The Tufts Daily - Thursday, November 16, 2017

Activist wants students to organize and ‘change the world’ see FEATURES / PAGE 3

SPORTS FEATURE

The rise of college football: Tufts, Dartmouth

‘Kiss’ co-director hopes audience will feel Syria’s distance after seeing film see ARTS&LIVING / PAGE 5

SEE SPORTS / BACK PAGE

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VOLUME LXXIV, ISSUE 48

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Thursday, November 16, 2017

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Tanden and Kristol debate present, future of politics

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Neera Tanden, the president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, addressed members of the Tufts community on the state of American politics in ASEAN Auditorium on Nov. 15.

by Robert Katz News Editor

Policy advisor Neera Tanden and political commentator William Kristol discussed the state of the country and civil discourse in the Cabot Center’s ASEAN Auditorium on Nov. 15 as the final event in the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life’s Distinguished Speaker Series. The talk, entitled “Resistance and Persistence: Civil Debate in Divided Times,” was moderated

by Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and columnist Farah Stockman.

Tanden, the president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, and Kristol, a conservative and the founder and editor of The Weekly Standard, discussed such topics as the 2016 presidential election, the causes of public mistrust for the government, the future of both parties, the GOP’s current proposed tax plan and voter engagement. The two took questions from various members of the crowd as well.

The talk was cosponsored by the Department of Political Science, CIVIC, Tufts Republicans and Tufts Democrats, according to Tisch College Dean Alan Solomont.

“There may be no more pressing issue in America today than the state of civil discourse and what it’s doing to our politics and to our democracy. It’s a problem that shows up everywhere, on college campuses, on Facebook and Twitter, and in the halls of Congress,” Solomont said. “When do we uncompromisingly resist ideas that we find harmful, and when do we persist in seeking dialog and common ground?”

Among the questions posed was why both speakers felt that the 2016 presidential election ended in President Donald Trump’s victory.

“I think the inability of Washington to do anything in the last six years of the Obama

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administration … which I put completely at the feet of Mitch McConnell, did actually create a sense amongst a large swath of voters, both some on the left and many on the right, that created an anti-Washington fervor that many candidates tried to tap into: essentially, that Washington is broken and needed fundamental fixing, which to be honest is hard to argue with,” Tanden said. “Washington isn’t fixing the country’s problems.”

Kristol believed that the public’s anti-establishment feeling was demonstrated by the support of Bernie Sanders and Trump during the primaries, as they marketed themselves as insurgent candidates.

“We should have seen this coming a little more, politically,” Kristol said. “I think from a social science point of view, the fact that Bernie Sanders got 45 percent of the vote on the Democratic side and Donald Trump got 45 percent of the vote on the Republican side is the fact about 2016.”

When asked about the fate of the Republican Party, Kristol was split. “[Someone] asked me yesterday, ‘What are the chances you’ll be voting Republican in 2020,’ and I said, ‘I don’t know, fifty-fifty maybe?,'” Kristol said. “I won’t vote for Trump if he’s renominated; can you beat Trump in a primary? Could the congressional party really separate from a president of that party? That’s very rare.”

Tanden appeared to downplay the importance of fractures within the Democratic Party, citing the success of Virginia’s Governor-Elect Ralph Northam, a Democrat, as proof of the party’s cohesion.

“I think we’re learning as we’re going,” Tanden said. “I think there’s anger at everyone in the political system. The question is, [are the dissidents] a majority of your party or not?”

Additionally, Stockman brought up the topic of public dissatisfaction with the United

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States’ involvement in the globalization of free trade.

Kristol maintained that free trade, while not guaranteeing equality of outcomes, was a boon to the world and U.S. economies. Also, he attributed lowered rates of poverty and starvation worldwide over the past half-century to the growth of free trade. “[People have voted against globalization] because nobody made the case for it, because people were intimidated by the case against it, because there were people who were hurt and it’s hard to stand up to the politicians,” Kristol said. “Still, more people are benefitting than are hurt by it.”

For Tanden, while free trade can be beneficial to some, it is critical to support those who it marginalizes.

“Too many people in the democratic establishment said that trade is a win-win,” Tanden said. “That can be true and it is true.

Overall, trade is a win for the country. But lots of people lose in trade and people in the United States who lose from trade are the least capable. We give them the fewest tools.”

Among the questions asked by audience members, one was how to treat the issue of the Tufts Republicans’ request for Tufts Community

Union Senate to provide funding for former Breitbart editor Ben Shapiro to speak on campus.

Kristol believed that Shapiro should be permitted to speak once invited.

“It’s a free country,” Kristol said. “I think people’s rights should be respected once invited and it’s up to educational institutions, especially private ones to have their own rules about who can be invited and who shouldn’t.

Ben Shapiro strikes me as being way within the pale of respectability. I differ with him on some things, but the idea that he would not be permitted to speak on a campus is wrong.”

While Tanden agreed that Shapiro should be permitted to speak on campus, she also compared the situation to the response of many Boston residents to the Charlottesville, VA riots, as thousands appeared at Boston Common to counter-protest a conservative rally.

“My basic take is, in America we have to struggle with people who think very differently from ourselves and deal with that struggle,” Tanden said. “I guess it’s fine to have these people and then massively protest them. That is the right thing, which is to have massive, large scale protests against the abhorrent ideas that see TISCH DEBATE, page 2

Disaster relief event opens new period of Buddhist activism at Tufts

by Aneurin Canham-Clyne News Editor

Tufts Mindfulness Buddhist Sangha hosted a disaster relief event on Nov. 5. The event, co-hosted with Jumbo Hurricane Relief, the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life and Public Harmony, included live music, food and an open-mic.

The event, named “Disaster Relief and Compassionate Action” was meant as a response to “all the recent catastrophe” according to an email from the Tufts Chaplaincy. This includes natural disasters such as Hurricane Maria and the California fires, as well as domestic incidents such as the Las Vegas massacre, according to Sangha members.

According to Ann-Marie Lee, a sophomore and Sangha’s lead organizer, the event opens a new period of Buddhist activism at Tufts.

Harsha Menon, a graduate student active in the Mindfulness Buddhist Sangha, told the Daily that the group has ties to these disasters.

“Three of the Sangha leaders are from Northern California, and the fires came close to their homes. We realized that was another disaster,” Menon said. “We were reacting to

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those and the hurricanes, and the shootings in Las Vegas. We wanted to know what we could do collectively and put together an event to raise awareness and stand in solidarity with the people who were suffering and participate in our own healing.”

This healing process occurred through art and expression, including remarks from the events organizers, according to Menon.

Associate Director of Administration for Health and Wellness Jennifer Berrios was one participant. She shared that many of her family members live in Puerto Rico and suffered as a result of the hurricane and subsequent federal neglect.

According to Priya Sraman, the Buddhist in Residence for the Tufts Chaplaincy, this event marked a new period for the group.

“This is the first event of its kind organized by the Buddhist Sangha. This is a very young group, still,” Sraman said.

The event attempted to provide a holistic response to disaster, Lee said. The Mindfulness Buddhist Sangha invited Tzu Chi, an international Buddhist disaster see MINDFULNESS BUDDHIST SANGHA, page 2

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Tanden and Kristol discuss political climate TISCH DEBATE

continued from page 1 are becoming more and more out there. I hope that Republicans and conservatives will join those protests instead of sitting in their seats.”

Following the debate, Stockman remarked to the Daily that she found the mutual cordiality of the two speakers highly indicative of the contrast between establishment and insurgent political figures.

“To me, the fact that they agreed on so much on stage showed that were in a different moment,” Stockman said. “They’re probably more viciously attacked by people in their own camp than they are by the other side. That’s something new you’re seeing in both parties. Being people who have been in the establishment for so many years, they agree on some common rules even if they disagree on the outcome. They have a more in common than the insurgents in each party.”

