ENGINEER ATHLETES
Despite disappointments, Pink delivers in ‘Beautiful Trauma’ see ARTS&LIVING / PAGE 3
Students engineer complex balance between school, athletics
Wang Theatre performance sees Brand New and old hits see ARTS&LIVING / PAGE 3
SEE SPORTS / BACK PAGE THE
INDEPENDENT
STUDENT
N E W S PA P E R
OF
TUFTS
UNIVERSITY
E S T. 1 9 8 0
T HE T UFTS DAILY
VOLUME LXXIV, ISSUE 33
tuftsdaily.com
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS.
Swipe It Forward program continues after pilot semester by Daniel Caron News Editor
Swipe It Forward, a program that collects meal swipe donations for students in need, continues after its pilot semester last spring. According to Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate Historian Jacqueline Chen, the program collects donations of meal swipes from students on meal plans as well as from departments at Tufts and distributes them to students in need. “[Swipe It Forward is] where students who have extra meal swipes can donate to a meal bank where students who may not be able to afford food can take out of,” Chen, a junior, said. This program is meant to help students at Tufts deal with food insecurity, according to TCU Diversity & Community Affairs Officer Shannon Lee. “Anecdotally we know that food insecurity is a problem at Tufts,” Lee, a sophomore, said. “We don’t have concrete research because this university hasn’t conducted a survey, but we know that at the end of the year [there are] students asking their friends [for their] extra meal swipes.” Chen said that students made full use of the meal bank last year. “Last semester 949 students donated meal swipes. There were a total of 1760 meal swipes donated and by the end of April the meal bank was almost completely depleted so there definitely was demand for this to continue,” she said. MJ Griego, a senior who has used the meal bank, said they found it very helpful. “The meal bank is incredibly helpful for when I’m on campus for long periods, want to go to a dining hall with friends or just don’t have time to cook,” Griego told the Daily in an electronic message. “It really helps me as a low income student.”
While Lee considers last semester’s pilot a success, she explained that the program requires further development to meet the needs of as many students as possible. “One of the biggest problems right now is to make sure that we are getting donations. And that we’re trying to do this with a more targeted outreach strategy, more tabling and better marketing materials,” Lee said. Orsi Nagy, a sophomore who has donated to the program, said more people could donate to the program. “As someone who is not on unlimited, I sometimes worry about meals. Swipe It Forward is a great start Students dine in the Dewick-MacPhie Dining Center on Oct. to addressing those worries and making sure people have enough to tion without also getting donations from eat!” she told the Daily in an electronic [that population],” Lee said. message. “I haven’t utilized it myself, but Chen said that the initiative was started it’s good to know that it’s available.” in part after Office for Student Success and According to Chen, the Swipe It Advising (OSSA) asked that TCU senators Forward program expanded to include look into solving this issue. students of the School of the Museum of The program involves close collaboFine Arts(SMFA) at Tufts as well. ration between TCU Senate, OSSA and “This semester, we wanted to expand Dining Services. this program to include SMFA students According to Lee, the donation peribecause … SFMA students are also con- od was extended by two weeks this semessidered a high needs population for this ter and will end on Oct. 31. She explained type of service,” Chen said. that this extension will give students more Lee explained that the decision to time to donate meal swipes online. expand has put strain on the program, Chen also explained that the outreach which makes donation outreach especial- work is largely done by TCU senators. ly important. “A lot of time and labor is being put “One challenge we’ve had is sustaining into … tabling, publicizing on Facebook, donations especially because … the SMFA [making] posters,” Chen said. students … can’t donate. So now we have Patti Klos, director of dining and busito compensate to serve another popula- ness services, explained that she believes
SEOHYUN SHIM / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES
26, 2016. that student-led outreach is central to the program. “I believe a key element to the success of the Swipe It Forward Program is having peers reaching out to their peers on why it is important to support the initiative by donating meals and to create awareness,” she told the Daily in an email, “Tufts Dining can be a conduit, but will always need the support of student leaders to conduct outreach.” Lee also noted that while Swipe It Forward has been a success, more needs to be done to address the causes of food insecurity at Tufts. “[We need to be] making sure we are addressing the root causes of food insecurity on this campus. Swipe It Forward is a great part of the solution, but the broader question needs to be, ‘Why are students going hungry?’” Lee said.
Admissions updates Spanish page to be more accessible for families by Jess Blough Staff Writer
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions has begun to update its Spanish language page this fall to make it more accessible for Spanishspeaking students and their families, according to Farley Flores, a student who works in admissions. Jessica Acosta-Chavez, a former Tufts admissions officer, led the creation of the original Spanish language
Please recycle this newspaper
Rain 67 / 57
/thetuftsdaily
page, according to a statement written collectively by Office of Admissions. Acosta-Chavez, a first-generation college student from a Spanish-speaking family, created the resource to aid families like hers with prospective Tufts students, the statement said. However, the page had not been updated in three years, according to Flores, a senior, so this year, he is collaborating with admissions counselor Eric Lopez to update the page and make it more useful for families. The
For breaking news, our content archive and exclusive content, visit tuftsdaily.com @tuftsdaily
tuftsdaily
tuftsdaily
Office of Undergraduate Admissions said they are working this year to gather a team of Spanish bloggers and create more Spanish podcasts and videos. “Our hope is that the admissions page will, as a result, feel more accessible to families as their children make decisions about college,” the statement said. Tufts is one of the only schools to provide admissions information in Spanish, according to Flores. The page, which can be found through the main
Contact Us P.O. Box 53018, Medford, MA 02155 daily@tuftsdaily.com
admissions website, provides information on life at Tufts, the Common Application, financial aid and more. According to Flores, the improved page is intended to ease communication between potential Tufts students and their families, as well as provide more general information on how to apply to college. Flores expressed his frustration over trying to navigate the complicated wording of the old
NEWS............................................1 ARTS & LIVING.......................3 COMICS....................................... 7
see ADMISSIONS , page 2
OPINION.....................................8 SPORTS............................ BACK
2
THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Wednesday, October 25, 2017
tuftsdaily.com
THE TUFTS DAILY Gil Jacobson Editor-in-Chief
EDITORIAL
Eddie Samuels Joe Walsh Managing Editors Zachary Hertz Associate Editor 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 Kat Grellman Simran Lala Nina Joung Costa Angelakis Emma Damokosh Elie Levine Jessie Newman Sean Ong Emma Rosenthal Grace Yuh Michael Shames Fina Short
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
Executive News Editor News Editors
Assistant News Editors Executive Features Editor Features Editors
Assistant Features Editors Executive Arts Editor Arts Editors
Assistant Arts Editors Executive Opinion Editor Cartoonists
Students, admissions work to bring Spanish language admissions website up to level of its English counterpart ADMISSIONS
Editorialists
Executive Sports Editor Sports Editors
Investigative Editor Executive Photo Editor Staff Photographers
Executive Video Editor Staff Videographer
PRODUCTION Evan Sayles Production Director Ellah Nzikoba Executive Layout Editors Alice Yoon Betty Cao Layout Editors Connor Dale Julie Doten Kenia French Maygen Kerner Omeir Khan Clair Li Nasrin Lin Olivia Markowitz Aidan Menchaca Isabella Montoya Julie Murray Steven Schwab Seohyun Shim Emily Thompson Sebastian Torrente Astrid Weng Ezgi Yazici Astrid Weng Executive Graphics Editor Peter Lam Graphics Editors Allie Merolla Rifat Ralfi Salhon Belinda Xian Mary Carroll Executive Copy Editors Liora Silkes Norrie Beach Copy Editors Caroline Bollinger Alison Epstein Madhulika Gupta Anna Hirshman Tess Jacobson Melissa Kain David Levitsky Katie Martensen Jack Ronan Arielle Sigel Netai Schwartz Nihaal Shah Seohyun Shim Hannah Wells Jiayu Xu Vanessa Zighelboim Deepanshu Utkarsh Rachael Meyer Alexis Serino Asli Akova Anna Hirshman Mitch Navetta Seohyun Shim Ercan Sen
SCREENSHOT VIA TUFTS ADMISSIONS
Tufts Undergraduate Admissions website in Spanish is created for international students coming from Spanish-speaking countries and Latinx parents who may not speak English.
