The Tufts Daily - Friday, March 5, 2021

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VOLUME LXXXI, ISSUE 18

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Friday, March 5, 2021

University report provides sweeping recommendations to address racism, discrimination

by Anton Shenk News Editor

University President Anthony Monaco shared the findings of the Institutional Audit and Targeted Actions workstream, one of five workstreams focused on anti-racism initiatives at Tufts, in a Feb. 17 email to the community. The workstream identified structural racism within the university and shared sweeping recommendations to further the university’s goal of becoming an anti-racist institution.

The workstream’s steering committee included 26 committee members from across the university, including faculty, staff and students. The committee’s members conducted interviews, policy reviews and data analyses to inform its recommendations.

The University also partnered with Accenture, a consulting company, which played a large role in research that informed the report’s findings.

“I attended almost weekly Zoom meetings … and I mostly just listened to the consultants

talk about their plans. It seemed like the consultants did most of the research and formulating of the plans and the workstream was mostly just to get faculty, staff, and student opinion,” Parker Killenberg, a junior and one of the committee’s members, wrote in an email to the Daily.

Kim Ryan, vice president for human resources at Tufts, described the process of working on the workstream.

“We worked on a fairly aggressive timetable, from late fall to the beginning of this year, to first build a steering committee comprised of the faculty, staff, administrators and students from multiple schools and units, and to then methodically identify and analyze the existence of embedded structural racism within processes, policies, programs and procedures across all schools and units at Tufts,” Ryan wrote in an email to the Daily. “We engaged in weekly meetings, collected data from individual employees, focus group interviews, and community engagement sessions, and

ANN MARIE BURKE / THE TUFTS DAILY

The Memorial Steps are pictured on assessed a range of institutional protocols – all in an attempt to understand what is happening at Tufts and develop a targeted plan to address any bias.”

The report began by chronicling incidents of bias and racism experienced by members of the university, ranging from mispronunciations and misspellings of names to other incidents of discrimination.

The Sink, losing business due to COVID-19 restrictions, has plans to draw back customers

by Jack Hirsch

Assistant News Editor

The Sink has seen a reduction in business due to the COVID19 pandemic restrictions in place on campus, causing the student-run business to seek creative solutions to make up for lost revenue.

“I think for so many The Sink has always been such a central hub of student life on campus and a meeting place for so many people,” Malaika Gabra, a manager at The Sink, said. “Before the COVID era, The Sink was always just packed.”

Gabra, a senior, explained how COVID-19 has changed The Sink’s role on campus.

“One of the hardest parts of managing The Sink during COVID has been sort of reimagining this space that has been so central and so busy and such a hub for so long, into a place where it’s more of a transient area,” Gabra said.

“People can still come and see their friends but can’t hang out in hordes of 40 for six hours.”

Aug. 28, 2020.

“According to one undergraduate student who spoke English as a second language, a professor responded to her question by plugging ‘the answer … into Google Translate in English and [showing] it to [her] in Spanish,'” the report said.

The report was separated into “strategic priorities”: Anti-Racism Education, Compositional

FEATURES

Standardized tests were never a standard: Impact of Tufts Admissions going test-optional

by Jillian Collins Features Editor

AARON APOSTADERO / THE TUFTS DAILY

A student orders a beverage from The Sink at the Mayer Campus Center.

Manager Sarah Minster explained the ways these changes are affecting their business.

“A huge challenge that we’re facing is just a lack of business, just because COVID has made … see SINK, page 2

Diversity, Capacity & Resources, Accountability & Measurement, Structural Improvements and Policies. Recommendations were included for each priority area.

The Anti-Racism Education section recommended implementing the Office of the Chief Diversity Officers proposal for anti-racism and anti-oppression see WORKSTREAM, page 2

At the start of the pandemic in March 2020, Tufts University announced that, for the next three years, prospective students would not be required to submit SAT or ACT scores with their applications. Tufts has historically mandated these test scores as a part of the application for undergraduate admissions, so this change will allow applicants greater flexibility. According to some professors and students, the change is also a significant step toward equity and inclusion in college admissions.

The unique obstacles prospective students are facing due to COVID-19 were the main push for Tufts’ Office of Undergraduate Admissions to implement this new policy, according to JT Duck, dean of admissions and enrollment management at Tufts.

FEATURES / page 3

ARTS / page 4

OPINION / page 7

Test-optional policy is a step toward equity in admissions

Leslie Epstein talks new book, 1940s Hollywood

For Texas storm, extend empathy to the people

“Very suddenly last spring, high school students faced an enormous amount of uncertainty about how to balance their school commitments, stay connected to their friends, stay healthy, and support their families. Taking a standardized test for college admissions should not have been at the forefront of their thinking,” Duck wrote in an email to the Daily. “We wanted to take the issue of testing off the plate of any high school student … considering applying to Tufts and allow them to focus on their immediate world.”

Alongside the additional stress of balancing the pandemic, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions was concerned that standardized tests would not be offered as frequently.

“Historically, many of our applicants have taken the ACT or SAT in the spring of junior see TEST, page 3 NEWS

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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Friday, March 5, 2021

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The Sink to keep voucher program, sell merchandise SINK

continued from page 1 campus a little bit more empty and especially upperclassmen who would normally come to campus are just not coming as much,” Minster, a senior, said.

The Mayer Campus Center no longer hosts events or allows large gatherings of people due to COVID-19 restrictions, which has cost The Sink an important customer base.

“There were people who sold clothes and records, and clubs would come and have tables for various events or initiatives … Those people like coffee, so they would all come in,” manager Haley Braner said. “Not having them around is kind of a bummer this year.”

Braner, a junior, said that another dramatic change has been the absence of on-campus tours.

