The Tufts Daily - September 11, 2017 by The Tufts Daily

Resumed-education students bring REAL-world perspectives see FEATURES / PAGE 3

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Jumbos stomp Lions, draw with Mules

Goodbye to Fido, hello to RoVR: dog-ownership for millennials see ARTS&LIVING / PAGE 5

SEE SPORTS / BACK PAGE

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VOLUME LXXIV, ISSUE 3

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Tufts removes Disorientation Guide from Facebook class pages by Anar Kansara News Editor

The Tufts Disorientation Guide for this year was removed from the official Tufts University Class of 2020 and 2021 Facebook pages on Sunday, Sept. 3 by Communications and the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs, according to Mickey Toogood, a communications and multimedia specialist at the dean’s office. The Disorientation Guide is a document anonymously authored by a group of Tufts students that includes “institutional knowledge, words of encouragement, and narratives that [students] will not hear from the Tufts Administration during O-week,” according to the guide. The document includes articles and pieces covering a wide variety of topics, including “Radical Histories of Tufts,” “Where to begin? Being Black and queer on campus…” and “Studying Abroad and Mental Illness.” The guide is especially aimed at incoming first-years and students from minority groups that may otherwise be overlooked by the Tufts administration and student body, according to a source involved in the production and distribution of the guide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid backlash from students and administration. “[It] is a collection of narratives, resources and histories that Tufts would not otherwise give to first-year students. A lot of it is counter narratives, so voices of students that are not default Tufts students,” the source said. “It was a really helpful resource for me when I was a first-year and I want it to remain that for other people.” According to Nicole Joseph, a senior who has worked on the Disorientation Guide in previous years, this guide helps students feel as though they belong on campus. “We just know that a lot of us have experiences that the school does not talk about, and [we] want to make sure that people get to know about those and don’t feel alone at the school,” Joseph said. Joseph explained that she does not believe there are enough resources for minorities provided by Tufts, which creates a need for publications like this. “The school … doesn’t necessarily have a focus on how people of different marginalized

identities can survive at Tufts, so I think those were the kind of resources we want to put in whether [it’s] financial aid or how to navigate the administration,” Joseph said. According to Patrick Collins, the executive director of public relations at Tufts University, the Disorientation Guide was removed after the administration received “a number of student complaints” regarding the document. “The guide ran counter to the spirit of orientation’s mission,” he said. “On official university Facebook pages and groups, which the class groups are, we always have reserved the right to remove unauthorized content.” The university has the right to determine what is appropriate to share through official communication channels such as the Facebook class pages, according to Toogood. “In general, the University is loathe to restrict social media posts,” he told the Daily in an email. “When it does occur, removal of the unauthorized content is often prompted by complaints from students, but we also may hear from within the Tufts community that a post is somehow in conflict with Tufts community standards, in violation of copyright, or incompatible with the intended mission of a page or group.” According to Joseph, the guide is posted on official Facebook class pages every year. Toogood noted the guide was removed from official Facebook class pages in 2015 as well under very similar circumstances when it was brought to the administration’s attention. However, students involved with the guide did not agree with the judgment and justification of the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs. “One of the reasons why this guide is published is because the voices that are represented in it are not ones that the administration tries to lift up, so I guess this is just another very clear example of them controlling the narrative of who’s on campus and what people are experiencing,” Joseph said, referring to it as a “bad use of their power.” The anonymous source agreed as well, saying the guide was removed due to the fact that the administration was threatened by the information in the document. The source stated that, although the administration has the power to censor these publications, they believe it is the

TUFTS DISOREINTATION GUIDE

The cover of the Tufts Disorientation Guide 2017 issue, which was taken down from multiple Tufts class Facebook pages by the administration. The content is said to reflect a more negative image of Tufts than typical first-year material. responsibility of students to actively create change on campus. “I understand that Tufts is a private institution. They can do this kind of thing, but I don’t think that means they ought to,” they said.

“[The guide shows] to [the] first-years that Tufts is not a perfect place … Tufts exists within other systems of power … so, as students, it is our responsibility within Tufts to not be complacent.”

Tufts students participate in massive protest against white supremacy by Emma Steiner News Editor

Discalaimer: Nick Pfosi is a former associate editor at the Tufts Daily. He was not involved in the writing of this article.

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Approximately 15,000 people marched through Boston Common on Saturday, Aug. 19, protesting a right-wing, “free speech” rally, according to PBS Newshour. The protesters began their march in Roxbury, leaving from the Reggie Lewis

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Track and Athletic Center and walked approximately two miles to Boston Common, according to Ann-Marie Lee, a member of the Tufts Progressive Alliance (TPA) who participated in the rally. According to the Facebook event, the

rally was as a show of solidarity for “Black Lives, LGBTQI Lives, Indigenous Lives, Palestinian Lives, Cape Verde Lives, Latinx Lives, Jewish Lives and all who are margin-

NEWS............................................1 FEATURES.................................3 ARTS & LIVING.......................5

see COUNTER-PROTEST, page 2

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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Monday, September 11, 2017

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TPA supports counterprotest to white supremacy COUNTER-PROTEST

continued from page 1 alized … [a] demand justice, [and] defiance of white supremacy.” Due to the massive amount of people, it took almost five hours for the whole crowd to march from the Athletic Center to the Boston Common, said Lee, a sophomore. The organizers of the massive mobilization — Monica Cannon-Grant, DiDi Rose, DiDi Delgado, Erynn Brook, Chanelle Helm and Rebecca Frederick — said on the Facebook event that Bostonians would march, not just to protest the conservative “free speech” rally, but also in resistance to white supremacy across the country. The Facebook description cited solidarity with events and protests in Charlottesville, Va.; Flint, Mich.; Ferguson, Mo.; Baltimore, Md.; Charleston, S.C.; Standing Rock Ark.; “Palestine, and communities of color across the globe.” The march was largely peaceful, according to PBS. Nonetheless, there were several arrests of anti-white supremacist protesters and conservative inciters, according to both Nicole Joseph, a senior, and Nick Pfosi (LA ’16), who both attended the rally. Nate Krinsky, the president of TPA, also attended the rally and described how incredible the turnout of the rally was. “We were amazed by how many people came out to protest white supremacy and tell the alt-right that they were not welcome here,” Krinsky said. “After their acts of intimidation in Charlottesville it was incredibly important to not be silent, which would only allow the white supremacist movement to continue to grow.” Krinsky, a junior, explained that TPA will support other efforts like this in the future. “Only through large mobilizations like what we saw yesterday can we beat back against the seeds of fascism and begin to undo the racist systems of oppression

COURTESY LIAM BRADY

Protestors of a “free speech” and white supremacist rally ran into physical conflict with counter-protestors in Boston on Aug. 19. Members of the Tufts Progressive Alliance, along with approximately 15,000 people, marched through the Boston Common. that have plagued our country since its founding,” he said. “Over the coming year, TPA will continue to support direct actions like yesterday’s march where and when they occur.” Lee also reported an extreme sense of solidarity and support at the rally, and noted that she saw many representatives of organizations dedicated to uplifting marginalized voices at the rally, including, Asian Pacific Islanders for Black Lives Matter, Chinese Progressive Association, Vida Urbana Housing Justice, Boston Socialist Alternative and clergy from many different faith backgrounds. Joseph agreed the large counter-protester turnout was powerful but expressed frustration at the behavior of the police. “The police presence was really intense and what they did was just protect the white supremacist protesters,” Joseph said. Joseph reported seeing police in riot

gear escorting white supremacists out of the common and felt police were generally hesitant to arrest inciters while counter protesters were often arrested for minor offenses. “It was just another time when it was really clear who [the police] protected and who they served,” Joseph said. Event organizers noted that demonstrations by white nationalist and white supremacists have been increasing in frequency under the new administration. “As we have seen with the events in Charlottesville and around the country, white nationalists are emboldened by the current political administration and growing police state,” the organizers wrote in the event description on Facebook. “Rallies and marches organized by white supremacists are more prevalent than in recent years, and — as always — it is the most marginalized who are left vulnerable.”

