The Tufts Daily - Tuesday, February 15, 2022

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Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Admissions reiterates commitment to diversity despite affirmative action’s uncertain future

by Ethan Steinberg News Editor

With the Supreme Court poised to consider the fate of affirmative action later this year, experts say the decision could have wide-reaching effects on the number of Black and Hispanic students admitted to selective schools. But administrators at Tufts said the possible end of affirmative action will not thwart the university’s commitment to building a student body that’s more diverse.

Tufts is one of hundreds of selective schools to consider race in admissions, but officials affirmed applicants are given a “holistic” look that weighs dozens of factors, including academic and co-curricular accomplishments, identity and lived experience.

“To achieve our mission as an institution and build the kind of community that we believe best prepares our students to go out into the world as active citizens, we need to be able to take into consideration the myriad iden-

tities and lived experiences of our applicants among very many factors,” JT Duck, dean of admissions, said in a statement.

He added that admissions officers value the way an applicant uses the opportunities available to them.

But the Supreme Court’s decision last month to hear a challenge to affirmative action sounded the alarm for some experts who fear the conservative-leaning body may rule against the use of race in admissions.

Brought by the anti-affirmative action group Students for Fair Admission, the case accuses Harvard and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill of discriminating against white and Asian American applicants and giving preference to Black, Hispanic and Native American students.

The Harvard case alleges the university violates Title VI, which forbids discrimination based on race in places that receive federal government funding. SFFA claims the elite university uses

AARON APOSTADERO / THE TUFTS DAILY

Bendetson Hall, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, is pictured. subjective measures, like courage and kindness, as a basis for excluding some Asian Americans from admission.

The case was filed in 2014 and SFFA has since lost twice: once in a trial court in 2019 and another time in a court of appeals in 2020. The second ruling prompted SFFA to file a petition last year calling on the top court to consider the suit,

Data Intensive Studies Center launches art datathon, discusses feminist data science

by Evelyn Altschuler Staff Writer

On Feb. 11, the Data Intensive Studies Center launched its 2022 Art Datathon with a “What Does Feminist Data Science Look Like?” lecture from Catherine D’Ignazio, assistant professor of urban science and planning at MIT, director of the Data + Feminism Lab and co-author of the book “Data Feminism” (2020).

D’Ignazio explained how feminist scholarship can be utilized to create more fair and ethical data practices, especially for marginalized communities. “‘Data Feminism’ … [is] a part of a growing body of work that’s looking to hold corporate and government actors accountable for basically making sexist, racist and classist data products,” D’Ignazio said. “So if you’ve been following the space at all, this is the space of algorithmic bias, fairness in artificial intelligence, ethics in machine learning.”

D’Ignazio explained that data science isn’t necessarily neutral. Rather, it can be discriminatory and harmful.

“These are things like face detection systems that cannot see women of color, hiring algorithms that demote women’s resumes [and] child abuse detection algorithms that punish poor parents and many more examples” D’Ignazio said.

By providing these examples of harmful technological practices, D’Ignazio argued that data feminism is powerful.

“The basic argument that we make in the book is that intersectional feminism, when applied to the unequal balance of power in data science, can help that power be challenged, rebalanced and changed,” D’Ignazio said.

D’Ignazio noted that there are seven principles of data feminism: examining power, challenging power, rethinking binaries and hierarchies, elevating emotion and embodiment, embracing pluralism, considering context and making labor visible.

D’Ignazio illustrated the first principle, examining power, using “The Library of Missing Datasets” (2016), an art piece

by Mimi Onuoha. The piece documents missing datasets that Onuoha has identified, D’Ignazio said.

“These are datasets that a reasonable person might expect to exist, but in fact, these are datasets that don’t exist — things like trans people killed or injured in instances of hate crimes, people excluded from public housing because of criminal records and so on,” D’Ignazio said.

Over a period of multiple years, Onuoha — whose background is in journalism — kept a running list for each time she would encounter a missing dataset. Onuoha inserted folders titled with the missing datasets into a white filing cabinet.

“You can go through the folders. … Of course, when you open up the folder, it’s empty,” D’Ignazio said. “The data are missing, there are no records in the data set. And so the point she is trying to make in this piece is that these datasets are missing for a reason.”

The absence of certain datasets can be attributed to see DATATHON, page 2

despite repeated strong rulings against the plaintiffs.

The case against UNC, a public school, accuses the university of violating the Equal Protection Clause and discriminating against white and Asian American applicants. The two cases will be considered together by the court.

Affirmative action has been upheld repeatedly by the

Supreme Court, with the most recent ruling coming in 2016 in a lawsuit filed against the University of Texas. Since then, three Trump-appointed justices have joined the Supreme Court, shifting the court’s ideological balance rightward.

One of the reasons affirmative action has continued to be see ADMISSIONS, page 2

TCU Senate allocates supplementary funding

by Tess Harmon

Assistant News Editor

The Tufts Community Union Senate heard supplementary funding requests on Sunday afternoon in the Sophia Gordon Hall Multipurpose Room.

Following roll call, TCU Diversity Officer Jaden Pena opened the floor for updates from the Community and Diversity Committee.

