Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Can’t get enough of the Fluff: celebrating Somerville’s sweet legacy see FEATURES / PAGE 3

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

Jumbos take fast track to destroy team records

Bon Iver delivers a très bon listen see ARTS&LIVING / PAGE 5

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 LXXII, NUMBER 18

tuftsdaily.com

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS.

LGBT Center restarts queer men’s discussion group

by Jesse Najarro

Assistant News Editor

The LGBT Center restarted the Queer Men’s Group, now the center’s seventh discussion group on campus, last week, according to LGBT Center Director Nino Testa.

The open group will meet weekly for sessions facilitated

by Nick Whitney (LA ’16), graduate coordinator at the LGBT Center.

“Hopefully, [the Queer Men’s Group] is going to be a space where people can talk about things that they need to talk about and need to sift through with a supportive group of people,” Whitney said.

Testa concurred, saying that the Queer Men’s Group will function as a place to find mutual support. “[The Queer Men’s Group] is [about] connecting with other people who share similar identities, processing what’s been going on this week or some things that are coming up, what is campus climate like right now, what are some struggles that we’re going through right now, finding support,” he said.

The discussion group met for the first time on Sept. 27 and had a strong first meeting, according to Whitney.

“We just got to know each other, we set some communi-

CAROLINE AMBROS/ THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVE

Director Nino Testa poses for a photo in his office in the LGBT Center on Sept. 8, 2014. ty agreements which felt really good, and then we just sort of like popcorned a bunch of discussion topics that might feel pertinent to the group,” Whitney said.

In years past, the LGBT Center had provided a similar opportunity for queer men on campus,

but it was discontinued due to lack of student interest, according to Testa and Whitney.

“Two years ago when I started [at the LGBT Center], the Queer Men’s Group [had] kind of devolved. It wasn’t meeting regularly, and it was kind of

just a catch-all space, like whoever wanted to come would just hang out,” Testa said. “I didn’t really think it was a very intentional space, and when I got here there really wasn’t energy for there to be a queer men’s group.”

However, current students such as sophomore Arnold Castaneda have expressed interest in such a group and feel that it could be a beneficial and empowering asset to the Tufts community. see DISCUSSION GROUP, page 2

TUSC Seniors to hold Oktoberfest event, replacing ‘Senior Pub Night’

by Joe Walsh News Editor

The first Senior Night of the year will be held on Oct. 20, according to Tufts University Social Collective (TUSC) Seniors, also known as the Senior Class Council, which is the group responsible for organizing Senior Nights.

The event, titled “Senior Oktoberfest,” will take place on the President’s Lawn, and tickets go on sale Monday, Oct. 17 at 10:30 a.m. on Tufts Tickets and at the Mayer Campus Center Information Booth, according to a Facebook page for the event. Senior Katie Waymack, a member of TUSC Seniors, said that tickets will be $10, which is consistent with ticket prices for Senior Nights in previous years.

Please recycle this newspaper

Cloudy 60 / 47

/thetuftsdaily

According to Waymack, the event will include free food, a DJ group and alcohol for purchase. 800 tickets are available this year, which exceeds the 600-700 tickets that have been available for previous Senior Nights, Waymack noted.

The event will only be open to students over the age of 21, according to the Facebook event. This year, planning a 21+ event has been a priority for TUSC Seniors, according to the group.

“Over the years we have been listening to feedback from our classmates and have heard many people voicing desires for a 21+ event on campus,” TUSC Seniors said in a statement to the Daily last month. “The Senior Class Council is now working on such an event

For breaking news, our content archive and exclusive content, visit tuftsdaily.com @tuftsdaily

tuftsdaily

tuftsdaily

that will provide seniors an opportunity to come together and celebrate their four years at Tufts.”

This announcement comes in the wake of the decision by the Office for Campus Life (OCL) to forego the practice of providing transportation to a club in Boston for Senior Night, a tradition colloquially known as “Senior Pub Night,” according to a Sept. 23 article in the Daily.

Director for Campus Life Joe Golia explained that he decided to cancel “Senior Pub Night” because of recurring instances of student rowdiness, excessive costs, negative behavior by venue staff and, most recently, an incident in which several students acted with hostility towards an OCL staff member.

Contact Us P.O. Box 53018, Medford, MA 02155 617 627 3090 FAX 617 627 3910 daily@tuftsdaily.com

In the midst of this, TUSC Seniors has argued that the format of Senior Night needed to change because of threats to student safety and student mistreatment by non-Tufts staff.

“We, as the Senior Class Council, did not feel comfortable both hosting and financing an event where our peers felt unwelcomed, unsafe or offended,” TUSC Seniors said in the Sept. 23 Daily article.

In addition to the Oktoberfest event, senior Shana Gallagher is organizing a replacement for “Senior Pub Night,” called “Senior Bar Evening,” at Whiskey Saigon in Boston on Oct. 13, according to the Sept. 23 Daily article. Gallagher said that she is organizing her event inde-

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

see SENIOR NIGHT, page 2

COMICS....................................... 7 OPINION.....................................8 SPORTS............................ BACK

2

THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Tuesday, October 4, 2016

T HE T UFTS D AILY Arin Kerstein Editor-in-Chief

EDITORIAL Sophie Lehrenbaum Jake Taber Managing Editors Evan Sayles Associate Editor Kathleen Schmidt Executive News Editor Gil Jacobson News Editors Melissa Kain Robert Katz Liam Knox Catherine Perloff Jei-Jei Tan Hannah Uebele Joe Walsh Juliana Furgala Assistant News Editors Jesse Najarro Danny Nelson

Miranda Willson Executive Features Editor Constantinos Angelakis Features Editors Nina Joung Becca Leibowitz

tuftsdaily.com

Queer Men's Group seeks to represent greater intersectionality DISCUSSION GROUP

continued from page 1 “I feel that a Queer Men’s Group would be beneficial to the Tufts community,” Castaneda told the Daily in an email.

“I am not sure if there is high student demand for this space, but I definitely think that it may be an unspoken need on this campus, and once it is organized, it would have many participants.”

Many faculty and staff members have also been talking about having an intentional and organized space for queer men to discuss their identities, Testa said. He noted that the LGBT Center as a whole was previously perceived as a space largely for gay-identifying men but that an intentional space within the LGBT Center is now needed.

“I was hearing from some students, and actually from some faculty and staff,

that they felt that the LGBT Center wasn’t really a space where queer men felt like there were like a lot of opportunities to come meet each other and discuss their identities as queer men,” Testa said.

