The Tufts Daily - Wednesday, September 11, 2019 by The Tufts Daily

Patra discusses new Data Intensive Studies Center at Tufts see FEATURES / PAGE 3

VOLLEYBALL

Jumbos start season with 4 consecutive victories

‘It Chapter Two’ fails to live up to its predecessor see ARTS&LIVING / PAGE 4

SEE SPORTS / BACK PAGE

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VOLUME LXXVIII, ISSUE 5

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS.

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Curtatone wins mayoral prelim, challenger sees hope for general

ALEXANDER THOMPSON / THE TUFTS DAILY

A promotional lawn sign for Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone is pictured on Sept. 10. by Alexander Thompson News Editor

The results of yesterday’s preliminary election for Somerville mayor led both camps to declare victory. Joe Curtatone, Somerville’s incumbent mayor of 15 years, won the threeway contest with 57.49% of the vote, while his main challenger, Marianne Walles, a social worker and activist, garnered 37.12%. The percentage Walles racked presents the closest race against Curtatone in a decade. Local elections in Massachusetts are non-partisan, and if any office is contested by more than two candidates, a preliminary election is held to determine which two candidates advance to the general election, which takes place on Nov. 5. The presence of three candidates‚ — Curtatone, Walles and Kenneth C. Van Buskirk — forced a preliminary election. Van Buskirk received 4.74% of the vote and will not advance to the general election. Write-ins accounted for 0.65%. Despite coming second, Walles was encouraged by the results. “I’m very excited. It clearly indicates that the city is looking for some change,” Walles said in an interview with the Daily after the unofficial results had been published.

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Walles said that going into the day she had been hoping to top 30% and thanked her supporters and campaign workers for helping her do much better than that. Walles spent the day knocking on doors around Somerville to get out the vote, pitching voters the simple message that she is looking out for the best interests of Somerville. Curtatone was unable to be reached for comment last night, but in a Facebook post from early yesterday, the mayor urged people to head to the polls. “It’s been my honor over the years to work on behalf of the people of this city. We do what others don’t think is possible because we’re a city that’s never forgotten we’re in this together,” he wrote. He went on to tout his achievements as mayor in the areas of transportation, the environment, housing and combating the opioid crisis. Walles said that the town-gown relationship was key campaign issue and pointed to her role working on the Tufts Payment in Lieu of Taxes Project of Our Revolution Somerville, a left-wing advocacy group, and with the Tufts Housing League. “[ Voters’] taxes have gone up over the last few years, and Tufts hasn’t been paying their fair share, so it’s very concerning for the residents of Somerville,” Walles said. For breaking news, our content archive and exclusive content, visit tuftsdaily.com @tuftsdaily

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Walles admits that she has a long way to go to reach the 50% she’ll need to prevail in the general election, and she plans to campaign for the votes of Tufts students registered to vote in Somerville to help close the gap. “I have stood by [Tufts students’] side hearing their issues, standing with them, especially with the Tufts Housing League around the tiered housing, their need for a high-density dorm. I’m hearing them,” Walles said. “They want Tufts to be a responsible community partner, and I think that my work with Tufts students speaks for itself.” Curtatone, however, will not be easy to topple. He crushed his opponent, Payton Corbett, in the 2017 mayoral election, winning 73% of the vote even after Corbett pulled 35% in the preliminary election and was endorsed by Our Revolution Somerville, which has now endorsed Walles. However, this was after the Boston Globe published offensive social media posts that Corbett had made and Our Revolution dropped its endorsement. Curtatone supporters were camped out near many of the polling stations in the Tufts area for most of the day with signs, though they declined to speak with reporters. The preliminary election’s predictive power is limited considering the mea-

ger turnout. The Somerville Election Commission does not publish turnout with its unofficial results, so they are not yet available for yesterday’s election, but the turnout in 2017 reached only 9.6%. There was only a small trickle of voters at the West Somerville School to cast their votes yesterday afternoon. Henry Talberth (A’72), a professor at Cummings School of Dental Medicine, was in and out of the polling station in a matter of minutes. “I think all politics is local, and I knew it wouldn’t take long,” he chuckled. Talberth said that he had cast his vote for Curtatone, calling him a good advocate for Somerville. “Though it was a losing effort, I really appreciated his very, very vocal opposition to the casino in Everrett, and he seems engaged with the community,” Talberth said. Jack and Eleanor Madison, who also voted at the West Somerville School yesterday, voted for Walles and let their distaste for the mayor be known. “We know of his family,” Eleanor Madison said. “And of his reputation,” Jack Madison finished. Both candidates must now turn their attention to the general election and the thousands of voters who did not vote yesterday but will in November.