Asian American Community Senator Kristin Ng announced that she met with Kelly Shaw, nutrition specialist for Tufts Dining. According to Ng, a sophomore, Shaw wants to work with the cultural centers to inform better preparation of Asian cuisine. Ng will also be meeting with the Asian American Center to discuss plans for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Africana Community Senator Hadiya Giwa announced that the Africana Advisory Alliance is working with the Tufts Bookstore to implement more items that the Black community might need. Giwa, a sophomore, also noted that Tufts Dining is working with the Muslim Students

FEATURES / page 3

OPINION / page 7

SPORTS / back

Lyndell’s Bakery: Sweeter than ever at 135 years

Stop penalizing COVID-19-related absences

Swim and dive makes waves at NESCAC Championship

Association to create options for the month of Ramadan.

TCU Historian and Outreach Committee Chair Mariana JanerAgrelot then gave updates on the new TCU Senate logo. The Senate discussed options for creating the new logo, including employing an artist and hosting a competition.

Next, TCU Treasurer Elizabeth Hom introduced 12 supplementary funding requests.

Tufts Wind Ensemble requested $1,344 to fund a 30-person trip to a concert at the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The request passed with 17 senators voting in favor, none opposing and one abstaining.

Tufts Financial Group requested $750 to fund their entry fee into the Venture Capital Investment Competition. The Allocations Board’s recommendation to fully fund the request passed by acclamation.

The Bengali Students Association requested $1,300 to host events this spring, including International Mother Language Day and a mixer with Bostonarea schools. ALBO unanimously voted to fund the request and it passed by acclamation. see SENATE, 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, February 15, 2022

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Tufts says it is committed to attracting a diverse student body ADMISSIONS

continued from page 1 upheld is because it has been proven to benefit all students, including those who are white or Asian American, Natasha Warikoo, professor of sociology at Tufts, said in an interview with the Daily.

Warikoo, an expert on racial inequality in education, said the end to affirmative action would likely mean fewer Black, Latino and Native American students earning admission to highly competitive schools.

“I think [there] will be lost opportunities for students who are very capable and who could do well at those places,” Warikoo said.

She added that affirmative action has been proven to engender more positive racial attitudes and greater civic engagement in students of all backgrounds in a diverse student body.

Affirmative action can counteract racial inequality in higher education while serving as reparations for many selective uni-

versities “who benefited either directly or indirectly from racial exclusion,” Warikoo said.

But she emphasized that the top court, which is likely to hear the case this fall, may rule in favor of the longstanding admissions practice, despite a conservative majority.

After celebrating its most diverse applicant pool in history this year, Tufts will continue to prioritize diversity, Patrick Collins, a university spokesperson, said.

“​​ Diversity is vital to creating a climate that encourages learning both in and out of the classroom, fosters respectful conversations and provides all of our students with transformational experiences,” Collins said. “We’re committed to continuing to attract and admit a diverse student body and to working across the university to foster an inclusive and diverse environment that makes everyone feel welcome.”

D’Ignazio discusses 7 principles of data feminism DATATHON

continued from page 1 societal power imbalances, D’Ignazio argued.

“This imbalance of power is what determines which data are collected and which are not; what research is conducted, what research is not; and who has the resources to undertake these things and who does not,” D’Ignazio said.

“So governments have this power, money institutions have this power, minoritized groups and communities generally do not.”

D’Ignzaio explored the second principle of data feminism through the topic of femicide — gender-related killings of cis and trans women — in Mexico. “[Femicide is] legally defined as crimes in a handful of countries, including Mexico, where this project was based,” D’Ignazio said. “However, even though there are laws on the books, the state does not systematically collect data on femicide.”

In “Data Feminism,” the second chapter explores Maria Salguero, a researcher who collected data on femicide in Mexico. “[Salguero] assembled the most comprehensive public archive of femicide in the Mexican context,” D’Ignazio said. “She’s helped families locate loved ones, she’s provided data to journalists and NGOs and she’s actually been called in front of Mexico’s congress to testify several times.”

Salguero’s role in collecting data when the Mexican government did not is what D’Ignazio considers to be “counter data,” a powerful way to utilize data to go against the unfair balance of power.

At the end of her lecture, D’Ignazio answered participants’ questions, including one regarding how government agencies can trust feminist data to produce progress for communities.

“The interesting thing about the counter data that’s being produced by these alternately activists, feminist collectives, civil

OLIVIA BELLO / THE TUFTS DAILY

Students work together at the Tufts Art Datathon in the Joyce Cummings Center on Feb. 12. society groups, is that those data often become the most reliable source of information,” D’Ignazio responded. “They end up being statistics that are cited by the UN, … or the United States State Department … ends up citing the work by these women-led data organizations.”

Anna Haensch, a senior data scientist at the Tufts Data Intensive Studies Center, asked about the relationship between capitalism and data feminism.

“Capitalism is definitely at odds with data feminism,” D’Ignazio responded. “If by cap-

italism we mean an economic system that hoards resources for a very few number of people and externalizes social and collective costs of operations to the public, then of course — those disproportionately fall on the shoulders of more vulnerable and marginalized people. So that system, I think, is very incompatible with data feminism and with intersectional feminism more generally.”

The 2022 Art Datathon continued with a “Finding Bias in Museum Collections” panel, which featured Kelli Morgan, Diana Greenwald and Chad Topaz.

TCU hears updates on Class of 2024 Prom theme

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SENATE

continued from page 1 Tufts National Society of Black Engineers requested $24,423, of which ALBO recommended $12,870, to fund a 20-person trip to Anaheim, California for the NSBE Annual Convention. The request passed by acclamation.

Tufts Freshman 15, a recently formed music club, requested $945 in a new group funding request, which included funding of a music chart, rental of Fisher Recital Hall and mixing concert audio. Eight ALBO members voted in favor of the request, with none opposed and none abstaining. The request passed by acclamation.