Castaneda said he was hopeful for the Queer Men’s Group but that he has some reservations about what that space might represent.

“A particular reservation I have is that while I am gay, I am also a person of color. One concern I have is that the queer movement is white-washed, excluding the intersectional experiences of people of color,” he said. “Therefore, if this group is organized, I would be more inclined to attend if there is some sort of awareness brought to the space.”

Testa and Whitney both agreed that a challenge for this group would be creating

a space in which all identities are affirmed and ensuring that historically-marginalized voices are heard.

“One of my fears with this queer men’s group was I feared that it would sort of reproduce a microcosm of what Tufts already is to a lot of people, which is like a white queer men’s space and so, as facilitator, I’m trying [to] actively push against that notion and to make sure that the term ‘queer men,’ as it intersects with sexuality, gender and race is made explicit and is talked about,” Whitney said.

Whitney stressed that the success of the Queer Men’s Group rests in the hands of the students who will drive the group’s conversations.

“I see it being whatever the people who want to come want it to be,” he said.

Justin Krakoff Executive Arts Editor John Gallagher Arts Editors Eran Sabaner Isaac Brown Assistant Arts Editors Jocelyn Contreras Alison Epstein Elliot Storey Emma Henderson Executive Op-Ed Editor Shannon Geary Cartoonists Stephen Dennison Allie Merola Miranda Chavez Editorialists Aneurin Canham-Clyne Frances DeFreitas Eriko Koide Anita Ramaswamy Noah Weinflash Phillip Goldberg Executive Sports Editor Yuan Jun Chee Sports Editors Maddie Payne Eddie Samuels Maclyn Senear Noah Smith Assistant Sports Editor Max Lalanne Mia Lambert Caroline Ambros Ray Bernoff Scott Fitchen Jean Gonzalez Kevin Ho Thaw Htet Lilia Kang Sitara Rao Evan Sayles Zachary Sebek Alexis Serino Angelie Xiong Ezgi Yazici

Executive Photo Editor Photo Administrator Picture Tufts Editor Staff Photographers

PRODUCTION David Westby Production Director Allie Merola Executive Layout Editors Sebastian Torrente Lilia Aronoff-Aspatur Layout Editors Jewel Castle Connor Dale Jasmine Falk Abbie Gantner Grace Kanigher Leila Li Brianna Mignano Julie Murray Emily Sharp Astrid Weng Ezgi Yazici Alice Yoon Jiaqi Yuan Petrina Chan Creative Director Allie Merola Executive Graphics Editor Petrina Chan Graphics Editors Peter Lam Juliana Furgala Ashton Stephens Rena Tang Belinda Xian Sebastian Torrente Zach Hertz Executive Copy Editors Jei-Jei Tan Norrie Beach Copy Editors Arthur Beckel Caroline Bollinger Alison Epstein Gil Jacobson Melissa Kain Reena Kerasin Bibi Lichauco Kathleen Martensen Netai Schwartz Nihaal Shah Arielle Sigel Liora Silkes Dan Strauss

Maxwell Bernstein Executive Tech Manager Nitesh Gupta Online Editor Mia Lambert Social Media Editor

BUSINESS Josh Morris Executive Business Director

MIA LAMBERT / THE TUFTS DAILY

The LGBT Center, which is located in the Bolles House, on Oct. 3.

‘Senior Pub Night’ tradition replaced with new universitysponsored events SENIOR NIGHT

continued from page 1 pendently of the university, and that it is not designed to be a protest event or a criticism of the Senior Class Council.

Golia noted that students have organized independent Senior Nights in the past.

Indeed, after “Senior Pub Night” was threat-

ened with cancellation in 2010, a group of students also organized an alternative event called “Senior Club Life,” according to an Oct. 2009 article in the Daily.

Events for seniors will continue throughout the year, Waymack said. For example, the Senior Class Council will be teaming up with the Career Center to

create senior-specific seminars throughout the rest of the year.

Waymack is optimistic about the event and its community-building potential.

“For Oktoberfest we’re hoping to bring the Senior class together to celebrate the past four years at Tufts,” Waymack told the Daily in an electronic message.

Police Briefs – Oct. 3 Tea Time Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) and the Somerville Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at Richardson House on Sept. 28 at 5:22 p.m. The cause of the alarm was an electric teapot with a plastic base that was left on the stove for too long. The base melted and the teapot began to release smoke. The fire department approved a reset of the system.

Bad Apple A staff member at Hodgdon Foodon-the-Run burned his foot on Sept.

30 at 4:20 p.m., prompting a response

by TUPD and Tufts Emergency Medical Services (TEMS). The staff member had

dropped hot apple cider on his foot. The injury was bandaged and the staff member was released.

Benched A male student injured his ankle at Fletcher Field on Oct. 1 at 11:40 a.m.

The student had been playing soccer at the time. TEMS and TUPD responded, and the patient was treated at the scene.

TEMS then had the student brought to the hospital.

Spectator Sport TUPD and Armstrong Ambulance Service (Medford) were called to the Ellis Oval football field on Oct. 1 at 1 p.m. after a spectator hurt his arm. The spec-

tator had been watching the football game and had fallen. He was treated on the scene and no hospital visit was required.

Break It Up On Oct 1. at 1:25 p.m., a noise complaint on College Avenue resulted in a response by TUPD and the Somerville Police Department. They made contact with the residents and advised them of the noise complaint. The party was broken up and nonresidents were made to leave the premises.

—by Juliana Furgala

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Features

Off-Campus Explorations: Union Square Main Streets organizes 11th annual Fluff Festival

by Elie Levine

Contributing Writer

This article is the first part in a series that features businesses, organizations and communities in the Medford/Somerville area.

This year marks the 99th anniversary of the invention of Marshmallow Fluff.

The marshmallow-like spread was invented in Somerville by Archibald Query, a confectioner who concocted it in 1917 and began selling it door-to-door in his neighborhood. Since 2006, the city of Somerville has celebrated the invention of Marshmallow Fluff with an annual “Fluff Festival” hosted in Union Square.

The theme of this year’s festival, which took place on Sept. 24 and drew over 20 thousand visitors to Somerville, was “Fluff U: A Sweet Education.” The goal was to turn Union Square into “our very own sticky, sweet campus,” according to the festival’s website.

Esther Hanig is the executive director of Union Square Main Streets (USMS), a community development organization that works to enhance the economic viability of the area surrounding Union Square. USMS has hosted the Fluff Festival since its inception, according to Hanig.

