The Tufts Daily - Tuesday, November 16, 2021

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VOLUME LXXXI, ISSUE 33

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Tuesday, November 16, 2021

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS.

Dining workers react to Tufts Distinction Awards, stress unfairness

by Yiyun Tom Guan News Editor

Tufts University President Anthony Monaco and Vice President for Human Resources Kim Ryan announced the winners of the Tufts Distinction Awards and the David J. Kahle Leadership Award in an email to Tufts faculty and staff on Oct. 20.

Dewick-MacPhie Dining Center is one of the teams that won the award, and its current staff members are listed on the webpage as recipients and received letters of recognition. However, several workers who worked at Dewick — the only dining location operational after Tufts evacuated its campus in late March 2020 — last spring and summer, have expressed discontent with how the recipients were selected since moving to other locations.

Ginny DePalo and Alba Schiavone worked at Carmichael Dining Center before being summoned to Dewick during spring 2020 and returning to Carmichael in the fall. They believed Dewick was recognized for its operations during campus lockdown.

However, DePalo and Schiavone, both of whom worked at Dewick

MICHELLE LI / THE TUFTS DAILY

The entrance of Dewick-MacPhie Dining Center is pictured. during the height of the COVID19 pandemic, were upset to learn that neither of them were listed as award recipients.

DePalo and Schiavone explained that Dewick was mostly staffed by Carmichael workers during the lockdown, in addition to a few from Dewick and other dining locations.

“All these people came to work, and [the recipients] are supposed to be the names of them, not just Dewick people … almost nobody [listed as awardees] was there [last spring and summer],” Schiavone said.

“Why then when they [sent] the letter [it was] to each one of them and not one of us?”

Patrick Collins, Tufts’ executive director of media relations, stressed that Dewick was awarded the distinction honor for comprehensive reasons.

“Winners, such as Dewick Dining, are selected because they have met the program’s high bar for excellence in a number of categories, including leadership, innovation, customer service, integrity, collaboration, respect for diverse perspectives and support for inclusion,” Collins wrote in an email to the Daily.

DePalo and Schiavone emphasized that Tufts Dining management had a clear idea of who worked during the lockdown yet still refused to recognize them.

Collins stressed that the names listed were Dewick staff members as of spring 2021, and the list was carefully reviewed.

“The Dewick Dining team was the subject of multiple nominations, several of which included the names of the individuals who worked in the unit as of spring 2021,” Collins said.

“Those names were reviewed to ensure those individuals worked in Dewick last academic year.”

Schiavone noted that she first learned about the award from one of her colleagues who works at Dewick and inquired whether Schiavone also received the letter of recognition. She was confounded by how underadvertised it was, and she and DePalo raised suspicion as a result.

“A friend [at Dewick] said to me … ‘Did somebody say congratulations?’, I said, ‘Congratulations for what?’” Schiavone said.

“Nobody said nothing … no manager … the union, the shop stewards knew too, and nobody said nothing.”

DePalo was further frustrated by how difficult it was to find the list of award recipients in the email.

“[The list of award recipients] is kind of hidden in the email,” DePalo said. “You get to the bottom of the email, and it will say ‘award recipients.’ You actually have to hit that link to see who won it. So it was kind of hidden in there.”

DePalo and Schiavone believed they and their colleagues should be recognized because of the tremendous health risks they undertook by going to work last year, before the nature of COVID-19 was widely known and before vaccines were widely available.

“I have a daughter that is severely asthmatic, and I have a younger daughter that has cerebral palsy,” DePalo said. “And I still went into work every day.”

They emphasized that while workers were promised a week of break after each week of work, they would still get called in during their week off. When a person in the dining management contracted COVID-19, workers were given the option to go home; most who did, they noted, were Dewick employees.

DePalo stressed that her frustrated colleagues were asking see DINING, page 2

Physics department This Week in Science: HPV vaccine celebrates Black in effective, new Delta strain emerges, UK Physics Week approves COVID-19 pill SCIENCE

HPV vaccines effective in preventing 87% of cervical cancer cases The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has the potential to reduce cases of cervical cancer by 87% and prevent certain cervical abnormalities by 97%, according to a British study recently published in The Lancet. Researchers examined women a decade after their HPV vaccinations and found that there was a reduction in pre-cancerous growths as well as cervical cancer. In 2006, the FDA approved the HPV vaccine, Gardasil, and since then, two other HPV vaccines have been developed and over 100 countries have incorporated the HPV vaccine into their regular inoculation schedules.

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women around the world, and HPV is responsible for about 99% of cervical cancers. Experts recommend vaccinating adolescents before they become

VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

MICHELLE LI / THE TUFTS DAILY

The Gardasil (HPV) vaccine and box is pictured.

The Africana Center is pictured.

sexually active, since the HPV vaccine can only prevent — but not treat — infection. After the widespread implementation of the HPV vaccine in 2008, a catch-up program for teenagers who were slightly older than the ideal age of 11–12 years old for vaccination was put in place; this program reported less efficacy, likely because some of the older teenagers were already sexually active.

Cervical cancer is disproportionately more fatal in low- and middle-income countries as a result of limited access to smear

by Rebecca Barker

SPORTS / back

Cross country teams excel at regional championships, earn spots at nationals

tests used for cervical cancer screenings. With the demonstrated success of the vaccine, experts are now looking to reduce the frequency of smear tests, which are currently recommended every 3–5 years, for vaccinated women. Experts believe that the incredible efficacy of the HPV vaccine could one day eliminate cervical cancer.

— Cindy Zhang New UK delta variant fuels worry of winter COVID-19 surge A new, more contagious versee SCIENCE, page 2

News Editor

The physics department celebrated Black in Physics Week for the first time with a mix of in-person and virtual events during the week of Oct. 24–30. Black in Physics Week began in October 2020 with the intent of recognizing and commemorating the contributions of Black physicists to the scientific community.

Tufts University’s events were coordinated by the physics department’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEIJ) committee and

FEATS / page 4

OPINION / page 7

Moser and McMichael talk style and selfidentity

In light of Harleston arrest, TUPD needs non-police response to non-violent crises

included a colloquium speaker, coffee chats, a movie night and a celebration at the Africana Center.

