.

Adam grows tremendously in their relationship, and his progression as an openly gay man is both beautiful and heartbreaking. Thankfully, his unexpected friendship with Ola (Patricia Allison) from last season remains strong and helps him work through more of his traumatic responses.

Despite the show’s obvious focus on sex and romantic relationships, the friendships established over the last two seasons are ultimately the underlying draw of the show. This season is no different, testing Aimee (Aimee Lou Wood) and Maeve’s friendship as each handles her own struggles including sexual assault, financial trouble and relationship issues.

Aimee and Maeve’s connection nevertheless remains one of the strongest and most fun dynamics on television right now.

Viv (Chinenye Ezeudu) and Jackson’s (Kedar Williams-Stirling) friendship suffers under the pressure of Headmaster Hope’s new restrictions, but each is able to grow and better develop their own values with the help of a new transfer student, Cal (Dua Saleh).

Identifying as nonbinary, Cal runs into conflict with Headmaster Hope over the new gender-driven rules. Not to mention, Cal’s American accent is a fun addition to the many English accents in the show. Unfortunately, their screen time seems less about purely developing them as a character and more about pushing Jackson and Viv to where the writers wanted them to end up.

Surprisingly, one of the most unlikely duos elevates this season like no other: former Headmaster Groff and Mr. Hendricks (Jim Howick). Awkward and standoffish, Groff finds himself learning to reflect and be better this season, in part thanks to Hendricks’ exuberant kindness and bubbly person-

though, one viral tweet did confirm that I’m an honorary member of the Black Eyed Peas.

I mean, what is a “generation” anyways? I am self-prescribed to the age group where middle school meant Tumblr grunge, Hollister-brand t-shirts and Motorola Razr phones; I refuse to share that identity with the scary TikTok teens that patrol the streets now.

So basically, I, like every other Gen Zer, have a love-hate relationship with labels.

HBO Max’s “Generation” grapples with similar internal conflicts. “Generation” is a teen dramedy made up of 16, approximately 30 minute-long episodes released between March and July of this year. The show was created by father-daughter duo Zelda Barnz, 19, and Daniel

VIA IMDB

“Sex Education” Season 3 was released on Netflix on Sept. 17. ality. As he and other characters show Groff some kindness, Groff is able to process multiple levels of trauma in his life and apologize to his soon-to-be-divorced wife, Maureen (Samantha Spiro), but unfortunately, not his son, Adam.

While the lovable characters are still at the center of the show’s appeal, the cinematography and soundtrack remain top notch.

From each episode’s introductory scene to transition shots, the signature camera filter captures Moordale’s beautiful countryside through creative camera work.

The show’s choice of music is crucial in its ability to immerse the viewer in a world filled with teenage angst, heartache and lots and lots of raging hormones. Each season has succeeded in matching heartfelt scenes with indie songs, nostalgic beats and powerful lyrics, and Season 3 is no different. Indie-alternative artist Ezra Furman continues to carry the soundtrack on her back, singing several more songs featured in this season, accompanying and elevating some of the most emotionally satisfying scenes.

Ultimately, Season 3 suffers a similar phenomenon to other coming-of-age shows that begin to stretch their lifespan.

While there are plenty of compelling, new storylines this time around, several of them seem to be grasping for emotional straws. Nonetheless, viewers may have first come for the sex advice but have likely continued watching for the amazing performances by the likes of Gillian Anderson and Asa Butterfield, among others in the immensely talented cast.

Barnz, drawing influence from their experiences as a queer family. In its one (and tragically only) season, the series focuses on an ensemble of high schoolers in Orange County, Calif. as they navigate their sexuality, relationships and all those life complexities that emerge with them.