Mayor Burke appoints new recovery coach to combat opioid crisis by Aneurin Canham-Clyne News Editor

Seventeen people died from opioid-related overdoses in Medford in 2016, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s August 2017 report on opioid-related overdose deaths. In the same time, Boston saw 202 fatal overdoses, and Somerville witnessed 22 deaths relating to opioids. It is in this context that Medford Mayor Stephanie Burke appointed Paul Spencer as recovery coach to support city residents struggling with opioid addiction in July 2017, according to the city’s website. Spencer is a trained interventionist and will soon be a certified addiction recovery coach, Burke said in the press release published on Medford’s website. A lifelong Medford resident, Spencer has himself recovered from opioid addiction and seen the epidemic affect the lives of many in the community. Spencer’s specific role is to ensure that those struggling with addiction have the resources to get clean. Spencer said he will work with Lauren Dustin, a regional coordinator with the Mystic Valley Public Health Coalition (MVPHC) based in Medford, to organize efforts to mitigate the opioid epidemic. According to Dustin, the MVPHC organizes public health efforts in Medford, Malden, Melrose, Stoneham, Wakefield and Winchester.

Spencer said Medford has a high death rate even compared to other towns in Middlesex County, which itself sees high mortality rates compared to other counties in the state, due in part to its size and population. However, Dustin noted that overdose statistics were not always accurate and often underestimated the number of fatalities. “It is a bit hard to tell the total number of deaths in a given year because there are a lot that are pending,” Dustin said, referring to the sometimes unclear cause or circumstances of death. “It sometimes takes six months to a year for things like that to come back.” Spencer explained that 40 percent of overdose victims in Medford and the surrounding communities worked physically demanding trade jobs, according to city data. He said his office is working on a program to help vulnerable workers and addicts. “We’re trying to work with the police to set up a diversion program for people who are a little younger and they get caught up with drinking or something like that, to not funnel them right into the [criminal justice] system” Spencer said. “We want to provide them with education that’s going to set them on a path that’s not going to lead them towards addiction.” Spencer described steps the city was already taking to prevent overdose deaths. Medford police officers and emergency responders are now equipped with Narcan, an opioid agonist used to treat overdoses.

“Narcan is wonderful because it gives people an opportunity to get into recovery. If you’re dead, you have no chance,” Spencer said. “Fatal overdoses have gone down in some communities that have carried Narcan, but non-fatal overdoses have gone up.” Spencer noted that people he knew who had been administered Narcan often tried to recover, or at least survive, when they had been hopeless before. He emphasized that the cost of the epidemic isn’t reflected in statistics. “If they weren’t carrying Narcan, fatal overdoses would be through the roof,” he said. “Those are families that are losing their kids, and brothers and sisters. I mean, it’s already devastating and that would just be even more crippling.” Ander Pierce, a senior, is active in organizing to combat opioid overdoses through community outreach in the Boston area, via organizations like ACT UP Boston and the Gloucester needle exchange. According to Pierce, it is not enough that only police officers carry Narcan; the problem is so widespread that all people should carry the overdose prevention drug. Spencer noted that it was encouraging to see the City of Medford take concrete steps to fight addiction and overdoses. “It’s an uphill battle. But it’s nice to have these small wins, like me being here, like this position being created and really trying to be an agent of compassion, an agent of love and an agent of change,” Spencer said.

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R.E.A.L. students take an unconventional path to a degree by Constantinos Angelakis Features Editor

Like many other Resumed Education for Adult Learning (R.E.A.L.) students, clinical psychology major Hanna Solomon, who will graduate the program in 2018, commutes from nearby. She drives to Tufts from her home in Boston with her husband, who is also a student in the R.E.A.L program. While R.E.A.L. students cannot live in on-campus dorms, she and the other R.E.A.L. students make use of the commuter house at 32 Dearborn Road, as well as the R.E.A.L. lounge in Carmichael Hall. “We can stay [at the R.E.A.L. lounge] until late, or [whenever] is necessary for us,” she said. “It makes it easier when the library closes and we have nowhere to go.” Living away from campus is only one of the difficulties R.E.A.L. students at Tufts face. Another R.E.A.L. student Fatima Niazy finances her studies in geological sciences solely from her own financial resources and loans. “I am entirely independent. I don’t have parents. My finances are what I make and whatever loans I take out,” Niazy said. “I have family in Texas who sort of depend on me, in terms of helping them get along.” While these are only two narratives from R.E.A.L. students, an entire contingent of students over the age of 24 make up a part of the undergraduate student body and add their own unique perspective to Tufts classrooms while blending in with the traditional undergraduate student. According to the R.E.A.L. program application website, the program allows individuals over the age of 24 whose college education has been interrupted to complete their bachelor’s degree at Tufts. The R.E.A.L. program caters toward their academic needs as parents, spouses, those currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces and veterans, according to the program’s website. The program requires that transfer students who fall under these categories commit to earning a bachelor’s degree and have some college experience within the last five years. Dean of Undergraduate Studies Carmen Lowe and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Advising Kendra Barber lead the R.E.A.L. program. Barber, who is new to R.E.A.L. this year, hopes to look into how to improve the program and broaden its reach. According to Lowe, the R.E.A.L. program attracts a variety of students every year. “It’s such a cross-section, including women who are working, who have families … sometimes it’s students of any gender who had some kind of disruption in their education,” she said. Historically, the R.E.A.L. program was started to offer a degree to women who had interrupted their education

SEOHYUN SHIM / THE TUFTS DAILY

R.E.A.L. student Hanna Solomon, who will graduate the program in 2018, poses for a portrait in front of Ballou Hall on Sept. 7. The Resumed Education for Adult Learners (R.E.A.L.) program has been around since the 70’s and has given adults with an interrupted education an opportunity to get a Tufts bachelor’s degree. to raise a family or had never attended college. It was founded in 1970 by Professor of Practice Antonia Chayes when she was dean of Jackson College. “[R.E.A.L.] started as a radical intervention at a period of time when higher education was really changing,” Lowe said. “Offering an opportunity for women to return to school was trying to make up for a kind of injustice that women faced as college students that men often did not face.” The program was then extended to offer education to veterans returning from the Vietnam War, according to Lowe, and people of various backgrounds make up the R.E.A.L. student body today. “Some of our [R.E.A.L.] students are married, and they have children and they have jobs, which can be a lot to manage. And others are single and in their twenties,” she said. “They’ve come to Tufts because they really want to have a traditional liberal arts experience.” Solomon came to Tufts after taking classes at Bunker Hill Community

