The Tufts Daily - October 6, 2017 by The Tufts Daily

Transfer students discuss challenges, benefits of transition to Tufts see FEATURES / PAGE 3

SUPERSTITIONS

Jumbos reinforce routine through traditions

Music Department honors jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald see WEEKENDER / PAGE 5

SEE SPORTS / BACK PAGE

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VOLUME LXXIV, ISSUE 21

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Four Greek life groups regain ability to recruit after cease and desist orders lifted by Elie Levine News Editor

Disclaimer: Luke Murphy is a current columnist at the Tufts Daily. He was not involved in the writing or editing of this story. Last week, Delta Tau Delta (DTD), Pi Rho Omega, Alpha Phi and Chi Omega were able to recruit new members for the first time since fall 2016, after their cease and desist orders were lifted this year. Recruitment also operated under new policies this fall: only sophomores were permitted to rush and all students interested in joining a fraternity or sorority were required to attend a recruitment orientation program, according to the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life (OFSL) website. Two fraternities that recruited new members in March — ATO of Massachusetts (ATO) and Zeta Beta Tau (ZBT) — were also able to recruit, according to Luke Murphy, the president of Tufts’ Interfraternity Council (IFC). Additionally, Kappa Alpha Theta and Alpha Omicron Pi (AOII), who also held spring recruitment in 2016, were able to participate this fall, according to the Tufts Panhellenic Council’s Facebook page. “We found out that we could recruit … a week before recruitment was about to happen,” Chi Omega President Hannah Macaulay said, referring to the conclusion of the investigation into her sorority. “We wanted to make sure that we were so committed to everything that we’ve been doing as a chapter for the last nine months, especially all the findings of our report.”

Last year, following a November 2016 Tufts Observer article, recruitment and social events for most fraternities and sororities were temporarily put on hold, as the majority of Greek organizations were investigated by the university for misconduct. After the organizations not on cease and desist began recruiting last spring, a number of students protested the presence of Greek life and its resurfacing on campus, arguing that Greek life institutions are exclusive. During recruitment this semester, sororities were held to the Release Figure Method (RFM) quota, a National Panhellenic Council standard that ensures that pledge classes from all sororities are of equal size, Macaulay said. The RFM quota and the guaranteed bid system limited the number of bids each sorority could extend. According to Macaulay and Rachel Perry, the president of Alpha Phi, though their organizations both met the quota, the quota was not met across all sororities. Macaulay says she regrets not being able to admit more new members but said she was excited about the new class admitted to Chi Omega. “We feel really fortunate about the people we were able to welcome into our spaces. I love every single one of them. I think they’re amazing and incredible people and women,” Macaulay said. Sorority recruitment was different from fraternity recruitment in that those interested in joining a fraternity could choose which organizations’ events they want to attend, whereas sorority recruitment requires everyone rushing to visit each organization, according to Murphy. Murphy, a senior, said that this makes the process “more individualistic.”

Murphy said the total turnout at fraternities this semester was approximately 160 students — more students than could typically be expected at a fall rush, but fewer than in a traditional spring rush. He explained that because first-years interested in joining last year faced a more limited selection of fraternities to join last spring, many of them, now sophomores, were still interested in the recruitment process. Murphy noted that those interested in joining Greek life seemed more intentional and focused on looking into the deeper implications of joining an organization than in previous years. Perry, a junior, shared this sentiment. “I talked to a number of them, and a lot of them were conflicted after what happened last year and definitely have to give it some thought,” she said. “Because there’s so much going on, it’s easy to just decide not to join Greek life and avoid the whole controversy.” Macaulay argued that students who would not normally have considered being a part of Greek life chose to rush because they heard about conversations of reform happening within Greek organizations. Murphy said that IFC has worked closely with the OFSL with the goal of eliminating hazing from the process of joining a Greek organization. Additionally, he said the IFC has increased communication with Su McGlone, director of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, and new members. McGlone did not comment by press time. Other fraternity leaders have also worked to reform the rush process. For example, DTD

Recruitment Chair Ian Clarke said he was involved in creating programming that allows people to make informed decisions as members of Greek life. Clarke, a senior, said that during rush, DTD brothers made themselves available for questions regarding identity and financial aid. Jack Bitney, recruitment chair of ATO, explained that in reaching out to potential new members, his organization made an effort to draw from a diverse range of groups on campus. “I did a lot of work trying to make sure that as many groups on campus [as possible] knew about our rush,” Bitney, a junior, said. Sophia Potter, a sophomore who joined Kappa Alpha Theta, said she felt the recruitment process emphasized inclusion. “The sororities seemed more mindful about the topic of inclusivity, and it came [up] often during conversations,” Potter said. Eman Naseer, a sophomore, attended both sorority recruitment and ATO rush events and eventually joined ATO. “I think in terms of exclusivity the dues for both [ATO and sororities] were a big problem and I personally got the vibe that they were trying to reform that,” Naseer said. Clarke said that it is with a reflective mindset the Greek organizations return to campus life. “Obviously, we’ve learned a lot about Greek life. The chapters have dealt with a lot of things over the past year and come to terms with a lot of things that were wrong with Greek life,” Clarke said. “We can think about ways to recreate a healthy, vibrant Greek community at Tufts.”

International Relations Program adds computer science Senior Lecturer Ming Chow as core faculty by Alexander Davis Contributing Writer

Last week, the International Relations (IR) Program welcomed Senior Lecturer Ming Chow from the computer science department as a core faculty member, meaning that computer science will now have representation among the many departments affiliated with the IR program, according to the Sept. 26 IR newsletter. Additionally, the newsletter announced another three core faculty members from other disciplines: Associate Professor Keith Maddox from the psychology department, Assistant Professor Alex

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Blanchette from the anthropology department and Lecturer Ninian Stein from the environmental studies department. Chow’s new role in the IR program follows the hiring of cybersecurity policy expert Susan Landau as a Bridge Professor between the School of Engineering and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy last spring, further demonstrating an effort to promote interdisciplinary collaboration. Chow emphasized the importance of including cybersecurity and technology studies in the IR program because of the increasingly critical role these fields play in global politics and conflict resolution.