“We miss a lot of the parents and prospective students, and that was always fun because prospective students could ask questions and things,” she said.

Minster also feels as though the daily flow of traffic has changed. If a student has a

morning class, they are less likely to stop by The Sink on their way with classes taking place virtually.

“The rhythm is a little different,” she said.

The Sink, although found in the Campus Center, is not a part of Tufts Dining. This prevents the cafe from being a part of Tufts’ mobile ordering app. “[It] has been pretty difficult to justify students coming to The Sink and using their own money or JumboCash when they could just use money that’s part of their dining plan” Minster said.

To make up for the lost customer base, The Sink’s managers piloted a Valentine’s Day voucher. According to Assistant Director for Campus Life Chelsea Jordan, the voucher program allowed anyone to purchase food or drinks for their loved ones.

“That was a really great way for them to get some additional traffic to The Sink, mostly because not everybody has JumboCash to use at The Sink, and same with cash,” Jordan said.

Gabra commented on the future of the voucher program.

“I think we plan to not just leave that for Valentine’s Day, but sort of open it up to be a situation where you can continue to purchase gift cards for friends, but also allow parents and loved ones and people outside of the Tufts community to purchase gift cards for students or for themselves,” Gabra said.

In another effort to make up for lost business, The Sink plans to start selling merchandise by early March. According to Gabra, there has been demand for apparel in the past, but it was only available to The Sink employees. Soon it will be available for customers to purchase as well.

The managers have also looked into creating a mobile ordering option, similar to the Tufts Dining mobile app.

However, that will remain a long term project.

“We’re really trying to explore a lot of options there, it just seems that there’s some structural barriers in place,” Minster said.

“There are certain official channels that we have to go through and there are certain security measures that we have to take to maintain the privacy of our cus-

tomers and ensure that everything is secure with payments.”

“It seems like [the Tufts Dining mobile app] just popped up overnight but that was a very long term project for them, so we can expect the same several year timeline … to really work on that and get the resources ready,” she said.

One of the first steps in a mobile ordering option would include accepting credit cards as a form of payment, something the managers are exploring. Currently, The Sink only accepts cash and JumboCash.

“We’re trying to invest our time and energy in both projects that fix immediate issues, but also ones that will be sustainable and will be used at The Sink post-COVID,” Gabra said.

According to Jordan, the Office for Campus Life is doing what they can to help The Sink, but she also acknowledged the important role that The Sink’s managers and employees are playing in that development of solutions.

“They are taking incredible initiative to really brainstorm a lot of that themselves,” Jordan said.

Workstream emphasizes action items, accountabilty in making Tufts an anti-racist institution WORKSTREAM

continued from page 1 education that was approved in December 2020, along with providing resources to facilitate conversation about race.

In Compositional Diversity, the report made recommendations for anti-bias training and establishing compositional diversity goals for staff at various levels and incoming classes, among others.

The recommendations for Capacity and Resources included appropriate budgeting and funding for these efforts, making assistant/associate deans for diversity and inclusion available for all units and considering whether these roles should be full-time positions and communication improvement.

The Accountability and Measurement section made recommendations for vision, measurement capability and accountability, and the Structural Improvements section made recommendations for recruiting, career development and advancement, issue reso-

lution, supplier diversity and admissions.

The last section of the report, Policies, recommended removing “potentially discriminatory language from all policies,” implored Tufts community members to report anti-racist or discriminatory actions and provided clear examples of when language might be misleading. It advocated continuing to review policies increasing representation among those involved in governance to reduce bias and continuing to create policies in the future that contribute to the advancement of the anti-racist mission.

Despite the comprehensiveness of the report, some students took issue with Tufts’ approach and pace in meeting its commitment to becoming an anti-racist institution. Leila Skinner, a junior, told the Daily in an electronic message that Tufts should seek to be more deliberate in listening to its community members.

“No one ever appoints a task [force] to find out what’s going on. They always appoint the task force to make the problem

go away and hold onto their power,” Skinner said. “Tufts is a colonial institute founded on the oppression of Black, Indigenous, and other people of color. Until Tufts acknowledges and [works] to reconcile that harm, it will never be an ‘anti-racist’ University.”

Killenberg pushed back on the notion that the workstream was not productive.

“I know that the university leaders that led the workstream that I was on seemed committed to actually implementing policies and bringing about change,” Killenberg said.

Joyce Sackey, associate provost and chief diversity officer for the Boston and Grafton campuses and one of the leaders of the workstream, also felt encouraged by the progress the university has made thus far.

“The work is just in the beginning stages, but the University has responded very positively … the University announced an investment of at least $25 million over the next five years to ensure the work comes to fruition. This is

the largest single financial commitment made toward diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategic priorities in Tufts’ history,” Sackey wrote in an email to the Daily. “The work of achieving anti-racism and our DEI goals is not a one-year effort, but something that the University is committed to continue for many years to come with the objective of impacting not only our community, but also the broader society.”

Ryan and Sackey are hopeful the report can serve as a meaningful step in Tufts’ commitment to anti-racism.

“Ultimately, our goal with the report is to provide the blueprint for advancing Tufts on the journey toward becoming an anti-racist institution,” Ryan and Sackey said. “We want to remove structural racism from all processes, procedures and practices within all schools, units and levels of the University, while also drawing attention to the lived experiences of Black, Indigenous, and people of color on campus for a more equitable community.”

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Features

3 Friday, March 5, 2021

Test-optional policy is a step toward equity in admissions TEST

continued from page 1 year, and sat for it again in the fall of senior year,” Duck said.

“With various testing dates being curtailed or canceled in the spring, we worried that students who could be great matches for Tufts would not have access to the exams on a reasonable timeline, or the opportunity to submit scores that they felt reflected their best performance.”

