The Tufts Daily - Monday, December 10, 2018

Students discuss experiences of racism, discrimination in interactions with faculty see FEATURES / PAGE 6

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Jumbos extend unbeaten run to eight games

‘Roma,’ ‘A Star is Born,’ ‘Black Panther’ among the Daily’s top 10 movies this year see ARTS&LIVING / PAGE 9

SEE SPORTS / BACK PAGE

THE

INDEPENDENT

STUDENT

N E W S PA P E R

OF

TUFTS

UNIVERSITY

E S T. 1 9 8 0

T HE T UFTS DAILY

VOLUME LXXVI, ISSUE 60

tuftsdaily.com

Monday, December 10, 2018

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS.

Tufts janitors allege unjust firing, racist treatment by C&W Services supervisors

by Catherine Perloff and Kenia French News Editor and Features Editor

Content warning: This article discusses mental health.

Editor’s note: This article contains the alleged use of the N-word by a C&W Services employee. In addition, quotes from several janitors were translated from Spanish to English by the reporters of this article.

When Victoria Guerra started her new job as a janitorial supervisor at Tufts University in February 2017, she was looking for something more convenient and closer to her home and kids. Instead, she experienced one of the most trying years of her life, culminating in her firing in September by C&W Services, the company with which Tufts contracts its custodial labor.

The problem started when Guerra objected to her supervisor, C&W Services Account Manager Shawn Amaral, making comments toward other employees that she perceived as racist. After Guerra reported Amaral’s

racist comments to C&W Services Human Resources (HR), he made her job especially difficult by undermining her authority in front of other janitors and framing her for mistakes she did not make, among other issues.

Eventually, Guerra received a four-day suspension in August and was fired one month later for insubordination and unauthorized recording of her interactions with Amaral.

Guerra told the Daily in an interview that she felt depressed and had been visiting a psychologist because of the hostile work environment created by her superiors and C&W Services HR. “It was like I was nothing to [C&W Services],” Guerra said.

Amaral did not reply to multiple requests for comment.

Guerra’s story is emblematic of a workplace environment that over half a dozen janitors at Tufts have described as hostile.

Tufts janitors approved a contract with C&W Services in November 2016, but the contract has not prevented a further deterioration in working conditions. An April 2017 petition signed by almost 100 janitors on the Medford/ Somerville campus leveled five demands at

Tufts and C&W Services to improve custodial working conditions. Former janitor Anita Posadas said in November 2017 that she did not receive adequate compensation from C&W Services for her workplace injury partially arising from a heavy workload.

Patrick Collins, Tufts’ executive director of public relations, said that the university is not involved in these matters.

“We appreciate the work of C&W custodians and their contributions to the maintenance of the spaces we work and learn in.

Issues related to the C&W workplace environment are properly addressed by the custodians’ employer, C&W, and the custodians’ union,” Collins told the Daily in an email.

Tufts will decide whether to continue working with C&W Services when the university’s contract with the company expires in August 2019, according to Collins.

C&W Services spokesperson Christine Wickes said the company does not comment on specific personnel matters.

“We strive to ensure C&W Services is a fair, safe, and equitable workplace for every employee,” Wickes told the Daily in an email. “We can’t comment on specific

personnel matters, but we investigate every employee’s concerns fully. The outcomes of our investigations are confidential for the protection of all employees involved.”

Guerra was working for C&W Services at another location from 2014–2017. She described the working conditions as good, her bosses as respectful and expected the same when she moved to Tufts. Things were good for the first few months.

Guerra said things changed when Amaral made a comment about four months after she moved to Tufts about how a black employee could not clean a certain area. She was surprised by the answer she received.

“It was a shock when [Amaral] told me, ‘Oh because maybe she’s a negra lazy,’” Guerra said.

Guerra added that Amaral claimed to be repeating the racial epithet “negra lazy” that he heard Tufts’ Director of Campus Services Gary Hill use previously. Amaral did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Hill, whose responsibility includes managing Tufts’ contract with C&W Services, said he see JANITORS, page 2

Tufts adds solar array to Lewis Hall, grows solar program

by Rachael Meyer Staff Writer

Tufts is pursuing the widespread installation of solar panels across the Medford/Somerville campus that could, if fully implemented, bring Tufts toward its goal of being carbon-neutral by 2050.

An array of solar panels was recently installed on the roof of Lewis Hall, Tufts Director of Engineering for Facilities Services and Office of Sustainability Council Member Dariusz Raczkowski told the Daily in an email.

The array consists of 216 solar panels and will produce about 100,000 kilowatt hours of energy each year according to data provided by Director of Capital Programs Gretchen Von Grossmann.

This will save the university an estimated $118,000 over a 20-year period, Ruth Bennett, director of strategic capital programs at Tufts, told the Daily in an email.

Although the installation is finished, the metering infrastructure still needs to be installed before the array will go online, according to Raczkowski.

Lewis Hall is not the first building at Tufts to receive solar panels. According to Raczkowski, in 1998 and 1999, a stu-

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dent-driven effort resulted in the installation of two solar thermal panels and a photovoltaic (PV) panel on the Schmalz House, where the French language house is currently located.

“Tufts Climate Initiative was trying to lean on the university to start reducing carbon emissions,” Ann Rappaport, co-chair of the Sustainability Council and former co-director of the Tufts Climate Initiative, said.

The project also included the addition of new boilers, lighting, insulation and controls, according to Raczkowski.

“The point for me that was so exciting is it’s a house just like all the others on the street. It’s a way to demonstrate to the community how easy it is,” Rappaport, who is also a senior lecturer in the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning (UEP), said.

Tina Woolston, the sustainability program director at the university, told the Daily in an email that Tufts does not have a budget allocated towards renewable energy infrastructure.

In recent years, Tufts has instead been able to install solar arrays free of charge through Power Purchase see SOLAR PANELS, page 3

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

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The solar panels on the roof of Lewis Hall are pictured on Dec. 5.

Contact Us P.O. Box 53018, Medford, MA 02155 daily@tuftsdaily.com

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THE TUFTS DAILY | INVESTIGATIVE | Monday, December 10, 2018

THE TUFTS DAILY Seohyun Shim Editor-in-Chief

EDITORIAL

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Tufts janitors face hostile work environment, racist actions from supervisors

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A C&W Services van, parked outside Curtis Hall, is pictured on Dec. 9.

JANITORS

continued from page 1 has never said those words or anything similar and had not heard of the incident in question.

Guerra said she reported the incident to Amaral’s supervisor, Kelley Owens, who serves as senior director of operations for C&W Services. Owens did not reply to multiple requests for comment.

“I told [Owens] that Shawn [Amaral] doesn’t like me, that he’s racist,” Guerra said.

“The answer I get from her is, ‘I don’t think so because I’ve known him for a long time and I don’t think he’s a racist.’”

Guerra said that Amaral was more likely to criticize work of black employees. Guerra said that after a disagreement with another janitor, Amaral called the janitor a “f*cking n*gger.”

Three other janitors, who remained anonymous out of concern for their job security, described Amaral’s actions toward Guerra as marked by racism. One janitor said Amaral also used the word “negro” to describe any employee who had darker skin.

Guerra said she repeatedly informed C&W Services HR of Amaral’s behavior but was ignored. After Guerra reached out to HR in November 2017, she received an email from C&W Services HR Manager Kerri Calabro, saying they would be meeting within the next business day to discuss Guerra’s concerns.

However, the meeting never took place.

The same three anonymous janitors described attempts to contact C&W Services HR regarding other workplace grievances, including some involving Amaral. One janitor said that the standard response HR gives is that it will conduct an investigation. However, this janitor alleged that no changes were ever made in response to the inquiries.

“When you call Human Resources, they tell you ‘Oh, we’re going to do an investigation, we have time to investigate, we’re investigating all of this,’ and then they don’t do anything,” the janitor said.

Calabro and Wendy Rezendes, C&W Services’ senior HR director, did not reply to multiple requests for comment.

