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Thursday, September 10, 2020
Former Mass. Governor Deval Patrick commences Tisch College Distinguished Speaker Series by Sara Renkert News Editor
Tufts waives eightsemester residency requirement for fall 2020 undergraduates by Alicia Zou
Former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick addressed the Tufts community on Sept. 9, beginning the Tisch College Distinguished Speakers Series for fall 2020. He spoke about his campaign for governor and U.S. president and his policy priorities. Dean of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life Alan Solomont (A’70) moderated the event. Solomont began the conversation by asking Patrick about the reasoning behind his decision to run in the gubernatorial election, which led him to become the first Black governor in Massachusetts. “The decision to run for anything had to do with a frustration, I saw frankly a bad habit that I saw in my business life creeping into the way we govern ourselves … without due regard for the long term interest of the enterprise,” Patrick said. Patrick added that he opposed the short-term mindset that infiltrated business and government enterprises, which made it difficult to understand systemic effects. He felt that not enough attention was given to generational gaps. “We govern from election cycle to election cycle or news cycle to news cycle and not generation to generation … a lot more people see the accumulated impact of that avoidance,” Patrick said. Patrick also noted that he was motivated by his desire to lead, rather than follow. “I decided to run for governor because I wanted to be able to set the agenda, I wanted the agenda to be ambitious, and not just be in the position of supporting somebody,” he said. Solomont praised Patrick’s decisive 2006 gubernatorial victory for his use of a people-powered campaign strategy. Patrick’s belief in this type of organizing is reflected in his recent venture, the TogetherFund. The fund supports the Democratic presidential ticket, progressive candidates around the country and grassroots organizations. “You broke a lot of new ground in showing you could run a truly grassroots campaign, get people involved in politics who had never [done so] before, and inspire people to have hope
Assistant News Editor
COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Deval Patrick is pictured. and confidence that government could matter to their lives,” Solomont said. Patrick ran in the 2020 presidential election and wanted to use that same grassroots strategy. He dropped out in February, shortly after the New Hampshire primary. “I was really close [to running], I had gotten a lot of support and encouragement … publicly and privately. It is no small decision as you know well and as anyone can imagine. We decided to make a go of it mostly because there were so many big challenges … I felt like the appetite for big answers to those challenges was greater than it normally is,” he said. After a question from Solomont about Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ campaign, Patrick said that he agreed with Biden’s sentiment that the election is a pivotal fight for the essence of the country. He praised their campaign for pushing their agenda to be more progressive and ambitious. “As they say this is an existential election because if the character of the candidates is an issue in every election, this time it’s the character of the country,” he said. Solomont and Patrick also discussed racial injustice and anti-racism initiatives, where
Patrick touched on his experience as a Black man. “Not too long after the George Floyd videotaped lynching was broadcasted, people checked on how we were doing … you knew which ones were checking to see how we were doing versus which ones were checking to see how they were doing, meaning they wanted to be reassured that they were good people and in the good camp,” he said. He also shared his opinions on the “woke” identity. “I am not woke. I start there not because I think I’m woke or I wish I were, but because I want to bring the humility necessary to be taught. You have to put your defenses down before you start,” Patrick said. “For many white people I know, this is very hard.” Patrick urged the young people attending the webinar to continue their fight for justice with knowledge that there may be generational divides, but not a lack of support. “I am so encouraged by the energy and urgency of right now … I think this is the moment that [the youth] made, and they should know that there are an awful lot of us who are grateful that they made this moment and that they have allies beyond their generation,” he said.
Tufts University has waived the eight-semester academic residency requirement for all students enrolled full time in fall 2020, due to the unique circumstances caused by COVID-19. Students must now complete six full-time semesters and have the option of attending part time or graduating early if they meet all degree requirements, according to the Student Life website. The waiver still gives students the opportunity to spend two of the six full-time semesters at approved institutions or study abroad programs, according to the website. Carmen Lowe, dean of undergraduate studies, explained that the waiver is one of many policy changes that faculty from the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering approved in an effort to support students during the pandemic. Despite the policy change, however, the opportunity to graduate in six semesters or enroll part time is not feasible for all undergraduates, according to Lowe. “For some of the engineering majors … they have to have [a] heavier course load and their courses are very sequential, so it’s extraordinarily difficult for engineering students to graduate in fewer than eight full-time semesters,” Lowe said. She also noted that many majors in the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering include a senior capstone component as a degree requirement, making it more difficult for students with these majors to graduate in earlier than eight semesters. Lowe emphasized that the policy change was made considering only the special circumstances of this semester. “I cannot predict anything beyond the semester … the focus of the faculty … was simply only for this semester, only for students who enroll in this semester,” Lowe said. The release of the policy waiver has led students to rethink their final semesters at the university.