NEWS............................................1 FEATURES.................................3 ARTS & LIVING.......................4

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

THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Wednesday, September 11, 2019

THE TUFTS DAILY Jessica Blough Editor in Chief

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Tilton, Bush residence halls undergo renovation over summer by Liza Harris News Editor

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Bush Hall and Tilton Hall, two firstyear residential halls at Tufts, were renovated over the summer during the course of 12 weeks between May 21 and Aug. 16, according to the Operations Division website. Associate Dean of Student Affairs Chris Rossi says these renovations reflect the efforts of Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences James Glaser, Dean of the School of Engineering Jianmin Qu and University President Anthony Monaco. According to Director of Capital Programs Gretchen von Grossman, the renovations included new window installations, bathrooms with new finishings, a new community kitchen and updated lounge spaces, among other improvements. “New, durable insulated windows were installed in each building and the bathrooms were completely redone with new finishes and fixtures, and all restrooms are now accessible, all-gender and single-use. We put in a new community kitchen and renovated lounge spaces in each building, enhanced the common space furniture, and replaced carpet and repainted the buildings,” Grossman said in an email to the Daily. Grossman further noted that constructors added fresh air supply vents to each floor and replaced Tilton’s roof. She added that the boiler plant in Tilton, which according to TuftsNow provides steam to the lower campus residence halls, is also being renovated. The Tufts administration felt that such changes were necessary due to the age of the buildings, according to Grossman. “The building systems addressed were either original … or beyond their useful life; it was a timely investment to modernize the systems for the next 20 years of operations,” Grossman told the Daily. Grossman added that Bush’s construction was finished in 1959 and Tilton’s in 1962. Grossman expressed her belief that the renovations will improve the residential experience for students living in those buildings. “Most visibly, the changes have brought new life to the common spaces, lounges, kitchens, and bathrooms. With new paint and finishes, contemporary colors and furnishings, the building feels rejuvenated and new while retaining some of its original character. Behind

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the scenes, the renewed infrastructure elements of the building will keep the building operating reliably and efficiently for years to come,” Grossman said. According to Director of Residential Life Josh Hartman, the renovations do not include any forced doubles or triples. “A ‘forced’ double or triple implies that the room should actually be a lower capacity but we are forcing it to accommodate more people. We do not have any forced doubles or triples,” Hartman said in an email. “However, it is important to note that we have worked hard to ensure that rooms are at appropriate capacity based on square footage, and that furniture in the room is the most useful in the space.” Hartman said that both Bush and Tilton were fully ready for move-in this fall. “All first year students have moved into their spaces and the students and families we have spoken with have been impressed with Bush and Tilton,” Hartman said. Tara Donohue, a first-year living in Tilton, reported that the common spaces were updated but that work remains to be done in the dorm rooms themselves. “I think the common rooms have been nicely renovated, but the dorm rooms are not as great,” Donohue said. “They’re … dirty and some of the electrical outlets don’t work.” According to Grossman, the renovation projects went smoothly. She praised in particular the large amount of construction that occurred over 12 weeks. Renovations of Houston Hall, which

began last semester after Miller Hall’s renovation, also concluded at the end of the summer. Both renovations included updated common spaces and new study spaces for students. According to Rossi, the renovations reflect the Tufts administration’s continued commitment to improving residential life for students. “The renovations to Bush and Tilton are another example of President Monaco, Deans Glaser and Qu, and A administrative leaders investing in the student residential experience at Tufts,” Rossi said in an email. “In many cases, such as Miller, Houston, and CoHo, we have simultaneously expanded housing capacity on-campus while improving the look and feel of residential spaces.” A February Daily article also detailed Tufts’ acquisition of 123 Packard Avenue from the Theta Delta Chi Corporation for $2 million. According to the article and the Student Affairs website, the building is ready for occupation and will house students returning from Tufts’ inaugural Civic Semester. Rossi commented that, overall, the renovations improved the amenities for students living in the residence halls. “The projects in Bush, Tilton, and 123 Packard Ave also demonstrate our overall commitment to upgrading our residence halls by enhancing amenities for Tufts students, including improved community kitchens, renovated bathrooms, and replacing outdated furniture in lounges,” Rossi said.

Police Briefs — Week of Sept. 10 by Matthew McGovern Assistant News Editor

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Renovated Miller Hall is pictured on Sept. 4.

On Sept. 1 at 1:30 p.m., Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) responded to call at Powderhouse Circle where an elderly woman had fallen down in the middle of the rotary. Somerville Police and Fire Departments also responded to the incident, and the woman was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital for treatment. At 6:02 p.m. the same day, TUPD responded to a pulled fire alarm in Houston Hall, which a student activated after hearing a noise coming from an exit door that was propped open. The hall was evacuated, then the Medford Fire Department arrived and reset the the pull station. On Sept. 2 at 10:38 p.m., TUPD officers and the Medford Fire Department

responded to an active fire alarm at the Hillsides 50s. The alarm was triggered by a student vaping in their room. Medford fire officials located the activated detector and advised the student not to vape indoors. On Sept. 5 at 2:13 p.m., TUPD officers were dispatched to Tisch Library after a student’s MacBook Pro was stolen while they were in the bathroom. The student had left the computer unattended for approximately 15 minutes, and it was gone when they returned. The student did not have the “Find My Mac” service activated on their computer. On Sept. 6 at 10:14 p.m., TUPD officers and the Somerville Fire Department responded to a small fire in Sophia Gordon Hall. An individual had ignited a fire using paper towels in the lounge,

which a Community Development Assistant (CDA) located while on their rounds. Another CDA extinguished the fire. An arson investigator was called in because TUPD had determined that the fire was intentional. The incident is still under investigation. On Sept. 7 at 12:07 p.m., TUPD was informed by a student that they were a victim of a computer scam. The student told TUPD that it began earlier in the year when they clicked on a pop-up from a supposed technology-security company stating that the computer was infected. The student paid a nominal fee to the company, but realized it was a scam when they continued to ask for money. TUPD directed the student to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which investigates computer crimes of this nature.