Aja Sparks, an undergraduate representative on the DEIJ committee, played a large role in organizing the week’s events and cited the colloquium speech given by Tammy Walton, associate scientist at Fermilab, as one of the week’s most engaging and successful events. Walton shared the findings from a recently concluded international experiment titled “First Results from see PHYSICS, page 2 NEWS

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ARTS & POP CULTURE

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FUN & GAMES

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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Tuesday, November 16, 2021

THE TUFTS DAILY Madeleine Aitken Editor in Chief

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tuftsdaily.com

Several Dewick workers excluded from Distinction Award DINING

continued from page 1 for gratitude from Tufts for their hard work during a dangerous time, and not the award itself.

“Just give us a thank you,” DePalo said. “We put ourselves and our families at risk, not knowing anything about this virus at the time. Think about

when we first started working down there: We weren’t even wearing these [masks].”

She noted that her daughter, Isabella DePalo, sent an email to five people including Monaco and Patti Klos, director of Dining and Business Services, on Oct. 26 to ask for an explanation. The email was

signed by “The Families of Carmichael.” As of Nov. 15, she had not heard back from the email recipients.

On the subject of extra compensation for workers at Dewick last spring and summer, Collins explained that as Tufts Dining employees, they received their annual wage increase, and that

recipients of the Distinction Awards would receive an additional bonus.

“All Tufts Dining employees received their scheduled wage increase as outlined in the collective bargaining agreement on July 1, 2021,” Collins said. “Separately, recipients of Distinction Awards will receive a small cash prize.”

Studies reveal details on whale diet, sponge physiology SCIENCE

continued from page 1 sion of the delta variant has been sweeping through the United Kingdom and may cause an increase in cases with winter fast approaching. This new variant, called AY.4.2, caries two additional mutations and spreads at accelerated rates compared with other delta viruses.

AY.4.2 is a mutation of the current variant AY.4, with a slightly different chemical composition of amino acids. According to microbiologists, the rise of the new variant can be tied to the U.K. failing to practice vigilant health protocols, such as wearing masks and vaccinating adolescents. Coupled with the transition to winter, when people are spending more time indoors, scientists believe the development of a new variant was only inevitable.

Although AY.4.2 seems to be “fitter” than the delta variant with the ability to resist immune therapies and a higher transmission rate, the U.K. hasn’t seen the drastic rise that happened when Delta became dominant in spring 2021. Death rates and hospital care in the U.K. have remained comparatively unchanged since the summer months, which scientists believe is due to the effectiveness of the vaccine and its ability to combat new variants.

— Sophie Wax

UK health regulators approve pill for COVID-19 treatment The United Kingdom has become the first country to approve a pill that can be taken at home to treat COVID19. The drug — produced by Merck and called molnupiravir — has been shown in studies to reduce the risk of death and hospitalization in patients considered to be high-risk by about 50%. In the U.K., molnupiravir has been specifically approved for high-risk adult patients with mild to moderate cases of COVID-19, but it’s unclear how early patients need to start taking the drug for it to be effective.

Another challenge that lies ahead for the widespread use of molnupiravir is its price. Both the U.K. and Merck have not yet revealed how much the U.K. is paying for the drug. Many are concerned that low- and middle-income countries will not be able to purchase as many doses of the drug because of the estimated high costs. For example, the US bought 1.7 million doses, which is estimated to cost around $1.2 billion.

The U.S. has not approved the use of molnupiravir for COVID-19 treatment, but it is possible that it could be authorized by the end of 2021.

— Maiah Islam Scientists may have just found sponge neurons — or not

When people hear the word “sponge” they often think about household spongesin their sink that are used to clean dishes. But sponges — which are multicellular organisms that live in the ocean — are also used in research because they help scientists map out how more complex organisms evolved.

In a new study, researchers were able to identify 18 different kinds of sponge cells, including cells that are similar to nerve cells in mammals. The discovery of these cells may help researchers further explore the nervous system in modern-day organisms that have evolved from sponges.

From the 18 sponge cells examined, researchers focused on one cell in an attempt to compare similarities between sponges and humans regarding communication between neurons. Human nerve cells send messages through neurotransmitters, but it is less clear how sponge cells communicate. Using a particle accelerator, the scientists noticed an exchange of chemicals that could be a form of communication between the neuron cells of sponges with their digestive cells. Still, more research is needed to understand the structure of the neuron cells of sponges.

— Steven Mejia Whale, whale, whale, look what we have here Have you ever wondered how much whales eat in a day? After nine years of data collection, a Stanford University research team

may have just found the answer.

With their large appetites, whales eat significantly more food than previously thought and play a major role in the maintenance of the ocean.

From 2010 to 2019, scientists ran various tests, such as on how much prey was scooped in a mouthful of 321 individual whales of varying species. The study found that all whales eat three times as much food as past data had shown. To put this into perspective, a North Pacific blue whale will eat about 16 tons of krill — small, shrimp-like crustaceans — a day, which is about the weight of a city bus.

The study gives credence to the theory that krill populations have significantly decreased over the past few years due to the decreasing population of large predators, such as whales, suggesting that whales have a bigger role in the ocean as an ecosystem than previously thought. As a whale feeds and defecates, it mixes tons of nutrients throughout the water.

With more nutrients circulated throughout the ocean, more and more plankton (prey of krill) will grow, leading to an increase in krill and carbon dioxide being pulled from the atmosphere, since plankton are photosynthetic.

Unfortunately, whale populations have decreased due to practices such as whaling over the past several years.

— Manek Khedia

Black in Physics week builds connections between graduate, undergraduate students PHYSICS

continued from page 1 the Muon g-2 Experiment at Fermilab.”

“She’s just absolutely amazing,” Sparks, a junior, said. “To have her or someone like her speak [was] just really impactful.

Because it’s one thing to say, ‘No, physicists don’t just look like this.’

It’s another thing to actually see someone who doesn’t look like the traditional view of a physicist, and that’s the whole point of Black in Physics Week.”

Physics Department Chair Larry Ford echoed Sparks’ thoughts on Walton’s presentation.

“Scientists speak as role models to students,” he said. “We’ve tried to have a range of speakers and have a fair number, as much as we could, [be] women and [minorities].”

Ford explained that faculty members were not present for a follow-up Q&A session held with Walton, as sometimes students may be afraid to ask questions in the presence of their professors. He noted that the stigma around asking questions may

be felt especially by physics students of historically marginalized backgrounds, and hoped that the format and content of this year’s session would alleviate anxiety.

