Wegmans offers convenience for students, concern for residents see FEATURES / PAGE 4
TUFTS BASKETBALL
Club basketball nets early success
‘The Square’ falls flat in attempts at satire see ARTS&LIVING / PAGE 6
SEE SPORTS / PAGE 10
THE
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UNIVERSITY
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T HE T UFTS DAILY
VOLUME LXXIV, ISSUE 42
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Tuesday, November 7, 2017
MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS.
Fletcher student starts petition to remove Anthony Scaramucci from Board of Advisors by Natasha Mayor News Editor
Carter Banker, a second-year Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy (MALD) candidate at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, started a petition on Oct. 17 to remove former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci (LA ’86) from The Fletcher School’s Board of Advisors. The Board of Advisors comprises about 40 members who have achieved success in their respective fields. According to Executive Director of Public Relations Patrick Collins, the advisors convene two to three times per year. “To the best of our knowledge, there is no precedent for removing an advisor from a board,” Collins told the Daily in an email. “Advisors have resigned from boards in the past, most often when government or other appointments created conflicts of interest.” Banker first thought about starting the petition when Scaramucci made threats in an interview with a New Yorker reporter, but she was preoccupied with an internship in D.C. at the time. see SCARAMUCCI, page 2
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Anthony Scaramucci, also known as ‘The Mooch,’ is an American financier and political figure and Tufts Class of 1986 alumnus.
Part-time faculty union members vote to ratify five-year contract by Kat Grellman
Assistant News Editor
The tentative agreement for a new contract reached earlier this month between part-time lecturers and the School of Arts and Sciences was ratified by a huge majority on Oct. 25, according to Andy Klatt, lecturer in the Department of Romance Languages and member of the part-time faculty’s bargaining committee. The ratification was almost unanimous, Patricia DiSilvio, senior lecturer in the Department of Romance Languages and member of the bargaining committee, said. Ninety-nine percent of those who voted approved the ratification, one member abstained; there were no votes against ratification, according to DiSilvio. She said that of the total members eligible to vote, more than two-thirds voted. The ratification came after months of negotiations and the threat of a walkout. This contract is the second contract between the administration and Tufts’ part-time faculty members, who union-
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ized with Service Employees International Union in 2013. According to DiSilvio, the official signing of the new contract has not yet taken place. Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences James Glaser told the Daily in an email that he was pleased the agreement was ratified and believes it represents a fair contract that exceeds the benefits received by part-time lecturers at comparable universities. “We’re pleased that the part-time lecturers have ratified our agreement, which — as was the case with the previous contract — means they will continue to enjoy pay, benefits and terms of employment that lead the relevant market. We appreciate the contributions our part-time lecturers make to the university, and look forward to continuing our respectful and constructive relationship with them going forward,” he said. There were several important changes in the new contract, DiSilvio said; however, one of the most important was a salary increase based on seniority. “[The salary increases] will encour-
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age [part-time] faculty to want to stay at Tufts and to continue their teaching career at the university because there is a meaningful employment here and recognition of our value,” DiSilvio said. DiSilvio explained that there was a 2.5 percent increase in pay across the board for each “step,” which refers to the number of years a lecturer has been at Tufts. Step one is one through four years of teaching, step two is five through eight years, step three is nine through 12 years, and step four, a new step created in the contract that was proposed by the university, is 13 years and beyond. In addition to the 2.5 percent increase, part-time lecturers receive a pay increase each year through the life of contract that varies based on what step they’re in, DiSilvio said. Faculty in step one will get a $50 supplement, those in step two will get a 1.1 percent raise off the 2.5 percent increase, those in step three will get a 1.2 percent raise off the 2.5 percent increase and those in step four will get a 1.3 percent raise off the 2.5 percent increase, DiSilvio explained.
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Klatt said significant bargaining took place around the length of work that constituted each step. The university originally proposed that the fourth step begin after 20 years of service, Klatt said. However, because of the length most faculty would not reach that step and they bargained to lower the requirements to try to maximize the amount of faculty that it would apply to, he said. “We were looking at it from the point of view of, what percentage of part-time faculty would be included if the pay step was added in after 20 years, after 16 years, and after 12 years?” Klatt said. “We got it down to [after completing] 12 years, where it’s going to reach the benefit of about half of part-time faculty. So that’s finally what we settled on,” Klatt said. According to Klatt, a second important change addressed part-time lecturers’ professional development fund. The fund originally provided $500 year-
NEWS............................................1 FEATURES...................... ...........4 COMICS.......................................5
see ADJUNCTS, page 3
ARTS & LIVING.......................6 OPINION.....................................8 SPORTS............................ BACK
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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Tuesday, November 7, 2017
THE TUFTS DAILY Gil Jacobson Editor-in-Chief
EDITORIAL
Eddie Samuels Joe Walsh
Fletcher students, faculty, alumni sign petition saying Scaramucci on Board of Advisors doesn't align with their values
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SCARAMUCCI
continued from page 1 However, when The Scaramucci Post, a publication created by Scaramucci after he was ousted from his White House post, tweeted a poll asking users how many Jewish people had died in the Holocaust, she said she knew it was time to start a petition. “Over and over again, he has displayed very very poor judgment and now it’s been on more than one occasion,” she said. “I don’t think he is fit to be in a role where he is advising our school.” Although Banker said the petition has mostly received support, she did say that someone had tried to sabotage the petition, by manipulating the spreadsheet which she had used to collect signatures. Banker said she was easily able to recover the information and changed the document’s privacy so that only approved people could edit it. “It’s kind of hilarious and pathetic that someone at the diplomacy school would behave so undiplomatically,” she said. “If you don’t like the petition, you don’t have to sign it.” Banker reached out to colleagues, alumni and faculty members to sign the poll, using social media and directly messaging people. She said nearly 250 students, faculty and alumni had signed her petition and agreed that Scaramucci does not reflect Fletcher values. “Mr. Scaramucci’s wanton vulgarity — so obscene that the newspapers could not reprint his interview verbatim, and so over the top that even the president felt obliged to let him go after barely a week on the job — is incommensurate with the decorum and dignity that our school must stand for,” Christopher Ellison (F ’12), who included the note with his signature on the petition, wrote. “He must go.” Banker sent the petition to Fletcher’s Office of Development and Alumni Relations, the group that is responsible for managing the Board of Advisors, on Nov. 1. She was uncertain about who was in charge of dealing with
such a situation but was confident that in such a small school, it would reach the right person. “I didn’t want to make it too political by just sending it to Dean Stavridis,” Banker said. “My goal isn’t to make waves. My goal is to have impact.” Senior Director of Development and Alumni Relations Kate Ryan emailed Banker in response to the petition on Nov. 6, informing her that the Office of Development and Alumni Relations was examining the situation with Tufts leadership, she added. “[I] also had a great conversation with Dean Sheehan … that seemed to confirm [Ryan’s] statement,” Banker told the Daily in an email. “All members of the administration are aware, and seem to be in touch with student concerns.” Banker said it was possible that potential incoming students could be deterred by Scaramucci’s presence on the board. Furthermore, from her conversations with a few alumni, she thought it was likely that some would withhold donations to the school. Banker also stressed that the issue of removing Scaramucci is a non-partisan one, as he financially supported Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns, and admitted to voting for Bill Clinton and Barack Obama as reported by the Daily Beast in July. Prior to working for Trump, he had insulted the president in a series of now-deleted tweets. Thus, she said, this is not another instance in a trend of liberal universities ousting conservatives. “The way that he conducted himself is completely contrary to how we’re taught to conduct ourselves,” Banker said. “He has shown himself to be somewhat of a hypocrite and an opportunist.” Banker also expressed her desire that the administration be more transparent to the Fletcher community. “I think a lot of people are concerned that we don’t know that much about how our board runs and that a lot of things happen behind the scenes in our administration that we just don’t know about,” she said. “What we really want in this process is transparency and for the administration to talk to us.”