Tufts Democrats President Misha Linnehan agreed that the civility of the debate stemmed from the lack of divisive issues in Stockman’s questioning.

“It’s good to hear a partisan back-and-forth that’s civil,” Linnehan said. “I’m not sure there was a lot they disagreed on. I think there would have been more disagreement if they brought

up issues that, traditionally, Republicans and Democrats disagree on, but that’s kind of hard to do in the current time where the Republican establishment that’s running Washington right now doesn’t really have the policy views of the Republicans from eight years ago.”

Linnehan felt that Kristol was much further away from current mainstream conservatism than Tanden was from mainstream liberal thought, making Kristol much less of a consistent representative of the Republican Party than Tanden was for Democrats.

“I would say, it’s pleasant to hear Bill Kristol talk and say that the current Republican administration is doing some things wrong,” he said. “I wish that Republicans on campus would reflect that dialogue a bit more.”

George Behrakis, president of Tufts Republicans, also enjoyed the debate and voiced his interest in seeing more discussions between political figures of differing ideologies.

“They happened to agree a lot tonight, but I think it’d be better going forward to also bring people who perhaps differ a little bit more on different issues and ask them more difficult questions,” Behrakis said.

Similarly to Linnehan, Behrakis believed that the agreement between Tanden and Kristol was primarily due to the ideological overlap between Kristol’s opposition to the

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William Kristol, the founder and editor of The Weekly Standard, spoke on American politics today at a Nov. 15 Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life Distinguished Speaker Series event.

Trump administration and Tanden’s support for Clinton’s run.

“Because the discussion lingered on the election and that sort of thing, which is completely fine, they sort of agreed on a lot of those issues,” Behrakis said.

Mindfulness Buddhist Sangha encourages action based on reflection

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Students gather for a weekly mindfulness meditation led by Buddhist in Residence Priya Sraman, on Monday, Nov. 14, 2016.

MINDFULNESS BUDDHIST SANGHA

continued from page 1 relief organization, to help raise money, according to Lee. Tzu Chi focuses not just on immediate relief, but also on helping out first responders who have been affected by the disaster, according to Sraman.

“The rescuers and firefighters are local people, they’ve also been affected, but they have to continue their jobs. But they often get neglected,” Sraman said. “So the Buddhist organizations try to see who is being neglected and help them as well.”

But charity was only one aspect of the event, Lee noted, and the organizers sought to create a space that allowed people to reflect on disaster.

The event was bookended by live music, performed by Public Harmony. According to Marissa Birne, a junior, Public Harmony is committed to promoting social justice and activism through music. “[Public Harmony] aligns with our commitment to using music as a means for social good,” Birne told the Daily in an electronic message. “In this case, music helped to create an environment conducive to emotional reflection and sharing.”

According to Sraman, the event was motivated by the philosophical underpinnings of

Buddhism. He noted that it reflected a commitment to mindfulness and action, motivated by compassion.

“It doesn’t matter what situation someone is in. When someone is suffering you are pulled to help them,” Sraman said.

Sraman added that compassion without action is not enough.

“If you just know that this is happening, but then you don’t do anything to prevent injustice, you’re being mindful but not being helpful. So there’s no use in that mindfulness. That’s where compassion comes in.

So you should be mindful but also kind,” Sraman said.

He noted that conversely, action without prior reflection can also be ineffective, adding that people in New England had given winter coats to clothing drives for disaster relief in Puerto Rico, which does not have cold winters.

“If the Sangha continues to be passionate, we will do more things like this in the future,” Sraman said.

Lee noted that disaster relief work is linked to larger issues of social justice.

“Disaster relief work ties directly to equity and justice, because a lot of the time disasters hit the most marginalized and underserved. If you have the ability to leave before a disaster, you will,” Lee said.

The event, which drew an audience of about 60, lasted for three hours. According to Menon, the participants created a mural to help express their pain and to come together as a community.

Lee noted that, while the lingering damage from the hurricanes in Puerto Rico was the most obvious disaster addressed by the event, the solidarity and hope expressed by the participants and organizers reflected a broader commitment to relief and recovery.

“Every disaster is a disaster in its own right and needs to be addressed that way, especially once the media dies down,” Lee said.

“It’s not that people on Tufts campus don’t feel that compassion or that need to help, I think they do. But after a while it’s just, maybe that genuine feeling only lasted for a week,” Lee said, noting that the cascade of disasters could make people numb.

Sraman noted that community-based activism, such as events like these, is a key part of Buddhism.

“Buddhism is not something you do for yourself. You do it and prepare yourself so that you are doing something for others,” Sraman said. “Whatever spiritual development you are doing is not just directed to yourself. It starts with yourself, but it always spreads out.”

Thursday, November 16, 2017

Features

Longtime activist Heather Booth teaches Tufts how to organize

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Hayley Oliver-Smith In Defense of the Butterfly Effect

The basics of solidarity

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SOPHIE DOLAN / THE TUFTS DAILY

Students join Heather Booth at the Laminan Lounge to discuss organizing for social change on Nov. 13.

by Ameenah Rashid Contributing Writer

Activist, advocate, fighter. There are many words one could use to describe Heather Booth. However, the one term that perfectly describes her career as a strategist for over 65 campaigns and life of activism is “organizer.”

At the age of 71, Booth has spent over 50 years fighting for several progressive causes ranging from civil rights to reproduction rights, to immigrants rights and many other issues in between. Time and time again she has illustrated that the power of organizing — rather than simply protesting — brings change. She brought her story and message about organizing to a roundtable discussion hosted by the Jonathan M. Tisch College for Civic Life and co-sponsored by a number of Tufts organizations. Entitled “How Can We Lead Social Change?,” the event was held in the Laminan Lounge on Nov. 13.

“I came to Tufts because it’s a seat of important education, learning and activism,” Booth said. “The students here are part of a new generation that will build a better society and I wanted to engage with them. I wanted to meet the students and learn their concerns, I wanted to share how meaningful it is to have a life in organizing, and I wanted to encourage them to organize, to build power and move it in the elections so that we can win.”

Booth’s legacy is one that began when she was a teenager attending The University of Chicago. She joined the civil rights movement in Mississippi with other students from Northern universities as part of the Freedom

Summer Project, according to a University of Chicago feature article.

“In 1964, black lives did not matter in Mississippi,” Booth said. “But because there was organizing and not just protest — there were people going door-to-door and talking to people so the base itself was built — there was a voting rights act within a year.”

Booth shared several stories of her experiences that led to her life in organizing. When a friend of hers was raped at knifepoint, only to be given a lecture about promiscuity from her university’s health services and told that student health didn’t cover gynecological exams, Booth continued her fight. Inspired by her previous civil rights work, she organized a sit-in for women’s health coverage. Due in part to this organizing, college women can now receive gynecological coverage and supportive units for rape.

“Back then when you organized, people had to answer the question, ‘Are you willing to die for freedom?’ I think the question now is not are you willing to die for freedom, but really are you willing to live for freedom, justice and respect for all? Are you willing to do the work every day? Calling people.

Knocking on doors. Passing out flyers.

Coming to events like this. Spreading the message. I’ve tried many other things in my life, and I’ve never found anything as satisfying and inspiring,” Booth said.

Booth also contributed to efforts for a woman’s right to choose. Another one of her friends discovered she was pregnant and became suicidal because she knew she wasn’t ready to have a child. This predicament and the lack of

options for women in her situation lead to the formation of the Jane Collective, a system that allowed 11,000 women to receive abortions between 1965 and 1973, according to Booth.

Along with being a founding director of the NAACP National Voter Fund, the director of Americans for Financial Reform, a training director for the Democratic Party and the founding director of a training center in Chicago called Midwest Academy among various other leadership positions described in her bio for the Midwest Academy, she also worked with U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren to pass the Dodd-Frank Act, according to a July 28 Huffington Post article.