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Features

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Q&A: New Tufts Data Intensive Studies Center director Dr. Abani Patra

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Abani Patra, new Tufts Data Intensive Studies Center director, is pictured on Sept. 10.

, by Ananya Pavuluri Contributing Writer

Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity. d Dr. Abani Patra was appointed director of the up and coming Data Intensive Studies Center (DISC) at Tufts University this past spring. He started in this position on Aug. 15. Patra has an extensive background in computational and data sciences. He previously lserved as the founding director of the Institute for Computational and Data Sciences at the eUniversity at Buffalo, as well as a professor in the University at Buffalo Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He 3joins Tufts as a professor of mathematics and lcomputer science and was recently awarded the Stern Family Professorship. s The Daily sat down with Patra to discuss his vision for DISC, plans to teach his own courses at Tufts and what students and faculty can ”expect from DISC in the near future. The Tufts Daily (TD): What drew you to the Data Intensive Studies Center at Tufts? Abani Patra (AP): I like creating new entities of people with different passions in life. I’ve gone through the process of creating new programs and organizational units, both at the university level, when I was in Buffalo before, and also at the federal government, initiating programs. I like the notion of having a clean slate and building something that delivers lasting value. So that’s the affinity quotient and why I like doing something like this. Why Tufts in particular? It’s an interesting school. It has an interesting mix of the sciences, engineering and the social sciences that not many schools have, at a scale where you can have conversations across the disciplines without being too large. There are places that are significantly larger, some not too far from here, where those conversations are much harder. The departments there are over 500 people. Here, it’s 45 people. So you can cross disciplines, I believe, much easier. Something like DISC is supposed to cross all units. It’s going to require a lot of cross-

talk, which I think, on this campus, is much easier to do. To truly make an impact in data science, DISC has to cross the boundaries. If it’s only inside computer science, it will under-achieve. If it’s only inside mathematics, it will underachieve. If it’s only inside Arts and Sciences, it will under-achieve. It has to cross the boundary into clinical science, medical science, anthropology, all the arts and all the sciences that we know of. Ultimately, the product of a lot of human enterprise is data that we use to interpret and think. TD: What would you say are the main goals of DISC? AP: So there is a very carefully developed set of documents that many groups of faculty, staff and students have worked on. To give a one or two line summary of that, the goal is to accelerate learning in science, arts, engineering and all of the fields that Tufts is engaged in, using data science as a tool to multiply people’s learning productivity. The vision for DISC is to create a cohesive entity out of all of that, to articulate where all that energy can come together and build something bigger. My hope is that we create an institution that is binding, not just one more silo, and that we create something that makes all the other units bigger and better, that we have a huge impact on scholarship and research, for the students and faculty both, and that we have an impact on the process of educating our students on these methodologies ... There is a vast number of students who are being impacted, or their disciplines are being impacted, and they need to be trained by people that also sometimes need to be trained. Our generation, we didn’t grow up with data science, so we also need to train ourselves. So that’s kind of an interesting situation we have now, where we have to bring everybody up to speed. Fundamentally, if we send you out, what’s the primary product of a college? Graduates and the knowledge we create. If we send out our students in the next five to 10 years without expertise in these topics, we are failing

them. We are not sending them out with an education that will allow them to be successful. So, these are some of the things that I am hoping DISC will accomplish. TD: Which courses will you be teaching through the Department of Mathematics and the Department of Computer Science? Are there any new courses you plan to introduce at Tufts? AP: At this point, I have not completely worked that out, but yes, there will most likely be some new courses. Initially, maybe some gaps that aren’t currently being covered. I have to look at the existing catalog, I haven’t had a chance to master everything in the current catalog and see what is maybe not being taught enough. But things that will fundamentally affect data science, as well as things that underpin machine learning, and topics of that nature. Given my cross-background, I’ll probably teach something that is at the intersection of mathematics and computer science, not one or the other. TD: Which areas of research does DISC have plans to expand on, or has already begun to expand on? AP: This stage, it’s plans. Right now, DISC is me, you’re looking at it. I am hopefully going to add a lot of interesting and interested people. Instead of saying that we have it all worked out, a lot of that will be defined by the people I bring into DISC. Not all of them are going to be from the outside, I’m hoping current faculty and current students will jump in … There’ll be many individuals who are already doing things, whom I’m hoping will find DISC a place to contribute and be rewarded for that. So that process, I don’t want to say that we’ll do machine learning, and this and that, and I don’t want to make a list of three things we’ll research on tomorrow. In the general sense, we will look for anything that allows the intersection of mathematics, computing, data and the sciences. We will not rule out things, we will not rule in things very strictly yet. Simply because of the nature of the discipline, it functions best when it is carefully motivated by people across the disciplines. I’ve had some extremely interesting conversations with fac-

