The Tufts Daily - Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Q&A: New anthropology and WGSS professor Sarah Luna shares her interdisciplinary interests, goals see FEATURES / PAGE 2

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

Jumbos set the pace at weekend meets

You better Believe it: Cher’s new album proves that she still has the chops see ARTS&LIVING / PAGE 3

SEE SPORTS / BACK PAGE

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VOLUME LXXVI, ISSUE 18

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Tuesday, October 2, 2018

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Friends, family celebrate Jolie Dion-Gottfried’s life

by Jillian Rolnick

Contributing Writer

After Jolie H. Dion-Gottfried’s unexpected death on Aug. 7 in her hometown of Portage, Wis., friends and family gathered at a celebration of her life on Sept. 29 at the Interfaith Center.

The celebration commemorated DionGottfried’s activism, passion for social justice and personality. Dion-Gottfried is survived by her mother, younger brother Sam, and many other members of the family.

Sam Dion-Gottfried, her brother, remembered when his sister arrived at Tufts.

“I just remember how much of a change in her life it was coming to Tufts and how amazing it was for her,” he said.

Dion-Gottfried was passionate about social justice and involved in various clubs and activities around campus.

During her time on the Hill, DionGottfried served as a tutor for Tufts Literacy Corps, a member of Tufts Freethought Society, and a leader for Conversation Action Faith and Education (CAFE), an interfaith, social justice pre-orientation program, according to the Portage Register and Humanist Chaplain Walker Bristol.

Junior Salomon HerreraMontesdeoca, who worked with DionGottfried as a CAFE leader, shared his experience of getting to know DionGottfried.

“When we were both CAFE peer leaders, during our training, we had an

activity where we all sat in a circle and questions were asked and we were asked to stand up if that question or scenario applied to us,” Herrera-Montesdeoca said. “Right after that, we were asked to pair up to discuss a couple things with each other and, as soon as whoever was leading the activity said that, Jo just stood up and ran over to me and said ‘Hey let’s talk.’”

At the event, many attendees brought objects, such as books, flowers, pictures and cards that reminded them of DionGottfried.

Dion-Gottfried, according to her friends, was a nurturing and loving person.

“She was just so aggressively happy and enthusiastic when she was around people,” Herrera-Montesdeoca said.

“Every time I would see her around we would just run at each other and hug one another.”

Maya Velasquez, who had DionGottfried as her CAFE leader, also spoke to Dion-Gottfried’s character, citing the time Dion-Gottfried had brought Velasquez and her friends a box of food during the first week of school.

“She was a really, really special person,” Velasquez, a sophomore, said.

“She had so much love to give everyone.

The last time I talked to her she called me a ‘radiant galaxy.’”

Dion-Gottfried was also passionate about the Humanist community at Tufts, according to Bristol, who described how Dion-Gottfried would spend much of her time in the Interfaith Center,

COURTESY WALKER BRISTOL

A smiling Jolie Dion-Gottfried is pictured. often just dropping by to talk, relax or do work.

“She gave so much energy, her and her peers who were the leaders in that group, trying to make it possible to capture the very complicated feelings that non-religious people might want out of a community,” Bristol said. “I was always very grateful for the energy she put into that.”

Bristol added that Dion-Gottfried was enthusiastic about exploring and understanding other faiths and religions, citing that at one point, DionGottfried had a goal to visit a different religious community every week and

to compile a calendar that listed all the religious holidays for the month.

“She cared a lot about the idea of going to new places and learning about communities different from her own,” Bristol said.

Dion-Gottfried also often looked outside of Tufts to the broader community, according to Bristol.

“She was a very giving person and someone who cared so much about justice and joining other people on whatever journeys they are going on,” they said. “She knew a lot of people and connected with a lot of people who weren’t necessarily part of the Tufts community.”

Pollsters discuss upcoming midterm elections, youth voting trends

by Talia Protos

Contributing Writer

Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, director of the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life, and David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, shared insights on current trends in youth voting at a panel entitled “The Midterm Elections and the Youth Vote” on Sept. 26 in the Alumnae Lounge.

Tufts Democrats, Tufts Republicans, Tufts Cooperation and Innovation in Citizenship (CIVIC) and JumboVote co-hosted the event with Tisch College as part of a series aiming to galvanize the Tufts student body for the midterm elections, according to George Behrakis, president of the Tufts Republicans. He also moderated the conversation.

Behrakis, a junior, began by asking about youth voting trends. Kawashima-

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Ginsberg responded that many political organizations, especially those that are Democratic or non-partisan, have seen an uptick in youth voting, and are consequently investing more in engaging young voters.

Kawashima-Ginsberg went on to suggest ways to make sure young people are showing up to the polls, including through the implementation of automatic mechanisms for voter registration.

Behrakis then asked if there were issues that particularly inspired young people, noting the youth-led response to the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. Kawashima-Ginsberg noted economic issues were especially important for young people with variations across racial groups.

“What’s important varies by people’s background,” Kawashima-Ginsberg said. “For Hispanics, immigration was a top issue; for Asian-Americans it was

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education; for [African-Americans] it was race relations.”

Young people are not only catalyzed by the issues, but the candidates themselves, Kawashima-Ginsberg said, noting that young liberals in particular have been energized by minority candidates.

“I think it’s about being able to listen and reflect the priorities that actually come in an authentic way from young people, who often feel trivialized in political debate,” Kawashima-Ginsberg said.

While pull factors this election cycle may be bringing young people to the ballot box, the current political system is still not entirely conducive to engagement, according to both Kawashima-Ginsberg and Paleologos.