College. She agreed that the R.E.A.L. program is home to students with a wide range of backgrounds, some of whom have also made the switch to Tufts from Bunker Hill to pursue a fulltime degree. “It’s definitely more diverse than the regular [student body],” Solomon said. “People from different walks of life, people from the army.” R.E.A.L. students are eligible for the same financial aid as other undergraduates, but many of them — including Solomon — must also balance jobs with their academics to pay for tuition, according to Lowe. “I think the hardest thing for me is to juggle work and school, because I still have to pay for my bills and stuff like that. And I think it’s the same for most R.E.A.L. students as well,” Solomon said. “Instead of working fulltime, now I’m working part-time, only one day a week.” Niazy, who will graduate the program in 2018, shared that she learned about Tufts through a college fair and was sur-

prised to find out that it had a special application process for older students. “A lot of schools have old or returning students programs, but they have special classes that are not merged with the regular undergrads,” Niazy said. “For me that was central, because I’m committed to school, and I wanted to have the same classes.” Lowe echoed the sentiment that the R.E.A.L. program occupied a unique place among other adult college programs. She said that at most schools, like the Harvard Extension School, adult learning programs place their students in classes and degree programs separate from the rest of the student body. “But [in] the R.E.A.L. program, the students are in the same regular undergraduate courses, in the same degree programs, with the opportunity to get involved in student organizations and [take] leadership roles in the [ Tufts Community Union] Senate [as well as] study abroad. Everything that’s open to an undergraduate is open to a R.E.A.L. student,” she said. When it comes to the classroom dynamic of regular undergraduate and R.E.A.L. students, Solomon attests that it’s not particularly unusual. “Most people think I’m a regular student, so when I talk about my age, where I’m from, … they look shocked. It happens every time,” she said. “Not a lot of professors know either, so we end up explaining it every time.” While R.E.A.L. students may not be noticeably different from their undergraduate peers, Niazy pointed out that integrating adult learners with their younger counterparts in undergraduate life creates diversity in student perspectives. “When you’re introduced to information as an older student, you tend to put it in the context of what you already know, whereas the younger students will put it in the context of what they learned in class,” Niazy said. Lowe concurred that diversity of life experiences among R.E.A.L. students can enrich and inform classroom conversations at Tufts. “You can imagine [that] if you’re taking a class where most of the students are between the ages of 18 and 22, [it’s] a child development class and someone in that class has raised children or has a couple of toddlers, their perspective really adds to the class,” Lowe said. “It really changes the conversations in the class. ” While the R.E.A.L. program offers traditional undergraduate students a different perspective in the classroom, for adult learners like Solomon, the R.E.A.L. program offers an opportunity to fulfill their college dreams. “That’s one of the things that made me apply to Tufts. You feel like they’re giving you a second chance, and anywhere else you’re like, ‘will I even finish, time is flying by, stuff like that,’” Solomon said. “It really gives you hope. You really feel like, ‘Okay, I can turn this around. I can make this happen.’”

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With ‘RoVR,’ Tufts computer science alums bring man’s best friend to virtual reality

COURTESY RIDGELINE LABS

Visualization of “RoVR,” a video game created by computer science alums Jeremy Slavitz (E’17) and Henry Zhou (E’17). The goal of the game is to allow people to experience dog ownership when they cannot have it in real life. by John J. Gallagher Arts Editor

Dogs, and dog memes, are having a bit of a moment on the web. The Twitter account WeRateDogs, which offers endlessly positive evaluations of dogs and their adorable shenanigans, has 3.38 million followers as of this writing. The Facebook page Doggos, which delivers an nonstop stream of dog memes, also boasts 430,000 likes. Offline, one need only stand on the Academic Quad to see the affection Tufts students shower on the dogs that are walked through campus. Breathless reports made news earlier this summer that the needs of their dogs factor into a significant number of millennials’ decisions to purchase homes. Although millennials may covet dogs, dog ownership, with its attendant costs and time requirements, is out of reach for many young people, particularly college students. Making dog ownership, or some reasonable facsimile of it, accessible to those whose lives just can’t accommodate a living and breathing dog, is the goal of “RoVR” (2018), a virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) simulator. Pronounced “rover,” “RoVR” is the brainchild of computer science alums Jeremy Slavitz (E’17), whose video games have previously been covered by the Daily, and Henry Zhou (E’17).

“’RoVR’ is a VR/AR dog simulator [for] people who want to have a dog ownership experience but can’t,” Zhou said. Zhou went on to explain, “Caring for a real dog and giving it a good life is a lot of responsibility, but now, with this immersive VR/AR technology, and when you combine that with artificial intelligence and machine learning, we can now create an experience that essentially emulates the dog ownership experience.” Zhou and Slavitz first met in a computer graphics course their junior year, where they discovered their joint interest in virtual reality and its applications. The idea for RoVR came to them as they prepared for their senior design project, according to Zhou. “We were trying to brainstorm ideas … and we took a look at the VR landscape and we saw that a lot of the games were just shooter games or zombie games, just games primarily aimed at hardcore, male gamers,” Zhou said. “We believe that that was because that the majority of VR headset owners at the time, which is still true, are men. There’s a statistic that says that 95 percent of all Vive headset owners are men aged 25 – 35.” In addition to noticing that the majority of VR offerings were targeted at hardcore gamers, Slavitz and Zhou also noticed that dogs were extremely popular on social media.

“I had noticed on the internet that there are these social media accounts called ‘dogspotting’ and ‘WeRateDogs,’ just really silly accounts that post dogs that they see out there in real life,” Zhou said. “There’s this hilarious vernacular to describe these dogs, like ‘very good boy’, or ‘look at this doggo’ … There’s a huge internet culture behind dogs.” The final reason that Zhou and Slavitz settled on “RoVR” for their senior design project was because neither of them had ever owned dogs. “Jeremy and I never owned dogs growing up and we always wanted to,” Zhou said. “Those three reasons combined motivated us to build a VR dog simulator.” Zhou and Slavitz worked on “RoVR” as part of their senior design project, and at one point gave a demo of an early version of the game in Tufts’ Mayer Campus Center in early 2017. Reflecting on the success of that demo, Zhou remarked, “Back then we had very little funding and we were using relatively crude assets, but people really liked the concept and we had some pretty positive responses to it.” To continue work on “RoVR,” Zhou and Slavitz also applied to the Play Labs accelerator at Massachussetts Institute of Technology, which describes itself as “a new startup incubator/accelerator program for MIT-affiliated startups using

playful technologies in any industry.” Despite not having an MIT team member, Zhou and Slavtiz were accepted into the program, which provided them with $20,000 in seed funding as well as access to mentorship and support. After the end of their time at Play Labs and incorporating as Ridgeline Labs, Slavitz and Zhou plan to continue working on “RoVR” as the game nears release, and believe that the technical foundations of “RoVR” have applications beyond virtual dogs. The pair are also bullish about the future of AR and VR as platforms. Slavitz derided those who think that VR/AR are just fads as “ignorant in the same way that people who never thought that the internet would be useful are ignorant.” Zhou went on to say, “The fact of the matter is that companies are pouring billions of dollars into R&D for AR and VR technologies, so, in our opinion it’s only a matter of time before a mass consumer solution gets released.” The Kickstarter for “RoVR” runs through Sept. 15. A pledge of $20 or more buys access to digital copy of “RoVR” upon the game’s planned release in March 2018. The game will be available on the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift, and on iOS 11 devices through ARKit.