Executive Online Editor Executive Social Media Editors Social Media Editors
Assistant Social Media Editors
BUSINESS Rayane Haddar Executive Business Director Hannah Wells Receivables Manager
continued from page 1 Spanish page with his family when he was applying to college, inspiring his interest in the project. “I know for a lot of first-generation students, many of their families do not speak English. They barely have any education in Spanish,” Flores said. “I want to make sure that they have a website that is not only applicable for people coming to Tufts but also for other people looking for more resources in Spanish.” Flores cited his discomfort with the lack of diversity, especially socioeconomic diversity, on campus as his chief reason for joining the Tufts admissions team. He hopes that efforts like this one will allow students lacking college preparation resources to have better access to schools like Tufts, thereby increasing diversity on campus. “I feel like we could do better and we have the resources to help out other students,” Flores said. “I’m trying to make it as easy as possible for people who do not have the extra help to be able to understand, ‘how do we apply
to college?’ Because I was lost. When I was applying to college I would have had no idea what to do if it wasn’t for my high school counselor. But what about those people who do not have that?” International Center Director Jane Etish-Andrews echoed the importance of achieving diversity on campus, citing the experiences of students who participate in programs like Global Orientation. “It’s part of Tufts’ core values, it’s part of who we are. We want to make Tufts available to all students, nationally and internationally.” Etish-Andrews said. “International students provide a perspective that might not be here if they weren’t here.” The Office of Undergraduate Admissions stressed the importance of involving students like Flores in the process of reworking the Spanish page. “Students remember and are still very close to the college admissions process. It’s helpful for us to learn about how students experience that process,” the statement said. Etish-Andrews noted that all international students have to demonstrate
English proficiency to be admitted to Tufts. Thus, the website may be more helpful to families than the students themselves. “Certainly it’s a gain for any Spanish speaker, but international students have to show a certain level of English proficiency, so I can’t answer for them if the changes will make it a much easier process,” Etish-Andrews said. Currently, Flores is trying to set up communication between Spanishspeaking first-generation students and those from underrepresented backgrounds and communities. He hopes these students can be used as resources for prospective students. “We want to put a lot more information on for right now. When we compare [Spanish language website to] the [English] Tufts website, which is incredibly nice and interactive, hopefully one day it will be like that,” Flores said. “But for now I’m focusing more on the data and the stuff that is there to be accurate and extensive to the point that you can understand it.” “I’m very excited to see that we’re making progress, but there’s still a long way to go,” he added.
3
ARTS&LIVING
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
ALBUM REVIEW
3 tuftsdaily.com
Matthew Soderberg Citizen Shame
The ‘Cat’ that won’t leave your head
M
BRITTA PEDERSEN/DPA / ZUMA PRESS / TNS
Pop singer Pink performs on Aug. 11 in Berlin, Germany.
Veteran pop star Pink fights through her ‘Beautiful Trauma’ on seventh LP by Justin Krakoff Arts Editor
Among the surfeit of 2000s pop stars, there are the Britney Spears and Christina Aguileras of the music industry: teenage stars who managed to sustain their careers and fame into adulthood, only to see it peter out in the later years. But then, there’s Pink. Born in 1979, Alecia Beth Moore took the moniker Pink, stylized as P!nk, in the early 1990s and emerged onto the pop scene later in the decade as an R&Binspired chanteuse, with hits such as “There You Go” (2000) and “Most Girls (2000). However, it was her sophomore follow-up “M!ssundaztood” (2001) that
catapulted Pink to the top of the pop hierarchy as she helped jumpstart the poprock phenomena of the mid-2000s with a record that captured a spirit of relatable rebellion. No track better expressed that feeling than teen angst anthem “Don’t Let Me Get Me” (2001), with Pink snarling, “LA told me, ‘You’ll be a pop star, / All you have to change is everything you are.’ / Tired of being compared to damn Britney Spears / She’s so pretty, that just ain’t me.” This assertive attitude would come to play a large role in Pink’s career over the next decade-plus, with hits such as the fiery “So What” (2008), the empowering “Raise Your Glass” (2010) and the vulnerable “Just Give Me a Reason” (2012).
