The Tufts Daily - Thursday, February 1, 2024

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Thursday, February 1, 2024

VOLUME LXXXVII, ISSUE 2

UNIVERSITY

Coalition for Palestinian Liberation holds ‘emergency protest for Palestine’ Matthew Sage

Executive News Editor

Originally published Jan. 30.

More than 50 students gathered by the Mayer Campus Center’s lower patio and later marched through campus in an ”emergency protest for Palestine" on Friday, organized by the Coalition for Palestinian Liberation at Tufts. The group’s first protest of 2024 follows a semester marked by activism over the Israel-Hamas war.

“We are here to reengage with our campaign to put pressure on the school to divest from israeli occupation of Palestine and apartheid,” CPLT wrote in a statement to the Daily. “There can be no business as usual on campus when every university in Gaza has been destroyed by the genocidal israeli assault on Gaza. From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free.”

The protest — beginning just after 2 p.m. with speeches from several students — main-

tained a focus on worldwide resistance acts and historical social movements.

“The Palestinian people have an inherent and internationally recognized right to resist the forces that have represented decades of dispossession and violence,” a speaker said. “From agricultural warfare to blockades and constant surveillance, Palestine has been living through the genocide every day since [the establishment of the state of Israel in] 1948, paid for by our taxes. ... But settling in Palestine is a reminder that resistance groups everywhere have a right to reject their occupiers.”

The coalition — composed of several political, cultural and activist student organizations — has previously made demands of Tufts University and University President Sunil Kumar to condemn the Israel-Hamas war and divest from companies that contract with Israel, among other demands stated on its Instagram.

“We must take action to oppose our university’s investments in

MATTHEW SAGE/THE TUFTS DAILY

Students march past Gifford House, home of the university president, while chanting “Hey, Sunil, you can’t hide, you’re supporting genocide.”

Israeli apartheid and refusal to respond to any of the demands of the Coalition for Palestinian Liberation,” the speaker said. “You, as students, have a moral obliga-

tion and a duty to show up in all the ways you can. … As we move into the spring semester, we would like to reiterate our demands as they guide our activism.”

UNIVERSITY

The university declined to comment in response to Friday’s protest. see PROTEST, page 2

LOCAL

Tufts launches Jumbo Spring Break civic Mass. House passes bill engagement program granting paid time off to workers on Election Day Dhruvii Mehta Staff Writer

In March, students will have the opportunity to dedicate their spring breaks to civic engagement through a new program, Jumbo Spring Break, which was collaboratively designed over the last semester by the Dean of Students Office, Tufts Community Union Senate, Tisch College of Civic Life, Career Center and the Chaplaincy.

The new experience is a fiveday commitment coinciding with spring break that will offer a curated list of activities based on one of three themes: politics and government, sustainability, and housing and human services. Regardless of theme, students will be offered the opportunity to explore career paths and engage in social events with other students.

Senior Julian Chun and firstyear Lenka Smiljanic are the

student coordinators for the program.

“We’re starting a completely new experience, built for students by students … [alongside] the Office of Student Life and other offices that we’re collaborating with … to give an opportunity to all different students with all different interests,” Smiljanic said.

According to TCU Senate President Arielle Galinsky, the idea for Jumbo Spring Break stemmed from a desire to provide students with a spring break opportunity that is both “meaningful and different” from their normal Tufts experience. Galinsky said that the program is meant as an alternative to the “extraordinarily expensive” options of flying home or traveling for the weeklong holiday.

“Originally … the idea was that we would offer … trips with an academic or research com-

ponent to it,” Galinsky said. “We weren’t able to make that happen for this year, but it might happen in future years.”

Students will choose a track of their interest, regardless of prior knowledge, and will participate in “career treks” in collaboration with Tufts Career Center, leading them towards opportunities to make connections and meet individuals — many of them Tufts alums — in the workplace.

“It will be set up [like] a [pre-orientation] type of format where you have about five days of programming. Part of the day will be in the interest of your track … and the other part of the day will be social activities,” Galinsky said.

For the politics and government track, Galinsky said, students might tour the State House, meet government offisee JUMBO, page 3

Samantha Eng Staff Writer

The Massachusetts House passed Bill H.4217, which protects employees’ right to paid time off in order to be able to vote. The bill is currently under consideration by the Senate Committee on Ways and Means.

This bill would allow any employee to request paid time off on Election Day to exercise their right to vote in person with the condition that they give employers three business days’ notice.

The bill is among multiple efforts by the Massachusetts state government to increase voter participation. Existing Massachusetts legislation permitted only construction and manufacturing industry workers to request time off, but it wasn’t guaranteed to be paid time off.

4 SCIENCE

6 ARTS & POP CULTURE

9 OPINION

12 SPORTS

Veterinarian and author discusses plight of whales

BSO does right by “Rite of Spring” page 7

Climate-conscious investments are the future

Women’s basketball goes to triple overtime

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One of the factors that affects the participation of voters, especially young voters, is a lack of time. According to a 2022 survey by CIRCLE, a research center based at Tisch College focused on youth civic engagement, 38% of young people who did not vote cited forgetting or being too busy as their main reason.