“I had been skeptical about elections until 1980. I worked in Mississippi.

Both parties seemed not to care about what real people care about,” Booth said. “Then, in 1980 I realized how you can use elections to build organization and use organization to build elections back and forth.”

It was in Tampa where she met and worked closely with Tufts sophomore and transfer student Wylie Chang, who organized the entire event when he discovered that she would be in the Boston area.

“Heather and I worked for a campaign to combat voter suppression. We just kept in touch so closely the past year, and she’s just been a really great mentor and friend since,” Chang said.

“She was in town because there’s a documentary that was made about her this past year, and it’s being screened all across the country. Since she was see BOOTH, page 4

butterfly flutters alongside the road and a watchful eye catches it swirling in the air.

Daylight savings throws everybody’s clocks off kilter. Friends’ calls go ignored, you have looked at your phone too many times, get back to the paper.

Stress blows eyelids open and legs fold up in uncomfortable poses. Yoga classes are extra hard to come by and stretching is time better spent sleeping. The papers will be decent, worth it, but won’t land where they could, if only all that extra time had been siphoned into this Useful Thing.

A life cycle goes by for someone else.

One butterfly lays by the roadside, forever still. Another is nearby to float past.

Somewhere along the way, Pink Lemonade Rubi might lose its charm, too many days started by waking up in a pool of sweat. One minute there is dancing, music, a spot of life. All those acquaintances! The thought is hilarious. Sunday passes, and no matter what habits you promise yourself going into it, the the whole day sails by. Sun will never leave its spot in the warm blue sky, but once without warning when day breaks, it will become cold, and you will be stuffed inside and hurried along with your headphones popping out. And those vague cafeteria friends.

An eye that’s following cannot know for sure where those little wings are flying off to. Aren’t there better things to think about than butterflies? Blown in a circle, the critter fights back, still on course, as though playing a game.

Isn’t it remarkable that one can sit and quite literally peel themselves through a course in a semester and the only thing they recall in the end is Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle? More than once the reading room will be almost empty, and there will be no clue where those Sundays slipped to, who caught them. You’ll be surprised to find yourself internally shushing someone, some old friend you are!

You forgot to pin down those summer memories before they became gauzy and vague. You flew around everyone else without stopping to chase them. Make those moments land! Land the damn thing, George. There are only 15 minutes of library time remaining.

A butterfly has four wings and four life cycles on an Earth spinning faster than anyone can run or fly. One, two, three, someday you will wake up and realize your eyes have been playing tricks on you. Your contemporaries, so loud and dizzying, were just little insects on a string in the wind. Seasons reappear without asking, and deadlines you fretted over passed without incident. You will look back in autumn and realize clocks only fall forward in the end and we were together all along in the race against time. Your phone will ring off the hook while you flap and get nowhere, it’s a shame one can be reached at all times. But just remember those dancing days don’t always fall in the summer, happiness comes in twos and the eye is the first butterfly.

Hayley Oliver-Smith is a senior majoring in international relations. Hayley can be reached at hayley.oliver_smith@tufts.edu.

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Booth offers insight after 50-year-long career in social justice BOOTH

continued from page 3 already in Boston, she said she’d be happy to drop by Tufts.”

The event, which preceded an on-campus screening of a new documentary based on her life called “Heather Booth: Changing the World,” was intended to be a roundtable discussion with students rather than simply a lecture.

“We ultimately wanted to have a discussion about these issues because a lot of Tufts students care about these issues and Heather would be happy to be supportive of a lot of efforts,” Chang said. “I was amazed

by Heather’s ability to create a conversation. It felt like a conversation just by the fact that there were like 50 people here, but she was able to make it feel like people were heard. She even asked the opinion of President Monaco, which he gave. That’s something that I’ve never seen happen before and I really appreciated.”

Students were able to talk with Booth before the roundtable discussion and converse then receive feedback about their own social justice endeavors in a relatively small, quiet setting.

“One of the things I really admire about Heather is that she doesn’t really look down on people who are coming into the movement or are not there yet, and in planning this event, I wanted to make it clear, too, that it doesn’t matter to me if they were passionate organizers already or just curious,” Chang said. “Our own passion for issues doesn’t necessarily bring people

into the movements. It takes care and it takes kindness and patience to do that, and I think that’s probably the greatest thing I’ve seen Heather model through life.”

The hour-long event successfully stimulated a variety of conversations that ranged from discussion about short term versus long term organizational goals to the debate surrounding the possible arrival of Ben Shapiro to the Tufts campus.

“It is just wonderful to have people like Heather Booth come to Tufts because of our commitment to civic life and being able to have people that have had long experiences in that to share that with students who are at the beginning of their civic life,” University President Anthony Monaco said. “I think the number of students involved in politics or social justice being able to learn about her experiences in a range of different organizations and what she learned was really valuable to everyone.”

When it comes to today’s political climate and the mission of student activists working for a more just system, Booth hopes that they consider the significance of organizing in their work.

“This is a moment that many describe as a moment of resistance, and I think that’s what’s needed. I’m fully for the resistance, but it’s beyond resistance that I think we need to also consider,” Booth said. “If I could send one message to college students today, it would be: If we organize, we can change the world.”

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Thursday, November 16, 2017

THEATER REVIEW

Guillermo Calderón’s ‘Kiss’ is metatheater for the digital age

Haruka Noishiki Majors and Minors

‘Friends’ to Taiwanese opera with Karen

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COURTESY EVGENIA ELISEEVA / ARTSEMERSON

‘Kiss’ is a brilliant play-within-a-play that shows how misunderstanding cultural cues can reveal blind spots you never knew you had.

by Ruijingya Tang Staff Writer

How do we know that one’s yellow is not another’s blue? That two people agree on mangos being yellow may suggest that they speak a shared language that associates the word “yellow” with the object “mango.” However, one may not accordingly assume that these people both see the same color when looking at mangoes, because the visual perceptions that these people both call “yellow” may be vastly different.

Essentially, sharing information is not equivalent to sharing experiences. “Kiss” (2014) by Chilean playwright and director Guillermo Calderón exposes the flimsiness of intercultural understanding even in the internet-based 21st century.

The performance crew of “Kiss” in Boston consists a group of undergraduate students at Emerson College; the play is produced through the school’s theater organization ArtsEmerson.

The 90-minute play premiered in the Emerson Paramount Center on Oct. 26 and will run through Nov. 19.

Although “Kiss” stands out as the first English play that Calderón has written, it is not at all without thematic precedents. Having lost his uncle to the Pinochet regime in Chile, Guillermo Calderón has dedicated many of his plays to depicting people amidst political struggles. “Escuela” (2013) explores the legacies of a dictatorship in Chile; “Villa” (2011) contemplates the fate of sites of historical institutional crimes.

Act I centers on a supposedly western student theater troupe’s unintentional misrepresentation of a Syrian play that they find online. As audiences

walk into the theater, they will find themselves entering a sitcom-like setup, with an open living room space on stage and two televisions hanging from the ceiling. During the first act, the play immerses the audience in the troupe’s performance of the play, which they understand to be a comic and hysterically cliché melodrama about a love “quadrangle.”

In the play-within-a-play, the friend group of four, consisting of two couples, decides to watch a soap opera together one night at the house of Hadeel, one of the women. Youssif, the boyfriend of the other woman, arrives at Hadeel’s early and starts to madly confess his burning love for her.