Cheap Sox, a comedy group on campus, requested $50 for supplies needed in the Laughs of Love Fundraiser. The request passed by acclamation.

The Italian Club requested $617 in a new group funding request, which included funds for a Spring Meet and Greet, an Italian cooking class and a North End food tour. The request passed by acclamation.

The Korean Dance Association requested $563 to fund performance attire and the hiring of a videographer to record an upcoming performance. ALBO recommended 100% of the request, which passed by acclamation.

MICHELLE LI / TUFTS DAILY

Sophia Gordon Hall is pictured.

Pep Band requested $300, which ALBO fully recommended, to fund food for newly scheduled spring games. The request passed by acclamation.

The South Asian Political Action Committee requested $900 to fund payments for two speaker events, the Free Tibet Event and the Caste and Dance Event. ALBO suggested complete funding of the request, which passed by acclamation.

Baseball Analytics at Tufts requested $1,750 to fund the entry fee for the Diamond Dollars Case Competition. 18 senators voted in favor, none opposing and none abstaining.

Tufts Pre-Law Society requested a new budget which asked for $477 to fund money for club meetings, speaker events and pre-law resources. ALBO recommended $295, abstaining from funding LSAT textbooks. The request passed by acclamation.

TCU Vice President Tim Leong then opened the floor for updates from the trustee representatives.

Trustee Representative Izzy Lobin announced the trustees’ plans to build more beds and a new dorm, as well as

new steam pipes for Eaton Hall. Trustee Representative Max Miller updated the body on the Academic Affairs Committee’s strategies to involve more students in the committee’s plans.

Services Committee Chair Arielle Galinsky then updated the body on a partnership with Tufts Eco Reps, plans for meal swipe donations at the end of the semester and the Menstrual Product Project.

Class of 2025 Senator Aniyah Perry announced that she looked at available wall spaces for a mural that would highlight student interests on campus.

Next, Galinsky and Class of 2024 Senator Claire Bolash gave updates on the prom committee’s idea of ascribing a “Back to the ‘20s” theme to the event. However, concerns were raised about oppression toward people of color during that decade. The Senate then discussed other possibilities for themes and resolved to hear more suggestions next week.

After some updates from the Education Committee, the body held an open forum where Senators gave updates concerning different clubs.

Features

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Lyndell’s Bakery: The sweetest spot in Somerville

by Elizabeth Zacks Contributing Writer

When you open the door to Lyndell’s, you’re walking into more than just a bakery. You’re taking a bite of local history.

Located in Somerville’s Ball Square, Lyndell’s Bakery has been serving the Somerville community since 1887 and is the oldest scratch bakery in New England.

It marked its 135th year of business this year and has remained true to its traditional roots.

Large glass display cases feature their various delectable delights, from pastries to custom cakes to half moons, all of which are baked using their century-old recipes.

Bill Galatis, the fourth and current owner of Lyndell’s, shared that all the products at Lyndell’s are made fresh daily, which has allowed the bakery to sustain itself for a long time.

This commitment to the quality of its products is reflected in the dedication of Lyndell’s staff, Galatis added.

“The bakers will come in at 2 [a.m.].

Still, depending on the day of the week, they’ll determine what needs to be made.

So the shop opens up at 7 [a.m.] and then we run from 7 [a.m.] to around 6 [p.m.],” Galatis said. “The staff will come in around an hour ahead of time, just to set up the front of the store, and then we open up the doors for business. So that just repeats itself every single day.”

Lyndell’s is busy year-round, especially during the holiday season. According to Galatis, the bakery generates about 30% of its annual business from the day before Thanksgiving until New Year’s Day. In addition to their popular pastries and breads, Lyndell’s also has a flourishing custom cake business.

“Calls will come in ordering cakes for whatever occasion. [For] wedding cakes we typically do tastings. If they’re birthday cakes or graduation cakes, typically we need a two or three day notice,” Galatis said.

Lyndell’s cakes and pastries are popular among Tufts students.

“I’ve been continuously going [to Lyndell’s] for both my housemates’ birthdays and other friends’ birthdays, and every time I go … I’ll preorder the cake and I’ll get it, and then I’ll go in and grab another snack because I look around and everything looks so good,” Chris Hale, a junior, said.

Temple Miller-Hodgkin, a senior at Tufts, said that Lyndell’s is his go-to spot for ordering baked goods.

“One of the things that I like most about [Lyndell’s] most is it’s just straightforward. … It’s simple, classy,” MillerHodgkin added.

Summer Maxwell, a sophomore, has been going to Lyndell’s since before she was even a Tufts student.

“I’ve been going to Lyndell’s since I was a little kid because my dentist was right around the block and so … to get me to go to the dentist, my parents would say, ‘Oh ok, if you go to the dentist and you behave, then you can go to Lyndell’s after,’ Maxwell said. “I would always get the same thing: … the chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting and it was just the best. …

[Lyndell’s was] a really warm, happy place in my childhood.”

Galatis noted that Lyndell’s values its relationship with the Tufts community.

“We’d like to make it even stronger than what it is. … We’d love to have more students as customers,” Galatis said.

Gigi Cohen, a junior, worked at Lyndell’s this past summer and fall semester and intends to continue to work there this upcoming summer. As counter staff at Lyndell’s, Cohen converses with customers, takes orders, packages items and rings customers up on the register.