The decision to contact HR appeared to have done more harm than good, according to Guerra, as Amaral made the work environment more difficult for her after she went to HR. Guerra said Amaral began forcing her to treat janitors more harshly than she felt appropriate. Additionally, Guerra said he hid work orders that listed the assignments she needed to complete and undermined her authority in front of the janitors she was supposed to manage.

“He just went right to the employee as if I was invisible,” Guerra said.

Guerra said Amaral was quick to criticize her, once berating her for allowing an employee to clock in early when the employee had not actually clocked in early. Guerra added that Amaral also sent another employee to spy

on her and tried to accuse her of poor work quality in areas that she was not responsible for overseeing.

An anonymous janitor confirmed that an employee spied on Guerra. The janitor also said that the employee in question took pictures of buildings that Guerra was responsible for before she had cleaned them to make it seem as though she had not completed her work.

The janitor also described their attempts to contact Hill to report instances of workplace abuse perpetrated by Amaral.

“We’ve complained about [Amaral’s] behavior and about what’s happened to us, and [Hill] told us that [Hill] had nothing to do with it because we’re under a contract and we are part of a company that is subcontracted by the university,” the janitor said.

Hill said he had not heard complaints of workplace abuse, spying or racial harassment directed at Guerra or any janitors by Amaral and emphasized that C&W Services is a subcontracted company, meaning that Amaral does not report directly to him and that he is not directly responsible for Amaral’s behavior.

Guerra filed a case with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) on April 10 against Amaral and C&W Services.

Verona Whittaker, who worked as a janitor at Tufts for about eight years until May 2017, described similar interactions while working under Amaral.

Whittaker said Amaral was often unhelpful when she needed assistance or supplies and made the situation worse at times.

For example, Whittaker said she alerted Amaral to a plumbing issue in Wilson House but Amaral did not address the issue.

“The kids were standing in dirty water to shower because the shower basin had water in it for a week … and [he said to me], ‘Oh stop with the attitude,’” Whittaker said. “I’m like ‘I’m not giving you attitude. When we report, you guys do nothing about it.’”

Ultimately, Whittaker said she decided to leave Tufts because of an increase in workload and a bad work environment.

Whittaker said she never heard Amaral use racist language.

“It was about bottom line after a point.

Everything was company, company, not about workers anymore,” she said.

However, an incident with Amaral inspired Whittaker to leave earlier than she planned.

Whittaker was assigned to clean the Granoff Music Center but was waiting to be given a key from her supervisor to get in the building. Amaral saw Whittaker sitting outside the building and accused her of laziness. “[Amaral said] ‘I was going to write you a form for insubordination. I’m your boss — you should listen to me.’” Whittaker said. “I just walked away. I have really nothing to lose … You cannot treat your workers like they don’t matter. You have to treat people with respect.”

Amaral often gave written warnings to employees whom he found sitting down, according to an anonymous janitor whom Amaral supervises.

“If he finds someone sitting down, he won’t ask them how they are. He’ll just take out his notebook and give them a warning. He doesn’t know this person. He doesn’t know if this person has just gotten a call from their house that something has happened, that someone has died or what happened,” the janitor said.

Like Whittaker, Guerra ultimately left Tufts but not on her own terms.

Guerra received notice on Aug. 3 that she was suspended for four days for disrespectful treatment toward Amaral. She met with Calabro and Resendes, C&W Services HR managers who had previously ignored her emails.

Guerra was hopeful that she could convince Calabro and Resendes of the injustice of her suspension, given Amaral’s treatment toward her. Instead, they took away her badge and company phone.

When Guerra asked the managers why they were taking her phone away, the managers told her that they needed to look for more information.

Calabro and Resendes later informed Guerra that they found a recording of Amaral on her phone. It is illegal in Massachusetts to record an individual without their knowledge.

“I said to them that I would record it because I can see that [they] don’t believe what I’m saying,” Guerra said.

In light of the recording, Guerra was told that her employment would remain in flux.

They told her to wait as they made their decision to fire her, which did not come until over a month later, on Sept. 14.

Guerra has not yet found work, and her case with MCAD is still ongoing.

Logan Place, an attorney with labor and employment law firm Sherman Dunn P.C. in Washington D.C., said an employer can be liable if they fail to prevent or correct discrimination in the workplace.

“The employer, to not be liable, is supposed to have a system in place where employees can go and report [discrimination], usually HR, and they’re usually supposed to have an investigation,” Place said. “If the supervisor continued to harass her, it shows the employer wasn’t doing its job to prevent a hostile environment.”

An anonymous janitor alleged Amaral’s discriminatory behavior is what ultimately led to Guerra’s firing.

“He sent her home without a just cause … She was doing her job 100 percent,” the janitor said.

Guerra believes many of the problems janitors face at Tufts derive from Amaral’s inability to work with a diverse group of people.

“He doesn’t like to work with women. He doesn’t like to work with black people. He is just trying to have everybody work his way,” she said.

News

Monday, December 10, 2018 | News | THE TUFTS DAILY

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TCU Senate hears bylaw changes, State of the TCU address

JULIA MCDOWELL / THE TUFTS DAILY

Members of the Tufts Community Union Senate meet in the Sophia Gordon Multipurpose Room on Sept. 30.

by Noah Richter

Assistant News Editor

The Tufts Community Union ( TCU) Senate held its final meeting this semester Sunday night in the Sophia Gordon Multipurpose Room to discuss a proposed bylaw amendment, hear addresses on the state of the TCU and vote on funding requests.

The proposed bylaw, introduced

by TCU Parliamentarian Sharif Hamidi, a sophomore, would bar the Senate from voting on resolutions during or on the evening of a major religious or cultural holiday that could act as a barrier to Senate attendance.

TCU President Jacqueline Chen, in advocating for the amendment, said that the bylaw change is important in

ensuring that communities at Tufts are not disenfranchised due to observance of religious or cultural holidays. After a discussion, the body agreed that it would recognize holidays already recognized by the university’s Religious Holy Days calendar.

Other senators said that in excluding language that bars the Senate from voting on funding requests, the amendment does not account for an integral part of the Senate’s weekly work.

Fearing that the amendment may fail the two-third majority needed to pass, the body elected to put off the bylaw amendment until next semester.

Earlier, Chen, a senior, opened meeting by announcing speeches from the president, treasurer and diversity and community affairs officer.

“We have to make sure that existing projects are targeted and marketed to populations that can best use it and that don’t traditionally have access to this kind of funding as part of the gap that we’re trying to address in the Senate,” Gebetsberger, a sophomore, said.

He also said that senators need to continue to think critically and fulfill their responsibilities to the entire Tufts community rather than letting that burden fall on the Diversity and Community Affairs Committee.

In her State of the Treasury address, TCU Treasurer Izzy Ma thanked senators for their dedication to the Allocations Board and the organization. Ma, a sophomore, said that the treasury’s allocation of funding to student groups has been successful and

that the committee is increasingly seeing the benefits of funding off-campus events for networking and student competitions.

She also said that the move to implement a 12 percent personal contribution for all student groups has made out-of-pocket contribution more equitable and lowered costs for students altogether.

Ma said that she will look to peer institutions to see how they allocate funding, as well as look into lowering or abolishing the costs to student groups for renting spaces on campus.

“To meet the needs of every student group and to facilitate their ability to benefit from such valuable programs, see SENATE, page 4

Tufts has plans to install solar panels on SEC, Gantcher, CoHo SOLAR PANELS

continued from page 1 Agreements (PPAs), according to Woolston.

According to the Solar Energy Industry Association, PPAs are contracts in which a developer funds the purchase and installation of a solar energy system on a customer’s property, and then sells the renewable energy credits generated by that solar system to the customer so it can meet renewable energy requirements.

The customer benefits because they can negotiate a price per kilowatt-hour to pay the developer for the power produced by the solar panels.

In 2012, Tufts put together a strategic energy planning team and began working with Power Options, a Massachusetts-based energy-buying

consortium, to manage its involvement with PPAs, according to Woolston.

She said that Tufts completed two PPA projects in June 2017 on the Grafton campus.