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SPORTS / back
CMHS expands accessibility during pandemic
“I’m Thinking of Ending Things” is a Kaufman film first, a horror film second
Raptors force Game 7 in instant NBA Bubble classic
Maria Nolan, a senior majoring in international relations with an economics minor, explained that she originally considered taking the fall semester off to pursue an internship. She decided to enroll full time in the fall and continue part time in the spring, due to financial reasons and the residency requirement changes. “[Enrolling part-time] would be a much lower amount of money than I am spending now for my parents and for my financial benefit and being more secure when I start out in a job later on,” Nolan said. “Especially with COVID, it’s going to be harder for us to find jobs out of college.” Senior Jordan Isaacs expressed the benefit the waiver gives to students who are able to complete their degree requirements in less than eight full-time semesters. “It’s a great opportunity for kids in my position who have one or two classes left who don’t have to worry and can get a job while they finish up school,” Isaacs said. Compared to full-time enrollment tuition of $29,780, part-time tuition is $2,482 per semester-hour unit, according to Patricia Reilly, associate dean of financial aid. “Financial aid is always based on the student costs,” Reilly wrote in an email to the Daily. “So, if a student is enrolled on a part-time basis, their costs will be less and their financial aid will be reduced to take into account the reduced costs.” Reilly explained how the waiver can reduce debt for students on financial aid. “In most cases, the student loan will be reduced first,” Reilly said. “As a result, financial aid students will typically not pay less to enroll part time, but they will likely graduate with lower student loan indebtedness.” Some students are excluded from this waiver, including transfer students who need to complete at least four full-time semesters, and students in the Resumed Education for Adult Learners Program, to whom the residency requirement does not apply, according to the website. see REQUIREMENT, page 2 NEWS
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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Thursday, September 10, 2020
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Students rethink final semesters due to residency requirement changes REQUIREMENT
continued from page 1 Students who have Reduced Course-Load Accommodation are considered full-time students, according to the website. Those who may need to take a medical leave of absence in the fall will still have their semester counted toward the residency requirement, if their official leave date passes the tuition reimbursement period.
Lowe hopes this policy will prevent students from feeling discouraged to take a medical leave if they need to. “What if someone is sick … we want them to take a medical leave, we don’t want to discourage that in any way,” Lowe said. She also cautioned against an extraordinarily heavy course load because of its potentially detrimental effects on students. “[A heavy course load is] not good for [students] intellectually,
it’s not good for people’s mental health, it’s not good for their physical health,” Lowe said. She encouraged students to do eight full-time semesters. “Students need four full-time years of college, especially eight full-time semesters, in order to master the curriculum and have both the breadth and the depth of the curriculum, as well as the experience of leadership opportunities,” Lowe said.
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Features
3 Thursday, September 10, 2020
Q&A: Julie Ross, CMHS director, says self-care is more important now than ever by Madeleine Aitken Deputy News Editor
Editor’s note: This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. Julie Ross is the director of Counseling and Mental Health Services (CMHS) at Tufts. In addition to her role as director and her duties as a staff psychologist, Ross serves as a liaison to Tufts University Police Department and to the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs and as a mental health consultant to campus committees. Her specific areas of expertise and clinical interests include life transitions and loss and grief, which may prove particularly relevant this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Daily interviewed Ross to hear about CMHS at Tufts, the differences this year will bring and her advice to the Class of 2024. The Tufts Daily (TD): Can you briefly introduce CMHS at Tufts? What are some of the services and resources you offer to students? Julie Ross (JR): We are a diverse group of clinicians who specialize in working with college students. We have a variety of educational and training backgrounds, areas of expertise, and identities. Our approach is trauma-informed and individualized. We believe that every person has a right to care and to being treated with respect and dignity … We offer a variety of services including individual and group counseling, psychiatric services as a specialized adjunct treatment when indicated, assistance with referrals to community mental health services, and consultation to folx who are concerned about a student. Counseling services are free and confidential. We also offer “Ask a Counselor” sessions, which are brief (15 minutes or less) conversations with a counselor that are confidential, but are not therapy. These sessions are helpful for students who may have a very specific concern, such as being worried about a friend,