ulty who are doing things with data science and x, x being anything from social inequity, election gerrymandering, disease prediction and prevention, health records, economics … so there is a lot of cross-cutting disciplines and problems. If you look at the documents, there is already an articulated set of basic rules, so we will build on that. TD: How does DISC plan to expand the data science degrees that are available for undergraduates and graduate students? AP: So right now there are, to the best of my knowledge, there are two master’s programs, one minor in the School of Arts and Sciences, one major in engineering and an arts and sciences major in planning, if I’m not mistaken. I’ve had conversations with all of the people involved. We will try to support them in every single way that we can, to introduce cross-cutting synergies where possible. There are good problems here, there are good ideas here, that can crossover from arts and sciences to engineering or the other way around. We will try to make those relationships work. There are structural issues in doing these things, because number one, everyone is very busy doing what they’re doing. Professor [Alva] Couch is running data science in engineering, and that’s two and a half jobs. So for him to be able to also, at the same time, help analytics in economics is probably not as practical. So, DISC will hopefully leverage all of these excellences that are isolated into one single unit. TD: What can students and faculty expect within the next year or so from DISC? AP: Lots of interesting opportunities to participate and grow. DISC will be what people make of it. If people, students, come in and try to participate in things, it will grow and become better. DISC will try to provide resources where possible. DISC will try to provide a community as much as possible, where people who are interested in these things can come together. When interesting minds come together, good things happen, always. When interesting minds come together with resources, good things can be delivered. That’s

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Arts & Living

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

FILM REVIEW

‘It Chapter Two’ gets bogged down in the basics by Tuna Margalit

Assistant Arts Editor

“It Chapter Two” (2019) is succeeding in doing what any production company could hope for a sequel to a wildly profitable film to do: Make lots of money, again. This outcome was all but a guarantee, seeing as the first “It” (2017) grossed $700 million worldwide off a relatively small budget of $35 million. The series’ producers certainty of success is reflected in the sequel’s nearly doubled production budget. Unfortunately for us moviegoers, an upgraded budget did not correlate with an upgraded film. Yes, a good amount of that money probably was sunk into getting famed actors Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy and Bill Hader onboard. Yes, the budget increase undoubtedly allowed director Andy Muschietti to tinker around with more CGI and visual effects, which gave the film some charmingly bizarre scenes involving disgusting monsters, all of which felt hyper-surreal but well done. And yes, more money probably allowed the scope of this film, both in location and runtime, to extend outside of quaint, little and fictional Derry, Maine, and outside of the apparently too constrictive two hours and 20 minutes that held the first movie. But much of the fundamental fabric of film was overlooked at the expense of these additions. In a vacuum, there are no intrinsic trade-offs to increasing a movie budget twofold. As long as the essential elements of a film remain — pacing, plot clarity and camerawork, to name a few — a film should not immediately buckle under the weight of additional spending money. And yet, all of the aforementioned positives that came with the enhanced budget are either wasted or severely convoluted in “It Chapter Two.” What essential elements of any movie were missing from this movie? Why, pacing, plot clarity and camerawork, of course.

From an audience perspective, pacing’s presence in a movie is akin to the bass player’s presence in a rock band: When it goes well, you often don’t notice it, but when it goes poorly, it’s the only thing you notice. “It Chapter Two” is structured into three main parts (not including a traumatic prologue). There is a beginning montage where all of the kids from the first film are observed separately as grown-ups twenty-seven years later before they are reunited by the one member of their group still living in Derry. There is a middle montage where the adults are all back in Derry (save for one) and are separately searching for a single artifact from their respective childhoods. The final part of the film is not quite a montage, as the group is together for most of the time, but even this part — specifically in the final battle against the killer clown Pennywise — – a quasi-montage is utilized. To have the first two-thirds of a film be made up of nearly all montages makes for a jarring experience because it gives the feeling that it is all merely background information, and in “It Chapter Two,” these montages lead almost directly into the climax. The long runtime of two hours and 49 minutes was not an issue, as the montages were rather enjoyable to watch; they just lacked any real transition into the final part and therefore the climax of the movie didn’t overwhelm as much as it should have, given the events that occur in the end. The other two main faults of the film do not do as much damage as its shoddy pacing, however they are worth being mentioned. First, it is quite unclear throughout the film as to which bizarre CGI monsters are real and which are imaginary. It was definitely a risk on the part of the director to go into such detail on these monsters, and they are examples of body horror done right, but the confusion that came with their varying existences was too palpable to ignore. Secondly, there were a couple of instances where the camerawork was

VIA IMDB

The poster for ‘It Chapter Two’ (2019) is pictured. poor. Scenes that come to mind are any that involve dialogue between all of the main characters with ill-timed cuts between each of their faces, an intense amount of jump cuts, some shots which are filmed from off-putting angles and some landscape shots which were almost definitely filmed via drone – not innately bad, just not very cinematic in the traditional sense. The drone usage highlights the most noteworthy critique of this film: It’s nothing like the first one. A sequel should not

be just a repeat of an original, and this movie is set 27 years after the events of the first, but it shouldn’t have to lose all of what made the original spectacular. In “It Chapter Two” anything spectacular — Bill Skarsgård’s performance as Pennywise, a scene involving bleachers at a football game, and the back-and-forth scenes between the past and the present — cannot keep this flimsy paper boat of a film afloat, as the failures of the pace, plot clarity and camerawork were simply too heavy.