CONCERT REVIEW

Lady Gaga brings heartfelt ‘Joanne’ World Tour to Fenway Park by Yuan Jun Chee Sports Editor

Lady Gaga made history this Labor Day weekend as the first woman artist to headline at Fenway Park. In just under two hours, Gaga demonstrated her ability to deliver at the highest level in different genres. What was most notable about the concert was

the sheer emotion Gaga brought to the stadium. The performance was part of a tour to promote her fifth studio album, “Joanne” (2016). The album was noted for its more emotional music dealing with issues of life and family, distancing itself from Lady Gaga’s reputation as a dance-electro-pop artist and the commercial underperformance that was

“Artpop” (2013). The tour, by extension, is Gaga’s attempt to demonstrate not just her prowess as a performer, but her emotional depth as a singer. Those who came expecting the same brand of wild artistic expression that was synonymous with their version of Lady Gaga were inevitably disappointed. Nevertheless, Gaga did not retire the theatrics entirely; she opened her tour decked

out in a fringe-styled black cowgirl outfit and a pink cowgirl hat, performing the album’s first track “Diamond Heart” (2016) before bringing out her guitar for “A-YO” (2016) in an homage to her New York roots. The crowd got fired up when the pop diva performed her signature hit “Poker Face” (2008) before showering her fans see LADY GAGA, page 6

THE TUFTS DAILY | Arts & Living | Monday, September 11, 2017

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Gaga rocks Fenway with new 'Joanne' sound LADY GAGA

continued from page 5 with a slew of her classics: her debut single “Just Dance” (2008), “LoveGame” (2008), “Alejandro” (2010), “Telephone” (2010) and “Applause” (2013). While the more ludicrous costumes that we’ve come to expect from her may have gone, she nevertheless donned her signature leotard and leather costumes at various points in the show. Throughout the show, Lady Gaga continued to spread the same message that made her a pop icon. Having protested outside Trump Tower on the night of the election, and subtly so in her Super Bowl LI halftime performance of “This Land is Your Land” (1945), Gaga once again preached to the Fenway crowd the importance of acceptance and love, especially in this current political climate. Before singing the fun, high-energy track “Come to Mama” (2016), Lady Gaga greeted the LGBTQ community and used lyrics from her song to inquire playfully, “Why do we gotta put each other down/When there’s more than enough love to go around?” Yet the most impressive moments of the night came when Lady Gaga exposed her vulnerability to the Fenway crowd, achieving what the “Joanne” album was meant to do in the first place. In doing so, Gaga brought the same kind of stripped-down emotions from her Joanne album to life on the stage. The first real emotional moment

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Lady Gaga performs “Dancin’ in Circles” at Joanne World Tour. She made history this Labor Day weekend as the first woman artist to headline Fenway Park with her Joanne World Tour. came when she performed “The Edge of Glory” (2011) on piano in dedication to her friend Sonya, who passed away earlier this year due to cancer. She expertly slowed the show’s tempo while performing on the piano, giving her the platform to show off her vocal chops that were accompanied by raw and genuine sadness and loss. The highlight of the night undoubtedly came when Gaga, whose real name is Stefani

Joanne Angelina Germanotta, performed the title track of the album and tour. She revealed to the crowd that the album was named after her aunt, who helped inspire her to kick her drug addiction. Her aunt had passed away from lupus at the age of 19, way before Gaga had even met her. She thus felt that this album and tour was meant to “finish [Joanne’s] business.” While always noted for her eccentricity, Gaga expressed her desire for the

tour to help connect her to the average music listener; performing “Joanne” was her attempt to demonstrate her own frailties and own fears. In line with the familial theme, Lady Gaga wore an outfit designed by her younger sister Natali Germanotta, who majored in fashion design. By drawing on her own family’s history and story, Lady Gaga succeeded in making her larger-than-life stage persona accessible to each and every individual at the ballpark. To the average music listener, this would be seen as an evolution of her music career, which began with performances at festivals like Lollapalooza. Yet to Lady Gaga’s millions of fans who dub themselves “Little Monsters,” it was just another example of what they already knew from the start — Gaga is both a powerful performer and a genuine, empathetic person with problems just like theirs. As an encore performance, the pop superstar got back on stage to perform “Million Reasons” (2016). Reminiscent of her Super Bowl LI half-time show, fans lit up their phones and waved along while joining in the sing along, creating a warm atmosphere described by Gaga as “lights filled with love.” Gaga saved one final thought-provoking moment for the end; she left her pink hat from the album’s cover on the microphone stand, urging the crowd to remember that “sometimes it’s important to try on someone’s hat to try and understand.”

ALBUM REVIEW

LCD Soundsystem, Hercules and Love Affair continue to explore nostalgia for times unknown

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The cover of LCD Soundsystem’s new album “American Dream” (2017). by Eran Sabaner Arts Editor

Almost every review of LCD Soundsystem’s new album “American Dream” (2017) mentions the same thing: the album is the perfect manifestation of what it means to age. This certainly has been a prominent theme for the band, ever since its first single “Losing My Edge” (2002). The song, deemed alternative dance and dance-punk by music critics, shrewdly satirizes the hipster types

who do not feel relevant anymore in the music scene and features over-the-top lyrics like “I was the first guy playing Daft Punk to the rock kids.” In terms of its sound, it revolutionized the alternative music scene of the 2000s from something sentimental, soft and “emo” to something odd, loud and nostalgic. Even though “Losing My Edge” debuted roughly 15 years ago and was written specifically for an “older” young crowd, it is still very much enjoyed by college students across the

globe. The band’s other major hit, “All My Friends” from sophomore effort “Sound of Silver” (2007) deals with similar themes of aging and nostalgia and has found success among students. At age 47, frontman James Murphy hardly looks like the rock star that a bunch of 18-year-olds would admire — yet he is. To understand the allure behind the band, one needs to understand the mind of James Murphy and his infamous label DFA Records. Founded in 2001 by Murphy, along with Mo’ Wax record label co-founder Tim Goldsworthy and manager Jonathan Galkin, DFA set out to represent eccentric and original bands that merged dance and indie, the type of music that defined the 80s alternative scene with acts like New Order and Talking Heads. DFA’s entire catalogue consists of bands with sounds both original and influenced by this alternative scene. Consider Hercules and Love Affair, the dance music collective fronted by American DJ Andy Butler. The band’s sound is late 70s and early 80s disco, but it replaces the subtle, hidden queerness of the era with something bolder. The name of the band derives from the Greek mythological hero Hercules and his relationship with his male servant Hylas. The majority of members of Hercules and Love Affair identify as queer, and many of the group’s songs celebrate queer desire. Their first and biggest hit, “Blind” (2008), features vocals by Anohni, the Mercury prize winning musician who is very outspoken about trans causes. It seems unlikely that Hercules and Love Affair would find mainstream success in the 80s or even exist as a group. That said, it is also impossible to talk about their music without mentioning the 80s.