as well as for students who are unsure about counseling and want to know what it’s like to speak with a counselor. There is a counselor on call for mental health emergencies 24/7. Around campus, we work with mental health related student organizations such as Active Minds on Campus and Ears for Peers, and offer trainings for student leaders, faculty, and staff on how to recognize and help a student who may be struggling with their mental health. TD: What is your individual role in CMHS, and what does that entail? What does your dayto-day look like? JR: As Director of CMHS, my role includes working to ensure that things go smoothly for students and for our staff on a dayto-day basis, as well as keeping us aligned with our mission and guiding the overall direction of the service. I value working collaboratively with the counseling team when we are considering how best to deploy our resources and serve our students, so that everyone’s perspective is shared and considered when making decisions that will impact our work. I have to laugh a bit at trying to describe my day-to-day, as every day is unique! This is just one of the many things I love about my work at Tufts, in addition to the honor of working with our amazing students and my incredible colleagues. On any given day though, I am likely to be in at least a couple of meetings with colleagues at CMHS and/or others in Student Affairs, consulting with someone who is concerned about a student, seeing a student in counseling, dealing with or consulting about a student emergency, revising a policy or working to improve a process to make it more user-friendly, serving on a committee with colleagues from around campus, and of course dealing with an avalanche of emails! TD: Do you feel that this year will be different from years past
(for example, in terms of demand for CMHS resources, new challenges, etc)? JR: Oh absolutely! It has already been a very different Spring and Summer. In terms of demand, we do expect to see an increase, given the uncertainties and stressors we are all facing right now. The pandemic, of course. And the pandemic occurs in the context of the increased visibility of deadly violence against BIPOC communities, structural racism resulting in devastating disparities in health outcomes as well as in innumerable other areas, a nation that is divided and facing what will be a hotly contested presidential election, environmental catastrophes across the planet, and more. As a result, we know that students are dealing with more anxiety, loss, trauma, and loneliness and we have been working hard to meet these challenges and find ways to get the word out to students that we are here and we want to help. For example, we fielded a Needs Assessment this summer to get a better sense of how students are managing and what kind of help they need. We also started an Instagram account and have been posting regularly throughout the summer. We offered virtual groups and workshops throughout the spring and summer, and have expanded these programs in efforts to include more students and to bring them together to talk with each other about what is important to them. TD: Have there been any changes or shifts in the way CMHS will operate this year as a result of COVID-19? JR: When on-campus operations were shut down in March, we shifted from in-person to virtual services. We have been providing all of our services virtually since that time, and will continue to do so this fall semester. For students who are working with our counseling staff, there will be Zoom Rooms on the first floor of our building that can be sched-
ANN MARIE BURKE / THE TUFTS DAILY
Tufts Counseling and Mental Health Services is pictured on Aug. 28.
COURTESY JULIE ROSS
Julie Ross, the director of CMHS, is pictured. uled for 40-minute appointments. This is a bit shorter than what some students are used to, but is necessary because of the public health requirements for airing out between sessions that keep the rooms safe. Students can just call the front desk to schedule a room if they don’t have another private place for their counseling session. In addition to those rooms, there will be other spaces on campus that students can reserve for privacy during telehealth meetings … We are concerned about what medical isolation will be like for students, and we will be among those on campus who reach out to those students in a variety of ways. For example, we plan to hold drop-in support/hangout groups for those students, and we will be making sure they have information about our resources as well as a number of other resources they can access even while in isolation. TD: Can you speak more specifically about some of your “areas of expertise,” namely mental health issues impacting first-generation college students and life transitions? JR: As a former first-generation student, I appreciate the special challenges that can arise when there is no one in your family who can advise, guide, or support you as you try to make decisions about college, work through the application process, and begin life as a college student with all the attendant emotional, financial, social, and academic impact. For example, there can be a sense of loneliness and dislocation, feeling perhaps you neither quite fit with your peers from high school, your family/community, nor with your more privileged classmates. This is just
one of the many challenges which are more complex also when you are dealing with racial, cultural, and linguistic differences. Becoming a college student is just one type of life transition, but life transitions are always multifaceted experiences, involving both losses and gains. I find these to be pivotal moments in our development as human beings, and they offer opportunities to both reflect on where we have been, and to explore and be intentional about where and how we might move forward. TD: The Class of 2024 is making the transition to college, which is already often difficult, during an unprecedentedly difficult time. What advice would you offer them? JR: Self-compassion and selfcare are more important now than ever. This is a time to be kind and gentle with yourself, and not to expect yourself to be able to function as you would in less difficult times. Know that feeling stressed and upset about what is happening in our world is natural, and there are many ways to help manage these feelings. Some may be solitary, such as journaling, or jogging, reading or doing crossword puzzles. And even though we are socially distancing, it is important to engage with others, whether talking about serious things or joking around, taking a virtual museum tour together or watching a movie on Netflix Party. Make time for the things that bring you joy in the moment such as music, dance, running, making art, or whatever works for you. Finally, foster hope and know that this difficult time will not last forever. Students can visit the CMHS website to learn more about services or make an appointment.