Cohen reflected on her work experience at Lydnell’s and its meaning to her. “[I learned] how to be patient with customers … [and] with myself and the people teaching me how to work the bakery,” Cohen said. “I was working with people who are double my age, even older. It’s fun to work with such a variety of people.”

Tommy MacArthur, a sophomore at Tufts, is currently working at Lyndell’s.

He noted that working in food service

during the COVID-19 pandemic can be a challenging environment to navigate, but employees at Lyndell’s take the necessary precautions.

“Everybody inside has to be masked basically all the time and we wash our hands all the time and we wear gloves.

We always hand things to people in bags,” MacArthur said.

Like all businesses across the country, Lyndell’s was, and continues to be, affected by the ongoing pandemic.

“We were ordered to close for a week in March of 2020, but then we were classified as an essential grocery store because we sold so many different things … so we were allowed to stay open,” Galatis said. “We certainly lost business and the business is coming back slowly but surely. It’s a slow climb back up, but we did apply for and receive all of the aid that was available to us.”

Lyndell’s has an active presence in the community and donates its leftovers to various charities. The bakery has partnered with Boston University, for example, to donate leftover baked goods.

Galatis explained that Lyndell’s packs up and donates anything that doesn’t sell that day and anything with a two or three day shelf life. Through charity, Lyndell’s Bakery serves and shares its sweets with Somerville and Greater Boston.

From its vintage signage to the individually string-wrapped pastry boxes to its hundred-year-old recipes, Lyndell’s Bakery has maintained an iconic presence in the community.

“Over the span of 135 years, …

[Lyndell’s has] just continued to produce some fresh products every single day, and it’s turned out to be a great neighborhood bakery and actually iconic within the Greater Somerville area,” Galatis said. “We make over 10,000 custom decorated cakes a year. … [This] has allowed the bakery to continue as a great tradition, particularly with families … [and] the students at Tufts too.”

3 Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Humans of Tufts Sophia Grekin

Megan Starses ’24

S

ophia Grekin: I’m going to start you off … tough. Can you tell me about the saddest moment of your life?

Megan Starses: I’ve actually never had to think about that. Well, actually, I do have a moment. It’s very random though.

It’s because we had to do this for a creative writing thing, and she was like, think about the saddest moment in your life and write about that.

This is so funny that my saddest moment came from when I was like three or four, but I went to a school, like a Montessori school, which is where they … have a different way of teaching where kids kind of just aren’t taught by teachers every day. They do exercises and move through stations. [At] one of the stations, we had to memorize a poem and I was about three and they had like three or four [poems] and they had students go up and recite a poem in front of all the parents because they invited them. And I was extremely nervous.

I was three or four years old having to get up on stage and recite something I had memorized. And I … locked eyes with my dad and he was just smiling at me, encouraging me. For some reason that triggered me in some way. It was very strange. I was just so nervous that … him smiling made me start laughing.

So I f—d up the speech or the poem.

And I said in front of everybody, “Daddy, stop making me laugh.” And then all the parents kind of glared at my dad because they thought … he was doing something to purposefully distract me.

Just imagine you’re just cheering on your daughter and your little girl is just yelling at you to stop making her laugh in front of all these people when he just wanted you to do well.

[It] probably just coincides with the feeling of wanting to impress your parents and then just feeling like they’re disappointed in you.

SG: Did you end up presenting?

MS: I finished it and then my teacher was like, “You need to tell your dad you’re [sorry].”

SG: Does he ever [mention it]?

MS: He did, and I told him I was sorry for it.

SG: It’s funny how lighthearted things can be but also [have] such a flip side.

Sophia Grekin is a sophomore studying cognitive and brain science. Sophia can be reached at sophia.grekin@tufts.edu.

ELIN SHIH / THE TUFTS DAILY

The interior of Lyndell’s Bakery is pictured on Feb. 9.

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Arts & Pop Culture

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Tuesday, February 15, 2022

‘The Fallout’ authentically captures grief in the wake of loss

by Ryan Fairfield

Contributing Writer

Content warning: This article discusses the cinematic depiction of a school shooting.

HBO Max’s “The Fallout” (2022) was an intriguing project, even at the trailer’s release. The combination of a Disney child actress and a former dancer from “Dance Moms” (2011–2019) was interesting, to say the least, and that is before looking into the fact that the film is the first feature directorial project of former “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” actress Megan Park. If there were ever any doubts about the casting choices, they have been dispelled as “The Fallout” has defied the odds and gained much acclaim from critics and audiences alike.

“The Fallout” follows Vada (Jenna Ortega) as she struggles with trauma following a school shooting. Following the tragedy, Vada develops a bond with fellow high school students Mia (Maddie Ziegler) and Quinton (Niles Fitch), with whom she was locked in a bathroom stall for the duration of the shooting.

“The Fallout” is not afraid to be controversial and intense. Similar to shows like “Euphoria” (2019–) and “Shameless” (2011– 2021), “The Fallout” does not shy away from portraying the hardships of life, specifically the pain and struggle one faces when dealing with trauma and grief. The film is able to capture the authenticity of pain through powerful acting from both Ortega and Ziegler, as well as the directing and writing by Park.

Ortega is truly the star of “The Fallout” and delivers a performance that many young people today can relate to. Of course, not everyone has experienced the level of pain Ortega’s character grapples with throughout the film, but the feelings of hurt and struggle that we see her character go through are universal. Her exemplary acting highlights the complexity of grief, including the ups and downs one experiences while going through that process. In the intimate, comforting moments with Ziegler’s character, we see Vada’s healing, while in the fights with her family, we see the anger. These emotions are part of the grieving process, and Ortega beautifully captures both.