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“A lot of the work, such as the course that I taught on cybersecurity, crosses into both fields. The connection could not be more clear after what we have done in the computer science department,” Chow said. Winnona DeSombre, who studies IR, was complimentary of Chow’s computer security course and credited him in aiding DeSombre’s success in a cyber policy competition and the Tufts IR society chapter’s receiving honors status. “I think he’s going to be a great addition to the core faculty and I’m really excited to see where it goes,” DeSombre, a senior, said. see IR, page 2

MIKE FENG / THE TUFTS DAILY

Professor Ming Chow, who has recently joined the International Relations Program poses for a photo on Sep. 28.

NEWS............................................1 FEATURES.................................3 WEEKENDER..........................5

COMICS.......................................6 SPORTS............................ BACK

THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Friday, October 6, 2017

THE TUFTS DAILY Gil Jacobson Editor-in-Chief

EDITORIAL

Eddie Samuels Joe Walsh Managing Editors Zachary Hertz Catherine Perloff Ariel Barbieri-Aghib Emily Burke Aneurin Canham-Clyne Daniel Caron Melissa Kain Anar Kansara Robert Katz Arin Kerstein Liam Knox Sophie Lehrenbaum Elie Levine Natasha Mayor Jesse Najarro Daniel Nelson Seohyun Shim Emma Steiner Hannah Uebele Juliana Furgala Simran Lala Minna Trinh Nina Joung Costa Angelakis Emma Damokosh Elie Levine Jessie Newman Sean Ong Emma Rosenthal Grace Yuh Michael Shames Fina Short Hermes Suen Cassidy Olsen John Gallagher Alison Epstein Justin Krakoff Libby Langsner Setenay Mufti Eran Sabaner Antonio Bertolino Tommy Gillespie Jack Ronan Arman Smigielski Maria Fong Shannon Geary Lydia Ra Rebecca Tang Deeksha Bathini Miranda Chavez Hannah Kahn Joseph Lim Sarah Nechamkin Madeleine Schwartz Maddie Payne Yuan Jun Chee Liam Finnegan Phillip Goldberg Savannah Mastrangelo Brad Schussel Caleb Symons Sam Weidner Sam Weitzman Liam Knox Angelie Xiong Ray Bernoff Ben Kim Rachael Meyer Vintus Okwonko Alexis Serino Seohyun Shim Ana Sophia Acosta Olivia Ireland

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IR expands program with 4 new core faculty members IR

continued from page 1 Chow’s new role in the computer science department is a signal of the major’s growing popularity, while the IR major was the most popular degree awarded in 2016, according to the Office of Institutional Research and Evaluation website, computer science challenged IR’s hegemony as the most popular major in 2015. The title of core faculty member primarily entails new advising duties, and thus these professors will guide several advisees through the IR program. “I know the expectation will be advising students,” Chow said. “It makes

sense for me because there are a number of students studying computer science and international relations anyway.” In addition to just advising students, Chow added that his courses may now be cross-listed between departments and that he now has increased ability to bring in guest speakers. The new core faculty members come from departments that some may find unrelated to the study of IR. However, Blanchette maintains that their unique perspectives will be valuable additions to the program. “Contemporary food and agriculture usefully illuminates a whole host of issues

relevant to an IR major: the politics of trade pacts, ongoing histories of colonialism, the migration of labor, the promise and peril of development aid, and the circulation of expert knowledge,” Blanchette, who specializes in agriculture and food studies, told the Daily in an email. First-year and prospective IR major William Hsu said he thinks the new additions to the program will make the major more comprehensive. “The new professors in the core faculty really excite me because they can add a new perspective to the program and potentially expand its global reach,” Hsu said.

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Global Development and Environment Institute awards 2018 Leontief Prize by Melissa Kain News Editor

The Global Development and Environment Institute (GDAE) at Tufts University announced Dr. Mariana Mazzucato and Dr. Branko Milanovic as the winners of its 2018 Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought on Oct. 4. The prize is given to economists “whose work combines theoretical and empirical research to promote a more comprehensive understanding of social and environmental processes,” the Leontief Prize announcement said. The Leontief Prize was created in 2000 in memory of Nobel Prizewinning economist and GDAE Advisory Board Member Wassily Leontief, the announcement said. According to a GDAE press release, Mazzucato (LA ’90) is being recognized for her research on the role of governments in fostering innovation, and Dr. Milanovic for his contributions to measuring and responding to global income equality. “The recipient [of the prize] should be an economist who is writing and speaking to the economics profession, extending the frontiers of the discipline of economics from within,” Erin Coutts, communications specialist for GDAE, told the Daily in an email. “The recipient’s work should raise some theoretical issues about the nature of economics, challenging traditional views.” In the press release, GDAE Co-director Neva Goodwin explained why the prize’s two winners were chosen. “What has been insufficiently recognized, before the work of Mariana Mazzucato, is the critical role of governments in innovation and hence the role of the public sector in the process of wealth creation … We also feel honored to salute Branko Milanovic for his creative application of economic tools and analysis to the topics of inequality, domestically and globally,” she said. Mazzucato is currently a chaired professor in the economics of innova-