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ARTS & POP CULTURE
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Thursday, September 10, 2020
‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things’ — Charlie Kaufman’s first foray into horror Arts Editor
One of the world’s most thoughtful and thought-provoking screenwriters returned to film with the Netflix release of “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” (2020). Charlie Kaufman is Hollywood’s Atlas. His work holds up the weight of the increasingly-redundant industry with its originality. Ironically, it does so by examining the same general “thing” each time, the thing we all share yet understand the least about: the human condition. Thankfully, there’s so much to talk about in regards to the human condition. “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” starts with shots of a quaint house, washing over each other while the narrating voice of Jessie Buckley (of “Wild Rose” (2018) and “Chernobyl” (2019)) contemplates human thought in a raging stream of consciousness. She tells us that she is visiting Jake’s parents on their farm before telling us that Jake is her boyfriend (played by Jesse Plemons of “Friday Night Lights” (2006– 11) and “Breaking Bad” (2008–13)). At this point the order of her thoughts seem to be an inconsequential confirmation of Jake’s relation to her. As the film unfolds, however, this specificity can be seen in a completely different light. Other little moments are sprinkled throughout the first half of the screenplay — in dialogue, visuals and character background — that hint at a very different reality to what is portrayed in the main storyline. For example, as the young woman waits for Jake, she looks up at a building. The camera quickly shifts to an old man (Guy Boyd), back turned to the camera, looking down out his window. It switches back to her, uncomfortable until she sees her boyfriend pulling up to the curb. The camera switches once more to the man, except now he is clearly younger. Peculiarly, the one shot of the woman looking at the building does not show any of the windows being looked out of by a creepy old man, and the shot of the age-changing men shows them looking out to a sunny view, not a snowy one. In a matter of just this one minute, an incredible number of oddities are subtly introduced. At Jake’s parents’ farm, Kaufman throws in gags that horror films often use as set-up for big scares — a door opening on its own, infesting rot and
VIA IMDB
A promotional poster for “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” (2020) is pictured. unsettling scratch marks, to name a few. The aura of the visit has all the makings of a horror film situation. Kaufman even recruited Toni Collette to play Jake’s mom — the actress who gave one of the best horror film performances of all time in “Hereditary” (2018). Collette and David Thewlis (of “Harry Potter” (2001–11)) are equally brilliant to the two leads, playing Jake’s parents at multiple intervals of life and health. But this film is not a horror film. Or, at least, not in the traditional sense.
The horror here is regret and loneliness in the face of aging. The film spectacularly captures what it is like to fantasize about missed opportunities, something that — to some degree — most people will have experienced at some point in their lives. It looks at these concepts through the secondary storyline, that of the old man staring out of a window at the beginning of the film. As the film nears the interaction of the two separate storylines, we realize that they were never truly separate. Jake, the
young woman and the old man are inherently tied to one another. This interaction plays out in Jake’s old high school, where Jake and his girlfriend stop against the wishes of the latter. The old man happens to be the high school’s janitor. The janitor and the young woman interact, and she asks him if he has seen Jake. He says he has not. Eventually she finds Jake on her own and they — or, rather, people who are similarly dressed to them — perform an almost five-minutelong interpretive dance. The focus finally stays on the old man, who has made his way to his truck. What unfolds in these last 10 minutes of the film is an array of the bizarre. The old man hallucinates everything from a talking pig to Jake’s performing a song from the musical “Oklahoma!,” wearing makeup to look elderly. “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” is undoubtedly a Kaufman film, and a Kaufman film is never a bad thing. Nevertheless, it feels as if he merely transposed the exact same themes of “Synecdoche, New York” (2008) — an earlier film of his — and decided to give it a horror feel. While “Synecdoche, New York” felt innovative with how quickly it plunged into its philosophical, paradoxical and mind-bending ways, “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” took the triedand-true horror approach of a descent into such chaos. Again, the film is not bad by any means — it is just not as original as Kaufman can be. With that said, the film was as thought-provoking as anything Kaufman’s ever done. Once you finish it, you’ll start to connect more and more dots until you’re pondering the significance of each frame, of each cinematic sleight of hand, of each moment that felt out of place initially, of each word and the way it was said. The horror approach did not land all that well and felt unnecessary for the most part. Sure, it was an interesting foray for Kaufman, who hasn’t ever gone too far in that direction, and he deserves credit for trying. Luckily, the horror tinge was merely a tinge and did not heavily distract from the wonderful parts of the film — the concepts, the acting (Oscar nominations are definitely possible), the surreal final third of the film. “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” is not Kaufman’s best, but it is still better than most of Hollywood’s rest.
