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Thursday, December 9, 2021
Allison Vander Broek and Ericka Miranda named new senior academic advisors
by Ariana Phillips Contributing Writer
Ericka Miranda and Allison Vander Broek joined the advising team as senior academic advisors for the School of Arts and Sciences on Nov. 1. They replace Tara Zantow, who now serves as the senior academic advisor for the School of Engineering. Senior academic advisors support first-years and sophomores who are exploring majors, understanding degree requirements and planning their academic futures. The School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Engineering and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts each have their own academic advising resources. Carmen Lowe, dean of academic advising and undergraduate studies, explained what Miranda and Vander Broek will be contributing to Tufts University’s team of academic advisors. “All first-years and sophomores have a pre-major advisor, to whom they should turn first, but [Miranda] and [Vander
Broek] can answer many technical questions about academic requirements, pre-matriculation credits, and educational policies that some pre-major advisors may feel uncomfortable answering,” Lowe wrote in an email to the Daily. According to a Nov. 1 email from the Arts and Sciences advising team to the Tufts community, Vander Broek previously served as a records coordinator with Tufts Student Services and as a pre-major advisor. During her time with Student Services, she helped students navigate the university’s administrative offices and graduation requirements. As a pre-major advisor, she had the opportunity to teach advising seminars with first-years, including one this fall. According to the same email, Miranda previously served as the program coordinator for Tufts Health Professions Advising and the Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program. During the pandemic, she worked on the technological aspects of how to connect with students and cre-
OLIVIA BELLO / THE TUFTS DAILY
Senior academic advisors Ericka Miranda (left) and Allison Vander Broek (right) are photographed outside Dowling Hall, which houses the Office of Undergraduate Education. ate accessible content for health professions advising. Prior to accepting the senior academic advisor position, Vander Broek had already worked with the advising team in the past. “[Student Services] worked really closely with them just in helping seniors get to graduation,” Vander Broek said. “I already knew … what their work
entailed and knew that they were just a fantastic team who care deeply about Tufts students.” When the senior academic advisor role opened up, Miranda and Vander Broek jumped at the opportunity to work as full-time advisors because they wanted to work more directly with students. Both described their transition to the advising team as seamless.
“It’s always nice joining a team where you already know most of the other people and I’ve really, really been enjoying kind of getting connected with some of the other offices in [Dowling Hall],” Vander Broek said. Both Vander Broek and Miranda frequently hold dropin advising hours with students. see ADVISING, page 2
Tufts sees Master of Public Health program applications triple from 2019 to 2020 by Jose Atienza
Contributing Writer
Massachusetts colleges have seen a rapid increase in public health programs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of applications to the Tufts University School of Medicine’s Master of Public Health program increased threefold. Aviva Must, dean of public health and professional degree programs, said the pandemic likely contributed to an increased interest in public health fields. “There is no question the pandemic has increased interest in public health, generally, and in infectious disease epidemiology, in particular,” Must said. “We believe that the pandemic led many to reflect upon their current careers. Many decided to make a change — graduate education often figures into career transitions.” However, Must believes that this increase in applications can also be attributed to steps TUSM took in order to adapt to the pandemic. “We launched our new online MPH program in fall 2020, so
our reach increased dramatically, as students did not need to relocate to get their MPH with us,” Must said. Must continued by discussing how the university — as a result of increased applications and enrollment — has provided accommodations to faculty and students, as well as pandemic-related events. “We have definitely expanded our faculty and student support, for both our residential and online public health program,” Must said. “We’ve held many extracurricular events related to the pandemic: symposia, seminars, panels, etc.” Must clarified that the curriculum has not been specifically modified to adapt to the pandemic. “With specific courses, readings and examples certainly draw heavily on current public health news, but we’ve not specifically modified our public health curriculum as a result of the pandemic,” Must said. At the University of Massachusetts Amherst, however, new courses related to the pandemic have been integrated into
SPORTS / back
Tufts hockey sticks it to Middlebury in first win of season
the curriculum. Course discussions include the development of vaccines and how human behavior has impacted the overall outcome of this pandemic.
can be seen throughout the state of Massachusetts and the United States. Enrollment in the UMass Amherst public health program
GRACE ROTERMUND / THE TUFTS DAILY
The Tufts University School of Medicine is pictured on Sept. 30. Boston University also restructured its public health program to give students a look back at the history of public health, incorporating the COVID-19 pandemic into its curriculum. This trend of increasing applicants in public health programs
FEATURES / page 3
grew 20% among doctoral students, 10% for those in master’s programs and 5% in undergraduate programs. In an interview with the Boston Business Journal, Anna Maria Siega-Riz, dean of the School of Public Health and Health Sciences at UMass
Amherst, said that even though the data from fall 2021 isn’t complete, enrollment is up another 30% among graduate students. In the United States as a whole, public health schools saw a 23% jump in applicants for master’s and doctoral programs from fall 2019 to fall 2020, and are reporting an even bigger increase so far in this application cycle, according to the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health. Another reason public health programs are drawing more people, officials say, is because young people committed to social justice now view the field as an avenue for addressing racial inequities, given the disparate toll of the pandemic on people of color in the United States. Brown University’s public health school said in a statement that applications for its MPH program had jumped 116% from this point last year. Among Black and African American candidates, appli-
ARTS / page 4
DSDI expands with 3Ps dives into adolesestablishment of Indige- cence in its one-act “Dry nous Peoples’ Center Land”
see PUBLIC HEALTH, page 2 NEWS
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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Thursday, December 9, 2021
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Vander Broek and Miranda to replace now-Senior Academic Advisor for the School of Engineering Tara Zantow ADVISING
continued from page 1 They also planned the Majors Exploration and Advising Fair held on Nov. 15. “I am very proud of the work that Ericka and Allison have already done, especially the very successful Majors Exploration Fair … [Miranda] and [Vander Broek] were responsible for organizing the entire event,” Lowe said. According to Vander Broek, the fair had a great turnout and was a success. The fair is just the beginning of what Vander Broek and Miranda hope to accomplish while on the advising team. One of Vander Broek’s priorities is to connect students with as
many resources as possible while at Tufts. “If students need extra support, or connections to something like the StAAR center, or another office on campus, we’re here to help facilitate connecting you with those resources as you need them,” Vander Broek said. The new senior academic advisors also hope to find out the areas in which students need additional support or guidance so that the advising team can get students the resources they need. One of their shared priorities is making sure that students are aware that the senior academic advisors are available as a resource.