Professor of Practice of International Conflict Analysis and Resolution and Director of the Institute for Human Security Eileen Babbitt was one of a handful of Fletcher faculty who signed Banker’s petition. She said she was unimpressed by his use of vulgar language and his demeaning behavior. Babbitt said that at the very least, a representative of the school should display civility and respect. “It doesn’t seem to me that he’s the kind of person I would want representing Fletcher or being affiliated in a public way with Fletcher,” Babbitt said. “It’s inconsistent with who I think we are at Fletcher and who we are at Tufts.” Clare Gooding, a second-year Master of International Business (MIB) student at The Fletcher School, said she was initially hesitant to sign the petition because she is wary of the lack of conservative voices in elite higher education institutions. However, after talking with Banker, she changed her mind and decided to sign the petition. “The public nature of his profanity was so shocking that I realized this isn’t a partisan thing,” she said. Although Gooding said Scaramucci’s presence on the board was questionable, she was not sure if it was necessarily detrimental. She believes that a comprehensive review is in order and that The Fletcher School administration should be the ones to handle that. “After the Trump election, it became very clear that we do have a massive divide politically in our country,” Gooding said. “We need to do a better job making sure all political voices are being heard. That’s our job as diplomats and lawmakers.” Collins said that no one board member has disproportionate authority over the university and that the board benefits from the ideas of all its members. “We are aware of the petition, and there are ongoing discussions about the circumstances under which any advisor would be asked to resign for cause, but the bar for doing so would be very high,” he said. No board members could be reached for comment.
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Tuesday, November 7, 2017 | News | THE TUFTS DAILY
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Part-time lecturers win seniority-based salaries, pay increases in ratified contract
EDDIE SAMUELS / THE TUFTS DAILY
Part-time lecturers Elizabeth Leavell, Carol Wilkinson and Andy Klatt, greet protestors at 200 Boston Ave. on Sept. 29.
ADJUNCTS
continued from page 1 ly per lecturer, which can be spent to benefit their teaching. However, $500 does not cover many important potential costs, such as an out-of-state conference or new computers. Ultimately, while the amount allocated per lecturer did not change, they will now be given $1,000 at a time to be spent over the course of two years, Klatt said. Having a larger concentrated sum may allow for some of these larger purchases, Klatt said. DiSilvio added that the eligibility for the professional development fund was lowered to benefit newer employees who may especially benefit from these resources. “At first [the university] said [faculty] had to be in their fifth year to apply for the professional development fund, and we argued that it’s new faculty that could use this extra development to purchase classroom materials and attend workshops or conferences. So they are now eligible in their third year,” DiSilvio said.
According to Elizabeth Leavell, a lecturer in the English department and member of the bargaining committee, another important gain was earlier notification of non-reappointment for multiyear faculty so they would have more time to find another job. “In the past, there had been no set time for notification. We would sometimes start teaching before we got formal reappointment letters. So someone wouldn’t have a chance to look for other work if they weren’t rehired here. And that was just the way things had been done for a long time and continued to be the way things were done. So these changes in non-reappointment are really significant for us,” Leavell said. Other benefits include a streamlining of the grievance procedure, increased fees for voluntary assignments such as teaching independent studies and reading theses, greater rights to review and respond to evaluations, written notification of non-reappointment for faculty on a one-year contract and clarification about when part-time faculty should be notified of open full-time lecturer positions, Klatt said.
Leavell said the process of fixing inequities was not over. “I hope that we conveyed that this is a process, not a one-time deal, that is, that the university and our representatives will be working together to try to redress inequities that are still present,” Leavell said. She added that the university showed disappointing reluctance to adjust its policies. The threat of a walk-out was extremely influential in negotiations, according to Leavell, and pushed the administration to work with lecturers. “I’m disappointed that we didn’t get closer without the threat of a walk-out. I don’t see any evidence at all that we would have gotten anything like what we ended up getting without that threat, and I don’t feel that that is consistent with the idea of Tufts being a leader [of part-time faculty affairs],” Leavell said. Not all bargaining goals were met, Klatt said. The committee unsuccessfully tried to increase the benefits of starting lecturers. Additionally, lecturers had hoped to sign the contract for only three years, DiSilvio said, but they compromised with five. A shorter contract would give
them the opportunity to renegotiate and to have a better sense of what the market would look like when their contract expires, she said. However, the length of the contract may be an advantage in some ways, according to Klatt. “We think that next time around, Tufts is not going to be able to be so proud because other universities are going to have to negotiate better pay between now and the expiration of this contract. By the time this comes around, people and part-time faculty at Tufts will be in a good position to say, Tufts should be a leader in it and it no longer is,” Klatt said. DiSilvio said that she was pleased with the amount of progress part-time faculty made with the new contract. “I think that this has been a very positive experience, there were ups and downs, it took a little bit longer, but the administration listened to us in the end,” DiSilvio said. “I think they originally felt that they had given us a lot in the first contract and all they needed to do was tweak the second contract, but we were able to make significant progress and reach a strong agreement.”