With her latest album “Beautiful Trauma,” released on Oct. 13, Pink flexes her pop-icon muscles. It was announced earlier this week that Pink’s seventh LP sold 384,000 copies in its opening week, marking the best sales week for any act this year so far. While Pink is clearly still riding the high of her commercial success, the quality of “Beautiful Trauma” leaves something to be desired, drawing upon a mix of old and new collaborators to release a record that can be described, in places, as musical fodder for suburban housewives. The leading title track finds the pop veteran collaborating with producer of the see PINK, page 5
CONCERT REVIEW
Brand New blends old and new at the Wang Theatre by Ryan Eggers Staff Writer
After a much-too-long eight year waiting period since the release of Brand New’s fourth album “Daisy” (2009), the Long Island band didn’t let its fans wait any longer than necessary to listen to their new project. On a Tuesday in the middle of August, the band announced the preorder for the vinyl of their unnamed fifth album, coming in October. Two days later, the album dropped in its entirety, dubbed “Science Fiction” (2017). Despite the sudden and unexpected release, “Science Fiction” has been critically acclaimed and is the band’s first record to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Of course, a new album means a new tour is on the horizon, and Brand
New made a stop at the Wang Theatre on Friday on their current run of shows in support of the new tunes. Their desire to put “Science Fiction” out into the world was apparent during the set, as seven of their 18 songs during the evening were from the album. This included the opening track and opening song during the show, “Lit Me Up” (2017), which lit the theatre up with throat-shaking bass as it roared on. The night continued with great cuts from their entire discography, giving fans of all eras of Brand New something to sing along to. Early on in the set, Brand New pleased lovers of “Deja Entendu” (2003) and lovers of really long song titles with a run of “Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don’t,” “Sic Transit Gloria…Glory Fades” and “I Will Play My Game
Beneath the Spin Light” back-to-backto-back. “Daisy” enthusiasts would be pleased with a back-to-back run of “You Stole” and “At the Bottom” later in the show, and fans of “The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me” (2006) were thrilled by its appearance at the end of the night. “Jesus Christ,” “Degausser,” “You Won’t Know” and “Sowing Season” were screamed to the heart’s content of the crowd. Taking a quick step back from the music itself, it must be noted how eerily beautiful the show looked visually on stage. Though they made sharp use of lighting, what really stunned the crowd was the backdrop that sometimes fell in front of the band almost like a fence between them and the crowd to create see BRAND NEW, page 5
y seventh grade French class is memorable for two things: that time I spilled my entire water bottle on the girl sitting next to me and the relentless screenings of Frenchdubbed movies. Maybe it was our class’ fascination with cinema, but it more likely had to do with our teacher’s lack of belief in actual teaching. There isn’t exactly a lot of room for DVDs in a public school budget, so there was also a marked lack of variety. We watched the movies our teacher had, and we watched them often. Two movies stick out in my memory because of pure volume. First, the haunting family film “My Father the Hero” (1994) brought culture into the classroom because it had like seven words of French and a scene with a thong. Throw in a little vague incest theme? Thanks, teach! But nothing has quite stayed with me, buried deep in the parts of my mind I try never to access, like the Mike Myers nightmare version of “The Cat in the Hat” (2003). I can only recommend switching on the French dub and sitting there as your mind reacts to the film that literally made Dr. Seuss’ widow shut down all future live adaptations. Only brilliant minds could have decided to make a live-action version of a story of a cat chilling with two kids for a day, and then hired Shrek to play the cat. The fact that the director, visionary Bo Welch, has yet to direct another movie since this 2003 classic is purely coincidental. Actors with self-respect appear and seem to slowly realize over the 82-minute runtime the grave mistake they have made for their careers. Oh, and Paris Hilton cameos in a nightclub scene. In a movie about two kids and a talking Shrek-cat. Superb. The real highlight of the movie is Alec Baldwin as the boyfriend of the children’s mother, disgusting human Larry Quinn. I will always remember sitting in that dark seventh grade classroom, while my teacher ate a KIND Bar and wrote an entry for her yoga blog, watching Alec Baldwin pick something from his belly button. It’s his feature-length audition for a future celebrity impression. Do you remember the joy of reading the original Dr. Seuss book? The whimsical rainy day adventure? Forget those. Instead, enjoy a bizarre military-school storyline, Jack from “Will & Grace” (1998–present) struggling with germophobia and a post-release controversy in which all involved in production tried to gracefully distance themselves. I’ve come to terms with the fact that I may never part ways with the voice of the narrator, which sounds like a cross between a person who is far too happy and asbestos. I only hope that you can all go forth and be blessed with this film that is probably similar to what would happen if you gave your weird uncle a camera and $109 million. After watching, you won’t be able to hear The Beatles song “Getting Better” (1967) without hearing the Smash Mouth version that appears to berate the viewers with a lie. Trust me, it’s not getting better. Matthew Soderberg is a first-year who has not yet declared a major. Matthew can be reached at matthew.soderberg@tufts.edu.
4
Wednesday, October 25, 2017 | COMICS | THE TUFTS DAILY
C
LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY Joe: “Get ready to penetrate the Tufts student market.”
COMICS
SUDOKU
GARFIELD BY JIM DAVIS
NON SEQUITUR BY WILEY MILLER
Difficulty Level: Getting on the Joey and waiting less than 20 minutes for it to depart.
LINDA C. BLACK ASTROLOGY
Tuesday’s Solution
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Today is an 8. You’re learning especially quickly and see interesting possibilities. Mind and mouth are on the same track. Get your message out and invite participation. FOR RELEASE OCTOBER 25, 2017
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Bunches of bucks 5 Strip of latticework 9 Expels 14 For each one 15 Jackson 5 hair style 16 IV part 17 Stacy Lewis’ org. 18 Severely harm 19 Use, as for a snooze 20 “Well, __-di-dah!” 21 Finishing a sentence? 23 In the air 25 Ancient Peruvian 26 “Fresh Air” airer 27 Diagram on a golf score card 31 Attachment to a movable sprinkler 32 Divinity school subj. 33 John Irving title writer 36 Romantically involved with 38 Oscar Mayer product 40 “And she shall bring forth __”: Matthew 41 Bordeaux brushoff 42 Co. known for music compilations 44 Bad news for subway riders 48 VW preceders? 51 Fabric mishap 52 Grecian urn glorifier, e.g. 53 Grammatically, “have” in “I have spoken,” e.g. 57 Letters between mus and xis 58 Ball co-star 59 Revered Tibetan 60 Paltry 61 Author Kafka or composer Liszt 62 City west of Tulsa 63 Neck of the woods 64 Short-tempered 65 College Board exams, for short 66 Wordless summons
10/25/17
By Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke
DOWN 1 Character actor Eli who often co-starred with his wife Anne Jackson 2 Horse with a spotted coat 3 Backyard pet shelters 4 Massage venue 5 Unconvincing, as excuses go 6 A long way off 7 Barely worth mentioning 8 Grits, essentially 9 Dashboard indicator 10 Textbook division 11 Oktoberfest keepsake 12 Beat the pants off 13 More reasonable 21 GPS lines 22 Cpl., for one 24 No longer encumbered by 28 South end? 29 Journey segment 30 Did terribly 34 Orthodontic devices
Tuesday’s Puzzle Solved
©2017 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
35 Lays a guilt trip on, say 37 Nervously distracted 38 Took the title 39 Business abbr. 41 State of bliss 43 “Dinner!” ... and a hint to the first word of 21-, 27-, 44- and 53Across 45 Stimpy’s sidekick
10/25/17
46 NFC East team 47 Take the wrong way? 48 Unfair treatment, with “the” 49 __ Haute 50 Forearm bones 54 Breathe hard 55 Give off 56 X-ray units 60 27-Across, essentially
A rts & L iving
Wednesday, October 25, 2017 | Arts & Living | THE TUFTS DAILY
5
Brand New gives a nostalgic, bittersweet performance on their potential final tour BRAND NEW
continued from page 3 unique visual effects and an entirely new dynamic to the setlist. Jesse Lacey, frontman of the band, was soft spoken during the night, hardly pausing between performances to engage with the crowd. In one interesting moment, though, he commented on “Same Logic/Teeth” (2017) from the new record, saying that it was actually a song that guitarist Vincent Accardi wrote several years ago. The track had never been fully fleshed out until it was revisited during the production of “Science Fiction.” Despite the overall lack of conversation with the crowd, the energy from Lacey and his bandmates was off the charts all night — they genuinely seemed overjoyed to be playing. This shouldn’t come as a shock, per se, but it’s refreshing to still see them excited to play in their 17th and almost final year of being a band. To the dismay of many devout fans, the end of the project is looming very soon: Brand New has repeatedly stated that 2018 will be their last hurrah. The night culminated in what can only be described as an intersection of sadness and nostalgia when Lacey
came out for an encore by himself with his acoustic guitar. Long-time fans of the band knew what was coming as the opening chords to “Soco Amaretto Lime” (2001) consumed the theatre. The classic song ended the night — with loud singing, happy faces and maybe even a few tears. Lacey acknowledged the passage of time his band and he himself have gone through at the end of the song, changing the penultimate lyric, “You’re just jealous ’cause we’re young and in love” to “I’m just jealous ’cause you’re young and in love.” The album it came off of, “Your Favorite Weapon” (2001), is over 16 years old. If there was a time to relive your emo phase among a crowd of people who love the same classic heart-wrenching jams you do, Brand New’s concert was it. If there was a time to see live renditions of one of (if not the) best alternative rock albums of 2017, Brand New’s concert was it. The band put forth the best of both worlds on Friday, showing Boston that its old hits still stand the test of time and that its new album continues their legacy as one of the best emo/alternative/whateveryou-want-to-call-it bands to ever hit the radio waves.