Obviously, there’s a plethora of high school TV shows and the good ones distinguish themselves by developing niche aesthetics: HBO’s “Euphoria” (2019– ) is cinematic and intense; “Sex Education” (2019–) on Netflix brings a colorful blend of raunchiness and empathy. “Generation” stood out as being unabashedly and refreshingly queer in a way that felt authentic and intimate while playful and fun.The main characters are loosely involved in their school’s Gay-Straight

Alliance club. There’s Chester (Justice Smith), ultra-confident star athlete with a 4.1 GPA and an assortment of cropped tank tops to match. Cool-girl Riley (Chase Sui Wonders) is a strongwilled and charming photographer — I’ve never been more attracted to a TV character in my life. And there’s wallflower Greta (Haley Sanchez), who also nurtures a crush on Riley. Plus, there are the bickering twins Naomi (Chloe East) and Nathan (Uly Schlesinger) and their conservative mother, as well as another bunch of multi-dimensional characters to meet.

“Generation” runs with the whole Gen-Z bit, smoothly incorporating our daily tech and trends accompanied by a popheavy soundtrack. It’s intentionally absurd (childbirth in a mall

bathroom) and sometimes painfully awkward (proclaiming love to a crush’s voicemail).

At age 20 I’m still a bundle of unbridled emotion and confusion. Talking to people I like is hard. Talking to people I even remotely “like like” is a whole other hayride. For me, “Generation” captures that feeling of frustration and excitement that comes with trying to understand other people when you hardly know yourself. And, especially as someone who is overly invested in fictional lives, the show offered a generation of teenagers who carved their own little notch in my heart.

Raga Chilakamarri is a junior studying English and economics.

Raga can be reached at raga. chilakamarri@tufts.edu.

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THE TUFTS DAILY | FUN & GAMES | Tuesday, October 5, 2021

F& G

tuftsdaily.com LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY

Campbell: Running a few minutes late, trying to figure our how to get a cup of soup to the office without a thermos.

FUN & GAMES

SUDOKU

FIRST WEEK OF CS11

Difficulty Level: Packing soup for the office.

By Cecilia Orozco

Monday’s Solutions

SEARCHING FOR HEADLINES...

CROSSWORD

Before anything else, we are all human.

It’s time to embrace diversity.

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

Rethink your bias at lovehasnolabels.com

Opinion

tuftsdaily.com

7 Tuesday, October 5, 2021

VIEWPOINT

Widespread cases of institutional sexual abuse: Universities must do more to protect their students

by Reya Kumar and Carter Wagner

Opinion Editor and Contributing Writer

Content warning: This article discusses sexual abuse and assault.

On May 13, a federal class-action lawsuit was filed against the University of Michigan in response to the 950 former students that have accused the late university doctor Robert Anderson of committing acts of sexual abuse. Attorneys for the survivors claim it is the largest case of sexual exploitation by a single individual in U.S. history.

While the accusations of abuse committed between 1966 and 2003 were first publicized in an article by The Detroit News in February 2020, the university first officially learned about the allegations in 2018. Survivors have explained, in various accounts, that they alerted multiple officials at the university about what they experienced, but no further action was taken.

This is by no means an isolated case. On Sept. 15, members of the USA Gymnastics team testified before Congress about the FBI’s mishandling of the case against Larry Nassar, who sexually abused over 300 people as the team’s doctor.

Gymnast McKayla Maroney reported Nassar’s actions to the FBI in 2015, yet no report was documented until 17 months later. USA Gymnastics was also implicated for covering up years of complaints, while Michigan State University settled lawsuits related to Larry Nassar’s abuse for $500 million.

A number of academic institutions have responded with either ignorance or payouts in the face of lawsuits regarding sexual assaults. Last week, a judge dismissed a case against Ohio State University regarding the 180 men abused by athletics team doctor Richard Strauss because the statute of limitations has passed. Survivors say they alerted the university, but nothing was done. Last March, the University of Southern California settled lawsuits from 710 women who accused the school’s gynecologist George Tyndall of sexual abuse for $852 million.

These institutions have put “prestigious” doctors and their own reputations above the well-being of their students and members. Case after case, and the story remains the same.

