The Tufts Daily - Thursday, October 13, 2022

T

T UFTS D

Tcu s enate hosts Q&a event with Monaco, students, administration

by Megan Reimer Contributing Writer

The Tufts Community Union Senate hosted “Navigating Student Life at Tufts,” a town hall event, on Oct. 7 in the Alumnae Lounge. The question and answer event was an opportunity for any student to meet with mem bers of the Tufts administration, including University President Anthony Monaco, Director of Dining and Business Services Patti Klos, Director of Residential Life and Learning Christina Alch and Dean of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life Dayna Cunningham.

TCU Senate Vice President Arielle Galinsky, a junior, and

LOCAL

sophomore Joel Omolade, chair of the TCU outreach committee, worked to put the event together.

“One of the main priorities of the TCU Senate this year is to pro

vide students with the opportu nity to vocalize their concerns to the Senate body,” Galinsky wrote in an email to the Daily, not ing the Senate’s commitment to

‘evicted’ exhibit in s omerville highlights housing crisis, cannabis laws

by Estelle Anderson Contributing Writer

“Evicted,” an exhibit put on by the Community Action Agency of Somerville, is currently run ning at the Somerville Armory until Nov. 4. Based on sociolo gist Matthew Desmond’s novel “Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City”, the interac tive exhibit explores the reasons for the millions of evictions in the United States every year and their consequences. Somerville is one of the final stops on the exhibit’s national tour. The exhib it is open at the Armory Monday through Wednesday from 4 p.m.–8 p.m. and on weekends from 11 a.m.–6 p.m.

Somerville is a particular ly appropriate location for this exhibit according to Sinead O’Hara, CAAS’ project manager for the exhibit.

“We have a huge housing crisis [in Somerville],” O’Hara said in an interview with the Daily. “The amount of folks here who are

struggling to stay in their homes, the amount of evictions that have been happening since the [evic tion] moratorium was lifted [in June 2022] … it’s just a daily strug gle here.”

Since the start of 2022, over 1,000 residents have come to Somerville’s Office of Housing Stability for housing assistance, representing a massive increase compared to previous years.

According to Laurie Goldman, a senior lecturer in the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, the main explanation for this spike in hous ing instability is the widespread increase in housing costs. In Sommerville, where about 66% of residents pay rent, about 5,000 of households are currently allotting over 50% of their monthly income on rent. The average monthly rent of a one-bedroom unit is $2,525, a rise of 26% since last year.

Despite efforts to increase access to affordable housing, high costs persist.

“We have so many people who want to have homes, and not enough supply. … A lot of that

boils down to the profit-driven nature of the market. Since there is such a high demand, there is the possibility of catering to those who can most afford high prices. That’s what, in fact, we’re seeing,” Goldman explained. “Federal, state, and local government policies and community-based organizations have done a lot to make housing more affordable for many poor people and communi ties. Policies also help address the current and enduring effects of discrimination against people of color and others. But these efforts are not nearly enough.”

Another major, yet perhaps less obvious, reason behind evic tions is the conflict between fed eral and state laws on cannabis, an issue that “Evicted” highlights. While cannabis use has been legal in Massachusetts since December 2016, it is still prohibited on the federal level. This means that any one who is using public housing assistance — a federal program — and is caught with the drug faces eviction.

bolstering administrative trans parency. “We can actively pursue initiatives in line with students’ needs, as well as to build a stron ger bridge between the student body and Tufts administration more broadly.”

This event is the first of an eightpart town hall series this year, four of which will occur during the fall semester with the other four tak ing place in the spring.

“We hope these events serve as an opportunity for students to express areas of concern that they want to see improved, as well as solidify a clear line of communication between the TCU, TCU Senate, and the Tufts administration,” Galinsky wrote.

Questions from the student body to Monaco included inqui ries about the completion date of

UNIVERSITY

the MBTA Green Line Extension, which is expected to open before the year’s end.

Asked how the GLX will impact the student body, Monaco said, “It’s going to do a lot for our campus; it’s going to connect our campuses for the first time directly, particularly the [School of the Museum of Fine Arts].”

“Public transport is environ mentally more friendly, and we want to get as many people using the T [as possible],” Monaco said. “Students will benefit from hav ing better access to job opportu nities and internships [because] they can fit them in their sched ule more approachably.”

Monaco also commented on recent incidents of antisemitism.

university chaplaincy discusses ‘spirituality, community, and

Mental health’

by Madeline Mueller Assistant News Editor

Originally published Oct. 12.

The University Chaplaincy offered a multifaith “Spirituality, Community, and Mental Health” event on Oct. 6 as part of President Monaco’s Mental Health Awareness Week. At the event, led by several members of the chap

laincy staff, participants discussed practices relating to mindfulness, resilience and well-being.

University Chaplain Rev. Elyse Nelson Winger explained why the chaplaincy chose to offer a group-based event during Mental Health Awareness Week.

“We wanted to create a space for our community members to

tuftsdaily

tuftsdaily

MINA TERZIOGLU / THE TUFTS DAILY

University President Anthony Monaco is pictured on the Academic Quad

The

Tufts Chaplaincy

Courtney

Monaco, Cunningham, Klos answer questions from Tufts community

TOWN HALL

continued from page 1

“It’s not only racism that we’re fighting against [but] also antisemitism in all its forms, the blatant neofascism, antisem itism, right down to the more [subtle] forms,” Monaco said.

“We want to educate our com munity on why this is hurtful to our Jewish students and why it’s discriminatory and what we need to do to battle against it.”

On the subject of the presi dential search, Monaco assured the audience that the hiring pro cess is on schedule.

“The chairman of the Board of Trustees told me that they’re down to a couple candidates and they’re going to figure that out

and then bring it, hopefully, to an announcement by the end of the calendar year,” Monaco said.

Answering questions about sustainability initiatives on cam pus, Klos said, “What will we do in dining starts with careful plan ning of how much to have, and really thinking about the balance between advertising to [students] what the favorite thing is going to be offered in a dining center with planning to run out of something because it was sourced locally.”

Klos discussed how food preparation is staggered through out the day to optimize its fresh ness and prevent excess waste.

“[We are] really thinking about how that food is produced; doing it in batches, trying to make fresh

food throughout the day, and real ly thinking about how much we should have left at the end of each meal period,” Klos said. “We work hard to reduce the amount of waste that’s left at the end of the day, and in fact, many items that may have been prepared, but not often for service, can be safely saved, chilled [and] reheated the next day.”

When asked about sustain ability efforts and making a change at Tufts, Cunningham said, “Tisch [College] offers [stu dents] a lot of different tools and methods and experiences that help put [students’] hands on experiences of governance, whether that’s through commu nity processes [or] internships.

… Tufts students actually see

themselves as civic actors and civic leaders.”

Referencing governmental solutions to global problems, Cunningham suggested that addressing the COVID-19 pan demic has prepared students to tackle future crises.

“[An adaptation to climate change] means the majori ty of people in the country will be poorer [and] more at risk,” Cunningham said. “So what does that mean for you all? I actually think that’s an opportunity. … We need the tools, we need the skills, we need the habits, we need the empathy and we need to develop that now because what else are we going to do? All we have is ourselves.”

Somerville Homeless Coalition, Public Schools, cannabis businesses join forces to support ‘Evicted’ exhibit

EVICTED

“Any type of [federal] institu tion … does not give any wiggle room because federal law, by and large, always trumps state law,” Jill Weinberg, an assistant professor of sociology at Tufts, explained.

Weinberg finds there is a dis connect between public opinion and federal law.

“As a sociologist, what we find is that the law is always two or three steps behind what society thinks,” she continued. “If you look at Gallup poll, if you look at any public opinion poll, for decades upon decades, the legal ization of marijuana has been very much viewed favorably by the general public. … For me, it’s hard to think why the law is so out of step and not taking additional steps to fall back in step with what

the states and the general public would want.”

President Joe Biden pardoned on Thursday all people convicted under federal law of marijuana possession and called on states to follow his lead. He also direct ed the attorney general and the secretary of health and human services to review the federal clas sification of marijuana.

“Sending people to prison for possessing marijuana has upend ed too many lives and incarcerat ed people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit. Criminal records for marijuana possession have also imposed needless bar riers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities,” the president wrote in an Oct. 6 statement. “And while white and Black and brown people use mar ijuana at similar rates, Black and

brown people have been arrested, prosecuted, and convicted at dis proportionate rates.”

Three Somerville cannabis businesses have joined forces to support “Evicted” and raise aware ness of the challenges that people with cannabis convictions face in the housing market. Ayr Wellness, Liberty Cannabis and Rev Clinics are all currently selling limited edi tion edibles called “Evicted Citral Orange Bites” and donating 100% of profits to CAAS and the exhibit.

“We’re thrilled to partner with the other Somerville medical can nabis retailers for this cause,” Tom Schneider, chief marketing offi cer at Rev Clinics, said in a press release. “It’s not every day you see business competitors unite in this way and we feel lucky to be able to work with these talented folks to produce a product that will

help raise awareness around this incredibly important issue.”

Along with these cannabis busi nesses, “Evicted” is also being sup ported by local groups including the Somerville Homeless Coalition, Somerville Public Schools and YouthBuild Just A Start.

For O’Hara, seeing the Somerville community join togeth er to fight against their housing crisis is a reason to have hope.

“Eviction can be so isolating. … It can feel like something that you’re just dealing with completely on your own,” she said. “For folks coming to see the exhibit, I’m hoping they take away from it that we have just so much collective power amongst us and we can work together to … fight for better conditions. I’m hop ing that people can come through and realize that they’re not alone in this struggle.”