TRASHING ONE EGG WASTES 55 GALLONS OF WATER
Features
4 tuftsdaily.com
Tuesday, November 7, 2017
Opening of Wegmans offers a new grocery option in Medford by Rebecka Henrikson Contributing Writer
At least three meals a day, seven days a week, plus midnight snacking, studybreak snacks, coffee runs and pre-party food — it’s clear that access to good meals and frequent snacks is an important part of the college student experience. The variety of options provided on campus as well as at local stores offers solutions to familiar pangs of hunger or caffeine deficiencies. On Sunday, Nov. 5, a new option opened in Medford at Meadow Glen, a 35-minute walk or six-minute drive from Tufts: a Wegmans grocery store. This expansive store, which will be the 95th Wegmans in the United States, prides itself on its family-owned tradition, organic foodstuffs, low prices and customer-friendly setup. Katie Roche, a media relations coordinator at Wegmans, brought the Daily on a preview tour of its Medford location before its grand opening. She described the produce section as the store’s “crown jewel” — an array of over 140 colorful types of organic produce immediately catch shoppers’ eyes when they enter the store. Notably, the produce that is stocked in the store comes mostly from neighboring states, according to Roche. The produce section includes a fresh-cut veggie bar, where shoppers can get their choice of vegetable chopped to save time at home. The store features a section dedicated to creating a perfect pasta dinner: a range of pastas, vinegars, cheeses and other ingredients are all stocked next to each
other, making it convenient for shoppers to quickly cook up a meal. Roche noted that the cheese section alone boasts over 300 types, imported from Europe and then aged in cheese caves in Rochester, N.Y. The store’s all-organic coffee shop also offers cold brew and nitro-infused coffee, as well as syrups such as salted caramel, to satisfy both caffeine lovers and shoppers with a sweet tooth. Opposite the coffee station are several prepared food stations selling subs, pizzas cooked on a volcanic stone-base oven and burgers. Ready-to-cook packages, family-sized portions and microwavable meals that range from sushi, Mexican and seafood dishes are also available, for those who are too busy to cook their own meals. Roche shared that there are over 200 seats for in-store dining in Wegmans. For many students, the option of going grocery shopping and encountering a wider variety of food as well as dining options is an appealing game-changer. First-year Emily Taketa, who currently goes to bfresh just to pick up a few ingredients, says that a grocery store like Wegmans would make for a more enjoyable shopping experience. “[That] would make it more desirable to go, especially if you want to spend more time there than just to pick up things. It becomes more of a bonding experience, with hanging out,” Taketa said. For upperclassmen who choose to drive when completing grocery runs, parking is a big concern. Senior Eliza Ball never goes to bfresh due to difficul-
ties with parking, and instead chooses Whole Foods or Stop & Shop. However, the parking offered at Meadow Glen may attract students like Ball, especially if they want to do shopping at nearby stores such as Dick’s Sporting Goods, Kohl’s, Marshalls or Petco. Wegmans also has a partnership with grocery delivery app Instacart that allows goods to be delivered to the user’s home, which may appeal to students who lack the time to get groceries from a store. What sets Wegmans apart from other grocery stores in the area is its liquor section, which includes wines starting at $6 and a create-your-own six pack beer option. These prices are attractive for those on a student budget. As described by Ball, doing a “big shop” may involve greater consideration of price, and Wegmans’ promise of “consistently lower prices” may be appealing to students who wish to do large-scale grocery shopping, but do not want to incur an unreasonable grocery bill. Aside from its appeal to Tufts students, Wegmans will provide jobs for 200 fulltime employees from Medford and other neighboring communities, as well as a new grocery store for local residents. However, this opening does not come without concerns. In a Sept. 22 article in the Medford’s Wicked Local, one resident of the apartment complex at 3920 Mystic Valley Pky., behind the site of the future Wegmans, expressed his concerns about the noise the trucks and trash pickup schedule will bring to his home late at night.
“I think Wegmans, as it stands right now, is going to be damaging and destructive to 3920 Mystic Valley Pky., especially the west side,” he said. According to Roche, Wegmans’ delivery trucks currently arrive between midnight and 6 a.m., in order to ensure that the food sold is fresh and meets consumers’ demands and expectations. However, this schedule has caused concern for some residents. According to the article, Medford residents were worried that the noise from the trucks would cause disturbances while they were trying to sleep. The article went on to say that members of the Medford City Council agreed to check in with residents following the store’s opening to assess the level of disturbances and whether any modifications need to be made. Roche stated that Wegmans has worked with the residents in order to establish suitable times, and also that it is not in Wegmans’ interest to disturb residents; their approval is necessary for their success. Taketa states that she sees the opening of the store as an alternative to the expensive dining plan at Tufts, especially for upperclassmen. She added that the growth of the Swipe It Forward initiative on campus shows that there is student demand for more affordable dining. “It’s a good option for people to make their own food, and could be more economically inclusive,” Taketa said. “People want [and] need more cheaper and healthier dining options.”
COURTESY STILFEHLER VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
A Wegmans branch in Corning, N.Y. is pictured.
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Tuesday, November 7, 2017 | Comics | THE TUFTS DAILY
tuftsdaily.com
Comics
LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY Gil: “I’ve arrived at strep throat.”
Comics
SUDOKU
GARFIELD BY JIM DAVIS
NON SEQUITUR BY WILEY MILLER
Difficulty Level: Showing up an hour early to class because of the time change.
LINDA C. BLACK ASTROLOGY
Monday’s Solution
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Expand your territory over the next few days. Upgrade your personal style over the next month with Venus in your sign. Hone your brand. Take pictures. FOR RELEASE NOVEMBER 7, 2017
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis CROSSWORD
ACROSS 1 Like dorms for both men and women 5 Military sch. 9 Fall in folds 14 Chomp 15 Swimmer’s path 16 More cold and wet, weatherwise 17 Serb or Croat 18 “Liberal” pursuits 19 Can’t stop loving 20 Three Stooges movie, e.g. 23 Michigan or Mead 24 Update from a pilot, for short 25 Induction cooktop alternative 33 Double-reed woodwinds 34 “What did you say?” 35 Key with one sharp: Abbr. 36 Light brown 37 Driver’s license test 41 Post-OR area 42 Three-pronged Greek letters 44 Buffet table coffee server 45 River mammal 47 Fluffy dessert 51 Eisenhower’s nickname 52 Hip ’60s Brits 53 Eco-friendly request ... and a hint to sorting out the aptly circled letters 59 Vonnegut literary device 60 Enterprise captain born 3/22/2233 61 Puts on TV 63 Low card 64 Lawn border 65 Finger or toe part 66 Chose (to) 67 Evidence of ownership 68 Community org. known by its first letter
By Andrew Sand
DOWN 1 “Kevin Can Wait” network 2 Lubricates 3 Bibliography list shortener: Abbr. 4 Reduce monetarily 5 Denali National Park state 6 Price-fixing syndicate 7 Against 8 Fam. tree member 9 NFL player selection events 10 Give off 11 GI on the run 12 Curly salon job 13 Before, in verse 21 Analyze grammatically 22 One-named “We R Who We R” singer 25 Offensive to some, for short 26 Embarrass 27 “Pagliacci” clown 28 Treaty of __: War of 1812 ender 29 “La Cage __ Folles” 30 Fails to include
11/7/17
Monday’s Puzzle Solved Monday’s Solution
©2017 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
31 Bad habits 32 Accustom (to) 38 Winter holidays 39 __ of Good Feelings 40 In a funk 43 Bill Nye’s field 46 Florence’s region 48 Approved 49 Come to light 50 Made fun of 53 Practice for the GMAT, e.g.