‘Honeyland’ finds unadulterated beauty in Macedonia’s remote hills by Tommy Gillespie Arts Editor

The most revealing moment of “Honeyland” (2019), a Macedonian beekeeping documentary that some are heralding as 2019’s best film, arrives early on, during the first and only time when the film and its stoic heroine venture far outside their element. Hatidze Muratova, an ethnically Turkish woman living in a remote, mountainous corner of the Republic of North Macedonia, treks from the sumptuously-rendered scraggly hills she has called home all her life to sell her renowned honey in the bustling market halls of Skopje, the capital city of North Macedonia. Recognizing that a market vendor is a fellow Turk, she strikes up a conversation with him. Since she was born in 1964, Hatidze tells him she has seen generations of Albanian and Turkish families migrate away from her village, leaving just her and her mother to eke out a living in a stone house devoid of electricity or running water. She continues to work the land, inching along steep cliffs and crossing rivers on precarious branches to gently coax

the bees into relinquishing half of their honey to her. Against the seismic reverberations of political and demographic change that have marked the Balkans’ postmodern age, Hatidze continues to uphold the same sacred contract with the bees that her predecessors have honored since time immemorial. That rich, legendary mood of timelessness has led some critics to label filmmakers Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov as the makers of a modern-day parable. When Hussein and Ljutvie Sam arrive with their children to raise cows in the abandoned property next door, their struggle to survive in the harsh environment soon jeopardizes Hatidze’s undisturbed way of life. The searingly intimate “Honeyland” opts for a docudrama structure, eschewing talking heads and expository text. The production team spent three years following Hatidze, yielding over 400 hours of footage. The end result, a tight 87 minutes, gives us a family feud no less quietly mythic and simmering than that of “The Godfather” (1972), albeit one viewed through an ecologically-minded lens more reminiscent of “Food, Inc.” (2008).

Cinematographer Fejmi Daut deserves much of the credit for the organic sense of familiarity we come to develop with the characters. He opts to introduce us to Hatidze in a succession of gorgeously monumental wide shots as she trudges across the landscape for her honey. When she opens the hives, the camera takes care to adopt Hatidze’s nurturing posture. Duat retains this respect when we venture inside the humble dwelling of Hatidze and her mother. Where a lesser film would opt for strident, unforgiving close-ups, the presence of “Honeyland” feels more like that of a neighbor, witnessing the trials of Hatidze and her eventual adversaries from a position of non-judgment. Crucially, the warmth that sets “Honeyland” apart from many of its peers does not cause it to flinch away from the realities it depicts. We frustratedly linger with Hatidze as she must loudly repeat everything she says to her mother. We feel viscerally the everyday mild perils of rural, impoverished childhood with the Sam children as they fall onto sharp tree stumps and are kicked by fickle dairy cows. We remain rooted in one spot when

one of the older boys storms off following a confrontation with Hussein, hearing only a litany of curses. Most critics have focused on the pastoral grandiosity of “Honeyland” and how it wordlessly waxes poetry about communion with nature and environmental stewardship. Indeed, it works beautifully as a Lorax-like fable. However, equal discussion should be granted to its masterful depiction of how Hatidze, with characteristic indomitability, wrestles with her own small place in the titanic battle between change and sameness. The turbulent history of social and political forces far beyond any individual’s control has been channeled through Hatidze’s eyes, all while she has been paradoxically rooted in an unchanging time and space. The true mark of this film’s greatness is its empathy and its acknowledgment of the immense weight of history that Hatidze carries on her shoulders. This burden, as seen from Hatidze’s unique and oftentimes profoundly lonely Macedonian hillside, is a universal one, and it places “Honeyland” among the ranks of the decade’s most profoundly human stories.