Ty Blitstein

Chaplaincy hosts People’s Supper discussion on mental health

CHAPLAINCY

share spiritual and religious prac tices and traditions that contribute to their own resilience and renewal, and to lift up the value of commu nity itself for supporting our com munal and personal well-being,”

Nelson Winger wrote in an email to the Daily.

The event was formatted as a People’s Supper, following a model that has been used by the chaplain cy for several past events.

“The model [of People’s Supper] is storytelling and small group-dis cussion based,” Nelson Winger wrote. “In the wake of the 2016 elec tion, Tufts alum, the Rev. Jen Bailey, launched the People’s Supper model through Faith Matters and other partner organizations to bring peo ple together across [differences].”

Nearly all members of the University Chaplaincy staff were present to help guide discussion.

Muslim Chaplain Najiba Akbar and Catholic Chaplain Lynn Cooper, who could not attend the

event, offered written reflections with selected passages for attend ees to read and take with them.

Buddhist Chaplain Ji Hyang Padma introduced the event by reading the poem, “The Opening of Eyes” by David Whyte, reflecting on what the poem means to her.

“For me, that poem represents something about resiliency, our ability … to fall in love with the solid ground of our lives, … bring ing our awareness and reconnect ing with who we are, and with what we’re doing here,” Padma said.

Padma connected her reflection on resiliency to principles of neu ropsychology, explaining how some spiritual practices like meditation or music help with emotional reg ulation.

“There are practices that sup port … vertical integration, which is through the body … so that we have a good weaving of bodymind,” Padma said. “So things like dance, or yoga or meditation … all of these really help vertical integration.”

Protestant Chaplain Dan Bell, Humanist Chaplain Anthony Cruz Pantojas and Hindu Chaplain Dr. Preeta Banerjee each shared a brief reflection on practices that they participate in to promote mindfulness.

“It might be walking in nature and just appreciating the beauty of creation,” Bell said. “It might be in prayer and stopping and think ing about all the good things I have in life, my family, my friends, my health, and it might be an actual activity. … Whatever prac tice of gratitude you might find meaningful in your life, I think that is … an important way to build resilience and to find well being for ourselves.”

Cruz Pantojas reflected on well-being as a contextual practice for each individual.

“No one person, institution, the ory or framework can fully discern how I’m moving, existing and being in the world,” Cruz Pantojas said. “I am constantly being invited to discern: ‘Where is my well-being?’

… I hope that as you learn, from all of us tonight, different concepts of well-being, … you question: ‘Where are my inter- and intraper sonal invitations?’”

Banerjee reflected on the prac tice of wonder and appreciating beauty in our world, which inspired her to bring incense and incense holders, made by her children, to the event to share with attendees.

“I feel like beauty and dreaming and wonder, which we talked a lot about with Valerie Kaur, is really my offering,” Banerjee said. “I went to three Indian stores, and none of them had [incense holders] ready made. … So I got the clay, and it became a beautiful moment with my children. … Things happen, and … each time there is some beauty in the bad or the good.”

Discussions then commenced in small groups at dinner tables, where participants were asked to reflect on places they go to restore themselves, as well as practices and strategies they use to cultivate resil ience and well-being in their lives.

Tufts hires dano weisbord as executive director of sustainability and chief sustainability officer

by Simran Patel Staff Writer

Dano Weisbord will become the Executive Director of Sustainability and Chief Sustainability Officer on Oct. 24. He plans to further Tufts’ commit ment to becoming a higher edu cation leader in sustainability and climate matters across the univer sity, bridging campus operations with education, co-curricular and research activities.

“It’s really exciting to come back to Tufts,” Weisbord said. “Tufts was … transformational for me, per sonally and professionally.”

Weisbord graduated from Tufts with a Masters of Arts degree in Urban and Environmental Policy after receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Industrial Design from Rhode Island School of Design.

Weisbord comes to Tufts from Smith College, where he held the position of Associate Vice President for Campus Planning and Sustainability and COVID19 Administrator. Over his 14 years at Smith, Weisbord served as Director of the Center for the Environment, Ecological Design and Sustainability and was the College’s Founding Director of Sustainability.

Tina Woolston, who has been the Director of the Office of Sustainability since 2010, spoke about how sustainability pro grams at Tufts were assessed prior to adding the new position.

“In 2020 we invited the direc tors of sustainability from two high performing schools to do a peer review of sustainability at Tufts,” Woolston wrote in an email to the Daily.

These directors noticed that the Office of Sustainability’s ability to function is impeded by several factors; for one, the office’s mix of strategic thinking

and operational responsibilities makes it difficult to focus on insti tution-wide planning.

“Operational responsibilities are things like running the recy cling and waste reduction pro gram, working on transportation demand management programs, etc.” Woolston wrote.

In addition, there is a lack of formalized connections to schools, campuses and departments, as well as education and research.

“We have been working on mak ing changes based on these recom mendations, including creating a new Sustainability Council, made up primarily of faculty and students, and moving the Recycling and Waste Reduction Supervisor position into Facilities Services,” Woolston added.

Executive Vice President Mike Howard discussed the impor tance of the university deciding to add this position.

“The university has had a long and accomplished record of com mitment to sustainability, punctu ated by President Monaco making it one of his top priorities during his tenure at Tufts,” Howard wrote in an email to the Daily. “Creating this position and filling it with someone of Dano’s caliber is a great opportunity for the univer sity to continue to advance as a leader by further integrating aca demics and operations.”

Woolston echoed these thoughts while highlighting the importance of all people fight ing against climate change. “The creation of [Weinbord’s] position demonstrates the commitment by the university to make Tufts a truly outstanding institution for students that want to engage in one of the most urgent issues of our time: addressing climate change and its impact on all peo ples of the Earth, in particular the most vulnerable and least equipped populations.”

The addition of the Chief Sustainability Officer position

aims to better connect the sus tainability work being done on campus with research and edu cation. Woolston researched and recruited sustainability pro fessionals from schools around the world that had successfully merged the two.

“We received interest from stellar applicants from both the US and abroad and after an extensive interview process (the top candidates came to campus and met with senior leaders, such as the provost, deans and vice presidents) it was decided that Dano was the best fit for the posi tion,” Woolston wrote.

He then emphasized the importance for Tufts students to conceptualize the impacts of cli mate change.

“The goal is for all students at Tufts to understand climate change, its impacts, and the road to a more sustainable society; train those who wish to work in related fields with exceptional skills; and develop research and scholarship that assists policymakers, engineers, and others to successfully tackle the challeng es of the future,” Woolston wrote. “And to do all this on a campus that reflects its values.”

Howard stated the importance of Tufts in becoming a future model for sustainability.

“[Our] Office of Sustainability is small in comparison to peer insti tutions, and the addition of this role will give it the capacity to advance a university-wide vision and strategy for sustainability and – important ly – work closely with faculty to leverage their leadership and excel lence,” Howard said.

According to Woolston, Weisbord will focus on creating connections and mechanisms for a comprehensive sustainability strategy for the entire university. This will include working with the Sustainability Council to refine the sustainability draft vision, key principles, goals and strategies at

Tufts that were completed in April.

Weisbord envisions interacting with the Tufts community to gain a better sense of campus culture. He notes the value of conversing with student groups who may not resonate with topics of climate and sustainability.

“I’m curious about [the ways] people connect — or maybe the ways that they don’t connect,” Weisbord said. “That [comprises] the issue of what it means to be sustainable at Tufts and making that legible to most everyone.”

Despite the chaotic state of the world, Weisbord emphasized seek ing hope and positivity in our future.

“The goal of the discussion, I hope, is an experience of being listened to and of deeply listen ing,” Nelson Winger wrote. “We hope to create a space with these meals for authentic dialogue and reflection that is rooted in learn ing from one another.”

Participants were also remind ed of resources offered through the chaplaincy to help promote well being and mental health. Nelson Winger emphasized that the chap laincy is always willing to support members of the Tufts commu nity, noting that the chaplains are LGBTQ affirming and confidential resources.

“All of our chaplains offer pastoral, or spiritual, care to members of the Tufts commu nity,” Nelson Winger wrote. “We are here to listen to and accom pany students as they celebrate joys and process struggles, as they ask questions about their own spirituality or practice, as they reflect on their identities and relationships.”

“I think [hope] enables stu dents, then, when they gradu ate — or even before they grad uate — to go change things,” Weisbord said. “It’s really hard when you feel dispirited to go make change.”

He reflected on the univer sity’s potential for greatness, wondering, “What is Tufts’ unique offering to the challeng es of global sustainable devel opment?”

“I don’t know what the answer to that is yet,” Weisbord said. “But I think, given who Tufts is and what makes up the institution, it’s going to be fun to figure that out.”

COURTESY DANO WEISBORD

Dano Weisbord is pictured.

FeaT ures

Minnesota s ecretary of state steve simon reflects on his time at Tufts and political journey

Abby Stern Staff Writer

The world of state legislative politics is a buffet of issue options. Take a dollop of transportation, a dash of tax policy, a cup of racial justice and a pinch of environ mental protection. It is up to the legislator to decide the plate of politics they create in order to maximize the impact they can have. Tufts alumnus and current Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon (LA‘92) knows the power of this legislative buffet and has used his years in Minnesota poli tics to impact layers of the state’s political discourse.

Simon was born and raised in the suburbs of Minneapolis. He developed a love of politics in a home filled with access to news, finding the Minneapolis daily newspaper and Time Magazine on his kitchen table every morning.