“My goal is to let students know that we exist … I want you to know we’re available for you at any point during your academic career to answer any questions or provide any guidance,” Vander Broek said. Miranda encourages students to reach out to their advisors. “Something that I actually learned when I was in health professions advising, and it’s stuck with me, was that … the most successful students are the ones that know how to ask for help … because being able to ask for help is by no means a weakness,” Miranda said. “In fact, it’s a strength in a lot of ways and
being able to recognize when you need help and not be afraid to engage with people who are there to help you.” Miranda believes that college should prepare students for the real world. At Tufts, students will learn necessary life skills such as communication, teamwork and responsibility. She said that another important skill set to develop in college is asking for advice. “I think being aware of the fact that if you are able to take care of yourself, you will, again, be more prepared to be successful,” Miranda said. “The most successful students are the ones that ask for help.”
Must expects continued high demand for public health programs PUBLIC HEALTH
continued from page 1 cants increased by 187%; among Latinx candidates, the increase was 137%. While demand for public health education increases, so too do job opportunities in public health. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicted that the number of health education specialists and community health workers will increase by 16% from 2020 to 2030. In this time frame, a 30%
increase in epidemiologists, a 32% increase in medical and health services managers and a 9% increase in nurses is also expected. Professor Jennifer Allen of the Department of Community Health did not respond to a request for comment by press time. Janice Gilkes, assistant dean for Student Services, who oversees the public health and professional degree programs at TUSM, declined a request for comment.
Looking forward, Must is confident that interest in public health will remain high, given that the COVID-19 pandemic will not have an abrupt end date. “[The university anticipates] there will be new novel coronaviruses, so future pandemics are likely,” Must said. “Overall, I imagine that there will be some sustained increase [in interest in public health], but not likely to the same extent as we saw during the height of the pandemic.”
However, Must said there is a bright side. “These unfortunate events stand to increase awareness of the role of public health in keeping the population healthy, during public health emergencies and during times of calm,” Must said. “My hope would be that the light that has been shown on the value of public health preparedness, health literacy and global health inequality remains bright.”
SCIENCE
This Week in Science: Omicron may spread like common cold, J&J could boost Pfizer vaccine, Hawaii blizzard Stop the genetic swap: Novel omicron variant may bear resemblance to common cold coronavirus strain The omicron variant, the newest COVID-19 strain, may be more contagious but cause milder symptoms than other coronavirus variants, a new study suggests. Venky Soundararajan, a bioengineer who co-wrote the study, explained to the Washington Post that as viruses evolve to become more widespread, symptoms generally become less severe. Still, researchers caution that more information is needed about the novel variant. Biomedical researchers sequenced omicron and discovered a segment of DNA that resembles the genetic code in viruses that cause colds. This similarity in DNA may have been the result of genetic exchange between the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, the virus that causes COVID-19, and the HCoV-229E coronavirus, one of the viruses that causes the common cold. An individual may have contracted both types of coronaviruses, allowing cells in the person’s lungs and gastrointestinal systems to host multiple viruses at once. The resemblance between omicron and HCoV-229E could also explain the newest strain’s potential for
higher transmissibility: Many humans have already adapted to the common cold, allowing omicron to bypass the immune system. Nonetheless, the onset of omicron is relatively new, and additional data collection and analysis are necessary before definitive conclusions can be reached. Researchers add that an unequal global distribution of vaccines could lead to further mutations of the virus that causes COVID-19. — Ian Lau Mixing J&J and Pfizer shots may be just as effective, study finds Individuals who received the Pfizer vaccine may benefit as much from a Johnson & Johnson booster shot as a Pfizer one, a new study finds. Researchers in Boston administered two versions of the booster shot, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, to 24 and 41 Pfizer-inoculated volunteers, respectively. While both vaccines boosted the number of T cells in the volunteers, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was doubly effective, producing twice as many immune cells as the Pfizer one. The researchers also measured antibody concentrations of the volunteers, finding that both the Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer vaccines exceeded the
amount needed for protection against COVID-19. In October, a booster “mixand-match” study conducted by the National Institutes of Health found that the initial Johnson & Johnson jab was less effective than its Pfizer and Moderna counterparts. But that study was criticized for not considering different booster wait times for each of the vaccine brands. While Pfizer and Moderna are mRNAbased vaccines, the Johnson & Johnson booster is produced from a modified cold virus. Researchers of the new study say that this new understanding of varying wait times between shots suggests that allowing the immune system to rest beforehand may contribute to a more effective booster vaccine. — Ian Lau There was a blizzard warning in Hawaii, but officials say not to worry Current weather patterns across the United States are simply weird: Hawaii’s highest mountain peaks spent the weekend under a blizzard warning while Boston experienced a spring-like day with temperatures climbing into the 60s. A blizzard warning in Hawaii went into effect last week from Thursday evening to Sunday morning. According to the