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Opinion

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

EDITORIAL

TUPD, stop infantilizing students The Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) recently posted images of a mock swearing-in ceremony on their Facebook page. Chief Kevin Maguire, right hand raised, is pictured facing a stuffed toy elephant in police uniform. “Officer Jumbo,” the post reads, “joins us from the field of 3 ring entertainment where his final position was dignitary protection. Please look for him on patrol and promoting safety across all our Tufts campuses.” Another post, this time littered with emojis, advises students hosting parties to keep music turned down, not serve “the punch” to underage students, and not overcrowd party venues. The post is accompanied by an image reading, in bright text, “You’re INVITED.” These posts depart from the TUPD’s typical social media presence, which often serves to share information about on-campus construction, timely warn-

ings of dangerous activity on campus, and pictures of TUPD officers at events or law-enforcement conventions. So what? One might think TUPD’s social media posts simply a harmless, albeit awkward attempt, to relate to the student body. Officer Jumbo is, after all, stuffed. The toy poses no physical threat to anyone on campus, even if thrown. We may be embarrassed on behalf of TUPD for its clumsy use of emojis, but this doesn’t appear to be outwardly malicious. The danger in these types of posts, however, is not in their content, but in what they neglect to address. The danger lies in the potential they have to distract from real issues, their disingenuous portrayal of policing on campus and their failure to meaningfully respond to grievances raised by students. TUPD, it seems, has adopted a new approach to

social media, one which infantilizes Tufts students, attempts to soften the image of campus policing, and serves to distract from solutions which could make our campus a safer place. In 2017, the Tufts Observer detailed TUPD’s history of racial profiling, questioned its use of unmarked vehicles and the purpose of such surveillance. Jonathan Innocent discussed the presence of enhanced security and surveillance at parties organized by POC groups on campus, recalling police “staring down and watching people dance from the second floor balcony” in Hotung Cafe during a “Black city-wide event.” Last year, Maguire visited Israel for counterterrorism training, sparking wide-spread controversy, calls for transparency, and heated discussion within the student body. These types of events illustrate that TUPD has a truly complicated relation-

ship with many communities on this campus, a relationship which is not aided by childish and distracting Facebook posts. These problems are not something to make light of, but something for which to seek solutions. Rather than address concerns with transparency, responding to criticism, and repairing wrongs, TUPD seems content to distract with gimmicky, pseudo-relatable content. This is not what Tufts students want to see. Officer Jumbo is plush, but does not solve the very real problems with profiling and accountability on this campus. TUPD may believe emojis make them appear relatable, but joking about the hazards of drinking culture seems more like a dereliction of duty. TUPD owes the population it polices a meaningful review of its practices and an acknowledgement of criticism, not comic relief and indifference.

CARTOON

by Nasrin Lin

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Sports

Wednesday, September 11, 2019 | Sports | THE TUFTS DAILY

Golf looks ahead after strong start

9GOLF

continued from page 8 Coach George Pendergast praised the Jumbos’ putting above all else, a critical component to any successful day on the course. “Overall what the team did really well was putt,” Pendergast said. “We made a lot of four and five footers.” The roster is looking as deep as ever, highlighted by a three-way tie for 14th overall among the field between junior Henry Hughes, junior Harry Theodore and Bredahl. “The team as a whole played really well,” Pendergast said. “There’s really no one standout.” Ultimately, Karr led the charge for the Jumbos. He claimed the 10th spot overall in the tournament and is looking as consistent as ever. If minor issues like the small drop-off in play Sunday can be addressed, the Jumbos can turn their focus toward the NESCAC Qualifier with optimism and anticipation. Included among the Jumbos’ squad was first-year Kemp Basset, who made his collegiate debut on Saturday. He had a rough outing for his first day on the course, scoring an 82 on the round. However, he came into form Sunday, shooting the best score of the team for the day with a 74.

EVAN SAYLES / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES

Senior Brandon Karr putts on the 3rd green in the NESCAC championship qualifying tournament at Indian Hill Golf Club in Newington, Conn., on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017. “[Basset] really bounced back on the Mass., closes out the month. The qualifier is for qualifiers at the end of the month while second day,” Pendergast said. the biggest focus for much of the team. also working in some of the newer addiLooking ahead, the Jumbos are gearing “Our short term goal is to qualify for tions to the roster to get some valuable up for the Duke Nelson Invitational hosted the NESCAC Championship,” senior Ethan playing time. by Middlebury, followed by the Williams Fall Sorkin said earlier in the season. Tufts will travel to Ralph Myhre Golf Invitational. The NESCAC Qualifier tournaPendergast looks to get reps in for his Course this weekend, Sept. 14 and 15, for ment at Sandy Burr Country Club in Wayland, mainstays in the lineup, as they gear up the Duke Nelson Invitational.

With new additions, women’s crew prepares for start of fall season

ALLISON CULBERT / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES

Members of the women’s crew team rowing in the regatta against Wesleyan, Wellesley and Bates on April 14, 2018. by Andres Borjas Contributing Writer

The Tufts women’s crew team had its first outing on the Mystic River this past Sunday, Sept. 8. Tufts’ top women’s varsity eight finished fourth in the petite final last spring in the National Invitational Rowing Championship (NIRC). The team is now preparing for a fall campaign that includes several regional races as well as the storied Head of the Charles Regatta, one of the largest two-day regattas in the world, that has among its participants many international crews and some of the most elite rowers in the world Sophomore Alicia Heia spoke about the team’s preparation for the fall season. “The offseason was really good,” Heia said. “A lot of girls on the crew team made sure to stay in shape and took it upon themselves to get ready and maintain their fitness for the season. Some girls are rowing while they’re abroad, which is really cool, and I

think we’ve put ourselves in a good position for the incoming season.” Senior co-captain Madeleine Clarke expressed excitement for her last fall season as a Tufts rower after a summer offseason full of erging and cross-training preparing for September. A two-year co-captain of the program, Clarke joins senior Grace Fabrycky and junior Abby Henne as co-captain of the team this upcoming season. Clarke said she’s grateful for her four years on the team. “It’s a huge part of my Tufts career,” Clarke said. “My [Tufts] experience would not be the same without it.” In her last season as a Tufts rower, Clarke emphasized that she was leaving the team in good hands, noting the potential that she sees in the Class of 2023. “We have over 10 recruits, which is amazing,” Clarke said. “I’m so excited to see them out in the water, and I think they all seem super excited to get going.”