“I’d be interested in the head lines,” Simon said. “I started to think, ‘Okay, what do I want the headline to be tomorrow or next week?’ And so that led, in turn, to an interest in politics as a vehicle to obtain those outcomes.”

Current events gave Simon a gateway to discovering that changing the news meant chang ing the politics behind the head lines. His passion for politics informed his decision to attend Tufts University as it met his cri teria for a university of academic excellence, near a large city, of medium size with a strong politi cal science department.

After beginning school in the fall of 1988, Simon declared a major in political science. With the help of renowned schol ars such as his major advisor, Professor Jeffrey Berry, and his thesis advisor, Professor (and now Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences) James Glaser, Simon thrived at Tufts. He was involved in Tufts Democrats and also worked his way up to editor in chief of “Politica,” a student-run monthly magazine that highlight ed both the liberal and conser vative sides of political issues of the day.

In the fall of 1991, Simon helped organize a group of Tufts students supporting Bill Clinton, taking van-loads of fellow stu dents on weekend trips from Tufts to New Hampshire to assist the campaign.

Simon was set to attend law school after graduating Tufts in the spring of 1992, but he did not have plans for the summer. Simon recounted that he then decided to contact Clinton cam paign higher-ups to inquire about open positions.

Betsey Wright, Governor Clinton’s chief of staff, responded and invited Simon to join the team in Little Rock, Ark. Working at the center of the campaign brought

Simon true joy, and he agonized over the idea of leaving for law school before the November elec tion. He decided to defer school in order to see the outcome of the movement he had joined.

“It was just a tremendous expe rience being on a national cam paign, a presidential campaign, a winning campaign in Little Rock, Arkansas,” Simon said.

Simon attended law school at the University of Minnesota. After graduation, he worked at the Minnesota attorney gener al’s office as an assistant attor ney general for five years before transitioning to a position at a private practice in Minneapolis. Still, Simon’s passion for political office never dissipated.

In 2004, Simon, ever a follow er of current events, watched as the Republican incumbent for Minnesota state legislator in his district made choices he could not let stand. Though he loved the law firm where he worked, Simon knew he had to do something.

“There were pressing issues at the time in Minnesota, which I think demanded attention,” Simon said. “As much as I really enjoyed practicing law, my con cern about these issues overrode those other professional consid erations.”

With that, Simon decided to run for office, beginning the gru eling process of campaigning against an incumbent. He found that the key to campaigning lay in two main strategies: having firm core values and being willing to engage in hard work. Simply want ing the job was not good enough. Simon knew he needed to present a solid rationale for his candidacy in order to show voters that his core principles matched those of the Minnesota community.

“It’s about door knocking, over and over and over and over again,” Simon said. “You just have to gut it out and put in huge quantities of time — there’s no way around that — to connect with voters as much as you can.”

The work paid off, and Simon took office in the Minnesota State Legislature in January of 2005, serving for 10 years. Simon con tinued to practice law when the legislature was out of session, and he valued the way his law per spective continued to bolster his legislative prowess.

Because the Minnesota legis lature is only in session for four to five months a year, Simon worked alongside fellow citizens with varying career backgrounds — such as cops, teachers and farmers — all of whom brought their unique perspectives to the forefront of politics.

Simon viewed his time in office as a chance to engage in the buffet of legislative issues, acknowledging the importance of carefully learning about all kinds of topics in order to vote thought fully on each one.

“In the legislature, you also have to be a generalist, because when bills get to the floor, you may not serve on the agricul ture committee, or particularly be focused on those issues, but you’re going to have to vote on them,” Simon said. “You have to be a generalist in some sense but also pick a few issues that you can really dive into.”

Simon chose to load his plate in particular with issues of pub lic safety, consumer protection, civil rights and, most specifically, election management. At the end of his tenure as state legislator, Simon was chair of the elections committee.

Simon constantly engaged with the inner workings of the electoral system, so when the Secretary of State of Minnesota announced that he would not be running for another term, Simon felt compelled to run. He was drawn to this job that would entail being the chief elections officer of the state.

“It was a natural fit and a nat ural extension of my passion for these issues,” Simon said.

Simon ran and won the elec tion in 2014, subsequently throw ing himself into preserving dem ocratic processes in Minnesota. He knows that appreciation for the role of secretary of state has risen in recent years as people increasingly value voting as the gateway to flourishing democra cy. The secretary of state has an immense impact on establish ing a “fair, accurate, honest and secure” system, Simon explained.

“There’s a lot of discretion there, and that discretion has to be used with great care,” Simon said. “No one in that position in any state, regardless of political affiliation, can put their thumb on the scale, so to speak, for any political party [or] for any candidate.”

Simon takes his role very seri ously and knows that keeping peo ple confident in the election system is integral to a democratic future.

“Especially at a time like now, when we have this swirl of disin formation around elections and people trying to weaponize cyni cism in order to undermine wellearned confidence in our election system, it is more important now than ever that we have people in office who can demonstrate the security and the integrity of the system,” Simon said.

To execute his job to the best of his ability, Simon added that he often uses data provided by Tufts’ Tisch College of Civic Life, com mending it as an extraordinary asset for Tufts and for the country.

“Our office leverages their output frequently and regularly. [Tisch College does] great work,” Simon said. “They generate real ly useful data and insights, par ticularly around youth political involvement and participation, which is vital to our voter out reach efforts in Minnesota.”

Now, Simon is running for reelection as secretary of state, and more than ever, he is focus ing on fundraising outside of Minnesota. As the nation faces intense democratic threats, peo ple across the country value Simon’s position more and more.

“[The people] understand that no matter where they live, you need people in all the states that are pushing in the same direction to protect the freedom to vote, to defend democracy [and] to push back against dangerous disinfor mation,” Simon said.

While fundraising in Boston, Simon visited Tufts on Sept. 19, speaking to students and con necting with former mentors.

Looking back on his time at Tufts, Simon feels he owes a lot to the political science department and was honored to come back and speak to political science classes.

“Even on an intellectual level, so much of how I operate in the public space, I can trace to experi ences at Tufts, to classes at Tufts, to discussions at Tufts [and] to activi ties at Tufts that really helped form my worldviews in many ways,” Simon said. “Those four years really helped shape who I am and how I think about issues and how I approach public affairs.”

Simon is “cautiously optimis tic” about the prospects of his campaign, and he thinks his mes sage supporting an honest and secure Minnesota electoral sys tem will prevail.

“We need to push back against dangerous and destructive con spiracy theories that undermine

well-earned confidence in our election system,” Simon said. “So I’m cautiously optimistic but taking nothing and no one for granted.”

Though he knows America won’t easily agree on election issues, he calls himself a “long term optimist about democracy in America.” Still, he acknowledg es the challenges the nation must overcome in order to reach con sensus on the definition of truth in our elections.

“It’s okay for people to be skep tical. It’s okay to ask questions of your government, hard ques tions,” Simon said. “Feel free to disagree with decisions or dis agree with aspects of the system that you don’t like, of course. That’s not disinformation; that’s just debate. But when people knowingly spread false facts and information about the system as it is, that is a real danger to democracy.”

Voting is essential, Simon emphasized, and he hopes that more people take actions to secure their freedom and right to vote.

“All roads lead to the ballot box, meaning, no matter what other issue you care about, whether it’s environmental protection, or schools, or roads, or health care or anything else, you’re not going to get very far unless you can get people elected to office who share your views and values,” Simon said. “You won’t get that done if we don’t have an election sys tem that’s fair and impartial and secure and accurate.”

COURTESY STEVE SIMON Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon (LA’92) is pictured.

New study abroad winter program starting this year in aix-en-Provence

Studying abroad is a widely popular oppor tunity at Tufts University, a school well-known for its internationally minded student body. Every year, 40–45% of Tufts undergraduates participate in a year- or semester-long pro gram in a foreign country. As impressive as this statistic is, Tufts Global Education is seek ing to bring even more students abroad with a newly minted program that will take place over this academic year’s winter break. Taught by Bruce Hitchner, professor and chair of the classics department, the Greeks, Romans, and Celts in France program will take a group of students to significant archaeological sites in and around the city of Aix-en-Provence in southern France.

The program will take its maiden voyage this winter break, though it will hardly be the first on-site learning experience for its well-traveled instructor. Hitchner has led sim ilar classical studies programs abroad, includ ing courses that spent several days in Aix-enProvence, taught through the city’s Institute for American Universities. What makes Tufts’ version of Hitchner’s program unique is that it focuses exclusively on Aix-en-Provence and its environs for two and a half weeks.

According to a past participant in one of Hitchner’s programs, a longer stay in France may be well worth students’ time. Mikayla Barreiro, a current Tufts graduate student and an alumnus of Hitchner’s winter 2019–20 pro gram through the IAU, thought that a more in-depth look at southern France was a smart choice for this new, Tufts-affiliated program.

“There’s just so much in one place,” she said. “You can’t see all of it in just a few days if you’re splitting it up.”

Barreiro cited Hitchner’s on-site lectures, French museums and crêpes as the highlights of her own Aix-en-Provence experience.

Although the course is solely concentrated in one location, its subject areas will be wide ranging, and intentionally so. Hitchner hopes that undergraduate and graduate students of all majors will apply, and has organized the curriculum to transcend the discipline of classical studies.

“It’s not just your standard kind of tra ditional history course in the traditional classical approach; it looks at it in the way you might expect a professor at Tufts to try to do it,” he said.

