NEWS

page 6 Weekender: High concept, low payoff page 9 Toxic productivity is counterproductive Cross country iced out of top finish in Michigan NEWS

1 FEATURES 4 ARTS & POP CULTURE 6 FUN & GAMES 8 OPINION 9 SPORTS BACK

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF TUFTS UNIVERSITY EST. 1980

THE TUFTS DAILY

VOLUME LXXXIV, ISSUE 12

UNIVERSITY

Thursday, december 1, 2022

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS.

university President-elect sunil Kumar tours campuses, speaks to students

by Madeline Wilson

Deputy News Editor Originally published Nov. 21

Tufts announced on Nov. 17 that Sunil Kumar will be the 14th president of Tufts. Kumar will succeed current University President Anthony Monaco, who has held the office for 12 years, beginning in July 2023. Kumar was welcomed to Tufts’ campuses on Thursday and Friday to celebrate the announcement and meet members of the community.

Kumar is currently the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Johns Hopkins University and has previously served on the faculty of the University of Chicago and Stanford University. Kumar will be the first president of color at Tufts.

At an event on the Tufts Medford/Somerville campus on Thursday, students, faculty, administrators and other members of the Tufts community had an opportunity to meet Kumar in person. Peter Dolan (A’78, A’08P), chairman of the Board of Trustees and chair of the Presidential Search Committee, introduced Kumar and spoke on the committee’s reason for choosing him as president-elect.

“His leadership capabilities truly stand out,” Dolan said. “One of his references called him a ‘dazzling academic leader.’ He’s very analytical and thoughtful, and that plays over into his problem-solving approach. He is certainly a creative problem-solver who is able to synthesize lots of information…and apply it to whatever problem or issue or challenges he faces.”

Kumar’s research background is in engineering and operations management, and Dolan remarked that Kumar’s interests span disciplines. In an interview with the Daily, Kumar discussed his approach to leadership in higher education and what makes the world of academia so special to him.

“I do bring a very analytical approach to university

see PRESIDENT, page 2

COURTESY ALONSO NICHOLS University President-elect Sunil Kumar is pictured visiting a class at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts on Nov. 18.

UNIVERSITY

Friedman school awarded $6.6 million NIh grant for mississippibased nutrition research

by Katie Spiropoulos

Contributing Writer

The Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts received a $6.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to research community-based nutrition programs in the Mississippi Delta area. The project seeks to bolster local produce consumption and production.

Christina Economos, dean ad interim of the Friedman School of Nutrition Policy and Science, discussed the school’s approach to their research and first steps.

“The model that we’re using is a community engagement model, which is really important when you work in communities, to involve them in every step in the research process,” Economos said. “That includes beginning with a year of formative research, to hear their voices [and] understand their concerns and their lived experience and really design an intervention that will be effective for the particular population.”

The Friedman School will conduct research through partnerships with the Delta Health Center and Tougaloo College, a historically Black college in Jackson, Miss.

“There are nine of these health center locations within the Delta,” Economos wrote in a follow-up email to the Daily. “Our partners at Tougaloo are faculty members who will be working with us at Tufts to design, implement and evaluate the intervention.”

The Mississippi Delta area has some of the highest diabetes and obesity rates in the United States, and 77% of the region is classified by the federal government as a food desert. The research intends to foster nutritional education and also increase consumption

see NUTRITION, page 3

QUAN TRAN / THE TUFTS DAILY Tufts’ Friedman School of Nutrition is pictured on Nov. 19.

UNIVERSITY

Tufts prepares for various outcomes in supreme court affirmative action case

by Aditya Acharya

News Editor Originally published Nov. 30

On Monday, Oct. 31, the Supreme Court heard arguments about whether the race of applicants should be considered during the college admission process. These cases were raised against Harvard College and the University of North Carolina. The conservative supermajority on the Court seems prepared to overrule the landmark precedent from Grutter v. Bollinger, the 2003 case that made affirmative action policies in college admissions legal.