They noted that young voters feel alienated by the polarization between political parties. Paleologos cited a survey statistic showing that 60 percent of non-voters felt that neither major political party aligned with their views and that a third party should be introduced to American politics.

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Izzy Essman, a first-year who attended the discussion, said she thought Tufts political groups chose rightly to focus on the youth vote at this event.

“I’m excited to see how these groups continue their voter outreach,” Essman said. “I would love to see them do more educational programming for voters who aren’t sure what the issues are or who they support. Making sure young people understand why they vote the way they do is just as important as getting them to vote.”

In the remaining weeks before the midterm elections, the Tufts Democrats and Tufts Republicans, working again with CIVIC and JumboVote, plan to host a columnist from The Boston Globe to talk about the role of mass media in politics, as well as Beth Myers (J ’79), who served as both Mitt Romney’s chief of staff during his governorship and his campaign manager during the 2008 campaign, according to Behrakis.

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FUN & GAMES.........................5 OPINION.....................................6 SPORTS............................ BACK

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Features

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Q&A: Sarah Luna, newly-hired professor of Find your niche anthropology and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies

Henry Stevens The Weekly Chirp

Features Editor

Sarah Luna, the first-ever Kathryn A. McCarthy, J45, AG46, Assistant Professor in Women’s Studies, is one of the 35 newly-hired professors in the Schools of Arts and Sciences and Engineering who arrived at Tufts this fall. Luna, whose research focuses on sex work, migration and borders, and race and ethnicity, sat down with the Daily to share her experiences as a professor and researcher.

Tufts Daily (TD): You have a dual appointment in the anthropology department and the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program. Have you found that there is flexibility and support for your interdisciplinary interests?

Sarah Luna (SL): Yes, I’ve definitely found that there are many opportunities for overlap here. I’ve been in some places where the lines were much more rigid, and even in the classroom [in other universities], I’ve taught classes that were cross-listed between the two departments where there would be conflicts between the students from these two disciplines because they had been so separate in their training. But here, I actually find that those discussions go a lot more smoothly, and I imagine that it must reflect students’ experiences in other classes.

TD: What drew you to anthropology?

SL: It was actually my first semester of college that I decided I wanted to be a professor and that I wanted to be an anthropologist; then I just went in that direction. I did my bachelor’s at the University of Texas, San Antonio, which is where I’m from, and then I went straight to grad school at University of Chicago. In undergrad, I was inspired by a couple of classes and professors.

I hadn’t even heard of anthropology before I got to college, but I took some classes and I found that they caused me to rethink and question everything I understood about the world at that point, which to me was a really transformative experience. I admired my professors so much and I felt like they had changed my worldview, and I wanted to give that opportunity to other people. Now I don’t think of what I do in quite those terms, but at the time it was influential in my decision to become an anthropologist.

TD: Within the discipline of anthropology, what is your specialization, research focus or areas of interest?

SL: As an undergraduate, the other thing I became very inspired by was gender and sexuality studies, so I was

an anthropology major and a women, gender and sexuality studies minor. My focus, which I developed more in graduate school, is on the U.S.-Mexico border, so my first book project, which I’m working on now, is based upon a year of ethnographic research in a Mexican border city about sex workers and missionaries who migrated there and who met in a prostitution zone surrounded by walls. The book is about relations of love and obligation, and issues of value in a Mexican border city in a time of increased violence during the drug war. That’s the first project and what my research has been about mostly. So far, I’ve been interested in issues of sex work, migration, border lands, racial and national distinctions. Missionary work and queer theory informs my work as well. I plan to do another book project about sex worker activism in Mexico City, as well as a book about whiteness and exercise culture in the United States.

TD: What path did you take to get from your Ph.D. to Tufts? What brings you here now?

SL: I graduated [from University of Chicago] in December of 2013, and then I had two post-doctoral positions: one as a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Houston in the Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Program; then, at Davidson College, in the Latin American Studies program.

So I’ve moved around a lot and gotten to teach at different kinds of places.

[In deciding to come to Tufts,] I was really impressed by the faculty and the students, and I have found that I have overlapping research interests and concerns with many faculty members, so I think there are a lot of great opportunities for collaboration. I’ve found [Tufts] to be a very welcoming environment, intellectually rigorous, but still kind and welcoming. So far I’ve been really impressed by the students.

TD: What are you teaching this semester?

SL: Right now I’m teaching a course called “Sex and Money: Anthropology of Sex Work” and next semester I’m going to be teaching an anthropology of race and racism seminar. The course this semester looks at anthropological approaches to not only sex work, but also other kinds of intersections of sex and economics, different kinds of monetized sexual exchanges in a variety of contexts throughout the world.

The class for next semester is something I’ve taught a version of years ago at [University of California, San Diego] and I had 100 students in my class,

so it was a very different atmosphere; this will be much smaller and seminar style. I’m interested in looking at both anthropology’s historical relation to race and racism, as well as anti-racism, and then looking at different instances of constructions throughout the world and there will be, I think, a somewhat heavy focus on whiteness, both in the U. S. and other contexts because of my ethnography; I’m seeing the course as an opportunity to think through my research.

TD: Do you have any specific goals or things you hope to accomplish within your first year at Tufts? What are you most looking forward to?

SL: My biggest goal at the moment is to finish the revisions of my book manuscript. This year, it’s a really nice opportunity that I’m able to teach two classes in which I can really teach and talk to students about these materials that I’m in conversation with in my research [and] that I find to be helpful for [my] teaching too. I also look forward to meeting more students and faculty members, and getting to know Tufts better.