While the test-optional policy was originally brought on by COVID-19, it has sparked other conversations around college admissions. Professors and students on campus are questioning the legitimacy of these tests.

Erin Seaton, co-director of educational studies, favors this new policy and explains the inequities behind standardized tests.

“How you do on a standardized test isn’t a measure of one student against another. It’s a measure of the systemic privileges that you’ve had throughout your education. That could be, access to classes, curriculum, textbooks, tutoring and parental support,” Seaton said. “It was always a measure of inequality.

To use that as a standard never worked in the first place.”

Natasha Warikoo, professor of sociology, shared similar thoughts on the exclusivity of standardized tests.

“We know that SAT scores are highly correlated to family income … and that they’re not good predictors of the grades that people are even going to get in college,” Warikoo said. “These standardized tests create more inequality and they don’t do a very good job of even predicting who is going to be successful.”

Taking the emphasis off of standardized test scores means that the Office of Undergraduate Admissions can holistically evaluate other components of the application and give prospective students a better chance to express themselves.

Keira Myles Anthro Talks

Coffee

A

classic cup of joe. Some re-charging battery acid at 4 a.m. One of the world’s most traded commodities.

This buzzing brew commenced in 11th century Ethiopia. Legend has it, a goat herder named Kaldi witnessed his goats’ antsy energy after consuming coffee plant cherries. Kaldi brought these magical red drops to a monastery, where several monks announced that they were the Devil’s products and tossed them into a fire,

“In our first year of being test-optional, we are intentionally reducing and reimagining the role of the SAT and ACT in our process,” Duck said. “In practice, that means we are leaning into curricular rigor, class performance and grades [and] insights gleaned from letters of recommendation.”

Seaton found cumulative evaluation to be a better indicator of how well a student would perform at Tufts.

“I would suggest looking very holistically…at students’ ability to think critically about themselves in the world. We want students that are going to be able to carry that into the classrooms at Tufts,” Seaton said. “That could include interpersonal relationships. How do you work with other people? What do your recommenders say about you as a human?”

According to Warikoo, the inequities of college admissions lie not only in standardized tests.

They are also ingrained in different high schools’ education structures and offered extracurricular activities.

“We can’t assume that just getting rid of the SAT or the ACT is going to lead to equity necessarily. We need to think, well, what’s the alternative?” Warikoo said. “If we’re placing more emphasis now on extracurricular achievement [we have to think about that]. Extracurriculars are also a domain that are unequally accessible to kids. If you’re going to be a star athlete or a star musician, you’re going to need a lot of coaching … which costs a lot of money, or private coaching or private music lessons or an expensive instrument.”

Warikoo believes the best way to evaluate a student is by looking at their high school grades.

“Grades are some measure of, ‘Did you go to class? Did you get your work done? Did you study for your tests?’ All schools have grades and there are top

wherein the beans began to emit coffee’s classically sweet aroma.

Afterward, the monks raked the beans out of the fire pit, diffused them in hot water and brewed the world’s first cup of coffee.

After blooming in Ethiopia, the bean journeyed to Yemen, where the country’s fertile soil facilitated rich cultivation. In 1555, coffee reached Istanbul and became a staple in an Ottoman palace, where it was the duty of the royal court’s “chief coffee maker” to brew the Sultan’s coffee and keep his secrets. Coffeehouses soon emerged across the Middle East and East Africa, fostering space for musical performances, dancing, chess matches, gossiping, arguing and discussing breaking news — coffee houses became “schools of the wise.”

AVA IANNUCCILLO / TUFTS DAILY

A student is pictured studying for a chemistry midterm exam on Oct. 14, 2020. performers in every school,” Warikoo said. “A’s are distributed [more] equitably than are high scores on the SAT [or ACT].”

Sophomore Mindy Duggan, who is studying child studies and human development, felt that her standardized test scores did not accurately reflect her academic performance.

“I was actually worried about submitting my scores because I wasn’t sure that they reflected my abilities as a student,” Duggan said. “It was definitely stressful on my part to see that score and kind of compare it to like my grades in my classes. They didn’t quite match up. If I had the option not to submit those I definitely would not have.”

Duggan sees this new policy as a way of reaching different types of students and learners.

“It’s a way to be more inclusive.

I know some people aren’t the best test-takers,” Duggan said. “I know in high school I was not the best test taker and I did not look forward to taking the SATs or ACTs, I’m very much an essaybased [student].”

According to Warikoo, the underrepresentation of minority groups is a drastic issue in college admissions everywhere. Having

test-optional policies might reduce some of these disparities.

“I think [colleges are] not so good at identifying young people with potential who are from disadvantaged groups. I don’t think that’s unique to Tufts, but I do think that is a problem,” Warikoo said. “The reality is that there are so many amazing young people in this country who could thrive at a place like Tufts. So why not have a class that more reflects the kind of distribution of 18 year olds in the country?”

Seaton predicts that the removal of standardized tests will create more space for students with learning disabilities.

“I teach a class about learning disabilities for students with learning disabilities. [Standardized tests are] a huge barrier and not a measure at all [of] their academic abilities.” Seaton said.

In addition to opening pathways for students with learning disabilities, she believes it will open doors for minority groups. “[Standardized tests are] a measure that is directly correlated with wealth and with racist ideologies, so [the test optional policy] opens up pathways for students of color. It opens up pathways for students that speak English as a

second language. It opens up a path for students that come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds,” Seaton said.

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions has already seen a more diverse applicant pool this year, after the implementation of the test-optional policy.

“For the Class of 2025, there are more than 31,190 first-year applicants, a 35% increase over last year. This year’s applicant pool is also the most diverse on record.