The twenty-year commitment involves two solar installations that generate three megawatts of electricity, which will provide power for 40 percent of the Grafton campus and save Tufts about $5.3 million, according to Woolston.

“What we get out of it is cheap electricity,” Rappaport said. “That’s really attractive to the deans because they can balance their budgets.”

In 2014, as part of Medford’s “Solarize Medford” campaign, SunBug Solar installed solar PV panels on top of Dowling Hall, according to Woolston.

The Lewis Hall array is part of a PPA Tufts established with the commercial

energy company Solect Energy earlier this year, according to Von Grossman.

The agreement will also lead to the installation of a solar array on the Science and Engineering Center, according to Raczkowski, who estimated that the planned system will save the university $1,100 per year.

Raczkowski said that the Gantcher Center is being evaluated for further installations which could, if implemented, save the university $20,000 a year.

There are plans to install a solar array of 30 panels on a newly constructed CoHo housing, which will produce 1,000-kilowatt-hours annually, according to Raczkowski.

Tufts currently receives about 10 percent of its electricity through local PPAs. Less than one percent of electricity comes from solar arrays owned by Tufts, Raczkowski said.

Woolston said Tufts is seeking to create more Tufts-owned solar going forward.

“Tufts’ latest carbon-neutral planning efforts include evaluating the type of budget that would be required if Tufts chose to own renewable energy sites,” Woolston said.

Woolston said that Tufts has contracted Ramboll Group, a Danish multidisciplinary consulting film, to head the planning efforts. Woolston said that the company will provide options for the university to become carbon-neutral by 2050.

“We are looking for all the money we can to [work toward] energy efficiency as quickly as possible, because if we get super energy efficient in our buildings, then it takes less renewable power to power those buildings,” Rappaport said. “It’s all driving towards the same end.”

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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Monday, December 10, 2018

tuftsdaily.com

Somerville passes resolution, supports State House bill expunging marijuana records

VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Somerville City Hall is pictured on Dec. 31, 2011.

by Austin Clementi

Assistant News Editor

The Somer ville Board of Aldermen approved a resolution on Nov. 20 in support of Massachusetts House Bill 2785, which would expunge the criminal records of people charged with marijuana-related crimes.

The bill states that any record of a court appearance or violation of marijuana regulations prior to the 2016 legalization of marijuana in Massachusetts would have their records automatically expunged.

Prisoners currently serving time only for marijuana-related offenses will be able to apply for discharge, according to the bill.

In addition, the bill says employers will be mandated to include a statement on applications specifying when applicants can check “no record” on their applications to include newly expunged offenses.

Somerville Ward 1 Alderman Matt McLaughlin and Alderman-at-large Wilfred N. Mbah advanced the resolution. McLaughlin said the resolution was passed with the goal of equity, pointing out that the people most negatively affected by the war on drugs are now unable to benefit from the new marijuana industry.

“In the case of this resolution, [people affected by the drug war] still have criminal records,” McLaughlin said.

Throughout meetings on marijuana

zoning and licensing, he has noticed the presence of wealthy people. He said this seems incongruous with which lives have been negatively altered by marijuana charges.

“There’s all this big, powerful money coming into [the marijuana industry] … and now you have all these people … who have a felony charge, and that’s preventing them from moving on with their lives,” he added.

Mbah reflected McLaughlin’s sentiments, citing the high prison population in the United States and that many people end up in prison because of drug offenses.

“We have more people in jail per capita than any other country in the world,” he said, adding that expungement of marijuana records is “just logical.”

McLaughlin also recognized state Senator Patricia Jehlen, who represents the Second Middlesex district, which includes Somerville and Medford, as one of the leaders in supporting this bill. According to McLaughlin, one of the reasons Somerville advanced this resolution was to support Jehlen’s efforts.

“It’s always important to know the positions of local officials, and I am very happy to know that they agree,” Jehlen told the Daily in an email.

However, Jehlen added that since the bill has been put into study, it is dead for the current House session, as study orders are rarely approved. Jehlen see MARIJUANA , page 5

Chen addresses TCU Senate on engaging key university administrators SENATE

continued from page 3 the Treasury is dedicated to being more accessible, flexible and friendly,” Ma said.

In the State of the TCU address, Chen said that members must continue to question the process of their work and advocate for changes where they see fit. She said that the body must continue to work toward finding ways to engage with key decision makers at the university, including deans and other administration officials who have been unavailable or unwilling to meet with the Senate.

She ended her speech by saying that she looks forward to the work the Senate has planned next semester, including important resolutions and the publication of numerous student surveys that will determine priorities for the body.

Chen then began the election process for the new chair of the Education Committee, currently held by Class of 2020 Senator Alexa Weinstein.

The following senators accepted their nominations and became official candidates: Class of 2022 Senators Deepen Goradia, Iyra Chandra, Tim Leong, Andrew Kofsky and Class of 2021 Senator Ayden Crosby. The Senate elected Crosby to become the new Education Committee chair.

Crosby said he plans to look into the effects of over-enrollment on the ability to offer majors and minors as well as to increase access to faculty meetings.

Following the election, Ma introduced a series of supplementary funding requests to the body for vote. The body approved supplementary funding requests for a number of student groups, including: $150 to Society

of Latinx Engineers & Scientists for online memberships to the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers national network, as well as another $4,507 to cover the costs of a conference in Washington; and $1,000 to Students for the Exploration and Development of Space for a new 2019 Fiscal Year group budget.

Senate also voted to allocate $2,660 to Black Student Union for funding to send 12 students at the Yale Black Solidarity Conference, $220 to TEDxTufts to fund website costs for the Tufts chapter, $3,550 to Tufts Republicans to cover costs of attending the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington and $1,920 to SMFA Student Government Association for a performance art showcase/pop-up event in Jamaica Plains.

The Senate declined to fund Essence’s $300 request for refreshments at the group’s final show this semester, citing a lack of precedent or necessity.

During updates to the body, Hamidi said that in an effort to make Senate more accessible to the student body, the Senate will begin amending the procedural language of their meetings.

Weinstein said that the Education Committee’s student survey has been very successful. Weinstein said that, given the results of the survey, students believe that the administration does not value educational accessibility as most students pay an average of $200–300 a semester for textbooks.

The body then went into a closed session.

Monday, December 10, 2018 | News | THE TUFTS DAILY

tuftsdaily.com

Somerville ordinance establishes review process for marijuana vendors MARIJUANA

continued from page 3 also noted that the expungement of marijuana records is possible under a new provision added to Chapter 276 of the Massachusetts General Laws.

Section 100k, which was supported by Jehlen when it was a bill, makes anything that is no longer a crime eligible for expungement.

This resolution follows a series of ordinances and updates to Somerville’s marijuana code. On Nov. 8, Somerville passed an ordinance giving priority to license certain establishments to open marijuana dispensaries.

For six months after the ordinance’s passage, the Licensing Commission can only accept appli-

cations from citizens of Somerville and “Economic Empowerment Applicants” who are certified by the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) of Massachusetts.

Economic Empowerment Applicants come from pre-designated “areas of disproportionate impact,” according to a CCC publication on the matter. In the publication, the CCC said its goal is to “ensure that people from communities that have been disproportionately harmed by marijuana law enforcement are included in the new legal marijuana industry.”

In addition to the six-month restriction on applicants, McLaughlin stated that only one license will be granted to a non-Economic Empowerment

Applicant for every Economic Empowerment Applicant who gains a license.

Mbah emphasized the importance of fairness in the passage and implementation of the ordinance.

“There are people who have been disproportionately affected by [marijuana laws] — why should they not be among the first to benefit from it?”

Mbah said.

McLaughlin noted that Somerville is leading these efforts, with Cambridge and Boston using the Somerville law to model their own marijuana ordinances.

McLaughlin also added that Somerville is now treating marijuana zoning in the same way that alcohol zoning is treat-

5

ed, meaning a marijuana dispensary is allowed wherever a liquor store would be allowed.