Throughout the act, the characters, as if unable to make up their minds, constantly switch between excessively proclaiming their love and disgust for one another. They circulate throughout the tiny stage area with the swiftness of dancers. With an absurd sense of humor, the theater troupe attempts to echo a Syrian soap opera, a popular form of entertainment in Syria that seems to be able to, at least for the theater troupe in the play, somewhat unite the country culturally during its current abysmal political upheaval due to the Syrian Civil War. Little does the audience know, act I is merely a bag of popcorn to prepare them for the tragedy to come. At the conclusion of Act I, the plot takes an astonishing turn that is a gift for the audience, but a conundrum for reviewers. This plot twist is so genius that any spoiler would ruin the mind-blowing experience for future audiences, but it is also so crucial to the delivery of

the play’s central message that one can only peripherally discuss the play without analyzing the twist.

That being said, it is not impossible to examine the effects of this twist while keeping its content secret.

The twist transcends the boundary between theater and reality. In a sense, the empathy generated by theater, literally a “play” of reality, is more or less artificial. Theater audiences are fully aware of the fact that even the most emotionally powerful theater is very limited at impacting their lives.

After all, once the performance is over, the audiences can leave the story forever and continue their lives without significant change of mind. However, by bringing the characters into reality, or the audiences into the play, the magical twist in “Kiss” makes the audiences treat what is illustrated in the play as not merely a conceived story with a fixed lifespan of a few hours, but an inescapable reality that the audiences have to engage with. This allusion to the popular apathetic treatment of theater is symbolic of people’s often similar attitudes towards distant events: to most non-Syrians, the Syrian Civil War is unfortunately probably more of a combination of newspaper reports and online articles than a reality. In this way, although information about the Syrian Civil War may be thoroughly covered and easily available for non-Syrians, the Syrian experience remains incomprehensible to non-Syrians.

As David Dower, co-artistic director in the ArtsEmerson program, said, “Guillermo does not try to make you feel the plight of Syria. Guillermo makes you feel the distance.”

his is Karen Wu, a first-year from Taiwan who intends to major in international relations. She loves oolong tea, but at Dewick goes for orange jasmine green tea. Karen shared her perspective on the music scene today in Taiwan.

Haruka (H): What’s pop music in Taiwan like? What genre, and which artist, is most popular right now?

Karen (K): Eric is popular today. Jay Chou, JJ Lin and Rainie Yang are from the older generation. Everyone knows them but whether or not people listen to them is a different story. They still produce music today, though, and I like Jay Chou and JJ Lin. I don’t think there is much of a clear genre separation in Taiwanese music.

It’s either pop and ballad-type songs or straight-up rap.

H: What’s traditional Taiwanese music like?

K: Taiwanese music sounds like Chinese music in many ways. The music that is distinctly Taiwanese is Taiwanese opera, and it sounds like opera but the way they sing it is different than what you’d imagine based on Western opera. In Western opera, there are different tones. For Taiwanese opera, all the songs are sung in a way that brings up the tone at the end or drags the last syllable out. The variety of instruments we use are also distinct. There’s an instrument called the yehu that’s played like a cello but is very small. There’s also an instrument that sounds like a gong, which is used to build up suspense. The suona is a type of blowing instrument that we use for celebrations at the temple. If artists are going for a soft feel, they use a lute-like string piano.

Indigenous people’s music is gaining attention recently. They sing about nature and the homeland, and have distinct musical styles. There’s a category of music that people play for religious events, which is similar to Chinese opera in that at the end of the phrase the tone rises really high.

Most traditional music is used for theatre or for a religious purpose.

H: Is there a song that everyone knows in Taiwan?

K: Any of the Jay Chou songs. There’s also a Wakin Chau song called “Friends” (1997) that’s one of the graduation songs [everyone knows]. Other commonly known songs are from the original soundtracks and theme songs of teen flicks in Taiwan.

H: Does modern music in Taiwan incorporate more traditional styles?

K: It depends on the artist. Jay Chou does it a lot, but Will Pan doesn’t, I don’t think.

H: Is music in Taipei distinct from that of the rest of the country?

K: Not that much. Musical preference depends more on the age group, and for our generation I think the music we know is shared across the country. We don’t have many artists who sing in Taiwanese dialect, so linguistically too the music is pretty uniform. Most people sing in Mandarin, because the dialects are not used as much among the younger generation.

Haruka Noishiki is a first-year who has not yet declared a major. Haruka can be reached at haruka.noishiki@tufts.edu.

6

THE TUFTS DAILY | Arts & Living | Thursday, November 16, 2017

tuftsdaily.com

DO IT THIS WEEKEND: NOV. 17-19

by Setenay Mufti Arts Editor

With Thanksgiving and the winter holidays around the corner, we’re all starting to get restless. Until Thanksgiving break comes to the rescue next week, check out these events to tide you over — and keep you warm — this weekend.

FRIDAY “Atrium Charity Ball: Shanghai Night” Tufts Chinese Students Association (CSA) and Tufts China Care Club present “Shanghai Night,” a classy night of music, socializing, formalwear and fundraising.

Admission is free, but all are encouraged to donate $5 for the OneSky Foundation’s Loving Family Program and CSA. Inspired by the vibrant, fast-paced nightlife of Shanghai, this is a night to strike a pose in the photobooth and kick off the season of giving early.

When and Where: 9–11 p.m.; Tufts Alumnae Lounge “Maybe They’re Born With It, Maybe It’s Major: Undecided” Join Tufts’ comedy club Major: Undecided this Friday and let loose at the end of the week! The performance will feature live comedy and video sketches, as well as (we hear) some fly makeup. Come for a live, laughter-filled night in.

When and Where: 9–10:15 p.m.; Barnum 008 FRIDAY AND SATURDAY “Fall Dance Weekend” This Saturday, the Department of Drama and Dance is showing off the fruits of its labor in performances of new, exciting dance choreography, created both by students and teachers. Saturday is the last chance to see some great local talent in dance, so you won’t want to miss it! Tickets are $5 online or at the Tufts Box Office.

When and Where: 7 p.m.; Jackson Gym SATURDAY “sQ! Presents: Bread” Love a cappella? Love bread? Look no further. This Saturday, Tufts’ own a cappella group sQ! presents live singing performances all centered around the theme of bread (history, recipes, et cetera). The night will also feature Tufts BEATs (Beat Everything at Tufts) for some added flair.

When and Where: 8:15–10:15 p.m.; Goddard Chapel

SUNDAY “Women on the Verge: Short Film Program” This Sunday, the Boston Jewish Film Festival hosts “Women on the Verge,” a collection of four short films offering sliceof-life stories of Jewish women. Half fiction, half documentary, these stories show a range of experiences, settings, and even languages (with English subtitles provided).

Tickets can be found online and are $14 for students.

When and Where: 2:30–4 p.m.; Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston

“Lydia Pinkham Open Studios” Join and celebrate local artists this Sunday at the Lydia Pinkham Building’s 12th annual Open Studios. Over 45 local artists will represent their work and offer pieces for sale, including paintings, pottery, leather, jewelry and glassware. The event will also feature local creative businesses and their goods and services. Shop for gifts and explore new, innovative businesses while supporting local artists — it’s a win-win!

When and Where: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; The Lydia Pinkham Building, 271 Western Ave., Lynn

(COURTESY TUFTS CHINESE STUDENTS ASSOCIATION)

Members of Tufts Chinese Students Association (CSA) attend Atrium Charity Ball: Shanghai Night 2016.

5th Annual 5K Walk and Run!

All proceeds benefit the public and private schools in the City of Medford

Date and Time Saturday, November 25 at 10:30am

Location

American Legion, Winthrop St., Medford

Registration NorthShoreTiming.com

For more info www.facebook.com/JingleBellWalkRun Sponsored by:

Lonergan

Insurance and Real Estate and

Thursday, November 16, 2017 | Comics | THE TUFTS DAILY

tuftsdaily.com

Comics

7

LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY Adam: “Yo-yoing changed my life.”