For the first time, students of color comprise a majority of U.S. applicants: 51%. About half of all applicants did not submit SAT or ACT scores,” Duck said. “The size, depth and diversity of this year’s pool is the result of many changes we made to our admissions process, including our test-optional policy in response to COVID-19.”

Many more barriers will have to be removed for Tufts to become a more inclusive institution, but Seaton and Warikoo think going test-optional for the next three years is a good start.

“We really have to be thinking about the systems and the structures that we are a part of,” Seaton said. “This focus on standardized testing as a measure for admissions can’t hold with being an anti-racist institution.”

Coffee traveled to Europe with Venetian merchants carrying the drink from Istanbul. At first, some people believed it to be the “bitter invention of Satan”; however, they eventually came to enjoy it.

The first known English coffeehouse was established in Oxford in 1650. The Grand Café still occupies the same site today.

Coffeehouses popped up across Europe, representing spots for dissemination of news and and for discussions about the Roman Empire, the difference between being awake and dreaming, etc..

Coffeehouses entertained enlightened discussion from the 17th–19th centuries,; but this atmosphere arose from the dark cost of human life.

European colonizers benefitted from the profitable commodity and sustained coffee’s produc-

tion by exploiting over 11 million Black and Indigenous people for over 300 years through the Atlantic Slave Trade. By the 1830s, Brazil, which had previously been colonized by the Portuguese, accounted for 30% of the world’s coffee production, with Brazilian coffee plantations relying on Black and Indigenous people’s labor.

Today, 125 million people of color farm coffee across Africa, South America and Asia. Of this group, 63% live in poverty and 71% in extreme poverty, according to Heifer International. Farm owners are typically of European descent, while farm workers are usually people of color, whose exhausting manual labor receives next-to-nothing payment. Brazil’s coffee sector has a history of human rights abuses, with child labor being 37% more

prevalent there than in other coffee-producing countries, according to Heifer International.

Wealthy North American and European companies, such as Starbucks, profit off of an exploited labor force. The Fair World Project found that Starbucks was connected to a Brazilian plantation where “workers reported dead bats and mice in their food, no sanitation systems, and work days that stretched from 6AM to 11PM.” Next time you’re sipping on some java, ponder how the plant originated in Ethiopia and was used by colonizers to garner immense profit by means of exploitation, to eventually land on your taste buds.

Keira Myles is a first-year who not yet declared a major. Keira can be reached at keira.myles@ tufts.edu.

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Arts & Pop ARTS POP Culture CULTURE

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Friday, March 5, 2021

Leslie Epstein’s ‘Hill of Beans’ explores truth, history

by Sadie Leite

Assistant Arts Editor

Content warning: This article mentions the Holocaust, anti-Semitism and Nazism.

Brookline Booksmith held an event with author and Boston University Creative Writing Director Leslie Epstein and author and film critic A.S. Hamrah on Mar. 1. The writers discussed Epstein’s new book, “Hill of Beans: A Novel of War and Celluloid” (2021). The novel details the lives of Epstein’s uncle Julius (“Julie”) Epstein and father Philip Epstein, who were screenwriters for the iconic “Casablanca” (1942). Significant historical figures appear in the new book, including Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Goebbels (Nazi politician and Reich minister of propaganda). Most prominent, however, is the fictionalized retelling of the development of “Casablanca” and the voice of Jack Warner, the complex head of Warner Bros.

Epstein began with the history of his father and uncle.

Julie came to Hollywood first. He used to write a treatment a night, sharing them with Penn State buddy Jerry Wald, who didn’t give him credit until “Living on Velvet” (1935).

Famously, “What Makes Sammy Run?” (1941), a book and then later a musical, chronicles how protagonist Sammy Glick used character Julian Blumberg as a ghost writer. Aptly, Julian was based on Julie.

Philip started his career as a screenwriter at RKO Pictures and wrote 16 scenes of “The Big Sleep” (1946). By the time the brothers joined forces, Julie had already been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Writing (Screenplay) for “Four Daughters” (1938).

Together, the brothers enjoyed major success. To frame their success, Epstein described “Casablanca” as starting off as a simple contract job for Julie and Philip. In fact, their writing

for the incredibly successful film was interrupted by a different project — the “Why We Fight” (1942-1945) series: seven documentaries explaining the United States’ efforts in World War II. Sadly, Philip died young, when Leslie was only 13 years old. Julie continued his prosperous career in film.

At the event, Hamrah praised Epstein for “juggling a lot of balls with such dexterity,” referencing his witty style. He easily combines tropes of 1940s Hollywood to craft enthralling historical fiction rife with stories from the Epstein brothers’ careers.

Next, Epstein described the star of his novel, Jack Warner, as a “courageous fool.” Leslie constructed his father’s and uncle’s role as a “witty and … wise Greek Chorus” that “[saw] through” Warner’s antics.

Epstein admits that many of the scenes in the novel where the brothers mock Warner were real accounts of past events. Their constant criticism was justified.

Like his relatives, Epstein’s attitude toward Warner while writing was initially “hatred,” and he condemned Warner for his moral failings.

“Jack [Warner] himself … was a terrible man in many ways,” Epstein said. “Racist, misogynist, supercilious, arrogant. But the more I read about him and the more he took over my voice … the more I came to a kind of grudging acknowledgement of a kind of greatness.”

When Hitler became chancellor in 1933, Goebbels ordered all Hollywood studios to fire their Jewish employees working in Berlin offices. Every studio head complied, except Warner.

Warner didn’t like the idea of closing off to the German market, which was, according to Epstein, the second largest in Europe at the time. Still, he closed the Berlin offices in 1934 instead of firing his Jewish employees. He also made “Confessions of a Nazi Spy” (1939), the first anti-Nazi film by a major Hollywood studio. There

were attempts to disrupt the movie’s production, such as a cut sandbag that almost killed star Edward G. Robinson on set, and Warner received bomb threats.