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Dr. Mazzucato (LA ‘90) is being recognized for her research on the positive role of governments in fostering innovation. tion and public value and is Director of the Institute for Innovation & Public Purpose at the University College London. Milanovic is a visiting presidential professor at the Graduate Center of City University of New York and senior scholar at the Stone Center for Socio-economic Inequality. A member of the prize selection committee argued that Mazzucato is the biggest star in heterodox economics and that Milanovic is the world’s best economist studying inequality and has built the only data on global inequality, Coutts told the Daily in an email. Milanovic told the Daily in an email he was honored and pleased to receive the 2018 Leontief Prize. “It is a prestigious prize and one needs only to look at the previous awardees to see how fundamentally they have influenced the shape of today’s economics and the world we live in,” Milanovic said. “Moreover, it is the prize that, following Leontief ’s own approach, aims to reward people who combine innovative work in economics with a strong emphasis on social issues, or more broadly with the view that economics is part of social sciences.” The awards will be given at a ceremony on April 17, where the recip-

ients will give lectures on the theme “Globalization, Innovation and Inequality” on the Medford Campus. Milanovic said he planned to talk about global income inequality at his lecture. “I plan to talk about the changing ‘landscape’ of the world: rising within-country inequalities, the role of capital income in that increase, and yet the growth of a global middle class fueled mostly by Asian economic success,” Milanovic said. He added that we are in a trying time for global economics. “We are experiencing such seemingly contradictory movements in today’s world: smaller middle classes in the rich countries, bigger middle classes globally, reduction of global poverty but with those who are still poor falling increasingly behind, the emergence of plutocracy… It is hard to make sense of all of these things — but we must try,” Milanovic added. Milanovic also emphasized the importance of working on topics that one is genuinely interested in. “If you choose to work on a topic just because it is popular, you become forever a hostage of changing fads, and seldom work on what you really like,” he told the Daily in an email.

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Friday, October 6, 2017

Features

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45 Sawyer Ave., pictured here on Oct. 3, is one of several former Greek life houses now designated for transfer students.

Transfer students navigate housing, academics, social scene by Elie Levine Features Editor

While many Tufts students can trace their time here back to first-year orientation, not all Jumbos started as firstyears. Senior Renee LaMarche, sophomore Sophia Ginsburg, junior Gabriella de Maio, sophomore Margaret Edwards, junior Rachel Liu, sophomore Rafa Arms and sophomore Julia Pearl-Schwartz told the Daily about the challenges and joys of entering Tufts as transfer students. First Impressions: Orientation Week During Orientation Week, transfer students attended some events mandatory for first-years. Other events were more specific to transfers. “They tried to make all the other programming transfer-specific … like, ‘We know you’ve been through this already, but this is what you need to know for your environment here now,’” de Maio said. Transfer student leaders focused their orientation training specifically on transfer students. “I think my role as a transfer [student leader] is [like] that of a regular [orientation leader]: getting them the necessary information to function at Tufts and introducing them to all the resources available, but [it] also requires… instilling in them (as best I can) a sense of optimism about what college can be… The first semester might be hard, the entire first year might be difficult, but in time it will get better and you will find your place at Tufts,” LaMarche, who worked as a transfer student leader, told the Daily in an email.

Ginsburg appreciated the presence of transfer student leaders to assist in her transition. At one point, a group of juniors and seniors who had transferred to Tufts — some who were orientation leaders and some who were not — sat on a panel and spoke to new transfers. “The most helpful thing for me was when they just had the student leaders sit down and we could ask them anything without a teacher or a dean there, because then we could ask them all the real questions,” Ginsburg said. LaMarche transferred to Tufts after her first year of college. She added that she chose to be a transfer student leader because she was deeply upset by various aspects of the transition she experienced her first year at Tufts. LaMarche said she was promised housing in Wilson House, a dedicated transfer house where she expected to find a community of fellow transfers with similar experiences to her own. However, the transfer advisor quit one week into the semester, leaving LaMarche without a specific transfer house, and making it more difficult to find the community of transfers she was seeking. She said she wasn’t the only transfer student who felt helpless that year. “In the fall semester alone I saw five transfer students leave school because the administration failed to provide them the resources they needed for success,” LaMarche said. For this year’s transfers, looking for off-campus housing was also difficult. Though the Office of Residential Life and Learning (ResLife) chose to house many transfer students in the Pi Delta,

Theta Chi and Chi Omega houses — just as they housed last year’s transfers in Delta Tau Delta — many students were left scrambling for places to live. Arms said that he, along with other transfers, was told in his acceptance letter that he could not live on campus. “[Housing] was … the one thing holding me back from going to Tufts for a while,” he told the Daily in an electronic message. After being notified that Tufts could not accommodate him, Arms spent two months looking for a place off campus with other transfers before finally being assigned a room on campus. ResLife eventually offered the other transfer students with whom he had been looking for a house rooms in Chi Omega. Transfer of credit was another challenge. “Generally, we were all pretty concerned about transferring credits during Orientation Week because we were kind of thrown into this academic environment,” Ginsburg said. At the same time, she said, academic deans were eager to meet in person and talk on the phone to work out the details of credit transfer. Edwards said that Tufts Undergraduate Admissions reached out to transfer students several times, meeting with various groups of transfers to get a sense of how their transitions were going. She said that administrators expressed awareness of challenges with ResLife and transfer of credit that had come up in the past and were willing to make changes to assist this year’s transfer class with their transitions. “They seemed very attentive to the issues and really wanted to know how they could improve the situation,” she said.

