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THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF TUFTS UNIVERSITY EST. 1980
THE TUFTS DAILY
VOLUME LXXXIV, ISSUE 6
Thursday, OcTOber 13, 2022
MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS.
UNIVERSITY
Tcu senate hosts Q&a event with Monaco, students, administration
by Megan Reimer
Contributing Writer Originally published Oct. 12.
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 members 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 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 provide students with the opportunity to vocalize their concerns to the Senate body,” Galinsky wrote in an email to the Daily, noting the Senate’s commitment to bolstering administrative transparency. “We can actively pursue initiatives in line with students’ needs, as well as to build a stronger 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 taking 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 inquiries about the completion date of 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 environmentally more friendly, and we want to get as many people using the T [as possible],” Monaco said. “Students will benefit from having better access to job opportunities and internships [because] they can fit them in their schedule more approachably.”
Monaco also commented on recent incidents of antisemitism.
MINA TERZIOGLU / THE TUFTS DAILY University President Anthony Monaco is pictured on the Academic Quad
see TOWN HALL, page 2
LOCAL
‘evicted’ exhibit in somerville highlights housing crisis, cannabis laws
by Estelle Anderson
Contributing Writer Originally published Oct. 12.
“Evicted,” an exhibit put on by the Community Action Agency of Somerville, is currently running at the Somerville Armory until Nov. 4. Based on sociologist Matthew Desmond’s novel “Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City”, the interactive 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 exhibit 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 particularly 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 [eviction] moratorium was lifted [in June 2022] … it’s just a daily struggle 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 housing 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 communities. 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 evictions is the conflict between federal 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 anyone who is using public housing assistance — a federal program — and is caught with the drug faces eviction.
see EVICTED, page 2
UNIVERSITY
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 chaplaincy 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
see CHAPLAINCY , page 3
CECILIA WANG / THE TUFTS DAILY The inside of the Tufts Chaplaincy is pictured on April 5.
Chloe Courtney Bohl Editor in Chief
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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, antisemitism, right down to the more [subtle] forms,” Monaco said. “We want to educate our community 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 presidential search, Monaco assured the audience that the hiring process 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 campus, Klos said, “What will we do in dining starts with careful planning 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 throughout the day to optimize its freshness 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 really 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 sustainability efforts and making a change at Tufts, Cunningham said, “Tisch [College] offers [students] a lot of different tools and methods and experiences that help put [students’] hands on experiences of governance, whether that’s through community 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 pandemic has prepared students to tackle future crises.
“[An adaptation to climate change] means the majority 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
continued from page 1
“Any type of [federal] institution … 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 disconnect 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 legalization 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 directed the attorney general and the secretary of health and human services to review the federal classification of marijuana.
“Sending people to prison for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives and incarcerated people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit. Criminal records for marijuana possession have also imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities,” the president wrote in an Oct. 6 statement. “And while white and Black and brown people use marijuana at similar rates, Black and brown people have been arrested, prosecuted, and convicted at disproportionate rates.”
Three Somerville cannabis businesses have joined forces to support “Evicted” and raise awareness 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 edition 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 cannabis retailers for this cause,” Tom Schneider, chief marketing officer 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 businesses, “Evicted” is also being supported by local groups including the Somerville Homeless Coalition, Somerville Public Schools and YouthBuild Just A Start.
For O’Hara, seeing the Somerville community join together 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 hoping that people can come through and realize that they’re not alone in this struggle.”
CHAPLAINCY
continued from page 1 share spiritual and religious practices and traditions that contribute to their own resilience and renewal, and to lift up the value of community itself for supporting our communal 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 chaplaincy for several past events.
“The model [of People’s Supper] is storytelling and small group-discussion based,” Nelson Winger wrote. “In the wake of the 2016 election, Tufts alum, the Rev. Jen Bailey, launched the People’s Supper model through Faith Matters and other partner organizations to bring people 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 attendees 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, … bringing our awareness and reconnecting with who we are, and with what we’re doing here,” Padma said.
Padma connected her reflection on resiliency to principles of neuropsychology, explaining how some spiritual practices like meditation or music help with emotional regulation.
“There are practices that support … 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 thinking about all the good things I have in life, my family, my friends, my health, and it might be an actual activity. … Whatever practice of gratitude you might find meaningful in your life, I think that is … an important way to build resilience and to find wellbeing for ourselves.”
Cruz Pantojas reflected on well-being as a contextual practice for each individual.
“No one person, institution, theory 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 intrapersonal invitations?’”
Banerjee reflected on the practice 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 resilience and well-being in their lives.
“The goal of the discussion, I hope, is an experience of being listened to and of deeply listening,” Nelson Winger wrote. “We hope to create a space with these meals for authentic dialogue and reflection that is rooted in learning from one another.”
Participants were also reminded of resources offered through the chaplaincy to help promote wellbeing and mental health. Nelson Winger emphasized that the chaplaincy is always willing to support members of the Tufts community, noting that the chaplains are LGBTQ affirming and confidential resources.
“All of our chaplains offer pastoral, or spiritual, care to members of the Tufts community,” Nelson Winger wrote. “We are here to listen to and accompany 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.”
UNIVERSITY
Tufts hires dano weisbord as executive director of sustainability and chief sustainability officer
by Simran Patel
Staff Writer Originally published Oct. 12.
Dano Weisbord will become the Executive Director of Sustainability and Chief Sustainability Officer on Oct. 24. He plans to further Tufts’ commitment to becoming a higher education leader in sustainability and climate matters across the university, 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, personally 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 programs at Tufts were assessed prior to adding the new position.
“In 2020 we invited the directors 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 institution-wide planning.
“Operational responsibilities are things like running the recycling and waste reduction program, 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 making changes based on these recommendations, 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 importance of the university deciding to add this position.
“The university has had a long and accomplished record of commitment to sustainability, punctuated 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 university to continue to advance as a leader by further integrating academics and operations.”
Woolston echoed these thoughts while highlighting the importance of all people fighting 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 peoples 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 sustainability work being done on campus with research and education. Woolston researched and recruited sustainability professionals 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 position,” Woolston wrote.
He then emphasized the importance for Tufts students to conceptualize the impacts of climate 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 challenges 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 institutions, and the addition of this role will give it the capacity to advance a university-wide vision and strategy for sustainability and – importantly – work closely with faculty to leverage their leadership and excellence,” 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 seeking hope and positivity in our future.
“I think [hope] enables students, then, when they graduate — or even before they graduate — to go change things,” Weisbord said. “It’s really hard when you feel dispirited to go make change.”
He reflected on the university’s potential for greatness, wondering, “What is Tufts’ unique offering to the challenges of global sustainable development?”
“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.