In keeping with this year’s theme, Hanig said the organizers of the event renamed some of the traditional aspects of the festival to fit in with “Fluff U.” Those who helped cook Fluff and other treats in the cooking contest were referred to as the “Department of Culinary Arts,” the area of the festival where storytelling took place was called the “Extension School” and the “Shenanigans Stage,” a fixture from past festivals that features comedy, was this year called the “Department of Shenanigans.”

Mike Katz, the Query impersonator who leads the festivities on the Shenanigans Stage, is fond of one festival game called Fluff Musical Chairs – musical chairs but with one chair covered in Fluff.

“People have to not only find this chair but decide whether or not they’re willing to get Fluffed in a major way,” Katz said.

In addition to Fluff Musical Chairs, Katz described many different events and competitions that took place on the

Shenanigans Stage. Fluff Jousting requires participants to stand on a low balance beam and hit each other with pool noodles covered in Fluff. Additionally, during Fluff Hair Dos, participants use tubs full of Fluff and peanut butter to style each other’s hair.

Katz went on to explain more fluff-covered diversions: In Blind Man’s Fluff, one partner has to make a fluffernutter sandwich while blindfolded, and the other must eat it while singing a jingle from a 1950s Fluff commercial; during Fluff Lick-Offs, a volunteer holds a plate covered in Fluff must face the audience and lick the plate clean of marshmallow cream as fast as they can.

Finally, Hanig praised the Fluff cooking contest, the winner of which is granted a tour of the modern Fluff factory in Lynn, MA. According to Hanig, this is the only tour that Durkee-Mower, the company that now owns Query’s invention, offers of its facility.

Chloe Boehm, a junior, attended the festival with other Tufts students.

“Lots of the Union Square institutions were represented, and although I didn’t brave the line for Union Square Donuts, they had a fluffernutter donut that was apparently really great,” she told the Daily in an electronic message.

Katz, who has been impersonating Query at the festival since its inception, said he once taught theater as the assistant technical director at Tufts. He has also taught at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston).

Since retiring from his teaching post at UMass Boston in August, Katz said that he has been able to take on more responsibility at the festival. He added that his training in technical theater feeds directly into his work at the festival.

“I’ve dealt with crowds, I’ve dealt with safety, I’ve dealt with making sure things go on schedule,” he said. “It’s the same kind of work.”

Though Katz impersonates Query at the festival, he said that he does not fit historical descriptions of the Fluff inventor.

“We actually got in touch with Query’s grandson,” Katz said. “And Archibald was

Crowds enjoy the Fluff Festival food trucks and booths in Union Square on Sept. 24.

a very quiet, shy man. He was very calm and cool, and he always had candy in his pockets that he would give to the neighborhood kids for free.”

Katz described himself as loud and lively, quite the opposite of the man he impersonates. Although he is unlike Query in appearance and demeanor, Katz said he seems to have become the face of the festival.

“Usually you’ll get me if you Google ‘Archibald Query,’” he said.

Hanig said that the festival showcases Somerville’s innovations and attracts more people to the Union Square neighborhood. She described it as another example of the city’s economic and cultural growth over the last several decades, which she attributed to its mayor Joseph Curtatone as well as to its proximity to Harvard Square and Kendall Square.

She cited Curtatone’s efforts to improve the city’s public transportation and his response to the Black Lives Matter movement as evidence of his dedication to improving Somerville. In July, Curtatone refused to take down a Black Lives Matter banner outside of City Hall despite the requests of the city’s police union, arguing that, “We can fight to protect minorities and still praise the hard work of law enforcement officials.” “[Curtatone is focusing on] how we can make Somerville a really special place,” Hanig said.

She also emphasized the presence of organizations and projects in Somerville today that reflect Query’s spirit of invention. These include the restaurant Juliet, which incorporates tips into its meal prices in order to ensure high wages for all the restaurant’s staff, and Greentown Labs, a space for clean technology hardware startups to meet and find solutions to global energy issues.

While some businesses complain that the festival makes parking scarce or slows down foot traffic by their stores, Hanig believes it has positive economic outcomes overall by calling attention to the square. “[The Fluff Festival] makes people aware of Union Square when they might not have known about us or thought about us,” she said.

Katz said the festival provides an opportunity for people to reflect on all that Union Square has to offer.

“It’s about us as a community saying, hey, there are some cool things that have gone on in Somerville and in Union Square, this is our chance to celebrate them,” he said.

Katz added that his favorite aspect of the Fluff Festival is the joy it instills in its visitors.

“There were a lot of people here in the square, and everyone was smiling,” Katz said.

“I had people covered in Fluff, I mean, literally, covered in Fluff, and they had the biggest, goofiest grins on their faces and [were] just loving it. And HAILEY GAVIN / THE TUFTS DAILY how often can you say that happens?”

3 tuftsdaily.com

Natasha Khwaja and Faryal Jafri Karachi vs. Kansas

Diversifying the modern Muslim

F

aryal (F): When I was younger, I couldn’t grasp how large and diverse the Muslim population was around the world. We’re the second largest religion in the world and the fastest growing, yet I only knew the handful of Muslims who lived near Kansas City.

Natasha (N): Growing up in Karachi, faith was always through my family. I remember after the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan, my cousins and I spent the days leading up to Eid sitting around my aunt’s dining table, preparing goodie bags for children who’d been affected. For me, that’s always been the image I hold on to as what it means to be a Muslim.

F: While I’m thankful for the families I did grow up near — they were my adopted extended family — I wish I knew more about the Muslim community beyond our bubble. When I got to college, my eyes were opened to a whole new variety of Muslims.

This might sound strange, but I saw that there were several different definitions of a Muslim depending on how you grew up. I had never really grown up with a Muslim model that was outside of the archetype I saw at the mosque when we met the other Muslim families.

N: One of the biggest problems I’ve found is that religious education focuses too much on black and white interpretations of what is haraam (forbidden) or halal (strongly encouraged). It’s just so alienating, especially to us confused young people growing up in the United States. We really don’t have any space for growth or exploration in between that allows us to figure out religion in relation to our lives as college students.

F: One thing I do wish I had was a sort of more progressive Muslim youth program. I remember being so jealous of my Christian and Jewish peers who would go off to their respective summer camps every summer.

They came back with lifelong friends and a progressive way to stay connected to their faith. While there are a few programs that exist currently, I haven’t personally been able to find one that is progressive enough for me.