Current transfers emphasized that they needed to take personal initiative to find housing and go through with transfer of credit. “It’s a hard process and you really have to advocate for yourself,” Arms said. Finding Community, Among Transfers and Beyond This year’s class of transfer students found community through a group text message that they put together during one of their orientation meetings. According to Pearl-Schwartz this year’s 42 transfer students have formed a sustained community and often spend time together. Pearl-Schwartz also expressed the sentiment that the Tufts student body is friendly and generally open to new friendships. “So much of it is taking the initiative, even more so than as a freshman, because … it’s like ‘Oh my god, I need friends,’ whereas sophomores and juniors already have their friend circles,” Pearl-Schwartz said. “It’s hard in the sense that people aren’t coming up to you and being like ‘Let’s hang out,’ but it’s also easy in the sense that there are a ton of first-years who want to be friends with you, which is cool, and if you … show that you’re interested in someone else, they will also reciprocate generally.” Edwards shared that feeling of relative social ease. “I feel like the Tufts student body is incredibly friendly,” she said. “I’m always impressed when I really pursue someone I’m trying to be friends with. People are really nice and into it.” see TRANSFER, page 4

THE TUFTS DAILY | Features | Friday, October 6, 2017

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Transfer students find community, challenges at Tufts TRANSFER

continued from page 3 A House with a History Ginsburg lives in the house at 45 Sawyer Ave. that belonged to the Pi Delta fraternity last year. She said that living in a small house provided ample opportunities for community building among transfers that would not necessarily happen in a larger dorm. “People’s reactions when you say that you live in this house are very interesting,” she said. Liu also lives in the former fraternity house and agreed with Ginsburg when it comes to the reactions from other students when told where they live. “We hear a lot of rumors about what has and hasn’t happened in this house,” Liu said in reference to its overall stigma and locked basement door. The house may have a storied past, but the transfer students now living at 45 Sawyer Ave. are settling in and making themselves at home, hanging up tapestries and lights. “We are making it our own space,” de Maio said.

Why Tufts? Liu said she transferred to Tufts because she no longer wanted to complete the master’s degree in the dual B.A.-M.A. program she was enrolled in at New York University (NYU). She also felt as if she would find more freedom in a liberal arts environment. “A lot of the programs at NYU, which is more of a university than it is a liberal arts school, are pretty regimented,” Liu said. Ginsburg, who is originally from Hong Kong, compared her first year at Wellesley College to her experience at boarding school in the United States. “It felt like Wellesley … [lacked] the wonderful social community that I really wanted out of a college experience, and I didn’t see myself growing socially or academically at Wellesley anymore,” she said. Pearl-Schwartz also transferred from a university environment in which she did not feel like she was growing. Pearl-Schwartz acknowledged that it

was important for her to take time off to figure out what she really wanted to do. She realized the ostensibly standard, four-year path through college was not necessarily the one she was going to follow. “Knowing that it’s okay to take a different route and to take time off [is important],” Pearl-Schwartz said. “I never questioned … ‘Do I actually want to be doing this?’ Taking time off has made me reflect on the fact that I do actually really want to be studying.” Arms’ first year at the University of California, Santa Barbara was not an entirely negative experience, but he transferred to Tufts with the goal of seeing the other coast and being immersed in an entirely new social environment, since college felt to him more like high school. Advice to Students Considering Transferring Edwards encouraged people considering transferring to take the leap of faith and do it. She acknowledged that the college process, as difficult as it is

to complete as a high school senior, is even more trying the second time around. “At the same time … it’s so easy to sort of settle into a college routine and feel like you can’t make the situation any better, but … if you want to try something new, it is worth it, and you’ll make it your own and make it work if you take the leap,” Edwards added. Liu agreed noting the amount she learned about herself during her first year as an undergraduate. De Maio spoke about the challenges of transferring as a junior. She listed the various questions people might throw at a junior-year transfer: “Why did you wait? Why are you even here? Why did you choose to change schools when you were already halfway through?” “It’s very much worth it to not have that apprehension of being afraid of what people might say,” de Maio said. “Because you’re doing it for yourself and you shouldn’t have to worry about what other people think of you.”

Friday, October 6, 2017

WEEKENDER

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COURTESY PHOTO D&D PRO IMAGING

This Sunday, Oct. 8, accomplished jazz musician and Tufts faculty member Patrice Williamson will perform as part of the Tufts Music Department’s Sunday Concert Series.

Patrice Williamson brings a legend to Tufts with ‘Ella and Me’ by Brigid Bell

Contributing Writer

Accomplished jazz musician and Tufts faculty member Patrice Williamson will take the stage in Distler Hall to perform “Ella and Me” as a part of the Tufts Music Department’s Sunday Concert Series on Sunday, Oct. 8. Her performance, stemming from her most recent album, “Comes Love” (2017) featuring guitarist Jon Wheatley, will be a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald with covers of jazz standards that Fitzgerald produced with Joe Pass in the 1970s. Although Wheatley will not be joining Williamson for the show on Sunday, their connection on the album is tangible, which Williamson said is intentional. “Jon is a very interesting gentleman. He’s very unique with an incredibly dry humor,” Williamson said. “He and I have formed a wonderful friendship and a great partnership,” she added. Fitzgerald and Pass recorded in a raw way, simply recording themselves as a guitarist and a vocalist, which inspired and intrigued Williamson, who used the same arrangement with Wheatley. “It’s two people making music so they’re equally responsible for what’s going on,” Williamson said. “I wanted to emulate [Fitzgerald’s] energy when she’s working with Joe Pass. That intimacy.” Williamson, who released the album on Fitzgerald’s 100th birthday, explained her intentions behind the tribute to the jazz legend. “I’m trying to highlight the way she’s influenced my own artistry but I’m doing it in my way, not her way,” she said. While Williamson has acknowledged that critics say she sounds nothing like Fitzgerald, she insists that she had no intention to imitate the icon, if only because doing so would be attempting the impossible. “That wasn’t the point,” she said. “There is only one Ella Fitzgerald. I arranged the