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Thursday, September 2020 | ARTS & POP CULTURE Thursday,10, September 10, 2020 | Arts & Living| |THE THETUFTS TUFTS DAILY DAILY
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Season 2 of ‘The Boys’ starts off with a bang by Drew Weisberg Assistant Arts Editor
Amazon Prime’s “The Boys” (2019–) might be the most complicated yet simple show on television. The show is intricately plotted, yet straightforward and digestible. The show is fantastical and grounded, played straight and comically, all in a healthy balance. Balance is the operative term for the first three episodes of the series’ second season, which premiered on Sept. 4 on the streaming service. The show maintains an engaging ride throughout with only a few details that upset a solidly balanced opener to this next chapter. Set soon after the first season, “The Boys” drops viewers back into a world where superheroes are real, corporate-sponsored and, in the words of Karlv Urban’s character, Billy Butcher, “diabolical.” After the events of season 1, the eponymous “Boys,” are on the run from The Seven, the premiere super-team and full-time stooges for Vought International. The Seven is led by the sociopathic Superman analog, Homelander, realized in a chilling performance by Anthony Starr. While it’s recommended that viewers watch the first season beforehand, the opening of the first episode is an excellent introduction to the principal players and more importantly, the tone. “The Boys” is a strange mix of harsh violence, black comedy and genuine humanity that hits far more often than it misses, which is due in large part to the fantastic performances from every member of the cast. Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid), the rookie of the group, continues to adapt to his role as a member of the black ops team while balancing a relationship with his estranged girlfriend. Meanwhile, he keeps the aforementioned Billy Butcher, the team’s leader, away from compromise as Butcher moves farther and farther away
VIA IMDB
A promotional poster for “The Boys” (2019–) is pictured.
from any semblance of morals. Special attention must be given to Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) for her incredible performance. In the previous season, her character was largely shrouded in mystery and given little to do, but her beefed-up role gives Fukuhara a chance to shine in a largely silent role, requiring a top-notch physical performance which she delivers with ease. The show knows when to let the audience breathe, often allowing quiet moments for character development. This breaks up the exciting action set pieces or moments of conflict and, unlike other comic book projects, doesn’t feel the need to add jokes to these more contemplative moments. Pacing is a strong suit of these first three episodes, as each of the numerous arcs and plots moves like a well-oiled machine, that is, except for the storyline revolving around a disgraced superhero, The Deep (Chace Crawford). Crawford does an incredible job portraying an objectively repugnant character, but his performance can’t save a plotline that, by the third episode, goes off the rails. The plot features a bizarre cameo performance from Patton Oswalt all in service of a halfhearted attempt to jumpstart a sort of “third faction” apart from Vought and the Boys, but its message is muddled and each new chapter felt groan-worthy. While The Deep’s plotline is not an overwhelming portion of these first three episodes, it’s important to understand its failure. It encapsulates what can go wrong if the show loses the balance of human moments to dark comedy, the consequence of which is a thread that drags down an otherwise tight three episodes. Despite the occasional plot hiccup, the premiere of “The Boys” second season is further evidence to the tact of the team behind the show, and illustrates that the series is one of the most interesting shows on TV, drumming up excitement for the rest of the season.
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THE TUFTS DAILY | FUN & GAMES | Thursday, September 10, 2020
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tuftsdaily.com LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY Megan (Happy Birthday!!) : “Milk is my beverage of choice.”
FUN & GAMES
LINDA C. BLACK ASTROLOGY
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Virgo (Aug. 23–Sept. 22)
Slow to look for another route when one road gets blocked. You can’t do everything. Fact and fantasy clash. Stay calm and carry on.