TD: Beyond your research interests, what’s something people might not know about you?

SL: I’m part of a conceptual art project that makes music, called Kegels for Hegel. We write raunchy and ambivalent love songs to philosophers; well, we’ve always called them philosophers, but not all of them [are] technically — more so important thinkers. We have songs to Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Darwin — which I think we haven’t recorded yet — but then we just wrote one to Gloria Anzaldúa, and we have music videos also that can be found on YouTube. We make most of our songs in GarageBand, I do sing in some of the songs and we sometimes perform live, but it’s a collaborative project so with each song we collaborate with different academics or artists or just people who want to write a love song to a philosopher. It’s fun to play with some of these ideas; I think the first one to Hegel is the catchiest, but one of our most recent ones to Anzaldúa, I love more at this moment because we were able to film in Houston and incorporate a lot of Texican imagery. What I love about the project is that it allows for collaboration in a more playful way with creative people I know; the fact that it’s generative, but not properly work, is important to me.

Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

ION OF STA IAT TE OC

TERS RES FO

Henry Stevens is a senior majoring in biology. He can be reached at henry.stevens@ tufts.edu. Interested in birds? Email Henry at tuftsornithologicalsociety@gmail.com.

by Jenna Fleischer

NATIONAL A SS

P

ut simply, a niche is the ecological role a species plays in its environment. Think about the classic backyard birds and the niches they occupy — American robins hop around on the ground hunting for worms, downy woodpeckers drill holes in trees extracting insects and house finches crack thick seeds in their powerful bills. If you live somewhere like the tropics, the increased availability of resources leads to a higher quantity of occupiable niches. With more available niches, more species can coexist. And once two species start to utilize the same resource, they attempt to avoid competition by specializing on one part of that resource over years of evolution, effectively dividing — or partitioning — that niche. (For example, a hummingbird eats the nectar of a flower, while a tanager eats the insects on or around the flower.) This is one of the leading theories explaining the marvelously diverse array of species present in these ecosystems. Twenty species of shorebirds can happily coexist on the same mudflat because their unique bill lengths and foraging strategies target different invertebrates living just below the surface. Mixed flocks exceeding 30 species of Amazonian songbirds can hang out in a fig tree together gulping down insects, flowers, berries, fruit and lizards, among other things. It makes me wonder — do we, in our modern, civilized world, partition niches too?

Modern human societal structure differs from that of the natural world in that we compete for jobs instead of resources.

However, the end game is extremely similar.

Birds compete for resources so that they can reproduce and survive, and we compete for jobs in order to secure economic stability, and subsequently, support our families.

With this framework, we absolutely partition niches. Think of all the career options that exist today, and the various pathways through which to approach them. Now, think back to all the things your grandparents told you about how times were simpler back when they were your age. As much as I hate admitting it, they were right — majoring in computer science or Russian weren’t options because those economic niches hadn’t been developed yet. With an ever-increasing population and subsequently higher competition for traditional jobs, people suddenly needed ways to generate an income, which led to specialization in career paths. In this sense, innovation and modern technology are simply a product of niche partitioning.

Interestingly, our niche partitioning occurs entirely within the realm of one species, us humans, instead of how it occurs naturally in the wild — between species.

This distinction emphasizes our remarkable ability to occupy a range of niches, and introduces the concept of a “realized niche,” or the niche a species actually occupies in an environment, which can be different from the niche it is supposed to occupy in an ideal setting. You may graduate with a degree in economics, but after 2 years in the field, realize you have a calling as an ornithologist. This is an example of how your realized niche can shift through time, and provides some insight to the overall process of life. What is the goal of life, you ask? Find your niche!

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ARTS&LIVING

Timeless pop icon Cher releases perfect ABBA cover album ‘Dancing Queen’

You’re (not) welcome

Y

VIA FLICKR

Cher sings in Ottawa, Canada, on her ‘Dressed to Kill Tour’ in 2014.

Assistant Arts Editor

Pop icons come and go — their domination of the music industry is usually marked by a few hit singles, successful tours and then a Las Vegas residency (just look at Lady Gaga).

Many stars follow this formula, but rarely do they ever match their peak success later in their career — other than Céline Dion, but that’s because she’s the best vocalist of all time.

Yet, it seems that because pop music is always changing (and sometimes dead), it can be difficult for artists to adapt. Welcome the true exception to all of this: Cher.

Cher’s career began alongside her then-husband Sonny Bono as part of the duo Sonny & Cher. Sonny & Cher sold 40 million records worldwide in their decade as a duo.

The two divorced in 1975, but Cher’s solo career began long before that with the release of a cover of Bob Dylan’s “All I Really Want to Do” in 1965. Cher’s string of solo albums continued with her absolute disco-bop comeback album “Take Me Home” (1979), and her first Las Vegas residency at the Circus Maximus at Caesars Palace from 1979 to 1982. (Her second residency was also at Caesars Palace in 2008. When will your favorite ever?)

Top this all off with her “Living Proof: The Farewell Tour” (2002–05), one of the highest-grossing concert tours of the 2000s, and Cher is truly a talent. She has changed style almost more than anyone: from rock to disco, and even 90s pop with Auto-Tune galore. She has made comeback after comeback, re-infiltrating pop music long after anyone thought she was a threat.

It’s with this success that Cher is one of music’s top acts. She is constantly changing her persona, her look and her sound. Unlike many artists, Cher has remained relevant. In a changing music landscape, that’s difficult. Her career spans from the 1960s to the 2010s, and she’s the only artist ever to have a number-one single on a Billboard chart in each of those decades. Think of her as a female David Bowie — after all, the two did sing together on an episode of Cher’s variety show “Cher” (1975).