Years of reports go unheeded, allowing an abuser to inflict

reprehensible harm on countless young people. We must make sure that all universities are held accountable for their role in choosing to cover up instances of abuse, regardless of what that will entail for their reputations moving forward.

Without institutional consequence, universities will not understand that protecting evil abusers is not worth the cost.

One aspect of the University of Michigan case that cannot be ignored is that the vast majority of those abused by Anderson were men. Nearly one in six men have been sexually abused, and for male athletes, this number is far higher. The question that should be asked is, “How do male survivors fit into greater conversations surrounding sexual abuse, and are these cases more likely to go ignored?”

The notoriety of the allegations against Nassar, and now Anderson, are largely a result of the #MeToo movement, whose phrase spurred a large cultural conversation around the nature and proliferation of sexual assault. However, the movements surrounding sexual abuse, and more importantly the cultural reforms that come with them, are dispropor-

OP-ED

Op-ed: I am once again asking you to build a dorm

by Shane Woolley Dear reader, I really didn’t want to think about student housing at Tufts ever again. I really didn’t.

When I graduated two years ago, I left behind not only my lottery and off-campus housing woes, but also a little leftist organization called Tufts Housing League.

We aimed to raise consciousness among fellow students that, among other things, Tufts was a driving engine of local gentrification and that landlords are no good and should be fought by tenants as a unified and militant class. Our rallying cry was simply “build a dorm” — to end the displacement of area residents

by Tufts students with nowhere else to go, and to undercut the off-campus slumlords who kept raising rent while letting their buildings fall apart.

The administration didn’t listen, and in the past two years, students have paid the price.

The plaster facade of Tufts’ fragile housing system first crumbled, and then fell quite spectacularly, when confronted with the admittedly world-shaking exigency of the first global pandemic to fully overtake the modern world.

Being in close proximity to others could kill you now! Suddenly, the master housing plan of stuffing

as many undergrads as possible into forced doubles, triples and quadruples seemed to be the wrong move. And so, finally faced with the existential need to create some extra quarantining space for its COVID-19-positive students, the administration swallowed its pride and subjected its president to one of the most embarrassing fates from which a well-heeled member of the academic elite can suffer: a trailer park in the university’s backyard.

The particularities of the COVID-19 housing problem would have certainly been hard for administrators to predict.

But nevertheless it exposed, as emergencies often do, underlying vulnerabilities of the system they had $2 billion to maintain. If they had simply fronted the money or even raised new funds for a new high-density dorm as students had been asking for, the school would have had more space to adapt to the situation nimbly and safely. Instead, students got shuffled into dark, dank isolation wards, or were exposed to community transmission in their off-campus apartments.

A year later, students are once again paying for Tufts’ housing inaction, and the administration can’t even blame a new civilization-altering superbug this

time around. Doubling down on its habit of admitting more students every year, the administration let in a record number of new Jumbos for fall 2021, again without building any significant new dorm space to lodge them.

And so, Class of 2025, welcome to Tufts! Well, not Tufts … the Hyatt Place Hotel in Medford. But don’t worry! It’s only a 30 minute walk through one of the metro area’s most dangerous intersections to all your classes and friends — 10 minutes by our ever-reliable shuttle service — and there’s a pool!

(Actually, can someone check if students will be allowed to use the pool? If so, that’s extremely rad, and a million times better than living anywhere on campus).

Pool or not, this is not the college experience Tufts advertises for $81,700 a year. It is also not a long-term solution to the displacement of students into an overheated, overpriced off-campus housing market, and the ensuing displacement of area residents out of their own neighborhoods. The lack of adequate student housing at Tufts is a long-term structural problem that needs a serious remedy, and quick.

Before I go back to my somewhat-adult life where I have a demanding job and don’t have to see OP-ED, page 8

tionately centered on female, and often white, victims. The exclusion of men from sexual assault conversations only reinforces the fact that fewer men will recognize that they have experienced sexual abuse. A 1996 study found that only 16% of men realize that they have been abused compared to 64% of women with the same documentation.