CIRCLE researcher Peter de Guzman commented on the value of giving young voters more time to vote.

“Young people face barriers of time and information when it comes to registering and voting. … Giving people … especially young workers, more time to go there and vote may help them overcome that barrier,” de Guzman said.

Sen. Brendan P. Crighton, a co-sponsor of the bill, said that see BILL, page 3 News science Features Arts & Pop Culture Fun & Games Opinion Sports

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Earth Hacks’ co-founder champions environmental hackathons Lang Law

Contributing Writer

Sanjana Paul, the co-founder and executive director of Earth Hacks, explored the philosophy of her nonprofit’s mission to make hackathons more environmentally conscious on Jan. 25.

The event, titled “Hacking the Climate Crisis: Environmental Hackathons as a Vehicle for Justice-Centric Climate Action,” was part of the environmental studies program’s ongoing Hoch Cunningham lecture series.

Paul is a graduate student researcher in MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning who co-founded Earth Hacks just over five years ago. Her nonprofit has now hosted over 50 environmental hackathons, events in which participants engage in friendly competition to develop climate-oriented projects.

“Traditionally, hackathons are programming contests,” Paul said. “People would go to each other’s garages and university spaces and teach each other new programming skills.”

A former student at Virginia Commonwealth University, she found great value in her undergraduate collaborative coding competitions.

“They’re a really great place for skill sharing and knowledge exchange,” Paul said. “They’re a really wonderful type of experiential, hands-on learning and education and they also provide, in my view, a wonderful opportunity for rapid prototyping and development.”

During her time as an electrical engineering student, Paul said she used hackathons to fill holes in her education, free of charge.

“I used to go to hackathons because I wanted to learn Python because it was not taught in my degree program, which I roast them for to this day because I’ve used it in every engineering job I’ve had,” Paul said.

Paul did say that while she found these undergraduate hackathons helpful to her professional development, they left much to be desired in

Sanjana Paul speaks in the Curtis Hall Multipurpose Room on Jan. 25. the way of conscientious programming.

“While, yes, there was this focus on learning, it was very oriented toward these incredibly obtuse computer science programs that only third-year computer science majors, who did not care about what was happening in the world around them, were interested in,” she said. “It was only important if you wanted to go intern at a defense contractor. It was only important if you were there to build up your resume as opposed to actually gaining those skills.”

This is ultimately what prompted her to create Earth Hacks.

“I really felt the potential of what this could be,” Paul said, wanting to create “a platform and a space for hackathons to be these really community-driven, inclusive spaces to engage with issues that are actually happening in the world.”

As the organization grew, so did its mission. In her presentation, Paul detailed how the company expanded to a broad, multifaceted organization that sought to bring as many people together within the format of a hackathon to assist climate conservation efforts.

This inclusivity has manifested with law students working alongside engineers on climate issues, professors work-

ing alongside high school students in an “intergenerational exchange of knowledge” and a requirement that all of the hackathons that Earth Hacks hosts have a community partner, in order to further encourage participation.

Earth Hacks’ next hackathon from Feb. 3–4 will address sustainable energy transition challenges and is co-hosted

by Global Energy Monitor and MIT’s chapter of the Society for Applied and Industrial Mathematics.

In an interview with the Daily, Paul highlighted how environmental hackathons have shaped previous participants’ career decisions.

“We had a student who was studying computer science,” Paul said. “She was planning to take a job in the health insurance industry as a software engineer and after coming to a couple of our events, they gave her the motivation and the insight needed to completely pivot her career path, and she now works with satellite data for global water distribution.”

One of Earth Hacks’ past events, Urban Heat Island Hackathon, visualized surface temperature data from the International Space Station, and another event, Vaquita Hacks, sought solutions to save the endangered vaquita dolphin. AmazoniaHack, a bilin-

MICHELLE SHIU/THE TUFTS DAILY

gual hackathon in English and Portuguese, focused on conservation in the Amazon rainforest.

Like Paul, Michelle Zakaria, a sophomore majoring in computer science, is aware of the concerns surrounding social awareness in STEM. She mentioned that while applying to summer internships, she found that many companies offering good pay are connected to defense and that some people in her life look down upon working in such a field.

“I feel like having broader options beyond that is big,” she said.

Camille Minns, Earth Hacks’ community manager and a graduate student at Tufts, emphasized the connection she has noticed between her academic work pursuing a degree in environmental policy and planning and her role at Earth Hacks.

“Environmental justice is a huge part of our work in creating justice-centered climate action,” Minns said. “Of the various urban planning programs that exist out there, I am definitely grateful for the environment, the foundation that’s been laid at Tufts’ [Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning] because I feel like justice has been embedded as such a central focus to the kind of work that we do there.”

Coalition reaffirms demands, shows solidarity with Palestine PROTEST continued from page 1 Another speaker addressed the historical and ongoing solidarity that Lebanon has shown Palestine.

“Lebanon has been under heavy bombardment and air attacks from the Israeli occupation forces,” a speaker said.