COURTESY PROCRASTINATE! MUSIC TRAITORS
The cover of ‘Science Fiction’ (2017), an unexpected album released by rock band Brand New and the band’s first record to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Pink falls back on digestible rebellion with her latest album
PINK
continued from page 3 moment Jack Antonoff, who played a hand in Lorde’s astounding “Melodrama” (2017) and Taylor Swift’s recent career suicide. The track has a classic Pink ‘us-againstthe-world’ attitude as she sings “‘Cause we’ve been on the run so long they can’t find us / Who’s gonna have to die to remind us / That it feels like we chose this (chose this) blindly.” Antonoff’s production does the job here, capturing the essence of what made his band wildly popular and fusing it with trademark Pink-isms. Her work with repeat collaborators Max Martin and Shellback, the Swedish super-producers behind some of her biggest hits, is much more of a mixed bag. “Revenge,” which features hip-hop icon Eminem, falls flat from the opening note, juxtaposing a comedic tone with the harshness of cheating. While on paper this sounds like an intriguing idea, it comes
off as uninspired, with Pink sleeping through a chorus built around “We could do revenge, revenge, revenge.” Eminem is no better, reminding everyone that his heyday has long passed. Thankfully, Pink’s work with Martin and Shellback drastically improves on the melancholy “Whatever You Want,” an ode to a failing relationship. Unfortunately, the majority of “Beautiful Trauma” becomes bogged down in a monotony of mid-tempo tracks after this point. Lead single “What About Us” sounds as tepid as it did the day it was released, failing to inspire as a political anthem. “Barbies” fails to make use of singer-songwriter extraordinaire Julia Michaels; the track sees Pink lament getting older, wistfully singing, “I wish I could go back to playing barbies in my room.” Martin and Shellback attempt to jolt some life back into the record with uptempo dance track “Secrets,” but that too comes off as stale.
Thankfully, Pink regains her footing at the album’s end with some of her best work to date. “Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken” is everything that the lead single should have been, offering hope amidst today’s political turmoil. The poignant ballad begins softly but ends with the singer boldly proclaiming, “My freedom is burning / This broken world keeps turning
/ I’ll never surrender / There’s nothing, but a victory.” The ballad “You Get My Love” sees Pink confronting the insecurities she feels in her relationship, reminding them “But you get my love, baby.” With this, “Beautiful Trauma” comes to an end and reminds listeners that, while she may not always get it right, Pink still has many stories left to tell.
Attention Class of 2018 Sign Up Now for
SENIOR PORTRAITS (Did you miss last time?) 2nd Round...Sign Up at www.ouryear.com (enter Tufts code, 267) Monday 11/6—Friday 11/14, various times Campus Center 112 For information on the 2018 Senior Memory Book please go to http://ocl.tufts.edu/memorybook/
2017 Cover
COURTESY RCA RECORDS
The cover of “Beautiful Trauma” (2017), a new album released on Oct. 13, by R&B singer Pink, is shown here.
6
THE TUFTS DAILY | ADVERTISEMENT | Wednesday, October 25, 2017
1/4 1/4 AD
tuftsdaily.com
1/8 1/8 AD 1/2 1/2 AD
Wednesday, October 25, 2017 | ADVERTISEMENT | THE TUFTS DAILY
tuftsdaily.com
1/4 1/4 AD
1/8 1/8 AD FULL AD 1/2 1/2 AD
7
8 tuftsdaily.com
Benjamin Corey Eat Your Heart Out
Opinion
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
CARTOON
Ricotta cake
W
ith midterm season well underway, I think we can all agree that a quick, hearty treat would really hit the spot right about now. Fortunately, I was able to find a recipe for ricotta cake, which my grandmother would make when there was a party in the works that required great planning and an even greater smorgasbord. This cake became a mainstay at backyard barbecues and Easter dinners alike because it can be made in a quick fix and is always a crowd pleaser. It also doesn’t hurt that it can feed a small nation. To make this formidable confection, you’re going to want to start with three pounds of ricotta cheese. Add eight eggs and whip them with a fork or egg beater. Then, add three tablespoons of vanilla and three quarters of a cup of sugar. Beat the ingredients again until they’re creamy. Then set them aside. The real beauty of making this cake comes in the simplicity of its batter. All you need to do is prep a box of yellow cake mix as instructed on its package. While my family generally preferred to make treats from scratch, they also knew that there wasn’t always time for such indulgences. Plus, this cake tastes so good that it really doesn’t matter that it comes from a box. Once the batter has been prepped, pour it into an ungreased 11-by-14 inch baking pan. If all you have is a 9-by-13 pan, pour in a little more than three quarters of the batter and use the rest in a smaller pan. Otherwise, your cake simply won’t fit into the pan. Next, take the ricotta cheese and pour it into the center of the cake batter. Resist the urge to mix the two ingredients: they will be able to evenly distribute themselves without any extra prodding. Once the cheese has settled into the cake, place the pan in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then remove the cake from the oven and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top. Place it back into the oven for another half an hour or until a tooth pick poked into the cake comes back clean. Even once the cake has finished baking, the cheese layer shouldn’t have much body to it. I find that baking it the night before you plan on eating it is your best bet. A night in the refrigerator does the cake wonders. Plus, it makes for a great breakfast if you’re into that kind of thing. I like to justify it to myself by remembering how every piece of cake probably has about an entire egg in it. An egg, some cheese and some carbs. Basically a balanced breakfast, right? Regardless of when you have it, or who you share it with, I hope you all enjoy this fabulously easy, tasty treat. Happy baking!