Despite recent events, the University of Michigan Counseling and Psychological Services website still frames its sexual abuse conversations and policies with women as the primary victims and men as the perpetrators. The language that institutions use has an impact, and too often male survivors are forgotten and erased from the conversation.

In this case, Michigan’s treatment of male victims literally silenced hundreds of survivors.

We must make sure to include all survivors, regardless of gender, in conversations about sexual abuse.

Ultimately, cases like those of Anderson and Nassar illustrate a dangerous pattern that universities fail to prevent: widespread abuse perpetrated by their own employees. Schools

have the ultimate power to hold those they employ accountable, and they must prioritize the well-being of their students.

Survivors who come forward often relive their trauma in an attempt to protect future victims. Universities and institutions must respect that sacrifice and, at the very least, take their accusations seriously and thoroughly investigate every claim in order to stop abusers from causing further pain and trauma.

Tufts University, along with other powerful institutions, must take action. Instead of solely plastering sexual abuse hotlines on a few bathroom doors, establishing internal committees to discover the best practices for preventing sexual abuse is the way to address the root of the issue. Recognizing the specific position of power university employees hold and taking steps to address the potential danger this poses is crucial. To ensure that no student is ever subjected to this kind of abuse and violence, Tufts — along with other universities — must continue to hold all perpetrators accountable and foster a space that supports and prioritizes survivors.

VIEWPOINT

Why we love (and need) football

by Alex Sharp Staff Writer

Our generation is the most well informed and technologically advanced in human history.

We’re also the softest. Maybe it was the over-praising helicopter parents (thanks Generation X), or the participation trophies or the fact that social media can make a person’s actions when they’re 15 cost them a job when they’re 30.

Whatever the cause, somehow, some way, we have arrived at a point where little kids’ rough-housing is “misbehaving” and Tufts University sends out an email prior to the fall semester advising its 18- to 23-year-old student body to schedule 20 minute “worry breaks” throughout the day. Last spring the Daily’s managing board refused to run a punch to the gut/hit back harder metaphor in a lacrosse article for fear that it promoted aggressive behavior. Though we are incessantly coddled and see our natural aggression squelched and frowned upon by the powers that be, there is a small spark in many of us — buried deep in our gut, well beneath our politeness and good manners and just out of reach of our common sense — that just wants to throw some haymakers.

And for us, there is football.

“Sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence” is a central element of serious sport, wrote Eric Arthur Blair, known by his pen name George Orwell, in 1945.

Orwell noted that it was the most “violently combative sports” in the early 20th century, soccer and boxing, that had spread the widest. Of course, violent sporting events originated long before Orwell’s time. Ancient Romans were holding ‘last man standing’ gladiator contests and chariot races that would make NASCAR pileups look like fender benders.

The Greeks’ ancient Olympics included fierce combat sports, along with races where the runners wore body armor and swung weapons at their opponents.

Violence and sport have always gone hand in hand, so the appeal of American football, arguably the most physical and gritty team game there is, should come as no surprise. We can walk around our liberal arts campus and sit through our ethics classes pretending to be pacifists, but for some of us, that won’t prevent the adrenaline from shooting up our spines when we see a strong safety streak across the field and lay out a receiver. It won’t prevent our eyes from widening with see VIEWPOINT, page 8

8

THE TUFTS DAILY | Opinion | Tuesday, October 5, 2021

tuftsdaily.com

The long history of Tufts’ housing crisis OP-ED

continued from page 7 worry about any of this anymore, I’ll offer the solution I proposed to the administration when THL had our handful of dead-end meetings with them a few years ago. To start, let’s consider four basic facts: Tufts needs to build a big, tall dorm, somewhere on campus.