Music is far from her only passion. Cher is a chameleon at heart, involved in television, comedy, philanthropy, producing and acting.

For her performance in “Moonstruck” (1987), a romantic comedy, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress — Gaga, there is hope.

In 2010, she starred in “Burlesque” alongside Christina Aguilera. Sure, Aguilera’s performance was okay — it was Aguilera doing her usual throat-screaming with many “yeahs and woahs” — but Cher stole the show. She seems to do this often, especially in 2018’s “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.”

This was Cher’s return to film and to the forefront of pop. “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” featured the ensemble cast viewers fell in love with after seeing “Mamma Mia!” (2008), but Cher’s new character was a fan favorite. She played Ruby Sheridan, the mother of Meryl Streep’s character and the grandmother of Amanda Seyfried’s. The moment Cher, rocking a white pantsuit with silver-framed sunglasses and a platinum blonde wing, steps off her private helicopter is a moment that simply saved the film industry, gave all audiences clear skin and brought fashion back.

Ruby isn’t exactly loved in the film, but her rendition of “Fernando,” a song about her ex-lover in Mexico, is simply one of the highlights of the film. With this, Cher is a welcome addition to the Mamma Mia! cinematic universe — next stop, a solo film, please!

Now, as Cher embarks on her “Here We Go Again Tour” to celebrate her performance in “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again,” she also has dropped some exciting music: a new studio album titled “Dancing Queen” featuring 10 ABBA cover songs. The album is everything anyone has ever wanted, and a reminder that the queen of Twitter can do whatever she wants and still be successful.

The album opens with the eponymous “Dancing Queen,” one of ABBA’s biggest hits. Cher’s cover retains the authentic fun of ABBA’s original song, but updates it with fresh and exciting vocals. “Gimme! Gimme!

Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” is the album’s highlight banger; this song inar-

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James Ray The Starving Aesthete

ALBUM REVIEW

by Christopher Panella

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guably slaps hard. It’s perfect for the club, with Auto-Tune Cher filling the song with fun and excitement.

After the first two bops, Cher takes a breather, glossing over ABBA hits “The Name of the Game” and “SOS.” The two are great listens, and showcase that even at 72, this diva has still got it. “Dancing Queen” picks up at “Waterloo,” which Cher does better than anyone, even ABBA. It’s loud, rambunctious and the world’s best history lesson. (Napoleon did, in fact, surrender at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Factually correct historical references are appreciated.)

“Mamma Mia,” Cher’s next ABBA cover song, is absolutely gorgeous. The only thing that would have made it better would have been a duet with Meryl Streep — these are the things to wish for. The album’s highlight comes on with “Fernando,” which was the third single from the soundtrack of “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.” It is a sweeping hit, with a great chorus. “Fernando” can only possibly be topped by “One of Us,” the final song on the album. There is so much to say about “One of Us,” but to sum it up, it is the perfect sob-worthy end to the album.

Sonically, “Dancing Queen” is a fresh, hot take on ABBA, perfect for any occasion.

Whether a wine night or an ABBA-themed birthday party, Cher’s memorable lyrics and dance-pop vibe rooted in traditional ABBA fun make for the perfect cover album. The songs are not too off-course from the original hits, but just different enough with a touch of pizzazz.

Cher’s ABBA cover is everything it should have been and more. There are bangers, slow songs, whimsical acoustic numbers and true sentiment. She truly chose an excellent variety of songs, and that can be difficult with ABBA’s extensive list of bops. Like almost everything she does, Cher’s latest venture is a surefire success. It keeps the same soul she’s known for, but it’s modernized for 2018’s clubs and parties. In this way, “Dancing Queen” is a solid reminder that Cher is still here, still rocking, and simply put, the goddess of pop music no one deserved.

ou’ve been working at the deli for three years now. The pay is garbage, but the hours are decent. An older man comes up to the counter and puts in his order. “No problem,” you reply. Suddenly, disgust. A snarl erupts across the man’s face. He begins to berate you for your poor manners. You attempt to apologize, but it’s too late — the Boomers have heard you. They begin to move on your position, crawling on all fours across the walls and ceiling, glasses kept in place by those weird beaded straps. You panic, run for the exit — but to no avail. The last thing you see is the flash of crochet needles piercing your flesh as a dozen pairs of golf shoes drive your skull through the floor.

The phrase “You’re welcome” has always been a sticking point in cross-generational relations; it’s been falling out of fashion since the sixties, and by this point the only young people using it are those who have had it firmly impressed upon them by their elders.

While Baby Boomers bemoan the failing manners of today’s youth in the same way old people always have, there’s a tinge to this particular bemoaning that seems, if not novel, at least novelesque. Not only is the omission of the phrase considered discourteous, but in the cultural cosmogony of the soon-to-be elderly, it’s taken as a sign of the end of days and the final judgment of man.

While the forms this argument takes are often theatrical and ill-conceived, they contain a kernel of truth: no one talks anymore. Or, rather, people talk less. But, not being a Luddite, I have sought an alternative explanation for this state of affairs.

As a rising tide of automation and computerization decreases the value of specialized labor, less and less of the exchanges of goods and services which are the backbone of cultural commerce require the input of human judgment. The purchase of a McDonald’s hamburger is not an artisanal form inflected upon by both employee and customer through negotiation and specification; it’s a mechanized process which requires little to no specification of intent.