11/7/17
54 Ill-mannered sort 55 Struggled to make, with “out” 56 Taxi trip 57 Neeson of “Kinsey” 58 Idle of Monty Python 59 Wedding vow words 62 Patty Hearst’s abductors: Abbr.
6 tuftsdaily.com
Arts & Living
Nikki Margaretos Is This Thing On?
Meet the new queen of rap
S
itting in the second spot on the Billboard Hot 100, Cardi B’s fiery single “Bodak Yellow” (2017) packs a punch. Leaving behind her days as an exotic dancer, Cardi celebrates her life now that she has made it big. As a teen, the Bronx native used stripping as a means of supporting her family, but has since earned fame on VH1’s series “Love & Hip-Hop: New York” (2011–present) and now finds herself with 17 consecutive weeks on the charts thus far. “Bodak Yellow” spent three of those in the No. 1 position, making Cardi B the first unaccompanied female rapper to achieve this peak since Lauryn Hill in 1998 with “Doo Wop (That Thing).” In an interview with Billboard, Cardi described her inspiration: “I’m in a good place right now, and I wanna stunt. I felt it in my soul, like this song is gonna be so poppin’.” The song’s most iconic lines include: “Said, ‘Lil b****, you can’t f*** with me if you wanted to'” and “I don’t dance now, I make money moves.” The anthem promotes self-empowerment and appreciation, both in its lyrics and in the fact that Cardi receives no other vocal assistance. For comparison, when Nicki Minaj raps, she often teams up with another male rapper, or she is the featured verse herself on someone else’s work. Of course, she has also had solo success, but as the more traditional ‘pop singer’ role, seen in songs like “Starships” (2012) or “Pills N Potions” (2014). Speaking of Nicki, who has had a few feuds of her own, she revealed in a tweet that she does not have any beef with Cardi B, going as far as congratulating the chart milestone. Thank god, because I don’t think we can handle another high-profile drama queen right now. The dueling female rappers recently released “MotorSport” (2017) last week with Migos as co-features. Let’s just hope that Nicki is okay with sharing her throne, because together the two are a force to be reckoned with. While Cardi’s lyrics are a tad aggressive, she also has a down-to-earth side to her. In videos posted to her Instagram profile, she noted that she realizes she has many younger female fans and that she wants to try harder to be a positive role model — Cardi has openly discussed her involvement with gangs as a teen. She’s also reportedly not about the limelight. She tweeted, “I just want to make music , make money , buy a Mansion & have my babies already ..Then be out… this fame s*** annoying.” AOL Finance estimates the rapper’s worth at about $4 million. Super annoying! Money aside, Cardi’s theatrical personality shines on social media, where she posts about everything from losing her fleece blanket to memes. Ironically, “Bodak Yellow” knocked out none other than Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” (2017) to secure the top position. Will this be Cardi’s one-hit wonder or is there a lot more to expect from the Bronx rapper? She’s come a very long way and might make some serious moves for the future of female rap. Nikki Margaretos is a senior majoring in economics. Nikki can be reached at nikoletta.margaretos@tufts.edu.
Tuesday, November 7, 2017
FASHION REVIEW
The ‘H&M x Erdem’ collaboration is all about hype and (some) fashion by Eran Sabaner Arts Editor
There was a significant line outside of H&M’s Newbury location on Nov. 2, as people were waiting eagerly to shop the Scandinavian brand’s new high-end collaboration with Canadian born, BritishTurkish designer Erdem Moralıoğlu. Those who shopped for H&M’s earlier collaborations knew the drill: Groups of 20 would get bracelets in different colors that indicated the time they were allowed to get in. Once inside, they would only have 15 minutes to search the store; they would have the option to try what they picked later on, but they couldn’t go back after the 15 minutes were up. After one group’s time was up, more people would be let in, undoubtedly disappointed to find out most of the items they wanted were already sold out. Mainstream consumers found out about H&M’s collaborations with highend brands two years ago, when Balmain launched its iconic campaign with Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid. The collaboration became infamous after several people across the world got injured trying to buy looks from the collection. Yet, fashion insiders have been enjoying such collaborations for years, ever since the “H&M x Karl Lagerfeld” line. Top designers such as Stella McCartney, Isabel Marant and Alexander Wang have all collaborated as well as brands like Lanvin, Marni and Maison Martin Margiela. Fans of such collaborations argue that these collections are a huge bargain compared to the price tags of the designers with which H&M is working. Critics point out that these collections promote an unhealthy and consumerist lifestyle and that the quality of the clothes is poor. This year’s Erdem collaboration confirms both arguments; while the prices are a bargain compared to the designer’s usual price tags, the success of the line is based on hype more than quality. H&M’s decision to collaborate with Erdem was one of the smartest moves
ERAN SABANER FOR THE TUFTS DAILY
see ERDEM, page 7
The new clothes line created by the Scandinavian brand H&M and the Canadian born, British-Turkish designer Erdem Moralioglu is pictured.
MOVIE REVIEW
Too hip to be ‘The Square’ by Tommy Gillespie Assistant Arts Editor
Jimmy Kimmel once did a segment from Coachella in which he asked festival-goers if they had seen a number of fictitious bands perform. The concertgoers, not wanting to seem out of the loop, all said yes, that they had seen them, and some went into great detail about the made-up, comically named bands Kimmel mentioned. Though each of the people interviewed in the Kimmel segment knew they had no idea what he was talking about, they all felt compelled to appear hip, in the know and on the cutting edge. It is precisely this sentiment that must have led to a Cannes Palme d’Or for Ruben Östlund’s satirical film “The Square” (2017) as, when examined beyond its stylish, artsy interiors and topical storylines, it is a bumbling exercise in self-satisfaction.