“That’s become a little contentious because people are afraid of [marijuana] shops going in their neighborhood, but I felt like that was the only fair way to do it,” he said.

The zoning ordinance includes a map of locations where marijuana retail is allowed and restricts their distance from schools.

Massachusetts legalized marijuana in 2016 after a state-wide referendum.

According to The New York Times, 75.7 percent of Somerville supported legalization. McLaughlin said this wide support for legalization justified the new zoning laws.

6 tuftsdaily.com

Features

Monday, December 10, 2018

Students call for improvement of on-campus diversity after racist, discriminatory interactions with faculty

VIA FACEBOOK

First-year Carolina Penagos and sophomore Maxine Bell are pictured.

by Akash Mishra

Contributing Writer

Tufts University, by its own account, is racially and ethnically diverse. On its website, the Admissions Office says, “The energy of the Tufts community is due in no small part to the mix of people. Jumbos come from a range of backgrounds and bring diverse talents, opinions, interests, and experience to the table.” It becomes a matter of campus-wide importance when incidents antithetical to this position come to light. An international undergraduate student and current sophomore shares stories of racism and discrimination on the Tufts campus.

From the very beginning, firstyear Carolina Penagos was made to feel like she was different.

“At first, I thought it was because I was an international student. I began to receive comments like ‘Your way of doing [X] is stupid.’ I’d receive comments from my professors saying ‘Carolina, you have another question. Does anyone other than Carolina have a question?'”

Penagos said.

Initially, these remarks seemed disconcerting but still remained somewhat innocuous, according to Penagos. During a visit to her professor’s office hours this fall in the School of Engineering, however, Penagos was confronted with another prejudiced interaction between herself and her professor.

“During office hours, I asked … one of my professors … a question, and instead of answering, they plugged the answer … into Google Translate in English and showed it to me in Spanish,” Penagos said, noting that this was not the only alienating experience that she has had on Tufts campus.

“Recently, one of my peers sitting down with me working on a project for the same class said ‘no offense, why are you here?’” Penagos said.

Penagos was clear in saying that these interactions left her feeling deeply troubled and, at times, unsafe on the Medford/Somerville campus.

“The discomfort in that class was at such a point that I was afraid of asking questions since I didn’t want to look like the stupid Latina that didn’t deserve to be in the Engineering School,” Penagos said.

Penagos added that she did not feel confident in disclosing this information and these experiences with her peers either.

“I got to a point where I couldn’t speak to my peers … I couldn’t speak to anyone in that class, and to this day I haven’t yet,” she said, adding that, “I don’t feel safe calling my parents in public spaces, just because I get weird looks because I speak Spanish.”

Still, Penagos says she is comfortable speaking to Tufts administrators about her feelings towards these incidents.

“The first person I talked to was the Catholic chaplain [at Tufts],” she said.

As an institution that positions itself as being highly diverse, according to Tufts’ official mission statement, the university often advertises a multicultural spirit and promotes safe spaces and inclusivity as being the norm.

Yet, by the university’s own admission, racism and racial discrimination remain a problem on the Tufts campus. A December 2013 report commissioned by the Office of the President found that “students from historically marginalized groups disproportionately experience marginalization in and outside of the classroom and also experience incidents of bias on our campus.”

The report, which totals 79 pages on the state of diversity and race across the broad range of Tufts’ undergraduate, graduate, and professional arms, also goes on to prescribe recommendations for future university action and suggests the continued appointment of a Chief Diversity Officer, whose primary responsibilities include facilitating the implementation of the report’s recommendations.

Serving in this role since June, Associate Provost and Chief Diversity Officer Robert Mack explained that Tufts’ attitude towards race is generally reflective of today’s broader sociopolitical climate, arguing that there is a historic truth in elite institutions of higher education being based on white supremacist ideals.

“These institutions were built very specifically for whites, particularly people who are wealthy, and Tufts is no different from that,” Mack said. “I think institutionally we are still ingrained with a practice and have policies that support less equality and a less equal experience for our students.”

Maxine Bell, a Japanese-American sophomore in the BFA + BA/BS combined degree program, is no stranger to the practices that Mack describes. Bell recounted an incident in her SMFA review board which was composed of only white individuals.

When asked to describe her identity-focused artwork, Bell was asked by a senior professor what color she could use to represent Asians.

“Do you want me to say yellow?”

Bell said.

By Bell’s recollection, the professor responded in the affirmative.

The Daily contacted Jianmin Qu, dean of the School of Engineering, and Nancy Bauer, dean of the SMFA, as well as the Tufts Office for Equal Opportunity in a request for comment on Penagos and Bell’s incidents.

“We cannot comment on individual claims due to concerns for privacy and fairness. We’re committed to fostering an inclusive culture in which all members of our community are treated with dignity and respect,” Executive Director of Public Relations Patrick Collins said in an email. “Discrimination has no place at Tufts and offends the University’s core values, which include a commitment to equal opportunity and inclusion. Any member of the University community has the right to raise concerns or make a complaint regarding discrimination without fear of retaliation with the Office of Equal Opportunity under the university’s non-discrimination policy. All reports will be investigated thoroughly.”

But even aside from these incidents, the broader campus attitude toward issues of race merits analysis; conversations on race can be of issue. For Bell, there may even be a competitive overabundance of discussion on race.

“I feel like some people feel the pressure to be … the most ‘woke’ [person] ever. I feel like the problem with ‘wokeness’ is that it becomes a competition, and if people don’t understand certain concepts, [they are] looked down on … [they are] not seen as as smart or as understanding,” Bell said. “I feel like [most of us] were also once at a place where [we] didn’t know these things and I don’t think it’s right to be hard on people who just don’t have the same vocabulary.”

And while the problem for Bell may be that discussions on race are too saturated with a competitive desire to display ‘wokeness,’ Mack is one of the first to admit that discussions on race are a more comprehensive challenge.

“Frankly, race always seems to be the hardest for [most] people to talk about. I think that’s certainly true at Tufts,” Mack said.

But Mack also remained optimistic about the university’s prospects for future change. While he cited a previous history of high turnover in his position prior to his appointment as one of the reasons for the sluggish pace of campus change, Mack remained grateful for the support his office is receiving from senior members of the Tufts administration, including Provost ad interim Deborah Kochevar and University President Anthony Monaco.

“The provost has been … absolutely amazing with prioritizing this area in her work …

So to have that kind of support to lead us to a place that we can make change is fundamental and I feel like we’re getting that … and I believe that we have the support of the President of this process. And so having that leadership support to me is really important,” Mack said.

It is important to note that Penagos and Bell are not the only students who have conceivably been discriminated against at Tufts. The fight against discrimination and racism is ongoing, and there is room for improvement.

“I think what happens is that you have to incorporate diversity inclusion into your daily life. You have to also examine your own privilege on a daily basis,” Mack said.

F e at u r e s

Monday, December 10, 2018 | Features | THE TUFTS DAILY

7

Students, journalists discuss difficulty of working amid violence, repression

COURTESY BRIAN MACQUARRIE

Boston Globe journalist Brian MacQuarrie poses for a portrait in Baghdad, Iraq.

by Mitch Lee

Contributing Writer

Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi Arabian journalist who published criticisms of the Saudi Crown Prince’s policies, was killed inside a Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. While the murder of journalists may seem relatively uncommon, many journalists and individuals conducting research, including Tufts students, either face threats that compromise their personal safety in areas affected by violence or have to work in a repressive environment that compromise their freedoms.

Brian MacQuarrie, a journalist working for the Boston Globe, has years of experience balancing personal safety and his work as a reporter. In 2002, the Globe sent him to Pakistan to independently report on the political atmosphere following 9/11. The Globe gave MacQuarrie journalistic freedom on what to report and how to go about understanding the thoughts of the Pakistani people, the extent of Taliban support and the Pakistani government’s efforts in finding the Taliban.

“Being on the ground, you hope to have the best sense of what the best stories are. It turns into a 24/7 job in which you are just trying to get a sense of what’s happening, what’s important, what you think they need to know back here,” MacQuarrie said.