“You’re welcome” is a phrase constructed to suit capitalist modes of production.

When a person uses the phrase, they are saying “I have provided a service for you, which you could not have provided for yourself — you are therefore in my debt, a debt of which I absolve you through the completion of the ritual phrase.”

However, virtually anybody can put a McDonald’s hamburger in a bag and hand it over a counter — and to claim, even implicitly, a debt on the part of the customer beyond the monetary is mildly absurd. So “You’re welcome” has been replaced with many things, often “No problem,” which suggest a different kind of customer-employee relationship, one in which the services rendered are simple enough to constitute not a gift given, but a basic tenet of decency.

So, next time you get a glare from your grandmother as you pass her the gravy, tell her to get with the times. You’re on the right side of history.

James Ray is a senior majoring in political science and film and media studies.

James can be reached at james_m.ray@ tufts.edu.

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Tuesday, October 2, 2018 | FUN & GAMES | THE TUFTS DAILY

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F& G

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LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY Aidan: “I hope this column’s nice and long. I like my columns nice and long.”

FUN & GAMES

SUDOKU

LINDA C. BLACK ASTROLOGY

Libra (Sept. 23–Oct. 22)

You can learn what you need for the job. Don’t believe everything you hear. Stick to tested routines and practices. Re-check suppositions against new data.

Difficulty Level: Getting at least an hour of sleep the day before your midterm.

Monday’s Solution

CROSSWORD

Monday’s Solution

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Aneurin Canham-Clyne Red Star

Feudalism and the futurist mindset

T

ech billionaires are your worst enemy. There is nothing progressive in the commodification of all your time, attention and information.

In fact, growing sectors of the digital economy are at the forefront of authoritarian, anti-democratic politics in the United States.

This form of politics includes Elon Musk’s determination to exclude unions from his factories, Jeff Bezos’ surveillance and abuse of workers and desire to privatize early childhood education and Mark Zuckerberg’s power to censor and destroy media outlets.

Then there’s Peter Thiel, a feudalist who runs a private wing of the surveillance state which is a key part of the deportation racket.

Such policies are often sold as part of a dynamic individualist solution to all our social problems, properly termed “capitalist futurism.” But social and ecological crises cannot be solved by a few hundred thousand electric cars or breaking teachers’ unions.

They are often caused by union-busting and privatization in the first place. Apps instead of schools and a cocktail bar on Mars are whimsical fantasies when the actual solution to climate catastrophe and social crisis is simple: mass public investment in renewable energy, infrastructure, redistribution programs and less carbon intensive forms of industrial production. We don’t need billionaires; we just need each other.

Tech isn’t a solution — it’s a meaningless word used to make production seem forward thinking. But such a worship of wealth and capital is symptomatic of a social death cult, one which sees no end to its crisis, save escalation. The differing lines of thought, from Musk-worship to anti-humanism, all uplift charismatic individuals, property and privilege. Though some types of futurists do challenge the extant political order, they usually do so as implacable foes of democracy and defenders of a social order which can only save those who can pay. Billionaires ideologically reproduce the status quo. So long as the economy is controlled by the rich, technological advance can only deepen the exploitation of natural resources and labor.

There is no such thing as green capitalism, no such thing as humanistic capitalism. There is only reaction cloaked as progress.

The behavior of tech firms reveals the anti-labor, anti-human heart in capitalist futurism. Uber has never proved its business model to be sustainable, as the company rarely turns quarterly profit, but it broke the taxi industry by deliberately violating regulations until we all just gave up on enforcement. Tesla routinely fails to meet production targets and abuses its workers. Yet, its cars, running on a coal and natural gas grid, are held up as symbols of a bright future.

Finding new ways of doing things worse is not revolutionary.

In the end, the worship of tech billionaires is not an issue of individual morality, or technology conflicting with humanity, or barren minimalism. The problem remains the fundamental clash between those who work and those who own. Those who own have found a language that lets them play God, and helps them claim the fruits of our labor come from individual genius. It’s important to remember how laughable, pernicious and cruel they are, or else, they may just reshape the world in their image.

Aneurin Canham-Clyne is a senior majoring in history. Aneurin can be reached at aneurin.canham_clyne@tufts.edu.

Opinion

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

OP-ED

Why voting Yes on 3 is crucial to Massachusetts’ future

by Ben Rutberg As college students, it is our duty to be the voice of the younger generation. We have the power to shape our future by the way we vote in elections. We will be living with the results of this November’s election far longer than the rest of the voting population, so it is especially important that we stand up for what we believe in.

For me, and I hope for you as well, that includes voting yes on ballot question 3 to uphold transgender protections in Massachusetts.

I love my state. I grew up in a small town in Massachusetts, and I am grateful for the life and the opportunities that my state has given me. When I went to Tufts University and came out as transgender and non-binary, I was overwhelmed by the support I received from my friends and my school.

Even in true-blue Massachusetts, however, not all transgender people are as lucky as I am. I have seen firsthand how anti-trans discrimination can devastate someone’s physical and mental health, and as soon as I learned that there was a ballot question that threatened to legalize discrimination against transgender people, I knew that I had to do everything I could for my trans friends and loved ones in this state.

When the Massachusetts legislature overwhelmingly passed and Gov. Charlie Baker signed the transgender non-discrimination law back in 2016, it was a major victory for our state. Specifically, for the transgender community, this law made us feel heard, accepted and safe in the Commonwealth. It showed the rest of the nation that Massachusetts is a state that treats its citizens equally with dignity and respect, regardless of their gender identity.