The film’s interweaving plots and vignettes follow the urbane and polished Christian (Claes Bang), the curator of an avant-garde Stockholm art gallery, as he works to promote their latest exhibition: “The Square,” a lit-up square on the museum’s front courtyard. Inside it, according to the unseen artist, everyone shares equal obligations, equal rights and equal opportunities. Along the way, Christian has a bantering chess match of a romance with American journalist Anne (Elisabeth Moss), while tracking down his stolen phone and wallet, making an enemy of a young boy in the process. If that sounds odd, it is. Director Östlund first burst onto the international scene in 2014 with “Force Majeure,” a complex and thought-provoking meditation on masculinity and fatherhood in a postmodern world. Here, he takes a similarly ambitious aim at
the decadence and hypocrisy of the supposedly enlightened cultural elite, with much less success. With each countless overlong shot of the homeless inhabitants of Stockholm and each subsequent meeting scene in which Christian and his colleagues discuss how they can showcase their collection as a hallmark of enlightened humanism, we are bashed over the head with subtext. The bacchanalian partying and casual, inept arrogance of Christian jarringly make it even clearer, in case we didn’t already get it: the face of the artsy, enlightened class is nice to look at, but it’s gone a little too far up its own ass. Östlund’s point is an interesting and necessary one, and the film does begin with see SQUARE, page 7
Arts & Living
Tuesday, November 7, 2017 | Arts & Living | THE TUFTS DAILY
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H&M's latest high-end collab produces college budget-ready designs ERDEM
continued from page 6 the company has made. The Balmain collaboration two years ago was a success that would never be replicated again, yet the mainstream exposure had the possibility to damage the ‘exclusivity’ of later collaborations, which would turn off the fashion-savvy, high-income audience the brand was targeting. Erdem is the perfect way to win back the same audience. Erdem as a designer is admittedly not very popular in United States, but he is beloved by fashion circles across the world. His designs celebrate femininity and tell romantic stories inspired by the British countryside. Experimenting with
tradition and femininity at a time when androgynous clothing is cherished can perhaps best be interpreted as a bold and refreshing choice. After years of seeing well-known, established brands, it was time for an up-and-coming designer to collaborate with H&M. Although Erdem is an emerging designer, his eponymous line sure isn’t cheap. His dresses usually sell for around $1,000. The H&M collection is not as cheap as its regular price tags, but it offers Erdem’s target audience a chance to buy comparatively more affordable clothes. It is unlikely, say, for a college student interested in fashion to buy a $1,000 dress, but if they are a fan of the designer, it wouldn’t
be as bad to spare $99 for a hoodie from the H&M collection. The line itself is very reminiscent of Erdem’s usual patterns and forms, but there are some twists. Most importantly, it is more casual, as there are hoodies and t-shirts in addition to skirts and dresses. Furthermore, the collaboration includes a men’s line, a first for the designer. The men’s line does not shy away from embracing the designer’s feminine touch and includes silk shirts, bomber jackets and hoodies with embroidered floral patterns. Even though the clothes are similar to Erdem’s usual designs, the quality is not. In some cases, the prints look so faded that an online made-to-order sweatshirt would look higher quality.
Overall, it seems that the hype around H&M collaborations is what makes them successful, in addition to the experience of buying an item. Even though it is consumerist behavior at its best, there’s something enjoyable about waking up early and waiting in line for something one looks forward to. Similar to KAWS Companion toys that sell out in minutes or new Adidas sneakers that have massive crowds waiting for them, the effort of buying from the collaboration is what makes the item more valuable. This proves that hype is not a concept exclusive to ‘sneakerheads’ and streetwear; it could be translated onto the fashion world in general.
'The Square' is too pleased with itself for effective satire SQUARE
continued from page 6 some degree of promise. First, Christian struggles to defend a humorous bit of word salad detailing an exhibition to Anne as she interviews him. Soon after, a hysterical woman runs to him on the street asking for help from a supposedly violent boyfriend, and in the process of defending her and sending them both on their way, Christian realizes he has been conned out of his phone and wallet. However, this promising beginning soon devolves into an infuriatingly smug series of disjointed plots falling apart. “The Square” heaves and labors through its 142-minute runtime, stopping far too many times to check out its own filmic muscles in the mirror. In one such scene, Christian and Anne (whose roommate is a chimpanzee! Satire!) argue over who will dispose of a post-coital condom and the implication that Anne would steal
Christian’s powerful, handsome sperm. In another a performance artist Oleg (Terry Notary) takes his “wild man” act too far, attacking the attendees of a swanky gala, while nobody intervenes, because, you know, they’re not as “civilized” as they claim! The bizarre can be and often is the most effective way to deliver satire, but “The Square’s” high opinion of itself turns these scenes into a series of tiresome winks and nudges at the audience. Danish actor Bang does his due diligence as the bumbling Christian, though the role basically just requires him to look alternately amused and perplexed. Moss provides a fairly intriguing turn as Anne, but her character fades away halfway through the movie. Dominic West appears as an American artist in a few scenes, but he is unable to make an impression. Ironically, the accolades “The Square” has received prove Östlund’s point far better than
COURTESY MAGNOLIA PICTURES
Dominic West and Terry Notary in ‘The Square’ (2017), a Swedish satirical drama film by Magnolia Pictures. he is able to in the film. The Palme d’Or given to the film almost feels like it is part of the film’s narrative; of course, the cultural elite class Östlund portrays would give such high marks to such a contrived and heavy-handed
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pat on the back of a film. If this were all part of Östlund’s master plan, then he is a genius. If more likely, it was not, then we are left with a film that critics praise because they feel that they should.
Opinion
8 tuftsdaily.com
Tuesday, November 7, 2017
EDITORIAL
Tufts should draw down certain marijuana restrictions As the opioid crisis ravages the country, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has clamped down on marijuana. The marijuana debate is still very nuanced and contentious, and federal regulations aren’t expected to change for now. Currently marijuana is a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act. However, Massachusetts, along with 28 other states and the District of Columbia, has passed legislation that has legalized medical marijuana and will legalize recreational marijuana by July 2018. Distribution companies are already moving into the market. The question, then, is how should Tufts find a new balance between federal and state legislation? While there are good reasons for the university’s current stance on marijuana, it should lessen marijuana restrictions for students who are 21 and older as well as for students with medical marijuana permits. Both sides of the national marijuana debate make reasonable claims. Proponents of marijuana have pointed out the creation of a multimillion-dollar industry and the procurement of tax money from the black market. On principle, proponents have emphasized the therapeutic benefits of marijuana in comparison to other drugs (e.g. opiates) and that these regulations have disproportionately incarcerated minority groups and have racist origins. However, proponents
claim, rightly, that legalization should come with stronger production and distribution regulation, rehabilitation services and economic development. Opponents, including Sessions, have argued that marijuana is a gateway drug. Though the correlation between marijuana consumption and increased use of opiates is debatable (and many could reasonably argue against Sessions’ definition of “recreation”), evidence from reputable agencies shows the addictive and harmful effects of marijuana. Massachusetts has taken steps to legalize marijuana. In 2012, voters approved the medicinal marijuana statute, which allowed physician-certified patients over 18 years old with specific medical conditions to possess and use marijuana. In the November 2016 elections, voters passed by referendum a law officially legalizing recreational marijuana. The law will come into effect after July 1, 2018, allowing retailers to sell recreational marijuana to people who are at least 21 years old under the oversight of the newly created Cannabis Control Commission. However, the referendum also allows towns and cities within Massachusetts to ban and control marijuana. According to an Oct. 22 Salem News article, more than 100 Massachusetts cities and towns have imposed some sort of restriction,
including bans or moratoriums, following the passage of the referendum. In Somerville, the law has been smoothly implemented under the guidance of State Senator Pat Jehlen, who serves as chair of the Joint Committee on Marijuana Policy. Sage Naturals, located in Davis Square, has become the first registered medical marijuana dispensary to open in Somerville. It plans to conduct home deliveries in addition with other medical dispensaries authorized to conduct them now, including the Patriot Care of Boston and Lowell and the Garden Remedies of Newton, in Greater Boston. Garden Remedies, in particular, has offered to deliver marijuana to college campuses to students with legal medical marijuana cards. Tufts University is in a unique position. Tufts, along with every university in the Boston area, penalizes the consumption, manufacturing, sale and possession of marijuana on campus. This is because Tufts is provided with federal grants dependent on its compliance with the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (DFSCA) and the Drug-Free Workplace Act. The administration must submit reports every two to three years to verify its compliance with the DFSCA. Thus, in response to recent offers made by medical marijuana dispensaries, Tufts Deputy Director of Public Safety Leon Romprey noted in an email to the Daily that “If we come into contact with a medical mar-
ijuana delivery driver on campus, they would be directed to leave the property of the university and are subject to other legal action.” Currently the university advises students in need of medical marijuana to live off campus, which places them under state jurisdiction. They may submit a letter to the Dean of Student Affairs, requesting they be released from their university housing and dining contract. The university has been caught in a difficult position. On the one hand, it receives $150 million in Government Grants and Contracts (16.7 percent of its income), and losing that money would significantly impact the university. On the other, marijuana has been legalized in Massachusetts and has health benefits. Moving forward, the university should change its disciplinary code to better reflect that of its surrounding community. One area for change would be to change the sanction levels for marijuana offenses, which are currently handled as part of Tufts’ Policies on Alcohol and Other Drugs. For individuals who are over 21 or have a Massachusetts-issued medical marijuana card, Tufts should increase the number of violations required before a student faces probation (this number is currently three). Treating the drug separately and more leniently, to reflect its status in Massachusetts, would be a positive
CARTOON
by Maria Fong 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.