This means, for example, delving into sci entific perspectives on the sites they visit. Hitchner has planned lessons on local flora and fauna and the engineering of aqueducts, which may be of particular interest to stu dents who come from biology and engineer ing backgrounds. Hitchner has also prepared lectures with contemporary relevance, includ ing course content on climate change and its effects on populations in antiquity.

“It’s open to everyone, and it will have resonance for anyone who takes the course,” Hitchner said.

Another aspect of the program’s accessi bility is the fact that it corresponds to Tufts’ winter break, when students are more likely

to be unoccupied. Greeks, Romans, and Celts is designed to work within the confines of the Tufts academic calendar, allowing stu dents to study abroad for a relatively short duration.

“One benefit, or one of many benefits, of the winter term programs is that generally, students don’t have some other obligation that they have to work around,” said Melanie Armstrong, associate director of programs and outreach at Tufts Global Education. “They won’t miss an opportunity, like to work or to intern over the summer.”

Armstrong hopes that the introduction of the program will further break down barriers to student participation in abroad programs.

Indeed, timing was a crucial aspect in the feasibility of Barreiro’s abroad experience, due to obligations she had during the school year.

“I would not have been able to go abroad, and I would have never been abroad, if not for having gone with Professor Hitchner at that time,” she said.

Most importantly, though, she would not have had the experience that changed the trajectory of her academic and profes sional career.

“I had not intended to [become] a classi cist,” Barreiro said. “And then I went on this trip, and I haven’t been able to get these things out of my head.”

Now, Barreiro is studying to complete a Masters in Classical Studies at Tufts, with Hitchner as one of her advisers.

Armstrong added that attending a shorter studying abroad experience could also serve as a jumping-off point for doing a semester or even a full year abroad.

“I think for some students too, they want to … get their feet wet. So a shorter-term program gives them that opportunity to test it out a little bit, and then see if maybe a full semester or year [abroad] is something that interests them.” she said.

Armstrong also emphasized the trans formative potential of studying abroad. “I’ve been in contact with students who are 10 to 15 years out, who are just doing really interesting things,” she said. “It’s just really cool to see how much study abroad was actually one of the catalyzing experiences for them to go on and do what they’re doing now.”

In the hopes of inspiring students to think both globally and historically, Hitchner intends to take on significant philosophical questions that are inher ently tied up in the course materials. Most significant is the relationship between France’s current culture and the cultures that occupied and contributed to its ancient Gallic society.

Hitchner touches upon this variety of dif ferent cultures that have shaped modern-day France by questioning the way they have interacted.

“It’s very important to note this question of identity: How do we know who we are?” he said. “What did it mean to be, for example, someone of Celtic origin, of Gallic origin, a Roman … what did it mean to be a mixture of all these things?”

At the very core of this study abroad pro gram is cultural interaction, an experience that can illuminate other ways of life as well as enhance understanding of one’s own culture. Hitchner posits that these questions of identity have remained the same, despite the millennia that separate the modern day from antiquity.

The course accompanying students’ two-and-a-half week residence in Aix-enProvence is worth 3 semester-hour units and will be taught under the Department of Classical Studies. Students will take 10 excur sions and site visits in total. Applications for the Greeks, Romans, and Celts in France program are open until Nov. 1.

Elizabeth Foster Liz in London

Unfamiliar places with familiar faces

Just as I thought I was getting com fortable enough with the direction of traffic to begin jaywalking (safely, at least), I left the U.K. for the EU.

I didn’t realize just how accessible travel across Europe was until I was looking up Ryanair flights only two weeks in advance of my planned trip. Before studying abroad, I had never left the United States (and no, I do not count a 24-hour trip to Canada).

Travel in the States is expensive. Even just traveling home from Boston, I will rarely find a direct flight, and the budget airlines available cannot com pare to the deals on Ryanair. If under 25, renting a car is not an option, and public transportation is anywhere from unreliable, to dysfunctional, to non-existent. As a result, teenage tour ists are often pushed to book lodging in the center of the city, but hostels are often not an option, and hotels in these areas have some steep prices.

But travel in Europe appears to have solved all of these problems. And after three weeks in London, I left for Budapest.

I was visiting a friend and former COMP40 partner, another Tufts student just looking for a study abroad pro gram for computer science in English. We survived Arith last semester, so it was time to spend 72 hours together in a far better place.

After an obligatory Snapchat story while in the customs line, I received a response: A Tufts-in-Tübingen student also found herself in Budapest! She had booked a weekend to travel with her sister — anywhere in Europe was on the list — and Budapest just happened to be the first place her sister had rattled off as an option. We had been trying to coordinate a weekend to meet up for the past few days and ended up less than a mile apart in Hungary.

The four of us planned to meet up on Saturday night to explore the ruin bars, but before that, my host and I toured St. Stephen’s Basilica, the Széchenyi Thermal Bath and took a boat tour along the Danube. On Sunday, we viewed the city from Fisherman’s Bastion, visited the Matthias Church and wandered around the perimeter of Dohány Street Synagogue.

At this point, I had seen much of the city but was pining for some histor ical context. Why was every building on a block the same height? Why was there a Buda side and a Pest side to the city? How did public transit have so much character, while remaining so effective? If I’m being honest, I arrived with no knowledge of the country or culture.

A visit to the National Museum proved surprisingly invaluable. I walked the winding halls through Roman trinkets, 14th-century chain mail and royal portraits. It felt like “The Green Knight” (2021) and, as obvious as it might seem, I didn’t real ize such a period really existed until I saw the numerous medieval artifacts with descriptions in both Hungarian and English.

Elizabeth Foster is a junior studying com puter science. Elizabeth can be reached at elizabeth.foster635086@tufts.edu.

COURTESY BRUCE HITCHNER (TOP LEFT AND RIGHT) AND MIKAYLA BARREIRO (BOTTOM LEFT AND RIGHT) Bruce Hitchner is pictured teaching in Provence and Talloires in recent years (top left and top right). A fountain in Aix-en-Provence (bottom left) and the Pont du Gard bridge, a Roman aque duct, (bottom right) is pictured.

wee K e N der

Heroes, gods and monsters: A recap of this year in Marvel

by Nate Hall Assistant Arts Editor

Over the last 14 years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become a cultural jugger naut. The release of “Iron Man” (2008) marked the beginning of a decade-long saga that spanned nearly 30 movies, peaking with the record-break ing hit “Avengers: Endgame” (2019), in which fan favorites such as Iron Man, Black Widow and Captain America departed from the franchise. Although “Endgame” provided a sat isfying ending to the MCU’s narrative, Marvel has kept the story going with a host of new movies and TV shows.

The MCU separates its stories into phases, with “Endgame” and “Spider-Man: Far from Home” (2019) mark ing the end of Phase 3. After a series of COVID-19-related delays, Phase 4 kicked off in early 2021 with the crit ically acclaimed miniseries “WandaVision” (2021), fol lowed by four more TV shows and four movies later in the year. The sheer quantity of content is hard for even com mitted fans to keep up with.

This year began with the release of “Moon Knight” in March, a Disney+ miniseries starring Oscar Isaac as a man with dissociative identity dis order who becomes a super hero. Playing the dual roles of American mercenary Marc Spector and British museum worker Steven Grant is a dif ficult task that Isaac takes on with ease. The series has a dark er tone than most Marvel proj ects and features no characters from previous MCU works, but don’t let that discourage you. Both an honest portrayal of mental health and an explo ration of Egyptian mytholo gy, the series tells a unique, action-packed story. Although the finale leaves viewers with many unanswered questions, it’s worth the watch for strong performances from Oscar, May Calamawy and Ethan Hawke, as well as a beautiful score.

In May, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” continued its title charac ter’s story with the addition of Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff. Although it featured stunning visuals and strong performances from Olsen and Benedict Cumberbatch, its ambitious storyline doesn’t stick the landing. The highly anticipated film dives deeper into the concept of the mul tiverse, but it’s packed to the brim with exposition and CGI battles. The movie fails to do justice to Wanda, reducing the character to a one-dimen sional version of her former self. “Doctor Strange” also suf fered the misfortune of being released just two months after

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” (2022), a beautifully absurd indie film that does a much better job exploring the concept of the multiverse.

Next up is “Ms. Marvel,” another Disney+ series which premiered in June.

“Ms. Marvel” tells the story of Kamala Khan, a Pakistani American teenager from Jersey City who gains cosmic super powers. Along with “Moon Knight,” this show is one of the few recent MCU projects that feels truly new and original.

The series explores Kamala’s family, friendships and her itage, proving that you don’t have to have a huge fight scene every week to tell an effec tive superhero story. The show explores Pakistani culture and the challenges of growing up, but its message will resonate with all viewers. With a likable cast of characters, an excellent lead performance from break out star Iman Vellani, a unique visual style and well-written dialogue, the series is worth checking out.

July brought fans back to the theaters with “Thor: Love and Thunder,” the latest install ment of the Norse god’s story from director Taika Waititi.

This film saw the return of Thor’s former love interest, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), and introduced Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) as its villain. While it’s not as good as its predecessor “Thor: Ragnarok” (2017), which per fectly integrated action and humor, it’s still a fun, flashy adventure with lots of humor ous moments. However, the movie struggles with pacing, cramming all of the drama into its much darker second half.

Bringing Jane Foster back was a good decision, as Portman’s

character complements Chris Hemsworth’s Thor and brings the events of the series full cir cle. Bale fully transforms into the role of Gorr, becoming a complex villain that audiences can both fear and sympathize with. Bale’s character deserved a larger role — or perhaps he should’ve been in a differ ent movie entirely, one that matched the seriousness of his performance.