Heia also spoke about the new and returning members of the team, expressing how their contributions will help get the team to achieve its end-of-the-season goals. “This season we have a really young team,” Heia said. “We have a lot of recruits, which is really exciting, and everything that we’re doing in the fall is to get ourselves ready for NCAAs this spring.” The women’s team comes into this season with a change in leadership, as Noel Wanner replaces Brian Dawe as head coach. Wanner, the former head coach of the Tufts men’s crew team, is expected to bring in a more intense feel this year, according to Clarke. “Things will definitely be looking different this year than they did last year,” Clarke said. “I think our training load will be increased a lot, but I think that the team is really excited to turn up the intensity of what we do.” The women’s team will compete in three regattas over the course of the fall. The season opener at Green Mountain Head on Sept. 30 is the only race in the fall or spring seasons

where the team focuses on sculling, a style of rowing in which the athletes race smaller boats using two blades instead of one. At the Head of the Charles, the Jumbos’ midseason event and their biggest race of the fall, they are hoping to build on the success they found last year. “At the Head of the Charles last year, we requalified both of our eights, which is a huge deal,” Clarke said. “That’s the first time since I’ve been here and the first time in a long time in Tufts women’s crew history that we have requalified both eights, which is very exciting.” Having rowed for only a semester in high school, Clarke has worked her way up to the ranks of her team after starting out as a walk-on. Now at the beginning of the end of her college rowing career, she described the enthusiasm she feels about the races to come. “The intensity needs to start now and continue all the way through the spring,” Clarke said. “There’s definitely a fire in everyone’s bellies for this year to be really successful.”

Sports

tuftsdaily.com

Volleyball earns 4 wins to start season

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

by Jason Schwartz Staff Writer

Tufts volleyball is off to a very strong start to its 2019 season. Over the past few days, the Jumbos earned four wins in an impressive undefeated opening run. In their third and final game of the Coast Guard/Conn. College tournament on Saturday, which was hosted in New London, Conn., the Jumbos capped off a show-stopping weekend run by beating Coast Guard 3–0 (29–27, 25–20, 25–14). Going into extra points, the first set was a serious challenge for both teams. Ultimately, after tying with Coast Guard many times, the Jumbos were triumphant, winning set one by a score of 29–27. The second set started similarly tight in nature, with both teams tying several times. However, a combination of kills from senior co-captain and outside hitter/opposite Maddie Stewart and senior middle hitter/opposite Christina Nwankpa, alongside a few errors made by Coast Guard, handed the set over to Tufts (25–20). The Jumbos controlled the third set (25–14) and sealed the game with a final score of 3–0. In just three days, the Jumbos tallied in four wins, while Coast Guard dropped to 5–3 for the season. Earlier that day, Tufts battled DeSales University, where the Jumbos won a decisive 3–0 victory over the Bulldogs (25–16, 25–10, 25–19). Stewart exhibited a top-tier performance delivering two digs, three blocks and a team-leading eight kills. Other noteworthy players were Nwankpa with seven kills, junior co-captain and middle hitter/opposite Jennifer Ryan with six kills and senior middle hitter/opposite Heather Holz with six kills. Although one of the Bulldogs’ players clocked seven kills, it was not enough to conquer the Jumbos, and DeSales dropped to 3–4 for the season. Junior outside hitter/opposite Sophia Acker wrote in an electronic message sent to the Daily that, while it is routine to play more than one game, fatigue did affect the team’s performance. “Our team was able to play good volleyball despite being tired in our second match on Saturday,” Acker wrote. “Playing multiple matches per day is part of the game and something we have to get used to as we will have many double-headers this season. Our bench was key in keeping our energy and communication high, which allowed us to maintain our level of play even as our bodies got tired.” Tufts faced off against Roger Williams University on Friday, who put up a good fight. All three sets were within a five-point spread (25–21, 25–22, 25–20). Nevertheless, the performance of many Jumbo players — namely, senior co-captain and outside hitter/ opposite Brigid Bell’s nine kills and sophomore outside hitter/opposite Cate Desler’s two service aces — directly contributed to their 3–0 victory. The victory was the second consecutive one for the Jumbos, putting them up 2–0 for the season while dropping Roger Williams to 0–4.