National Weather Service, approximately a foot of snow was predicted to fall on the Big Island summits. The governor of Hawaii issued a travel ban in anticipation and prohibited people from moving about except in the case of an emergency. The storm, known as Kona, formed off the coast of Hawaii and caused extensive fog, snow and winds over 100 mph at the top of mountain peaks. As for the local islanders in towns below, they faced record cool temperatures with wind chills that dropped below 50 degrees — the coldest climate since December 1962. Despite dramatic news headlines, weather officials have maintained that this is just typical winter behavior in Hawaii. Most of the Hawaiian mountains rise well over 11,000feet above sea level, and some of the summits, such as Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea — around 14,000 feet above sea level — receive snow almost every year, according to local forecasters. This particular blizzard warning was not issued because of the snowstorm, but because of severe rain, which could produce major flash floods and landslides, leaving the entire island chain in a state of despair. Still, the blizzard warning is a rare occasion for Hawaii, and locals hope to return to its typical balmy, surfer weather. — Sophie Wax
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Features
3 Thursday, December 9, 2021
Students reflect on creation of center for Indigenous and Native students
BY KAYLA DRAZAN by Owen Bonk
Assistant Features Editor
In October 2021, the Division of Student Diversity and Inclusion announced its plans to create a new identity center for Indigenous and Native American students. This center will join the seven currently established identity centers: the Africana, Asian American, FIRST, LGBT, Latinx and Women’s Centers and the Center for STEM Diversity. The plans have been both celebrated and criticized by Indigenous students, who see the center as the most significant move the university has taken to show its support. Below, students share their experiences with Indigeneity at Tufts, as well as their thoughts about the university’s places for the new center. Hannah Norton, co-president of the Indigenous Students’ Organization at Tufts (ISOT), explained their experience being an Indigenous student at Tufts. “Coming to Tufts, it was difficult, because there wasn’t an established Indigenous community — there weren’t established clubs or support for Indigenous students directly,” Norton said. Despite this, Norton’s first experiences at Tufts were encouraging, starting even before their first semester at the university. Norton, a junior studying human factors engineering, cited the Bridge to Engineering Success at Tufts initiative, a summer program for incoming engineering students, as a strong example of the administration’s proactive efforts to make the school more welcoming. “The summer before freshman year, we spent a semester at Tufts, and a really big thing was that [through the program], all of us got to really celebrate our culture and our identities and feel very comfortable,” they said. “Having that program bring me in really made me feel like I had support.” After matriculating that fall, Norton was contacted by Sean Ashburn (AG’20) and Campbell Halligan, two former Tufts
staff members, about creating an identity space for Indigenous students. “They both spoke to me directly, saying, ‘We can help you create a Native community at Tufts,’” Norton said. Their work together soon became ISOT. During fall 2019, ISOT’s presence on campus grew quickly. Ashburn served as a communicator with the administrative and admissions teams while Halligan helped ISOT find funding and resources to start putting on events, beginning with the celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 2019. ISOT has helped first-year Indigenous students find other Indigenous peers on campus, according to sophomore Violet Johnson. “Coming to Tufts, it was more interaction with Indigenous people my age than I had ever really experienced,” Johnson said. Johnson explained that the presence of more Indigenous people around her, especially at events facilitated by ISOT, was new and empowering. In spring 2020, buoyed by its prior successes, ISOT began advocating for a physical affinity space for Indigenous peoples on Tufts’ campus — an idea that Tufts’ Division of Student Diversity and Inclusion would put into action more than a year later. Johnson sees the Tufts administration’s work on the center as the first of many necessary improvements. “I think forming the new Indigenous center is a good step, due to all of the work that ISOT put in … but I think that Tufts can be doing a lot more for Indigenous students,” Johnson said. Norton generally regards the center’s potential with optimism. “We want the center to just bring everyone together in a community and be as big as the other identity centers on campus,” they said. Norton cited positive experiences visiting Tufts’ Latinx Center, which they said was an accepting and warm environment for both Latinx students and allies, as a
positive model for what the Indigenous People Center can become. Johnson shared Norton’s feeling of enthusiasm at the prospect of a physical affinity space. “I’m really excited to have a physical space … I think it’s really great in terms of being able to host more events and getting the motivation to do things,” Johnson said. Johnson also thought the space could serve as a place to address and change the misconceptions many non-Indigenous people have about the Native American community. “Non-Indigenous people tend to group tribes and Native Americans all together … but it’s so much more complicated than that,” Johnson said. It is her hope that the center empowers people to come together, educate themselves on that complexity and celebrate Indigeneity. Johnson identified education on Indigenous issues as something that Tufts should be addressing. She cited the largely unknown history of U.S. residential boarding schools to which Native American children were sent to strip them of their culture and language in order to ”assimilate” them into white American society. “There’s … so many students here that have literally never heard about the residential schools,” she said. “I think education is so important.” Although the idea of a new space is exciting, Norton also expressed frustration about the administration’s recent lack of communication with ISOT. “We put all this work in, and we thought we’d be brought along on the way, and then we just kind of got ghosted,” they said. This unresponsiveness draws sharp contrast from the overwhelmingly positive experiences ISOT has had with faculty. Norton cited Amahl Bishara, director of Native American and Indigenous Studies at Tufts, as a particularly good example.