“South Lebanon has sacrificed more than 200 martyrs. This includes resistance fighters, journalists and civilians, and among them my own family members.

By neglecting to acknowledge and respect their martyrdom, we would be doing the ongoing fight for Palestinian freedom an injustice.”

In addition to describing resistance efforts abroad, the speaker brought attention to protester safety amid U.S. campus demonstrations.

“Israel’s military complex even appears on American college campuses,” the speaker said, referencing an incident at Columbia University in which students at a pro-Palestinian rally were allegedly sprayed with a chemical agent earlier this month, as first reported by the Columbia Spectator.

Students then referenced Friday’s ruling from the International Court of Justice, which ordered Israel to “take all measures within its power” to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza.

Both South Africa and Indonesia

have launched cases against Israel in the ICJ. “This ruling does not order a ceasefire, and it cannot be enforced by outside government,” a speaker said. “Let us remind you that the United Nations and the framework of international law are two colonial institutions that will never liberate Palestine. Palestinian liberation will come by the Palestinian resistance.”

Following speeches, the group marched down Talbot Avenue, onto College Avenue, proceeded down Professors Row and eventually up Packard Avenue, concluding the protest outside of Olin Hall. While passing Gifford House, Kumar’s residence, they chanted calls of “Hey,

Sunil, you can’t hide, you’re supporting genocide.”

Following the event, Students for Justice in Palestine hosted an event focusing on media bias in covering Palestine, spotlighting ways in which media outlets influence public opinion.

“I think the main goal from my understanding was — coming back from break — to bring attention back to admin and back to the rest of the student body,” a protester said in an interview with the Daily. “This isn’t something that’s going to go away. This genocide is still ongoing and people are still dying. So it’s really important that coming back from break, we continue raising awareness of what’s happening.”

THE TUFTS DAILY

Thursday, February 1, 2024

NEWS

3

New university program allows students to give back over break JUMBO continued from page 1 -cials and help citizens sign up for voting, while participants in the housing and human services track might participate in projects with the Somerville Homeless Coalition and Habitat for Humanity. Full activity schedules will not be given to participants until March.

“I did the FOCUS pre-orientation. … I had an amazing time and it influenced me to come here,” first-year Adriana BusselAlonso said.

According to Chun, experiences will be localized to Medford and Somerville in order to form “more beneficial and reciprocal relationships” with local civic leaders. “[This is] something new that’s going to not only benefit myself, but [will also] benefit the university and the community around me. I think that’s what’s really special about this,” Chun said.

Jumbo Spring Break aims to fulfill Tufts’ civic engagement mission while presenting social opportunities that allow students interested in engaging with the Medford/Somerville

community to have meaningful experiences.

“One of the main reasons why I came to Tufts is because I was drawn to the whole idea of being engaged with the communities. … I want to connect more with underserved areas,” Paola Landeros, a first-year student interested in the program, said.

Students participating in the program will reside in their usual housing during the week, either on-campus dorms or off-campus housing for upperclassmen.

The program’s $500 fee will include all meals, transportation and event expenses for the weeklong program. In seeking accessibility and affordability, the TCU Senate will provide scaling financial assistance based on students’ preexisting financial aid.

Planning for the program started last semester but the idea for a curated spring break experience has been in the works for about a year, the coordinators said.

“An advantage of me being a senior and [Smiljanic] being a first-year was also that we have those both sides of what’s new

The Jumbo statue is pictured on Oct. 18, 2020. and upcoming and what has already happened,” Chun said.

Both Chun and Smiljanic have been talking to various student organizations on campus and have heard good responses from Tufts students.

“We have had quite a few sign-ups so far. … People are actually interested in something like this happening,” Smiljanic said.

In aiming for inclusivity, the student coordinators empha-

EMMA BOERSMA/THE TUFTS DAILY

sized that there is no selection process for Jumbo Spring Break.

“It’s first come first serve, anyone and everyone is welcome,” Chun said.

The application deadline for Jumbo Spring Break is Feb. 5.

State bill addresses voting access for employees BILL continued from page 1 one of the major reasons the bill was passed was to give employees more time to vote despite having other responsibilities that make finding the time to vote more challenging.

“If during your work period, you knew, just as you would to take a lunch or grab a cup of coffee that you could step out to vote, it might make it more likely that [you] will participate which is what we want to encourage here in Massachusetts,” Crighton said.

Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa, another co-sponsor of the bill, suggested that in addition to a lack of time, people may not see voting as something worth leaving work for. For these people, the bill offers an incentive to vote.

“I think that there’s also a voter apathy question if the races aren’t contested, or it just feels like you don’t really care about the races on the ballot that day,” Sabadosa said. de Guzman also shared why getting young voters to the polls is important.

“Young people make up a bigger share of the electorate … and younger generations in the U.S. are also more racially and ethnically diverse, so as we try to have a government that reflects the people that are living in the

U.S., they need to have a say and participate to shape the election outcomes,” de Guzman said.

Utilizing the bill properly is a responsibility that falls on both the employers and the employees.