Comics

SUDOKU

GARFIELD

BY JIM DAVIS

NON SEQUITUR

BY WILEY MILLER

Difficulty Level: Doing the Thursday NYT crossword while your newspaper is on fire.

Wednesday’s Solution

LINDA C. BLACK ASTROLOGY

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Today is a 9. Good fortune strides your way over the next few days. Get something you’ve always wanted. Realize a personal dream. New opportunity brings luck.

CROSSWORD

Wednesday’s Solution

8 tuftsdaily.com

Opinion

Thursday, November 16, 2017

OP-ED

Low income students need not apply

by Elizabeth Dossett and Rosy Fitzgerald

Last academic year The New York Times published an article showing that 77 percent of students at Tufts come from the top 20 percent. That means that most students come from families making at least $100,000 per year, which is $40,000 more than the median national household. Though the economic disparity at Tufts is stark, those from the wealthier 77 percent often don’t even realize how vastly their Tufts experiences differ from students who rely on financial aid. Overworking, stressing about monthly payments, running up against closed doors, sacrificing meals, sleep and social life to make their education work for their family are just a few of the roadblocks that low income students at Tufts experience as a part of daily life.

Bethany Kirby, a junior on the First Generation Student Council and a QuestBridge scholar, lives this reality every day. Though her QuestBridge status means she is supposedly on full financial aid, even with the scholarship she is still required to pay an annual sum towards tuition. These “family contribution” payments come straight from Kirby’s own earnings. She works as a program assistant for Jumpstart, works night shifts at Tower Café and lives in a first-year residence hall where she’s on the clock as a community development assistant.

Kirby holds these three jobs on campus in order to pay for her education, but she still remains uncertain of her future throughout each year, as she has no way of knowing the amount of money Tufts will charge her for the next semester. So far, throughout her three years as a student, the amount she is expected to pay has increased every year.

“I have three jobs on campus,” Kirby said. “Still I’m always in a limbo wondering if I can come back and, if so, how many loans I’ll have.”

Tufts sophomore Michelle Delk echoed similar experiences. Delk comes from a lower class Virginia family and relies on financial aid. Like Kirby, she has had to overcome hurdle after hurdle in order to remain enrolled as a student on this campus.

Delk’s mother, a single parent supporting three children, suffered a brain tumor during Michelle’s senior year of high school, leaving her out of work for months, while balancing additional health costs due to a previous hip replacement surgery.

When Delk received her acceptance letter from Tufts, the university offered her a decent financial aid package compared to the other schools she applied to, so she seized her opportunity to attain an elite education at a leading liberal arts university and enrolled. Matriculating as a first-year, Delk would have to pay $8,225 to Tufts

by the end of the year, and with her mom working to support a younger brother at home, the burden was hers alone to bear.

The first week of her first year, Delk got a job working at J.P. Licks. She spent 35 hours a week behind the counter and often worked long closing shifts, having to clean sometimes until 1 in the morning. She reflected on her struggle, saying, “I remember, not being depressed but, not being in the best mental state because I took all that responsibility on myself.” Having to keep up with a monthly tuition bill weighed on her constantly. Getting home late at night to Tilton, Delk spent nights after her J.P. Licks shifts scrambling to keep up with her academic workload, losing sleep and often sacrificing opportunities to see friends and socialize on the weekends.

With her mental health taking a back seat, Delk’s grades suffered. “A professor once told me I should quit my job because it was taking away from school,” Delk said. “I told her I can’t do that. I can’t stay at Tufts if I quit. So if I have to work harder then tell me I have to work harder but I can’t stop working — I can’t pay to be here if I don’t do this job.”

Delk’s experiences of feeling alienated, overworked and defeated by an institution working against her are not uncommon for students on financial aid at Tufts. Sophomore Daniela Sanchez is facing a similar struggle with her aspirations to study abroad, yet another experience that differs greatly for low income students compared to those with class privilege. Hoping to continue her studies in Russian and theater, Sanchez attained a scholarship for a prestigious program at the National Theater Institute in Moscow. Financial aid doesn’t transfer to non-Tufts programs, but with the absence of Tufts programs offered in Russia, for Sanchez this is the only option. As with many scholarships, there remains a cost that the student must cover.

For Sanchez, that cost amounts to $16,000, which is three times her Tufts annual tuition bill. Reflecting on how she’ll come up with money her family does not have, Sanchez said, “It’s hard to be at an elite institution where everyone can take advantage of the opportunities around them, but you are told to just be content that you’re here. It’s like, even when we get let in we are still falling behind everyone else.”

Kirby hopes to study abroad in the spring, too. She has been accepted to the Tufts program in London, but even with her financial aid transferring, expensive travel costs and emergency funds must come out of pocket.

“This year I’ve had to pick up more hours to be able to pay for the hidden costs of abroad,” she said. Kirby must work over 20 hours on top of classes to make sure she has enough to pay for her flight home and other expenses

while she’s away. Because she is having to save for next spring, fall semester tuition has taken over her budget, leaving little room to send funds home to her family, where Kirby’s income goes towards rent and supporting her two younger sisters.

On top of saving up for tuition, students on financial aid can encounter constant financial barriers when it comes to class supplies, extracurriculars or other opportunities designed for Tufts undergraduates to take advantage of. Kirby expressed her frustration: “I wanted to take the EMT class, but that’s a lot of money. And music lessons are a lot of money so I am not able to pay for them either. None of the classes with extra costs are accessible to me as far as I know and if there are funds available to us, I haven’t found them.” According to the class description on SIS, students

who sign up for the Emergency class must pay an additional $1,000 lab fee for the semester.

This is the frustrating reality for most low income students at Tufts and across elite universities in the United States.

The promise of equal opportunity, need-meeting aid and a college experience comparable to that of wealthy classmates is often an empty one.

Universities prioritize prestige, corporate connection and endowments over accessibility while students on financial aid face the physical, emotional, financial and academic consequences of our broken system every day.

Elizabeth Dossett is a junior majoring in American studies and clinical psychology.

Elizabeth can be reached at elizabeth.dossett@tufts.edu. Rosy Fitzgerald is a junior majoring in American studies. Rosy can be reached at Rosa.Fitzgerald@tufts.edu.

CARTOON

A challenge for future historians

by Rebecca Tang

The Tufts Daily is a nonprofit, independent newspaper, published Monday through Friday during the academic year, and distributed free to the Tufts community.

The content of letters, advertisements, signed columns, cartoons and graphics does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Tufts Daily editorial board.

EDITORIALS Editorials represent the position of The Tufts Daily. Individual editors are not necessarily responsible for, or in agreement with, the policies and editorials of The Tufts Daily.

OP-EDS The Op-Ed section of The Tufts Daily, an open forum for campus editorial commentary, is printed Monday through Thursday. The Daily welcomes submissions from all members of the Tufts community; the opinions expressed in the Op-Ed section do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Daily itself. Opinion articles on campus, national and international issues should be 600 to 1,200 words in length and submitted to opinion@tuftsdaily.com. The editors reserve the right to edit letters for clarity, space and length. All material is subject to editorial discretion and is not guaranteed to appear in the Daily. Authors must submit their telephone numbers and day-of availability for editing questions.

ADVERTISING All advertising copy is subject to the approval of the Editor-in-Chief, Executive Board and Executive Business Director.

Opinion

Thursday, November 16, 2017 | Opinion | THE TUFTS DAILY

9

Luke Murphy Murphy's Law

Tufts Secrets: The Ring of Gyges

T

ufts has always been a campus of strong views and outspoken opinions, yet during my time here, those thoughts have traditionally been expressed publicly, with the speaker held accountable for their discourse. However, the recently popular Facebook page “Tufts Secrets” is beginning to show signs of the toxicity of which we are capable when we do not have to personally stand by our expressions.