“[Bishara] is very much in contact with ISOT and meets with us regularly … to talk about the minor,” they said. Bishara emphasized Indigenous students’ integral involvement in every step of the creation of the Native American and Indigenous Studies minor. “Indigenous student leaders organized two petitions over about three years calling for the establishment of the minor,” Bishara wrote in an email. “Then we had Indigenous students working with us on the committee to establish the parameters for the minor.” Indigenous students have even had the opportunity to work within the hiring process. “We are grateful to have ISOT students’ input on the finalists,” Bishara wrote. In essence, Norton said, ISOT’s relationship with Tufts’ administration and faculty has had both positive and negative elements. A center is finally coming, but the administration has been inconsistent in communicating with ISOT in the planning process. “The administration, how they’re coming off is mostly just tokenizing us and using our word, using our status,” Norton said. “They’re not following through with a lot of the things we want.” Although Norton claimed that previous efforts to communicate with administration have been unsuccessful, Ellise LaMotte, head of the Division of Student Diversity and Inclusion, said collaboration is forthcoming. “We are in the process of collecting resumes for the director’s position,” LaMotte wrote in an email to the Daily. “Once we have viable candidates we will provide an opportunity for students, staff and faculty to share their thoughts.” LaMotte also committed to working specifically with ISOT in the future. “I plan to contact ISOT members shortly to start the conversation about the process to develop the Indigenous People Center and to obtain their input,” LaMotte said.
4 Thursday, December 9, 2021
WEEKENDER
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3Ps dives into harsh realities of teenage life in ‘Dry Land’ by Megan Szostak Arts Editor
Content warning: This article discusses abortion and trauma, and mentions sexual harassment. For high school swimmers Amy and Ester, the poolside is anything but terra firma. This weekend, student-run theater group Pen, Paint and Pretzels (3Ps) will perform its realization of Ruby Rae Spiegel’s award-winning one-act play “Dry Land” (2015) in Curtis Hall. 3Ps boldly takes on the challenge of confronting a bevy of often trivialized (and potentially reminiscent) tropes of teenaged life including abortion access, female sexuality and the volatility of relationships — nearly all from the benches of the girls’ locker room. Swim team member Amy, played by senior Margaret Parish, has been burdened with an unwanted pregnancy and enlists her lonesome teammate Ester,played by first-year Schuyler Bartlett, to help her induce an abortion. Through the girls’ attempts to end Amy’s pregnancy and through moments of intimacy and vulnerability between the two, the audience begins to recognize Ester and Amy’s relationship as one that is rooted in trust and support, which are themes that Director Caitlin Morley sees as central to “Dry Land.” “For me, [“Dry Land”] is about being known to the point of being helped,” Morley, a senior, said. “It’s about trusting somebody enough to let them know who you really are … [Amy] puts up a well-crafted front and does not let people know who she really is and the things that she really thinks and feels until she meets Ester.” Morley expressed her interest in examining the queer femme gaze in plays (citing a lesbian reimagining of “Romeo and Juliet” that she directed in 2019) and sees the characters of Amy and Ester as young women who are, perhaps unknowingly, beginning to explore their sexualities. “They’re the most important people that each other has met,” Morley said. “For me, Amy and Esther incapsulate the initial queer crushes that I think are really common for queer women, at least in my experience and the experiences of other queer people that I know of.” While Amy is in an extremely turbulent period of her life and needs to lean on Ester through the uncertainty, Ester
Sadie Leite Dreaming of Sandman
Still lost in the story
A
story inside a story. Think “The Princess Bride” (1987) or when a rambling friend gets lost in the details of a night recap. “The Sandman: Convergence” (1992) arc is a collection of three stories with individual plots, connected with this concept. In “The Hunt” (1992), a grandfather and granddaughter squabble over a story that the wiser elder wishes to recount to the naive youth. With easy manipulation, the granddaughter succumbs. The story is of a boy who lives in the woods. He embarks on a fairy-tale journey to find a woman he thinks he loves. In the end, the idea of value is questioned.