songs in a way that follows a story. It’s based on my personal experience. I’m really big on storytelling.” Williamson’s album reflects her own lived experiences and chronicles an emotional journey culminating in self-discovery. “The listener is following a woman who is looking for love, who finds love, is in that infatuation phase, then begins to question what the hell is going on and then comes to the realization that this isn’t the fairytale that she thought it would be,” she said. The album finishes on a note of independence, which Williamson highlighted. “I end with ‘One Note Samba’ and when it talks about love, it’s more like self-love,” she said. Williamson sees Fitzgerald as a personal role model. “She was a very strong woman in a time when women weren’t necessarily seen as leaders,” she said. “I like that strength — going ahead and grabbing what was hers and not being afraid to shine.” Williamson, although insistent about avoiding imitation of Fitzgerald musically, exudes a similar confidence, independence and tenacity that she admires in her idol, who shaped Williamson’s musical experience from a young age. “My father was an avid jazz listener,” Williamson said. “Early in my life, he introduced me to jazz music. That was a bonding experience for us — those were our special moments. He would be happy listening to it so I would be happy listening to it with him.” She specifically recalls one of her first encounters with Fitzgerald as a popular icon in a 1972 commercial for Memorex cassette tapes, which featured Fitzgerald singing a note so high it broke a wine glass. This left an impression on Williamson’s young mind. “I know she didn’t really break the wine glass but it would break and I thought that was really cool,” Williamson admitted. Parallel to her album’s storyline, Williamson found herself drawn back

to jazz at the University of Tennessee through a crush. “I liked a guy in the jazz program, so I started hanging out with the jazz guys,” she said. “It started out as an infatuation with a person and as I continued to hang with them, and as I listened to the guys talk about the history of the music, really analyzing different things, it became about something much bigger.” Originally trained as a classical instrumentalist, jazz singing — and the improvisation that goes into it — was out of Williamson’s comfort zone. But with time and experience, she feels like she has grown as an artist. “With jazz you need to live a little bit … You need to live a lot to truly interpret the lyrics correctly,” she said. Williamson, who has taught jazz vocals at various institutions around Boston, from local community colleges to Tufts and the Berklee College of Music in addition to private lessons, described how teaching has been an important part of her life and career as a musician. “I teach to keep jazz alive,” she said. “The fact that this particular genre stayed after its heyday says something powerful about its impact.” “I become a better musician the more I teach,” Williamson said. “As I’m able to put words on my feelings on how to interpret something, then my interpretation becomes deeper.” Williamson hopes her interpretations will be meaningful for the those who attend the show on Sunday and the Tufts community at large. “I want it to be an escape,” she said. “College students work so hard and are thinking about so many things at once. I don’t know how they get up and walk around,” she added with a laugh. Granoff Music Center Manager Jeffrey Rawitsch described the process through which the university chooses who performs for the student body.

“The concert that Patrice is a part of our performance faculty series,” Rawitsch said. “We can take somewhere between ten and twelve [faculty members] per year and we try not to have the same faculty performing two years in a row.” According to Coordinator of Music Public Relations, Anna Griffis, when choosing acts, the department is intent on offering variety. “Presenting a diversity of music, of musicians, and also highlighting the diversity within the department itself is a priority,” Griffis said. Rawitsch added that the faculty committee that chooses from proposals that their colleagues submit are also looking to exhibit a variation of different musical configurations. “We had a solo vocalist and pianist do performances already,” he said. “Patrice, I believe, is the only jazz performer who submitted a proposal this year.” The department hopes that Williamson’s performance will be able to draw additional attention due to the notoriety of Fitzgerald as an icon. “She is such a huge staple in the jazz world. Everybody recognizes her voice, everybody recognizes her style,” Griffis said. “Her style has become so iconic that I certainly imagine it reaches across many communities.” “There’s the name recognition of Ella Fitzgerald that anybody who has been exposed to any kind of music would think ‘Okay I know that name. I’m interested in this concert.’” she added. Both Griffis and Rawitsch share the enthusiasm of the department with regards to Williamson’s upcoming performance. “Patrice puts on an incredible show,” Rawitsch said. “Whether you love jazz through and through or you just know a couple songs — it will be a great concert.” “Ella and Me” will be performed at Distler Hall this Sunday, Oct. 8 at 3 p.m. The performance is free, and no tickets are required.

THE TUFTS DAILY | Comics | Friday, October 6, 2017

Comics

tuftsdaily.com LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY Gil: “At this point in my life, I think it’s cool to sit with the adults.”

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SUDOKU

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Difficulty Level: Putin your opinion where it doesn’t belong.

Thursday’s Solution

LINDA C. BLACK ASTROLOGY

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

Today is an 8. Unexpected circumstances favor your accounts. Prioritize practical family necessities while saving the rest. Tally the numbers today and tomorrow. Ponder the possibilities.

CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

Editor’s note: This semester, we will run a cryptic crossword every Friday, set by a current Tufts student using the pseudonym Sonata. Sonata will provide weekly hints to solving these puzzles. Good luck! The Tiny Guide to Solving Cryptic Crosswords, part 1: Rule 0: A cryptic clue will almost never mean exactly what it says, but it will always say exactly what it means. Rule 1: All cryptic clues consist of wordplay and a definition. The definition will always come at the beginning or end of a clue. The nine main types of cryptic clues are anagrams, containers, hidden words, deletions, reversals, charades, double definitions, homophones, and definitions as clues. There are more too, but this will do for the basics. More to come every Friday. Next week: Exploring Anagram Clueing! 1

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Thursday’s Solution

16 17 19

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22 24

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Across 1 Bluest design for an apartment (6) 4 Schedules in favor of masses (8) 9 Rates enough for a shocker (5) 10 Los Angeles approaches charted, ruined church building (9) 11 Arguably, every other stone (4) 12 Informally rounds a double medium before middle of October (4) 13 A key part of the theater (5) 15 Picture put-aside gold (7) 16 Radical trouble forms for bar (4) 19 Cipher cloudier with every other letter! (4) 20 Didn't admit to not scoring at all? (4,3) 23 Greek letter next to article at back (5) 24 Evade, without starting vacuum (4) 25 German agrees with small Virginia island (4) 27 Hotel worker against mixed rice grown ecologically, initially (9) 28 Ordered to start within inverted MIDI phrase (5) 29 Soil in essence featuring slipperiness (8)