“Part of the law would be that the employer has to give adequate notice to the employees to make sure that they’re aware of this, to certainly publicize it and raise awareness, have it posted in the workplace, like many other employees rights are already,” Crighton said. “To help out the employers, we do require that they give adequate notice if someone intends to do this so that you know, the employer can make any arrangements they need to.” de Guzman suggested that even with the extended right to paid voting time off, the bill may not completely eliminate barriers to voting.

“If people are already missing deadlines or encounter other barriers to vote, it may be unlikely that they are going to have an awareness of the deadline to request time off in advance,” de Guzman said. de Guzman added that young people often have less power in the workplace and thus may face difficulty with the idea of requesting time off.

Same-day voter registration, both Sabadosa and de Guzman

The Massachusetts State House is pictured. claimed, has the potential to be an effective next step to make the voting process easier. According to the same CIRCLE survey, 21% of non-voters said that difficulty registering was the reason they did not vote.

“I view it as really critical, particularly for people who are more transient or people who are moving apartments a fair bit or have to travel to work, col-

lege students who, by the time you have to register to vote, maybe aren’t thinking of that,” Sabadosa said. “It gets a huge segment of the population to the polls, it’s done effectively in other states, and I really think that’s the next thing for Massachusetts.”

Sabadosa also acknowledged that the bill’s purpose is not necessarily to clear all obstacles to

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voting, but is simply a move in that direction.

“Any step that we take is not a silver bullet,” Sabadosa said.

“It’s not going to be that all of a sudden everyone goes to vote, but it’s just part of a process of trying to understand patterns and how people respond to different provisions of the law and different options that are available to them.”

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SCIENCE

THE TUFTS DAILY

Thursday, February 1, 2024

SCIENCE Life in STEM: Michael Moore on the right whale and declining marine populations Amelia Macapia

Contributing Writer

Nearly 50 years after the Endangered Species Act of 1973, we are faced with the rapid and imminent extinction risk of many marine species. In a time of such sweeping ecological change, we cannot afford a silent spring, silent waters or silent consumers. We must create noise to help reshape industry and policy.

Below is an interview with Michael Moore, a senior scientist and veterinarian at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Much of Moore’s career has been dedicated to research on the health and growth of North Atlantic right whale populations.

In his book, “We Are All Whalers: The Plight of Whales and Our Responsibility,” Moore links the collapse of the species to damage from shipping and fishing trauma. Below Moore joins me for a discussion on the immediate jeopardy of the North Atlantic right whale, and how we all contribute to the right whale’s extinction risk through supply chains and consumer demand.

Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Michael Moore (MM): I gave testimony at a subcommittee for the House on vessel speed regulations and on-demand fishing.

There weren’t many questions, and my piece was ignored. My colleagues tell me that what I had to say in the written record was valuable and that we need to show up for these sorts of things.

Amelia Macapia (AM): Why are North Atlantic right whales so important for your research and how did you first encounter and discover them?

MM: It was serendipity. I was interested in the relationship between humans and marine life.

I was called into a North Atlantic right whale project to come look at why the whales were dying and take samples for the toxicology. I tripped up on the rope that one of these animals was entangled in and realized that the toxicological questions I was asking were less pressing than the acute problems of entanglement.

AM: What are North Atlantic right whales like and how do they behave?

MM: They are the size of 40-foot 18-wheeler trucks and are torpedo-shaped with large heads and mouths that allow them to feed through filtration.

They are persistent and stubborn animals that are focused on harvesting the food they need to prosper. The whalers called them the “right” whale because they were the right whale to kill for oil and baleen; they are slow and relatively approachable.

AM: You write about how after years of examining dead right whales, you began promising

each whale that you would tell its story. Could you talk about what it’s like performing necropsies on dead right whales working with a history that must be pieced together at the surface?

MM: Initially it was quite emotional because I got a sense of the dire nature of the status of the species. The whale that I first spent a lot of time with was an animal called Staccato, which was hit by a ship in Cape Cod Bay in 1999. There was a day when everybody had gone home, and I was left with the task of getting the skeleton into a truck for the museum. Bone by bone I laid the whale down into the big steel box. It felt like a coffin for the species, and it was really hard. As time goes on, familiarity breeds contempt. My contempt wasn’t for the whales, it was for us, hence the book.

AM: You go on to take the perspective of our grandchildren 50 years in the future. Allow me to quote from your book: “How could they have been so shortsighted as to demand affordable lobster and crab rolls, and cheap shipping of goods from overseas, despite the fact that they knew that the North Atlantic right whale species was headed for extinction?” and “Finally, they all saw that there was a way for whales, fisheries, and ships to coexist. It just took some legislative, regulatory, and political honesty and fortitude.” I take your point that the problem is solvable, but what prospects do you see going forward for histories of the North Atlantic right whale?

MM: It is a much bigger problem than the fate of the North Atlantic right whale. It is the fate of our biosphere and how to change our priorities. Our priorities dictate how our systems, broken as they are, operate. If we can’t change growth, the model that we all seem to be addicted to and the policies that drive that, I am pessimistic. How to pursue the issue of our priorities is the question for the rest of my life and I’ve been struggling to look at that. You know, we’ve all got to make a noise to spread around the world. It’s what we care about. We care about ourselves, we all do, and that’s the fundamental conundrum. Science and technology have given us all sorts of luxuries that we expect, myself included, whether that be insulated houses, seafood on the table, toys from China and so on.