In the early 2000s, DFA bands such as LCD Soundsystem and Hercules and Love Affair reclaimed and rebranded this period of music unknown to contemporary youth. Although their biggest hits have (ironically) reached the point of aging, their new releases, “American Dream” and “Omnion” (2017) respectively, demonstrate their continued relevance and enduring sound. Each group, however, has taken a different approach to staying contemporary. One of the best tracks off “Omnion” is in Arabic, sung by Hamed Sinno, the charismatic front man of the Lebanese indie band Mashrou’ Leila. Although still an up-and-coming band in the United States, Mashrou’ Leila has become the face of LGBTQ culture in the Middle East, as the band frequently touches upon sexuality both in their songs and interviews. By collaborating with Mashrou’ Leila, Hercules and Love Affair celebrates queerness on a global scale and once again makes a bold statement by promoting intersectionality. Also, by collaborating with a younger queer band, it is able to reach a new audience that wasn’t around when “Blind” debuted nearly 10 years ago. “American Dream” lacks the collaborations found on “Omnion,” yet it flourishes by remaining self-conscious about aging. LCD Soundsystem began as a band commenting on age, and its music has only grown more immediate with the aging of its members. Both “American Dream” and “Omnion” are much anticipated and satisfying returns of two 2000s bands that have dealt with themes of age, time and nostalgia their entire careers. Because their music remains exciting, college students and the new youth will continue to feel nostalgic about a time they have not lived through.

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WA N T A N A LT E R N AT I V E E X P E R I E N C E ? September 20–30, 2017 Looking for an alternative to services as a way of connecting during the High Holy Days? Students will be creating a third space for yoga, music, writing and meditation. Drop-in for as little or as much as you’d like, and make the holidays a meaningful (and mindful!) start to your year. For more information or to be on our email list, email Rabbi Jordan at jordan.braunig@tufts.edu.

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Opinion

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Monday, September 11, 2017

EDITORIAL

With Charlottesville, we must do more than just remember The white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville is not hard to condemn. Torch-bearing individuals, as seen in VICE’s documentary, paraded through the streets yelling “Jews will not replace us.” Neo-Nazis and Ku Klux Klan supporters spewed veiled (and not-so veiled) threats of genocide, including David Duke championing “ethnic cleansing.” “White pride” rooted in racism and anti-Semitism manifested in violence, most potently in Heather Heyer’s death. On our campus, it would be hard to find someone who does not see these acts as despicable. But that does not mean racism and anti-Semitism do not rear their heads in seemingly tolerant places like Massachusetts — even in Boston, and yes, even at Tufts. This may come as a surprise to you, just as Charlottesville did. But as a community, we need to be wary of distancing ourselves from tragedies like Charlottesville, when simmered versions of that same bigotry are not far away.

Boston has a reputation for being a bubble of left-wing intellectuals, even ranked by The Economist as the fifth most liberal city in the United States in 2014. Less than a month ago, however, the New England Holocaust Memorial was vandalized for the second time this summer. In May, Fenway-goers yelled the N-word at Orioles player Adam Jones. These are not isolated incidents. One could argue they are deeply rooted in Boston’s systemic segregation. For example, The Boston Globe reported that only 13 percent of Boston Public School students are white, even though Boston’s white population is 54.48 percent. The Boston-Cambridge-Newton metropolitan area ranks as the nation’s seventh-most segregated city with the average white household earning more than double that of the average Hispanic household. And yet most Bostonians are unaware of the way their actions and society at large affect people of color. The Boston Globe polled Bostonians on whether or

not they thought their city was racist: 37 percent of the white population polled said Boston was racist compared to 57 percent of blacks polled. When asked whether they had faced discrimination in their workplace over the past 30 days, the rate was three times higher for blacks than for whites. While these discrepancies are not surprising, they do illuminate how majority-white places are often not aware of the extent of their own bigotry. Tufts University certainly falls into this category of a white-dominated space. According to Tufts Admissions, 56.6 percent of the undergraduate students enrolled in Fall 2016 were white and 74.1 percent of faculty were. While Tufts, like Boston, has an extremely liberal reputation, our student body still faces real setbacks due to race, ethnicity and religion. Just last year, students of color on the Tufts in Talloires program were barred entry from a nightclub in France, with the bouncers blatantly citing their skin color as the

reason. These students penned an open letter to Tufts students, firstly to explain the situation, but additionally to criticize the administration’s opaque and lackluster handling of it. In 2015, Tufts students staged a walkout due to rising racial tensions on college campuses across the United States. The group, called #thethreepercent because of the approximate three percent black population at Tufts, Boston University, MIT and Northeastern University, demanded better representation and treatment for black students. Students of color called out the Tufts administration, tired of being “silenced, forgotten, heard and ignored.” The more liberal, educated or tolerant our environment may seem, the easier it is to distance ourselves from people like those in Charlottesville. But by ignoring the discrimination, whether subtle or active, that we see in our own city or on our own campus, we are complacent in letting it continue. Do not just remember Charlottesville — fight to keep it from happening again.

OP-ED

by Camilo A. Caballero

It hit America like a powerful earthquake

On Tuesday, Sept. 5, one day after Labor Day, the American people received news that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program would be ended. The news sent shock waves through many communities, creating a state of uncertainty for more than 800,000 young people. The timing was a cruel joke — coming after a holiday celebrating the fruits of labor to the country, families and individuals — denying thousands the future opportunity to contribute their labor to the U.S. DACA was never intended to be a permanent solution for its young beneficiaries — it was a temporary and mediocre solution that kept all of these young, talented Americans in an endless state of limbo as they had to apply every two years for renewal of their status. But at least it kept these dreams and hopes alive, and this is why the announcement hit America like a powerful earthquake, knocking down these dreams and hopes. Ending DACA not only puts the livelihoods of these young Americans in permanent limbo by taking away their ability to work, to study and to live their lives in the only country they have ever known, but is also wrong from every political, economic or social perspective. Imagine Ana, a 5-year-old, who was born in the most impoverished city in Italy, and whose parents decided they would risk everything to come to America to give their daughter a better life. Most of us either have a son or daughter or have been around a young child and we would do anything for them, especially in the face of suffering. Ana had no power to dissent from the decision her parents made to bring her to America. She grew up speaking English, learning U.S. history, pledging allegiance to the flag of the United States and dream-