Sparks explained that this change is one of many that the physics department has made since the creation of its DEIJ committee. She said that in the past, rigid scheduling and a lack of obvious support from within the physics department created a stressful environment for some students. “[The environment] propagates a stigma in the physics department that you have to be really smart to be a physics major or take physics classes,” she said. “A lot of Black students and minority students drop out of the classes really early instead of taking the class, and maybe they would have been interested later down the line.”

Michael Dolce, a graduate student on the DEIJ committee, and Sparks both noted that their work has been largely focused on changing this idea. According to Dolce, the physics department

sent out an informal survey to undergraduates last year to gauge how students felt about available resources.

“We were surprised that undergraduates did not feel like they were very supported,” Dolce said. “That’s a lot of the motivation behind a lot of what the DEIJ committee in general is trying to do, is to try to support undergraduate students, especially those that have been marginalized.”

Sparks said that ensuring physics students felt aided by the department was a crucial part of the events scheduled during Black in Physics Week.

She explained that coffee chats held by physics majors as well as other similar opportunities to talk with professors — called Facul-TEA meetings — were designed for anyone interested in taking physics classes and hoped that these discussions would promote accessibility to the department.

“It’s for anybody who wants to learn more about the department and wants to talk to people about

their classes, just find support,” Sparks said.

Ford said that the coffee chats were open to anyone interested in discussing physics, including those outside of the Tufts community.

“These prospective students could be, for example, undeclared majors,” Ford said. “Or they could also be high school students or people outside of Tufts … who wanted to find out what it’s like to be a physicist.”

Along with events meant to encourage those curious about the physics department to meet with professors and majors, Dolce felt that the week’s events, especially the movie night, were particularly engaging ways to bridge some divides between undergraduate and graduate students.

“Sometimes, even in this department in the past and in a lot of other … science departments, there’s kind of a gap between undergraduates and graduate students,” he said.

“As part of Black in Physics [Week], that’s one of the things we’re trying to do, is to try to build a better connection between the two.”

tuftsdaily.com

Features

Tufts students reflect on style, self-expression in 2021: Part 2

by Raga Chilakamarri

Assistant Features Editor

Fashion can hint at flash frames of a current generation, marking social media-inspired trends or cultural shifts in attitude. On an individual level, experimenting with personal style often goes hand in hand with understanding oneself, and for some students at Tufts, clothing emerges as one of many mediums to explore and represent their identity.

Libby Moser: Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose Libby Moser’s style inspirations include “Scooby-Doo” (2020), “Corpse Bride” (2005) and the guest judges on “The Muppets” (1976–81).

“I think I pull from a lot of weird influences in my life,” Moser said. “But the answer I used to give people [to describe my style] is the intersection between the kid who didn’t really ever grow out of their emo phase and also a preschool teacher in 1994.”

Moser is a junior from Sarasota, Fla., and she likened her high school’s aesthetic to beachy VSCO girls. Her affinity for vintage clothes was nurtured from a young age, she said, recalling antiquing and thrifting with her mom.

“I think [it’s] fascinating to watch the evolution of what people donate to thrift stores, or what people sell in auctions or at state sales and things like that,” Moser said. “I find myself more and more attracted to unique pieces and colors or patterns, or things I wouldn’t expect.”

Moser commented that the explosion in the popularity of thrift culture, at least among college students, can have upsides and downsides.

“It’s like when your favorite band gets popular,” Moser said. “You know, you love that they’re getting the attention that they deserve but I like to remember [it was] my secret too.”

Thrift stores serve consumer populations with different needs, and some organizations have raised prices in a way that doesn’t accurately reflect the value of the clothing items, Moser observed.

“I have noticed this trend … and I do love this aesthetic — so you know, mild hypocrisy here that I’m going to acknowledge up front — the ‘grunge fairy core’ [style]. I think it’s really hinged upon that idea of people [who] have money kind of portraying an aesthetic that maybe conveys that they don’t,” Moser said. “But at the same time, I’m really here for any and all reuse of clothing, be it clothing that’s really ragged and worn or be it clothing that’s freshly donated.”

Along with cartoon TV shows from her childhood, Moser said her music tastes seep into her style; as a big fan of grunge, the fashion trends from the 1990s call to her.

“I have this one 90s dress … I’ve always said that if I were a cartoon character I would want to be animated in this dress,” Moser said of her current favorite piece. “It’s denim on the top and then floral all the way down. It’s very cute and gives me very DJ Tanner from ‘Full House’ (1987–95) vibes.”

During the pandemic, Moser started compiling a fashion blog on Instagram where she showcases vintage thrift finds and outfits she’s put together and sells clothing she acquired over time.

In thinking about fashion at Tufts, Moser said she was initially underwhelmed but that it is growing on her.

COURTESY LIBBY MOSER

Libby Moser is pictured.

“Tufts style is always what I imagined high school in Connecticut would look like,” Moser said. “Which I think [reflects] the fact that a large portion of Tufts is … in the upper socio-economic class and people can buy expensive goods. I think it’s a very uniform palette.

I see trends change fast, but I see them change en masse.”

Moser double majors in clinical psychology and theater; costume designing for student shows offers a fitting intersection between her love for clothes and her acting background. Her recent project calls for an amalgamation of time periods, a perfectly suited task for Moser.

“I think style is really a quite radical projection of self-identity and I think, for me, style has been a lot about ownership of identity and claiming this is who I am and this is how I choose to present myself,” Moser said.

While Moser reflected how style offers so many initial cues, she also acknowledges that it’s only one of many avenues for self-expression.

“Just because someone doesn’t have a style that I find specifically intriguing, or unique, or whatever — maybe I find it basic — I think it really is a matter of where you put your time … ,” Moser said.

“I think it’s cool when people do find different nuanced ways to express who they are. I think a lot of the times the brain real estate that clothes take up in my head are being taken up by calculus in other people’s heads. So it definitely is a tradeoff.”

Claire McMichael: “Bold, Clashing, ‘Juxtaposition’” Claire McMichael, a sophomore BFA student from Evanston, Ill., said their first dream job was to be a fashion designer.