30 Language professors yearn to have only novices, starting off (6) Down 1 Use a tart concoction to soak (8) 2 Former president meets young primate (8) 3 Neurotically hiding money (4) 5 Problematic reservoir gets to return to previous state (13) 6 Sociable rogues rig a construction (10) 7 Interrupt a rebel leader's time off (6) 8 Tentatively, a tiny piece for a 25th aniversary? (6) 10 Corruptive sum could be a data destroyer! (13) 14 Confused alien stood in loneliness (10) 17 Man who is kind of lady-like? (8) 18 Brainless type looking for wizard wants arm repaired (5,3) 21 Plaster accounts, ignoring an edit (6) 22 Sounds like officer is a nut (6) 26 Probably, center removed a flower (4)

Sports

Friday, October 6, 2017 | Sports | THE TUFTS DAILY

Football players explain their traditions and taboos SUPERSTITIONS

continued from back walking around the field derives from a grievous injury sustained in his first-ever football game. The traumatic event transpired during his first year of high school. “I remember taking a lap around the track,” he said. “I didn’t really have anything else to do while the other guys were warming up, so [they] were like, ‘Hey, you know, just go for a walk, it’d be a nice thing to do.’” Due to the severity of the injury, walking around the track is the only thing that Alswanger can recall from that day. “I just remember vividly walking around that track, and ever since that moment, I kind of just live by that,” he said. Now, before each game, Alswanger goes out on the field 20 minutes before everyone, takes a lap around the track and “gets [his] bearings for the lay of the land.” For the Stamford, Conn. native, the routine delivers crucial emotional support. “I definitely think it’s a confidence boost. [It’s] definitely something that makes me feel more comfortable with my surroundings,” he said. “[The injury] was such a traumatic experience that [the ritual] really makes me feel more comfortable in my position.” Not all players, however, agree that their pregame routines improve their confi-

dence. Thomas demurred when asked if his ear-cleaning routine provided him a psychological boost. “I mean, it doesn’t give me confidence. It’s just kind of like a habit,” he said. “It’s just like brushing your teeth in the morning, I guess. You just do it on game day.” Gmelch explained that while rituals are widespread in sports, they also appear — and can serve the same calming purpose — in other areas of life. “Years ago, I actually took a look at my students’ behavior in areas where there was uncertainty — for example, taking the LSATs or the MCATs, or a first date with somebody,” he said. “The same thing showed up: that the more uncertainty in the activity raised the likelihood of there being some superstition or some ritual.” Civetti affirmed the parallels between football and other pressure-infused activities. “It’s the same [when preparing for football as it is when] preparing for a test,” he said. “In sports, you over-focus a little bit more on what those things are. But the reality is [that] for those people who operate at the highest level possible, my guess is that routine [and] ritual are probably far more present than you think.” In addition to his academic research on the subject, Gmelch has personal experi-

ANGELIE XIONG / THE TUFTS DAILY

Members of the football team touch the Jumbo statue for good luck before they run to the field in the season opener against the Hamilton Continentals on Sept. 16. ence with sports and superstitions, having spent three years in the lower rungs of the Detroit Tigers organization in the 1960s. Naturally, he had traditions of his own. “I developed a taboo against eating pancakes,” he confessed. “One day, I ate pancakes for breakfast, [and] I struck out three times. A few weeks later, I had pancakes again and had another terrible game. So in my mind, I connected pancakes and not

hitting well, and developed a kind of taboo prohibition on eating pancakes.” Altogether, Civetti believes that the psychological aspects of football are an underappreciated yet fundamental component of preparation. “We train in the weight room,” he said. “We train in the practice field. How much do we do to really train our brain to mentally prepare for the job at hand?”

Karamercan leads women's tennis at ITA WOMEN'S TENNIS

continued from back due to rain, and singles matches were moved indoors. This compounded the already tight schedule, with match winners having to play multiple matches on back to back days. Despite the less than preferable circumstances, other Jumbos found success as well. First-year Jumbos Kiara Rose and Margot Shea both won their opening matches by winning in two sets before bowing out in the round of 32 to opponents from Williams and Middlebury, respectively. Rose saw off Bowdoin sophomore Sasa Jovanovic 6–3, 6–4 before losing to Williams first-year Rachel Cross 6–1, 6–1. Meanwhile, Shea beat Mount Holyoke sophomore Ching Ching Huang 6–2, 6–1 before losing to Middlebury sophomore Skylar Schossberger 6–4, 6–0. Karamercan thought that this weekend was important for the first-years to see the standard of Tufts’ opponents come spring. “It’s important for the [first-years] to see that they can do really well and win and be

confident in themselves before the actual season starts,” Karamercan said. “I think it was good for the freshman to see our actual competition [because there] are some really good teams.” Junior Otilia Popa agreed that this was a good workout for the team. “I think this part weekend at Williams shows we are right there in the competition with all the other teams,” Popa said. “Since it’s so early in the season, it’s definitely a confidence boost. We’ll continue to work hard and bring good energy to all of our upcoming events.” Karamercan’s fellow upperclassmen came very close but lost close matches in their openers. Senior tri-captain Lauren Louks lost to Bowdoin sophomore Tasha Christ (7–6, 6–7, 7–6) in a contest that featured three tie-breaking sets. Junior tri-captain Julia Keller fell to Amherst sophomore Maddie Dewire 7–6, 6–2 in another tightly contested match. Their skill and effort, however, were still noticed.