Opinion Shantel Bartolome and Conor Friedmann Bored & Confused
How will the world end?
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idterm season often feels like the world is ending; there are tests, projects and deadlines coming from left and right. But while we’re here freaking out about the possible end of our worlds coming from the end of our academic careers, when and how will the world actually end? Let’s explore how different sources explain impending apocalypses. According to the interpretation of the Bible by Jehovah’s Witnesses, the “end of the world” is actually considered to be “the end of the framework of human society” in that “‘evil men will be done away with’” for “good people” instead. So, Earth will still exist. The Bible further explains that we’ll know that the world is ending when the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse — Conquest, War, Famine and Death — arrive. When these four tragedies begin to occur on a worldwide scale, the apocalypse will have begun. There are scientific ways that predict the end of the world, as well. This January, in fact, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists officially predicted that we are 30 seconds closer to midnight on the Doomsday Clock, a countdown to the apocalypse. The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists explains that nuclear arms, climate change, environmental degradation, hyper-nationalism and even the election of President Donald Trump all contribute to a more dangerous atmosphere. Astronomers predict further that the apocalypse could occur through solar storms. Solar storms are an unpredicted increase and flash of light from the sun, causing an extreme disruption in the environment. Additionally, there is worry of pandemic as well. The time is ripe for a deadly global pandemic, because half of Homo sapiens live in cities — plus, we have airline travel, so we can ship the pandemic disease around the globe in less than 24 hours. With an increase in globalization, technology, cities and population, there is an increased likelihood of interaction and the spread of disease. Not only should we be concerned about a pandemic in humans, but also a crop pandemic. Many worry about food supply, and if crops fail or there is a lack of food production, possible famine or food riots could occur. You’ve heard about the caldera volcano under Yellowstone, which could erupt at some point and release enough lava to pave over Yellowstone Park. But that’s nothing compared to the damage that can be done by a large igneous province, which is a volcano that doesn’t explode. Instead, a huge crack opens in the Earth’s crust — often between tectonic plates — and lava just starts bubbling out. All these events combined would truly destruct the world as we know it. Finally, literature also explains possible ways to apocalypse. For example, George Orwell’s 1984 predicts an end of normal society and the beginning of mass oppression through war and censorship. Max Brooks’ World War Z predicts an apocalypse by “the great zombie war.” With all these definitions of the apocalypse in mind, maybe now that awful midterm or paper you need to write won’t feel quite so bad. Your Western Political Thought midterm? Really bad. Yellowstone erupting? Even worse. Shantel Bartolome is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. Shantel can be reached at natasha.bartolome@tufts. edu. Conor Friedmann is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. Conor can be reached at conor.friedmann@tufts.edu.
Tuesday, November 7, 2017 | Opinion | THE TUFTS DAILY
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THE TUFTS DAILY | Sports | Tuesday, November 7, 2017
tuftsdaily.com
CLUB BASKETBALL
Tufts club basketball is a slam dunk among students by Josh Steinfink Staff Writer
Tufts offers athletic outlets for just about everyone, from varsity football to its renowned Harry Potter-inspired quidditch team. Until this semester, however, a club basketball program remained mysteriously absent from campus. Thanks to the efforts of senior Jordan Kemp, the gap is about to be filled. Although Tufts club basketball’s official recognition remains pending, the program is well on its way to becoming a fixture of the club sports lineup and should be approved within weeks. “I found it astonishing that, despite [basketball] being one of the top three most popular sports in the country, Tufts did not have a club team,” Kemp said. “Tufts provided almost no outlet for people who wished to play competitive basketball, but didn’t have the time or the athletic ability to play for the varsity team.” The demand for a club basketball team has always been present. Tufts’ popular intramural program in the winter months in the past has featured both recreational and advanced co-ed basketball leagues, with over 100 students participating. This year, the intramural program extended its basketball offerings further, creating a 3-v-3 league for the fall semester. However, the idea of the intramural leagues has often sounded better than the reality. “The intramural basketball leagues have been at best inconsistent throughout my time here, forcing students who do want to play to join Boston area leagues, which should not have to be the case,” Kemp said. Students have supplemented intramural competition with on-campus pick-up games on weeknights and Sunday afternoons. When the weather is amenable, the courts behind Harleston Hall can be swamped with undergraduates, graduate students and Medford and Somerville residents alike, and in the winter, students take the games indoors to the courts of the Steve Tisch Sports and Fitness Center. Even with all of these opportunities, advanced players like Kemp were still looking for something more. Already in a sort of league of their own, many played varsity basketball in high school and quickly rose to the top of the pick-up game and intramural crowd. While present, the basketball culture at Tufts proved far from robust. Over the course of Kemp’s first three years on campus, it became clear that many Jumbos sought to take advantage of the friendly competition and appreciated the well-deserved study break that the game offers. “There was plenty of interest within the Tufts community. More people than I had
expected came to tryouts, so finding interested people has not been a problem. As far as finding competition, I basically started where Dan Jacobini (LA ’17) left off. Last year he would take groups of his friends to go play other schools’ teams. He just gave me all his contacts, and so I’ve continued to reach out to them,” he said. Last year, recognizing that others would be interested in doing more to advance their interests in the game, Kemp promoted the idea of the Tufts Basketball Club. Originally, the group started as a social forum for basketball enthusiasts to get together and talk about developments in the NBA and the NCAA. Junior Steven Isett, the captain of the championship-winning team for the 3-v-3 intramural league this fall and member of the new club team, explained how the group originally came together. “Last year, Jordan [Kemp] set up a group for students to hang out and talk about basketball, but it was over the summer when [they] actually started putting the team together and practicing,” Isett said. Since then, Kemp’s brainchild has blossomed. In late September, the club’s founding members hosted two separate tryouts. “We had roughly 30 guys tryout or express intent to tryout. The turnout was awesome!” he said. “More than I expected. The ability level of our guys is also great, which is a shame because, in my opinion, Tufts would have a very good, competitive club team if it had the institutional support.” Of those who tried out, three first-years made the team and have provided a fresh perspective. Never knowing Tufts without club basketball, the first-years are appreciative of the efforts of the team’s four seniors to help lead practices and cheer them on during games. With the team set, Kemp has been running practices twice per week on Thursday nights and Saturday afternoons. Despite being unable to host home games until the group is officially approved by Tufts, the team has already played two games in the Boston area. The first, at Northeastern on Oct. 22, was more than just a test run. After travelling to Northeastern together on the T, the Jumbos scored a comeback win against a well-established club program. “We were down by 11 at the half and battled back,” Isett said. “Northeastern has had a club team forever, 50 years at least — they were athletic and they were big, but in terms of raw skill we were better than them.” This past Wednesday, the club team travelled to Harvard and lost, but until Kemp is able to organize another local matchup, the team will be forced to play the waiting game.