Rolling back these protections would completely change the landscape of our state, and ultimately, our country. The United States looks to Massachusetts as a model for progressivism, especially when it comes to civil rights. We were, after all, the first state to acknowledge and legalize the right of same-sex couples to marry. If we decide to vote no and repeal protections for transgender individuals in Massachusetts, the message we send to the rest of the nation is that it isn’t important to treat transgender people with dignity and respect.

The anti-transgender activists making the case for the no vote are using scare tactics to try to convince the public that by protecting transgender people from discrimination and harassment in public spaces, particularly restrooms, the safety of women and children is in jeop-

ardy. That just isn’t true. Since the law was implemented two years ago, there has been no increase in safety incidents in restrooms. Safety in restrooms is important to all of us — including transgender people. Harassing people in public facilities remains illegal and those who commit crimes are prosecuted, as they should be. The law protecting transgender people from discrimination hasn’t changed that.

That’s why the state’s leading safety officials – including the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association and the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence — support this law.

For most citizens in Massachusetts, this law does not affect them. But for people like me, it means the world. I urge you to make sure that you are registered to vote in Massachusetts in time for the November midterm, and that you vote Yes on 3 to uphold transgender protections.

For more information on how to get involved on campus, please contact the Yes on 3 Campus Vote Director Kim Nguyen at kim@freedommassachusetts.org.

Ben Rutberg is a rising senior studying community health. Ben is a team organizer for Yes on 3 and can be reached at brutbe01@tufts.edu.

CARTOON

BY RUIJINGYA 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.

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Sports

Tuesday, October 2, 2018 | Sports | THE TUFTS DAILY

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Jumbos post varied performances at weekend meets CROSS COUNTRY

continued from page 8 Having five top-30 performances was a great result for the team, and they hope to continue this success throughout the season. Barnett remarked on the team’s hopes for the season.

“I think good things are coming for our team. Our team is looking strong this year,

we’ve been doing really well. We have some good solid [first-years],” Barnett said.

Also running for the Jumbos were sophomore Melissa Rowland (24:23) and junior Ann Roberts (24:31), who rounded off the team’s top seven. Other runners also equally impressed: sophomore Cameron Rusin (24:32), first-year Lucy Tumavicus (24:43), sophomores Maura McCormick (24:44) and Johanna Ross

(24:45), first-year Alex Walter (25:00), sophomore Hannah Nelson (25:15) and first-year Heidy Acevedo (25:22) all finished in the top 100 of the nearly 250 runners competing.

The women’s team will also be running at the All-New England Championship at Franklin Park on Saturday. Barnett said that the team will be looking for another strong performance.

“We’re going to go practice and basically do the course on Tuesday,” Barnett said. “Our mentality for this race and the whole season is to stay positive and stay healthy, because injuries are so common with running. It’s important to take care of ourselves and make sure that we’re the best we can be, prepared for race day. It’s important to work as a team and use each other as motivation. We’re a really strong team, so we’re really ambitious to win.”

Volleyball takes Hamilton, Williams down after shaky performances last week VOLLEYBALL

continued from page 8 momentum prevailed as they ran away with the match, handing Tufts a 25–16 defeat. Junior and senior co-captains Maddie Stewart and Mackenzie Bright, both outside hitters, led the Jumbos with 11 kills each.

The weekend prior, following a threegame losing streak against Endicott, Bowdoin and JWU, the Jumbos bounced back to beat Roger Williams 3–0 in the second contest of the JWU Invitational in Rhode Island. Tufts came out strong in the first set, earning the first two points by taking advantage of an early error and a kill from junior middle hitter/opposite Christina Nwankpa.

The Jumbos held the lead for the entire set with a final score of 25–14. The Hawks made an attempt at a comeback in the beginning of the second set, scoring the first three consecutive points, but the Jumbos quickly responded and started to pull away, eventually taking the set, 25–18. The final set solidified the win for the Jumbos as their domination continued, and they clinched the game with the third set victory, 25–14.

Earlier that day, Tufts fell to JWU in four sets, 18–25, 25–16, 25–19, 25–19. Tufts took the first set, leading JWU by as much as nine points later on in the set. Set two proved to be more back and forth with both teams going on long scoring streaks.

In the third set, the score deficit was much smaller as both teams remained one or two points from each other. The Wildcats found an opportunity to pull away from the 11–11 tie after a Jumbo error and went on to widen the deficit to three points, holding a 14–11 lead. The Jumbos did not regain the lead for the rest of the set, which the Wildcats took, 25–19. The fourth and final set was a battle. With a kill from Desler, the Jumbos trailed the Wildcats 19–21, but the Wildcats pulled away, scoring four consecutive points to take the set and the game.

Last Friday, Tufts faced Bowdoin in its third conference game of the season, losing in five sets. This is the first NESCAC regular season match the team has lost in 24 consecutive conference games, with the previous loss — to Middlebury — dating back to Oct. 31, 2015. Set one against Bowdoin proved emblematic of the following sets as the teams remained within one or two points of each other up to the

final points. Tufts eventually took the first set 27–25 with an ace from junior outside hitter Brigid Bell.

The Polar Bears responded to early points from the Jumbos in the second set and took a five-point lead. The Jumbos were unable to crawl out of this deficit, and the Polar Bears won the set 25–20 to tie the game 1–1. Tufts then dominated the third from the start, eventually winning the set by 11 points, thus leading Bowdoin 2–1. Bowdoin responded by taking an early lead in the fourth set, but Tufts closed the gap, fighting back to just a one point deficit at 17–16. The teams battled for each point after Bowdoin regained a small lead, but an ace from senior libero Lisa Sheldon of Bowdoin brought the match to a decider.