In addition to Ortega’s performance, Ziegler, Fitch and Will Ropp, who plays Vada’s best friend, succeed in portraying well-rounded characters despite having less screen time. Ziegler’s character deals with her pain by connecting with Ortega’s, and the chemistry between the two characters emphasizes the deep connection the two have. Fitch, on the other hand, shows what it is like to lose someone, as Fitch’s character lost his brother in the shooting, and his grieving process is much different from the other characters. Finally, Ropp’s character, Nick, channels his grief through activism. His character is frequently seen giving speeches and interviews prompting action from politicians. These three characters call attention to the different ways people deal with trauma, showing that however one decides to deal with grief, their feelings are valid.

The writing and directing of “The Fallout” works alongside the incredible acting and make the film feel even more authentic. Close-up shots of Ortega’s character during moments when she is struggling allow the audience to truly see her emotions and feel connected to the character, while wide shots are utilized to draw attention to the environment and show how those around Vada react to her. For example, in a wide shot, while Vada is texting a friend on her phone, Vada’s younger sister Amelia (Lumi Pollack) is seen loudly making a TikTok in the background, showing that her sister is not always aware or considerate to her emotions.

Additionally, the writing feels real.

Unlike many shows and films today like “Riverdale” (2017–) and “Tall Girl” (2019), the exchanges between the teenagers sound like an actual conversation, not like a 30-year-old struggling to write a teen dialogue. This successful directorial and writing debut of Park proves her talent and makes her someone to keep an eye on. Altogether, “The Fallout” is an impressive film that truthfully captures the grieving process and the various ways people deal with trauma. It is rare to find a film that feels authentic, especially when those films revolve around teenage life. However, this film succeeds where many have failed. With remarkable performances from the entire cast and the stylistic choices by Park, “The Fallout” deserves all the praise it has received and proves that Ortega and Ziegler are more than just young stars — they are compelling, skilled actresses.

COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The poster for “The Fallout” (2022) is pictured.

A Compendium of Actors Henry Chandonnet

The Andrew Garfield culture craze

A

ndrew Garfield has been living the high life. Whether it be his starring role in “tick, tick…

BOOM!” (2021), which garnered him an Academy Award nomination, or his eye-catching turn as Jim Bakker in “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” (2021), Garfield has worked hard to prove his acting talents. Combined with his brief role reprisal in the recent “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (2021), the year has brought a new and overwhelming cultural phenomenon: Garfield-mania.

One source of this recent fervor, and the stronghold of Garfield’s most powerful performance, must be his role in “tick, tick…BOOM!” In the film, Garfield plays Jonathan Larson, the famed musical theater composer of hit musical “Rent” (1996), which made its off-Broadway premiere right after Larson’s passing.

The film serves as a personal manifesto on the creative process and the sacrifices one makes for their art. Garfield’s performance in the film is electric, leading the viewer through the highs and lows of Larson’s life. Outside of his outstanding performance within the film, however, is his usage of media and storytelling to create a buzz. Garfield had never sung before filming the movie but rather learned for the part after his and LinManuel Miranda’s mutual massage therapist recommended him for the part.

This tale, along with countless other stories and antics, created a groundswell of support for Garfield. It’s that wave that Garfield has ridden to his Academy Award nomination — not just a great performance but a great narrative.

Still, one must recognize the sheer talent and art behind Garfield’s performances. This shines through in Garfield’s other hit film of the year, “The Eyes of Tammy Faye.” Garfield stars as Jim Bakker, famed televangelist and husband to the titular Tammy Faye. Bakker was deeply personable, using his charm and hospitality to financially exploit his fans and followers. Thus, Garfield’s performance must have two independent layers, both the charisma and the cunning. He’s able to take this on effectively, ultimately devastating the viewer in betraying their well-established trust. When the final shoe drops, the viewer is both shocked and satiated — wasn’t this the kind, joyous Bakker they knew all along? That trust, and that ability to distort personal faith, is a testament to Garfield’s performance.

When discussing the cultural phenomenon of Garfield, it’s difficult to parse out a specific origin. Is it the acting, which allows the viewer to be captivated by his charm and character? Or is the narrative, which allows Garfield’s celebrity status to reach households all across the country? Likely, the answer is both.

Nonetheless, Garfield has fundamentally captured the cultural conscience.

Henry Chandonnet is a first-year who has not yet declared a major. Henry can be reached at henry.chandonnet@tufts.edu.

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

Tuesday, February 15, 2022 | Arts & Pop Culture | THE TUFTS DAILY

5

Black Country, New Road’s ‘Ants From Up There’ shows emotional rawness and pure genius

by Geoff Tobia Jr. Arts Editor

One of the most promising bands out of the United Kingdom, the sixpiece Black Country, New Road has a catalog, albeit very small, that shows true musical prowess and ability to create one-of-a-kind timbral environments. “For The First Time” (2021), the band’s debut album, features instrumental arrangements that teeter on gorgeous yet terrifying, and guitarist and lead singer Isaac Wood’s lyricism and shaky vocal delivery leaves deep emotional impressions on its listeners. To their fans’ dismay, Wood announced in an Instagram post at the end of January on the band’s official page that he was leaving the band for personal reasons. While the remaining members of the band will continue to operate, the newly released “Ants From Up There” (2022) is the band’s final release with the vocal sound that Wood made so characteristic of this band. Nevertheless, Wood and everyone else in the band encour-

aged everyone to enjoy their latest record, and the record in question is full of things for fans to admire.