In August, “She Hulk: Attorney at Law,” a new tele vision series, premiered on Disney+. The show is about attorney Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany), a cous in of the Hulk who becomes a Hulk herself and leads the Superhuman Law Division. The show has been praised by critics, but not by fans — it has a 36% from audi ences on Rotten Tomatoes. In actuality, the show falls somewhere in the middle of these reviews. Its lighthearted tone is enhanced by fourthwall breaks and self-referen tial humor, and Maslany is the perfect choice for the title character. However, it tends to feel like the writers are throw ing everything at the wall to see what sticks, with lots of lazy, dated jokes and new characters introduced every week that never get fleshed out. Additionally, the VFX used to turn Jennifer into She-Hulk are hit-or-miss (mostly miss), which distracts viewers from the show’s plot.

Phase 4 of the MCU will con clude with a holiday-themed TV special and the release of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” in November. The long-awaited sequel to “Black Panther” (2018) will be the first film set in Wakanda since the death of lead actor Chadwick

Boseman in 2020. Next year, we enter Phase 5 with a new Ant-Man movie, a Guardians of the Galaxy sequel, a TV series starring Nick Fury and many other projects we don’t have time to talk about here.

The question now is: What does the future hold for the MCU in the long run?

The first big clue comes from Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, who described Phases 4–6 as “the Multiverse Saga” at a Comic-Con event this summer. This means that the concept of the multiverse, as seen in the “Doctor Strange” films, will have important implications for the entire MCU going forward. The mul tiverse was explored last year in season 1 of “Loki” (2021–), where viewers were introduced to He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors), a scientist who seeks to prevent a multiversal war between evil variants of him self. One of these variants, known as Kang the Conqueror, is set to be one of the main antagonists of the Multiverse Saga — you’ll see him in next year’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” (2023).

The multiverse was also featured in last year’s “SpiderMan: No Way Home” (2021), in which a spell cast by Doctor Strange goes wrong, bring ing heroes and villains from previous “Spider-Man” films into the Marvel universe. The inclusion of former SpiderMen Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield in “No Way Home” was not a one-off: We’ll be seeing more Marvel heroes from other universes cross over into the MCU, includ ing the X-Men, who have already made some appear ances, as well as Daredevil and the Fantastic Four, both

of whom will be getting their own MCU projects in the near future. As the new era of the MCU starts to take shape, we’ll also be introduced to a new team of antiheroes known as the Thunderbolts. Originally featured in Marvel Comics, the group will include Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, Ghost and several other fan favorite characters.

Looking even further ahead, Marvel has two new Avengers movies set for 2025. The first one is titled “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty,” so there’s no question who the villain will be. But with half of the orig inal Avengers gone, who are the heroes? The comics can provide some clues here — it looks like Marvel is assem bling the Young Avengers, a new incarnation of the original team of heroes. In the com ics, the group includes sever al MCU characters, including Kate Bishop, Cassie Lang and America Chavez, but we should expect to see some other famil iar faces join them as the young heroes pick up where their pre decessors left off.

As it enters a new era, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has introduced viewers to a nev er-ending assortment of heroes and villains this year. Some of this year’s stories, like “Moon Knight” and “Ms. Marvel,” have highlighted Marvel’s contin ued success, while others have failed to live up to expecta tions. Only time will tell if they reach satisfying conclusions. Although this year’s movies and TV shows have wrapped up their stories, many of their characters will return in future projects. That’s the way things are in the MCU — characters come and go, but the story never really ends.

VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The Marvel Cinematic Universe logo is pictured.

Let Hugh Hefner rest in peril by RaiAnn Bu Arts Editor

Chilly air, leaves falling, an ominous wind. Fall season is upon us again and one of the spookiest days of the year is immi nent: Halloween. Don’t let the ghosts dis tract you from the real fear of Halloween: ugly costumes.

There are the classic Halloween cos tumes that are expected to be seen every year, such as cats, witches, vampires, etc. However, within the past few years, a Halloween Instagram scroll would not be complete without a red bathrobe and pajamas, the typical Hugh Hefner Playboy costume. Since Hefner’s death in 2017, the Hefner Playboy costume still comes back strong each year, cementing itself into the cultural zeitgeist as a go-to costume for college-aged men.

Hugh Hefner, in his lifetime, built his fortune off of the exploitation of women. Whether it was coercing women for sex, publishing nude pictures of underage girls or generally contributing to the objectifi cation of women, Hugh Hefner was a pio neer in misogyny. His complicated history is often eclipsed by his final image. Before his death at 91, Hugh Hefner donned the human costume of an old harmless grand father, resting on his treasures of being a visionary in the entertainment industry. His santized legacy includes embodying the American male fantasy, contributions to the First Amendment, the sexual rev olution and strong support of Obama’s political campaign. Many look back at Hefner’s image as an adored celebrity who stood by his ‘progressive’ ideals of anti-censorship, anti-racist and pro-lib eratian views, ignoring the blatant human exploitation he profited off of.

When one criticizes the legacy of Hugh Hefner, they are always labeled as femi nist, raising their fist at the indominable patriarchy. This quick assertion implies the separation of women’s rights from human rights, suggesting that only an uptight person informed about women’s rights would comment on their mistreat ment, as if women are not also people.

He was a criminal, coercing women for sex in exchange of help in furthering their careers, publishing their nude pic tures without their consent, allowing a 10-year-old to pose nude on a Playboyaffiliated magazine and abusing women in his Playboy mansion. There should be no feminist element tied to the condemna tion of Hugh Hefner, but rather a general human concern.

From a non-scorned point of view, the Hugh Hefner costume is in no way original or often well done. It is more often lazily done, consisting of a red bathrobe and at least one woman and — if one can be so lucky — a pipe and a hat. Halloween is a time of fan tasy, so for some, a Hugh Hefner costume can allow one to pretend they are powerful, important to others and desired by women for one night of the year. However, it redeems itself in its recognizability.

The Playboy Bunny costume, a needed accessory to the Hefner costume, carries a complicated legacy as well. Since the Playboy Bunny costume, different ren ditions of bunny costumes have arisen into pop culture: Elle Wood’s pink bunny costume, “Mean Girls” (2004), “Bridget Jones’s Diary” (2001) and Mai from “Seishun Buta Yaro wa Yumemiru Shoujo no Yume wo Minai” (2019). These cos tumes have diverged distinctly from the original Playboy Bunny costume so that a bunny costume without the presence of Hefner is no longer synonymous with the Playboy Bunny.

The Playboy Bunny costume was orig inally designed by the owner of the first Black-owned boutique on Broadway, Zelda Wynn Valdes. Valdes was known for costuming famous Black women such as Ella Fitzgerald and Josephine Baker. The original costume is intricate ly constructed with corset boning and lacing, no doubt taking intensive skill to design and sew. The piece carries the endearing vintage silhouette with the

corset detailing, bullet bra and highcut leg while also catering to a modern bombshell sex appeal, an unfortunately cute product from Hugh Hefner.

Many articles dive into the gen erosity of Hugh Hefner and Playboy Enterprises, despite claims of abuse from his victims. His image has become so sanitized that his legacy is untouch able. The popularity of the Hugh Hefner costume reaffirms this glorified legacy and demonstrates the active ignorance of sexual predators.

Like many men who have come before him and will come after him, Hugh Hefner is untouchable aside from the raging feminist army. It affirms that misogyny can be excused given the right press team peddling the glory of being the male dream. It is the publicity that has kept those such as Leonardo DiCaprio, James Bond, John F. Kennedy and “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013), above facing the consequences of their actions.

Also, Hugh Hefner was an anti-vaxxer.

Ellie Lester and Cole Reese The Art of Good Soup Are udon(e) yet?

This is a message for Shanghai Moon Restaurant in Medford, Mass. If you are not Shanghai Moon, or our Uber Eats driver, Diamond, keep scrolling. This does not concern you.

An eternal struggle in life is wait ing: When something’s too hot, when you need news, when someone’s doing you a favor and you’re waiting for it to be finished. Better yet, when you’re doing someone else a favor and wait ing for it to be finished. Millennials, stop spreading propaganda. Patience is NOT a virtue.

Here’s why. It was a frigid Friday afternoon. Evening maybe. Does any body really know when one becomes the other? Or, like, care? Anyway, it was some time around the hour when one has that feeling in their gut; it’s insatia ble, some might say. We were certainly ravenous.

The day was long and hard, oh-so hard. We needed something to take the edge off, so we took a silly little phone and went on silly little Uber Eats. The evening was fast approaching, and time was of the essence. We needed a quickie. We settled on you, Shanghai Moon Restaurant in Medford, Mass. You seemed quick, easy and a reliable service.

Little did we know that even when you wait, some good things do NOT come. Now, to be clear, the udon noo dles did, in fact, arrive. What we mean to tell you is that they took a long time, and they did not do a good job.

We both got the chicken udon noo dle soup. Upon its arrival, we noticed a few key features. For one, the noodles were loooong yet soft, like a garden hose without water. Second, the chick en was … rather pale. Unfortunately, the chicken also turned out to be the best part. Don’t judge a book by its cover, or something like that.

Still, it was nothing exciting — cer tainly not the best thing we’ve put in our mouths. In order to get through the event, we needed to bring in some extra help. If you’re ever in a pinch, garlic salt and Japanese barbecue sauce will go a long way. Thank us later.