COURTESY CAITLIN MORLEY
The cast and crew of 3Ps “Dry Land” is pictured. has her own anxieties surrounding college recruitment and her future. First-year Sid Samel, who plays the role of Victor, the son of a friend of Ester’s mother and a student at a university that is scouting Ester for swimming, sees his character as a “lockbox” for Ester when he hosts her in his dorm room before she swims for the coach at his university. “In the script, Ester doesn’t really get a lot of time to be herself,” Samel said. “It’s all kind of taken up by helping Amy and trying to be there for her. But with Victor … he’s someone who [Ester] sees once and never again. She can get all this baggage off her chest with him.” Katelyn Young, who plays the character of Reba, Amy’s friend and a source of comic relief in the show, shared that she sees great reality in both the themes and characters in “Dry Land.” “Even the smallest characters have so much nuanced development [and] are so human at their core,” Young, a junior, said. “Something that I felt when we read the script was that I could see myself in all the characters, regardless of how much on paper I actually had in common with them.” With this reality comes moments of intense intimacy between several characters in the show, which culminate in a heart-wrenching and unstinting scene where Ester provides comfort to Amy as she has her abortion onstage. “The scene is harsh and it is honest and it is brutal, but at the same time, [it is
a] beautiful moment of care between the two girls,” Morley said. As is written by Spiegel in a note in the script, “Harshness is as true to this play as sweetness.” Morley and the cast and crew of “Dry Land” certainly work to capture this direction, approaching both the harshness and the sweetness of the play with the vulnerability and attention required to succeed in its performance. “The sweetness of the play, the tenderness of the play, is an effect of this harshness,” Morley said. “There are harsh truths and realities of the play … the most obvious one is the fact that Amy is pregnant and does not want to be. The realities of that situation require a tenderness and sweetness by Ester.” Morley, who is writing a thesis in the education department about trauma in theater, takes the emotional and physical protection of her actors very seriously, and recognizes that these moments of intense intimacy have the potential to take an emotional toll on the actors. “Some directors are like, ‘Tap into your emotions and pull up your own trauma and put it on stage,’” she said. “That’s not what I’m looking for.” For this production of “Dry Land,” 3Ps hired an intimacy choreographer who facilitates the creation of consensual and repeatable choreography among the actors, and aims to prevent unnecessary discomfort and sexual harassment. The intimacy choreographer for this show,
Margaret Clark, has worked in this position for a number of shows around New England. “[Clark is] fantastic,” Morley said. “She’s come in … to help me stage these moments of intense intimacy … and really makes sure that these physical movements are specific — no surprises.” “Dry Land” is both technically and thematically challenging; nonetheless, Morley and the rest of 3Ps were willing to take on the challenge. The organization has gone through some major changes over the last few months, which have, according to 3Ps’ current leadership, allowed executive board members to more directly support their artists. Abi Steinberg, the current president of 3Ps, explained that the group has shifted away from being an “umbrella organization” that encompassed all student theater groups to being an organization that focuses solely on playmaking. “We wanted to shift to being a playmaking group instead of an umbrella group so that we could actually invest in our artists instead of stretching the six board members so thin that they have to do everything for every theater club,” Steinberg, a senior, said. “We can engage with our artists and support them … and make sure that they feel supported.” 3Ps’ production of “Dry Land” will be performed in Curtis Hall on Dec. 10, 11 and 12. Tickets can be reserved through Tufts Tickets.
Lucien ,the Dreaming’s librarian, values a lost book. The granddaughter values her angsty boyfriend. Still, the boy in her grandfather’s story learns that value (usually) isn’t as simple as wanting books because you’re a librarian or loving women because they are beautiful. “Value’s in what people think. Not in what’s real. Value’s in dreams, boy,” a character on the quest says, and they’re right. The boy does not choose the beautiful woman who is seemingly the objective of the hunt. Instead, he returns to love a girl who also lives in the woods. Value is grounded in basic interests shared with important people. Lofty dreams at the end of quests are often just reasons to return to the more grounded dreams we once wrongly overlooked. The next issue, “Soft Places” (1992), gives us Marco Polo, lost in the Soft Places, where dreams and reality merge. He meets dreams, then can’t
discern if he is a dream or someone else’s dream within another story –– all while other dreams tell him stories in his own story. It’s all quite confusing and that’s the point. A confession: “But then, we are all dreams, in our fashion” clarifies some contradictions only to introduce more unsettling questions. Storytelling is complex, and we must get lost in it sometimes to fully feel all its parts. The final story, “The Parliament of Rooks” (1992), maintains the storytellers’ importance. Cain, Abel and Eve find a baby, Daniel, wandering in the Dreaming. Each character tells Daniel a story. The most incredible part of this issue are the stories left untold. Cain gives Abel story ideas because he cannot choose one: “Tell him of the doors in the mist, and how to open them. Or the true title of the knights of the black and white eagle. Tell him about the girl who could drink only tears, and how she fell in
love with a woman who had never learned to cry.” The unpacked list of potential demonstrates Gaiman’s masterful storytelling –– the most important lesson to take from “Sandman,” if you take anything from this column. Now is the time, as this is the last one. If that’s not satisfying, then read the remainder of the “Sandman” universe. The story does not end with “Convergence.” There are many more stories with Gaiman’s characters. It’s like the concept of a story within a story. When a story is so ridiculously good, it never ends. It sticks in our heads. We talk about it with good friends. And, most importantly, when we sleep, we are dreaming of it –– we are dreaming of Sandman. Sadie Leite is a sophomore studying English. Sadie can be reached at sadie.leite@tufts.edu.