Goebbels outlawed its viewing in Nazi-controlled areas. A theatre owner was hung because he showed the film in Warsaw.

Radical in opposing Nazism and anti-Semitism, yet vile in other basic human attributes, was Warner a venerable character? Epstein did not condone Warner’s personality traits but described him as “a human being and therefore complex with many sides.”

“Warner … [was not] portrayed as a heroic figure in the book … not at all,” Hamrah said. “[The book] is not a glowing portrait of Jack Warner.”

“Hill of Beans” is a provocative read about the complexity of Hollywood. It has been available since Mar. 1 and can be purchased at Brookline Booksmith and most places where books are sold.

SOPHIE DOLAN / THE TUFTS DAILY

Leslie Epstein (left) and A.S Hamrah (right) talk at Epstein’s book event on March 1.

A&P

Friday, March 5, 2021 | Arts & Pop Culture | THE TUFTS DAILY

Pokémon announces remakes ‘Brilliant Diamond,’ ‘Shining Pearl’ and new ‘Arceus’ game

Jessica Blough and Robert Kaplan Soundtrack to the end of the world

J VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Icons for the Pokemon games ‘Brilliant Diamond’ (left) and ‘Shining Pearl’ (right), are pictured

by Chris Panella Arts Editor

The Pokémon Company finally announced its most anticipated games of the past 25 years on Feb. 26. The franchise celebrated its 25th anniversary with many things — like the surprisingly fun virtual Post Malone concert — but the crown jewels of the commemoration were the “Pokémon Brilliant Diamond” (2021), “Pokémon Shining Pearl” (2021) and “Pokémon Legends: Arceus” (2022) game announcements.

While the first two have long been on fans’ wish lists, the “Arceus” game came as a welcome surprise.

“Brilliant Diamond” and “Shining Pearl” are remakes of the popular Generation IV Pokémon games, “Diamond” (2006) and “Pearl” (2006).

Both are set in the Sinnoh region, a gorgeous environment with a large and expansive mountain, Mt. Coronet, that spreads throughout the land.

“Diamond” and “Pearl,” along with their enhancement, “Pokémon Platinum” (2008), were well received by fans and critics alike. They’re the third highest selling Pokémon games ever and caused key features of the franchise, like worldwide competitive battling, to take off.

Over the past decade, the love for “Diamond,” “Pearl” and “Platinum” has only grown (see communities online like Sinnoh Shitpost on Twitter). Their successful releases were certainly boosted by the extreme popularity of the Nintendo DS system, which is still the bestselling handheld game console. But Sinnoh’s legacy sprouted in many ways: Fans online and in person share memories, enjoy the absolutely perfect soundtrack, compare the games to subsequent Pokémon endeavors and pray for remakes.

That last aspect is crucial: Since the

franchise remade the original “Red” (1996) and “Green” (1996) games into “FireRed” (2004) and “LeafGreen” (2004), each generation has received a remake series with updated graphics, layouts, features, gameplay and Pokémon. After “Omega Ruby” (2014) and “Alpha Sapphire” (2014) — remakes of the Generation IIIHoenn games — were released, the countdown for Sinnoh remakes began. It was only a matter of time.

And with each Pokémon announcement and fake rumor, the hype continued to build. The fan speculation became so widespread that it fueled countless memes; “Sinnoh confirmed” became a way to not only poke fun at desperate fans, but also acknowledge that the success of “Diamond” and “Pearl” had spawned dedication and impact unlike any previous Pokémon game, except for the originals.

After 15 years, the remakes finally came: “Brilliant Diamond” and “Shining Pearl” were announced for the Nintendo Switch console via a Pokémon Presents video. They were described as “faithful” remakes, which led to confusion over whether they were the originals remastered or would include new features to differentiate them.

It makes sense that Pokémon would focus on providing Sinnoh fans a faithful remake, especially considering the company’s most recent mainline games “Sword” (2019) and “Shield” (2019) were released amid controversy surrounding their graphics, available Pokémon and story. For Pokémon, playing it safe with Sinnoh is a smart way to move past that.

But even with safety, there’s still backlash. Some fans disliked the remakes’ cute “chibi” art style, especially after the impressive graphics of the recent Kanto remakes “Let’s Go, Pikachu!” (2018) and

“Let’s Go, Eevee!” (2018). The style was criticized as “cheap,” and the overworld’s small chibi players have already become a meme.

But with Pokémon’s goal of faithfulness comes a focus on the more classic look of past games, which did often feature 2D, almost chibi-like graphics and style.

The art is less so unappealing than it is a reminder that the franchise is trying to make “Brilliant Diamond” and “Shining Pearl” nostalgic and lovable remakes of the popular original games.

Of course, fans were not expecting Pokémon to follow the remakes with a second game (well, unless they read the pretty accurate leaks before the late February announcement). “Pokémon Legends: Arceus” is a new type of Pokémon adventure, an open-world game set long in the past. It is seemingly feudal Japan-inspired, with gated towns and an objective to create Sinnoh’s first Pokédex.

“Arceus” has already been compared to “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” (2017), as both have similar art styles and gameplay.

But the key aspect of “Arceus” is its mysterious connection with the titular mythical Pokémon, who is — in Pokémon canon — thought to be the creator of the Pokémon universe. Will fans finally be able to catch Arceus outside of a special event? Or is the Pokémon’s role much more mysterious and important than that?

The game doesn’t release on the Nintendo Switch until 2022, so there’s plenty of time to speculate and guess.