Borrowing some of the best stylistic choices from their previous record, while also adding some new twists, “Ants From Up There” goes as swimmingly as any band could ever hope for their sophomore release to be.

Lead single “Chaos Space Marine” showed a notable difference in artistic direction compared to tracks like “Sunglasses” (2019) and “Track X” (2021), a couple of the band’s most popular songs. Instead of a softer, more progressive and dark melody, this track sees a pounding guitar/ violin/saxophone combo that gives the feeling of a climactic moment in a musical. This is paired with a highly metaphorical lyrical performance from Wood, where he sings shakily, “Oh, I’m a chaos space marine/ So what, I love you/ Darling, will you take my metal hand?/ It’s cold.”

Nothing was completely shocking about the way that this track sounded. Each band member was playing their part in the song, but it did not give a very clear indication of how

“Ants From Up There” would sound as a record.

The next three leading singles to come out certainly told fans that, while “Chaos Space Marine” is an impressive and unique follow-up to the band’s previous material, it’s just one good track from the abundance of thoughtful and astounding songwriting that this band still continues to offer. “Concorde,” the third single, accompanied with a captivating but jarring music video, is much more reminiscent of their previous material, led by the guitar/ bass/drum combo playing a gentle melody, going into more intense breakdowns and vocal deliveries.

The fingerpicked guitar to kick off “Bread Song” shows how well this band can create a sound and mesmerizing progression. The song slowly becomes a swelling string section with hints of piano and cymbal, building tension through unresolved chords before falling back into the guitar — this time accompanied by a cross stick pattern from drummer Charlie Wayne. While nothing is different about the melody or tone of

the guitar, this part in a new context with the crisp drum sound gives the song a whole new intensity.

Apart from the short but sweet “Intro,” the album’s first taste of new material is “Good Will Hunting.” The song’s melody is very hypnotic, drawing influence from metal, country and folk music all alike. Wood’s vocals are as impactful as always, giving lines like “She had Billie Eilish style/ Moving to Berlin for a little while/ I’m tryna find something to hold on to.” The track also demonstrates the band’s ability to make ear-worm-inducing songs, as the guitar/bass progression is something that can repeat in the listener’s head for hours after hearing it. Songs like “Haldern” show the band’s chemistry, as Lewis Evans’ saxophone, Georgia Ellery’s violin and May Kershaw’s piano play with phenomenal interaction and countermelodies. Like “Snow Globes,” the final pre-release single “Haldern” focuses on brighter, softer and more ambient tonal environments.

And yet, there’s still more firepower left in the band’s arsenal.

Almost like a sad single you would have heard on the radio in 2009, “The Place Where He Inserted the Blade” feels as if all the instruments are crying as much as Wood wants to cry, as he shouts “I’ll praise the Lord, burn my house/ I get lost, I freak out/ You come home and hold me tight/ As if it never happened at all.”

This song and the over 12-minute closing track “Basketball Shoes” are perhaps where bassist Tyler Hyde and guitarist Luke Mark shine most.

This song serves as the epic of the album, progressing with full intensity, but leaving some bare moments for key musical and lyrical phrases to receive the spotlight. Hyde’s harmonic plucking leaves tingles down the listener’s spine before the song’s final endeavor begins. And the song closes out in the bold and fearless manner that this entire record never stopped bringing. “Ants From Up There” gives Black Country, New Road another boost of momentum that is guaranteed to bring them more success in the future.

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The cover art for “Ants From Up There” (2022) is picutred.

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7 Tuesday, February 15, 2022

The silenced star: Takeaways from the Peng Shuai case

by Kristin Shiuey

Contributing Writer

The esteemed 2022 Winter Olympics are being hosted in China: a nation known for its strong military power, authoritarian-like command over its vast population and confrontational stance towards the West.

The People’s Republic, under General Secretary Xi Jinping’s authority, has maintained tense relations with the United States over economic trade, technology production, its violent persecution of the region of Hong Kong and its threats towards Taiwan.

Recently, however, the spotlight has shifted towards Peng Shuai, a Chinese tennis star who has won 25 titles and competed in three Olympic games.

Controversy was sparked regarding Shuai after she released a statement claiming a Chinese Communist Party official sexually assaulted her, which was followed by a sudden hiatus from social media and eventual withdrawal of her original statement weeks later. Concerns have arisen over the suspicious circum-

stances of her retractions, taking into account China’s history of silencing individuals that speak out against the nation. China’s considerable economic and military power allows the government to threaten or extort individuals — and even other countries. Oftentimes, these tactics do not receive any opposition because many nations are afraid to break diplomatic and economic ties with China.

After Peng Shuai seemingly disappeared for weeks after her accusation, the Women’s Tennis Association canceled all tournaments and events in China over the uproar her disappearance brought out. After theories spread over the whereabouts of Peng Shuai and China’s methods of silencing her, IOC President Thomas Bach and the French publication L’Equipe each held interviews with the tennis star in which she denied her prior accusations of sexual assault and reportedly claimed to be safe. She urged people to let the situation go, maintaining that she had never explicitly claimed that she had been sexually assaulted and denied that

she had disappeared after the allegations were made. Although people around the world were still highly suspicious, the story slowly died down and Peng Shuai vanished once more — until the Australian Open.