“I don’t think I was always killing it in the fashion sense, but I certainly always cared,” McMichael said. “There’s this hilarious photo of me … wearing this all pink patterned fit — I was probably four or five — and these pink large circles sunglasses in this photo album. It’s like ‘Claire as Elton John’ … Oh yeah. I came out of the womb styling.”

McMichael said that they are pulled toward youthful, sparkly and intense articles of clothing accumulated from their grandmother’s closet, hand-me-downs

and thrift stores; their wardrobe is driven more by instinct than calculation.

“My style is always fluctuating and changing,” McMichael said. “But first things that come to mind are colorful patterns, bold, clashing, or ‘juxtaposition’ to be pretentious. I just wear what excites me, and what I feel like will be stimulating.”

McMichael noted that their style transformations transitioned in parallel with embracing their queerness and that Tufts’ influence on them was less about drawing inspiration from popular trends on campus, but more a marking of a shift in place and self-acceptance.

“I don’t think that Tufts as a whole influenced my style really, other than that being here has been a catalyst for a change in who I am and then, by proxy, my style,” McMichael said.

Compared with the aesthetic of their Chicago suburb, McMichael attributes studying at the SMFA to easing their past concerns about ‘overdoing’ it in their fashion choice.

“Yeah, I mean [Evanston is] crunchy but it’s also a suburb,” McMichael said.

“So, I think in that way it contributed to me feeling like I was overdressed in high school [because] nobody did that. So it’s just like, you really stood out if you did.”

McMichael observed that the style at Tufts was partly similar to that of their high school save for a lack of preppiness and limited allegiance to brands like Vineyard Vines.

To McMichael, Tufts isn’t particularly “quirky” and students aren’t beholden to concentrated aesthetics.

“It’s more subtle. It’s in the little hair clip or the sock or the type of shoe,” McMichael said. “I feel like people aren’t going ‘gung ho’ on one intense, specific sort of situation.”

SMFA students seem to approach their style choices with more intentionality, according to McMichael.

“I can kind of recognize people by what they’re wearing to a certain extent,” McMichael said. “And I feel like you can tell that people have more of a strong identification with their personal appearance and style, even if it is low key. Or at least it seems like that.”

McMichael said that their more distinctive style has drawn influence from high-fashion designers, people on social media and most recently one friend from New York City.

“If I see something trending, I’m not gonna go out and buy it online,” they said.

“So I just end up buying things that appeal to me. And that’s certainly influenced to a certain extent by the media I consume, but I feel like that’s a lot of what ends up making my clothing unique.”

Although their personal fashion style represents a large aspect of their self-expression and seems more noticeable, McMichael is surprised by how closely others may perceive their style to their actual identity.

“I think [my style] ties a lot into my queerness and my self-acceptance. But also it’s not that serious. I just think it’s entertaining,” McMichael said. “And sometimes it’s weird to me how much other people associate my style with who I am. It’s a little trippy.”

Like Moser, McMichael found that judging someone based on how they dress is unnecessary and reductive.

3 Tuesday, November 16, 2021

Kevin Zhang Tales from the T

You’re saying a brain grew this tree?

Y

ou might know that Boston has the oldest subway system in North America, with the Green Line’s central section dating back to 1897. But did you also know that part of the Red Line runs over the oldest commercial railway in the United States, dating back to 1826?

Today, let’s discuss the Red Line’s Braintree branch and its evolution from horse-drawn wagonway to commuter superhighway.

In 1826, the Granite Railway opened in Quincy to transport stone to build Charlestown’s massive Bunker Hill Monument. Granite from Quincy’s quarries was loaded onto horsedrawn minecarts and pulled to the Neponset River, where it was loaded onto Charlestownbound barges. Railroad technology was in its infancy, and as such, the line became a tourist attraction — but as they proved their value, these newfangled railroads would soon start popping up across the country.

One of these railroads, the Old Colony Railroad (OC) would take over the Granite Railway in 1871. The OC was built to connect Boston to southeastern Massachusetts (including the “Old Colony” of Plymouth) and incorporated part of the Granite Railway into this route. The OC would become known for its prestigious boat trains, which would carry guillotine fodder south from Boston to the coast, where luxurious steamboats would connect to New York City. Indeed, before the Boston-NYC railway was complete, the OC’s trains and ships were the most fashionable way to get between these cities.

The OC would itself be taken over by the New Haven Railroad (NH) in 1893, as part of its successful effort to control all railroads between NYC and Boston. As railroad traffic was decimated by automobiles in the 20th century, however, this massive network would become a financial curse. The NH tried ending passenger service on the unprofitable OC in both 1939 and 1959. The first attempt was blocked by the courts. The second attempt succeeded.

But this wouldn’t be the end of the line — in 1965, the MBTA purchased the OC line from South Station to Braintree to build a subway line alongside it. Originally planned to terminate at South Station, it was instead connected to the Red Line, opening to Quincy Center in 1971 and Braintree in 1980. With its high speeds, modern trains and massive parking garages, the Braintree branch successfully lured droves of commuters off highways and onto transit.

The Braintree branch’s success raised the potential of bringing commuter trains back to the OC. In 1997, the MBTA began operating commuter rail trains on its Old Colony Lines to Middleborough and Plymouth; in 2007, the branch to Greenbush opened. Further extensions to Fall River and New Bedford are currently in the works. There is a caveat: The Braintree branch’s planners didn’t anticipate the return of commuter rail, so its construction reduced track capacity on the OC, creating bottlenecks that limit service levels to this day. Even then, the Old Colony Lines and Braintree branch have become integral parts of the MBTA’s network, connecting the South Shore to Boston. And in 2013, the new CapeFLYER service brought seasonal express service from Boston to Cape Cod, returning luxury express service to the OC. To think it all started with some horse-drawn minecarts.

Sic transit gloria mundi.

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

Arts & POP ARTS Pop CULTURE Culture

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tuftsdaily.com

Tuesday, November 16, 2021

Snail Mail’s ‘Valentine’ captures the anguish of lost love

by Henry Chandonnet Staff Writer

By now the “break-up album” is a genre in itself. These albums have been smash successes, namely because they contextualize the human need to grieve lost relationships. Still, this form of album can often become overplayed, using the same musical tropes or lyrical structures to comment on the same idea. It’s when an artist brings a new sound to the traditional form, and reinvents the ideals of the genre, that one truly takes interest. That’s all true of Snail Mail’s most recent project, “Valentine.” Snail Mail combines the traditional breakup trope with a new indierock sound, making the sound engaging and innovative.