Benjamin Corey is a senior majoring in international relations. Benjamin can be reached at benjamin.corey@tufts.edu.
BY REBECCA TANG 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
Wednesday, October 25, 2017 | Opinion | THE TUFTS DAILY
OP-ED
The state of ‘Swipe it Forward’ and combating food insecurity at Tufts by Jacqueline Chen and Shannon Lee
When you’re a first-year, it’s easy to swipe into the dining hall in between classes, where the main source of conflict over food is whether to go to Carm or Dewick. You’re likely to see a few classmates you recognize, and there is little hesitation to suggest meeting in the dining halls to hang out with friends. Not to mention, the variety of food offered in the dining halls allows students to eat healthy, balanced meals if you have access to a meal plan. But that’s a big “if.” Meal plans are costly, and as students struggle to pay rising tuition rates, any chance to cut corners makes a difference, even if that means skipping a few meals a week. A meal plan of 220 meal swipes bought through Tufts Dining costs $2,926, and a single lunch swipe costs $12.53. Students who opt to go on low-numbered meal plans or no meal plan at all risk skipping meals, endangering their physical and mental well-being and losing access to the important social space dining halls provide. Dean Robert Mack and his office, the Office of Student Success and Advising, identified food insecurity as a campus-wide problem early last year and asked Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate to collaborate on a meal-bank project where students can donate their meals swipes to other students in need. We worked with Dean Mack to create a program called Swipe it Forward with former TCU Senators Celeste Teng and Olive Baerde. The structure of the program is simple, and we purposefully designed Swipe it Forward to be as convenient as possible. For the spring 2017 launch, students on Premium meal plans were able to donate one meal swipe and students on numbered meal plans were able to donate up to four through an online form. All Arts and Sciences and Engineering students were able to request up to six meals through an online form — there were no prerequisites or questions asked because we don’t want students to have to justify why they are requesting meals. Student feedback welcomed the pilot, not only as a means of getting food when they lacked critical resources such as time and money, but also as a way to
access the social space offered by the dining halls. One Tufts senior shared that as a low-income student, she’s had to opt out of a meal plan every year after her first year simply because she could not afford one. By requesting meals, she was able to make lunch plans with friends who she would have otherwise not had time to see. A junior felt similarly and said the meal bank allowed them to eat with friends in the dining hall and not feel ostracized for being low-income. This was especially salient for upperclassmen, who found a narrowed social space when they were no longer on meal plans. Another senior added that the meal bank helped him build relationships with first-year students. Swipe it Forward has provided greater access to dining halls, supporting and strengthening community at Tufts. During Swipe it Forward’s pilot semester, 949 students donated meal swipes; of those students, 712 students had a Premium meal plan and donated one meal. Two hundred thirty-seven students had a meal plan other than a Premium plan and, on average, donated three meals. Ten different departments and offices donated a total of 380 meals, making for a total of 1,760 meal swipes donated. Two hundred fifty students requested meals from the meal bank. The meal bank was almost depleted of meals by the end of April. Despite these significant accomplishments, we have encountered several challenges throughout the process of creating a meal program that helps students who need meals get the resources they deserve. Namely, we have pushed to expand Swipe it Forward to include SMFA students who do not all live on the Medford/Somerville campus. We recognize that reaching SMFA students is critical in combating food insecurity at Tufts; while food insecurity is a problem on the Medford/Somerville campus, SMFA students are considered a high-need student population. Currently, SMFA students can either be on a Tufts Dining meal plan or an Emmanuel College meal plan because there are no full-service dining options on the SMFA campus. SMFA students are left with few dining options, and because students have to commute between the Fenway campus and Medford/Somerville campus, purchasing a Tufts meal plan is frequently not worth the high cost. In
the current iteration of Swipe it Forward, SMFA students will be able to request meal swipes to the Medford/Somerville campus dining halls, a resource we hope will help alleviate some of the pressure of finding their next meal. In addition, as a team, we are working on targeted outreach to students who would especially benefit from a program like Swipe it Forward. During the spring 2017 iteration of Swipe it Forward, we found that a large percentage of meal swipe requests came from students who were not on financial aid. While we are happy to serve students who may just be in need of a quick meal, our top priority for the program is to help the students who lack access to the sustenance and social spaces dining halls provide. When requesting meals from the meal bank, ask yourself these questions: Have you ever skipped a meal because you couldn’t afford groceries that week? Did you ever feel like you were eating less than you should or were hungry but didn’t eat at all? Are you unable to eat with friends because you are not able to afford a meal plan? In raising awareness about Swipe it Forward, we hope that Tufts students will recognize that food insecurity on this campus does exist, that there are fellow classmates who are struggling to eat, and that we can all do something about it. Swipe it Forward is by no means the perfect solution. We recognize that meaningfully combating food insecurity means providing students with access to affordable meal plans and a variety of food options. But while we are addressing the root causes, short-term solutions like Swipe it Forward do make a significant difference in the lives of students, and these programs can only continue to exist with the commitment and help of all members of the Tufts community. If you are able to, please donate to the Swipe it Forward meal bank by Oct. 31 by visiting go.tufts. edu/meals. Jacqueline Chen is a Class of 2019 TCU Senator majoring in International Relations. She can be reached at Jacqueline. Chen@Tufts.edu. Shannon Lee is a Class of 2020 TCU Senator majoring in Political Science and Economics. She can be reached at Shannon.Lee@Tufts.edu.