COURTESY JORDAN KEMP
Senior captain and founder of the Tufts club basketball team Jordan Kemp (left) and senior Mathew Lee (right) are pictured. “There is no schedule. Membership with the NCBBA [National Club Basketball Association] costs $800 annually, which is unreasonable to ask a team of 15 college students alone to pay for. We essentially schedule games with local Boston schools, such as BU, BC, Harvard and Northeastern on a per-game basis. Tournaments are the same deal in terms of costs, except we can, and have, joined wait-lists for free.” Isett added that he does not believe that it is likely that Tufts will fund the team this year, but hopes that it will in the future. “Finding a way to fund ourselves is pretty tough,” Isett said. Kemp cites both the lack of funding and the lack of gym space as the two major challenges for the program. Space to play through the cold Boston winters is limited because the program must work around the varsity men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball seasons as well as offseason indoor training for other varsity sports. “We have to share the court space with people playing pick-up, so we rarely have the crucially necessary time and space to practice independently as a team,” Kemp said. Despite all of these challenges for the fledgling club basketball team, Tufts’
competitiveness is a testament to its high-quality player pool. “I’d assume the bigger schools are going to be better simply because there are more people to pick from,” Isett said. The skill disparity was not on display against Northeastern, where the Jumbos proved more than able to hold their own. While it remains to be seen whether the team can be fully integrated into the fold of Tufts’ club sports program, the group is well on its way and should only expect to gain popularity in the coming years. Given the early successes of the men’s club program, Kemp has also expressed interest in forming a women’s club team and asks for those interested to reach out to him. Despite juggling a senior thesis and applying for grad school, Kemp’s enthusiasm for the program has not waned. “My expectations are pretty high. I think our team has some of best raw talent among schools I have seen. Between this and last year, we have either beaten, or stayed competitive with every team we have played, including large state [schools] that we have played such as Penn State and University of New Hampshire, despite having a team with much less structure and institutional support.”
Sports
Tuesday, November 7, 2017 | Sports | THE TUFTS DAILY
First-year running back Mike Pedrini earns three touchdowns in win FOOTBALL
continued from back ing attempts, while Preston, Phillips and LaPiana combined for four interceptions. Civetti was satisfied with his defense’s performance, even though the Mules’ late touchdown put them above their season average of 11.1 points per game. “They held their own and did everything they could and got after the quarterback as best they could,” Civetti said. “At the end of the day they held Colby to 14 points and I don’t really care how many yards it is because today in football
people get a lot of yards. You’ve just got to make sure they have one less point than us and so the defense did their job in my opinion.” Tufts hosts Middlebury (6–2) on Saturday in a Tufts Senior Day contest with significant ramifications for how the two teams finish. If the Jumbos win, they will finish fourth in the conference while the Panthers could potentially place second if they win and Amherst falls to Williams (5–3). The Middlebury offense ranks third in the league with 32.3 points per game and
racks up the most yardage on a per game basis in the NESCAC with 426.1. The Tufts defense doubled its interceptions on the season to eight after the Colby game, good enough for second in the league. Tufts also ranks second in sacks with 27. The battle between one of the league’s prolific offenses against one of its opportunistic defenses should be an exciting addition to the history of Ellis Oval. “[We’re] just looking forward to getting out there on Senior Day, playing hard, being back at home [and] finishing the season on a high note,” Civetti said.
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Arlo Moore-Bloom The Equalizer
On another state of U.S. Soccer
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ost people would agree that U.S. Soccer has officially reached an all time low. After crashing out of World Cup contention, calls for the dismissal of the United States Soccer Federation’s (USSF) President Sunil Gulati and for the implementation of promotion/relegation illustrate just a few of the certainly justified disgrace and inner turmoil. But some would argue otherwise. They would point to U.S. Soccer’s current No. 1 FIFA ranking, its world record four Olympic gold medals and its world recordthree World Cup titles. I am, of course, not talking about the men’s team. I am referring to the ever-successful U.S. Women’s National Soccer team (USWNT). Even though the men’s team may dominate headlines and garner higher TV ratings, the USWNT consistently outperforms them. The men’s team has only reached the semifinals of a major tournament once — when there were only 13 teams involved in the 1930 World Cup. Meanwhile, the Rio Olympics of 2016 marked the first time where the USWNT didn’t reach the semifinals of a major tournament. The USWNT’s formula for success comes down to our unique youth soccer culture and other countries’ apathy towards the women’s game. Ever since the implementation of Title IX in 1972, young girls’ participation in soccer has grown at an unprecedented rate. One of the least popular women’s sports in the United States during the 1960s, it passed softball as the third most popular a few years ago. Title IX also spurred the creation of women’s teams at universities, providing a base for successful national teams for years to come. Meanwhile, in many parts of the world, soccer for women was shunned. Germany banned women’s soccer in men’s venues until the early 1970s. In other countries, sexism and stereotypes regarding female athletes impeded growth for the sport. FIFA didn’t hold a World Cup until 1991, and the entire tournament wasn’t broadcasted internationally until 1999. In the United States, the sport had been growing for almost 20 years before the sport was thrust onto the global stage. Their head start began to yield results when they won the first-ever World Cup in 1991. But they received almost no recognition for their accomplishment; a total of three people greeted them at the airport when they returned from China, where the tournament was held. It was a different story in 1998. USWNT’s thrilling 5–4 penalty shootout victory over China in the 1999 World Cup precipitated a boom of popularity for the sport. The iconic image of Brandi Chastain, on her knees with her jersey clutched in hand, screaming in celebration after her game-winning penalty kick, was plastered on numerous national news outlets, becoming a symbol of opportunity for aspiring young female athletes. Today, the USWNT continues to dominate the global game. It’s true that U.S. soccer fans will sorely miss players like Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore and Christian Pulisic at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. But we can take solace that in the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France, the likes of Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan will take the field and propel our country to victory. Arlo Moore-Bloom is a first-year who has not yet declared a major. Arlo can be reached at arlo.moore_bloom@tufts.edu.