Lindsey Jordan has been writing indierock anthems since she was incredibly young. Jordan released her debut LP “Lush” (2018) when she was just 18 years old. The album became an underground classic, lifting her into the class of other up-and-coming female indie rockers like Soccer Mommy, Phoebe Bridgers and Japanese Breakfast. Though she started out alone, Jordan’s band “Snail Mail” now includes bassist Alex Bass and drummer Ray Brown. Jordan waited until she was 22 to release her follow-up LP, “Valentine,” presenting a more mature, complex sound.

The album’s opening single, “Valentine,” encapsulates the jarring sound of heartbreak. The song starts quietly, with Jordan singing solemnly about her desires to be alone with her former lover. The listener is lulled into complacency, with the simple underscoring minimizing just how dramatic her lyrics are. Soon after, however, the listener is shocked with writhing electric guitar as Jordan screams out her final plea to her ex-girlfriend: “Why’d you want to erase me, darling valentine?” Jordan moves even deeper into angry desperation as she continues her chorus, belting out,

Raga Chilakamarri On Demand

Not a lot of luggage but a lot to unpack in ‘The Wilds’

L

ike most people, I’ve daydreamed about my likelihood of surviving in apocalyptic or suddenly traumatic situations like “The Hunger Games” (2008–10), zombie attacks or being marooned on an island. While I lack any evolutionary faith in myself to successfully perform DIY outdoors survival, as a member of Tufts Wilderness Orientation, I’m sure I could finagle my way around a tarp, if given the proper rope, stakes and moral support.

“You’ll always know where to find me, when you change your mind.” The lyrics are startling and filled with anguish, representing just how devastating the breakup was for Jordan. In sum, the song moves effortlessly from quiet sadness to abrasive outrage.

The second single, “Ben Franklin,” uses more of a synth-pop sound to investigate grief. This song is even more aggressive than “Valentine,” with Jordan accusing her ex-girlfriend of enjoying her pain. “Sucker for the pain, huh, honey?”

Jordan questions menacingly, going on to sing, “You wanna leave a stain.” This open hostility towards her former lover is then closed off by a note of desperation, finishing the chorus by singing, “Like a relapse does when you really tried / And damn, this time, I really tried.” In her hurt accusations, Jordan investigates both deep anguish and immense sadness. These emotional lyrics, combined with the off-kilter synthesizer underlying, creates a disorienting and volatile track.

The song grabs the listeners and doesn’t let them go until they’ve been rocked to their core.

After the two leading singles, the following eight songs continue to build a raw soundscape of emotion. Some convey the volatility of all-consuming relationships, such as the gentle pain of “Headlock,” in which Jordan admits that she believes herself to be nothing without her ex-girlfriend. This theme is likewise true of “Glory,” a fan favorite on the album, in which Jordan confesses that she struggles in allowing her relationships to control her. This pain reaches a peak as Jordan drills on, repeating “you owe me” over and over. The pronunciation of “you owe me” often blends into “you own me,” further emphasizing the blurry line between Jordan’s anger and sense of powerlessness.

This bitterness is juxtaposed with peaceful, melodic hymns of their relationship. A personal favorite of mine on the album is “Light Blue,” in which Jordan

recounts the highs of their relationship over the backtracking of a simple acoustic guitar. In an album of heavy drums and pulsing guitars, the gentle songs allow the listener to better understand the sadness involved. The album holds a lot of rage, but it is in these quieter moments that the listener learns how truly hurt Jordan is. This is especially true of the final track, “Mia,” in which Jordan finally reconciles with her future. Jordan uses a light, breathy tone to accept that, though she will always love her ex-girlfriend, she must move on. The lyrics hit hard: “Mia, don’t cry / I love you forever / But I gotta grow up now / No, I can’t keep holding on to you anymore / Mia, I’m still yours.” After loud,

raging highs, Jordan uses a melodic, airy low to truly accept her fate.

“Valentine” is a raw, emotionally turbulent album that drags its listener through the process of grieving a relationship. For this reason, it’s not for the faint of heart. Snail Mail does not provide any “happy songs,” or tracks that would allow the listener to take recess from the onslaught of devastation. Still, sometimes pain is needed for truly good music. A listener can empathize and even process their own lost relationships through Jordan’s lyrics.

Music is perhaps most powerful when it does just that, allowing one to reckon with their own life.

It’s impossible to predict what my natural responses could be to life-changing externally motivated events, the improbability of which allows these situations to exist solely as fun conversation starters.

However, that’s not the case for the characters in “The Wilds” (2020–), an Amazon Prime drama released last December.

“The Wilds” centers on a diverse group of teen girls trying to survive on an island after their plane crashes on its way to a women’s retreat in Hawaii, forcing them to grapple both with the trauma of their past and of their new present.

Critics have described “The Wilds” as some combination of “Survivor” (2000–), “Lost,” (2004–10), “Mean Girls” (2004) and other stories that represent a YA take on the deserted island trope. I’d reasonably offer up “Flight 29 Down” (2005–07) meets “Lord of the Flies” (1954) meets “Ocean’s Eight” (2018) — less for the heist than the all-female lineup.

Each episode centers on a different character, shifting between three timelines:

the girls’ struggle to survive, flashbacks to their life pre-crash and a present-day isolated interrogation room which becomes the plot device for storytelling. With little physical luggage remaining, the girls still have loads to unpack. Tough Dot (Shannon Berry) was her terminally ill father’s caretaker; Christian beauty-pageant princess Shelby (Mia Healey) struggles with her identity; the observant and broody Leah (Sarah Pidgeon) obsesses over her love affair with a 30-something author; elite diver Rachel (Reign Edwards) grapples against her body while pushing aside her sensitive, intelligent twin and so on.

“The Wilds” doesn’t lack its share of cheesiness. The first episode (and even a truncated version in the trailer) immediately tells us: “If we’re talking about what happened out there, then yeah, there was trauma. But being a teenage girl in normal-ass America, that was the real living hell.” Sure, it’s not so subtle, but coupled with an emotive soundtrack (including a recurring motif of Pink’s “Raise Your Glass”

(2010)) and Leah’s raspy voice, I was pretty easily sold.