9
Paris Sanders P.S. …
Is “Me Too” Enough? I, like most women I imagine, could say “me too” about several instances. These range from being groped by strangers, to street harassment, to assault, to discovering that a high school teacher and mentor was a sexual predator once I had graduated. And therein lies an important message — sexual violence isn’t a single event for women, but myriad experiences that dot our existence. Sexual violence and instances of “me too” are as commonplace, as much a part of “womanhood,” as walking with a heightened pace at night. And one could easily argue that if something is a fundamental part of one’s experience — how every woman imagines the inevitability of “her rape,” for example — that it is in turn part of their identity. Notice how “me too,” isn’t “it happened to me too.” Whether this distinction is to shorten a hashtag, or is actually more meaningful is unclear. But, it reminds us, like other taglines, such as “violence against women,” that while individual women are identified as victims of sexual violence, perpetrators remain elusive, masked and ambiguous. Perhaps irrelevant. As Roxane Gay thoughtfully argued in her recent New York Times opinion piece, “Dear Men: It’s You Too,” the “me too” phenomenon once again places the burden of not only experiencing, but also championing and ending sexual violence on those who are not responsible. In this sense, women once again hold the onus for sexual violence — this time, for public awareness, not just its prevention. As stories and testimony from recent events have shown, most rapes and assaults are by people survivors knew and/or worked with, meaning rapists are our peers. Rapists and sexual predators exist within every socioeconomic class, every race, every political affiliation, every career path and every walk of life. Ninety Eight percent of rapists are men, though of course men and those who do not conform to gender are also victims of sexual violence, which could be perpetrated by someone of any gender identity. With this in mind, if we know victims of sexual violence, chances are we also know rapists. Of course, it would be naïve to assume that assailants and sexual predators would willingly out themselves, given the consequences that would incur. In many cases, rapists may not even know they are rapists, which speaks to a deeper and even more difficult problem to surmount — teaching men not only not to rape, but also what rape is. But women have been expected to put aside the consequences that outing themselves as survivors may incur. Once again, women have decided — en masse this time — that their own personal comfort, identity, safety and potential backlash are subordinate to the greater good. Speaking out can be empowering for many women; it was for me, but empowerment came alongside equally common emotions, including vulnerability, guilt, fear, confusion, grief and above all else, shame — a shame re-experienced when posting, “me too.” I hate to imagine a world where we continue to rely on women’s profound graciousness, courage and willingness to be uncomfortable in order to create change. And off the record, I felt more empowered by naming names. Paris Sanders is a senior majoring in philosophy and political science. Paris can be reached at paris.sanders@tufts.edu.
10
THE TUFTS DAILY | Sports | Wednesday, October 25, 2017
tuftsdaily.com
Upperclassman mentoring among resources offered to athlete-engineers ATHLETE ENGINEERS
continued from back “It’s pretty easy to balance if you just manage your time right,” Van Brewer said. “Teachers are really understanding and so far have been accommodating to any schedule conflicts, and coach [ Josh] Shapiro has been here for years and knows how to work with everyone.” The same sentiments are shared by older athletes who have had a full three years of engineering and varsity sports. Senior cross country runner, track runner and electrical engineering major Danielle Sk u f c a has faced s o m e scheduling c o n flicts throughout her time as an engineer but has usually
been able to overcome them. The primary cause of these conflicts is the way in which the engineering school’s curriculum
is constructed. There are many required classes that simply aren’t flexible. “I think one of the unique things [about the engineering program] is you come in and your schedule for pretty much your entire college career is pretty set,” she said. “You take all your basics in your first year and get a little bit of choice as far as what you want in humanities and electives… By junior year, everyone in your major is taking the same classes.” Skufca noted that one positive outcome to this setup is that she knows all of the other electrical engineering majors in her class. In turn, the immutability of the curriculum can cause problems for athletes. For example, Skufca has to take a class this semester that meets from 3 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday. Unfortunately, as practice for cross country starts at 3 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday, she has to work out in the morning instead of with the team. While this is a challenge that likely could have been overcome with the flexibility that undergraduates in the School of Arts and Sciences enjoy, it presents a real challenge that is difficult for a student in the School of Engineering. Skufca noted that while these conflicts are frustrating, the university’s status as a Div. III school has been key in ensuring that her coaches and teachers always understand that her academics are crucial and take precedence. Even though running is extremely important to her, engineering comes first. The perks of Div. III as an athletic division that focuses on academics are enjoyed by all. At Tufts and all other Div. III institutions nationwide, a number of scheduling rules are in place to ensure that student-athletes are able to balance their schedule without sports or academics ever becoming a detriment to the other. A well-known rule in Div. III athletics is that a team can’t hold official practices during the off-season, ensuring the players can focus fully on school
when they have no games to play. However, some athletes don’t mind the rigor that comes from a full schedule of engineering and sports. “In-season I feel like I’m much more productive,” senior cross country runner, track runner and biomedical engineering major Thomas DePalma said. “Once we have that huge time commitment for practice, three hours a day or so, it kind of forces us to schedule the rest of our day [around practice]. I actually find it makes me more efficient.” A recurring theme among many athlete-engineers has been time-management skills, which have been necessitated by the busyness of their schedules. With mandatory, rigorous courses, combined with a consistent practice schedule (not to mention the actual games), Tufts athletes have to learn how to budget their time to succeed in both areas. One of the biggest supports for athletes as they navigate their way through these obstacles are their fellow teammates. Many players have plenty of engineering friends on their team that they can go to for help with difficulties they might be having in school. “People on the team like to take classes together,” DePalma said. “[Whether] you’re a first-year or a senior, it doesn’t really matter. Everyone’s always helping each other with work, talking and making sure everyone’s doing well.” Van Brewer was assigned an academic mentor on the soccer team, as were all of the other first-years. Naturally, his is an engineering major. His mentor, sophomore defender and electrical engineering major Tanner Jameson, has been especially helpful to him in his first semester, as he took many of the same classes Van Brewer is currently taking. According to Van Brewer, Jameson has provided valuable advice on how to be successful academically in the first months of college, which includes the entirety of the men’s soccer season. Skufca also recalled the guidance she received from upperclassman engineers on the cross country and track teams.