“Julia Keller was playing right next to me and she ended up losing, but throughout the whole time, I thought she was winning,” Karamercan said. “I think that definitely shows something definitely amazing because her body language, how she looked on the court, everything was so positive… It looked like she was playing really well, fighting really well, [and] had a positive attitude.” Tufts also participated in the doubles events which featured 32 pairs. However, Tufts found less success in doubles play. Admittedly, coach Kate Bayard rotated her doubles pairs from last season, as she once again tried to experiment to find the best possible pairings for the team going into the season proper. The doubles team of Louks and Popa was victorious in its first match over the Brandeis pairing of senior Haley Cohen and first-year Lauren Bertsch, winning 8–5. The duo fell, however, in a closely contested round-of-16 match to Bowdoin senior Tess Trinka and sophomore Tasha Christ

9–8 (3). Louks and Popa was the only Tufts duo that managed to pull out a victory. Karamercan and Rose lost to Middlebury sophomores Catherine Blayze and Maddi Stow 8–2, while Keller and Shea were bested by the Williams pairing of Raventos and senior Julia Cancio 8–2. Asked about what the team expects performance-wise at the upcoming Bowdoin Invitational, Karamercan argued that process can be just as important as outcomes. “Expectations are always the same,” she said. “How to act on the court, off the court, how you present Tufts — it’s always the same, we take it really seriously. I think that’s something our team really focuses on, being positive on the court, just fighting for every ball, never giving up… If you fight there’s always a chance you can win… but if you give up, you’re going to lose.” The Bowdoin Invitation will be held in Brunswick, Maine on Oct. 13–14. This will be the team’s last fall event before the season proper begins in March.

Dolan, de Leon and company in check through the air. Through three games this season, Little has both a fumble recovery and an interception. On the opposite side of the ball, firstyear quarterback Griff Stalcup directs the Polar Bear offense. The rookie signal caller threw the first two touchdowns of his NESCAC career in last week’s 31–14 loss to the Amherst Mammoths (3–0). Stalcup’s first touchdown pass landed in the hands of senior wide receiver Nick Vailas, who took a punt 75 yards to the house in last year’s game against the Jumbos. This season, Bowdoin’s leading rusher is sophomore running back Nate Richam. The West Hartford, Conn. native experienced an uneven rookie season in 2016. Despite leading his team in carries (109) and hitting paydirt three times (including an 11-yard touchdown against Tufts), Richam fumbled five times (losing two). The second-year back has already lost one fumble this year, and the Jumbos will attempt to add to that total tomorrow. To earn their fourth consecutive Homecoming victory, the Jumbos will have

to avoid ceding the “chunk plays” — when one team gains a large number of yards in a single play — that have bedeviled the team so far this season. Through three games, Tufts has allowed 13 plays of 25 yards or more. For comparison, the Jumbos allowed just six plays of more than 25 yards during the first three games of last season. One way to reduce slip-ups is by ensuring consistency of execution. “Consistency, I think, is the biggest challenge that you’re going to find in any college football program,” Civetti said. “I think we’re doing a good job managing our emotions throughout the course of a game, but now we’ve just got to solidify who we really are [and] what our identity really is, both offensively and defensively.” Thau cited his head coach directly in support of consistency’s enduring value. “Coach Civetti talks a lot about going back to our fundamentals: what we know [and] what we’ve been taught,” he said. “We’re taking it week by week. We like to say [that] we’re playing Tufts this week — not Bowdoin, or Bates or whoever [else] it is.” The Homecoming contest kicks off at the Ellis Oval on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

Football aims to freeze out Polar Bears FOOTBALL

think we’ve done a good job this year trying to lead from the front.” Facing the Tufts offense is a Bowdoin defense that has ceded the most passing yards per game (291) and second-most rushing yards per game (186) of any team in the NESCAC. Two senior tri-captain linebackers, Latif Armiyaw and Tyler MacNeil, will seek to contain McDonald, first-year running back Mike Pedrini, and the rest of the Tufts ground attack. Armiyaw ranks 19th in the NESCAC in tackles (19) and fifth in tackles for loss (4). Meanwhile, B o w d o i n’s senior tri-captain defensive back Ryan Sanborn and senior defensive back Henry COURTESY EVAN ANTHONY will Tufts junior wide receiver Jack Dolan dodges Bates defenders in the game Little attempt to keep on Sept. 30. continued from back throw it and then can create beyond that, I think your percentages should be [as high as] they are [currently].” Thau, too, credited both the man under center and the players in the trenches. “We’ve got a very talented quarterback in Ryan McDonald,” he said. “[Additionally,] I take a lot of pride in the offensive line, and I

Sports

8 tuftsdaily.com

Friday, October 6, 2017

FOOTBALL FEATURE

The reasons for rituals: the logic behind football superstitions by Sam Weitzman Sports Editor

Before every Tufts football game, senior linebacker Zach Thomas cleans his ears. By his recollection, the ritual began during his senior year at Arlington High School. “The kid next to my locker started doing it,” he said, “And then, I don’t know, we both just started doing it. [Then] we started winning … and we kept on winning, so I didn’t stop.” Thomas is not alone. Many members of the football team go through certain routines before every game. Sophomore wide receiver Winton Blount, for instance, washes his hands multiple times. Sophomore running back Jay Tyler completes exactly 32 push ups. Junior offensive lineman Dan Dewing listens to “Baba O’Riley,” The Who’s iconic opener to “Who’s Next” (1971). Others players have sartorial-based superstitions. Junior defensive lineman Jack Rhodes dons the same undershirt under his pads for every game. Senior quad-captain defensive back J.P. Garcia wears a red wristband on his left arm, while sophomore linebacker Greg Holt always sports a bracelet on his right arm. Although their pregame practices vary, the Jumbos share a larger human tendency to engage in specific rituals before important events. Over the years, athletes at all levels of competition have adopted particular traditions, routines or superstitions. Michael Jordan, for example, used to wear the old shorts from his college days