ing like any other child does about what she would become when she grew up. By the time she turned 17, her friends, boyfriend, cheerleading coach and neighbors whom she knew her entire life saw her as no different from themselves. In fact, she has excelled academically, she is an outstanding athlete and she is ready to get her college degree and begin competing for jobs to eventually add value to our economy. As she began to look for schools to apply to, her parents and school guidance counselor informed her that because her parents were not able to attain American residency during the 12 years she has been living here, she would not be able to go to college or work. At that very moment, Ana’s life took a drastic and tragic turn. She had nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. It was as if her home, her friends, her achievements and her dreams were suddenly washed away. All she wanted to do in that moment was to drown in her own tears while all of her friends and classmates got ready to go to college and pursue their dreams. Recognizing that this problem was happening to many children in our country and lacking legislative action by our elected officials, President Obama put DACA in place to help young Americans like Ana have the ability to continue their lives. DACA does come with a lot of limitations, but these young Americans at least knew they would be protected from deportation. DACA participants — young American men and women — have, for the past five years, been able to look past the frightening insecurity of potential deportation and focused on attending college, earning a degree, and starting careers. Now with this action their status as Americans is being taken. This is why the attorney general’s announcement went through family dinner tables, through school libraries, through

churches, through major economic sectors and through every part of American society, like a powerful earthquake knocking down dreams and crushing hopes to the ground. Ending DACA goes against every political, economic or social lens through which American leaders make decisions. Politically, ending DACA, which has had bipartisan support from political organizations, members of Congress and advocacy groups, has created more backlash and turmoil for an administration that has had trouble focusing on its “Make American Great Again” agenda because it has not been able to work with Congress on major legislative issues. Passing immigration reform was not part of the administration’s immediate agenda, but ending DACA and giving Congress only a six-month window to take action will force it to take on major immigration reform legislation, which it did not anticipate. This is on top of other big-ticket legislative items, such as health care, tax reform and “the wall,” as well as a budget and the debt ceiling. Ending DACA creates more noise for an administration that needs more focus in its governance strategy. According to a Morning Consult and Politico poll, 78 percent of American voters support giving “DREAMers” the chance to stay permanently in America, including 73 percent of people who voted for President Donald Trump. Organizations and industries, from chambers of commerce to the agricultural industry to major academic institutions, have voiced their support for DACA based on economic factors. Here is what Julissa Arce, an immigrant who became vice president at Goldman Sachs by age 27 while being an undocumented immigrant, had to say in a Fortune article: “The same study estimates that ending DACA would reduce the nation’s GDP by $433.4 billion over a decade. Another

study by the Immigrant Legal Resource Center states that 685,195 young immigrants would become unemployed immediately, causing employers to incur $3.4 billion in costs associated with the termination and replacement of employees. Without DACA, tax revenue would be seriously impacted. Over the next decade, $24.6 billion in Social Security and Medicare contributions would be lost.” Socially, it’s immoral to devastate the lives of so many young people who are adding more value to our country. From a human rights perspective, leaving almost one million people stateless is inhumane. Economically, morally, politically, socially: from every perspective, ending DACA is the wrong move for our country and for these young people. But with every crisis comes an opportunity to fix the wrongs in our society, and to bring unity in places where it is absent. The many young Americans who are being affected by this decision may not be able to sleep knowing that their future and that of their family is uncertain. While many of us are not affected directly, I don’t know how any of us could sleep at night either. The responsibility to act to protect these young people is now in the hands of your elected Representatives and Senators, which means it is in your hands too. These young fellow Americans will need all of the help that they can get, and by taking five minutes of your time you make a huge difference in their lives. Fixing this problem is economically smart, moral, politically feasible and socially the right thing to do.w

Camilo A. Caballero is a student at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy pursuing his masters and is the founder and co-leader of the Fletcher Students of Color and Allies club. He can be reached at camilo.caballero@tufts.edu.

The Tufts Daily is a nonprofit, independent newspaper, published Monday through Friday during the academic year, and distributed free to the Tufts community. The content of letters, advertisements, signed columns, cartoons and graphics does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Tufts Daily editorial board. EDITORIALS Editorials represent the position of The Tufts Daily. Individual editors are not necessarily responsible for, or in agreement with, the policies and editorials of The Tufts Daily. OP-EDS The Op-Ed section of The Tufts Daily, an open forum for campus editorial commentary, is printed Monday through Thursday. The Daily welcomes submissions from all members of the Tufts community; the opinions expressed in the Op-Ed section do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Daily itself. Opinion articles on campus, national and international issues should be 600 to 1,200 words in length and submitted to opinion@tuftsdaily.com. The editors reserve the right to edit letters for clarity, space and length. All material is subject to editorial discretion and is not guaranteed to appear in the Daily. Authors must submit their telephone numbers and day-of availability for editing questions. ADVERTISING All advertising copy is subject to the approval of the Editor-in-Chief, Executive Board and Executive Business Director.

Monday, September 11, 2017 | Opinion | THE TUFTS DAILY

Opinion

OP-ED

Join the fight with the Tufts Democrats by Ben Kaminoff and Misha Linnehan In the nearly eight months since Donald Trump assumed the presidency, America has faced the most serious threat to its political system in recent history. Trump became president partly because he spoke for voters who felt that the government is working against them. He pledged to fix our politics by ridding Washington of the elites and lobbyists too self-serving to act in the interests of the whole nation. But, by any measure, Trump’s approach is not working. He has instilled a political culture that has become even more poisonous than when he first took office. Rather than fight special interests, Trump has employed his elite business cronies in positions of power and done little to detach the presidency from the Trump Organization. And perhaps most frightening, Trump has condoned white supremacy and neo-Nazis. Instead of utilizing the moral leadership of the presidency to condemn the recent bout of white supremacist violence in Charlottesville, Va., Trump defended the actions of the neo-Nazi protestors. Also, in his recent repeal of DACA, Trump has unleashed an undeniably cruel immigration policy that puts nearly 800,000 undocumented citizens at risk of deportation from the only country they have ever called home. Lastly, let’s not forget the Russia scandal. As special counsel Robert Mueller continues his investigation, there is

mounting evidence that Trump and his presidential campaign colluded with the Russian government to win the presidency. It’s important to not gloss over the severity of this scandal. It is treacherous, undemocratic and unAmerican for our current president to have knowingly allowed a foreign power to meddle in our elections. Put simply, the current American political system under Trump is not the democracy that our country has prided itself on for 241 years. Understandably, the sad state of affairs under President Trump has made many Americans feel hopeless. Democrats and other progressive Americans like us feel despondent. How can we even begin to organize and make the necessary liberal reforms to our political system when Trump is threatening the basis of American democracy? We at Tufts Democrats believe that this year, we can take real steps towards resisting the Trump administration and affecting progressive change at the local, state and federal level. The Tufts Democrats aim to be the home for liberal, progressive Tufts students who want to actively organize against the Trump administration by working within the structures of the American political system. We serve as a voice for progressive ideals on campus, and this year we plan on being active in tangibly advocating for those ideals. When organizing and advocacy are done right, they can make a tremendous

difference, even in the Trump era. Over the past several months, the few bright spots have been primarily powered by grassroots movements to stymie the administration’s cruel proposals. Perhaps the best example of this was during the struggle over the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA), the Republican Senate’s amorphous bill that intended to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and take healthcare away from tens of millions of Americans. Perhaps due to how outlandishly cold-hearted this legislation was (not to mention economically inviable, according to analysis by the bipartisan Congressional Budget Office), thousands of Americans across the country organized passionately against it. People protested in massive numbers, flooded Congressional phone lines and harassed Senators who were considering supporting the bill in any way possible. This enormous wave of pressure worked. The bill eventually was rejected by just one vote, after John McCain (R-Arizona) dramatically returned to the Senate after getting brain surgery to vote against the bill. Senator McCain cited pressure from citizens as one reason for his ‘no’ vote, and other GOP senators who voted against the bill echoed his sentiment. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), who opposed the bill from the beginning, said that the activism in Maine against the bill helped her stay resolute in opposing it.