SEOHYUN SHIM / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES

Senior middle hitter Christina Nwankpa prepares for the kill during Tufts’ 3–0 win against Amherst on Nov. 4, 2017. Stewart praised her team’s outstanding performance at the Coast Guard/Conn. College tournament. “At the Conn. tournament, we competed hard and played well against solid region opponents,” Stewart wrote in an electronic message sent to the Daily. “I am proud of our effort and our commitment to continuous improvement, clear communication and staying in the present moment.” Last Wednesday, the Jumbos fought hard to win a 3–2 match against Emerson College at home in Cousens Gymnasium. The season opener went into five sets (22–25, 25–18, 25–21, 23–25, 15–7). Throughout the entire game, both teams exhibited enthusiasm with cheers after each point and were eager to return to the court during set transitions. During the first set, Tufts and Emerson were neck-and-neck, tying the score a total of 15 times. Both teams displayed remarkable acts of serious talent. Many Tufts seniors, including Bell, Nwankpa and Holz, executed at least one kill in the first set. Stewart carried out the most kills on her team in the set with six, while Emerson’s junior outside hitter Grace Tepper and first-year setter Caroline Bond combined for a total of nine kills. The two teams were competing closely once again in the second set until the score reached 6–6, whereupon Emerson began to make several errors in its service and attack. As a result, the Lions began to lose momentum. Tufts’ Desler delivered two fiery aces, stretching the Jumbos’ lead to 13–7. Emerson was behind nine points at one point during

the second set (22–13), which was the largest point deficit in the game. To Emerson’s detriment, its errors further accumulated, which resulted in a set loss of 25–18. The Jumbos had a slight advantage over their opponent in the third set, gaining a couple of points early on. The Jumbos at net, including Holz and Nwankpa, demonstrated tenacious defense, blocking more than a few of the Lions shots. Emerson’s Tepper did carry out two kills while the Jumbos made a few errors, which tightened the game up in a twopoint spread (23–21). Nevertheless, the deft touch of Nwankpa carried out a final kill, and the Jumbos sealed up the set 25–21. The last two sets were a roller coaster for the Jumbos. Attack errors began to stack against the Jumbos and continued throughout the fourth set. Emerson, eager for a break, received a victory in the fourth set, winning 25–23. In volleyball, the fifth set, unlike the first four sets, is played to 15 points. The Jumbos had to gauge in and put in everything they had, as the limited set leaves little room for error. Fortunately for the Jumbos, Tepper and a couple of her teammates made several attack errors. The Jumbos ultimately found their way ahead for the rest of the set, winning 15–7 and sealing the match over the Lions. Coach Cora Thompson offered some insight into the team’s mentality and morale throughout the game. “Emerson was a tough battle for sure,” Thompson wrote in an electronic message to the Daily. “They played relentless defense and kept the pressure on throughout all five sets. It

was a solid early challenge that showcased this team’s grit. There were a lot of jitters, and we had to work out more than a few kinks, which is typical for first matches, but we worked through it to earn the W.” The Emerson game marked a career-high 18 kills for Stewart. She wrote in a message about how her team enabled her to accomplish her kills. “A kill can only happen if there is a great pass and set,” Stewart wrote. “So, my success against Emerson is due entirely to our defense that kept us in the system and our setters who work hard to get our hitters great looks when attacking.” The Jumbos, off to a roaring 4–0 start, have all the reason to look forward to the next slate of matches. The team will play against Endicott College on Friday at the first round of the MIT Invitational. They will face Rochester Institute of Technology on Saturday at 10 a.m., followed by Wellesley later in the day. Thompson spoke about what lies ahead for her team. “More than anything, we are really looking forward to bettering our game,” Thompson wrote in an electronic message to the Daily. “All three teams are traditionally tough teams, and we will need to be efficient with our movements and smart with the ball to earn our points. We respect the skill sets of our opponents and want to play the best teams we can find so this will be a great opportunity. It all comes down to our serve and pass game ultimately, so we will work hard to be the best ball control team we can be this weekend.”

to a respectable fourth-place finish. The end product was a tournament filled with consistent performances and impressive strokes all around. The Jumbos came out swinging strong, landing in third by the end of Saturday and sitting a mere three strokes behind host college and NESCAC rival Trinity. The collective score of 299 strokes was led by

a strong round from sophomore Travis Clauson, who shot par at 72. Other top scores on the day included a 74 from senior Brandon Karr and a 76 from sophomore Mac Bredahl. Collectively, after a rougher outing Sunday, Tufts settled into fourth place after being leapfrogged by Amherst, who edged them out by a mere stroke. Also ahead of

Tufts at the end of the weekend were Trinity and Babson College. Tufts marked the last team before a drop-off in the rankings, logging a score 24 strokes better than fifthplace Western New England University. This was a strong indicator that the Jumbos will be able to hang with strong competition all year. see GOLF, page 8

Jumbos open season with 4th place finish at Detrick Invitational by Aiden Herrod

Assistant Sports Editor

This past weekend, the Tufts golf team kicked off the semester with a renewed spirit, bags refreshed with new tees and clean clubs. Six Jumbos took to the grassy fairways of Newington, Conn., for the Detrick Invitational and propelled the team