Hours after the Supreme Court heard arguments in both Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. Presidents and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. University of North Carolina, University President Anthony Monaco released a statement reminding readers that Tufts signed an amicus curiae brief, a legal document filed by a party that has a strong interest in the outcome of a court case, regarding the role of affirmative action policies in admissions practices.

“Tufts University recently joined several institutions of higher education in submitting an amicus curiae brief in support of Harvard and UNC, and the use of a holistic, individualized college admissions process that considers many factors, including race,” Monaco wrote in the statement.

Monaco also expressed support for the consideration of diversity in admissions practices, mentioning Tufts as an example of an institution that benefits from a diverse student, faculty and staff body.

“As research, and our own institutional experience affirms,

see COURT, page 3

Chloe Courtney Bohl Editor in Chief

– EDITORIAL –

Delaney Clarke Julia Shannon-Grillo

Managing Editors Ty Blitstein Abigail Vixama

Associate Editors

Emily Thompson

Aaron Gruen Ariana Phillips Madeline Wilson Aditya Acharya Madeleine Aitken Coco Arcand Peri Barest Olivia Field Skyler Goldberg Ella Kamm Maddy Mueller Michael Weiskopf Ava Autry Charlotte Chen Daniel Vos Executive News Editor Deputy News Editors

News Editors

Assistant News Editors

Mark Choi

Sam Dieringer Kaitlyn Wells Owen Bonk Jillian Collins Katie Furey Kendall Roberts Sam Russo Kate Seklir Tobias Fu Isabelle Kaminsky Maya Katz Layla Kennington Elizabeth Zacks Executive Features Editor Deputy Features Editors

Features Editors

Assistant Features Editors

Jack Clohisy

RaiAnn Bu Henry Chandonnet Ellie Lester Siavash Raissi Carl Svahn Emmy Wenstrup Blake Anderson Alexis Enderle Odessa Gaines Ryan Fairfield Nate Hall

Reya Kumar

Daniel Chung Idil Kolabas Gian Luca Di Lenardo Henry Murray Kristin Shiuey

Alexander Janoff

Brendan Hartnett Makenna Law Julian Perry Faye Thijssen Marianna Schantz

Keila McCabe

Arielle Weinstein Oliver Fox Ethan Grubelich Arnav Sacheti Bharat Singh Sam Dieringer Henry Gorelik Timothy Valk Michael Wallace-Bruce Executive Arts Editor Arts Editors

Assistant Arts Editors

Executive Opinion Editor Deputy Opinion Editor Opinion Editors

Editorial Editor Editorialists

Executive Sports Editor Deputy Sports Editor Sports Editors

Assistant Sports Editors

Ethan Steinberg Investigative Editor

Flora Meng

Peri Barest Avery Hanna Yanqing Huang Ian Lau Emilia Nathan Sarah Sandlow Chris Tomo Cindy Zhang Executive Science Editor Science Editors

Aaron Klein Executive Audio Producer

Natalie Brownsell Ian Lau

Executive Photo Editors

Julia Carpi Executive Video Editor

Odessa Gaines

Avery Hanna

Intentionality & Inclusivity Committee Chairs

Skyler Goldberg Education Committee Chair

Madeleine Aitken

Mariel Priven

Social Committee Chairs

– PRODUCTION –

Charlene Tsai

Production Director

Maddy Noah Mike Kourkoulakos

Paavani Agrawal Max Antonini Brooke Chomko Alexa Hopwood Olivia Leviss Meghna Singha Olivia White Executive Layout Editors

Layout Editors

Avril Lynch Camilla Samuel

Executive Graphics Editors

Rachel Liu Christopher Vergos

Aedan Brown Sophie Dorf-Kamienny Marlee Stout Lucy Belknap Julieta Grané Merry Jiao George McGurkin Maddy Mueller Isabel Overby Executive Copy Editors

Copy Editors

Assistant Copy Editors

Liz Buehl Caroline Vandis

Executive Social Media Managers Evelyn Altschuler Executive Newsletter Editor – BUSINESS –