“I heard, over and over again, encouragement for my stand against the current version of the Senate and House health-care bills. People were thanking me, over and over again. ‘Thank you, Susan!’” Collins said. Just because activism was able to overcome the BCRA does not mean it will always be effective. These four years are going to be difficult for all of us, and there may frequently be reason to want to give up hope. But the way that pressure from citizen activists was able to overcome an effort by a Republican-held Congress and a Republican President shows that with enough hard work and forceful organizing, progressives always have a shot to make a difference. This may be the most important time in our lives to get involved in politics. The battle may be uphill, but it is one that we can win and must win in order to ensure a better nation. So come join Tufts Democrats, and let’s continue the fight.

Ben Kaminoff is a senior majoring in political science and economics. He is vice-president of Tufts Democrats and can be reached at benjamin.kaminoff@tufts. edu. Misha Linnehan is a senior majoring in political science and psychology. He is president of Tufts Democrats and can be reached at misha.linnehan@tufts.edu.

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THE TUFTS DAILY | Sports | Monday, September 11, 2017

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VOLLEYBALL

Volleyball has successful weekend, yet questions remain by Sam Weidner Sports Editor

The Jumbos wrapped up their first week of the season with a 3–1 record and clinched two victories out of three games at the New England Invitational, yet they still have multiple questions to answer. With no single player jumping out as the obvious choice, coach Cora Thompson has tried out multiple different first-year and sophomore players at the right side and middle positions. While sophomore middle Christina Nwankpa seems to have locked down one of the starting middle positions, both sophomore middle Heather Holz and first-year middle Jen Ryan have gotten significant time as the other starters. Over the weekend the Jumbos hosted the New England Invitational at Cousens Gymnasium and played three more matches against non-conference opponents. Starting off Friday night against

Rochester Institute of Technology, Tufts won its first match 3–1. Nwankpa starred in the middle with nine kills in the match, hitting smart shots all night and avoiding any errors. After winning the first set with ease, the Jumbos could not overcome a late deficit in the second set and fell 25–20 and let the Tigers tie the match 1–1. The third set was a game of runs by each team, tying the game at 21 apiece. The Jumbos then showed great late game poise and managed to execute the next four points error-free to take the set 25–21. Tufts rolled in the fourth and final set to win by 11 points and take the match on the back of 17 digs from sophomore libero Kelly Klimo and 28 assists from junior setter Angela Yu. Tufts fought hard in its second home match of the season against Minnesota Morris on Saturday morning. The fiveset match was extremely close the entire way with every single set decided by five points or fewer; however, Minnesota

Morris ultimately took the crown. The Jumbos offense looked lackluster down the stretch, having committed 25 total errors in the match with a team kill percentage of just 0.160. Thompson had to make adjustments to the lineup in this match, giving Ryan some time at middle instead of Holz. First-year right side hitter Jordan Kron also suffered a small injury in the game and sophomore setter Rachel Furash was forced to fill in as a hitter, recording five kills in the match. Tufts struggled at times to convert its chances into points, and Minnesota Morris took advantage. Thompson commented on the difference in this year’s team from last year’s. “The fact is that we are younger than we were last year with 11 first-years and sophomores, only three juniors and one senior, but our leadership is incredibly strong and the vision of this entire group is clear and focused,” Thompson told the Daily in an email. “As a program, we know

EVAN SAYLES / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES

Tufts outside hitter Mary Maccabee (LA ‘17) leaps for a high spike in the game against the Conn. College Camels on Oct. 29, 2016.

where we want to go and are ready to work hard for it. We will stay in the present moment and commit to improving with every opportunity we get taking care of the present moment. The big picture will take care of itself.” Later on Saturday, Tufts, in need of a bounce-back win, defeated Marymount. The Jumbos defeated the Saints in three straight sets and looked like the more polished team for most of the match. Klimo had an outstanding game, recording 16 digs in just three sets, as the Marymount offense couldn’t get anything past her. The Jumbos offense also got slightly back on track in the match with a 0.280 kill percentage. However, while Tufts has a number of capable hitters, the offense still seems to be looking for a player to replace their go-to hitter Elizabeth Ahrens (LA ’17). Klimo described how the team regrouped following a tough loss and managed to rebound against Marymount. “Our coach helped us focus on the present moment and the next game rather than dwell on the loss,” Klimo told the Daily in an email. “We’re all very supportive of each other, and our coach and captain helped us keep in mind the goals we have as a team.” Earlier in the week, Tufts opened its season on the road on Wednesday with a 3–0 win over Clark. Besides the first two points of the third set, Tufts never trailed in the match and dominated offensively. The Jumbos had 18 more kills than the Cougars and held the Cougars to a 0.317 kill percentage. Tufts’ blocking was a large factor in slowing down Clark’s offense, as middles Nwankpa and Holz showed great ability to disrupt the Clark hitters. Junior outside hitter Mackenzie Bright led the team with 15 kills and sophomore outside hitter Brigid Bell added eight. It was inevitable that the eight-game win-streak to open the 2016 season would be tough to follow, especially after graduating such significant contributors. The younger players, however, have already shown resilience in the face of injury. Next up Tufts will face Bates (2–2) on Sept. 15 in Cousens Gym for their first conference matchup of the year. Last year, the Jumbos swept the Bobcats 3–0 in October, and Friday’s matchup will also be the Bobcats’ first conference test.

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Monday, September 11, 2017 | Sports | THE TUFTS DAILY

S p o rts

MEN'S TENNIS

Jumbos look ahead after missing NESCAC tournament by Bradley Schussel Sports Editor

The opening of the fall season is quickly approaching for the men’s tennis team, which will travel to Vermont on Saturday for its first meet, the Middlebury Invitational. This competition will be the first for the team since April 29 when, despite the best efforts of then-juniors Rohan Gupte and Zain Ali, Tufts suffered a tense 5–4 loss against Bowdoin. This defeat to the eventual national semi-finalists ended the Jumbos’ spring campaign, as they finished with a 9–7 record. Gupte and Ali both recorded victories in that matchup, ending their junior seasons on a high note. They are now members of a senior class that includes tri-captain Justin Brogan. Brogan had high praise for Gupte and Ali, even referring to the pair as “two of the best players in Tufts tennis history.” The Falmouth, Maine native also spoke about the importance of the upcoming fall season to player development, since does team wins and losses are not recorded like in the spring. “Our intention is to use the fall season for all of us to improve, for both singles and doubles,” Brogan said. “We’re also really excited with the [four first-years] we have coming in. We think they’ll really round out our lineup, and they’ll be joined by some excellent returners.” Brogan noted that although tennis is an individual sport, there are several ways that team members come together to support each other and build camaraderie. “Tennis is hard because it’s very individualistic,” he said. “The things that bring us together are the small things like eating together, hanging out, but also traveling together to tournaments and cheering each other on. That really starts in the fall and carries over to the spring. By the time spring comes around, we want to be one unified front.” Brogan will be sharing the tri-captain title with seniors Danny Coran and Ben Battle. Battle is a “super senior,” having been granted an extra year of