By the premiere’s close the girls are revealed to be a part of a disgraced scientist’s attempt at a “Gynotopia” — a world without men and perhaps the tackiest and more CW-evoking element of the show. The ability of “The Wilds” to develop unique, emotionally packed storylines sucked me into its world, dropping me at cliffhangers and begging me to click “next.”

The best shows are absorbed twice: the first time, binge-watched into the depths of the night while in your childhood bedroom, the second time, over planned sitdowns with your two besties (shoutout to “the wild ones” Kyle and Anna). While watching “The Wilds” still left me vastly unequipped for a girl vs. nature experience, I’m eager to see what emerges in Season 2 from the comfort of my couch.

Fall 2021

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Break down the research

VIA WIKIPEDIA

Snail Mail released its new album, “Valentine,” on Nov. 5.

Raga Chilakamarri is a junior studying English and economics. Raga can be reached at raga.chilakamarri@tufts.edu.

A r t s & P o p C u lt u r e

Tuesday, November 16, 2021 | Arts & Pop Culture | THE TUFTS DAILY

5

‘Y: The Last Man’ adaptation doesn’t do its cast justice

by Carl Svahn Staff Writer

Stop me if you’ve heard this before. A devastating plague has wiped out most of the Earth’s population, and the key to our survival lies in the hands of an unlikely and ill-equipped group of survivors. Now, make that plague one that kills everything with a Y chromosome and make the group consist of the last cisgender human man on earth, his pet monkey (also male), his insecure yet lethal bodyguard and the rogue lesbian geneticist who might be able to save humanity’s future. Now that’s an idea. This is the set up for Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra’s seminal indie comic, “Y: The Last Man” (2002– 08), and while the long-awaited TV adaptation keeps this engrossing premise, it adds elements that turn one of the best post-apocalyptic stories of the last two decades into a miserable snooze fest of a show.

I don’t want this to be too harsh considering the show’s circumstances. An adaptation of “Y” has been in the works since 2007 when New Line Cinema acquired the film rights and after years of development hell: With multiple scripts, a switch in format from movie to show, several cast changes and a revolving door of showrunners, this project had all the markings of a catastrophe.

Yet when the dust had settled, the final cast and crew did their best to promote and spread it.

They showed a clear passion and energy for the show that hinted it may not be as bad as most feared it would be after 14 years, and it shows in the final product for better and for worse. Everyone is here clearly trying to make a good show, they’re just trying too hard.

There are three distinct plotlines this season, each with their own strengths and fatal flaws.

First is the journey of the titular last man, Yorick (yes, as in the skull from Hamlet. It makes sense, trust me). This is a standard apocalyptic road trip story,

VIA IMDB

“Y: The Last Man” was finally adapted from the comic to a TV series this fall after 14 years of delays. and by far the closest to the original comic, but it lacks any kind of levity or self-awareness. It’s draped in self-seriousness and muted colors to the point where the tone overshadows the admittedly solid cast. Ben Schnetzer as Yorick, Ashley Romans as Agent 355 and Diana Bang as Dr. Allison Mann are all good and their chemistry steadily improves throughout the season, but that’s

the only bright spot in this mess of a story. It lacks a central drive and any sense of fun or surreality that made the original comic so endearing and different. It echoes the fundamental problem that this show doesn’t seem to understand: More story doesn’t always make a better story.

Next up is Hero (Olivia Thirlby), Yorick’s wayward sister, and her transgender friend

Sam (Elliot Fletcher). Now, Sam’s inclusion is an obvious and admirable attempt to fix the lack of important transgender characters in the original comic, and Fletcher puts in the work to try and make his character relatable. And yet, it all feels pointless. The show portrays Sam with only two traits: He’s trans and he’s loyal to Hero. That’s it. And Hero herself

is probably the least likeable character in the show, despite Thirlby’s best efforts. The attempts that the writing makes at having her be a sympathetic character with a difficult past only result in annoyance and frustration from the audience.

Even when the pair meets Nora Brady (Marin Ireland) and Roxanne (Missi Pyle) with her cult of avenging women, little momentum is added, in fact it only makes this story feel more soap opera-y. The ideas here are interesting, but again, there’s too much bad writing to outweigh the otherwise good performances.

Last, and least, we have what’s left of the U.S. government holed up in the Pentagon being led by newly appointed President Jennifer Brown (Diane Lane), Yorick and Hero’s mother.

Despite clear efforts from Diane Lane as President Brown and Amber Tamblyn as Kimberly Campbell Cunningham (daughter of the now-deceased conservative president), nothing about this story feels important. What was once a throwaway reference and cut-back in the original story has been expanded into a full third of the show with no real goal other than to make half-baked attempts at commentary on modern politics. All the allusions to current political figures and battles (drink every time someone calls someone a Nazi or Snowflake) just make the whole thing feel more tiresome, all culminating in a far too predictable and unsatisfying endgame.

I did my best to judge this show on its own merits, and even then it constantly failed. As a result of constant setbacks in production, the strong performances and clear passion behind the camera are just completely overruled by bad writing, useless additions to the story and lack of focus. If it wasn’t for the source material, I would have already forgotten this generic and formless adaptation existed. Truth be told, I may have already started.

6

THE TUFTS DAILY | FUN & GAMES | Tuesday, November 16, 2021

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tuftsdaily.com LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY Alex J.: “Are you mad at me for knowing Taylor Swift?”

FUN & GAMES

SUDOKU MID NOVEMBER

By Juju Zweifach Difficulty Level: Deciding whether or not to take a fifth class.

Friday’s Solutions

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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

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Opinion

7 Tuesday, November 16, 2021

VIEWPOINT

The arrest of a houseless person in Harleston Hall: Moving toward a more restorative approach

by Sara Kessel Opinion Editor

On Sept. 7, a houseless man entered Harleston Hall behind two students, looking for a place to stay for the night. When residents on the fourth floor found him asleep on a common room couch, they turned to the Tufts University Police Department to address the situation. However, the outcome of their concern was more severe than they likely expected. After being called, TUPD chose to arrest and charge the man with trespassing. He now awaits a criminal case in court.

Yolanda Smith, executive director of public safety, justified the decision to arrest the man in an email to the Daily, writing that TUPD officers rarely make arrests.