Regardless, Pokémon’s announcement finally confirmed Sinnoh remakes. All three games, “Brilliant Diamond,” “Shining Pearl” and “Arceus,” serve as exciting new chapters in Pokémon that both acknowledge the nostalgic past and point toward a bright future.

5

Normie music

ess: Robert Kaplan’s Spotify followers know of his infamous playlist for normal people: “Normie music.” This week, Robert recounts the recent additions to this playlist in the folk, synth and rock genres.

Today is the day you learn one of my secrets. It’s less of a “don’t tell my crush I like them” secret and more of an “I’ve only told five people” secret. Read on and you could be the sixth. Congratulations!

To fully appreciate it, you’ll need to know something about me: I’ve never been able to make out the lyrics in songs. I can pick up an occasional word or phrase, but I need to Google the song to actually understand it entirely. I think a karaoke update to Spotify would rock my world.

Partly because of this, and partly because of a childhood dream of becoming a professional clarinetist, I’ve spent a lot of time listening to jazz and classical music. In these genres, I’ve found I can appreciate rhythm, texture, harmony and other compositional choices while ignoring lyrics (should they exist).

The secret is that something about me changed in December 2020. Whatever the trigger (finals, pandemic, both?), I felt hypocritical. I like trying new things but couldn’t remember the last time I listened to a new song. On Dec. 11, Taylor Swift’s album “Evermore” (2020) was released. The timing was impeccable — I listened only days later.

Below, I sample the many artists and songs I’ve discovered since Swift bent me to her wind.

They’re all collected in my “Normie music” Spotify playlist, which mockingly began months earlier. Having started with the recommendations of a dear friend, it now chronicles a fullfledged metamorphosis of my music tastes.

“Sheets” (2008) by Damien Jurado I’m now partial to indie rock, but Jurado’s versatility and extensive discography introduced me to more folky shades. His stellar voice and skill in building warm, blanket-like textures, both of which are compounded by powerful lyrics — “Swallow him whole like a pill that makes you choke, it steals your soul” — can only impress. See also: “Lady Lie” (2015) by Rainbow Kitten Surprise; on the sunnier side, see “Weight of the Planets” (2019) by Aldous Harding.

“There’s a Reason Why (I Never Returned Your Calls)” (2018) by Blossoms I could easily list seven other songs in its place — Blossoms is a favorite of mine.

Listening to Blossoms is like drinking a glass of (freshly squeezed Florida) orange juice on a Saturday morning. Snappy titles (see above) and catchy melodies sit aloft the tropes of synth-pop, communicating emotion via synthesizer in a way I never thought possible. For other shades of pop I’ve discovered, see: “Festival Grrrl” (2018) by Ivy Mono and “What You Know” (2010) by Two Door Cinema Club.

“Shampoo Bottles” (2020) by Peach Pit Peach Pit is another find like Blossoms — one of the few I could listen to irrespective of track or album. “Shampoo Bottles” in particular combines witty breakup lyrics (“I’ve run out of my Speed Stick, honey / So I have been using yours”) with an irresistible counter melody and a bassline fit to fill the soul. Other rock tracks from “Normie music”: “Blue Lips” (2018) by Her’s, “Bad Decisions” (2020) by The Strokes and “Pictures of Girls” (2018) by Wallows.

Jessica Blough is a senior studying international relations. Jessica can be reached at jessica.blough@tufts.edu. Robert Kaplan iis a junior studying quantitative economics and history and can be reached at Robert.Kaplan618485@tufts.edu.

6

THE TUFTS DAILY | Fun & Games | Friday, March 5, 2021

F& G

Friday, March 5, 2021 | Fun & Games | THE TUFTS DAILY LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY Alex: “They put my New York Times in a tree!”

Fun & Games

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tuftsdaily.com

Opinion

There is blame in the Texas energy crisis, but let’s not misplace it

By Valeria Velasquez

by Reya Kumar

Contributing Writer

Thursday’s Solutions

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Difficulty Level: Trying to reason with the office computer PART TWO

7

A massive winter storm blanketed Texas in snow in mid-February. The unexpected low temperatures crippled Texas’ energy infrastructure and left millions without power, both in Texas and Mexico, which relies heavily on Texan energy. The storm and ensuing power outages have been linked to at least 70 deaths and will cost upward of $20 billion in damage.

Many factors contributed to this tragic event, chief among them Texas’ unique energy system. While most of the United States is attached to one of two major grids, Texas has its own grid in an effort to avoid government regulation. Its market-based and deregulated system generally lowers monthly

costs for consumers and is supported by large reserves of natural gas. Texan energy does technically have a regulatory body, the non-profit agency known as the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. However, this council has very little power compared to regulation agencies in other areas of the country.

This minimal regulatory oversight translates to fewer consumer protections. Private energy companies exercise wide discretion over utility pricing and the implementation of precautionary measures to guard against catastrophe.

Because Texas, unlike many other states, did not winterize its pipelines, wind turbines and power plants, the cold weather rendered this infrastructure useless. Texas also does not

mandate a “reserve margin,” an amount of energy available above the predicted demand, because the state can often readily pull natural gas from the ground when demand outstrips supply. However, when the plentiful natural gas fields in West Texas froze from the unexpected low temperatures, Texas was left with nowhere to turn, unable to access a shared grid and import energy from other areas of the country.

Though this winter storm was unexpected, it was not unprecedented. There have been many cold winters in Texas’ history — in fact, a severe cold spell in 2011 also led to widespread blackouts. But the failure to enforce recommendations about winter protections following those storms left the state completely unprepared for this situation. Texas’ model continues to encourage low prices at the expense of reliability; by design, when things fall apart, the blame lands squarely on the system rather than on individuals.