Building a new building costs a good deal of money, which Tufts has very little of (as I’m told the $2 billion endowment functions primarily as a non-liquid, risk-tolerant hedge against getting bamboozled once more by the next Bernie Madoff).

The Green Line Extension is almost complete, only a decade or so behind schedule, bringing its terminus and a crowd of commuters right to Tufts’ doorstep.

Whenever my sleep-deprived immune system or psyche required the services of a pharmacist while I was a student at Tufts, I had to drag my boots 20 minutes through snow and rain down to the CVS in Davis, since it was apparently the closest place I could get the medications needed to continue justifying my enrollment.

These challenges present Tufts with what is, in my opinion, a great opportunity: Build that new dorm you’re finally eyeing in the parking lot behind Hill Hall, right next to Dowling Hall. Make it as tall as Dowling, seven stories, to fit in as many rooms as possible. And help finance it by leasing out groundfloor retail space to an anchor chain like CVS, along with some other tenants, that will serve not only a pharmacy-desperate student population but also all the commuters pouring through the new T stop. This is what’s known in the city-planning world as “transit-oriented development” — harnessing the economic opportunity of thousands of transit riders to densify residential and commercial land use along major corridors like the Green Line. If you do this, Tufts administrators, transit-oriented teens will thank you. And so will every Tufts student who has ever had to live in a forced triple, or a quarantine shipping container, or a mold-ridden, off-campus house that they and their family can’t really afford or, God forbid, an unregulated fire-trap unit above a garage.

BY SHANE WOOLLEY Please build this dorm as soon as possible so I can get on with my life and finish the spreadsheets I’ve been avoiding at work. Also

feel free to name it after me, using the CVS idea for free in lieu of the standard multimillion-dollar donation. I don’t mind.

Shane Woolley graduated from Tufts in 2019. Shane can be reached at shwoolley@gmail.com.

and histories. There’s the “Jump Around” (1989) at the University of Wisconsin, Howard’s Rock at Clemson University and Ralphie the Buffalo’s pre-game run at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Then there are the phrases that became gospel. Two or three words that, when said, can bond two strangers in seconds.

There’s “Hook ’em Horns” at the University of Texas at Austin, “Roll Tide” at the University of Alabama, “War Eagle” at Auburn University, “Go Blue” at the University of Michigan and “Boomer Sooner” at the University of Oklahoma.

College football matters so much to so many that Alabama head coach Nick Saban, the 69-year-old heir to Bear Bryant, considered by many to be the best college coach ever, recently said that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi “probably” has a more important job than him. A lot of people at 9 a.m. Saturday morning tailgates on the Gulf Coast would disagree. The state school college football spectacle is enough to make any football fan at a small liberal arts college in the Northeast scratch their head and wonder what in

the world they were prioritizing while choosing a college during their senior year of high school.

And then there are Sundays.

For years, professional football has been mired in controversy over chronic traumatic encephalopathy, greedy and morally corrupt owners and incidents of despicable off-the-field player behavior. But come kickoff at 1 p.m. on Sunday, millions of us can’t look away. The Super Bowl is routinely the most-watched television event of the year, and our country doesn’t even have the space or time to pay attention to a professional league for the “futbol” that the rest of the world obsesses over.

Every Monday in the fall, you can walk into any of the more than 1,000 Dunkin Donuts in Massachusetts and strike up a conversation with a stranger about Sunday’s New England Patriots game. Same goes for the Buffalo Bills at any gas station in upstate New York or the Green Bay Packers at any Piggly Wiggly grocery store in Wisconsin.

Football runs deep.

After the football gods and referees once again smiled down on Tom Brady on opening night

against the Cowboys, the sport’s ultimate golden boy was asked

by NBC Sports’ Michele Tafoya about Dak Prescott, the Cowboys’ quarterback who played beautifully in his first game since suffering a gruesome compound ankle fracture early last season.

“It’s what sports are all about,” Brady said. “They push us to understand who we are, what our character is out there … he came out and played a hell of a game.”