Now, she appreciates the fact that she can give the same help to the four first-year engineers on the cross country team this season. While balancing two very time-consuming passions creates a unique Tufts experience for engineers, it seems to be a challenge that can be overcome with a strong personal work ethic and the helpful hands of people around campus. It is important to remember that while the world of engineering may seem foreign to someone studying liberal arts, everyone here is a Tufts student with passions that take time and effort. “I don’t think anybody here has an easy time with what they’re doing,” Skufca said. “Every-body’s working really hard with what they’re passionate about, which is something I love about Tufts.” For engineering students and athletes, those passions just happen to come in the form of sweat and solid-state physics. EVAN SAYLES / THE TUFTS DAILY
Photos: Seniors Tom DePalma, left, and Danielle Skufca run on Oct. 15, 2016
Sailing eyes Atlantic Coast Championship qualifier next weekend SAILING
continued from back At the Mrs. Hurst Bowl, the women’s sailing team suffered a disappointing 15th place finish with a total of 121 points. According to Legler, the Jumbos faced tough conditions. “One thing the women’s team needs is more wind,” Legler said. “The wind at the [Mrs. Hurst Bowl] was barely raceable… That might be the biggest thing that can help.” The Oberg Trophy was held at MIT, although it is hosted by Northeastern. The regatta consisted of three divisions. Senior tri-captain Lara Dienemann represented Tufts in the A division which earned a total of 67 points. In the B division, Tufts marked 40 points and in the C division, Tufts scored a 65. In total, the Jumbos finished with a total of 172 points, securing a second place finish to Dartmouth. Dienemann was pleased with her performance and that of her skipper. “[Coming in second] was really great,” Dienemann said. “[We wanted] to do as well as we could. For [my skipper], junior Jack Bitney, and I, we tend to do well at venues like MIT where the water is flat and the wind conditions are shifty because it
is most like the venue we sail at for practice.” The Jumbos certainly capitalized on the familiarity of the terrain at MIT, and will move forward with confidence. This is key, as Dienemann noted that next weekend is an important one for the team. “ N e x t weekend is a big regatta,” Dienemann said. “It’s the qualifier for the Atlantic Coast
RAY BERNOFF / THE TUFTS DAILY
Senior Molly Pleskus and junior Sabrina Van Mell sail in a regatta on Easter Sunday, April 16.
Championship, and it is held at MIT. We are excited to have done well to show the team that we are a promising contender at that regatta next weekend.”
Legler echoed Dienemann’s emphasis on next weekend’s competition, and noted that the Jumbos will only make a few small adjustments leading up to the weekend’s big competition.
Next weekend, Tufts will host a firstyear regatta, where they will welcome 20 schools, including three from Florida. The NE Frosh Champs, Nickerson Trophy race will run from Oct. 28 to Oct. 29.
Sports
Wednesday, October 25, 2017 | Sports | THE TUFTS DAILY
11
RAY BERNOFF / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES
Tufts men’s rowers launch off the dock at Tufts’ meet with Hamilton, Coast Guard, Trinity and Mount Holyoke at William Shoemaker Boathouse on Apr. 3, 2016.
Men’s and women’s crew have impressive showings at annual Head of the Charles by Sidharth Anand Contributing Writer
The Tufts men’s and women’s crew teams competed at the 53rd Head of the Charles Regatta on Sunday. The Jumbos competed in the men’s collegiate four, eight and the Director’s Challenge, and in the women’s collegiate eight and the Director’s Challenge. Though neither team placed in the top 10 in any of the races, it was an overall good performance from an improving and more technically proficient team. Junior Alec Whipple, who did not race on Sunday, said that he was confident in the team’s ability after the performance at the Hadley Chase Rally on Oct. 14. “We have been practicing a lot in single sculls, and this has allowed us to take more control of the boats, working on technique needed to hone individual skills,” Whipple said. “The focus on this kind of training set us up to do very well at the Head of the Charles.” The men’s team finished 35th out of 37 in the collegiate eight race. The eight was coxed by junior Hannah Frankel, stroked by junior Ryan Bell and completed by sophomores Paul Gelhaus, Adrian Tanner, and Mats Edwards, junior Nick Hartman, senior Ashton Knight, senior tri-captain Andrew MacMillen and senior Thomas Hendrickson. The boat finished with a time of 16:06.7, placing ahead of Illinois (16:07.9) and Iona College (16:24.8), but
behind many NESCAC rivals, including Bates in third (14:32.4), Trinity in sixth (14:40.8) and Hamilton in 26th (15:17.3). Though this was not a desirable result, senior tri-captain Tyler Hagedorn attributed it to what he felt was an unfair penalty that added a minute to their time. “A minute is a lot when you row,” Hagedorn said. “The penalty was given to us as we tried to pass a Bates boat and they did not yield as they were supposed to, according to racing guidelines. This caused the boats to come close to one another, a safety violation. The penalty was given to us unfairly, but it caused us to lose a minute on our time, placing where we did. Ultimately, this does not reflect on how we actually raced, and I think that we still rowed well.” The men’s team had a better showing in the four race and the Director’s Challenge. The four was coxed by junior James Grant with James Miller as stroke. It also consisted of Hagedorn, junior tri-captain Isaac Mudge and senior Hayes Ward. Tufts placed 27th out of 40 teams with a time of 17:26.8, ahead of NESCAC rivals Wesleyan, Colby, Bates, Bowdoin B and Conn. College. The team however, still fell short of other conference rivals Middlebury, Bowdoin, Amherst and Trinity. The men’s Director’s Challenge, which is a quad event, saw Tufts alumni race against other teams which were not necessarily collegiate. The former
Jumbos put in a good showing, placing 19th out of 37 teams. “The Director’s Challenge is often used as a fundraising event by alumni to help raise money for the rowing program. It was great to see all the alumnae come out and help the rowing program in this way,” Hagedorn said. The women’s team placed higher overall in their two events. In the collegiate eight event, the Jumbos placed 11th out of 26 teams, with a time of 16:54.8, ahead of NESCAC rivals Colby (17:27.2) and Amherst (17:50.4). The eight consisted of sophomore Jill Armenia, senior Emma Conroy, first-years Eva Elder, Erin Dwyer and Polly Harrington, sophomores Prairie Hammer and Grace Fabrycky and junior Libby Lichter. The time they posted allowed them an automatic spot in next year’s race. The women’s team did not compete in the four event, but did compete in the Director’s Challenge. They placed 14th out of 34 teams — after adjustment for an age handicap — in this quad event, with a time of 18:40.2. The team consisted of senior Arielle Mann, junior Erika Madrian, sophomore Julia Turner and junior Erika Odmark. “It was awesome to race in the quad with so many other non-collegiate teams, including the 1992 Olympic quad team. We were very pleased with our time in the race. We felt that we kept up well and worked off of one another to come in the time we did,” Madrian said.
The goal for the eight was to come in sixth to give the team a better chance of qualifying for the NCAA race in the spring. “This threshold usually makes up the teams who make it,” said Madrian. “We came in 11th, so we were disappointed about that, but it definitely serves as a fire for all of us to train hard this winter to try and qualify in the spring”. Overall, Hagedorn was pleased with how the regatta went and how it will set up the team into the winter and the spring. “It was a beautiful day to race in one of the most popular races in the world,” Hagedorn said. “To compete with all the other teams was awesome. This doesn’t change anything for the winter, though. We’re still going to work just as hard and train in innovative ways, like in individual boats in the spring and rigorous training in the winter, and hopefully this sets us up well for the rest of the year.” Hagedorn thinks the team is in better shape compared to last year due to the combined dedication of his teammates. “Our overall performance this year has been better as we are all working much harder, training harder and are more focused,” Hagedorn said. “Our races so far will help prepare us for the last one of the season and prepare us for the winter.” The next competition for both the men’s and women’s teams is at the Head of the Fish on Saturday, Oct. 28.