N: Exactly. I feel like these internal issues, coupled with the fact that Muslims are so heavily essentialized from the outside, make it so difficult for us to accept and be proud of the variation within our identities and how we choose to practice our religion.

F: Yes. Too often I see young Muslims push away from their faith because they can’t see themselves fitting the mold with which they grew up. It’s hard to understand that it’s also possible to make a religion work for you instead of the other way around. I think meeting other Muslims who share the same worldview and hold the same beliefs as you can be incredibly formative for a maturing Muslim. You can see that there are other Muslims who think and act the same way as you. There is a sub-community where you feel you might fit in better than, say, in your home community.

Natasha Khwaja is a junior majoring in international relations and anthropology. Natasha can be reached at natasha.khwaja@tufts.edu.

Faryal Jafri is a junior majoring in international relations Faryal is currently abroad in London and can be reached at faryal. jafri@tufts.edu.

4

THE TUFTS DAILY | ADVERTISEMENT | Tuesday, October 4, 2016

1/4

tuftsdaily.com

1/8

1/2

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

ARTS&LIVING ALBUM REVIEW

Bon Iver’s ‘22, A Million’ packs a punch with experimental sounds, personal narrative

by Eran Sabaner Arts Editor

Back when ending TV episodes with dramatic music montages was not considered cliché and lazy, mainstream culture was all about exploiting indie music.

Millions of college students across the world depended on music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas as their guru — the obscure band or the quirky singer-songwriter they “discovered” could only get approval from others if it was featured in “Grey’s Anatomy” (2004-present) or “Gossip Girl” (2007-2012). This period of indie music — which consisted of a bunch of sub-genres that did not make any sense (baroque pop? anti-folk?) – also marked the dreadful beginnings of the Starbucks-hipster culture.

In 2007, Bon Iver came along and started a quiet revolution with his

debut “For Emma, Forever Ago” (2007).

Bon Iver’s debut gallantly saved a genre that was on the verge of death, as it fit the criteria of a “Grey’s Anatomy”like hit while also sounding fresh and exciting. “For Emma, Forever Ago” was an extraordinary indie album with a guitar-centric sound and poetic, tender lyrics “Can’t you find a clue / When your eyes are all painted Sinatra blue” that were never deemed too sentimental.

Lead singer Justin Vernon showed vulnerability not only through his songwriting skills but also through his voice.

His murmurs, howls and occasional use of auto-tune defied indie music conventions at the time.

Nine years later, Bon Iver is stirring up the indie scene once again with “22, A Million,” which was released on Sept. 30. While the progression in Bon Iver’s sound is hardly surprising,

fans of the band know that Bon Iver has been experimenting with a more electronic sound lately, as evidenced by recent collaborations with Kanye West (“Hold my Liquor” (2013)), James Blake (“I Need A Forest Fire” (2016)) and Francis and the Lights (“Friends” (2016)). These collaborations set the tone of “22, A Million,” which is heavily processed and daringly experimental yet also strangely personal.

Consisting of 10 tracks, “22, A Million” is not a very lengthy album, keeping up with the tradition of Bon Iver’s previous albums. All song titles have numbers in them, and they are written in weird combinations of upper and lower case letters as well as symbols and even emojis. The album opens with “22 (OVER S∞∞N),” a track that see BON IVER, page 6

Big screen, big prospects: Oscar hopefuls hit theaters

by Jocelyn Contreras Assistant Arts Editor

At long last, fall is here and while this arts editor is as excited as the next student for seasonal drinks and darker shades of lipstick, there is another, more exhilarating phenomenon that is simultaneously coming up. No, not cuffing season — Oscar season.

While any film released in the previous calendar year is eligible for award consideration, it is no accident that the top contenders always seek a fall release.

That way, the films are fresh in the Academy’s mind when nomination voting commences on Jan. 5, 2017. Instead of scrambling at the last minute to find screeners for the films that dominate the 89th Oscar Sunday on Feb. 26, 2017, people can prepare ahead of time so as to not miss out. Here’s a snapshot of the upcoming releases. Remember, being

called “Oscar-bait” isn’t inherently a bad thing — these films just have to try a little harder to wow.

“The Birth of a Nation,” directed by Nate Parker – Oct. 7 This film currently has more controversy surrounding its release than any other film this season because of Director and Writer Nate Parker’s involvement in a legal case, of which he was later acquitted. Many people have trouble looking at “The Birth of a Nation” without letting the creator’s past influence it, but that is not to say that the film hasn’t impressed audiences so far. Back in January, its run at the Sundance Film Festival was highly successful, leading to a record-breaking bidding war amongst competing distributors. The film depicts Nat Turner, a slave who led an uprising in 1831. Despite the controversy swirling around the film’s director, it’s definitely still in the running.

“Jackie,” directed by Pablo Larrain – Dec. 2 Larrain’s “Jackie” is marketed as presenting the story that “was never told.”

Considering that Jackie Kennedy has been portrayed no less than 19 times since 1977 on TV and film, that’s a hefty goal to take on. Larrain’s “Jackie” is the latest attempt to shed new light on this character. If anyone is qualified for the challenge, it’s Natalie Portman.

Portman steps into this revered cultural figure’s shoes during a four-day period of her life that chronicles the devastating assassination of her husband and the grief that followed afterward.

Considering how almost every Oscar ceremony praises one biopic or another, it’s safe to bet that “Jackie” will be no exception.

see OSCARS, page 6

FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES

Nate Parker, who also directed the film, stars as Nat Turner in “The Birth of a Nation.”

5 tuftsdaily.com

Tommy Gillespie The Reel World

Homecoming

T

he Homecoming football game and all its associated festivities over the weekend got me thinking, strangely, about America’s Heartland and the cinema that portrays it (often patronizingly, I might add). I don’t know — something about alumni “coming home” to see old friends and watch a football game just brings up in my mind a movie (and TV series) like “Friday Night Lights” (2004). It is worth mentioning that after the book and film came out, the citizens of Odessa, Texas — the town that the film is based on — turned against it, calling it inaccurate and opportunistic. Also interestingly, Connie Britton’s role as the football coach’s wife carries over from the movie, where she portrays Sharon Gaines, the wife of Billy Bob Thornton’s Coach Gary, to the TV series, where Britton portrays the wife of Kyle Chandler’s Coach Taylor.