Sam Berman

Business Director

Michelle Alizada Izzy Francis Erika Kim Ryan Sorbi

Kendall Roberts Kate Seklir

Ad Managers

Receivables Managers

Alumni Liaisons

UNIVERSITY

students call for free laundry, laundry assistance programs

by Ella Kamm

News Editor

The Tufts chapter of Young Democratic Socialists of America has created a petition calling on the university to provide free use of laundry machines in all residential halls. They join groups like the Tufts Community Union Senate in considering how laundry costs act as a barrier to equity, though their proposed solutions differ.

“Tufts professes to be anti-racist and equitable, but charging money for laundry disproportionately burdens low-income students, who are disproportionately students of color,” Tufts YDSA wrote in an open letter to University President Anthony Monaco. “This is just another way Tufts contributes to systems that widen wealth gaps and increase the cost of living for students of color and low-income students.”

The use of washers and dryers in residential halls costs $1.50 per cycle, paid through the school’s JumboCash system. Currently, a single load of laundry costs a minimum of $3.00, though due to additional drying fees, many students pay more than that to wash their clothes.

“I think it’s important because those small charges add up, especially when you routinely have to pay extra for drying,” First-year TCU Senator Ayomide Oloyede wrote in an email to the Daily. “After all, the 60 minutes allotted often does not fully dry your clothes. Additionally, the volume capacity of the dryers often forces you to do multiple loads.”

As the representative of the FIRST community, Oloyede said he is focusing his efforts on providing low-income students with assistance.

“I believe that laundry is not a burden or obstacle for most students on campus,” he wrote. “At most, it is a mild annoyance. What I mean by that is that most students on campus can comfortably afford the laundry costs, whereas it is more of an obstacle for many low-income students.”

While Oloyede and the TCU Senate are not the first to take up this issue, senators have made laundry assistance more of a priority compared to years past.

“This has been a goal for TCU Senate long since before I was in office; however, it requires institutional support and a dedicated funding stream to have longevity,” Oloyede wrote. “I would venture to say that we have made the most progress, arguably, in this semester than in previous years.”

Tufts YDSA has a more ambitious goal: to get Tufts to eliminate the costs associated with doing laundry in residence halls altogether. They cite free laundry machine access at similar collegiate institutions as a way to put pressure on the university to make the change.

“Tufts is one of the most expensive private universities in the country. We already pay around 9000 dollars in residential costs, and laundry is not included in this,” Neelan Martin, chair of Tufts YDSA, wrote in an email to the Daily. “When we started researching this, we found that top universities across the country, such as Columbia and Stanford, have free laundry programs.”

Oloyede worries that the cost of universally free laundry would simply be passed onto students in a different way.

“I would love to be wrong, and I think that it’s fantastic that students are working towards that; I have just taken a different approach, and I’m aiming for a slightly different end goal,” Oloyede wrote.

Tufts YDSA argues that free laundry machine access could be paid for by the university’s fast-growing $2.7 billion endowment.

“Tufts University is well positioned to be a leader in this field,” Tufts YDSA wrote in the letter. “Tufts’ endowment grew massively over the past two years (increasing by $750 million in fiscal year 2021 alone), and we have had more applicants and admitted students than ever before.”

The administration says that calls for lower laundry costs will be reviewed in the coming months.

“The issue of access to and affordability of laundry services in Tufts residence halls has been raised previously by members of the TCU Senate, and representatives of a number of offices will be meeting with them in December to discuss their concerns and ideas,” Patrick Collins, Tufts’ executive director of media relations, wrote in an email to the Daily. “Separately, the president’s office received the Tufts YDSA petition and will direct it to the appropriate parties for review.”

Martin said that Tufts YDSA hopes to circulate its petition as widely as possible but that this is not where their efforts end.

“We want to show the administration that this is an issue that students care about,” Martin said. “Hopefully, they will listen to the petition and will work to make laundry free. But, if they do not, we have some ideas on how to prove to the administration that making laundry free is important to the students. Tufts YDSA is very committed to this issue, and the petition is only the beginning of our work.”