At the top of our containers floated some ambiguous members: They were round, pale, a little squishy to the poke. We’ve never been one for mushrooms, so we steered clear. Something about how they taste when you bite down…

In any case, here’s the tea: Some things look much better on your phone screen than they do in person. Soup is soup is soup, unless it is bad soup, in which case it is bad soup and probably not worth your time and money. There are better things to do with a burgeon ing evening than waiting for something really mediocre to come that you only finished because you felt obligated to.

At the end of the affair, we said our goodbyes, looking down at the pale and sad looking substance lingering in the bowls beneath us. Ew.

We rate this soup two spoons, because it takes two. Don’t ask. Patience is a virtue.

Ellie Lester is a junior studying so ciology. Ellie can be reached at eliana.lester@tufts.edu. Cole Reese is a sophomore who has yet to de clare a major. Cole can be reached at cole.reese@tufts.edu

VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Hugh Hefner is pictured.

MISSED CONNECTIONS

You: The captain of the Women’s Rugby Team. Me: The other cap tain of the Women’s Rugby Team.

You: Stressing about a torn ticket production. Me: Also stressing about a torn ticket production.

You: A small girl with a turtle backpack. Me: Someone that thinks turtles are cute.

You: Nice girl that smiled at me (or maybe just the person behind me) in Dewick –– Shirt color: blue. Time: Fall (maybe spring?) 2014. Me: A freshman seeing if he could fit 30 tater tots in his mouth all at one time. I hope it’s not too late! (P.S. I can fit way more than 30 tater tots now!!)

You: Guy with a purple mustache and mullet at Stop and Shop. You cut me in line to the bathroom. I forgive you.

CROSSWORD BY LUCAS CHUA

“Poop. Imagine

Charlene

O P i N i ON

Italy’s election is evidence of a right-wing swing

by Maxwell Shoustal and Julieta Grané Staff Writers

On Sunday, Sept. 25, Italy joined the growing list of democ racies led by right-wing govern ments when it voted the Brothers of Italy leader Giorgia Meloni into office. The 45-year-old politician and journalist who now serves as prime minister has gone viral for a speech in Rome where she proclaimed she is a “woman, mother, Italian and Christian.” This slogan holds a mirror to the veiling of xenophobia under the guise of protection of family values by directly emphasizing Meloni’s nationality, religion and duty as a mother stemming from her sex. The mere fact of Meloni’s gender should not be a reason to celebrate her election. Italy joins Iceland, Denmark and New Zealand as a developed country with a female leader; however, unlike the latter three countries, Italy is headed in a direction that is clearly not feminist. Meloni has stated that she does not intend to abolish Italy’s abortion law, but the law provides inadequate sup port and resources for women wanting an abolition, which results in limited abortion access in Italy. By not amending this law, Meloni ensures that abortion will remain difficult to access in Italy.

Additionally, the Italian prime minister is vehemently opposed

to so-called “pink quotas” which require Italian companies to hire women to fill a certain number of positions. While the opposition to qualifying someone based on their gender seems reasonable in prin ciple, the intention behind plans such as pink quotas is to enact restorative justice for groups who have been historically underrepre sented in positions of power. Since the enactment of pink quotas in Italy, the number of women serv ing on corporate boards has risen from 6% to around 38%. These pink quotas have begun a benefi cial cycle of incorporating women into high level positions in the cor porate world, but this cycle has not yet been completed. Eliminating pink quotas before their goal is fully realized will undoubtedly have a negative impact. Meloni’s attempt to combat inequality by denying its existence is an approach that is likely to do more harm than good.

Looking beyond her gender iden tity allows us to see this leader for what she is: a conservative populist capitalizing on fear and xenopho bia to rise to power.

Before the recent election, many Italians expressed concern about increased immigration and the cost of living. Meloni, like many of her international counterparts, has credited her country’s economic problems to immigrants, creating a scape goat for impoverished citizens to direct their frustrations towards.

Her political platform is strong ly tied to her plan for cracking down on immigration, which includes a sea blockade and curbs on charity rescue ships.

Under Meloni’s leadership, the Brothers of Italy have used religion as a justification to oppose same-sex couple adop tion in favor of “the traditional family.” Her positions on abor tion, non-European immigration and LGBTQ+ rights have earned Meloni the label of “far-right nationalist” and have incited fear in many who believe that this election highlights the world wide shift towards an alarming new embrace of xenophobia.

Beginning with Donald Trump’s election in 2016, there has been a worrying uptick in right-wing populism world wide. Although Trump’s confus ing economic policies were not entirely classic right-wing pol icies, his populist rhetoric and social views certainly were. This right-wing populist rhetoric has subsequently been adopted with much success in countries such as Brazil with Jair Bolsonaro, in France with Marine Le Pen and in Sweden with the extremist Sweden Democrats party.

Meloni’s rhetoric fits within the pattern of these other lead ers. In response, it is essential that centrist parties in Italy join in agreement with the center-left Democratic Party to provide a

VIEWPOINT

voice against the very real threat of Meloni’s right wing coalition.

The Democratic Party has recent ly had alliances fall apart with the centrist Azione party, the far-left Sinistra party and Verdi, Italy’s Green Party. These parties need to understand that incendiary rhetoric leads to fire, and that parties such as the Brothers of Italy cannot be easily controlled.

Italian political parties should take example from a recent crisis in Germany. In 2020, the centrist Christian Democratic Union in the state of Thuringia made an alliance with the far-right Alternative for Germany party, against the CDU’s unwritten rules. Due to backlash from this alliance, the leader of the CDU resigned, and former PM Angela Merkel called the alliance “unforgivable.” This must always

be the attitude of centrist parties when allying with the extreme; such a move must be regarded as incredibly perilous.

It is hard to imagine that this global rightward shift will not continue. The most immediate opportunity to prevent this shift is the 2022 United States mid term election, where we could potentially see the election of far right election-denying can didates. In total, 200 candidates running in the November mid term elections have definitively denied the results of the 2020 election. Voters in the United States during this election will have a large say in whether the country chooses to embrace or reject extremist policies — and the election of Giorgia Meloni does not inspire hope.

We can’t buy into Hollywood’s dangerous glamorization of drug abuse

by Esma Erdem Staff Writer

Content Warning: This arti cle includes mentions of suicide and drug abuse. Find on- and off-campus resources for sub stance abuse recovery in the dig ital version of this article.

News about drug abuse in Hollywood has long been widely reported on by the media. Whether due to the accessibility of illicit sub stances or due to their lifestyle filled with parties, drug abuse among celebrities has been prevalent in Hollywood. This has led to disastrous results and caused the deaths of many iconic Hollywood stars, including Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Anna Nicole Smith and Heath Ledger.

Historically, the prevalence of drug addiction in Hollywood started back in the 1930s. The star system in Hollywood, through which young actors were chosen and fashioned into superstars, encouraged actors and actresses to behave in a certain way on and off camera. With the high expecta tions of the major film studios and long work hours that required high amounts of energy, doctors started prescribing drugs and deceptive ly named vitamin shots or pep pills to help these stars with ener gy or sleep. This system caused the death of Hollywood star Judy Garland, who died of a barbiturate overdose in 1969, following years of addiction that started when she was just a child on set.

The public and the media tend to idolize drug-abusing celebrities and perceive their lifestyles as glamorous, yet there is a stigma around ordi nary people battling addiction. When photographs of celeb rities at parties that capture moments of ecstasy and luxu ry are published in the media, their actions are often glamor ized. ‘Heroin chic’ is a term that refers to the beauty standard of the 1990s, suggesting how the more sick a person looked, the more publicity and attention they got.

By presenting drug abuse in a sexy or humorous light through many movies, Hollywood cul ture has arguably promoted and glamorized drug abuse. The popular movie “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013) depicted Jordan Belfort developing his brokerage firm in Wall Street and showed how his life changed with his growing status and increas ing substance use. His luxuri ous life full of fraud, substance abuse and corruption was glo rified. “Superbad” (2007), the “most intoxicated” movie since 1984 with about 170 mentions of drugs and alcohol, also exem plifies how Hollywood portrays protagonists under the influence with a humorous narrative.

Hollywood’s epidemic of substance abuse and suicide commonly stem from the men tal health problems that plague celebrities. Along with reaching extreme levels of fame, public attention and criticism, depres sion is very common in the entertainment industry. Famous actors, actresses and artists such as Winona Ryder, Johnny Depp, Jim Carrey and Selena Gomez battle with depression or anxiety and have opened up about the costs of gaining fame.

Within the music indus try, young stars such as Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato and Britney Spears have been known to use drugs and struggle with men tal health. Cyrus has also been blamed for promoting drug usage by posting pictures with #drugaddict and #alcoholic on her social media.

Lovato, who uses she and they pronouns, admitted that they started experimenting with drugs when they were 13 years old. In her interview with Access Hollywood in 2014, where she opened up about her battle with addiction and spoke about the dangers of glamorization of drugs in Hollywood, Lovato said, “Drugs are not something to glamorize in pop music or film to portray

as harmless recreational fun.” Later in 2018, they suffered three strokes and a heart attack when they overdosed. Her relapses and recommitments to sobriety over the years were widespread in the media and emphasized how difficult it is to go through a recovery jour ney. Recently in 2021, they released a docuseries entitled “Dancing with the Devil” that depicted her traumas, nearly fatal overdose and details of her recovery.

Young people often idolize celebrities, so the widespread use of drugs in Hollywood sets a dangerous example. According to the American Addiction Centers, 1 in 7 young adults have a substance use disorder. Hollywood’s glamorization and normalization of drugs can have a negative impact on young peo ple who are still forming their identities. The media must work to curtail these glamorized nar ratives, but regardless, the world of fame should not be the exam ple, as the media can create false expectations. Hence, getting educated about the physical and mental dangers of drug abuse is crucial. It is important that we remember, despite what we see on screen, that drugs are deadly, not glamorous.

VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, is pictured.

We don’t need another post-nuclear war art movement

Have you ever looked at a painting in a museum of modern art and felt extremely confused attempt ing to understand the artist’s message? When and why did American creators ‘decide’ that realism is too limit ed for expressing ideas? What caused the transformation of traditional art to a con ceptual one? The phenomena of abstract expressionism and the movements that followed it have blossomed in the United States after 1945, the year U.S. bombers dropped the world’s first deployed atomic bombs over two peaceful Japanese cities.

After the attack, people realized that nuclear weapons can erase large cities, if not the entire world, in a matter of seconds. As Katy Siegel explains it in her book, “Since ‘45: America and the Making of Contemporary Art,” (2013) post-atomic painters, photographers and musicians started to focus on expressing ideas rather than perfecting the way they are present ed, with a renewed emphasis on life and death. This simplification is why we have to think hard to bring our own meaning to these modern art pieces.

The use of nuclear weapons has already once changed the way people perceive real ity, challenging the ideas of power, safety and the right to live. As college students, we generationally remember the uncer tainty brought by the tension of the Cold War from stories of older family members about so-called “nuclear war preparations.” Some of us maybe even still keep potassium iodide at-home first-aid kits and remember the quickest routes to air-raid shelters.

We hoped that another risk of nucle ar war would not emerge again; howev er, threats from Russian president Vladimir Putin, who is in charge of the world’s biggest nuclear power, are becoming more frequent. What if all of it is not a bluff? What would be the consequences of Russia bombarding Ukraine and why should everyone care?

Apart from an enormous number of destroyed lives and land, as President Joe Biden said at a recent fundraiser for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, worldwide destruction could even occur with the use of a lower-yield tac tical weapon. He stated, “I don’t think there is any such a thing as the ability to easily use a tactical nuclear weapon and not end up with Armageddon.”

Although Russia did not sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which prohibits nuclear weapons for its members, turning to nuclear weapons would break what is a seemingly obvious, unsaid agreement to abstain from such difficult-to-control war instruments, and the aftermath of such an action would be impossible to predict.

Such remarkably tragic events as World War II, and in particular the atomic bomb ing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, lead to rapid transformation of all spheres of life, includ ing art. In the end, avant-garde artists of the 1950s are seen as heroic. By breaking away from art styles that promoted the polit ical agenda at the time, they created art that better aligned with American values of freedom, democracy and so on. Yet do we actually want to witness the ‘greatness’ of post-nuclear war art once again?

Originally published Oct. 12.

Mariia Kudina is a sophomore study ing studio art. Mariia can be reached at mariia.kudina@tufts.edu.

Bridging the gap: Brazil’s presidential election

by Toby Winick Staff Writer

Originally

As the United States prepares for its elections in about a month, so too does one of its closest South American allies, Brazil. Amid the tension of the United States’ midterm election season, few are thinking of the past presidential election. Yet, Brazil’s current presiden tial election cycle is eerily reminiscent of the 2020 election in the U.S. Like the United States, Brazil’s election will fea ture a closely contested race between two major political players, with one seeking to oust an incumbent. Perhaps more importantly, there’s just as much political leverage at stake.

On Oct. 2, Brazil held its presidential election. The biggest vote-getters were Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (commonly referred to as “Lula”) of the Workers’ Party, with 48.4% of the vote and incumbent Jair Bolsonaro of the conservative-leaning Liberal Party, with 43.2%. Because Lula missed the 50% vote margin to win the election in the first stage, the election will require a runoff, scheduled for Oct. 30. Of course, Bolsonaro’s gap is significant, but not insurmountable.

Most significant when discussing the prospect of re-election is Bolsonaro’s ideology, and how it compares to that of Lula. Bolsonaro is a populist, which is defined as a stance that attempts to appeal to “the people” to fight against “the elite.” Though populism is not inherently politically skewed, Bolsonaro and many other populists tend to have extreme right-wing views.

Like former U.S. President Donald Trump, Bolsonaro’s denial of both glob al warming and COVID-19 has sparked backlash, quickly making him the most polarizing figure in the country.

This isn’t to say he doesn’t have a strong base. Just like how Trump won a surprising victory in 2016 with his “silent majority,” Bolsonaro also vastly outper formed election forecasts. Despite the 5% results gap, and Lula’s proximity to 50%, it is definitely too early to count him out. Unsurprisingly, Bolsonaro has not just been compared to Trump, but has received direct support from him as well.

Of course, Trump lost his own re-election, and Bolsonaro’s bid also faces tough competition. “Lula”, like U.S. President Joe Biden, is a well-es tablished political player, directly opposed to populists like Bolsonaro. Lula served two terms as president, maintaining high levels of popularity. For many, Lula represents a return to a more prosperous and unified nation. However, that’s where the similarities end. Lula represents the Workers’ Party and has a much more leftist platform. While Joe Biden ran on a platform of bipartisanship, Lula has drawn concern for being too left-wing, putting him at even sharper odds with Bolsonaro.

So, what can we expect until the 30th? Bolsonaro anticipates a “marathon,” gal vanizing his supporters and reaching new ones. It’s possible that he makes even more strides. But we shouldn’t underes timate Lula’s willingness to engage. With an even more nostalgic base than Biden, he’s taken the step of utilizing some populist tactics to promote his left-wing agenda. While American liberals have been stuck playing defense against their opposition, Lula isn’t afraid to launch rhetorical counterattacks. His success thus far shows that Brazil, another con solidated democracy with hundreds of millions of citizens, has been receptive to left-wing ideology — something the U.S. has struggled with. The extent of this reception will be put to the test in just a few weeks. With Bolsonaro’s status and current control of the presidency, Lula will need to do more than rely on his own legacy.

There is much at stake in this elec tion. Bolsonaro’s climate denialism has incredibly tangible impacts. Under him, deforestation of the Amazon has only continued to increase, while Lula’s platform has adapted to oppose

it. Brazil’s regional power and natural resources give it the ability to be a key climate player, ushering in potential cooperation between Lula and Biden in contrast to Trump and Bolsonaro.

Moreover, the defeat of Bolsonaro would be felt around the world. Watching a democratic society reject populism after feeling its effects would certainly make an impression on the new wave of European populist lead ers. Furthermore, a potential Bolsonaro defeat would create immense opportu nity for the United States and Brazil to cooperate. In particular, Brazil’s sup port is necessary for the U.S.’ South American agenda of advancing climate initiatives and growing economic ties in the region past Chinese influence.

However, if Bolsonaro were to build on his previous success and win re-election, it puts any potential for progress in the country at stake. As Brazil grapples with this contentious election, the U.S. must reflect on its own similar troubles and work for progress in both countries. Only then can this progress be extended across the region, and across the world.

The Tufts Daily is a nonprofit, independent newspaper, published Monday through Friday during the academic year, and distributed free of charge 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 Editorial Board. Individual editorialists are not necessarily responsible for, or in agreement with, the policies and editorials of The Editorial Board. Editorials are submitted for review to The Tufts Daily Executive Board before publication.

VIEWPOINTS AND COLUMNS Viewpoints and columns represent the opinions of individual Opinion editors, staff writers, contributing writers and columnists for the Daily’s Opinion section. Positions published in Viewpoints and columns are the opinions of the writers who penned them alone, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Daily itself. All material is subject to editorial discretion.

OP-EDS Op-Eds provide an open forum for campus editorial commentary and are printed Monday through Thursday. The Daily welcomes submis sions 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.

ADVERTISEMENTS All advertising copy is subject to the approval of the editor in chief, executive board and business director.

Mariia Kudina ukraine in War

VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Brazilian presidential candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the Workers' Party is pictured.

soccer scores 9, routing New england college

gery (I’ve had 2 knee surgeries),” Logue wrote.

Hill played the entirety of the second half and, along with the team’s defense, worked to record a shutout. Meanwhile, on the offensive side, the day was not finished for the Jumbos. Specifically, the day was not over for Lu, who was able to score twice more. The first came in the 68th minute following a failed NEC defen sive clearance, while the sec ond occurred in the 88th min ute when Kelly played a bril liant through ball to Lu. With this fourth goal, Lu set the Tufts women’s soccer program record for number of goals in a single game. By the end of the match, the score was 9–0.

The Jumbos’ domination lies beyond the score and the eye test though, through utter control of the stat lines: The team had 34 shots with 22 on frame to the Pilgrims’ four with only two on net, and while the Pilgrims did not have a single corner kick on the day, the Jumbos had nine.

by Spencer Rosenbaum Staff Writer

During unevenly matched soccer games, for the favorite to avoid an upset, one of the most effective strategies is get ting out to an early lead — bury ing all of the underdog’s victory hopes. In Sunday’s interconfer ence matchup against winless New England College, the United Soccer Coaches’ No. 20 ranked Tufts women’s soccer team did exactly that.

It did not take long for the Jumbos to get on the scoreboard.

In the second minute of play, first-year forward Camille Lu sent a beautiful cross into the box that first-year forward Elsi

Bharat Singh

The Final Whistle

All eyes on Jude Bellingham

Earlier this month, Jude Bellingham made history as the young est player to cap tain a Bundesliga team. The 19-year-old wore the armband for Borussia Dortmund in its game against Köln as senior captains Marco Reus and Mats Hummels were sidelined due to injury.