That’s a tangent that interests me especially, as I had an interesting conversation in Tisch the other day (while I was supposed to be working, oops) about how women in film (and television, but especially film) are often treated as an afterthought. I’m having a little fun imagining the all-male Hollywood execs in a boardroom having that conversation: “Won’t it be a little confusing that we have the same actress from the movie but a different actor to play the husband?” one would ask. “Nonsense! This is a show about football! There are no women on a football field!”

On that same note, when I saw the movie “Sully” (2016) recently, the wife of Tom Hanks’ title character, portrayed by the amazing Laura Linney, literally only appears in the movie in phone conversations with Hanks’ character. Mind you, this is not some Jane Doe; this is Emmy-winner and Oscarand-Tony-Award-nominee Laura frickin’ Linney, and she appears exclusively in her kitchen, on the phone with her husband. I almost laughed out loud in the theater, then got a little sad.

The “wife on the phone” trope has, thankfully, been expertly skewered by the supremely funny Amy Schumer.

On a recent episode of her show “Inside Amy Schumer” (2013-present), she did a sketch in which the Academy Award for Best Actress is renamed “Academy Award for Best Talking on the Phone” because no actresses are ever given anything else to do. Schumer’s no-nonsense style of comedy, in my opinion, perfectly suits college students. We’re too sleep deprived and overworked to wait through the entire Ministry of Silly Walks; we’re instead here for comedians like Schumer who take the convoluted nonsense of society and hilariously expose it. And, to avoid offending the entire campus, I would like to clarify that I in no way meant to insult the comedy of Monty Python.

Tommy Gillespie is a first year who has not yet declared a major. Tommy can be reached at thomas.gillespie@tufts.edu.

6

THE TUFTS DAILY | Arts & Living | Tuesday, October 4, 2016

tuftsdaily.com

Bon Iver’s third album innovates once more BON IVER

continued from page 5 features a sample of Mahalia Jackson’s “How I Got Over (Live)” and a delightful Destroyer-esque saxophone solo. The lyrics of “22 (OVER S∞∞N)” tell of some sort of spiritual awakening, which is a concept investigated throughout the album. The song skillfully blends Bon Iver’s signature acoustic sound with a more experimental and electronic one.

It is clear why Bon Iver chose the track to be a promotional single, as it perfectly demonstrates the new direction the band is taking.

The second track, titled “10 Death Breast,” is more synth heavy, and Vernon’s voice is unrecognizable with processors. This version of the song is noticeably more tense and louder than the extended version released last month, with swifter beats and less structure.

At times, synthesizers make it difficult to understand Vernon, and his voice deliberately cracks in some of the songs.

This is most evident in “29 #Strafford APTS,” which sounds more like an American Idol audition gone wrong when Vernon cries “paramind” and “canonize” in the chorus. Yet, his peculiar, detuned hollers convey the same admirable vulnerability Vernon demonstrated in “For Emma, Forever Ago.” Even with heavy uses of synthesizers and samples, Vernon is able to sound poignant and honest.

The highlight of the album is the five-minute track “8 (circle).” Reminiscent of Chet

DANIEL JORDAHL VIA FLICKR

Bon Iver performed in Stockholm on Nov. 4, 2011.

Faker’s “To Me” (2014), the song is arranged in a convoluted yet effective way, featuring strong vocals by Vernon, refreshing brass sections and a quiet synth beat.

“00000 Million” closes the album on a bitter note. Musically, the piano-cen-

DALE ROBINETTE COURTESY LIONSGATE

Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling play star-crossed lovers in “La La Land.”

Films hit silver screen in time for Oscar season, vying for accolades OSCARS

continued from page 5 “La La Land,” directed by Damien Chazelle – Dec. 9 Following the successful reception of “Whiplash” (2014), Chazelle’s latest film is about the budding relationship between a musician and an aspiring actress who fall in love in the magical land that is Los Angeles. Starring one of the most lauded on-screen couples, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, this film will undoubtedly snatch up some well-deserved nominations. Bonus: It’s a musical, and if there’s one thing the Academy loves, it’s a musical that knows how to pull at heartstrings.

“Hidden Figures,” directed by Theodore Melfi – Jan. 13, 2017 (wide release) “Hidden Figures” was adapted by Margot Lee Shetterly’s nonfiction book of the same name. The film tells the often-dismissed story of Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe), three African-American women who worked at NASA during the Space Race.

Their work made it possible for America to reach incredible milestones, and this film is meant to lift the veil and celebrate these women. Melfi’s last film “St. Vincent” (2014) received positive reviews, so people are primed and ready to give “Hidden Figures” the attention it deserves.

tric track is the most acoustic offering on the album. A harrowing track overall, “00000 Million” ends with Vernon singing, “Cause the days have no numbers / Well it harms it harms me it harms, I’ll let it in.”

“22, A Million” is another hit for Bon Iver. Refreshingly original yet not too experimental as to repel fans, the album will surely satisfy music lovers of all kinds and shape the future of indie music.

Tuesday, October 4, 2016 | Comics | THE TUFTS DAILY

tuftsdaily.com

Comics

LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY Sophie: “You guys are moraless worms.”

Comics

SUDOKU

DOONESBURY

BY GARRY TRUDEAU

Difficulty Level: Printing out your resumé at Halligan before the Career Fair.

Monday’s Solution

NON SEQUITUR

BY WILEY MILLER

CROSSWORD

WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD? —

Because the GPS told her to.

Find your way over to our new restaurant in Medford Square ...use a GPS as needed. cnrguys.com 617-903-8538

64 Salem St, Medford

Monday’s Solution

7

8 tuftsdaily.com

Opinion

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

EDITORIAL

Reassessing unpaid internships As the job market becomes more competitive, students must find new ways to differentiate themselves from their peers.

Unpaid internships have long been a way for college students to gain exposure to the types of work they would like to do in the future without a financial commitment on the part of the company hiring them. However, these internships are notorious for being fancily-packaged excuses for companies to have their menial labor completed for free. Tasked with duties like fetching coffee and making copies, interns do not always gain the insights they are seeking.

Despite consistent controversy over labor laws and unequal opportunity, student demand to gain coveted work experience has kept the institution of unpaid internships strong.

What many companies may not realize, however, is what they would stand to gain by paying their interns. Companies with paid programs attract top talent in the long run because they demonstrate respect for workplace rights and treat even their lowest-level employees well, which indicates good company

culture. Companies would also reap the benefits of a more diverse workforce if they financially supported their interns rather than sent the subtle message that only wealthy students should apply. There are wider economic benefits to paid internships as well – taxes are paid on interns’ incomes and they amount to sizable sums. Ross Perlin, author of “Intern Nation: How to Earn Nothing and Learn Little in the Brave New Economy,” estimated in 2012 that 1.5 million internships are filled in the United States each year, with roughly half of them being unpaid.