“The Harleston Hall case was unusual and involved circumstances that made an arrest the appropriate action, including — but not limited to — the fact that the person involved had trespassed more than once and been advised not to enter Tufts’ buildings.” Smith said in

the email. “We have great compassion and empathy for those who might be unhoused or suffering from food insecurities. But we also must meet our responsibility to ensure that the Tufts community is safe for everyone.

Students who encounter a trespasser in a residence hall should call TUPD, knowing that we will respond appropriately and sensitively and keep all parties safe and sound.”

What remains unclear, however, is why TUPD would react punitively despite students’ claims that the man “never crossed the line of making someone uncomfortable.”

Tufts must recognize that the issue of houselessness is a complex issue that cannot be solved through either shallow warnings or baseless arrests. Rather, this form of punishment only leads to a vicious cycle of criminalization and economic hardship. To prevent the exacerbation of this through complicity sanctioned by the university, Tufts must implement a more restorative and productive approach to deal with safety issues of this nature.

As reported in Somerville’s Consolidation Action Plan for 2018–19, more than 500 people experience houselessness in Somerville every year. According to this plan, houseless individuals may suffer from chronic houselessness, issues of substance abuse or mental health issues and emergent health needs. Furthermore, Hispanic and Black populations are disproportionately exposed to poverty in comparison to the city’s white population. Shelters work extremely hard to support those in need, such as the Somerville Housing Coalition, which, as of 2020, has offered nearly 4,000 clients food, shelter and other services for as long as necessary.

However, these organizations cannot physically address the needs of every houseless person living in Somerville. These limitations are compounded when factoring in rapidly rising home prices and financial burdens of COVID-19.

The issues facing the Medford/ Somerville area are not unique and reflect a systemic failure to properly respond to and address

houselessness. Large metropolitan areas like Boston utilize anti-houseless methods including hostile architecture and police intervention to forcefully prevent people facing houselessness from being in public spaces.

The continued criminalization and repressive framework used by government bodies does little to actively combat the material issues of the houseless population. Instead, it replaces assistance — including services like shelters or financial help — with obstacles such as incarceration or fines.

In the incident that arose in Harleston Hall, TUPD could have very easily redirected the individual to available shelters in the area or resources to help instead of making an arrest. Ultimately, its decision here indicated the need for an alternative response team that is more equipped to deal with this kind of situation.

For other public safety issues requiring increased sensitivity, such as other non-violent arrests and mental health crises, an expansion of non-police staff in the Department of Public Safety

that have expertise on responding to these situations and are easily accessible to the student body is necessary.

In light of its inadequate response, as well as the university’s significant role in the gentrification of the surrounding area and displacement of local populations, Tufts must take active steps toward preventing houselessness. While Tufts has funded projects in the past, the university should look at investing in longer and more concrete solutions. Some universities have used their financial resources to work with local organizations and provide temporary housing to people facing houselessness while others have simply provided resources on their websites.

These are clear examples of how large institutions can try to combat the negative impact of their actions on the people they displaced. Ultimately, words of compassion and empathy cannot erase the decision made by TUPD, but institutional investment in combating the problem of homelessness may be a good start.

8 Tuesday, November 16, 2021

Sports

Football triumphs in season finale at Middlebury

by Jack Adgate

O TOBIAS FU / THE TUFTS DAILY

The Tufts University men’s football team wins against Colby College 26–21 on Nov. 6.

After a Middlebury punt to start the second half, Berluti, Pedrini and Johnson teamed up to take the Jumbos’ offense 67 yards to the end zone, capped off by a Tyler Johnson touchdown run. Pedrini caught a pass for a 39-yard gain that opened up the drive in a big way for Tufts.

After a fourth down stand deep in Jumbo territory, the Tufts offense kept firing, with Johnson running in another touchdown and Berluti finding Lutz for another large gain to push the ball down field.

Down 14 points, the Panthers kept fighting. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Jernigan threw for another touchdown on a fourth down in the red zone, capping off an 11-play, 75-yard drive.

Defending a one-score lead, the Jumbos’ defense stepped up down the stretch in the fourth, with senior defensive end and co-captain Jovan Nenadovic coming up with multiple tackles-for-losses and a huge 9-yard sack.

“The offense kept us in the game up to [the fourth quarter] so we had to do our part of keeping [Middlebury] out of the

endzone,” Nenadovic said. “I was talking to the defense before the last couple minutes of the game, and I told them there’s no better way to win it than to leave it in the hands of our defense.”

The icing on the cake was a late interception by senior cornerback Jason Ndansi, capping off an impressive fourth-quarter stand by the Jumbos’ defensive unit.

Berluti finished the game with 217 yards and two touchdowns in the air for Tufts, with Johnson and Pedrini rushing for 120 and 81 yards, respectively. Lutz had yet another impressive performance out wide for the Jumbos, bringing in seven catches for 70 yards.

Senior linebacker Matty Drouillard was everywhere for the Jumbos’ defense, leading the team with 12 tackles. Nenandovic came up big with seven tackles and a clutch sack.

“It’s tough to imagine winning a game after losing five straight, but we never strayed from our mission this season,” Nenadovic said. “We were faced with adversity, but we stepped up and responded, and it feels good knowing we ended on a high note.”

Junior Kate Bidgood finished in 53rd place with a time of 25:09, and was equally enthralled by her personal results as well as those of the team overall.

“This course has two pretty big hills,” she said. “Our team does well in tough conditions, so it added to the excitement of the race … we have a really strong team and everyone was really ready to run.”

Lowensohn and Bidgood both remarked that for the first time this season, no one slipped and fell, lost a shoe or got trampled in the mud. Additionally, the Jumbos have been surprised by the incredible depth of the team this season. Especially coming after COVID-19 restrictions, the team has been excited to race in full form and has been grateful for each opportunity to continue to compete.

“The team was really amped coming off a year when we couldn’t compete; everybody is ready to get back out there and do some damage,” Lowensohn said.

Bidgood was also excited to get back on the course.

“When you haven’t raced cross country in a really long time it’s hard to get back into it since it is such a unique feeling of pain and trying to push through, but this season surpassed all our expectations,” Bidgood said.

Lowensohn’s biggest excitement of the weekend was the team beating neighboring MIT, a consistent rival for Tufts.