Later that week, the teen age sensation was in the spot light again as he led his side to an incredible 4–1 victory against Sevilla in the UEFA Champions League. Despite the added pressure of captain cy, Jude remained unfazed, rel ishing the role as he dominated Sevilla’s experienced midfield.

Bellingham set up Raphaël Guerreiro for Dortmund’s first goal by switching the play with an inch-perfect pass into

Aires slotted with a one-time fin ish into the bottom left corner of the net. But the squad did not stop there. It was just under three minutes later when Lu had a goal for herself, tapping in a cross from junior midfielder Casey Lam that managed to make its way through the defense.

If a statement had not already been made by the team, it would only take them about one more minute to do so. After the first six minutes, first-year midfielder Caroline Kelly struck a shot from long-range that went bar-down into the net, making it 3–0 for the Jumbos.

Such dominance would continue throughout the entire half, and by halftime, the score

the path of the Portuguese wingback. For the second, Bellingham capped off a stun ning solo run by feinting past Serbian center back Nemanja Gudelj before calmly guiding the ball into the back of the net. An entire stadium deflated by the brilliance of a young boy from Birmingham.

Bellingham’s footballing journey and eventual rise to stardom began at the Birmingham City acade my. Joining at the U8 level, Bellingham quickly rose the ranks, playing with U23 players as a 15-year-old, and began gathering attention for his mature understanding of the game and confidence with the ball. In 2019, aged just 16, Bellingham became the club’s youngest ever player and goal scorer, breaking a long-stand ing record from the ’70s. In a team that was predominantly defensive, Bellingham provid ed a crucial creative outlet in attack, advancing the ball into dangerous areas from deep in midfield as well as on the wing.

At Dortmund, a club renowned for its model as the ‘springboard’ team for

was 7–0. The remaining goals of the half included another Lu goal off of a corner kick from graduate student mid fielder Lily Keiderling, two goals from sophomore forward Juliana Rosen and a goal from about 25 yards out from junior midfielder Thalia Greenberg after winning the ball off of the defender.

In blowout games like this one, it can be difficult to come away with something that can help the team in future games. However, senior goalkeeper Kaelin Logue, who recorded a clean sheet and two saves on the day, recognized that pure enjoyment of the game can often be something that helps propel

many young stars like Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland, Bellingham has evolved into one of Europe’s most sought-af ter players. What sets the English star apart is his excep tional ball-carrying ability and progressive playing style. In possession, Bellingham always looks for penetrating pass es or takes on defenders to create space. Closer to goal, Bellingham’s quick one-twos and direct runs have molded him into a versatile goalscorer as well. This season, the mid field prodigy ranks in the top 5% of players receiving dan gerous passes close to the box, and completes an average of 3.28 touches per game in the opposition’s penalty area, plac ing him in the top 3% of mid fielders. After scoring a beauti ful header against Manchester City in the UCL, Bellingham became the highest-scoring English teenager in the com petition’s history, a record pre viously set by Wayne Rooney in 2005. After the game, City Manager Pep Guardiola hailed the teenager as “exceptional,” citing his ability to follow the likes of Gündoğan and Kevin

teams to victory when the going gets tough.

“Something to take away is just remembering to have funthe reason we all started play ing in the first place,” Logue wrote in an electronic message to the Daily.

After Logue and the Jumbos’ defense finished the first half unscathed, it came time for first-year goalkeeper Kianna Hill to record her first colle giate minutes.

“[Hill] had ankle surgery and was cleared right at the start of the season so seeing her play her first collegiate minutes was special to me, especially in that I can relate to how challenging it can be to mentally play after sur

De Bruyne in the pockets and win difficult duels, as he put on both a defensive and offen sive show against the reigning Premier League champions.

Many experts have likened the wunderkind to Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, not only as an industrious box-to-box midfielder, but also as a born leader. Gerrard began captain ing his boyhood club when he was 23 and led the club to Champions League glory in 2005. For years, Liverpool relied solely on the X factor of Gerrard as he anchored the midfield while also maximiz ing his involvement with his incredible shooting ability.

In a similar vein, Bellingham often finds himself operating in a free role where he fills in wherever his team needs him.

His heat map, unlike most players, is scattered across the field, indicative of his multi-po sitional style. Players like this are unique and although some believe that such a burden on a young player can hinder early tactical development, it is pre cisely Bellingham’s adaptabil ity that makes him a genera tional talent. This winter, the

Following Sunday’s game, the Jumbos moved to a 7–2–1 record, going 4–2–1 in the NESCAC. As the squad transi tions into the postseason mode, hoping to be in a strong posi tion for NESCAC and poten tially NCAA playoffs, these last regular season games are of utmost importance. Rather than get caught up in what lies ahead in the season, the team maintains the “one game at a time” mentality.

“I still think the mindset of going 1-0 is important,” Logue wrote. “Anyone can win any game on any given day, so it’s going into each game knowing that every opponent is there to compete.”

The Tufts women’s soccer team travels to Lewiston, Maine, to take on the Bates Bobcats on Saturday.

Dortmund star will definitely be a part of England’s World Cup squad and is tipped to start in Gareth Southgate’s team. Every great club has an elite list of players that simply did it all. From the elegant and yet aggressive Zinedine Zidane who anchored the spine of Real Madrid’s famous “galac tico” side to Chelsea legend Frank Lampard who rede fined the role of the modern attacking midfielder, these players played beyond their positions, much like Jude Bellingham does. Liverpool and Real Madrid are currently reported to be the front-run ners for Bellingham’s signa ture next summer. Wherever Bellingham ends up in La Liga, Serie A or the Premier League, he will excel. Humble to the core and a born competitor, this teenager from England’s West Midlands has the world at his feet, and he’s only just getting started.

Bharat Singh is a sophomore studying International Rela tions. Bharat can be reached at bharat.singh@tufts.edu.

COURTESY TUFTS ATHLETICS

Junior Nicola Sommers dribbles the ball forward while defending from an opposing player.

s PO r T s

Volleyball grabs 2 more Nescac wins over homecoming weekend by Caroline Cromwell Staff Writer

This Homecoming week end, women’s volleyball picked up a 2–1 record after defeating NESCAC opponents Colby and Bates and losing an out-of-con ference game to Hope College.

On Friday, the Jumbos con quered Colby in a tight 3–2 set match, when they came back from a two-set deficit early on.

On Saturday, the team had a commanding 3–0 set win over Bates and suffered a close 3–2 set loss to Hope later that day.

On Friday night, in a crowded Cousens Gymnasium, the Jumbos struggled early on, falling behind by two sets to the Colby Mules. Both sets were close, with the Jumbos losing them 22–25 and 20–25, respectively. Offensively, the Jumbos were lacking in the first two sets hitting under .200. However, that turned around in

the third set when the offense started to find its rhythm.

“I think we started off kind of slow, and Colby just came out of the gates and they were awe some. They really were making us earn our points,” junior defen sive specialist Megan Harrison said. “After the second set, we kind of started thinking about how we needed to put the ball way differently.”

Going into the last three sets of the game, Tufts improved its offensive performance signifi cantly. Middle hitters senior Grace Legris and junior Cora Cunningham were integral in this turnaround as they started connecting with the Tufts setters well. Legris tallied 11 kills in the match, with Cunningham adding eight to help propel the Jumbos to their comeback. In addition to Legris and Cunningham, outside hitters junior Tori Goldin and senior Jessica Sanderson also

had impressive performances at the outside position.

“Sanderson came in in the Colby game and [Goldin and Sanderson] together were super reliable, super stable. [They were] people that we could definitely look to this week end,” Harrison said.

Friday night was the first Homecoming game for many of the Tufts players, as last year the team was away for the weekend. This new experience built a competitive atmosphere in the crowd between Tufts fans and Colby fans, motivat ing the Jumbos during the game.

On Saturday, after their close game against Colby, the Tufts women faced two more oppo nents, NESCAC opponent Bates and out-of-conference opponent Hope. The Jumbos started their day with a commanding 3–0 win over Bates, controlling the game from start to finish.

“So Bates, we always real ize how they’re a super scrappy

team, and they have really awe some serving,” Harrison said. “So I think we were kind of focus ing on the things that we could control best like being really in system and having great serve receive and also putting them out of system.”

By focusing on consistency and serve receive, Tufts was able to force Bates out of their sys tem so they could capitalize and remain in control of the game. The Jumbos outperformed the Bates Bobcats in every statis tic of the game, while achiev ing a notable hitting percentage of 0.306 and limiting Bates to 0.012. These wins against Colby and Bates brought Tufts to a 5–1 in-conference record, having suf fered their only in-league loss to Wesleyan earlier in the season.

Later that day at 5 p.m., the team faced its second oppo nent of the day, No. 14 ranked nationally Hope College. Hope

posed greater competition for the Jumbos, as reflected in the much closer game statistics. Hope narrowly edged Tufts in hitting percentage, kills and assists. Tufts had another slow start, similar to the Colby game where they went down 0–2 sets. The Hope team was scrappy and greedy, with great offensive play. The Jumbos quickly real ized they would have to adapt in order to compete. These adjust ments led to a much better per formance in the last three sets of the game.

“Obviously, it sucks that we didn’t win that fifth set, but I think it was good that we’ve been challenged so early on in the sea son. … It’s a good test for what we’ll see later in the season,” Harrison said.

The Jumbos’ next games are this coming weekend at Williams and Amherst on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

ELIN SHIH / THE TUFTS DAILY

Outside hitter Tori Goldin, a junior, tips the ball over in a game against Bates on Oct. 8.