Still, despite the obvious benefits to paying interns, many companies have remained stubborn in their insistence on continuing unpaid programs.

Consequently, it has fallen to universities to assist students both financially and academically as they enter this unpaid pre-career workforce.

At Tufts, the Career Center offers 40 to 50 grants each year to students in need of funding for unpaid summer internships or internships that do not pay enough for housing and living costs during the sum-

mer. Nevertheless, many students are left fund-less and can consequently experience great financial strain and difficulty with finding affordable summer housing. Some who cannot sacrifice a paid summer job for a mere stamp on their resume may even be forced to give up prestigious unpaid internship offers to find paid summer jobs instead.

Additionally, some of Tufts’ academic departments require students to pay the university in order to receive academic credit for their internships. For instance, the Film and Media Studies Program requires that students enroll in the summer course FMS99 for a fee of $2,525 in order to receive full academic credit for a 12-week internship. Instead of helping students benefit from work and academic experience, this financial requirement puts a much greater burden on students who may already be struggling to pay living expenses during their internship in addition to their year-round tuition back at school.

Other universities across the country have expanded and revised their

internship grant programs in response to an increasing number of concerns regarding financial hurdles and unequal opportunity. For example, last year, students at George Washington University (GW ) led a successful effort to start offering discounted academic credits for internships. GW has also offered an average of 90 internship grants per year since launching its internship fund in 2013 and has fundraised more than $200,000 in donations from alumni, parents and trustees.

Tufts should use exemplar programs like this as an incentive to expand our own internship programs. Not only do internship grants help students find successful careers after graduation, but they also decrease financial strains and create equal opportunity within a system that has traditionally excluded less wealthy students from career opportunities. Until companies realize that it’s about time to overhaul this outdated unpaid internship concept, universities like ours should be doing all they can to assist students through the financially-straining path toward a career.

CARTOON

BY ALLIE MEROLA

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 oped@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.

Tuesday, October 4, 2016 | Opinion | THE TUFTS DAILY

Opinion OP-ED

Syria’s healthcare crisis

by Ashrita Rau Last Friday, Sept. 30, marked one year since Russia began to deploy airstrikes against Syria. The Russian government claims that the strikes are necessary to keep Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in power. The United States, which supports rebel troops and is against Russia’s and Assad’s regimes, has also enacted airstrikes against the country. The U.S. has conducted 5,068 airstrikes against Syria since 2014. While the “great power” countries duel, the civilians are paying the price.

Airstrikes are, according to the governments who launch them, supposed to target military troops and fighters and/ or terrorist groups. However, because it is extremely difficult to limit the target area of an airstrike to just one person or one building, airstrikes can have devastating effects on the civilian populations.

Airstrikes have shattered the population of the Syrian city of Aleppo. UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Justin Forsyth said just this week that “the children of Aleppo are trapped in a living nightmare.”

Unfortunately, that might be an understatement. Within the two weeks following the ceasefire, more than 1,700 bombs have been dropped on Aleppo; according to a statement from UNICEF, 96 children have been killed and more than 200 others injured.

Those who are injured have nowhere to turn. As a result of airstrikes and the war, hospitals have been forced to close their doors. Currently, according to Dr. Abu Waseem, the manager of a Doctors

Without Borders-supported hospital in Aleppo, all intensive care units are full.

This means that patients in need of treatment are forced to wait for others to die before they can be given help. Hospitals are also extremely understaffed, with doctors being forced to work more than 20 hours a day in order to help those who are suffering.

It seems as if the situation could not get any worse. However, another major problem that the few doctors and hospitals left in Aleppo are facing is the fact that hospitals do not have the supplies they need to treat their patients. The entire city of Aleppo is under siege and humanitarian convoys attempting to deliver supplies are attacked.

Hospitals also struggle to help people because even neutrally-led hospitals have become targets for bombings. In April, a bombing of the Doctors Without Borders-supported Al Quds hospital killed 55 people. There was an attempt to continue the hospital, but it was bombed again in August.

Just this past week, two other hospitals located in Aleppo were damaged so much by bombing that they were forced to close their doors. This should not be happening.

According to UN Resolution 2286, passed this May, hospitals should be granted a protected status in conflict zones.

As a member of the UN Security Council, Russia should be complying with the rules and resolutions laid out by the United Nations. Its failure to do so has prompted a desperate plea from Doctors without Borders Director of Operations Xisco Villalonga, who said, “The ruthless,

brutal bombing must stop and urgent measures need to be put in place to allow the evacuation of the severely sick and wounded to areas where they can access adequate medical care. Anything short of this is confirmation of what many fear — that the world has abandoned the people of Aleppo.”

The crisis faced by the residents of Aleppo is both heartbreaking and frustrating, but there are a few things that you can do to help the situation. The most obvious solution to getting people out of Aleppo would be giving them the right to take refuge in other countries. Canada has done a tremendous job of this. They plan to resettle about 44,000 total refugees (not just from Syria) by the end of 2016 and have started a program which allows private citizens to house and take care of refugee families.

The United States, in contrast, has reacted to refugees with fear and anger.

To encourage U.S. acceptance of refugees, you can sign this petition advocating for the resettlement of refugees in the United States. You can also donate to Doctors Without Borders, which currently runs more than 150 hospitals and health centers throughout Syria.

Editor’s note: If you would like to send your response or make an op-ed contribution to the Opinion section, please email us at tuftsdailyoped@gmail.com. The Opinion section looks forward to hearing from you.

Ashrita Rau is a first-year majoring in international relations. Ashrita can be reached at ashrita.rau@tufts.edu.

The Tufts Daily wants to hear from you!

Have a problem with our coverage?

Upset about something happening at Tufts or in the community?

The Daily welcomes all thoughts, opinions and complaints from all readers. Have your voice heard!

Send op-ed submissions, 800-1200 words, to tuftsdailyoped@gmail.com.

9

Jake Lawicki Jumbo Steps

I

Cosmic

recently had dinner with a first-year whom I first met last semester while volunteering for the Jumbo Days overnight hosting program. I wanted to check up on him, firstly because I wanted to see how he was enjoying Tufts thus far, but more importantly because I know freshman year can get a little dicey around this time of year.