When commenting on campus issues or expressing one’s opinions about their experience at Tufts without one’s name attached, discourse turns from civil to poisonous. As an Atlantic article on internet anonymity pointed out, Plato offered the thought experiment of the Ring of Gyges. Anyone wearing the ring becomes invisible. The debate, in this case, is whether an intelligent person would still act morally if they had no fear of being discovered and punished for their actions. In the Republic, Glaucon explains: “Then the actions of the just would be as the actions of the unjust; they would both come at last to the same point.” Without fear of being caught, people are more likely to act in ways that our society deems immoral. In the same vein, when not expressing one’s views to someone in person, or with one’s name attached to these views, harmful speech is made that much more likely.

What this page makes abundantly clear is that our campus lacks a critical amount of morality and accountability.

It is also deeply lacking in proper grammar. Posts and comments on this page mock and attack individual students, vilify organizations, spread unproductive rumors, classism and hate against varied groups. A worrying percentage of posters lack decorum and basic decency. Advocating blocking speakers from campus because one does not like their opinions is antithetical to democratic political debate. Vilifying people for being born wealthy is not productive. A concerning amount of posts are anti-Semitic. Broadly painting anyone wealthy as earning their money via systemically oppressing others is ridiculous vitriol.

Spreading rumors about students and organizations can actually hurt people.

Cathartically spewing opinions that are unacceptable to share in public is immature and useless behavior. At such a prestigious institution, one would think that our student body would comport itself in a more academic and constructive manner.

Here is a tip. If you think something is so controversial or outlandish that you decide to send it to the world anonymously, you should probably just not say it. Did our mothers not tell us “if you do not have anything nice to say, do not say anything?” One’s opinions should be robustly expressible in a coherent, convincing and respectful manner. Blanket, cathartic posts without personal responsibility are not how we should be engaging each other. To be clear, each poster has every right to post anything they like, no matter how negative. But as Tufts students, we should hold ourselves to a higher standard, deal with negativity in more productive manners and stand behind the beliefs we express.

Luke Murphy is a senior majoring in economics and Italian studies. He can be reached at luke.murphy@tufts.edu.

10

THE TUFTS DAILY | Sports | Thursday, November 16, 2017

David Meyer Postgame Press

Like it or not, hardware makes your legacy

tuftsdaily.com

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Seasoned Jumbos set to tip off in St. Louis

S

ports reflect society in many ways. One way that has been pressing on my mind recently is the critical focus on concrete accomplishments. Just as it is in school or work, titles and end results in sports are what define legacies. While a student looks for an ‘A’ or a worker wants a higher-up title, athletes crave championships. In both, people think more of those that have these accomplishments and less of those that do not. This flaw in society as a whole is expressed explicitly in sports.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about superteams. Why do players join up with other superstars, even if they will get less attention, playing time or stats?

It is all about getting that ring. LeBron did it, Kevin Durant did it and many other players throughout the years have decided that sacrificing some of their stardom is worth getting a coveted trophy. Are they wrong for doing so?

They are just victims of circumstance.

LeBron had to chase a ring. Yes, he did.

LeBron to this day is still chasing the ghost of Michael Jordan in the minds of many fans, and that is after winning three championships and playing years of absurdly dominant basketball. What would people say if he had no rings to his name? Exactly. Six (of Jordan’s) to three (of LeBron’s) in championships gives James fans something to work with, but six to zero would create too deep of a gap for any LeBron fan to get a Jordan fan’s support. We value them too much. If LeBron performed twice as well as Jordan but came out with one ring, that lonely ring would be what his fans despised, critics attacked and people focused on. People expect hardware as proof of someone’s talent.

In fact, Jordan himself says that Kobe Bryant is better than LeBron because: “There’s something about five that beats three. Now he may be better than that, but Kobe won five championships. LeBron won three.” Jordan’s opinion is not shared by the majority of basketball fans at this point (including me), but the logic is clearly a factor in some minds and arguments.

This is not solely present in sports.

Our culture looks fondly upon prizes and awards to which we can point.

We gaze in awe at the CEO and shrug off secretaries. Their intelligence or personalities do not matter. All that we see is the title. An ‘A’ student is seen as having a brighter future than a flunk-out, but I do not even have to name more than Mark Zuckerberg or Steve Jobs to disprove that theory.

Do accomplishments give us shortcuts to see a person’s success? Surely. Yet, it is absurd to look past someone’s greatness simply because they do not have a title that shoves their accomplishments in our face. This applies in sports and nearly everywhere else in American society. While I am not saying we should ignore people’s proof of achievements, I believe people deserve a lot more credit than we give them for their successes that do not end up resulting in trophies.

David Meyer is a sophomore majoring in film and media studies, and can be reached at david.meyer@tufts.edu.

ANGELIE XIONG / THE TUFTS DAILY

Senior KJ Garrett prepares to attack the basket during the men’s basketball game against Williams on Feb.10.

by Bradley Schussel Sports Editor

No. 6 Tufts’ men’s basketball squad enters the 2017–18 season with high expectations, having compiled two straight seasons with over 20 wins and a run in the NCAA Div. III National Tournament. The Jumbos posted a 22–7 record last season and reached the Sweet Sixteen before falling to the eventual national champions, the Babson Beavers.

The year before, Tufts went 23–7 and reached the Elite Eight before bowing out to Amherst.

With six seniors on the roster, the Jumbos are bringing back a strong and seasoned team. The Class of 2018 is led by four senior quad-captain guards: Vincent Pace, Ben Engvall, Everett Dayton and Thomas Lapham.

The four captains were all important contributors as juniors on last year’s squad. Pace led the team in points per game (13.9), and both Dayton (8.7) and Engvall (8.3) also contributed on a regular basis. Meanwhile, Pace (6), Dayton (4.7) and Engvall (4.6) ranked second, third and fourth in rebounds per game, respectively. On the defensive end, Pace and Lapham shared the top spot for assist-to-turnover ratio (1.7).

Despite their relative success last year, the Jumbos also suffered a pair of heartbreaking losses in postseason play. Besides the 87–80 Sweet Sixteen season-ending loss to Babson, Tufts also suffered a 81–65 home defeat at the hands of the Williams Ephs in the NESCAC tournament semifinals. The Jumbos had entered the NESCAC tournament with the No. 1 seed and an 8–2 in-conference record, including a 93–68 beatdown of the Ephs just two weeks prior which made the later loss all the more frustrating.

Tufts coach Bob Sheldon discussed how the team has looked back on their performance in last year’s postseason.

With his staff now embracing statistics and analytics in order to identify areas of weakness, Sheldon noted that the

team is focused on bouncing back and performing better come tournament time this season.

“We’ve been using [those losses] for motivation during the year,” he said.

“But we’re also setting new goals. Our new goal is to win the NESCAC this season. If we can do that, then we can do some damage in the NCAA tournament as well.”

Even though the team lost key players – including center Tom Palleschi (LA ’17) and guard Tarik Smith (LA ’17) – Sheldon argued that the transition should be fairly seamless because the Jumbos were already incorporating most of their players into the rotation.

“We played ten or 11 guys every game last year,” he said. “We scored 83.9 points per game as a unit with the leading scorer only scoring 14. The ball moved, and people got shots.”

A number of younger players will aspire to assume bigger roles during the 2017–18 campaign. Sophomore guard Eric Savage tied for 11th in the NESCAC last season in three-point percentage (39 percent). The Jumbos’ ability to drain it from deep will help space the floor for their offense. Meanwhile, sophomore center Patrick Racy is now the most experienced big man on the roster, and he figures to use his 6-foot7 frame to defend the paint and snag rebounds.

One exciting addition to the team is sophomore guard Manny Anderson.

The Franklin, N.J. native played four games last season as a walk-on for the Div. I Seton Hall Pirates. Having played sparingly for a team that made March Madness, Anderson decided to come to Medford for a shot at a NESCAC crown.