The events of the day typically led his investigations. The first day that he arrived in Pakistan, a church 1.5 miles from his hotel was blown up, resulting in five deaths and more than 40 others injured. He spent the next week following the story, attempting to identify who was responsible. A few months later, when the Taliban was supposedly defeated, he was sent to Afghanistan to evaluate America’s effectiveness in reforming and stabilizing the Afghan government. He spent another three months traveling to all parts of the country immersed in the area’s intense political climate.

“There’s just a sense of lawlessness [in Afghanistan] that you didn’t get in Pakistan. It was a world apart,” MacQuarrie said.

After a brief hiatus where MacQuarrie returned to the United States, he returned to the Middle East for the start of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.

He was embedded with the military for months — a process that had not been implemented since the Vietnam War. Now, instead of independently chasing stories in dangerous and hostile areas, he was closely tethered to his battalion as they traveled the country on the front lines, susceptible to any war zone dangers. He attended strategy briefings and followed the same itinerary as the colonel and troops.

MacQuarrie experienced uncensored military life and faced some

of the same dangers as the troops.

However, MacQuarrie was untrained and unarmed. He told the story of the day he crossed the border into Iraq.

“We had just arrived in Baghdad the day it fell. We were in the northwestern part of the city and the battalion had just stopped. We had just parked. The guys get out of their cars and they’re stretching after a long drive that day and shooting starts,” he said, “I’m in the back of the Humvee trying to write my story for that day on my laptop. All of a sudden all of the guys who had been right beside me had fallen back and I hear gunfire getting closer and closer.

For some reason, I just kept writing.”

He was caught directly in the crossfire between the U.S. Army and Iraqi militants. As the Iraqis advanced, they got within 20 yards of the vehicle MacQuarrie was in. He eventually put down his laptop and dove into the front seat to hide. He estimated his chances of survival were fifty-fifty.

Once the situation was safe again, he continued to write his article.

Without proper training or expectations, MacQuarrie relied on his own instincts to keep himself safe. There is no prescription of when to stop writing or when to abandon a story in order to save one’s life. MacQuarrie even laughed at himself, saying that despite being in the midst of a gunfight, he couldn’t put his laptop down because he had been brainwashed into meeting

deadlines. For MacQuarrie, the daily excitement and threat of danger is something he longs for now that he is back in Boston.

“Day after day, week after week, sometimes month after month became the story. You were immersed in it in a way that just consumed you,” MacQuarrie said.

That exhilaration from reporting comes with a risk, especially for those covering large stories scorning governments, as Nan Levinson, a Tufts lecturer in English who teaches journalism classes, said.

“For some people, it just gets under their skin and they can’t look the other way. It’s a real adrenaline high. To follow a story that no one else is following, that’s exciting. So imagine it’s a big corruption [case] … how exciting that would be and how paranoid you’d have to be,” Levinson said.

Levinson added that certain governments may target journalists for assassination, while others may attempt to limit freedom of the press by restricting entry into certain places, require excessive permits, slander journalists’ reputations or spread false news.

Some of these limitations affect Tufts students conducting summer research as well. Benjamin Cooper, a junior, spent the majority of this summer in Eastern Europe studying see DANGERS, page 8

8

THE TUFTS DAILY | Features | Monday, December 10, 2018

tuftsdaily.com

Students, journalists face safety threats, repression in foreign countries sion this summer when researching the source of Pakistan’s water scarcity crisis, a particularly sensitive issue.

In Pakistan, many believe that India is responsible for tampering with the shared water supply and creating the crisis within Pakistan. Bhargava, an Indian national, was met with multiple roadblocks when trying to conduct his research. Because of the two countries’ complex and intertwined histories, it is difficult for Indian citizens to be admitted into Pakistan and vice versa.

“No more than 100 people from India go into Pakistan every year, so it was extremely fortuitous that I had the opportunity,” Bhargava said.

Bhargava’s visa process took approximately four months to complete and limited him to three cities.

Additionally, he was only permitted to conduct interviews with Pakistani officials such as lawyers, high-level bureaucrats and professors.

Although Bhargava was allowed to enter Pakistan, he identified larger, systemic issues relating to the freedom of the press.

“The issue is that Pakistani journalism is not in India and Indian journalism is not in Pakistan. People from the West go into India and Pakistan and do research. That is great most times, but at the same time, it fails to capture the animosity between India and Pakistan,” Bhargava said.

Levinson said the pressures that journalists face globally have changed over time.

“In most places, you used to be able to put a big ‘Press’ sign on top

of the car and that meant no one would bomb the car. Now, it seems to me that you do bomb the car. There really is a switch to target journalists as opposed to journalists being left alone,” Levinson said.

MacQuarrie said that the dangers of journalism and limitations on the freedom of the press that exist in different countries present difficulties for media professionals and regular citizens alike.

“I believe it is a very dark time for the news. What it’s doing is forcing [people] to talk about and choose what kind of a society that they want and what kind of a government they want.

They are thinking a lot more about what the role of media is, undoubtedly in ways that people didn’t take much time to think about,” MacQuarrie said.

ION OF STA IAT TE OC

TERS RES FO

NATIONAL A SS

DANGERS

continued from page 7 post-Soviet cities. While in Belarus, the locals told Cooper that they had to be very careful who they could speak to about sensitive topics, such as their dislike of their government or their job.

Cooper also had to ask permission to take photos of certain monuments and statues. In Minsk, he photographed a KGB building despite knowing this could be an issue. The street was empty except for a man smoking across the street, who began to follow Cooper after he photographed the building.

“I walked away and he just started following me. I definitely was followed for about ten minutes,” Cooper said.

Atrey Bhargava, a sophomore, experienced a different form of repres-

FO

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Monday, December 10, 2018

ARTS&LIVING

Top 10 movies of 2018

by John Fedak, Christopher Panella and Stephanie Hoechst Tufts Daily Arts Staff

“Roma” Throughout its over two-hour run, the incredibly rich “Roma” slowly constructs the world of one woman, Cleo ( Yalitza Aparicio), and the depths of her experience as a maid in the early 1970s for a family in Mexico City. Directed, produced, written and edited by Alfonso Cuarón, “Roma” is semi-autobiographical. Besides being the most gorgeous film of 2018 — its black and white cinematography (also

by Cuarón) is crystal clear and often more detailed than color could ever be — “Roma” tells an incredibly touching story, one that is raw, emotional and lingers long after the film has ended. Cleo is the centerpiece of the family, and “Roma” identifies this and testifies to it. It is the film’s dedication to telling that honest story that makes it so uniquely human.

“A Star is Born” Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s remake of the classic story is the best yet (and hopefully ever). Following up-and-coming singer and songwriter Ally (Lady Gaga) and falling-from-grace country star Jackson (Cooper), “A Star is Born” focuses on the raw emotion of the story it is telling. Sure, there is glitz and pop candy — from Ally’s pop music like the song “Why Did You Do That?” to her background dancers — but there is also remarkable chemistry between Cooper and Gaga, something that makes “A Star is Born” authentic. Gaga may own every scene she is in, but Cooper’s directing and journey through alcoholism and drug addiction is distressing to watch.

There could be 100 films released in 2018, and 99 may not be good, but all it takes is one to dominate awards season.

“A Star is Born” is that one.

“Widows” The heist film audiences never knew they needed. Focusing on a group of women completing a criminal ‘job’ planned by their now-deceased husbands, “Widows” is gritty, deep and excellent. What makes “Widows” stand out is not necessarily its star cast, featuring everyone from Viola Davis to Elizabeth Debicki and Colin Farrell to Liam Neeson, but what director Steve McQueen does with that cast. There is a sense of honesty and authenticity to “Widows” unlike any other heist film ever; rather than spending all its time on the complexities of the job, the film decides to explore the implications of the heist on its characters and how they got there. Sure, “Widows” features some of the strongest performances of the year, but it is also just an all-around fantastic film.