However, as we acknowledge that this infrastructure collapse stems from policy choices and the nature of the system, we must hold Republican politicians accountable for how they are framing the issue and distorting public understanding of the roots of the problem. Instead of accepting what happened and making sure it

doesn’t happen again, many Texas lawmakers turned to shifting the blame. Gov. Greg Abbott and Rep. Dan Crenshaw (LA’06), among others, blamed renewable energy for the power grid failure, despite the clear evidence that the failure of natural gas was a far more important factor. Former Gov. Rick Perry even claimed that Texans would rather suffer without power than give into Democrats’ demands for more regulation.

The politicization of climate change is an important facet of this issue. Gov. Abbott did not want to admit that natural gas and fossil fuel infrastructure failed Texas and tried to put the blame on the Green New Deal — which certainly hasn’t been implemented in Texas — and frozen wind turbines, which were only a fraction of the problem. In fact, unexpected weather like this will only become more prevalent as climate change worsens; these projections highlight how Texas should move toward renewables and positive climate action to mitigate the effects of freak weather events.

To make matters worse, Sen. Ted Cruz abandoned his freezing constituents to jet off to Mexico, only returning due to the intense backlash he received. Meanwhile, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez raised nearly $5 million dollars to help struggling Texans affect-

ed by the crisis. Texans must hold accountable the politicians who are lying to them and leaving them to suffer, such as Gov. Abbott, Sen. Cruz and Rep. Crenshaw, by voting them out in favor of politicians who prioritize improving the lives of their constituents.

On the other hand, I have seen many people on the internet stating that Texans are getting what they deserve for being a red state. This viewpoint is deplorable. For one, Texas is one of the most gerrymandered states. Many Texans, especially those who are low-income and have suffered most from the outages, did not vote for the Republican lawmakers who promote and maintain deregulation. And no one deserves to freeze in the dark, regardless of who they voted for. Last year, former President Trump blamed California for the devastating wildfires the state endured.

Blaming Texans now holds the same ignorance and vitriol.

Instead, we should channel the spirit of Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and donate money and send aid to Texans who are struggling to rebuild. We should support efforts to change the Texas energy system and help elect representatives who truly care about the people. And we should remember that blaming victims always says more about our bitterness than the characters of those who are suffering.

OP-ED

Preserving the integrity of political discourse: Why we shouldn’t be so quick to censor our opponents

by Jessica Parillo On Feb. 18, two Tufts students wrote an article titled “A difference in opinion is debatable, a difference in reality isn’t,” in which they argued that political officials should be held accountable for their “dangerous words and views.” I completely agree.

They reference the struggles in “maintaining a diversity of opinion amid a tense political climate.” I agree with that too. Where these authors and I disagree, however, is on what exactly constitutes “dangerous speech” and how exactly we should approach the issue of accountability. The authors argue that we must distinguish differences of opinion from differences of reality; any view that doesn’t conform with “objective reality” should be dismissed as conspiracy and denied any legitimate debate. Yet while the authors claim this will help preserve the integrity of democratic discourse, the ultimate consequence would actually be a direct attack on free speech.

The truth is, there is no such thing as “objective reality” in a

world where our versions of “reality” are often colored by the media we consume. We are all, to some degree, biased. For an individual or group to claim to possess some superior knowledge of reality is unfounded and creates a very slippery slope, one that allows people to weaponize the term “misinformation” to effectively “cancel” their opponent not just on factual grounds, but on grounds of opinion as well. If I hear something I disagree with, not because it’s false but because it expresses a view that’s different from my own, what’s stopping me from dismissing the argument as a “conspiracy theory” as a means of delegitimization? This behavior establishes a dangerous precedent and creates a culture in which discourse and debate are essentially disincentivized. Why take the time to engage with my opponent when I can reign victorious simply by calling them a liar?

I saw this happen firsthand during a class I was enrolled in last semester. The professor expressed an opinion regarding a political figure, then put it out to the class for debate, asking us

to respond. Instead of engaging with the topic and exploring the issue from multiple sides, I was shocked to watch my classmates get upset with the professor. They yelled at him and accused him of supporting conspiracy theories. There was no rational debate. There was no civil discourse. Both the students and the professor had compelling arguments and evidence on their respective sides, but instead of weighing the merits of the facts, the entire class discussion devolved into the most disrespectful type of free-for-all. Students resorted to calling the professor names rather than listening to what he had to say. I was appalled to see this type of behavior from my peers, particularly at an institution that is supposed to challenge students intellectually. I was even more dismayed to watch my professor be called a “conspiracy theorist” simply for stating an opinion that many in the class did not agree with.

To preemptively dismiss an opposing party’s argument on the assumption that their views

are factually incorrect before they are even granted the opportunity to plead their case is dangerous and undemocratic. The question becomes, then, how to manage real misinformation in our democratic system. It’s a question that’s puzzled the American populace for decades, particularly since the wide proliferation of social media sites.

The Supreme Court has weighed in on the subject, finding some exceptions to free speech in the cases of obscene material, fighting words or speech that poses a clear and present danger. Yet the court’s rulings sometimes approach gray areas — for example, even though the court found that “there is no constitutional value in false statements of fact” (Gertz v. Welch), they have also ruled in cases like U.S. v. Alvarez and New York Times v. Sullivan that the falsity of a statement alone is often not enough to justify complete censorship — there must be accompanying malice or reckless disregard for the truth.

It’s a fine line, one that must be respected to preserve the integrity of the freedom of speech.

To combat conspiracy theories, we shouldn’t quell speech — we should let it flourish. We should exercise our own right to speech to confront proponents of real misinformation with the facts that we have. We should let all sides debate and give citizens the opportunity to weigh the merits of each argument to get as close to the truth as possible.

Most importantly, we should hold our officials accountable not by censoring them, but by voting them out of office.