Thursday, December 9, 2021 | FUN & GAMES | THE TUFTS DAILY
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OP-ED
The vulnerable status of Roe v. Wade and the bleak state of American democracy
by Ellie Murphy
Content warning: This article mentions sexual assault. In the wake of the omicron variant threatening to paralyze the world, the story of the Mississippi abortion case is somewhat overshadowed. Yet, the Supreme Court’s inclination to uphold the Mississippi abortion law — one that would overtly undermine Roe v. Wade — marks a grave reality of the current Supreme Court: A system that was once renowned for upholding democracy has been corroded by party politics. The result of this is far more bleak: the precarity of a woman’s constitutional right to choose. The Mississippi law proposes to ban abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. This law is in direct opposition to the ruling of Roe v. Wade in 1973, which, according to The New York Times, “established a constitutional right to abortion and prohibited states from banning the procedure before fetal viability, around 23 weeks.” The Mississippi case parallels the Supreme Court ruling in Texas back in September which restricts abortion after six weeks of pregnancy — another plain disregard of U.S. constitutional law. These cases, and the likelihood that the Supreme Court judges will uphold the law in Mississippi, are clearly the precursors to more attempts to weaken Roe v. Wade. Yet, the only reason that these cases
have been considered to begin with is because of the court’s new change in membership. Under the Trump administration, the former president appointed three judges: Neil M. Gorsuch, Brett M. Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. All three of these picks are right leaning, resulting in a conservative supermajority in the Supreme Court. These positions are held until death, impeachment or retirement, so these appointees will make up the court for perhaps decades. While the Trump presidency is (at least for the moment) over, the ideologies of the destructive administration prevail through the judges’ tolerance of the incessant threats to Roe v. Wade. When thinking about the judges confirmed during the former administration, let’s not forget that Brett Kavanaugh — Trump’s second appointee — was nominated despite multiple accusations of sexual misconduct. These allegations dated back as far as his high school and college years. The most publicized was that of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who recounted Kavanaugh’s forcing her into a bedroom against her will and subsequently sexually assaulting her. Despite these claims, his nomination was confirmed by the then-majority Republican Senate. There’s irony that an alleged sex offender has the power to withhold a woman’s right to choose. It reflects how the actions of the Trump administration that overlooked the
basic well-being of women have reverberated into the present moment. Restrictions on abortion do not prevent its practice, but instead increase the likelihood of women resorting to unsafe measures to end unwanted pregnancies. The Center for Reproductive Rights finds that states with more abortion restrictions have higher rates of maternal and infant mortality. This is because women without access to abortions at a regulated health facility will often seek clandestine abortions, or other unregulated and unsafe measures to end a pregnancy. Yet, despite these facts, a decision that may negatively impact millions rests in the hands of an uncompromising few. Politicians and activists have taken to social media to share their thoughts on the matter. Among a slew of charged tweets, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote, “We cannot and will not leave our granddaughters a world in which they have fewer rights and opportunities than we did.” She’s right. We need to ensure that women are raised in a world where their health and well-being are valued. Yet, this obligation seems impossible when the highest court in the United States operates under such a politically divisive framework. The influence of party politics within the judicial system undermines the democratic values on which the American government ostensibly rests. This comes at the cost of real women.
Abortion isn’t the only thing impacted by the Supreme Court’s fragmented structure. Recent decisions that include its failure to address partisan gerrymandering, its expansion of corporate personhood and its inability to uphold campaign finance laws are also the result of party politics overriding the democratic process. The greater politicization of our country’s judicial system has affected our country in terms of accountability and equitability, and shown how it could dismantle the legality of abortion. While I am discouraged by the present state of American democracy, I find hope in the various forms of activism supporting the constitutional rights granted by Roe v. Wade. Countless protesters have emerged outside of the Supreme Court in opposition to the Mississippi law, with some dancing to Cardi B’s “WAP” (2020), a song that celebrates female sexual pleasure. Organizations like Planned Parenthood tirelessly continue to provide individuals with access to essential reproductive health care services. So, despite governmental resistance, we persist. At the heart of these efforts is the undeniable power of women. Ellie Murphy is a senior at Tufts studying international relations. Ellie can be reached at ellen.murphy618404@tufts.edu.
VIEWPOINT
It was only a matter of time: What we must keep in mind with the omicron variant by Idil Kolabas and Claire Wilkinson Staff Writer and Contributing Writer
It was only a matter of time before researchers discovered another mutation of COVID-19. On Nov. 26, the World Health Organization reported omicron as a “variant of concern,” triggering the adoption of travel bans by various governments and a wave of panic that has begun affecting populations around the world. Still, many questions remain regarding what makes this variant different, making much of the panic we see, fueled by rumors and misinformation, unproductive. To set the record straight, there are still many unknowns about the omicron variant and the significance of this mutation. Currently, researchers are trying to determine some key characteristics of this variant: its transmissibility, its ability to evade immune responses and its severity. For many scientists, the omicron variant is the “weirdest creature” they’ve seen, with around 30 mutations that code for the spike protein that allows it to infect cells. These mutations
raise concerns that the virus might be more easily transmitted than the delta variant. However, it remains unclear how multiple mutations will interact and affect the overall threat that omicron poses. Additionally, it is uncertain how effective the current vaccines will be against omicron compared to other variants. It is unlikely that this variant completely overcomes the vaccinated immune response. However, Florian Krammer, a virologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, explains that if this variant has a high degree of immune evasiveness, it would “not bode well for vaccine-induced immunity.” Vaccine makers may have to revise their formulas or concoct an entirely new vaccine, which would be a setback in the world’s efforts to emerge from this pandemic. One of the overarching questions that many people are asking about omicron is whether it is as bad as it appears at first glance. President Joe Biden has reassured the United States that the new variant is “cause for concern, not a cause for panic.” On a hopeful note, no deaths have been
linked to omicron, according to WHO reports on Dec. 3, and symptoms appear to be milder. Nevertheless, every day that passes marks another day in which COVID-19 changes shape and continues to take a toll. Because the virus was discovered in South Africa, many countries are restricting flights to and from South Africa. This will have dire economic repercussions for the country and might even discourage other countries from researching and looking for new variants. South African scientists should be praised for their work in finding the new omicron variant, not punished. The use of terminology like the “South Africa variant” is harmful and casts blame on South Africa, a leading country in genome sequencing. The targeted labels for the omicron variant are reminiscent of the kind of racist and divisive language used against Asian individuals when COVID-19 first emerged. The racialization of diseases and pandemics is extremely dangerous as we have seen with the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes amid COVID-19.