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Opinion
7 Thursday, September 10, 2020
OP-ED
An open letter to the Tufts community concerning student mental health ERIN SEATON Dear University President Anthony Monaco, Provost and Senior Vice President Nadine Aubry, Dean of the School of Engineering Jianmin Qu, Dean of Student Affairs Camille Lizarríbar, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences James Glaser, Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Robert Cook, Associate Provost and Chief Diversity Officer Rob Mack and members of the Tufts community, Over the past five months, I have appreciated the university’s leadership in planning for the physical reopening of our campus and the health and safety of community members. However, I believe that we are facing a looming and unaddressed crisis in students’ mental health. After working with students this summer, I witnessed firsthand the stress and anxiety students are experiencing as they grapple with a racial and global health pandemic. Surveys identified a rise in depression, stress and anxiety when campuses closed last spring. As students struggle with isolation, repeated exposure to racial trauma, economic hardship, technological challenges and barriers to accessing mental health support, mental health needs have increased, especially among Black and Latinx youth. Additionally, students face the academic pressures of fall classes and the stress of trying to complete academic work off campus without adequate technological resources and in spaces not conducive to learning. At Tufts, white supremacy and racism are still infused throughout the university. Even with new attention to anti-racist policies and practices, until these are fully implemented, the prevailing structures will deeply impact mental health and learning, placing further undue stress on historically marginalized students. With canceled athletic programs, limits on social gatherings, distancing in dining halls, restrictions on in-person meetings for clubs and reduced access to gym facilities, studios and libraries, students are returning to campus without their usual outlets for managing stress and connecting with others. Students attending college remotely and
international students unable to enter the U.S. may feel particularly isolated. The fact that students will continue to struggle with increased mental health needs this fall should come as no surprise to university administrators. While the university created the Mental Health Task Force in 2016 and the Steering Committee on Student Mental Health last fall, the recommendations released by the task force need both revision and re-attention. Although Counseling and Mental Health Services (CMHS) has increased support and broadened its capacity for individual counseling, CMHS cannot be the only solution to student mental health needs. Just as we look far beyond Health Service to address COVID19 on campus, the current mental health crisis demands a university-wide approach that integrates efforts across programs and departments and prepares all members of the community to recognize and support students’ mental health needs. Mental health must be addressed in academic, extracurricular, athletic and residential settings and by all members of the community. Student mental health, like any public health issue, requires community-wide education, open conversation and a shifting of norms. If this moment has taught us nothing else, it is that we must confront difficult topics head-on before they ignite into a larger crisis that we are unable to contain. There is still time and there are steps that we can take right now to support the psychological wellbeing of our students. The first step is to anticipate this crisis in mental health and to mobilize the support systems already in place on campus. Tufts should utilize its Steering Committee on Student Mental Health and prioritize the voices of student representatives. The Steering Committee should also make data from surveys about students’ mental health needs public and continue to monitor student needs throughout the school year. Critical components of this committee should include normalizing behaviors that educate all community members about mental health and encouraging all members of the community to seek out men-
tal health support when needed. Beyond the Steering Committee, there should be a clearer chain of command that outlines the specific roles of different mental health services and providers on campus. Across all departments, Tufts should more clearly communicate what mental health resources are available to members of its community and create clear protocols about what to do when concerned about another person’s mental wellbeing. The university must also prioritize the needs of students of color, members of the community who may feel marginalized, students with significant economic need, students with previous mental health challenges and students with disabilities by removing barriers that may currently prevent them from accessing mental health support. Tufts should work to increase communication and collaboration with the various centers and services students already seek out, such as the Africana Center, the FIRST Center and Student Accessibility Services, ensuring that these spaces have the staffing and resources required to tend to the needs of students living on and off campus. Online individual counseling must be available to all students through CMHS long term, with opportunities for students to request counselors who share their social or racial identities. Secondly, we need to deeply invest in strategies that build community and amplify students’ strengths and resilience. In the broadest sense, this can be implemented on a college-wide level that invites members across the entire community to engage with others, such as in community-wide town halls, events featuring invited speakers, online screenings of films with subsequent discussions, workshops, celebrations, memorials and meaningful ceremonies. Maintaining connections with others despite physical distancing is critical to community building. Every team, club, organization and department should be charged with the task of creating online pathways for community building. Despite not being able to practice in person, sports teams can still sponsor virtual study halls, post workout strate-