Perhaps a transcendent game like football can also push us, the fans, to understand who we are.

Maybe we watch because deep down we crave a sense of aggression and physicality that evades us in our everyday lives. Maybe we watch to be a part of a crowd of 100,000 that claps, cheers and cries with but a single heartbeat.

Maybe it’s immoral that we watch despite the dangers the game poses to those who play it and the well-documented crookedness of those who profit most from it. Or maybe it’s precisely what we’re meant to do: to come together with our schools, our hometowns and our families. For better or for worse, football, more than anything else in American life, represents exactly who we are.

Lessons to take from football VIEWPOINT

continued from page 7 delight as we watch a 6-foot-4inch, 325-pound mountain of a man who runs a five-second forty come off the edge and sack some poor quarterback who never saw him coming.

I have never played a down of organized tackle football. At 5 feet, 10 inches and 150 pounds, most college punters would look like Aaron Donald standing next to me. My mom was born in Finland to a German father and Finnish mother, and my dad is the son of two English immigrants who arrived in Boston a few years before his birth.

None of my grandparents knew a thing about American football. Nobody in my extended family has ever played a down of football. Yet, I can’t remember a Thanksgiving without the Detroit Lions on my TV (the Lions play every year on Thanksgiving, believe me, we don’t go out of our way to watch them). It should come as no surprise that watching football became a tradition in my immigrant family. Football, more than any other sport, is woven into the fabric of American life.

On Friday nights, the neon lights shine over high school fields in small farming towns, sprawling suburbs and urban neighborhoods alike. Thousands of Coach Taylors (for all the “Friday Night Lights” (2006– 11) faithfuls) give locker room speeches to tens of thousands of Tim Riggins, who proceed to sprint onto the gridiron in front of hundreds of thousands of family members, classmates and neighbors. Middle-aged men at diners and bars across the country take a sip of their ice-cold beers after a long work day and feel a smile come to their faces when they think of the big play they made decades ago. Country star Luke Combs sings to sold-out crowds, “I was a third-string dreamer on a second-place team/ But I was hell on wheels with a full head of steam/ When coach put me in/ And I’m still proud of that hit.”

Every Saturday in the fall, college games and rivalries cause boatloads of students (except in the Northeast where college football is, well, just not the same) to stuff hundred-million-dollar stadiums to celebrate traditions that reflect their schools’, and oftentimes states’, unique spirits

Spo r t s

Tuesday, October 5, 2021 | Sports | THE TUFTS DAILY

9

Volleyball earns mixed results on the road

by Keila McCabe

Assistant Sports Editor

Tufts volleyball earned mixed results this past weekend, wrapping up a week of play with a win and two losses. Last Wednesday night, Tufts lost to Endicott College (23–25, 22–25, 25–19, 25–21, 16–18). On Friday, Tufts defeated Hamilton (25–18, 25–16, 25–19). Finally, to finish the road trip, the Jumbos lost at Williams (20–25, 23–25, 25–17, 25–22, 11–15).

These three games brought the Jumbos’ record to 9–4 on the season and 3–2 in NESCAC play. This weekend also marked the team’s first overnight away trip of the season, giving them a chance to build on team chemistry.

“It feels awesome to be able to have the opportunity to go on the road and play some great teams like Hamilton and Williams,” sophomore outside hitter Christine Audette said. “It was the first away weekend for the majority of our players, and it really was a great bonding experience for all of us.”

Senior middle hitter and co-captain Jennifer Ryan and junior outside hitter Jennelle Yarwood, who are both consistent players for the squad, were out for the weekend, causing several players to step into new roles. Against Williams, Audette had a .341 hitting percentage, the team high, and was second to senior outside hitter and co-captain Cate Desler’s 22 kills, with 17 for the night. She helped the

team even the score late into the third and fourth sets versus the Williams Ephs in order to secure wins that forced a fifth set. The team fell short in five as the Ephs grabbed early momentum and in the last set, the Jumbos were unable to recover. Junior middle hitter and co-captain Grace Legris said generally the team needs to work on coming at opponents strong from the start.