Supporters of Peng Shuai and the #MeToo movement took to the Grand Slam tournament with a banner and shirts that read “Where is Peng Shuai,” a political protest that demonstrated public support for her and criticized the Chinese government.

The organizers of the Australian Open immediately banned these shirts over fear of counteraction from Chinese corporate sponsors, but reversed their decision days later after facing increasing pressure from professional tennis players and tennis fans.

The media coverage and uproar of Peng Shuai’s case reached another high during the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Many individuals wondered why China was still set to host the Olympics, especially with the Peng Shuai controversy and their recent alignment with Russia. China has taken up no public responsibility in this case,

deciding to work behind the scenes to censor Peng Shuai and limit conversations on this topic in China instead. They have limited activity on her social media accounts, temporarily blocked keywords like ‘tennis’ from the internet and have even likely created bot Twitter accounts to maneuver the conversation away from Peng Shuai. China’s use of silencing tactics and fearbased coercion has gone on too long without repercussions.

Without global consequences, China is able to continue their propaganda and the endangerment of their citizens. Even now, they have tried to prohibit talk of the Tiananmen Square massacre and Taiwan. Frustrations over China’s actions have been growing as of late, but as of right now, China seems to be untouchable in most situations short of another country starting a war.

What is more productive to consider, however, is what this situation means for victims of sexual assault. As more of these cases pop up, it appears that sexual assault allegations have been and still are pushed under the rug by peo-

ple in power. Peng Shuai’s case caught traction because it is one of the few instances where an individual has had the courage to speak out against the communist government.

More often than not, it takes multiple women to come forward for there to be a public outcry. A prominent example of this is the abuse that many USA gymnasts faced at the hands of Larry Nassar. It often takes decades of a repeated offense for allegations to be taken seriously — one woman’s story is rarely enough to bring justice in cases of sexual assault, particularly when the perpetrator is in a position of power. This must change.

Athletes, especially those competing in the Olympics, are representatives of the best a country can offer and they often spend their whole lives training for the day they get to compete on a big stage. For a country to abuse and silence their athletes is abhorrent, and it is time for all countries — not only China — to support and hear the people who are survivors of abuse.

EDITORIAL

Course policies unfairly expect in-person attendance As many classes return to an in-person format, Tufts students who remain isolated or in quarantine due to positive COVID-19 tests or contact tracing continue to face many difficulties compared to classmates who are able to attend every class session.

In response, some professors remain aware of the challenges that a COVID-19-related absence may bring and have adjusted their syllabi accordingly. However, many have reenacted pre-pandemic course policies that place a cost on missing a lecture or attending virtually due to COVID-19 exposure.

Amid the ongoing pandemic, it is critical that students remain able to complete their coursework even when they are not able to be physically present in the classroom.

In Brain and Behavior, a psychology course offered at Tufts, exams are offered only in an in-person format during class time unless otherwise noted. The course entails three non cumulative exams and an optional final cover-

ing material from the whole semester, of which the three of four highest exams are counted towards the student’s grade. The last exam is framed as a ‘make-up test,’ and students that miss one of the earlier exams are required to take the final.

In a similar vein, the computer science department’s Introduction to Algorithms class requires students to take weekly in-lecture quizzes to ensure students remain up to date on material. The only way to take the quiz is to attend class in person at the time it is administered, and there are no makeup or virtual options for students who miss lectures due to COVID-19.

These classes claim to address potential COVID19-related absences through specific policies in their syllabi. For example, in the Introduction to Algorithms course, the two lowest in-lecture quiz grades are dropped.

According to course staff, this policy was implemented to “account for students who may be unable to attend due to illness or other reasons.”

Despite best intentions, policies such as these encourage students to attend class as much as possible so that they can maximize the pool of assessments from which a grade can be dropped.

This may tempt students to go against university policy, which asks that students who feel unwell do not come to campus. Requiring students to be in person for assessments counters Tufts’ COVID-19 mitigation strategy and the advice of public health experts.

While such policies were commonplace in many courses before COVID-19, many professors altered their courses’ modality, enabling hybrid participation and increased flexibility during the pandemic. Indeed, it may be too soon to let go of such pandemic era accommodations.

The university has ostensibly made much progress in its fight against COVID-19; however, we remain in pandemic times, where the stability of in-person participation is still somewhat tenuous. Professors need to implement course policies for this

new environment, in which students ought not feel obligated to attend every class session in person, especially seeing as, despite declines in case counts both at Tufts and in Massachusetts, last week the university reported 135 COVID-19 cases.

Ideally, if a student feels ill, they should be able to feel comfortable staying in their dorm room or at home until they receive a negative COVID-19 test and communicating that need to their professors. Students certainly should not feel even remotely pressured to attend lectures out of fear of missing a graded assignment.

Furthermore, students who do test positive for COVID-19 ought not to be penalized academically for their diagnosis. COVID-19positive students already face an uphill battle recovering from their illness, adjusting to isolation in The Mods and returning to their studies while attending classes virtually — they do not need the added burden of missing graded assignments.

Professors should align their course policies to current Tufts COVID-19 guide-

lines in a way that does not academically punish students who are isolating for COVID19 or encourage those who may be ill to attend class. This pressure to attend class while ill could potentially put classmates, professors and staff at risk of exposure. Older professors, some of whom might have young children who are still unable to get vaccinated, are often at a greater risk for the effects of COVID-19 than students.

As midterm season is soon to begin, it is imperative that students feel well supported in the case they are unable to attend exams in person.