gies designed for small spaces or use online tools to observe athletic technique. Clubs can continue to invite members to discuss relevant issues in an online space or take action through online advocacy, such as through a virtual voter registration drive. Academic departments can hold virtual social hours, and individual faculty members should continue to hold online office hours. Campus religious organizations can host online worship or spiritual discussion groups. Using virtual spaces such as Instagram or Twitter, Tufts could create a hashtag and ask students to post photos or stories that build community. Creating a safe and equitable community is paramount to increasing students’ sense of belonging and emotional capacities in this challenging time. Faculty and staff working with students should be required to enroll in the Kognito modules for recognizing at-risk students and opening conversations about mental health. In addition, all faculty and staff should be trained in trauma-sensitive practices and anti-racist teaching. While the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching is an excellent resource for this training, it is often only faculty who are already deeply invested in advocating for students that attend these workshops. Resources for staff and faculty to manage the stress and anxieties of uncertainty and racial trauma should also be made available. Providing a multi-tiered system of mental health supports will be critical. All students should have access to information about mindfulness, stress reduction, self-care and coping. Faculty and staff need to continually assess students’ wellbeing, whether formally or informally, and adapt to meet their emergent needs. The university should consider ways to provide mental health screenings, such as mental health screenings that would accompany routine COVID-19 testing. Tufts could also implement relationship mapping, in which administrators ensure that every student has at least one connection with a faculty or staff member. Peer leaders can also contribute by monitoring a crisis line, such as Ears for Peers,
providing mentoring, establishing community norms around mental health or providing information about mental health resources. As a second tier, we can offer targeted support to students from marginalized populations and students struggling to manage stress, such as through online affinity or support groups that meet on a routine basis. Finally, we need to reexamine the academic policies and practices that increase stress for students. Trauma not only impacts students’ physical and emotional wellbeing but also impacts academic performance, disrupting students’ concentration, focus and ability to initiate academic work. In light of this, reducing course loads, streamlining what students need to learn and implementing anti-racist and trauma-informed practices in classrooms are all methods of supporting student mental health and wellbeing. While Tufts’ decision to support optional Exceptional Pass/Fail grading this semester significantly helps students in this unprecedented time, Tufts faculty and the Educational Policy Committee need to reexamine policies surrounding attendance, course withdrawal deadlines and virtual methods of participating in courses and assessments. Additionally, community members have already highlighted the critical need to examine the role and function of Tufts University Police Department and the ways in which the racial bias of police responses can be traumatizing for students. This is not the time for silence or inaction. The only path forward is for Tufts to turn attention toward, not away from, the myriad of mental health needs students will carry with them as they return to classrooms this fall. While some of these strategies may already be in place, allocating more resources to a centralized task force and increasing communication and collaboration are critical in building a community-wide response to student mental health. Erin Seaton, Senior Lecturer Department of Education Erin Seaton is a senior lecturer in the Department of Education. Erin can be reached at ee.seaton@tufts.edu
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8 tuftsdaily.com
Sports
Thursday, September 10, 2020
Views from the Bubble: Upsets, instant classics in the NBA playoffs by Alex Sharp
Assistant Sports Editor
Heat topple top-seeded Bucks For the second consecutive season, the Milwaukee Bucks had the NBA’s best regular season record, the league’s best regular season defense in terms of points allowed per 100 possessions and arguably the league’s most dominant player in soon to be back-to-back MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. And for the second consecutive season, the Bucks have failed to win the Eastern Conference. The fifth-seeded Miami Heat, who finished the disrupted regular season 12 games behind the Bucks in the Eastern Conference standings, defeated Milwaukee 103–94 Tuesday night to win the series 4–1 and clinch a spot in the conference finals. Antetokounmpo did not play in Game 5 after suffering a gruesome sprained ankle during Game 4. Even before Antetokounmpo’s injury, the Heat thoroughly outplayed the Bucks and took a commanding 3–0 series lead. Jimmy Butler set the tone for the series in the Heat’s 115– 104 Game 1 victory, pouring in 40 points from 13 on 20 shooting. Butler was at his best in crunch time, scoring 15 points in the final six minutes of the fourth quarter. Before the postseason began, Butler sat down with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols and told her, “We can win [the NBA championship] … I don’t give a damn what anyone says.” So far, that assessment appears legitimate. After sweeping the fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers in the first round and defeating the Bucks in the conference semifinals, the Heat are 8–1 in the playoffs and look like the hottest team in the NBA. In an era marked by superstars joining forces to form so-called “superteams,” the Heat have relied instead on exceptional depth to find success. Each night feels like somebody new steps up, propelling the Heat to victory. Starting power forward Bam Adebayo scored double figures in each game against the Bucks and his backup Kelly Olynyk reached double figures in three of the five games. Coach Eric Spoelstra has given young sharpshooters Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson the bright green light from deep and both players have taken advantage in the playoffs, with each player hitting several clutch threes against both the Pacers and Bucks. Savvy veterans Goran Dragic and Jae Crowder have also played great minutes throughout the postseason, averaging 21.1 and 12.8 points per game, respectively. As if there are not enough weapons at Spoelstra’s disposal, seasoned NBA journeyman and former finals MVP Andre Iguodala provides experience off the bench for the Heat. Miami