I look around the room in here and don’t have to go any further than that to recognize where the problem lies.

AM: You write that you have “no angst toward the fishing industry. It was simply doing what I, as one of many, many seafood consumers, demanded.”

Why do you think the issue is consumer-based and not industry-based?

MM: Industries exist because of consumers. If everybody stopped buying lobster, which I am not necessarily saying that we should, there would not be a lobster industry because the industry would go somewhere else. If we all stopped buying fuel oil and things from China, those ships would not prosper.

But it comes down to too many humans. How do we tread more lightly? Have expectations that are sustainable? Because right now we don’t.

AM: What is the greatest barrier to understanding our effect on marine life?

MM: Our effect on marine life is well understood in many different contexts, including the right whale. The greatest barrier is translating that knowledge into appropriate action to mitigate those effects. The Endangered Species Act has driven a lot of science and we have learned a lot about the effects of human beings on marine life. But why are many species still going extinct?

Simply because we are having a hard time enacting and enforcing the necessary measures that we know have to happen. The rate limiting step is our will, not our understanding.

AM: How do you convince someone that they have a moral responsibility?

MM: Some of my colleagues say I’m wasting my time pounding the drum about consumer demand and that it’s all about federal law. If that’s right, then there needs to be better enforcement of what we know needs to happen. The Endangered Species Act says thou shall not kill a right whale. Since that was codified in the early ’90s in a model, never has that model been satisfied in terms of the rate at which we are killing right whales. It comes back to priorities. Voters don’t want to see the impact that the laws are requiring. So, it ultimately comes down to the balance of powers and the economics and politics and how everybody adds up their expectations and commitments.

AM: Your book is about commercial industry and issues of gear entanglement and ship strikes but you end it with two stories told in the first person of the suffering whales. Why did you decide to tell the story of their pain from the first person?

MM: Life is too short for scientists not to do what I tried to do there, which is trying to familiarize and emotionalize these animals as much as we can. Familiarity and affection and emotion are all bona fide pieces of human behavior. If there was an industry causing the dogs in the streets of Boston to die, people would be protesting. Wildlife is out of sight, out of mind. We do what it takes to bring those endangered animals into our living rooms, with documentaries, cartoons and exposition of what the scientists know. In 2006, I published a paper, there was a talk associated with it, called “Fatally entangled right whales can die extremely slowly.” That was the first time that I pulled that punch.

I can remember sitting there with a colleague talking about if we were going to use that title. But it takes a certain amount of courage I suppose, or not necessarily caring about the consequences.

What is interesting to me is the reaction I’ve gotten from my peer group. Especially retired scientists from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, you would think they would be the most resistant but actually, they are the most supportive.

AM: What do you think is the role of storytelling in animal advocacy and creating empathy for nonhuman animals?

MM: I don’t think I fulfilled that role very well. I started off by having a piece of writing like that as the epilogue to each chapter in my book. I wanted to tell a story from the perspective of a whale to start each chapter. I was told that was presumptuous because I didn’t know what the whales thought. So, it’s a very controversial field. We need to communicate what we know in ways that are understandable to the public.

A right whale's tail peeks above water.

Where is the viral right whale? I don’t know. Is it a blog? Maybe what you write is going to be a viral thing. All I can do is continue to say yes, I’ll talk to you.

AM: What is it like studying a species that may go extinct in your lifetime?

MM: I don’t think it will. I have a life expectancy of more like 15 years and they have one more like 30. What’s it like? You must pace the right whale problem in your own head. With science, we know what must be done in terms of vessels and entanglement. We need to know what we are doing and why we need to continue it. And so at least I am helping provide an assessment.

AM: You operate on multiple levels: vet, activist, writer, researcher/scientist. How do we reinvent ourselves for conservation?

MM: It’s just who I am. I can’t really put a name to it. I had a mother who cared, she made us understand to care. You care about doing good science and the consequences of what you know. One of the things that I taught myself not so long ago was this business of self-respect.

Ultimately what people do is driven by the multitude of decisions they make on a routine basis on big and small things. So much of what we do is predicated by what we think. Your career, how you spend your time and how that translates into your survival as an individual, husband, parent and grandparent.

It’s all tied up in what you do with yourself. There is positive feedback which is that you have to believe in the worth of what you are doing. Because if you do, you will do it better than if you don’t believe so much in what you are doing, and therefore have consequence and productivity. The message to myself has always been to believe in what you are doing and get on and do it. My message to anybody who will listen is by believing in yourself, the more thorough your work will be and the faster it will get done.

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Features

Thursday, February 1, 2024

5

Features Spindler Confections, Cambridge’s sweetest shop Jennifer May Staff Writer

Originally published Jan. 30.