The Hill Hall laundry room is pictured on Nov. 16.

DAVID KIM / THE TUFTS DAILY

Kumar aspires to foster diverse, inclusive environment

PRESIDENT

continued from page 1 leadership,” Kumar said in an interview with the Daily. “My experience as an academic has taught me to realize how special the academic enterprise is. This is the world where people get to follow their curiosity … prepare future leaders, but also change society. It’s a great privilege that we all have within the walls of the academy. In that sense, as a professor, I came to understand that privilege very early on, and I see that as a true strength of the university that we should foster.”

In his address to the Tufts community at the event, Kumar expressed his excitement at receiving the opportunity to lead Tufts and named a few reasons why he is looking forward to taking on the position.

“There’s a lot to love and admire about Tufts,” Kumar said. “The emphasis on students; the outstanding undergraduate program and the emphasis on producing engaged citizens. The emphasis on people in general. The unique constellation of schools and … a firm belief that they indeed … are the light on the hill.”

In his speech, Kumar also discussed some of the ways in which he plans to continue and change Monaco’s legacy, noting that he has left “large shoes to fill.” In particular, Kumar emphasized that creating a diverse and inclusive environment will be a top priority in his work as president.

“I see my role as continuing to ensure that Tufts delivers on its responsibility with even more impact and momentum — that it is indeed the light on the hill — by making its education more affordable to educate an even more diverse and deserving set of future leaders, benefitting all parts of society through impactful research on key challenges, especially on challenges that are understudied, despite their importance,” Kumar said.

In his previous work at Johns Hopkins, Kumar spearheaded a number of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice initiatives that helped to bring underrepresented voices to fields in academia. These include the Vivien Thomas Scholars Initiative, which works to increase Ph.D. student diversity at Johns Hopkins.

“The university is best served by having a very diverse and inclusive climate,” Kumar told the Daily. “I see that as an important value, and it is because people have been inclusive that I have made it to this point as well.”

Students at Thursday’s event expressed their excitement about the announcement of the new president and noted that they are feeling good about the university’s choice.

“I think he’s definitely qualified,” first-year Julian Kelly said. “[It] just makes me feel very comfortable with him coming in and replacing someone who’s been here for such a long time.”

Kelly and fellow first-year Piper Lange discussed issues they hope Kumar will address in his upcoming position as President. Kelly noted that he would like Kumar to divest the remaining money that Tufts has invested in the fossil fuel industry. Lange stated that she was curious how Kumar would handle Tufts resident assistants’ recent move to unionize.

In his address, Kumar said he hopes to build relationships with Tufts community members across campuses and fields and that he hopes his personal values will drive his decisions as he steps into the role of president.

“It’s always about the people,” Kumar said. “You should lead with your values. You should never lose sight of the mission of education, research and practice. And most importantly, you should never stop taking delight in the achievements of the people around you.”

Until July, Kumar plans to spend as much time as possible on campus, engaging with students and community members and immersing himself in Tufts’ unique culture.

“There’s no substitute for walking the halls,” Kumar said to the Daily. “Being on campus every day — it’s such a wonderful place. It’s almost magic.”

NUTRITION

continued from page 1 of food and vegetables.

Robin Boyles, chief program planning development officer at Delta Health Center, explained the center’s role in this initiative.

“We will be recruiting the patients … something like 1,500 of our patients have a diabetic diagnosis,” Boyles said. “Tufts University will be doing the research behind it and collecting the data.”

Boyles commented on practical applications of the research.

“This will be a great benefit to many of our patients, especially being able to get boxes every week of fresh fruits and vegetables,” Boyles said. “If you’re someone that lives 20 miles from a grocery store … then you may be able to get to the grocery store once a month [and] fresh fruits or vegetables aren’t going to last too long.”

Temika Simmons, chief public relations officer at Delta Health Center, discussed the importance of open communication and education with the public in a community-based study.