“Black Panther” For everyone who assumed the superhero craze was on the way out, “Black Panther” was the film to prove them wrong. It quickly became the highest-grossing film in the United State in 2018 and the 10th-highest grossing film of all time, and it is easy to see why. The movie boasts a talented, predominantly black cast, an engaging story, solid direction and a memorable score, among other achievements.

9 tuftsdaily.com

Evan Zigmond Out on the Town

Public libraries

I

n my experience, Tufts has a culture built around studying. On this campus, studying is much more than a requirement: It is an important mode of socialization for many. Healthy study habits are crucial to those for whom studying is so important. One way to shake up the grind of schoolwork is to study in different locations. I find it breaks up the monotony of reading, writing, etc. This semester, I have checked out some of the public libraries in Greater Boston, VIA IMDB and I think they are worth a trip for the Promotional posters for ‘A Star is Born,’ ‘Black Panther,’ and ‘Roma’ are pictured. sake of healthy studying.

Audiences worldwide fell in love with enough to make up for the film’s weaker The first library that blew me out the world of Wakanda and T’Challa aspects. of the water was the Arlington Public (Chadwick Boseman), and the cultural Library, named Robbins Library. significance of “Black Panther” alone is “Eighth Grade” The Robbins Library is less than two more than enough to elevate the movie Bo Burnham’s directorial debut miles away from Tufts on a stretch of above most other films of the year. brings the bizarre and cringe-worthy Massachusetts Avenue, west of camyears of adolescence to center stage pus in Arlington. To get there, one “BlacKkKlansman” with both bold flair and subtle sensitiv- can take the MBTA 80 bus headed Perhaps the most underrated movie ity. The film follows 13-year-old Kayla’s to Arlington Center, which stops on on this list, “BlacKkKlansman” is nev- last week of eighth grade, complete Boston Avenue. Taking the bus to the ertheless an engaging work of cine- with a terrifying pool party and hang- end of the route leaves you a few hunma. Based on true events, the movie outs with intimidating high schoolers, dred feet from the building. Inside follows Ron Stallworth ( John David all filtered by the ubiquitous tech- the library, there are many rooms for Washington), the first black detec- nology young people use to interact studying, with varying numbers of tive in the Colorado Springs Police today. Elsie Fisher truly dazzles as the people. I liked sitting in the vacant Department, as he infiltrates the Ku shy, awkward Kayla, giving a beautiful fiction section on the first floor, with Klux Klan branch operating in the city. rendition of the joys and anxieties of a large globe keeping me company.

With the help of fellow detective Flip middle school and earning her a Golden If you get hungry, Mamadou’s bakery Zimmerman (Adam Driver), the pair Globe nomination for Best Actress in across Massachusetts Avenue offers are successful in bringing the klansmen a Comedy. The bold sound design and delicious whole loaves of bread for $6. to justice. This film is the best example visuals of “Eighth Grade” make them- Eating a warm piece of sourdough and of a triple threat: the acting is good, selves known right from the get-go, reading a book in the library is heaventhe story is intriguing and the message helping us feel the same overwhelming ly — I highly recommend it. is poignant. There are so many things awkwardness Kayla herself is feeling.

The second library worth checking director Spike Lee does right that it is out is the Cambridge Public Library, no surprise the movie garnered four “Isle of Dogs” a block or two from Harvard Square.

Golden Globe nominations.

As with any Wes Anderson film, “Isle One can get there with either the MBTA of Dogs” had to live up to a lot of hype, 96 bus or the Red Line. From Harvard “A Quiet Place” and it certainly didn’t disappoint. The Square, walk north past Harvard Yard While all the movies on this list stop-motion animated film is about and turn right on to Cambridge St. After are good, John Krasinski’s project, a fictional city in Japan that exiles all a few minutes of walking, the library “A Quiet Place,” is perhaps the most of its dogs to Trash Island, a secluded will be in plain view on your left. This inventive. Never before has a movie island off the coast where dogs must library has great amenities for studying. so masterfully played with ambiance fight for themselves — until a young There are multiple floors with different and sound, and the result is a thrill- boy comes searching for his lost dog. atmospheres. If you want an old-school ing plot, genuinely terrifying moments The film’s use of Japanese culture as library feel, there is a dimly-lit section and a lasting impression. In “A Quiet a backdrop garnered mixed responses with dusty bookshelves. If you want Place,” the world has been overrun from critics — some felt that it bordered a more modern feel to your studying, with mysterious creatures that are on appropriation, while others found there is a section on the upper floor with seemingly impervious to damage and it to be too stylized and fictionalized comfy chairs overlooking Cambridge are extremely prolific hunters who to be considered an issue. However, it Street. Being able to people-watch rely on sound. In other words, if you is difficult to deny that the amount of from the enormous wall of glass on can stay quiet, you can stay alive. The time and energy that went into creating the second floor broke up my hours score works beautifully with the mov- its visuals, including individual pup- of oh-so-enthralling assigned reading. ie’s silent nature, enhancing its best pets, sets and practical visual effects, Like the Arlington Public Library, this moments and smoothing over its rough demonstrates an astonishing level of one combines ease of access with a dispatches, resulting in an experience handcrafted artistry we rarely see in tinct feel different from the on-campus unlike any other. This is a movie every- animated films today. libraries we are used to. one should see, even if only because it With my column coming to a close is so different from traditional films.

“First Man” for the semester, I would like to thank While many films about space travel each and every one of you who chose “Mission Impossible: Fallout” are popular right now, “First Man” pushes to read it. I’ve had such a blast explor“Mission Impossible: Fallout” is the the limits of this genre in two ways. First, ing Greater Boston. Being able to write most surprising entry on this list. The it focuses more on the actual charac- for all of you has only deepened my “Mission: Impossible” franchise has ter of Neil Armstrong (whose stoicism love for this unique city. No matter been in decline for years, with each Ryan Gosling absolutely nailed) includ- what your interests are, I urge you all movie bringing less and less to the table ing his home life and his training for the to get off campus as much as you can.

— until “Fallout,” that is. Tom Cruise, NASA space program. Second, it made With Greater Boston, the devil is in love him or hate him, finally returned space travel feel as terrifying as it really is. the details. Each block has something to the basics with much success, deliv- Sequences depicting flight in the Apollo interesting to uncover. Hidden green ering a performance that feels well-bal- Missions — including the famous Moon space permeates every nook and crananced between dramatic and reticent. Landing — are nerve-wracking, with ny, breathing life into the brownstones.

However, the film’s greatest success shaky camerawork, groaning structural I cannot stress it enough: This place is is that it feels truly fun to watch. The sound effects and an overflow of aeronau- truly special. expert cinematography creates some tical information. The score, composed by breathtaking sequences that put audi- Justin Hurwitz, also shines as an ethereal Evan Zigmond is a sophomore studying ences into Cruise’s escapades, and the masterpiece, earning it a Golden Globe music. Evan can be reached at resulting action is more than engaging nomination for Best Original Score. evan.zigmond@tufts.edu.

Monday, December 10, 2018 | FUN & GAMES | THE TUFTS DAILY

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Monday, December 10, 2018

Opinion

Letter from the Managing Board Dear Daily readers, Since 1980, it has been the Tufts Daily’s mission to bring clarity to conversations, balance to issues and fact to debates. In our semester as the Daily’s Managing Board, we hope that we’ve upheld our values and principles as promised to you, our readers.

We have been blessed with a dedicated staff who pursue the goal of practicing journalism that is fair, honest, balanced and accurate from the time they wake up everyday until late into the night. It has been a humbling experience for us to lead a newspaper that serves as the publication of record on campus, speaks truth to power and sheds light on marginalized voices and stories that deserve to be told.

This semester, the Daily published the accounts of courageous students, both for-

mer and current, who shared their experiences as survivors of sexual assault. Their stories shed light on the reality that survivors live with and how entrenched the issue of sexual assault is in the Tufts community and our society as a whole. The Daily also ran a special issue focusing on mental health, sharing resources and furthering discussions around the topic, and launched a podcast series that will explore institutional issues at private universities, including Tufts.