On the chilly Monday morning of Dec. 4, 2023, Jeremy Spindler, owner and founder of Spindler Confections, was mixing a batch of caramel over the stove, a typical part of his daily candy-making process. With careful detail, he described the ingredients chosen to make the signature Spindler caramel.

“We have some products like the caramels we’re [making] now that are boiled in big batches on the stove. What’s in those pots are sugar, butter, corn syrup — light corn syrup, not high fructose corn syrup — there is a chemical difference — vanilla … and heavy cream,” Spindler said.

The mixture in the pot was a golden amber and smelled delectably sweet. With a swirl of his wooden spoon, he mixed the ingredients together in a large metal pot and continued explaining the process.

“Once they’re ready, they’re going to be poured into these molds. They will sit overnight and then we hand wrap every caramel individually,” Spindler said.

Spindler started making candy when he was a kid and has since turned his passion into a successful business.

Before the Massachusetts Avenue shop officially opened its doors in December 2015, Spindler Confections began as a home-based operation in Somerville.

“Around 2011–2012, I was just really in the mood to make a lot of candy around the holidays, but it was just me and my other half. So like, who’s going to eat all this stuff that I want

Ben Rachel A Jumbo’s Journey

Why I have beef with the +C in calculus

T

he term +C that is pasted in the answers of indefinite integrals in calculus has always troubled me during my 1 ½ year tenure as a calculus scholar. Its anomalous obscurity.

Its pestering nature. Its constant and continual reminder that we are merely specks of dust floating in an ever-growing universe.

According to my knowledge, the +C term signifies a constant in the original function. The label has lost me many points on exams, but that isn’t the main reason why I have beef with it.

I believe that the +C term is unnecessary when writing the answer for most indefinite inte-

to make, right?” Spindler said.

“I decided to sell [my candy] just to friends and family and co-workers. … Then, I started getting inquiries from people that I didn’t know.”

The business is seasonal, as Cambridge’s summer temperatures are too hot for the chocolate inventory. Spindler Confections is open mid-October through the end of June and receives most of their business during the holiday season, with December being their busiest month.

“Peak season … is always a struggle for finding room to put things,” Spindler said. “We do about 40–45% of our sales for the entire season in the two to three weeks right before Christmas.”

Gift-giving is huge for the business, as according to Spindler, about 70–75% of all purchases are gifts for other people. These purchases are almost always made in person.

This is not a surprise, as the delicate presentation of the sweets is one of the many charming aspects of Spindler Confections.

When you walk into this small business, you are instantly captivated by the array of chocolates, candies and confections of every type lining the walls. Twinkling fairy lights illuminate framed vintage articles of Boston-area confectionaries.

Depending on the season, you may find chocolate in the shape of maple leaves, snowmen or hearts. The shop’s maximalist decor creates a whimsical atmosphere, which some customers say makes them feel like they’re “in a little shop in Europe” or “like something out of the ‘Harry Potter’ novels.” Everything in Spindler Confections is carefully curated to appeal to your senses, and the customers love

it. Kath Atkinson, a sales associate at Spindler Confections, described the immediate effect the store has on its customers.

“Comments we usually get are things like ‘there’s so much to see’ and ‘it’s so beautiful.’ It’s just a very aesthetically pleasing store,” Atkinson said.

The associates’ eagerness to help customers complements the sweet aroma. As customers walk in, store associates offer a friendly smile and suggestions on the store’s variety of confections.

“I think the anticipation of buying and eating something delicious is so appealing,” Atkinson said.

It’s hard to be upset in a candy store, especially one like Spindler Confections, where the store’s staff members always put their best foot forward in customer service. Chrissy LeBlanc, assistant manager at Spindler Confections, described the importance of leaving the customers feeling uplifted.

“You have to be really careful about making sure that people walk out of here feeling satisfied,” LeBlanc said. “Every time someone comes in here, when they leave I always say, ‘We hope to see you again!’ It’s all about the return customer when it comes to small business.”

Spindler Confections has a distinct presence in the North Cambridge neighborhood and has established its own community of chocolate lovers. The staff shared their appreciation for the regulars who frequent their shop, with LeBlanc mentioning a pair of memorable customers.

“We have a lovely couple that comes in together and they buy a large box of chocolate, one of our largest boxes of chocolate, that comfortably fits about 36 to

grals. It’s an arbitrary constant that I feel astute mathematicians don’t need to write. The term is implied. The same is true with decimal points: We know that 2 is the same as 2.00. That logic can be applied to the +C term: It’s simply notation.

For those wondering, this mathematical argument isn’t what this column is about. But I believe it gives a somewhat enthralling hook into the bulk of my first article of the semester!

And I get to write a very, very hot take. Wait until you hear my views on ketchup.

As mentioned before, +C represents a constant in math.

And today I plan on sharing my opinions about consistency and constants in life and college, which are strangely similar to my thoughts about +C. Our lives should be spontaneous. A little uncertain at times. An unsolicited Dewick run at 4:27 p.m. An impulsive $20 pencil purchase at the bookstore.

However, as my wrinkles begin to form, I’ve realized that

consistency is imperative (and correct in a sense). Especially as naive, simple freshmen.