The Jumbos dominated the start of the fifth and final set taking an early twopoint lead and extending the lead to five points, bringing the score to 10–5. Tufts held the lead for the majority of the set, but was unable to cash in on its advantage as Bowdoin caught up at 13 points.

The visitors then made Tufts pay with two quick kills from Bowdoin first-year outside hitter Allyson Hawkins, winning the final set 15–13 and clinching the victory.

NIMEP The New Initiative for Middle East Peace

General Interest Meeting

Wednesday, October 3, 12:00pm IGL/96 Packard Ave NIMEP is a collaborative research group studying the Middle East and North Africa. NIMEP is a non-polemical, student think-tank and outreach initiative devoted to exploring progressive solutions to historic and emerging conflicts in the Middle East.

NIMEP works to foster understanding of the MENA region in the Tufts community through hosting events and bringing experts to campus. NIMEP’S annual research trip provides an opportunity to conduct independent research in the MENA region. Past research trips have been to Egypt, Iraqi Kurdistan, Israel/Palestine, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.

Against Endicott on Sept. 18, Tufts fell in four sets despite impressive individual efforts from Holz and Bell. Bell had 15 kills — her individual best on the season — and Holz had eight kills. The Jumbos lost the first set by just two points, but responded quickly in the second set, dominating the Gulls, 25–13. The following two sets were close, but the Gulls clinched both by three and two points respectively. The fourth and final set was a battle as the teams were tied from the 21st through the 26th points. With a kill from the Gulls and a Jumbos error, the Gulls took the set and the game.

“Win or lose, our team is always looking for progress,” coach Cora Thompson told the Daily in an email. “Each contest is an opportunity to improve together. We remain focused on the present moment and passionate about bettering our overall game against the strongest opponents. This weekend we certainly bettered our game.”

The team looks to continue its progress tonight against UMass Boston before another double-header weekend with matches against NESCAC rivals Amherst and Trinity on Friday and Saturday respectively.

Sports

8 tuftsdaily.com

David Meyer Postgame Press

Nearing redemption for Tiger

T

his is a follow-up to a column published on March 14, in which I wrote about Tiger Woods in the Valspar Championship, where he placed second after a great round of golf.

I wrote then of comebacks, but now I have more to write about: redemption.

Tiger had a spectacular fall from grace in both his golfing achievements and his public persona. In 2009, he was caught cheating on his ex-wife Elin Nordegren — often. Soon after, the public turned against him for his actions, and then his golf play — which could have saved him some face — also fell. After winning six majors in just five years, he failed to win another event for the next two years.

Woods was also plagued with injuries.

Everything was falling apart for him.

He started coming back in 2012 and 2013, but faced a setback with an injury in 2014. Since then, it has not looked so good. In Aug. 2017, he was arrested for driving under the influence. All of this seemed to spell disaster and the end of the Tiger era.

Flashback to my article on March 14. Tiger had just finished a tournament and he actually looked like the old, prime Tiger in the later rounds. I wrote: “He had a shot to send the tournament to a playoff on the final hole but fell short. Still, this was huge for golf fans.

The fallen prodigal son showed glimpses of a return.” He did not win the Valspar then, but this past week, Tiger Woods has gotten himself another major championship win — his 80th. Finally.

He came back from the depths of one scandal, fell into another, fought through injuries and came out a victorious 42-year-old golfer. This win was more than a comeback, though. This was redemption.

Tiger is an interesting case because after all he had done, many people were still cheering for him. Tiger had a massive fall from grace, but when he stepped out on the course, a lot of people still wanted him to win. They wanted to see the greatness of Tiger Woods. This greatness was nowhere to be seen. So when he came out at Valspar and golf fans saw that he still had some more juice left in him, it was all the more exciting. With his win, people saw the man who had defined a sport for them regain his status as a champion.

This is not to ignore what has changed. While his play was important in defining his comeback, his attitude is what made it redemptive. The New York Times published an opinion article about how Tiger is different, saying “more than ever he’s showing he’s also a human being.” Redemption needs change. It needs kindness. From appearances, it seems like Tiger is trying to redeem himself both on and off the course. I hope those appearances are real and that he keeps becoming a better man and golfer.

The world of sports loves a good comeback, but it loves redemption even more.

David Meyer is an assistant sports editor for the Daily. David is a junior studying film and media studies. He can be reached at david.meyer@tufts.edu.

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Cross country teams make strong strides in competitive races

by Tom Burnham

Contributing Writer

Both the men’s and women’s cross country teams ran at meets this weekend with mixed results. Nevertheless, both teams look to draw important lessons from the meets heading into the All-New England Championship.

The men’s cross country team competed in the Paul Short Run at Lehigh in Bethlehem, Pa. on Saturday, competing with 33 Div. I and seven other Div. III schools. The team finished 40th overall in the 8K Gold race, with a score of 1040, beating out only Hofstra’s score of 1054.

Tufts posted an average time of 26:30, but Utah State’s average of 24:46 and score of 77 secured them the best performance overall.

According to official results, senior co-captain Brian Reaney held the Jumbos’ best time of 26:15. Finishing right behind him was fellow senior co-captain Dylan Jones, with a time of 26:16. Overall, Reaney and Jones placed 187th and 189th respectively.

“I was happy with the race,” Reaney said. “I feel like it was an improvement from last week, which was also a pretty good race for me, so it feels good to feel that I’m chipping away at the times. I think I’ve been doing a good job moving up through [the] race.”