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Giannis Antetokounmpo is pictured. will play the winner of the Celtics-Raptors series for a spot in the NBA championship. After another disappointing playoff exit, the Bucks head into an offseason in which they are almost certain to offer Antetokounmpo a five-year supermax extension. Whether or not the MVP signs an extension with the small-market Bucks will be among the biggest storylines of the NBA offseason. Lakers take 2–1 series lead The first-seed Lakers defeated the fourth-seed Rockets 112–102 on Tuesday to take a 2–1 series lead in the Western Conference semifinals. Lebron James (36 points, seven rebounds, five assists) and Anthony Davis (26 points, 15 rebounds, six assists) led the way for the Lakers in Game 3. The series provides an interesting matchup as the Lakers have three starters listed at 6 feet, 9 inches or taller, while the smallball Rockets’ tallest starter is 6-foot-7-inch forward Robert Covington. Golden State Warriors power forward/center Draymond Green went so far as to suggest in a tweet that NBA centers should be rooting for the Lakers because their value will be diminished if a diminutive lineup takes down the Lakers. James Harden (33 points, nine rebounds, nine assists) and Russell Westbrook (30 points, eight rebounds, six
assists) each played efficiently on Tuesday, but the star duo will need somebody else to step up in a big way to defeat the Lakers. Celtics up 3–2 on defending champs The Boston Celtics were in cruise control in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, up two games to zero and leading the Toronto Raptors 103–101 after Daniel Theis’ dunk with 0.5 seconds left. Then Kyle Lowry sent a cross court inbounds pass over 7-foot-5-inch Tacko Fall and into the hands of his teammate OG Anunoby, who calmly knocked down the buzzer-beating game-winning three. The Celtics blew the coverage leaving Anunoby wide open in the corner. In his post-game presser, Jaylen Brown, the defender nearest Anunoby, said there was a miscommunication and called the mishap an “f-ing disgrace.” The Raptors rode their momentum into a Game 4 victory in which they shot 17–44 from three while the Celtics went an abysmal 7–35 from behind the arc. In Game 5, Boston held Toronto to 11 first quarter points, went into the half up 27 and easily won 111–89, taking a 3–2 series lead. Officials in the Bucks-Heat series were heavily criticized for calling ticky-tack fouls in the last seconds of Game 2, resulting in game-winning free throws for the Heat with no time left on the clock. The
officials in Game 6 of the Celtics-Raptors series seemed to have the polar opposite philosophy. With the game knotted at 98 and seconds left in regulation, Kemba Walker drove hard through the lane and was clobbered by Raptors guard Fred Van Vleet. As Walker went flying the whistle stayed quiet. A missed prayer from Pascal Siakam sent the game into overtime. Each team’s defense buckled down in the first overtime and Jaylen Brown hit two clutch free throws to tie the game at 106. Norman Powell’s three-for-the-win rimmed out, sending the game to double overtime. Back-to-back dunks from Jayson Tatum and Daniel Theis put the Celtics up four, but the Raptors refused to go away, getting a quick bucket from Kyle Lowry and a pair of free throws from Powell to tie the game at 110. In a hectic flurry of offense, the Celtics and Raptors proceeded to trade buckets on six consecutive offensive possessions. The Celtics ultimately blinked first with Powell picking Tatum’s pocket and converting an and-one on the other end to give the Raptors a four-point lead. Tatum brought the Celtics back to within two with a floater but Lowry sealed the game with an unbelievable fadeaway jumper over Walker to put the Raptors up four with 11.7 seconds left. The Raptors walked away with a 125–122 win. The Raptors thrilling double-overtime Game 6 victory means there will be a Game 7 on Friday night. Whichever team advances to play the Heat in the conference finals will be at a major energy deficit after a strenuous seven-game series that has seen several players from both rosters play grueling minutes. In Game 6 both the Celtics and Raptors had four players hit 50 minutes and Siakam, Lowry and Tatum played the entire second half and overtime periods. Clips lead Nuggets two games to one The Denver Nuggets only had one day off after their thrilling Game 7 win over the Utah Jazz. They played tired in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Clippers and were easily defeated 120–97. Anyone who thought the Nuggets would fold does not know the character of their young star Jamal Murray who, as a kid in Canada, was doing deepknee squats with hot tea balancing on his thighs to make sure he held the position. Murray scored 27 points in Game 2 and his Serbian partner in the front court, Nikola Jokić, added 26 as the Nuggets defeated the Clippers to even the series at one game a piece. In Game 3 Paul George stepped up big for the Clippers, leading the charge in the fourth quarter as the Clippers outscored the Nuggets 29–19 en route to a 113–107 victory and a 2–1 series lead. The Clippers won Game 4 last night by a score of 96–85.
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