Over break, I spent my days pondering life — reflecting on who I am now and what I’ve gone through. I compared myself from the beginning to the end of 2023.

The dichotomy is drastic. At the beginning, I was an egotistical senior in high school living with my parents. At the end, I was an anxious freshman in college stuck with Dewick chicken.

I have a whole new cohort of friends, an entirely different routine and an abundance of fresh experiences and dad lore. And, as I emotionally sat in front of the fire with my black coffee, it became clear that consistency was not a part of my 2023. That can be said for most, if not all, freshmen.

While I can comfortably write, “Oh yeah, I have beef with consistency and the +C,” I have trouble in their absence. I do have beef with them, but I have seen and felt the impacts when consistency isn’t apparent. A multi-

JENNIFER MAY/THE TUFTS DAILY

Jeremy Spindler is pictured making candy at Spindler Confections.

40 pieces,” LeBlanc said. “They buy two of everything and then that is their treat every night.”

Atkinson shared a similar sentiment, describing the heartfelt experience of getting to know customers throughout her time working at Spindler Confections.

“As soon as they come in the door we kind of know what they’re looking for,” Atkinson said. “We have customers who come in, who we knew when they had just gotten married and now they have babies. They come in and show us the pictures of their babies. … It’s really this lovely experience of getting to know people’s traditions and family.”

The array of specialty bonbons at Spindler Confections makes it an especially attractive place to shop for sweets.

According to LeBlanc, there are a few chocolates in particular that she likes to recommend.

“We [make] a pistachio nut butter cup … I’m pretty sure we’re the only people that are making that,” LeBlanc said. “It’s probably one of our top sellers in the store. We sell out of them a lot, they’ve got a little bit of a

cult following. We also have a pistachio bonbon that’ll knock your socks off.”

Another one of their unique creations involves tea from another small business in Cambridge: Mem Tea Imports.

“I think [the Mem Tea Imports flavors] are really unique and special and have a totally different flavor profile,” Atkinson said. “We have an Earl Grey chocolate, a chai chocolate, a jasmine rose, … an espresso and a cafe au lait.”

During the bitter winter season, one of these bonbons could definitely lift your spirits. But if sweets like “the best chocolate-covered cherries” (according to LeBlanc) don’t appeal to you, just a look around the shop is sure to be a joyful experience.

Through his shop, Spindler has created a place for customers to escape to.

“I have always really really loved amusement parks and theme parks … because they take you out of the world for a little while,” Spindler said.

“What I want to try to do is give a little tiny dose of that to people when they come into our little shop.”

tude of studies have found that mental health and consistency are inherently intertwined. A strongly established constant lifestyle positively influences one’s mental health.

Unfortunately, that constant lifestyle was (for the most part) nonexistent in 2023. That and the amalgamation of atypical emotions and an entirely new perspective make freshmen the scared, anxious students we are. And that takes a toll on mental health.

Throughout my first semester, the importance of well-being and mental health became abundantly clear. Anxiety, depression and self-confidence issues run rampant. And it’s not just a singular person or just Tufts — it’s a universal phenomenon. Some may even go as far as to say that it’s part of the freshman experience.

Tufts has a plethora of resources to help with mental health crises. Use them. Talk with someone. Mental health problems don’t just go away. And it

may seem like you are alone, but remember that we are all in the same boat. No one really feels 100%, and no one knows how to navigate this crazy little thing called life. We are all in this together.

Though my beef remains, I can concede that both the +C and consistency are a necessary part of life. For this new year, maybe focus on yourself a little bit more. Eat ice cream. Dance in the rain. Get that Dewick brownie. Enjoy life and take care of your mental health.

It’s like what Clarence said to George in “It’s a Wonderful Life”: “You see, George, you really had a wonderful life. Don’t you see what a mistake it would be to throw it away?” Even if you are in a dark headspace and can’t see it at this moment, in the end, it truly is a wonderful life.

Ben Rachel is a first-year studying economics and finance. Ben can be reached at benjamin. rachel@tufts.edu.

6

Arts & Pop Culture

THE TUFTS DAILY

Thursday, February 1, 2024

ARTS & POP CULTURE ‘The Rite of Spring’ comes to life at the Boston Symphony Orchestra Sarah Firth Staff Writer

The Boston Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andris Nelsons, presented its final performance of Igor Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” on Friday.

“The Rite of Spring,” or “Le Sacre du printemps” in its original French, was composed

by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky and premiered in Paris in 1913 at Russian impresario Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes dance company. “The Rite of Spring” was Stravinsky’s third score written for the company, following “The Firebird (L’Oiseau de feu)” (1910) and “Petrushka” (1911).

The piece was inspired by a fleeting vision Stravinsky had of a young girl dancing herself to death in a pagan Russian ritual as spring arrived. For Stravinsky, the coming of spring was a violent occurrence, as he remembered the noise of St. Petersburg’s ice cracking and reverberating throughout the city.

The score for the ballet is split into two parts with intermediate titles — “Part I: The Adoration of the Earth” and “Part 2: The Sacrifice” — and draws heavily on folk music twisted through rhythmic manipulation and dissonance into something completely new. First performed by the BSO in 1924, January marks the 100th anniversary of the

company’s first performance of “The Rite of Spring.”