at the University of North Carolina underneath his professional basketball uniform. When on hot streaks, National Baseball Hall of Fame center fielder Richie Ashburn was so worried that the clubhouse employees would mix up his lucky bat that he would bring it home and sleep with it alongside him in bed. Countless other stories abound about the great lengths that athletes go to in order to complete certain ceremonies that, to them, seem essential to their success. According to Dr. George Gmelch, professor of cultural anthropology at the University of San Francisco and at Union College, superstitions constitute “a response to all the uncertainty in sports.” “It’s a way for the player, by performing a ritual, [to gain] confidence,” he said. “He feels like, ‘Okay, if I do this, then the chances of having success are greater.’ Now, I think most players actually know — if you pinned them down and [said], ‘Did you think tapping the home plate three times is really going to increase your chance of getting a base hit?’, most of them will say ‘no, not really, but it makes me feel lucky. It makes me feel better. It gives me more confidence.’ And so I think that’s the root of it.” Tufts football coach Jay Civetti offered a related explanation for the prevalence of superstition, citing the important relationship between confidence and focus. “Having gone through the experience of losing 31 straight games — 24 of them being in charge — I think I’ve probably tried every single ritual that could possibly

WOMEN'S TENNIS

ANGELIE XIONG / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES

Senior football players take turns banging a gong in the locker room after a victory over Williams on Oct. 22, 2016. exist… I’ve probably been a pretty good test subject that none of it really [makes people luckier],” he said. “If I’ve learned anything, it’s that [routine] comes down to having confidence in your preparation… What I do believe in [are] the positive reinforcements that highlight the behavior that you need to act with in order to be successful.” Civetti is not only a head coach and former NESCAC player; he also dedicates time during each offseason to reading and educating himself about the latest findings and research in sports psychology. His combination of personal experience and academic

knowledge has led Civetti to appreciate rituals’ relevance to success. “I really think [rituals are] a byproduct of training your brain to know when the execution of the training that you’ve put forth is needed,” he said. “I also think it’s a way of preparing your body to do whatever it is that you’re doing next.” Sometimes, this calming effect can help players cope with painful memories from years past. First-year kicker/punter Matthew Alswanger’s pregame routine of see SUPERSTITIONS, page 7

FOOTBALL

Women’s tennis competes at ITA Regional Championships

Football to host Bowdoin for Homecoming game

by Jeremy Goldstein

by Sam Weitzman

Staff Writer

The women’s tennis team, led by junior Mina Karamercan, continued its fall season at the ITA Regional Championships last weekend at Williams College. Karamercan, seeded fifth in the tournament, progressed all the way to the quarterfinals in the 64-player field, winning her first match 6–0, 6–3 against Trinity sophomore Julia Brogan and her second over Amherst sophomore Jen Chen 6–2, 6–2. Karamercan then defeated Middlebury first-year Heather Boehm (6-4, 6-1) in the quarterfinals before

falling in a hard fought match to Williams senior Juli Raventos 6–2, 6–4. In her own estimation, Karamercan felt she could have gone further in the singles tournament. “It was a matter of a couple of things that caused [Raventos] to win, basically,” Karamercan said. “So in that sense it is disappointing, because I knew I could’ve done a lot better. I definitely knew I could have won that last match.” The weather circumstances certainly did not help. Saturday started off on a wet foot see WOMEN'S TENNIS, page 7

EVAN SAYLES / THE TUFTS DAILY

Junior Mina Karamercan forehands the ball at the MIT Invitational on Sept. 16.

Sports Editor

Following a decisive 37–17 road victory over the Bates Bobcats (0–3), the Tufts Jumbos (2–1) return to Medford, Mass. for a Homecoming matchup against the Bowdoin Polar Bears (0–3). For Tufts coach Jay Civetti, the battering of Bates spoke to the positive adjustments instituted after the previous week’s defeat to the Wesleyan Cardinals (2–1). “I think the Wesleyan loss taught us a lot of things about ourselves. I hope that any time you lose, you learn from it,” he said. “[Against Bates], you could see some areas of improvement that we identified throughout the course of the week following the Wesleyan game that we expected to see better. Thankfully, I think there [are] enough challenges out there for us to get better at and continue to improve upon.” According to senior left tackle Liam Thau, the team came out of the game against the Bobcats with a cautious mindset. “We’re confident, but we’re trying to be careful,” he said. “We’re trying not to get complacent.” In last year’s engagement, Tufts trounced Bowdoin, 41–21, as junior quarterback Ryan McDonald demonstrated his capabilities while carving up the Polar Bears’ defense. The Annandale, N.J. native completed all nine of his passes for 92 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 146 yards and two scores, including a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play of the third quarter.

If last week’s results against Bates are any indication, McDonald is well-equipped for another superlative performance. The junior quarterback was named the NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for 245 yards and four touchdowns while adding 81 yards on the ground. McDonald’s favorite target was junior wide receiver Jack Dolan, who grabbed three touchdown passes in the first half. Through three games, Dolan already has more receptions (22) in 2017 than he had in the previous two years combined (16). Junior wide receiver Dan de Leon accounted for the fourth touchdown catch against the Bobcats with a 27-yard fourth quarter score. In 2017, the Jumbos’ offense has consistently moved the chains in critical situations. No NESCAC team has converted more times on third down (21 times) or fourth down (5 times) than the Jumbos. Moreover, Tufts’ conversion rates on third and fourth down (38 percent and 56 percent respectively) are markedly higher than last year’s levels (34 percent and 18 percent). Civetti attributed much of the team’s success in high-stakes scenarios this year to McDonald’s versatility, as enabled by the protection provided by the offensive line. “A lot of it obviously has to do with Ryan being a dual-threat [quarterback] and being able to extend plays,” he explained. “When you have a kid that can run it or see FOOTBALL, page 7