“I had no idea we had beaten MIT at first, but once I got my bearings I realized every-

The Tufts women’s cross country team placed first at the NCAA Regional Championship meet on Nov. 13. one was yelling, ‘We beat MIT’ … I found my teammates and we were all crying tears of joy, so elated … it was pure joy,” Lowensohn said.

While the season is over for some, the top seven runners will have the opportunity to compete in the NCAA National Championships in Louisville, Ky. next weekend. The women’s runners are aiming to finish in the top four and have ambitions of a few individual All-American finishers coming out of the championships as well.

The men’s cross country team also found out late Sunday afternoon that it received an at-large big to run in the NCAA National Championships. Both teams will feed off their momentum from regionals and will undoubtedly have strong finishes.

Tufts cross country shines at NCAA Regional Championships

by Brigitte Wilson

Assistant Sports Editor

Tufts men’s and women’s cross country continued their excellent stretch of the season in last weekend’s NCAA Regional Championship in Boston, Mass.

The women’s team finished in first place out of 29 teams, marking their first-ever NCAA Regional Championship win. Senior co-captain Danielle Page came in second overall in the 6K race, finishing in 21:32, while senior co-captain Anna Slager finished third with a time of 22:18. The top 35 finishers earned All-Region honors, of which Tufts had five including junior Meghan Davis, junior Lauren Pollak and senior Tara Lowensohn.

The men’s team was also impressive, finishing third out of 33 teams in the 8K race.

Senior co-captain Sam Gatti finished 10th overall in 25:54, while sophomore Walter Wagude came in 15th with a time of 26:15.

The race marked the team’s best NCAA Regional finish since 2015, when it also came in third. Six of the seven men’s runners finished in the top 45, with the seventh in the top 100 finishers. Tufts had a lot of fan support from fellow athletes and alumni.

“We had over 100 teammates, members of the women’s crew team and alumni come as fans to the race,” Lowensohn said. “They painted their bodies and ran around the course and cheered for us, so the energy was awesome.”

David Cooperman Beyond Sports

Release the emails

Assistant News Editor

Tufts football was victorious in its final game of the season on Nov. 13, defeating Middlebury 34–27. The win marked the fourth in a row for the Jumbos after dropping their first five games of the year. They finished the 2021 season with a record of 4–5, tied for fifth in the NESCAC. The first quarter was marked by strong defense by both teams — with Tufts and Middlebury exchanging punts on the first four possessions of the game. Tufts finally cracked through late in the first on a 1-yard touchdown run by senior co-captain Mike Pedrini. The drive was fueled by a 50-yard gain from junior running back Tyler Johnson.

Midway through the second quarter, the Jumbos appeared to be cruising, with senior defensive back and co-captain Brandyn Jones intercepting Middlebury’s senior quarterback Will Jernigan. The next play after the turnover, freshman quarterback Michael Berluti found junior wide receiver Jackson Butler open in the end zone to put Tufts up 13–0.

Middlebury was down, but not out. In just two minutes, the Panthers drove 75 yards for a score on a run by Jernigan, inching one score closer to catching the Jumbos. After a Tufts three-and-out, the Panthers again drove down the field and put up another score, making it 13–13 with seven minutes left in the first half.

The Panthers weren’t done yet. After another three-and-out, the Middlebury offense drove 30 yards — supported by a 24-yard punt return — to take its first lead of the game at 20–13. The Jumbos responded well, however, with junior receivers Philip Lutz and Billy Dunn helping chip up the field, piecing together a 12-play drive. The last second drive was capped off by a 26-yard touchdown pass from Berluti to Dunn, bringing the score to 20–20 at the half.

tuftsdaily.com

KENDALL ROBERTS / THE TUFTS DAILY

n Oct. 11, former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden resigned after emails he sent to former Washington Football Team executive Bruce Allen containing homophobic, racist, sexist and otherwise vulgar language were leaked.

The emails sent by Gruden were only a few of 650,000 emails in review by the NFL. Another related investigation into misconduct by the Washington front office has revealed a toxic, abusive culture centered around executives’ behavior toward the team’s cheerleaders.

Then, a month later, Gruden sued the NFL, alleging that the league selectively leaked his emails in an effort to jettison him from football. While Gruden’s emails were unquestionably grounds for his removal, there is clearly widespread, inexcusable behavior propagating through the NFL. It is fairly evident that Allen, Gruden and the handful of other executives named and punished are not the only guilty among the senders of the 650,000 emails.

This is why the NFL must take the hit and accept the demands of Gruden and NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith, who was a target of Gruden’s hateful remarks. Smith is calling on commissioner Robert Goodell to release the rest of the emails, likely beginning a long, treacherous fight for the NFL to rid itself of its own archaic culture.

There is no place in the United States’ top professional sports league for the language used by Gruden. The league’s only current openly gay player, Carl Nassib, plays for the Raiders. Nassib publicly came out on June 21, and then for four months was coached by a man who stated that lineman Michael Sam shouldn’t have been drafted due to his sexuality.

It is time for Goodell and the rest of the league to snap out of their self-protecting ways. As white owners and executives cling to power and sweep scandal after scandal under the rug to ensure their own sanctity, players will become more and more disenfranchised by the lack of representation in front offices.

Black players make up almost 70% of the league’s playing rosters, yet only eight of the NFL’s general managers and coaches are Black. It took until this June for the NFL to stop using a formula for concussion protocols, which assumed that Black players had lower cognitive functioning.

Racism clearly permeates the league, from Colin Kaepernick’s blackballing to Gruden’s remarks. Whatever lies in the unreleased emails will, if publicized, likely expose even more executives’ hateful rhetoric.

Despite the PR nightmare that the league will face, it will ensure a necessary cleansing of those behind the NFL’s cultural hell.

Players, cheerleaders and other personnel should feel both respected and represented by those in their front offices. Even if it is a self-battering blow, Goodell needs to allow the evidence he has collected speak for itself in a public forum.

Gruden’s resignation must also set the stage for how the NFL handles a hypothetical release of the emails. Whether the executives leave on their own accord or are given a push out the door, it is time for the league to make a turn in the right direction. Rid the sport of those who promote the culture of toxicity.

David Cooperman is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. David can be reached at david.cooperman@tufts.edu.