I understand this approach might be idealistic, as there are many obstacles to accessing and reasonably considering all of the facts in a given situation — confirmation bias, political polarization and a lack of civic engagement, just to name a few.

But one thing is clear — dismissing an opponent as illegitimate because their views of reality don’t align with your own poses a threat to the discourse that serves as the cornerstone of our democratic system.

Jessica Parillo is a junior studying political science. Jessica can be reached at jessica.parillo@tufts.edu.

8 Friday, March 5, 2021

Sports

tuftsdaily.com

Boston stadiums expected to allow fans beginning March 22

by Emma Joyce

Assistant Sports Editor

Gov. Charlie Baker announced on Feb. 25 that Massachusetts is expected to move into Phase 4 of its COVID19 reopening plan on March 22. One of the most exciting announcements that comes with Phase 4 is that arenas, stadiums and ballparks will be allowed to operate at 12% capacity. This means that, in the near future, both TD Garden and Fenway Park may see fans in the stands for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. For TD Garden, this is equal to approximately 2,300 fans, and for Fenway Park, approximately 4,000 fans. TD Garden announced it will utilize “pod seating,” which means groups of 2–4 fans will be distanced at least 6 feet apart from other groups.

“These large venues employ a lot of people and many of them have been out of work for a very long time,” Baker said in a press conference. “We’ve been watching how these venues perform in other states, and believe with the right safety measures in place they can operate responsibly and safely here in the Commonwealth as well.”

Aiden Herrod The Fast Break

My favorite player stats right now

T

he story of the NBA in 2021 can be analyzed through a seemingly endless array of cross sections, but one of my personal favorites is what can come from cherry picking impressive or outlier stats to highlight the impact of individual players. With that in mind, I have gathered my four favorite statistical highlights as we near the midpoint of the season and present them alongside exactly why I believe these players and statistics are more significant than just a few names and decimals.

VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Fenway Park is pictured.

The Bruins would be the first major professional sports team in Boston to be able to host fans, as they have a home game scheduled against the New York Islanders on March 23. The Celtics’ first home game with fans could take place March 29 against the New Orleans Pelicans, if the state

moves into Phase 4 as expected. The Red Sox opening day is scheduled for April 1 against the Baltimore Orioles.

In terms of the health measures these venues have taken, TD Garden has an air filtration system and has introduced a “Play it Safe” program to ensure fan safe-

Bradley Beal averaging 32.9 points per game I’m starting a new movement on Twitter: #freebradbeal. Right now the star guard’s offensive firepower is going to waste in Washington. Beal leads the league in points by a pretty wide margin, with Joel Embiid second in scoring and averaging almost three points per game less than Beal. Beal seems to be at least marginally content in Washington for now, but it should not be that way. I have no doubt in my mind that Beal can be the go-to scoring option on a title contending team, and I am watching closely for any deadline rumors that place him in a new ZIP code. It would be better for the league if a player like Beal could flourish in a more pronounced national spotlight and see some proper playoff basketball in the process.

Zion Williamson clocking in at 26.86 PER Player Efficiency Rating is a fancy way to capture a player’s overall efficiency and productivity on the court. Williamson’s

player efficiency rating fits him snugly at fifth in the league. Just look at the company he’s in: Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard.

That is a who’s who of the 2021 MVP race.

Williamson has transcended to a whole new level of basketball dominance on the offensive end of the floor, and his arrow is only pointed up with defensive improvements and a larger offensive role on the horizon. I’m planting my flag right now before it’s too late and asserting that Williamson will be a clear-cut top-10 player by the start of next season. What he does for the Pelicans offense makes me seriously wonder why Eric Bledsoe and Lonzo Ball are still chucking up shots.

Trae Young shooting 9.6 free throws per game Young has officially joined James Harden on the list of frustratingly talented but impossible to watch superstars through his newfound prolific free throw shooting. He has somehow found a niche in the NBA rule set to exploit, drawing fouls left and right and single-handed-

ty. Some of these measures include new entry gates, mobile concession ordering and a no bag policy. The Red Sox are expected to announce a health and safety plan in the coming weeks. Ticketing information for Bruins, Celtics and Red Sox games will be announced in the coming weeks as well.

Michael Jordan, university infection control health director, commented on the state’s plan to move to the first step of Phase 4 and how it will impact students at Tufts.

“Given the rapidity with which COVID prevalence and incidence change in the community, March 22 is a long way away and many things may happen,” Jordan wrote in an email to the Daily.

“Our essential only travel policy remains unchanged at this point in time.”

Jordan noted that if the state does in fact enter Phase 4 later this month, students will be advised not to attend professional sports games in person.

“While the game may be at 12% capacity and physically distanced, there are many opportunities for physical distancing to break down: car rides, the jaunt to the pre- or post-game drink or snack, etc. in a city where the test positivity is 25-fold higher than our campus bubble, it is ill advised.”

ly powering Atlanta’s offense in the process. His company includes Giannis and Embiid, two star big-men who almost demand fouls purely as a way to halt their downhill momentum. While Young’s frequent trips to the line may be infuriating for a fan to watch, he’s doing what he needs to make up for a shoddy Hawks roster and his horrendous impact as a defender.

Draymond Green’s 8.6 assists The world has collectively forgotten the impact of Green in what was once an unstoppable dynasty. But his return this season has been instrumental in the Warriors’ ability to remain competitive. His playmaking covers many of the offensive flaws of his and Steph Curry’s supporting cast. You can see from any game on any night how smart and versed Green is playing in Steve Kerr’s system, and his intangible impacts are elevating the play of everyone around him.

Aiden Herrod is a junior studying film and media studies and entrepreneurship. Aiden can be reached at aiden.herrod@tufts.edu