Another notable former Div. I player for the Jumbos is senior guard KJ Garrett. Garrett transferred from the University of Washington Huskies before last season and provided a spark off the bench for the Jumbos, scoring 7.9 points per game on 54.6 percent shooting (a team high for players who appeared in more than eight games).

His scoring ability will be limited for

the beginning of the season, however, after an injury to his hand.

Another preseason injury befell Engvall, who will miss the first half of the season after tearing his ACL this summer. Engvall will be traveling to St. Louis with the team on Friday, and he hopes to contribute even when he’s not able to play.

“For the first half of the season, I’m just really focusing on being a good listener,” Engvall said. “I’m trying to notice some things that I can see on the sidelines that the other guys can’t see on the court. I also want to help build confidence and try to keep everyone level-headed.”

Pace, one of Engvall’s fellow captains, suffered a similar injury to his ACL just two seasons ago. He bounced back from his injury for his junior campaign, leading the team in scoring.

Pace averaged 17.5 points per game in his sophomore season before the injury, and he is certainly capable of putting up those kinds of numbers again.

“I’ll score more if that’s what the team needs me to do,” Pace said. “I’m feeling 100 percent, so I feel like I can increase my scoring numbers if that’s what we need, but also do some other things that we may need to do in order to win.”

If the mindset of the captains tells you anything, the team is confident and motivated going into its first set of games in St. Louis.

“We’ve got a lot of talent on this team,” Engvall said. “We just want to play the right way and perform at the level we know we can. There [are] a couple of good teams in this tournament and we have the injury to KJ. So there’s a lot of adversity, but we expect other guys to step up.”

The Jumbos will travel to Washington University in St. Louis for the 34th annual Lopaka Classic this weekend.

Tufts will take on the Webster Gorloks at 6 p.m. on Friday before facing an as-yet unannounced team on Saturday.

Sam Weitzman contributed reporting to this article.

Sports

Thursday, November 16, 2017 | Sports | THE TUFTS DAILY

COURTESY MELVILLE S. MUNRO PAPERS

11

COURTESY MELVILLE S. MUNRO PAPERS

Tufts (light uniforms) and Bowdoin (dark uniforms) tussle in a 1914 contest at the Oval.

Twelve Tufts football team members pose for a portrait in uniforms in 1876.

by Sam Weitzman

a 1976 Dartmouth graduate. He also co-authored a book about Dartmouth football titled “Dartmouth College Football: Green Fields of Autumn” (2004). He explained that, in 1917, while the game was not yet at the level of popularity it would later achieve, it was well on its way.

“Not in 1917, but for sure 15 years later, college football was a nationwide mania,” he said. “College football wasn’t as big as baseball, but it was getting very, very big indeed, and the Eastern schools were preeminent.”

Stephens cited several advances in technology — including radio, moving pictures, and improved roads and automobiles — that facilitated college football’s rise to prominence.

“I don’t think it really became a true national game until the maybe early

History in the huddle

Sports Editor

A glass display case is built into the wall separating the varsity weight room from the practice basketball court.

Within it reside the spoils of past battles. This Friday, a football will turn 100 years old. It is on eternal exhibition with white letters carefully painted on: “Textile Field – Tufts 27 – Dartmouth 0 – Nov. 17 1917.”

A century later, the story of the greatest win in the history of Tufts football is one worth recounting and remembering. Fully appreciating that resounding victory, however, requires delving into the historical context in which the game was played.

In the final years of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th, football experienced both rapid growth in popularity and frequent changes to its rules. Then, as now, the sport’s violence spurred its burgeoning popularity and its eventual reform.

The game literally killed its players.

One recent analysis by the Washington Post found that “in 1905 alone, at least 18 people died” playing football. That December, amid growing public concerns about the number of casualties associated with the sport, President Theodore Roosevelt called for a White House meeting with the leaders of the game. Attendees included the leading athletic officials from the period’s football powerhouses, notably Harvard, Yale and Princeton.

According to Michael Weinreb, author of “Season of Saturdays: A History of College Football in 14 Games” (2014), Roosevelt did not impose changes from on high. Rather, the 26th president’s greatest contribution was bringing the leading figures of the sport together and asking them important questions about the game’s past, present and future.

“He was kind of the facilitator more than anything else,” Weinreb said in an interview with the Daily. “There was so much criticism and so much attention on guys dying on the field.”

The new committee made a number of rule changes for the 1906 season, including one that completely revolutionized the sport: the legalization of the forward pass. Mark F. Bernstein, author of “Football: The Ivy League Origins of an American Obsession” (2001), described the safety-minded intentions behind the rule change. “[Beforehand,] everything was massed into a very tight, on-the-line kind of play,” he said. “The forward pass was introduced as a way to open up the game [and] spread people out.”

Weinreb explained that Notre Dame’s 35–13 victory over the U.S. Military Academy at West Point (Army) in 1913 helped overcome some Eastern schools’ reticence to use the forward pass. “[ They] either felt like it was a gimmick or like it didn’t really add anything to the sport,” he said. “[The Notre Dame–Army game] helped popularize it in the East and made it a bigger thing.”

Still, in 1917, passing was far less commonly used than it is today, in part because of the size of the equipment. Bernstein noted that the football would not be reduced to its current dimensions until the 1930s. “[In 1917, the ball] would’ve been noticeably bigger and thus harder for guys to get a grip on and throw,” he

ANGELIE XIONG / THE TUFTS DAILY

The game ball from Tufts’ 1917 victory over Dartmouth sits in a display case near the varsity weight room on Nov. 13. said. “My sense is that [passing] was used maybe four or five times a game.”

Kent Stephens, historian and curator of the College Football Hall of Fame, cited a similar explanation for passing’s secondary tactical status at the time.

“The ball itself was three inches thicker around than it is today, and it wasn’t streamlined like it is today,” he said. “Passing really was not a big part of offense.”

The legalization and gradual proliferation of the forward pass provided college football with the opportunity to become one of the most popular sports in the country.

David Shribman is the executive editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, a Pulitzer Prize-winning political reporter, and — perhaps most importantly —

1920s,” he said. “Before, if you wanted to get large crowds of people together, you could only do that in urban areas.

[By the 1920s,] major universities in more rural areas were able to draw people [to their games].”

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the schools that would eventually constitute the Ivy League dominated the game of football.

“The Ivy League was where football grew in those early decades,” Weinreb said. “Football just became part of the Ivy League’s identity … It was something that the Ivies did better than anybody else.”

Meanwhile, smaller institutions like Tufts — though of a similar academic caliber — paled in comparison to Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Penn and

Dartmouth when it came to athletics.

“Schools like Tufts and Williams were always kind of small time,” Bernstein said. “They played Yale and Harvard in those early years a lot, but they were the early season games. [The Ivy League schools] would run up the score on them and just practice to get in shape.”

Shribman confirmed Tufts’ second-class status as a football program.

“Tufts was not a huge power in college football,” he said. “Places like Dartmouth and Harvard would play schools like Norwich and Tufts to fill out their schedules.”

In 1917, the game of football looked significantly different than it does now.

While leather helmets — called “leatherheads” — were permitted (though not required), a 1913 official rulebook stated that “if head protectors are worn, no sole leather, papier-mâché, or other hard or unyielding substance shall be used in their construction.” In other words, the solid plastic exteriors of today’s helmets would have been illegal a century ago.

Stephens described other features of football equipment, now taken for granted, that had not been invented yet. The uniforms were uncomfortable and heavy, he noted, and cantilevered padding — which disperses the force of a hit, thereby lessening the impact and risk of injury — had not yet been developed.

“The cleats were made out of wood and leather. They didn’t use any kind of synthetic material such as plastic,” Stephens said. “The uniforms were certainly real thick and made out of wool … and the pants were made out of canvas.”