We realized our motto, “Where you read it first,” in breaking stories when posters linked to white nationalism appeared on campus overnight on Oct. 31 and when the men’s soccer team claimed its third national title in five years. We also uncovered $22 million in donations that Tufts has accepted from academically controversial charitable foundations since 1985.

We admit that we have at times fallen short of our promises and the standards to which we hold ourselves. These incidents reaffirm the fact that, in journalism, there is no such thing as too much caution and that we cannot sacrifice thoughtfulness for expediency. There is no room for dishonesty, unfairness, imbalance and inaccuracy at the Daily; we ask you to hold us accountable to this commitment. With you in mind, we will continue to hold ourselves to the highest degree of inclusivity, honesty and objectivity.

Appreciatively, Seohyun Shim, Editor-in-Chief Sean Ong, Managing Editor Caleb Symons, Managing Editor Alice Yoon, Production Director Alexis Serino, Associate Editor

CARTOON

Well-rounded

BY SHANNON GEARY

TRASHING ONE EGG WASTES 55 GALLONS OF WATER

11 tuftsdaily.com

Anita Ramaswamy Anita’s Angle

I

What opinion means to me

have spent almost four years in the Daily’s Opinion section, sharing my takes with the Tufts community. This week, I started wondering why it matters, after a friend of mine shared with me that he doesn’t normally read opinion writing. He prefers data, numbers and objective information from which he is free to draw his own conclusions. For many, opinion writing can seem like a distraction in the pursuit of truth rather than a step along the way. It is a fair criticism — why should you take time out of your day to read the arguments and analysis of others when you have the education and critical thinking skills to interpret the facts on your own?

While news and opinion writing differ in their fundamental goals, even in news reporting, there are always choices to make. The inclusion of certain facts over others introduces bias into the reporting process. Even in long-form pieces, we still face constraints about what facts to include, in what order and what language we will use to describe them. Geneva Overholser of the Washington Post uses the example of Bill Clinton’s 1997 speech on race and affirmative action, showing discrepancies in headlines from many major news outlets after the event. Was President Clinton “declaring a plan to battle racism,” or “defending preferences for colleges?”

Media outlets made the choice to report on the contents of the speech quite differently, even in their news coverage.

This paradox should not discourage us from seeking objectivity altogether.

Providing transparency about our own biases and explaining the methodology behind our analysis can also be useful.

Science and journalism use similar processes to uncover facts, and journalists should be just as rigorous as scientists about disclosing our assumptions. As for readers, it is important to understand that no matter the genre, bias is impossible to avoid. Especially now, when technology outpaces our ability to verify facts, even the most basic assumptions cannot be taken for granted. We should scrutinize every piece of media we consume.

Opinion writing plays a critical role in providing a narrative. Steven R. Weisman, the chief diplomatic correspondent for The New York Times, explained, “If you have to decide who is right, then you must do more reporting.” He recognized the need for the deeper engagement that opinion writing provides. So today, in my last column for the Daily, I want you to know I have appreciate your readership as I attempted to discover the truth.

Anita Ramaswamy is a senior studying political science. Anita can be reached at anita.ramaswamy@tufts.edu.

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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Swimming and diving teams face steep competition in final fall meet

15

WEEKEND SCORES WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (8–0 Overall) at University of New England

85–59

ICE HOCKEY (4–5 Overall) Bowdoin Colby

6–1 0–2

MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING at Wesleyan WPI at Wesleyan Williams at Wesleyan

243–62 148–157 121.5–170.5

WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING at Wesleyan WPI at Wesleyan Williams at Wesleyan

234–80 237–84 104.5–214.5

MEN’S SQUASH (2–5 Overall) at Bowdoin

4–5

WOMEN’S SQUASH (3–2 Overall) at Bowdoin COURTESY PAUL RUTHERFORD

First-year Jeanette Khowong swims the butterfly at the MIT Invitational on Dec. 2.

by Haley Rich Sports Editor

The Jumbos headed to Middletown, Conn. to race against NESCAC rivals Wesleyan and Williams alongside non-conference opponents WPI on Saturday. The women defeated Wesleyan and WPI but fell to 2018 conference champion Williams, while the men soundly defeated Wesleyan but fell to both WPI and Williams at the quad-meet.

Women’s swimming and diving Meanwhile, in the first event of the day for the women’s team, sophomore Lily Kurtz swam the 50-yard breaststroke in 30.60 seconds to finish second behind Williams junior Caroline White. Kurtz then followed it up with a third-place finish in the 100 breast.

In the 50-yard backstroke, first-year Jeannette Khowong stole second in 28.24 seconds while junior Grace Goetcheus finished fifth, less than half of a second later. Khowong went on to win the 100-yard backstroke in 59.74 seconds while sophomore Sasha Fong placed second in both the 50-yard and 100-yard fly.

Sophomore Abby Claus had a standout day, finishing third in the 400yard Individual Medley (IM) in 4:37.91 before finishing second in the 200yard fly in 2:08.93 behind Williams sophomore Molly Craig. Claus finished off the day with a second-place win in the 400-yard freestyle relay alongside

Fong, first-year Mary Hufziger and senior Colleen Doolan, who together finished in 3:36.35 behind Williams’ 3:34.03. Overall, the squad soundly defeated Wesleyan and WPI 234–80 and 237–84, respectively, but fell to Williams 214.5–104.5.

“Today’s focus was about being tough and having a good attitude after last weekend’s exhausting three-day meet and a week full of training,” sophomore Katherine Sweester said. “I think we did everything we could. We had good energy compared to last year.”

Coach Adam Hoyt agrees, noting that the athletes met the goals set for them for the quad-meet.

“Technically and strategically, the women competed very well,” he said. “Times went up from the MIT Invitational last week, but that’s to be expected given the circumstances. I asked the athletes to get up and perform their best, and although there’s work to be done, overall I’m pleased with their performance.”

Men’s swimming and diving Meanwhile, on the men’s side, junior Roger Gu was once again exceptional on Saturday, capturing all of the Jumbos’ first-place finishes in individual races and also swimming in their one relay victory. The All-American started with a win in the 50-yard freestyle, reaching the wall 1.57 seconds in front of second-place Williams senior Curtis Maher. He went on to win the 200 and 100-yard freestyle in 1:42.89

and 46.30 seconds, respectively. In the last event of the day, Gu led first-years Nate Tingen and Tar Tar Jarusinchai and junior Tyler Tatro to a win in the 400-yard freestyle relay in 3:06.62, posting by far the fastest leg of the entire race with an individual time of 44.02 seconds.

Tingen also had a noteworthy day in his individual events, capturing second in the 50 and 100-yard backstroke in 23.88 and 51.82 seconds, respectively.

He placed fourth in the 100 freestyle 1.63 seconds behind Gu. Last week’s NESCAC Performer of the Week, firstyear Joseph Kim, gained speed throughout the day; he took fifth in the 500yard freestyle, third in the 400-yard IM and tied for second in the 200-yard backstroke with Williams sophomore Jackson Karofsky in 1:55.73.

The Jumbos picked up some extra points from junior Alexander Burnam’s third-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke and fourthplace finishes from Tatro in the 200yard freestyle, senior Brandon Jinn in the 500-yard freestyle and sophomore Lomax Turner in the 100-yard and 200-yard fly. Overall, the Jumbos defeated the Wesleyan Cardinals 243–62 but narrowly fell to the WPI Engineers 157–148 and the Williams Ephs 170.5–121.5.

“Today was a relatively disappointing loss, especially because we beat both WPI and Williams at this meet last year,” Turner said. “But both teams put so much work in today and

9–0

gave us great competition. This was a good wake-up call and an opportunity to reflect and improve moving forward. We had some incredible swims, though; I’m very proud of [Gu] and [ Tingen].”

Despite the disappointment, Hoyt remains positive.

“It’s clear that we have more to do to reach the level we hope to be at by the end of the season, but the focus and effort is there,” he said. “The men didn’t swim the fastest, but there were some smart races. The guys will need to rest to swim fast, and they certainly didn’t get much rest this week.”