The emergence of the omicron variant is particularly concerning for the international student population at Tufts and throughout the United States since travel restrictions might make it difficult for students to go back to their home countries over winter break. It is not just a matter of concern in terms of coming back to the United States for the second semester, but also in leaving the United States in the first place. After Thanksgiving break, news about new variants and the potential effects should remind us all that the pandemic is not yet over. Many of us saw family and friends over the break, which means that there has been even more exposure to many different people, posing potential COVID-19 risks. The prospect of returning to the early pandemic lifestyle as a result of omicron reminds us to wear our masks properly, especially in enclosed, indoor spaces, and to receive our booster shots in order to keep our community safe. It should also serve as a reminder to respect those around us and to stay cognizant about the effects of our words and actions.
Sports
Thursday, December 9, 2021 | Sports | THE TUFTS DAILY
Timothy Valk Roster Rundown
Fantasy football preview Week 14
I
t’s Week 14 and for the final time this year, let’s look at who’s Hot and Cold: HOT: QB: Justin Herbert, LAC A few dud games can be found here and there, but Herbert displayed his elite arm strength last Sunday against the Bengals. It’s three straight games of over 300 yards passing for the sophomore signal caller, proving his rookie year to be no fluke. RB: Josh Jacobs, LV Jacobs has had a quietly respectable fantasy season, considering his ailments and the revolving Raiders backfield. A number of running backs are on the upswing, but Jacobs could see even more
volume with Kenyan Drake now out for the year. WR: Diontae Johnson, PIT Johnson continues to get bombarded with targets, now fourth in the league in said category. Pittsburgh’s first pass catcher off the board in a receiver-boastful 2019 draft has always had the skills, but is showing more consistency this year. Pittsburgh’s move-the-sticks future is bright with this star route runner. TE: Rob Gronkowski, TB Death, taxes and … Brady to Gronk? A rib injury held Gronkowski out from large parts of the fall but he’s been dynamite when on the field, totaling over 250 yards in his past three outings. The now-32year-old seems to have benefited from a short stint in the broadcasting booth. COLD: QB: Trevor Lawrence, JAX The 2021 first overall pick hasn’t lived up to his John Elway comparisons just yet. Granted, Lawrence has hardly been given a strong supporting cast, and a rookie
head coach in Urban Meyer makes things even more challenging. Maxing out at 18 fantasy points since Week 6, Lawrence’s sights are set squarely on the future. RB: Ezekiel Elliott, DAL Elliott is clearly dealing with a knee injury, and speculation is mounting that the Cowboys are mismanaging it. Elliott has barely eclipsed 50 yards in any contest since Dallas’s late October bye week, resulting in an ever-increasing Tony Pollard spectacle. Fantasy seasons have already fallen victim to this free-falling ball carrier. WR: Emmanuel Sanders, BUF After showing promise in a potent Buffalo passing offense, Sanders has been cold for a while. Of course, Monday night’s tempestuous adventure against the Pats didn’t help, but Sanders truly hasn’t received the needed volume for a couple months. Stash him on the bench for now. TE: Noah Fant, DEN Fant had only one 50-plus yard performance over the past five weeks, relegating him to the dark depths of
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streaming status. The Omaha native has shown flashes of greatness, but it seems to be a case of too many weapons in Denver. As advertised above, this is the last issue of Roster Rundown of the year. I hope that these articles gave you some advice, useful information and fun tidbits along the way. To those graduating to the playoffs in one week’s time, congratulations and good luck in the crux of your fantasy journey. To those finishing the season a middling 6–8 or 7–7, what happened? Was your roster average and inconsistent, or was luck not on your side in the points-against column? And to those who bottomed out and couldn’t muster more than a couple victories, say it with me: “There’s always next year.” Whatever the case, enjoy the rest of the real NFL season. Until the next one! Timothy Valk is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. Timothy can be reached at timothy.valk@tufts.edu.