Especially provided that Tufts policy encourages sick students to stay home until they have received a negative test, course policies should be aligned to promote the health of students and staff alike. We encourage the administration to work with instructors to come up with strategies to mitigate challenges with course policies and to support students who need to miss classes due to illness.

Sports

8 Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Women’s swimming and diving wins NESCAC Championship for first time in conference history

by Isaac Karp

Executive Sports Editor

In an ultra competitive bout, the Tufts women’s swimming and diving team fended off their longtime rival Williams College in the NESCAC Championship over the weekend. Going into Sunday, the final day of competition, Tufts and Williams were set to vie for the win with Williams only leading by 7.5 points. Yet the Jumbos emerged victorious, winning the NESCAC Championship for the first time ever in conference history, with 1809 points to Williams’ 1758.5.

Sophomore Katie Shelburne crushed the Tufts school record in the 1000-meter freestyle on Saturday by more than 10 seconds and later secured the 1650-meter freestyle school record on Sunday. Her efforts added many points to the Jumbos’ total score, allowing them to eke victory over the Ephs.

While Shelburne puts the team first in all cases, she thought about breaking these records well before this competition.

“For the 1000, the record is something I was thinking about all season,” Shelburne said. “That’s definitely one of my biggest

goals. The 1000 is my favorite race, it’s my best race. And so, looking up and seeing that I got the record and also personal best was one of the best feelings I felt all meet until they said that we won the meet which definitely topped it all.”

Sophomore Jillian Cudney then won the 100-meter freestyle in school record time, while her teammate junior Claire Brennan took third, putting Tufts back ahead of Williams in points. The Ephs returned the favor by taking all three podium spots in the 200-meter breaststroke event. Tufts responded with junior Alaina Kosko placing third in the 3-meter dive event, putting Jumbos back in the driver’s seat heading into the final 400-meter freestyle relay.

While winning the championship was definitely on their mind at that point in the meet, Shelburne noted how Tufts tried to stay away from any outside distractions by focusing on their races rather than the score board and their competitors’ performances.

“Generally, the consensus on deck was to swim your race, focus on your-

self and then the rest will work out,” Shelburne said.

In a dramatic finish that suited the atmosphere and intensity of this competition, Cudney, Brennan, senior Mary Hufziger and junior Katelin Isakoff, secured the trophy for the Jumbos by winning the race with a time of 3:22.46, a meet and pool record. Williams followed behind by about three seconds to take silver, but the Tufts had already taken gold.

Shelburne described the team’s emotions after witnessing the clinching race.

“We all started crying, pretty much immediately. We were so happy. This has never happened in Tufts history; … we have never beat Williams ever, we’ve never won,” Shelburne said. “We were so happy we actually did it. It’s been one of our goals all season but to see it actually happen is really, really cool.”

The women’s swimming and diving team broke 16 team records and won five events in total. Decisions for who will qualify for NCAA’s will likely come out by Monday, according to Shelburne.

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The Tufts women’s swimming and diving team wins their first NESCAC Championship on Feb. 13.

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Sports and Society Oliver Fox

The Superultra-mega Bowl

Professional sports in this country can be understood in phases. As more Americans had leisure time in the 1920s, baseball became the public’s national pastime and an opportunity for people to distract themselves from the humdrum of the workday. Sports continued to grow along with popular culture and it has become ingrained into the everyday lives of the American public. The greatest moments in sports history have been documented in newspapers, radio shows, television and hall of fame museums. The modern era of sports combines advanced technological innovation with modern medicine to create a product that is of the highest quality. Athletes dominate the market with their shoes, advertisement deals and platforms, sometimes to the extent where they supersede the sport itself. But on that fateful day every February, the biggest spectacle in American sports eclipses everything else.

The Super Bowl is the NFL’s biggest game. It is a championship game unlike any other, and in its 56-year history, the Super Bowl has become a cultural event that transcends football — and sports more broadly. Despite the NFL constantly attracting controversy because of its violent and conservative nature, the Super Bowl might offer a positive benefit to American society.

You’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t have at least passive knowledge of the Super Bowl. Only one-third of Americans say they enjoy watching football, yet the word holds a certain cultural significance. The Super Bowl garners around 100 million views per broadcast.

To put that into perspective, only 160 million people voted in the 2020 presidential election. The cultural force that the Super Bowl has become is undeniable, even if one loathes the game of football with every fiber of their being.

How does the Super Bowl accomplish such a feat? It ties together American popular culture like nothing else. It’s about sports, obviously, but it’s also about music, with the halftime show self-promoting as the “Biggest Show of the Year,” and it’s about gambling, with sports betting becoming legal in more places across the country.

It’s also about consumption, as Americans’ love of consumerism has spawned Super Bowl commercials, by far the most expensive advertising slots of the year on television. They have become an art form — one of capitalist intrigue.

For many, though, the Super Bowl is about coming together. It’s about sitting down with your family, friends, neighbors or people you just met at a bar and enjoying whatever it is you want to enjoy about the event. Whether that’s the music of Dr. Dre, Eminem and Mary J. Blige, a 30-second commercial for shampoo or the most exciting and competitive football game of the year, at least we can watch it together.

No, the Super Bowl will not mend America’s many wounds. Division runs a lot deeper than football. But we should cherish the cultural moments sports gives to us. It’s hard to find them anywhere else.

Oliver Fox is a first-year who has not yet declared a major. Oliver can be reached at oliver.fox@tufts.edu.