Today marks the Jumbos’ last official practice of 2018 as the swimmers train based on their own schedules during finals. Hoyt encouraged them to focus on their academics, stay healthy and keep training consistent during this time of the season. After training at home for the first few weeks of winter break, the athletes will fly out to Stuart, Fla. For their annual training trip.

“In Florida, we get in 10 workouts a week,” Hoyt said. “It’s huge for fitness and an important time training-wise, but the best part of it is that the team really gets closer. We all enjoy having no other stress besides training, eating together and hanging out.”

Once the Jumbos return from the Sunshine State to Medford, they’ll compete in a double-header weekend after the first few days of spring semester. They will race against Wheaton College in Norton, Mass. on Jan. 19, before taking on Boston College at home the next day.

Tufts blows out Bridgewater State WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

continued from back helping the Jumbos emerge with a 28–10 lead at the end of the quarter.

The second quarter was much closer on the scoreboard (16–13), but the Jumbos maintained their lead through attacking the paint and dominating the backboard. By the half, Tufts had out-rebounded the visitors 23–10.

While the Jumbos were 0-of-4 from downtown, they shot 20-of-35 from the field in the first half, compared to the Bears’ 8-of-26.

Tufts went on an 8–1 run to start the second half, consolidating its advantage as the team continued to display its abil-

ity to drive inside. With the Bridgewater State offense struggling to find any rhythm, the visitors called for a timeout with 3:16 to play in the third quarter. The Bears then went on an 8–0 run themselves, but the Jumbos ended the barrage with their first made 3-point shot in the game from junior guard Lilly Paro with 1:25 to play in the third.

Coach Carla Berube eventually emptied her bench with 4:26 to play in the fourth quarter. DeCandido finished the game with a gamehigh of 21 points. Tufts dominated with 51 rebounds compared to the Bears’ 18, with Ryan leading in this category with a game-high of 11 rebounds.

The Jumbos recycled their offense efficiently too, finishing off 20 second-chance points.

Tufts’ final game before winter break is at home against Emerson on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Looking forward, first-year guard Sofia Rosa said the team needs to improve defensively.

“Coach has been really big on defense so that’s what we pride ourselves on, so we got to work on communication, working with each other to figure out how to best defend as a team,” Rosa said. “We heard that Emerson’s post [senior forward/center Charlie Boyle] had a big night the other day [against

Smith with 36 points] so we got to work at that and make sure we’re boxing out and going for fifty-fifty balls.”

Knapp also said the team needed to ensure it remained mentally focused heading into the Emerson game.

“I think it’s making sure everybody is 100 percent focused on the game,” Knapp said. “It’s finals week, everyone has a ton of homework and assignments due, plus everybody is getting ready to start studying for their finals.

So kind of chunking off those two hours for the game, not anything else, [and] just focusing on Emerson [is] what we have to do to be successful.”

16 tuftsdaily.com

Sam Weidner Weidner's Words

A changing league

Sports

Monday, December 10, 2018

Women’s basketball stretches winning run to eight games

G

regg Popovich, considered by many as one of the greatest basketball coaches in NBA history, took a surprising stance on the state of the league in a recent interview before a game in Chicago. Popovich, head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, told reporters that he believes the recent analytical trend in the NBA — emphasizing shooting three-pointers above all else — has detracted from the intricacy of the game.

“There’s no basketball anymore, there’s no beauty in it,” Popovich said in an pregame interview on Dec. 3. “Now you look at a stat sheet after a game and the first thing you look at is the threes.

If you made threes and the other team didn’t, you win. You don’t even look at the rebounds or the turnovers or how much transition D was involved. You don’t even care.”

This criticism comes as a surprise from a man whose teams have been praised for playing basketball with a degree of artistry rarely seen before. His teams are known for ball movement, stingy defense and a lack of practiced schemes, but in recent years even the Spurs have had to adapt and shoot more three-pointers. This year’s Spurs team attempts over three-pointers more three-point shots per game compared to the championship team from 2014.

Popovich isn’t wrong about the overall trend of the league, either. There have been six consecutive seasons now where the NBA has broken the previous year’s record of 3PA (three-pointers attempted). Franchises are setting records left and right for most 3PA in a season or a game, and players are breaking records for most three-pointers made at just as fast of a pace.

All the math points to the fact that shooting more threes is statistically the best way to win games. Teams are scoring more and the teams with the best threepoint shooters are dominating the rest of the competition (see: Golden State).

It’s easy to dismiss Popovich and say that he is just stuck in the past; a vestige from a different league who is nostalgic for the days when the Spurs were perennially in the title conversation. But Popovich has not always been resistant to change in the game: his teams from the past few years, and the 2014 championship team, especially, would be nearly unrecognizable compared to the ‘twin towers’ team that featured David Robinson and Tim Duncan around the turn of the millennium.

Has the development of advanced analytics changed the game for the better or the worse? Is it possible that the other aspects of the game, whether defense, rebounding or ball movement, will suffer because of the increased focus on three-point shooting?

It is tough to say what direction this revolution in the game will lead the league to in the long term. At the same time, we shouldn’t dismiss Popovich’s critiques.

The most renowned coach of his generation is known for his reticent nature, but Sam Weidner is a junior studying mathematics. Sam can be reached at samuel. weidner@tufts.edu.

EVAN SLACK / THE TUFTS DAILY

Senior guard and co-captain Jac Knapp dribbles down the court during Tufts’ 80–42 win over Bridgewater State on Dec. 4.

by Yuan Jun Chee

Executive Sports Editor

Tufts (8–0) continued its unbeaten start to the season, defeating Bridgewater State (2–6) at home on Tuesday and the University of New England (4–6) away on Saturday.

Neither were close affairs.

On Saturday, Tufts’ strong start to the season stretched to eight straight wins after besting the University of New England on the road , 85–59.

The win was characteristic of Tufts’ high-powered offense; the team has put up more than 80 points for the sixth time this season. First-year guard Molly Ryan got things going with Tufts’ first possession, and the visitors never looked back. Tufts emerged with a 23–14 lead in the first quarter.

The Jumbos were even more efficient in the second quarter; they reduced their turnovers from five to two and entered the break with an 18-point lead. Junior guard/forward and co-captain Erica DeCandido explained the role her fellow co-captain, senior guard Jac Knapp, played in the improved play during the second quarter.

“[ The University of New England was a] fast team, pushing it so it was kind of a frenetic game, we were getting back on defense and had to be quick, but Jac Knapp played incredible,” DeCandido said. “She was driving it to the lane, making foul shots, she was running up the court for easy passses and easy layups and I think her energy just really took over and sparked us, as we weren’t really winning a lot in the first quarter.”

The start of the third quarter provided a potential turning point in the game, when Ryan picked up her third and fourth personal fouls within two minutes. Despite giving up 14 free throws in the third quarter, the Jumbos held on to their advantage through good ball movement. The team’s ability to move the ball with speed set up players in good positions to further the Jumbos’ lead. Knapp was instrumental in the Jumbos’ success with her 3-point shooting and driving ability, tallying a career-high 26 points. The Jumbos shot 3-of-6 from downtown in the quarter. Tufts continued its offensive pressure in the second half and ran away with the contest by the game’s end.

“Just getting into the lane kind of opens up shots for the people on the outside when the defense has to crash,” DeCandido said. “So when we have shooters like Jac and Molly who can knock down threes from the outside, it kind of is a hard offense to guard, when people like me and Briggs are driving, and when they try to double we just usually dish it out.”

On Tuesday, Tufts hosted its penultimate game at home before winter break, blowing out visiting Bridgewater State University 80–42.

Both offenses took a while to get going, but DeCandido finally got the first basket of the game after more than two minutes had been played.

DeCandido’s opening bucket set the tone in the first half as the Jumbos scored 24 points off of the Bears’ 18 turnovers in the whole game.

The floodgates opened as Tufts once again demonstrated its ability to start games quickly; DeCandido put up 10 points in the first quarter alone, while Knapp followed with eight of her own. None of the Bears’ starters scored any points in the first quarter, see WOMEN'S BASKETBALL, page 15