I asked him how he was handling some of the first-year hurdles I’d gone through. We discussed his locational transition from our native California, his social battle to develop new yet meaningful friendships and his academic fight to stay ahead of his 18-billionpage-long to-do list. I was happy to hear that he was holding up excellently. And when we talked about his current concerns toward feeling over-extended, overwhelmed and a little lost, I tried to assuage him.

I validated his feelings by sharing similar ones I had during my freshman year. I wanted him to know he was not alone. I wanted him to know I’d always be an ear to talk to or a shoulder to cry on, not just because we’re friends but because I want to be there for him, just as my father was there for me this time one year ago.

It was particularly difficult navigating my way through last year, being so physically apart from my father, my source of advice and comfort. I spent many nights on the phone with him, recounting whatever personal or academic obstacle was weighing me down at the time.

While the subject and nature of each phone call varied, he always ended (and continues to end) each conversation similarly. It’s always something along the lines of, “Go outside tonight and stare at the sky.

Find the moon. Focus on it. It’s the same moon I’m looking at tonight. I know this is frustrating and difficult for you right now, but know that I am with you. All you have to do is look up and find the moon.”

My first-year friend was curious to see what Wren looked like on the inside, so I showed him my suite after dinner. He peered around our common room, marveling at the spaciousness and “homeyness” Wren suites are known for. I then showed him what my room looks like.

All of a sudden, he’d stopped talking, which struck me as out of the ordinary (he’s a most talkative and sociable fellow). After asking if everything was alright, I learned why he was so silent: “I’m taking mental notes on how you decorated your room. I need some inspiration — my room is so bare!”

He’d actually already seen the majority of my current room décor that one night he’d spent in my Tilton double for Jumbo Days last semester. But, in fairness, I did add some new wall art, like the tapestry that hangs at the head of my bed.

I wonder if he noticed the moon hidden on it.

Jake Lawicki is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. Jake can be reached at jake.lawicki@tufts.edu.

10

THE TUFTS DAILY | ADVERTISEMENT | Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Health DARE to beWeek Healthy Give It A Try.

Wellness Week October 3-7th Give It A Try.

Get organized and feel instantly better.

Take 10 Minutes to Relax Today

11:00am­11:45am Drop­in International Social Dance Academic Quad (near Jumbo statue) 11:00am­2:00pm Five Minute Stress Strategies Campus Center 2:00pm­2:45pm Drop­in Kathak Dance Tisch Roof 3:30­4:30pm Yoga Tisch Roof 7:30­8:30pm Zumba Harleston Hall Lounge

Giveaways! Come Early!

Campus Center

11-2pm

Do it for

Your Sanity ss Le

Stress is the #1 Factor in Academic Disruption Eliminate stress so that you can dominate the books

ss re

St

Stop by the Academic Resource Center's booth for study tips.

Take 10 Tuesday!

Visit go.tufts.edu/healthyliving

tuftsdaily.com

Tuesday, October 4, 2016 | Sports | THE TUFTS DAILY

S p o rts

Cross country looks to build upon skills of senior co-captains MEN'S XC

continued from back The 8,000-meter course proved to be a fast one, which was a contributing factor to the team’s multiple personal records. The difference between both O’Connor’s and Nichols’ times on this course and the earlier course at Bates were about 70 seconds each.

Only the team’s top 10 runners competed at this invitational. The non-scoring runners impressed with their times as well. Sophomore James Gregoire

ran 26:19, with classmate Christian Swenson right on his heels at 26:20.

Sophomore Tom Doyle’s time of 26:43 was sandwiched between junior Sam Little’s 26:21 and sophomore Rory Buckman’s 26:54.

Looking forward, the team hopes to get as many runners as possible closer to hitting the 25:40 mark. According to Little, the Jumbos would also like to start taking better advantage of the particular courses they are running, seeing as they will continue to face fast courses

in the upcoming weeks.

“As a team, we are continually building on each performance so that we can have our best races at the end,” Little said. “It’s super exciting to have [Nichols] and [O’Connor] run so well early on in the season because we know we are going to keep getting better from here.”

The Jumbos will compete next weekend on Oct. 8 at the James Earley Invitational at Westfield State University.

Tufts works to grow from experience racing Div. 1 teams WOMEN'S XC

continued from back closely together. Tufts started out slowly as a group and then accelerated as the race continued, using the sight of runners from other teams ahead of them to gain momentum.

Bettez felt that the strategy would be even more valuable against slower competition, as the fast start from other Div. I runners made some of the Jumbos exert too much effort in the beginning in an ill-fated attempt to keep up with them.

“For me personally, I feel like it was a really good experience … I’d never run in a race that was that competitive and that fast, so that was really good. As a team, we did well. We would have liked to do better in comparison to Williams, but it’s also really early in the season so it’s hard to tell,” Bettez said. “The purpose was going in to have that experience …

I’ve been told that this race is similar to how nationals feels. So, [we were] going in to see where we stand when we face off against better competition.”

In the lower-ranked Paul Short Brown race, Tufts (1:51:27) was out-timed by rival No. 23 Middlebury (1:50:06) but ran better times than No. 3 Johns Hopkins (1:52:31), the major rival that Tufts was looking to beat, and NESCAC rival No. 21 Amherst (1:52:36).

Next week, the Jumbos are competing in the James Earley Invitational on Saturday at Westfield State University, where they hope their experience racing against Div. I teams will help them finish even better.

11

Nicky Shapiro Under the Lights

I

Going, going…

f a baseball cracks against a bat in the middle of a cold October night and nobody in the 18-to-34-yearold demographic hears it, did it really happen?

That’s the question that Major League Baseball (MLB) commissioner Rob Manfred and executives of “America’s pastime” across the nation have to be asking themselves this week, as MLB postseason play begins today.

The term “America’s pastime” is fitting because baseball cannot seem to escape its past — which may be for the best, because the present and future of what was once this country’s most popular sport looks pretty grim.

At the peak of baseball’s modern popularity, the 1986 Boston Red Sox-New York Mets World Series averaged 36.4 million viewers — the most people to watch a baseball series in the last three decades. Since that point though, World Series ratings have fallen off a cliff at a shockingly consistent rate, hitting rock bottom in 2012, when the San Francisco Giants’ four-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers averaged just 12.7 million viewers nationwide.

That drop can’t be explained by young people following games on social media either. Every sports league has a millennial-driven Twitter account. NBA Twitter followers? Twenty-three million. NFL followers? Twenty million. Baseball? Six million.