Also running in the top seven for the Jumbos were seniors Hiroto Watanabe (26:35), Colin Raposo (26:39), Rory Buckman (26:43) and Andrew Doherty Monro (26:56) and sophomore Peter Horvath (26:47). Firstyears Phillip Hempstead (27:49) and Neerav Gade (27:12), along with senior Tom Doyle (26:59), ran for the Jumbos as well.

Reaney said that the team knew going into the race that they would be facing tough competition, since they were seeded in the Gold event this year, rather than the Brown event of last year. All but seven of the teams at this year’s Gold race were Div. I. Reaney added that while the course was flat, it was muddy, which slowed their pace.

Although the team did not place highly overall, Reaney was still satisfied with the team’s showing, especially as they plan for the rest of the season.

MADELINE OLIVER / TUFTS TRACK AND FIELD

Junior Ann Roberts (left) and sophomore Melissa Rowland (right) stride to the finish line at the Purple Valley Classic in Williamstown, Mass. on Sept. 22.

“Something that’s cool is that we were focusing on Middlebury and Amherst who are seeded above us right now, [and] we’d love to be able to beat [them] at the end of the season. We didn’t come as close to Middlebury as we wanted to, but we did fairly well against Amherst in terms of where we were last week, so we’re going to look to keep moving up on them,” Reaney said.

Looking forward, the men’s team will be competing at the All-New England Championship at Franklin Park on Saturday.

Reaney says that the team hopes to test out its members who did not run at the Paul Short Race, including newer members of the team and runners coming off injuries. The team hopes to gain some experience on the course, because the NESCAC Championship will be held there on Oct. 27.

Meanwhile, the women’s team continued its successful season this week, putting up a strong performance at the Maine State Meet Invitational at Bowdoin on Saturday.

The Jumbos placed third with a score of 89 in the 6K race.

Of the 18 schools competing, only Brandeis and Bates beat out Tufts, with scores of 39 and 43 respectively.

Several Jumbos had excellent days. Junior Lydia Heely led the team with a time of 22:50, finishing eighth overall to spearhead the team’s success. Senior Olivia Barnett crossed the finish line shortly after, finishing 16th overall with a time of 23:22, despite this being her first race coming off an injury.

“It was a good race. This was my first race of the season because I broke my foot last season, and I had to get surgery in January, so I wasn’t able to run until June,” Barnett said.

“So I took some time off at the beginning of the season, and we decided that I would race this weekend. My strategy was to be conservative and not go too hard, and save myself for the rest of the season. I went into the race just wanting to get through it. I haven’t raced in 10 months, so it felt really good. I didn’t push myself too hard, I felt like I had more left at the end, which is good. It made me super excited for the season and what’s in store.”

Finishing 19th overall was senior Jennifer Jackson, who put up a time of 23:25. Coming in 22nd was sophomore Alexandra Wolf, with a time of 23:31. Sophomore Olivia Martin finished 26th with a time of 23:39. see CROSS COUNTRY, page 7

Volleyball bounces back from losing streak to defeat two NESCAC opponents

by Savannah Mastrangelo and Haley Rich Sports Editors

After a week of uncharacteristic defeats, Tufts got back on track this weekend with two strong NESCAC wins over Hamilton and Williams.

On Saturday, the Jumbos dueled against the Williams Ephs (7–7) in Williamstown, Mass. The match started off tight, with the teams splitting the first two sets. Tufts took the first 26–24 and conceded the second to Williams, 19–25. The Jumbos then ran away with the third set with a decisive 25–13 win thanks to aggressive offense. The squad used this momentum to dominate the fourth set 25–15 and claim the match victory, improving their record to 9–6. Sophomore libero Sophia Acker led the Jumbos with 23 digs, and first-year opposite Cate Desler earned 14 kills of her own.

“Our discipline was the highlight of [the] game against Williams,” junior libero Madison Clay told the Daily in an email.

“We came into [the game] with a specific plan for defense that called for some adjustments and we executed the plan perfectly. Also, our serving today was some of our best.”

The night prior, the Jumbos traveled to Clinton, N.Y. to face the Hamilton Continentals (4–7) for their first match of the double-header weekend. Tufts captured the match in four sets, winning 25–17, 25–6, 21–25, 25–20.

Tufts’ recent resurgence came on the back of some tough losses previously, which Acker believes helped the team to re-focus.

“Last week’s [earlier string of losses against Endicott, Bowdoin, Johnson & Wales (JWU) and Wellesley] was definitely a wake-up call for us,” Acker told the Daily in an email. “We shifted to a more gritty, determined mentality and focused on communication. We used our losses as a learning opportunity to change our technique and come out with more fire and execution this weekend.”

Earlier in the week, Tufts faced off against Wellesley (10–1) on Wednesday night. Tufts started off strong, pulling away with a 14–7 lead to start. However, Wellesley responded with aggressive play and numerous aces to claw back, resulting in a tight first set. The teams tied up at almost every point between the 18th point and the end, but a kill by Desler iced the exciting set for the Jumbos 29–27.

Although Tufts started with a promising 6–1 lead in the second set, a seven-point streak by Wellesley proved that it would be just as tight as the first. Dominant kills

by Wellesley senior middle hitter Yasmine Reece proved to be too much for the Jumbos, who fell in the second set, 25–23.

With the match tied up at two sets apiece, the third set ramped up in intensity, with Wellesley edging out Tufts to win, 26–24. Finally, in the fourth set, Wellesley’s see VOLLEYBALL, page 7