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Sports
Tuesday, November 7, 2017
FOOTBALL
Jumbos never trail in 28–14 rout of winless Mules
EVAN SAYLES / THE TUFTS DAILY
First-year running back Mike Pedrini fights off a tackle attempt in the game against the Trinity Bantams on Oct. 14. by Phillip Goldberg Sports Editor
Tufts (5–3) clinched its fourth five-win season since the start of the 21st century on Saturday when it rode the Colby Mules (0–8) to a one-sided 28–14 victory. The win marks Tufts’ third winning season in a row and puts to rest any worries of slipping back into the lower half of the NESCAC standings. Colby is still searching for its first win of the season and will face Bowdoin (0–8) in the final game of the season to determine which squad enters 2018 winless. Tufts has been hit or miss to start games this season, with its first drives thus far resulting in two touchdowns, a lost fumble, three punts and two interceptions. The Jumbos’ first drive against the Mules was a three and out and the defense was forced to take the field against Colby’s league-worst offense. Colby’s sophomore quarterback Jack O’Brien connected with senior wide receiver Christian Sparacio on the left sideline and Sparacio got free for a 29-yard gain up to the Tufts 33-yard line. Senior quad-captain defensive back Brett Phillips caught Sparacio from behind and punched the ball out for a fumble that Tufts recovered. Having shaken off the opening whistle jitters, Tufts’ offense opened its second drive on the ground. First-year running back Mike Pedrini ripped off runs of 13, one, 18 and four yards in a row. Junior quarterback Ryan McDonald then contributed a pair of four yard rushes before Pedrini capped the drive off with three more runs for a total of 23 yards and a touchdown. First-year placekick-
er Matthew Alswanger kicked true and Tufts took a 7–0 lead at the 8:49 mark of the first quarter. Colby made it into Tufts territory again on its ensuing drive and it looked as though it might answer back with a score of its own. Phillips forced his second turnover of the day, though, when he intercepted a pass thrown by sophomore wide receiver Andrew DeFranco. “Our secondary never had a pick on the year, which we were taking a lot of crap for all season,” junior defensive back Tim Preston said. “So yesterday Brett [Phillips] had the first one I think, which kind of got everyone else going.” The Jumbos would keep the ball on the ground throughout the game, alternatively handing off to Pedrini, sophomore Andrew Sanders or running keepers with McDonald. It was a true grind-it-out game, as Tufts ran the ball a season high 66 times to only 20 passing attempts. The 66 rushing attempts were the most in a game for Tufts during coach Jay Civetti’s seven-year tenure leading the team. Under Civetti, the Jumbos have prided themselves on being able to establish the run. Asked whether the plan coming into the game was to wear Colby down on the ground, Civetti said the season-high rushing attempts were more a result of game flow. With about eight minutes to go in the half, Colby once again marched into Tufts territory looking for its first score. The Mules got all the way to the Tufts 24, but O’Brien threw another interception, this time to junior defensive back Alex LaPiana. Tufts took over on its own eight-yard line and McDonald connected with junior
wide receiver Dan de Leon on two consecutive plays. A larger receiver at 6 foot 4 inches tall and 205 pounds, de Leon picked up 40 yards on his two receptions while dragging multiple Colby defenders most of the way. With a little bit of space behind them, the Jumbos returned to their ground attack, rushing seven times with only one passing attempt to break up the barrage. McDonald earned Tufts a first and goal on Colby’s one-yard line with a 10-yard scamper and Pedrini punched in his second touchdown of the day on the first attempt. “It was exciting but as long as we get the win it doesn’t matter who’s scoring or whether we’re running or scoring,” Pedrini said. “All the running backs are just a product of our offensive line and the quarterback making the right reads. The beautiful thing about football is that it takes 11 guys working in unison to have success. And when one player finds success it’s not just him, it’s the combined effort of 11 guys working hard.” The score read 14–0 in favor of Tufts at halftime. Neither team was able to score in the third quarter as the defenses clamped down and save for a Tufts turnover on downs, all of the third quarter drives ended in punts. Colby’s first scoring drive of the game actually began with a minute left in the third but ran up to the 12 minute mark of the fourth. Two consecutive penalties on the Tufts defense kept the drive alive long enough for O’Brien to connect with DeFranco for a 37-yard touchdown. Tufts still led 14–7. With its lead halved, Tufts felt pressure to answer back and asserted its will on a drive that lasted over six minutes. Junior
quarterback Ryan Hagfeldt managed the drive, connecting on two of three passes and handing off to Pedrini 11 times, including a one-yard touchdown dive to cap off the drive. Alswanger’s kick was good, extending Tufts’ lead to 21–7. “When we put Ryan [Hagfeldt] in the game I think that’s when the offense started clicking and started doing some good things,” Civetti said. Having scored on its previous possession, the Colby offense looked to continue that momentum. However, on third down with six yards to go from their own 33-yard line, the Mules threw their third interception of the game. This time Preston was the intercepting player and he ran the ball back for a touchdown, helping Tufts jump out to a 28–7 lead in the fourth quarter. “I think [senior quad-captain linebacker] Steve DiCienzo actually made the play in reality,” Preston said. “A kid was running a slant then [DiCienzo] knocked him off his route and made the play for me. The quarterback threw the ball right to me, so it was nice. I had some blocks downfield so it was actually a really nice play by a bunch of other guys making me look good I guess.” Though Colby scored on its next possession, the points were too little too late, as the drive left just 1:41 on the clock in a two possession game. Tufts’ sophomore running back Jay Tyler ran the clock down to 1:11, as Colby was forced to use all three of its timeouts. Colby’s last chance to score was thwarted when an O’Brien pass was picked off by Preston for a second time. Pedrini paced the offense with 135 yards and three touchdowns on 31 rushsee FOOTBALL, page 11