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Sports
8 Thursday, December 9, 2021
Matt Goguen Keeping up with the 617
Homecoming
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inutes before the MLB owners and MLPA issued a lockout of the 2021 offseason over the expired Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Red Sox orchestrated a trade that received a questionable response from the fan base. Hunter Renfroe, one of the bigger offensive contributors for the team in 2021, is now a Milwaukee Brewer; in compensation, the Red Sox receive Jackie Bradley Jr. (JBJ), a fan favorite in Boston, and two young prospects. Without examining the fine lines of the deal, this seems like a lopsided trade for the Red Sox. In 2021, Renfroe was a 2.3 WAR player with 31 home runs and 96 RBIs; JBJ could barely hit his weight in 2021 with a .163 AVG and -0.7 WAR. Although JBJ does provide a massive defensive value to a team’s outfield, Renfroe was an average defender with a cannon of an arm; he had 16 defensive assists which led all MLB right fielders. By simply looking at statistics, the Red Sox gain nothing from this head-scratching trade. However, Chaim Bloom is no rookie within this business; there was more behind this trade than just statistics. For instance, Renfroe had a career year in 2021, tallying career highs in almost every batting category imaginable. Additionally, he turns 30 next season and is known to be a streaky hitter. The Red Sox organization believed that a regression is inevitable for Renfroe, and wanted to sell his high market value this offseason. Although JBJ headlined the return of this trade, the main prizes for the Red Sox were the two prospects they acquired: David Hamilton and Alex Binelas. Although these two players aren’t projected to be future Hall of Famers, they provide a boost to the Red Sox’s improving farm system. Hamilton relies more on his speed and defensive game at shortstop, as he is mostly an average hitter. However, speed is something that the Red Sox currently lack, and I can see Hamilton being a utility bench player mostly used in pinch running situations. Binelas was a star at the University of Louisville and was selected in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft. His power profile is above average and he adjusted well to minor league baseball this summer. Chaim Bloom’s specialty is stacking farm systems, and these two prospects give a solid boost to the minor league system. If not accounting for the statistical perspective of this trade, the Red Sox made out like bandits. They receive a former piece of their championship teams and two intriguing prospects. Because JBJ is on the downslope of his career, he slots as the backup center fielder behind Enrique Hernandez. He’ll provide solid defensive value to an otherwise average Red Sox outfield and become a veteran presence in the clubhouse. Additionally, with Renfroe now in Milwaukee, it seems that the Red Sox have more wiggle room to re-sign Kyle Schwarber, who was a catalyst in the team’s postseason push in 2021. On a more emotional note, seeing JBJ in 2022 will bring nostalgia to me; he brought happiness and excitement to Red Sox nation with each highlight reel catch and clutch home run. He might not be an All Star in 2022, but he will still be loved by this fanbase. Welcome home, JBJ. Matt Goguen is a junior studying Biopsychology. Matt can be reached at matthew.goguen@tufts.edu.
tuftsdaily.com
Hockey splits NESCAC doubleheader, earns first win of season
COURTESY KRIS DUFOUR
The Tufts hockey team was defeated by Williams 4–5 on Saturday, Dec. 4. by Emma Joyce
Assistant Sports Editor
The Tufts hockey team split a NESCAC doubleheader on the road this weekend, winning its first game of the season 3–2 against Middlebury on Friday and falling to Williams 5–4 on Saturday. The team now sits at 1–5–1 overall, with a 1–2–1 NESCAC record that puts them ranked in the middle of conference play. On Saturday, the Jumbos traveled to face the Williams Ephs, where they lost 5–4 despite coming back from a 3–0 deficit. The Jumbos were down three goals in the second period, but goals by sophomore defenseman Sam Miller, sophomore defenseman Cam Newton and senior forward Angus Scott tied the game at 3–3 about five minutes into the third period. First-year forward Tyler Sedlak scored to give Tufts a 4–3 lead with seven minutes to play, but Williams tallied back-to-back goals within three minutes to give the Ephs the 5–4 advantage. “Going down 3–0 against a strong opponent is never ideal, but it says a lot about the fight and determination of this team to come back and take a 4–3 lead,” Scott said. “Every player in the lineup played a role in shifting the momentum and our special teams produced some big goals. We weren’t able to complete the
comeback with a win, but once we find a way to play with that level of effort and intensity for 60 minutes, we are going to win a lot of games.” Senior goalie Josh Sarlo had an amazing performance with 40 saves during the game, and senior forward Justin Brandt assisted three of the four goals for the Jumbos. On Friday, the Jumbos earned their first victory of the season against the Middlebury Panthers in a game that was scoreless in the second and third periods. All five goals were scored in the last 10 minutes of the first period, with the eventual game-winning goal scored off a power play from Tufts senior defenseman Tom Tresca with a little over a minute left in the first period. It was Middlebury’s first game of the season due to COVID-19-related concerns postponing prior matchups, and the hosts were the first to get on the scoreboard. However, the Jumbos responded immediately with a goal of their own, as junior forward Mason Kohn’s shot was initially deflected but rebounded and passed to Brandt. Brandt fired a shot of his own, which was finished by Newton to tie the game at 1–1, just 14 seconds after Middlebury had taken its 1–0 lead. Scott put the Jumbos ahead 2–1 on a power play goal that was assisted by Miller.
Miller passed the puck across the front of the goal, where Scott was able to redirect it past the Middlebury goalie. The Panthers responded two minutes later with a goal of their own to tie things up again, but Tresca’s goal at the end of the first period gave the Jumbos their first win of the season. “It felt great to get our first win on the road against a NESCAC opponent,” Scott said. “Obviously the season didn’t start the way we wanted it to, but winning a close game like that does a lot for our confidence and momentum moving forward.” The game was close throughout — Tufts was two for five on power play opportunities, while Middlebury won more face-offs and tallied more shots. Sarlo kept Tufts on top for the rest of the game and finished with 29 saves. “We have been doing a really good job scoring goals, creating a lot offensively and our power play and penalty kill have performed well,” said Scott. The Ephs now sit at the top of the NESCAC after defeating the Panthers 3–2 on their own ice on Dec. 5. The Jumbos have two important NESCAC matchups up next on their schedule, as they take on the Colby Mules on Friday and the Bowdoin Polar Bears on Dec. 11, both at home at the Malden Valley Forum.