“We need to have consistent energy and urgency throughout all sets of each match,” Legris said. “Williams came at us strong the first two sets, and I don’t know if we weren’t quite ready for it, but we just weren’t super consistent the whole time.”

Specifically in relation to the fifth set losses, Legris emphasized the importance of energy again.

“We don’t have time to waste, especially in that fifth set since it’s only to 15 points instead of 25,” Legris said. “Making sure we’re starting them with as much focus as we can and as much energy as we can to be able to finish when we’re so close to being done with the game in the fifth.”

In Friday’s game against the Hamilton Continentals, the Jumbos immediately came out with high energy and dynamic momentum, which worked in their favor. The team secured quick wins in three sets to give them another victory against a NESCAC opponent. Legris said the team was in its groove on Friday.

“Our Friday game against Hamilton felt really good — we were able to stay in system and

everyone was doing their individual jobs and trusting each other,” Legris said. “Overall, our energy was really high during that game.”

In Wednesday’s game against Endicott, the team fought back to earn a fifth set and played a tough back-and-forth battle to the end that fell just short.

Desler led both teams with 22 kills on the night and posted an impressive .391 hitting percentage. Senior setter Ariel Zedric and sophomore setter Maddie Yu combined for 62 assists.

Volleyball has another packed weekend in Cousens Gym, facing Coast Guard Academy on Friday at 6 p.m., Trinity (Conn.) on Saturday at 1 p.m. and Trinity (Texas) at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.

OLIVIA BELLO / THE TUFTS DAILY

Tufts players huddle on the court during Tufts’ three-set loss to Endicott at Cousens Gym.

10 Tuesday, October 5, 2021

Sports

tuftsdaily.com

Men’s soccer completes weekend sweep of Bates and Hamilton

by Jack Adgate

Assistant News Editor

Matt Goguen Keeping up with the 617

Scattered thoughts on the 2021 Patriots

W

ill this Patriots team ever stop giving me aneurysms?

Coming off the heels of the biggest offseason for the New England Patriots in recent history, this football team seemed destined to improve. Even after the surprise release of Cam Newton to open up the QB1 position for rookie Mac Jones, many Patriots fans did not doubt the fact that this team was a playoff team on paper.

Those Patriots fans were only half right.

Sure, Jones has been better than advertised; a classic game manager quarter-

SOPHIE DOLAN / THE TUFTS DAILY

Tufts men’s soccer plays Hamilton at Bello Field on Oct. 3. defender Max Clivio anchored the defense all weekend long.

“I think we did well to win the first ball, and if not, the second ball and get it out,” Clivio said. “In the second half, we knew we were playing with the wind [at our backs], so we knew it was game over.”

Many new faces saw playing time on Sunday, with 22 total field players getting minutes for the Jumbos.

The day before the Hamilton game, Tufts beat Bates 2–0.

Working both sides of the ball all game, Paoletta netted a goal late in the first half to put Tufts ahead. Paoletta helped the Tufts defense concede only two shots on goal the entire game, with Lauta saving both.

The final blow was delivered late in the second half by junior forward Sean Traynor on a pass from super senior midfielder and co-captain Derek Enge. The goal capped off a torrent-attacking performance for the Jumbos, in which they registered 13 shots. Traynor gave all of the

plaudits for the goal to Enge for setting him up to score. “[Enge] sent a beautiful through ball that got me isolated against one of their center backs,” Traynor said. “All credit to him for a really impressive assist.”

The Jumbos face another tough NESCAC double header this weekend, playing away both days. Tufts will put its undefeated record on the line against Trinity on Saturday and against Middlebury on Sunday.

back, he has looked calm and poised in the pocket and makes minimal mistakes — sans four interceptions. The secondary continues to suffocate opposing offenses and make even the greatest of quarterbacks (hello, Tom Brady) uncomfortable in the pocket. Yet, even with all of the positives surrounding this team through four weeks of the regular season, they are 1–3.