athletic eligibility after tearing his ACL. As the most experienced player on the team, Battle wants to continue to set an example and be a mentor for the younger Jumbos. “I think every year that a person spends on the team, they get more used to the rules and culture of the team,” Battle said. “Any upperclassman has a big responsibility to ease [the first-years] in and make them feel welcome. Everything we do is a team effort, including acclimating the younger guys.” The Delray Beach, Fla. native, as well as his fellow captains and upperclassmen — including seniors Griffin Brockman and Jack Friend — will be tasked with taking the class of 2021 of Tufts tennis under their collective wings. “We have four official [firstyears] this year, and we’re definitely excited about all of them,” Battle said. “They’re fitting in very well; they’re right in the mix. All four of them passed our fitness test on the first day of practice, so that just speaks to their dedication and their drive.” In last year’s iteration of the Middlebury Invitational, nine Tufts players combined to win a total of 14 matches. Among those Jumbos were Coran and now-juniors Ethan Chen and Ross Kamin, just a few of the players who will be looking to build and improve on their performances. At the end of the spring season, the Jumbos were ranked as the 17th best team in Div. III men’s tennis. According to Battle, the team is eager to take a step up in the national rankings. “Our goal is definitely to try and break into the top 10,” he said. “We’ve been flirting with the 11–15 range in the past few years. I think that we’ll have a lot of seniors contributing this year, so we should be able to make a push and crack the single-digit rankings. I think it would be a big step for the program as a whole.” In this regard, the NESCAC’s status as a men’s tennis gauntlet is both a blessing and a curse. Of the 16 teams above Tufts at year’s end, five were NESCAC members, including third-ranked Middlebury, fourthranked Bowdoin and fifth-ranked

ANGELIE XIONG / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES

Danny Coran, a senior, hits the ball during a Tufts vs. Bates match on April 20. Wesleyan. Indeed, three of the past five Div. III national championships have gone to members of the NESCAC. While the Jumbos’ bruising conference schedule deflates their overall win-loss record — last spring, for example, they went 4-5 against NESCAC squads while winning five of their seven out-of-conference matches — the pedigree of Tufts’ regular opponents provides the

team numerous chances for improvement through trial-by-fire. The Middlebury Invitational will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday and last through Sunday. Two weeks later, the team will return to Middlebury for the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Regional Championships. Sam Weitzman contributed reporting to this article.

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Sports

Monday, September 11, 2017

WOMEN'S SOCCER

MATTHEW SCHREIBER / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES

Tufts’ starting lineup huddles before kickoff during women's soccer's game against Williams on a very wet Kraft Field on Oct. 22, 2016.

Women’s soccer picks up win against Emerson, draw against Colby by Liam Finnegan Sports Editor

Tufts hosted the Emerson College Lions on Bello Field in its home opener Wednesday before facing off against the Colby Mules on Saturday on Kraft Field. Colby — 1–9 in the conference last season — was Tufts’ first NESCAC opponent of the season. The Jumbos came away with a 2–1 win over the Lions and drew the Mules 0–0 to start the season undefeated at 1–0–1. The team welcomed five first-years, three of whom played over the weekend and made a discernible impact. “The first years have been great additions to the team both on and off the field,” junior co-captain midfielder Emma Ranalli said. “They have fit in nicely with our style of play and are making an immediate impact. We are super excited to see how they will continue to improve throughout the season as they get most used to the speed of play and physicality of the collegiate level.” Tufts dominated Colby in shots, outshooting them 13–7 in regulation time, but was unable to put the ball in the net during the first 90 minutes of the game, and the match-up was forced into two periods of overtime. The Jumbos limited the Mules to just one shot while creating seven for themselves in overtime. Tufts continued to create chances in the

first period of overtime, but senior forward Mariah Harvey-Brown and firstyear forward Elizabeth Reed had their shots blocked. Late in the second period of overtime, sophomore defender Tally Clark had an opportunity to win the game for the Jumbos but blazed her shot just over the crossbar. The game ended in a 0–0 tie, with 20 total shots, 15 on target and 13 forced saves. Meanwhile Colby was only able to muster eight shots, only three of which were on goal. The Jumbos were unlucky not to come out on top especially after 20 minutes of extra time. The game against Emerson suffered from a slow start on both sides, as the two teams stalemated for the entirety of the first half. The Jumbos had a 5-2 edge on the Lions in shots, but neither of the two teams was able to convert its chances. The second half started similarly, with Tufts managing just two shots in the first 20 minutes, but then the floodgates opened. Harvey-Brown opened the scoring in the 68th minute, slotting the ball past Emerson senior goalkeeper Laura Gartelman after a quick giveand-go with Reed. Just two minutes later, junior Alessandra Sadler placed another past Gartelman after a crossfield pass from Clark. The two quick goals allowed the Jumbos to consolidate and take control of the game.

Even though the Jumbos were up 2–0 in the second half, they did not let up and remained relentless on the attack. They managed a total of eight shots in the final 20 minutes of the game. The Lions pulled back a late goal in the 90th minute when two of their four captains, junior forward Paige Haley and junior forward Jess Frost, connected for a score. But it was too little, too late. The Jumbos’ defense held strong and shut out the Lions’ attack for the few remaining seconds of the game. According to senior co-captain forward Alex Scheman, the Jumbos were happy with the week’s results, but they have things to improve upon. “We definitely have a few kinks to iron out after our first two games, but overall we played well and it’s been a strong start to the season,” Scheman said. “We connected passes consistently, maintained possession and had tons of opportunities in both games, but we have to finish our opportunities in order to be more successful.” Overall, it was a commanding victory for Tufts. The Jumbos outshot the Lions 17–5 and forced Gartelman to make six saves, whereas the Lions were unable to get around the Jumbos’ defense, and only forced one save from junior goalkeeper Emily Bowers. The Jumbos are confident in their strategic approach to the season and feel it will play to their strengths as a team.

“This is our second season playing a 3–5–2 formation,” Scheman said. “We’ve always had such a strong back line that we wanted to load our numbers in the attacking third so we could hopefully score more goals. We have a ton of fast and technical players so having two outside midfielders plus two forwards plays to that strength and allows us to have more players with an offensive mindset on the field. Plus, our goalie [junior] Emily Bowers is so phenomenal that we feel comfortable leaving her with three defenders instead of the usual four.” Tufts faces off against Wesleyan in their next game on Tuesday, Sep. 12 before hosting Conn. College and Trinity on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Coach Martha Whiting has high hopes for the coming games. “We are making the mistakes I would expect us to make this early in the season, all of which are fixable. We improved from Emerson to Colby and we expect that will be the trend, constant improvement,” Whiting said. “We have excellent team defense and are moving the ball dynamically on the attacking side. We are getting lots of dangerous chances and we are confident in our ability to finish those chances moving forward. This is a very motivated group of soccer players.” Yuan Jun Chee contributed reporting to this article.