Sports
12 tuftsdaily.com
Yuan Jun Chee On The Spot
Could this finally, finally be Tottenham’s year?
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
The best of both worlds: balancing engineering and athletics at Tufts
S
purs delivered their strongest statement yet with a resounding 4–1 victory over Liverpool this past weekend. Could this finally be Spurs’ year? It’s unlikely, given just how good Manchester City looks this year. In true Spurs fashion, I think they’d put pressure on City and come really close. My friends know that I often ridicule the so-called “Wembley curse” that other pundits have been talking about. The argument goes that Wembley is a big ground and many opposing teams might come to the national stadium to put up a more impressive performance. I think that’s hogwash — one could easily make the case that it is equally easy for anyone to be overwhelmed by the occasion. As results have started to improve for Spurs at Wembley, that kind of talk has started to go away. But that’s not why I think Spurs will come very close again this year. The key to my confidence in Spurs this year is that they now can finally say that they have quality, and good backup across all areas of the field. They may have lost Kyle Walker to Manchester City, but they went out there to get Serge Aurier from Paris St. Germain, who I think is a very good player. We also cannot forget the way Kieran Trippier stepped up when he needed to deputize for Kyle Walker last season, too. Davinson Sánchez impressed me when I was following the Europa League last year, and picking him up from Ajax offers Spurs more quality backup, again a step-up from Kevin Wimmer. Finally though, signing Fernando Llorente is huge for Spurs. Vincent Janssen, as good a young player as he is, is too similar to Harry Kane in style. His confidence would not have been helped by the fact that he spent so much time on the bench as well. In contrast, Fernando Llorente proved to be an effective plan B when he was at Swansea, as he offers a clear direct threat in the air. His statistics at Swansea tell a story of an experienced striker who can be counted on. Add all this to the ingenuity of Mauricio Pochettino and you have a team that is hard-working, fast and powerful. That victory over Liverpool came on the back of a great performance by the silky Heung-min Son, and without their powerful midfielders Victor Wanyama and Mousa Dembélé. They’re also missing one of their most skillful players in Érik Lamela. Having all of them back may bring about selection headaches for their young Argentinean manager, but it’s a happy problem to have. Will Spurs win the league? It’s hard to root against Manchester City with the way they’re playing at the moment. However, as Pep Guardiola himself said, the league isn’t won in October. The problem Spurs had the last two years was they started slow — as they did again this year — but they choked when it mattered, first against Chelsea in 2015–2016, and then against West Ham in 2016–2017. But with the depth of their squad this year, and the lessons of the past few seasons, they may just be the team to watch this year. Yuan Jun Chee is a sports editor at the Tufts Daily. He is a junior majoring in history and international relations. Yuan Jun can be reached at yuan.chee@tufts.edu.
SEOHYUN SHIM / THE TUFTS DAILY
First-year midfielder Travis Van Brewer attempts to block and intercept the ball from a Middlebury player during Tufts’ 4-0 win on Oct. 7. by Ryan Eggers Staff Writer
At Tufts, there’s something for everyone. Anyone can find a passion to pursue and a community of like-minded people to share that passion with. A big piece of that, of course, is within the athletics department, where teams share familial bonds as they compete against the best that the NESCAC and Div. III have to offer. Tufts is unique in that it’s the only school in the NESCAC to offer something crucial to its students’ education and success in the job market. And no, it’s not the delicious vegan craisin walnut bars. It’s the School of Engineering. While engineering and sports don’t seem
like two communities that the average student would consider to be connected, many athletes on campus thrive on the field and in the Science and Engineering Complex (SEC). First-year men’s soccer midfielder Travis Van Brewer, for example, predicated his postsecondary academic and athletic career around engineering. “For me, I wanted to definitely look at a school with high-level academics and high-level soccer where I could play,” he said. Van Brewer explained that his desire to study engineering also crossed many schools off his list. With no other NESCAC schools having an engineering school (though some offer combined-degree programs), they were all
immediately out. Van Brewer received some interest from Div. I schools, but due either to anticipated rigor or scheduling conflicts, none of the Div. I teams allowed him to be an engineering student and a soccer player. Along came Tufts, which checked off all of the boxes Van Brewer wanted. In his first two months as an in-season athlete and an engineering student, he feels great about what those around him have done to accommodate his interests. Between the institution itself allowing him to pursue both passions and the people he’s interacted with in both circles, he has had a smooth transition into a very heavy workload. see ATHLETE ENGINEERS, page 10
Tufts’ sailing teams persevere in spite of difficult wind conditions by Emily Burstein Staff Writer
It was a busy weekend for both of Tufts’ sailing teams. The Jumbos were deployed at six different races, including the Fall Foliage, the NEISA Southern Seven, the Mrs. Hurst Bowl, the Sherman Hoyt Trophy, the Oberg Trophy and the Central Series. It was a mostly successful weekend for the team. Coach Ken Legler was simply content that the team was able to compete. “Overall I was very pleased,” Legler said. “The big difference maker [on Sunday] was the fact that the wind finally filled in. We had 13 people sailing at six different venues, and it looked like there was going to be no sailing, but the wind filled in.” The top string regatta for the weekend was the Sherman Hoyt Trophy. Junior Florian Eenkema van Dijk noted that the standings were very tight, and the Jumbos
actually held the second place spot for a portion of the first day of races. However, following a poor second set, the Jumbos finished the first day of competition in eighth place. On Sunday, the second and final day of the race, the Jumbos looked to finish strong in hopes of climbing back up the leaderboard. Light winds resulted in only a few races being held, and the team’s performance in the remaining races led to a drop in the standings rather than a climb. Tufts saw themselves finish in seventh place with a total score of 234 points, just three points behind the sixth place team, Old Dominion University. The team hoped for a top five finish, but nevertheless, Eenkema felt the weekend was a positive one that the Jumbos will learn from. “We knew going into [Sunday] that we could still do well,” Eenkema said. “There wasn’t much breeze, so we only got a few races in. We sailed not so great, [finishing]
seventh overall. Obviously that was outside of that top five range we were looking for, so [we’re] a little disappointed but overall we are still happy with our development.” Senior tri-captain Julien Guiot sailed in the team’s third string event, the Central Series. After the first day of competition, the Jumbos headlined the leaderboard in the first-place position. After the second day of racing, Tufts finished the competition in second place with a total score of 124 points, just behind Boston University, who finished with 113 points. Guiot saw the result as acceptable. “The second day I think we struggled a little bit as both our boats were pretty heavy,” Guiot said. “The breeze was pretty light and pretty challenging for us as a result, so we kind of slipped in the standings a little bit. Overall, we were fine taking second place overall.” see SAILING, page 10