“Even though we live in some very starkly impoverished areas, people still have a great sense of pride in what they do,” Simmons said. “No one wants to be plagued with feeling like … they’re underprivileged or that they are without medical care.”

The Delta Health Center provides a wide range of health and wellness services to residents of Mississippi, including teaching patients to “advocate for their own health,” according to Simmons. Simmons emphasized the impact that the grant will have on their operations.

“Part of our education is not just letting people know what our services are, but rather [seeing us] as a tool to manage better health,” she said. “[The grant] allows us to have a unique partnership to deepen that work in terms of education [and] in terms of outreach.”

Economos explained that this research relates to the “Food is Medicine” movement, which medically tailors diet plans to aid in combating illnesses.

“What’s really different about this is it’s a five-year study, and during the first phase, we will work to understand the community, the participants and their lived experience and what they might want in terms of an intervention,” Economos wrote.

Unlike other Food is Medicine projects where the “produce [could be] grown 1,000 miles away and available in a retail environment,” Economos noted that “the goal of this project is to scale up local production and utilize locally grown produce in the food is medicine intervention.”

Boyles expressed her excitement about working with Tufts and Tougaloo College in this initiative.

“We’re really looking forward to rekindling this relationship that we have had before with Tufts,” she said. “We really think it’s going to have … a very positive impact on many of our patients who are low-income and lack access to fresh fruits and vegetables.”

Tufts reiterates support for affirmative action policies

COURT

continued from page 1 diversity, in all its forms, drives institutional excellence,” Monaco wrote. “I firmly believe that one of the most distinctive attributes of a Tufts education is the variety of backgrounds and perspectives that our students, faculty, and staff bring to campus that enrich the educational experience.”

James Glaser, professor of political science and dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, predicts that the Supreme Court case will impact the university’s admissions practices, although the extent of this change is unknown as of now.

“It’s hard to know exactly what will come from the Supreme Court later this term,” Glaser wrote in an email to the Daily. “It’s likely that the Court will compel changes to university admissions practices. We don’t know how broad the decision will be, however.”

Glaser affirmed that the Tufts admissions office is proactively considering necessary modifications to their practices since the court decisions are expected to influence admissions outcomes for the Class of 2027.

Mary Jeka, senior vice president and general counsel of the University Relations division, noted that Tufts is preparing for various outcomes of the two admissions court cases.

“The Tufts Office of University Counsel has been carefully watching the SFFA v. Harvard and SFFA v. UNC cases and are preparing for potential outcomes,” Jeka wrote in an email to the Daily. “We were pleased that Tufts was able to participate in the filing of an amicus brief which well-articulated the long-standing precedent in support of and many of the mission critical reasons for diversity on campuses across the country.”

Glaser anticipates that, while the Supreme Court cases will have great influence over university and college admissions practices, Tufts will continue to value and strive for diversity in admissions.

“Affirmative action has been an important vehicle for assuring diversity in our classes,” Glaser wrote. “That diversity is important to this and to many other universities. We may well have to change some of our admissions process, but Tufts’ commitment to diversity will certainly continue.”

Patrick Collins, executive director of media relations at Tufts, emphasized the university’s commitment to diversity despite the uncertainty regarding the outcomes of the cases.

“We won’t know the court’s ruling until next year, but we are taking steps in the interim to consider our options depending on a number of scenarios,” Collins wrote in an email to the Daily. “Regardless of the outcome, President Monaco has emphatically stated that the university will continue to be committed to diversity in all its forms.”

Collins, like Monaco and Glaser, highlighted the importance of diversity to the quality and impact of a Tufts education.

“We believe that the variety of backgrounds and perspectives on our campuses is one of the attributes that make a Tufts education distinctive and transformative,” Collins wrote.

DAVID KIM / THE TUFTS DAILY

The Tufts admissions office is pictured on Nov. 28.

In Photos: meira performs in Tufts Daily Newsroom Concert Series