Further proof is that baseball playoffs are now America’s third most popular playoffs by TV ratings, especially among the young people who dominate the social media landscape.

In many ways, this is explicable: Baseball’s long games and slow speed are essentially the antithesis of social media – 140 characters cannot do it justice.

But for all its shortcomings and all of the legitimate issues that have been put under a larger microscope in recent years (length of games, a steady decrease in run production and pace of play), the product that league executives have at their hands to market their sport, particularly in the playoffs, is of an extremely high quality.

Everything is relevant in the last third of a postseason baseball game, from the minutiae of a manager’s strategy to how a pitcher grips the seams on the baseball to how loud a stadium’s crowd can get in its effort to distract the visiting team’s players. The high-stakes, high-pressure situations baseball playoffs foster are unmatched in any other sport, no matter how big the game.

If a Hollywood executive wrote a script looking to create as much drama as possible, their final draft would end up looking a lot like the seventh through ninth innings of a playoff baseball game on a late, chilly Autumn night.

That’s why, for the many people who care about baseball’s survival, its gradual fall from cultural relevance is so maddening. The game is being played as well or better than ever within the same framework that led to so much success in previous decades. Yet, popularity continues to plummet.

Baseball has already lost a generation of fans. If it doesn’t figure out the reasons why, many more will follow, quite possibly spelling the end of a sport once seen as immortal.

Nicky Shapiro is a first-year who has not yet declared a major. Nicky can be reached at nicholas.shapiro@tufts.edu.

12 tuftsdaily.com

Sports

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY

Nichols and O’Connor shatter Tufts record at Paul Short Invitational

by Savannah Mastrangelo Contributing Writer

With nine out of the 10 competing runners breaking personal records at the Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh University, men’s cross country displayed vast improvement in placing 25th out of 38 competing teams. Tufts finished with a total score of 748.

Both senior co-captains Luke O’Connor and Tim Nichols broke not only personal record times but also program records. Nichols ran a 23:58, smashing the Tufts program record for the 8,000-meter race and O’Connor ran the second-fastest time in program history at 24:24. Nichols placed 14th overall and O’Connor placed 47th overall out of the 336 runners who competed. In the two races they have competed in this season, Nichols and O’Connor have placed first and second respectively for Tufts both times.

Nichols earned NESCAC Men’s Cross Countr y Performer of the Week honors for his performance. This was the third weekly honor of Nichols’ college career, as he was previously honored for cross country on Sept. 19 this fall and for track and field on April 11 this past spring. “[Nichols] was leagues ahead of me from the start, which I was fine with,” O’Connor said.

“Because it was such a top-

heavy race, I was at the end of the lead pack and I just thought to myself, ‘I’m going to keep going, keep pushing and go as fast as I can.’ While racing I actually didn’t know my times at all, and I was just doing my best to move up through the field.”

Iona College clinched first place with a total team score of 34 points, as four of their runners ranked within the top 10 overall. Georgetown placed second with 115 points, Adams State netted 142 points for third place and University of Pennsylvania clinched fourth place with 146 points.

Tufts’ success at the Paul Short Invitational is a promising forecast for the rest of the season, considering the high caliber of talent that competed there.

“We just knew that it would be a really good chance to go out and have some really fast times because historically, it has been a really fast course,” O’Connor said. “At this invitational, we competed against the best competition we are going to see until nationals, maybe even better than that.

We were all just going out gunning for the best times we could and really just taking in the experience.”

The third scorer for Tufts, sophomore Andrew Doherty Munro, beat his personal record by almost a minute, running a 25:54 and placing 217th overall. Sophomore Dylan

Jones was Tufts’ fourth finisher, running a 26:08. Senior Michael Caughron was Tufts’ fifth at 26:10. While the team was happy with the improv-

ing times of each runner, it still hopes to narrow the gap between the second and third finishers. This is an adjustment the team needed to make last

year and did so successfully.

They are confident that they will be able to do it again. see MEN'S XC, page 11

ANNIE LEVINE / THE TUFTS DAILY

Senior Luke O’Connor races toward the finish at the NESCAC championship in Middlebury, Vt. on Oct.1.

WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY

Jumbos race Div. I teams at Paul Short Invitational

by Arman Smigielski Contributing Writer

COURTESY ALYSSA RIVAS

Senior Lindsay Atkeson races past a pack of runners at Nationals in 2014, where the team placed 16th. The Jumbos place 40th at last weekend’s race.

Women’s cross country placed 40th out of 45 teams in the Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh University on Oct. 1. Competing against Div. I programs, No. 6 Tufts was one of only three Div. III cross country programs in the race; the others were No. 5 Williams and No. 28 SUNY Oneonta.

Most other Div. III teams who were invited to the race were placed in the Brown race, while the Jumbos competed in the Gold. One of Tufts’ top runners, senior tri-captain Samantha Cox, was absent for the race.

Yale won the race, finishing with 92 points, ahead of Georgetown’s second-place 119. The University of Pennsylvania and the University of West Virginia tied for third with 127 points and the University of Florida finished fifth with 175. Williams finished ahead of Tufts in 23rd

place overall, while SUNY Oneonta finished one spot behind the Jumbos in 41st.

Head coach Kristen Morwick felt that the team faced competition that was out of its league.

“This was the second year we’ve done [the Gold division of the invitational], and this year the competition was even stronger,” Morwick said. “It would be like our basketball team scrimmaging UConn.”

The team ran as a consolidated pack, with all Tufts runners finishing the race within a minute of one another. The Jumbos were again led by junior Brittany Bowman, who finished with a time of 21:56 and placed 174th. Bowman has led Tufts at every meet so far this season. Sophomore Natalie Bettez ran seven seconds behind her teammate and set a personal record with a time of 22:07, earning 193rd place. Senior tri-captain

Alice Wasserman was the third scorer for Tufts, finishing in 22:19 and ranking 212th. Wasserman was immediately followed by senior Lindsay Atkeson who finished in 22:22 and placed 219th. Senior Kelly Fahey ran fifth for the Jumbos and completed the race in 22:43, arriving in 257th place.

Rounding out Tufts’ top seven were senior Olivia Dehm and first-year Gia Kim who finished with the same time, 22:52. Dehm narrowly beat out Kim for 271st place and Kim placed 272nd. Junior Margot Rashba finished with a time of 23:07 and was unplaced.

The Jumbos have worked on their new pack strategy for the past few races, and although they did not place high in this race, running in a pack seems to be paying dividends since all the runners placed so see WOMEN'S XC, page 11