Many Patriots analysts argue that this team is better than its current record, and I agree. Costly penalties and brutal turnovers have plagued the Patriots since the start of the 2021 NFL season, mistakes that the Patriots normally do not make. If Damien Harris didn’t fumble the ball inside the Dolphins’ 10-yard line in Week 1, the Patriots would have won that game. If J.J. Taylor didn’t fumble the ball against the Buccaneers on Sunday night, the Patriots potentially would have scored on that drive and secured an insurance lead. If Jonnu Smith didn’t force a pick-six against the Saints, the Patriots could have salvaged an ugly victory in Week 3.

What stings the most about the start to this season is that the Patriots came within inches of potentially beating Tom Brady, their former franchise quarterback. In a game that lived up to all expectations, the Patriots made Brady miserable all night, forcing him to finish with a QBR of 70.8 (for comparison, Mac Jones had a QBR of 101.6). However, the Patriots, once again, shot themselves in the foot with multiple turnovers and penalties that gave Brady second chances. And the icing on the cake? Patriots kicker Nick Folk hit the left upright on a 56-yard field goal to potentially take the lead in the final seconds of the game. To make matters worse, the Patriots’ run offense, which was supposedly going to be a strength this season, ran into a buzzsaw last night, finishing with eight carries for minus 1 yard. Yes, you read that right: The Patriots gained a total of minus 1 yards on the ground. And they still almost managed to beat Brady.

Moral of the story? These Patriots need to simply bury this game on the practice

fields this week and turn their attention to their Week 5 opponent, the Houston Texans. If this team wants to secure a playoff spot in January, another loss will certainly deflate its odds immensely. Next Sunday, the Patriots need to develop a ground game against the weak Texans’ defense, which is 28th in the league for run defense. Additionally, Josh McDaniels must give Jones the opportunity for more deep passes. The Patriots simply cannot win games with their dipand-dunk style offense; you drafted this man for a reason, to throw the ball. Let him sling it.

I truly don’t think I’m asking for too much with this team. They just need to go out and get a confident win against the Texans this Sunday. If not, this Patriots fan base will go from optimistic to cynical very quickly.

Matt Goguen is a junior studying biopsychology. Matt can be reached at matthew. goguen@tufts.edu.

ION OF STA IAT TE OC

TERS RES FO

NATIONAL A SS

Tufts men’s soccer was victorious this weekend over both Bates on Saturday and Hamilton on Sunday. With two wins over NESCAC schools, the Jumbos have improved on their undefeated record of 8–0–1 on the season.

The Jumbos dominated both games this weekend, registering five goals from four different players, while conceding none. The shutouts now give the Tufts defense and first-year goalkeeper Erik Lauta six clean sheets on the season.

Tufts cruised to victory over the Hamilton Continentals on Sunday, dominating possession and putting in two goals that sealed the deal early.

Super senior midfielder and co-captain Calvin Aroh tallied two goals, with super senior midfielder Travis Van Brewer putting in one of his own to secure the 3–0 victory.

In classic NESCAC fashion, gameplay was extremely physical, with a combined 29 fouls between the two teams.

Aroh’s first goal came from a beautiful cross by sophomore back Gibson Campbell. With the ball dipping down, Aroh’s strike across the goal on a volley put the Jumbos ahead and set the tone early into the game. They led 1–0 just under 12 minutes in to play.

“I saw [Aroh] making a deep run in the box and tried to find him,” Campbell said.

“Luckily, I did, and he had a great finish to score the goal.”

A back line that has been stellar for the Jumbos thus far only continued to impress, giving up only one shot on goal all game. Super senior defender and co-captain Biagio Paoletta alongside sophomore

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