Meanwhile, the teams used formations like the T-formation and the single wing that, though they seem antiquated now, transformed the way the game was played. Passing was employed infrequently, while “mass momentum” plays — which Weinreb described as “a flying wedge of players [that would] just run over people” — were still in use, albeit declining.

The players were smaller, too, as they lacked access to 21st-century knowledge about subjects like training and nutrition. Given what are, by modern standards, extremely stringent restrictions on substitutions, teams employed “one-platoon systems” – simply put, participants played on both offense and defense, rather than specializing in one or the other.

Thus, in many ways, the game was different in 1917 than it is today. Still, football was football, and with each passing year, the audiences grew.

This is the first part of a two-article series about the 1917 Tufts-Dartmouth football game. The second part will be published on Friday.

12 tuftsdaily.com

Sports

Thursday, November 16, 2017

VOLLEYBALL

Volleyball season comes to a close with wrenching loss to MIT

SEOHYUN SHIM / THE TUFTS DAILY

Sophomore setter Rachel Furash serves the ball during Tufts’ 3–0 win against Amherst on Nov. 4.

by Onat Tarimcilar and Sam Weidner Staff Writer and Sports Editor

The Tufts volleyball team’s season came to an abrupt end on Saturday, as it fell to the No. 18 MIT Engineers (30–3) in the second round of the NCAA regional tournament. After a 3–0 victory over the UMass-Boston Beacons (15– 6) on Friday afternoon, the Jumbos dropped Saturday’s match to the Engineers in five sets, ending the season with a 23–7 record.

The match against MIT was perhaps one of the closest in program history, featuring three sets decided by just two points, with two of them requiring extra points. The first set had a few early runs that saw MIT take a 10–5 lead, but after Tufts tied it at 12, neither team led by more than two points. Four consecutive late kills by MIT’s junior outside hitter Abby Bertics keyed a 25–23 first-set victory and a 1–0 lead.

Tufts managed to flip the script in the next two sets, however, winning the second by a wide margin (25–13) thanks to seven MIT errors and strong serving by a number of players, including sophomore setter/opposite Rachel Furash and sophomore outside hitter/opposite Brigid Bell. The Jumbos won the third set 25–19 on the strength of their offense. Of the team’s 18 third-set kills, six came from sophomore outside hitter/ opposite Maddie Stewart.

The fourth set was without a doubt the most thrilling of the match. MIT jumped out to an early six-point advantage, but Tufts slowly chipped away, eventually tying the score

at 18. Thanks to important kills by Bell and Stewart, the Jumbos then managed to pull ahead for a 24–22 lead, one point away from closing out the match. MIT responded, however, staving off elimination five separate times. Finally, the Engineers recorded three straight kills — one by Bertics and two by senior middle hitter Alli Davanzo — to capture the set, 30–28.

Whether it was fatigue or psychological deflation after the drawn-out fourth set, the Jumbos were off target in the decisive fifth set.

The team recorded just three kills while committing seven errors and ultimately dropping the set 15–10.

“It was tough to have our season come to an end after such a tough and gutsy battle with MIT, but I was incredibly proud of our girls for giving it all they had,” coach Cora Thompson said. “At this point in the season, there is little margin for error as everyone is a great team battling to keep their season alive and very few points are given away.

Our match against MIT was one of the tightest this program has played in quite sometime and we were tested [on] every point by a very tough team.”

Bertics dominated the game for MIT, recording a monstrous 31 kills in the match, nearly half of the team’s total. Another 16 Engineer kills came from Davanzo, while junior middle hitter/right side hitter Carly Staub led the team in blocks.

Bell led the Jumbos with 18 kills to go along with 17 digs, while junior setter Angela Yu dished out 34 assists. Sophomore libe-

ro Kelly Klimo — who was recently named to the All-NESCAC First Team — led the team in digs, as she often does, with 20. Stewart posted 13 kills, while sophomore middle hitter/opposite Heather Holz paced the Jumbos with five blocks.

It was also the final match in the career of senior defensive specialist Alex Garrett, who was a two-year captain for the Jumbos.

“I don’t look at Saturday as a failure,” Garrett said. “We adjusted to the changes MIT was making throughout the game, and we continuously ran our toughest hitting patterns, played relentless defense and served aggressively. MIT just played a more flawless game. There isn’t much I can say that we could’ve changed.”

Klimo echoed the sentiments of her captain in giving credit to Tufts’ opponents.

“MIT played a great match,” she said.

“They’re a strong team and a fierce competitor, and they came out on top this time. I think we played well as a unit and just weren’t able to get on top.”

Before advancing to play MIT on Saturday, Tufts faced off against UMass-Boston on Friday in a match that the Jumbos swept, 3–0.

The score did not reflect fully the true nature of the game, however, which included two sets in which the Jumbos came from behind to win. None of the three sets were decided by more than six points.

Nonetheless, it was a valuable win that gave Tufts momentum and confidence to begin the national tournament. Stewart and junior outside hitter Mackenzie Bright speared

the offensive effort with eight kills each. Klimo led the team with 18 digs and she, along with a front line that blocked well, anchored the Jumbos’ defense, which held the Beacons to just a 0.137 kill percentage.

“UMass-Boston is always one of our toughest competitors,” Garrett said. “We worked hard all week in practice on the game plan that would put us in the best position to perform, and we remained consistent and controlled with our play the whole game, allowing us to maintain composure in the crucial points.”

Following an elite eight appearance in the Div. III national tournament last season, Tufts had great expectations for this season.

After sweeping through the NESCAC undefeated in the regular season, the team fell short in the conference tournament finals against the Wesleyan Cardinals (22–6). Despite a similar conclusion to their NCAA tournament experience, the Jumbos are even more battle-tested, experienced in big moments and familiar with adversity.

“The challenge of following up an elite eight season can be that if you don’t repeat, it can feel as though you failed or the season was less of a success,” Thompson said. “But [that] couldn’t be further from the truth.

To go undefeated in [the] NESCAC regular season is incredibly challenging. This team pulled it off for the second year in a row. We were also consistently ranked in the top five in New England. That is something to be incredibly proud of.”

Next season, the Jumbos will have to adjust to the loss of Garrett, who totaled 38 kills and 269 digs over the course of the 2017 season.

Apart from her reliable back-row attacking, the team will also miss her tough serving and strong defense.

“She has been fantastic since probably the day she walked into this gym … as a lone senior and a lone captain,” Bright said. “That’s a hard thing to do and she did an amazing job.

It’s gonna be really hard to lose her. She’s a big personality and a really big part of our team.”

Garrett also took a moment to reflect on her career and the team’s prospects moving forward.

“They’re only losing one player, so they will get to build off each other even more in years to come,” she said. “Playing around the same people and having gone to the places they have been, they will be able to grow together and perfect playing alongside each other.”

Despite the challenge of losing Garrett, Tufts already has its foundation in place for next year, with three current juniors and eight sophomores poised to assume greater roles.

Additionally, Thompson earned Coach of the Year for the second straight season (and sixth time overall) thanks to the team’s undefeated NESCAC campaign.

“The future is bright thanks to … the hard work and drive of this current group,” Thompson said. “It was an honor to take this journey with them this season and I am so proud of everything they accomplished individually and as a team.”

While Garrett was the backbone of the team, its on-court dominance was led by its First-Team All-NESCAC honorees: Klimo (her second straight year making an AllNESCAC team) and Bright, who had a breakout season, ranking third in the NESCAC in kills (306). Despite the sting of losing in the postseason, the junior is already optimistic about next season.

“We came off a year going to the elite eight, so the loss [to MIT] hurt because we had high expectations,” Bright said. “But it’s just more fuel to a fire that we will return with next year.”