Before attending this concert performance of “The Rite of Spring,” I was originally against the concept of performing music written for a ballet in a concert setting. Although “The Rite of Spring” has frequently been performed in a concert setting since its inception, to me, it always felt like watching a movie with only the sound.

Sure, you still get something out of it, but the screenwriter wrote the script with the expectation that there would be visuals and movement accompanying what was being said.

In the same way, “The Rite of Spring” was specifically commissioned by the Ballets Russes as music to accompany dance. Dance and music came to conception together; in fact, rather than treating the composition and choreography as two separate steps, during the rehearsals, both Stravinsky and choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky were present.

When the visuals and movement are removed, the music becomes much more abstract.

It would be one thing to present a concert performance of the Ballets Russes production “Scheherazade” (1910) — the music for this ballet was selected from the pre-existing Rimsky-Korsakov symphonic suite of the same name. In fact, this music was written to another abstract story, and then the Ballets Russes used

their own version of the frame tale “One Thousand and One Nights.” “The Rite of Spring,” however, was composed with the final ballet in mind, in collaboration with the choreography of Nijinsky and the designs of Nicholas Roerich, a painter and scholar of Russian history. Going into the performance, I was against the idea of splintering off the music from the art as a whole.

However, after attending this concert, I have been converted.

My mind was changed once I began to notice more subtle parts of the music because they weren’t doubled with a visual.

Specifically, during the second part, I heard some subtle footsteps in the music that I hadn’t noticed before. In the ballet portion, there is a section in which a group of young girls choose a sacrificial victim. The young girls walk around in a circle in a certain pattern and the first one to make a misstep is chosen. Then, they begin the precursors to the ritual as the elders enter. I had associated the noise with the movement of the dancers, but never realized the footsteps were also written into the music at some points during this extended scene. The lack of visuals made me pay more attention to the way the music itself is used to tell the story. Although I would still prefer to see the ballet as a whole given the choice, the music itself is interesting enough that it can stand alone.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra performs "The Rite of Spring" on Jan. 26.

Overall, the performance of “The Rite of Spring” was exceptional. If I had to recommend only one piece to ever see in person, it would be this one. Especially strong was the percussion, with Timothy Genis on the timpani and other percussion played

by Daniel Bauch, J. William Hudgins and Matthew McKay. The distinctive and jarring rhythms were the lifeblood of “The Rite of Spring” and the percussion held together the entire symphony. Additionally, the signature bassoon solo was played masterfully by principal bassoonist Richard Svoboda. He made the melody in a register technically difficult for the instrument sound simple, which is a real measure of his skill.

My favorite moment of the performance was during the “Spring Rounds,” when the cacophony of all the instruments reaches its breaking point and transitions into a light, delicate melody before plunging into a low, pulsating melody. I felt the audience take a collective deep breath at this moment. In all of the performances I have seen at Symphony Hall, I have never experienced an audience so gripped.

This particular performance was staged as one of the BSO’s “Casual Friday” events, with a shorter program, a less formal dress code and atmosphere and no intermission.

SARAH FIRTH/THE TUFTS DAILY

There were more children and families in attendance than usual, which was wonderful to see. Perhaps, though, the music was a little too intense for some of them — the child sitting next to me was covering his ears by the end of the first half. Tickets for this performance were available through the BSO’s College Card program, so there were a fair number of students in attendance as well. The audience was very excited as it began to fill the hall; the two ladies next to me were enthusiastically discussing Diaghilev’s talent for finding distinctive talent before the start.

Unfortunately, after such an exceptional first half with “The Adoration of the Earth,” the ending was underwhelming. It simply wasn’t intense enough, which was surprising considering that the BSO had no difficulty creating a sense of dread in the first half. During the final section, “Sacrificial Dance,” the climax in which the young maiden dances herself to exhaustion and finally death, there was no sense of her impending doom. It is meant to be a frantic moment as she dances herself into a frenzy and to the literal point of death. However, it felt as though the symphony was holding back at this point when it should be pushing itself to the precipice. I was excitedly waiting for the final moments, yet when the symphony reached them, I was left wanting more.

On a final note, the BSO paired Strainvky’s “The Rite of Spring” with Tania León’s 14-minute “Stride.” León was born in Havana, Cuba in 1943 and moved to New York City in 1967.

“Stride” was co-commissioned by the New York Philharmonic and the Oregon Symphony. It was first performed in 2020 and won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Music. Her piece reminded me very strongly of the music from “West Side Story” (1957) and with every note in the back of my mind, I kept expecting it to morph into “Mambo.” León has commented that the only composers she knew about upon her arrival to New York City were Leonard Bernstein and George Gershwin, and their influence on her work is clear. The piece calls for a unique set of percussion instruments, most notably the tubular bells it ends with.

Although León prefers not to be put into categories as a composer, the piece felt distinctly American. I wasn’t sure whether I liked the piece or not, especially as the beginning sounded like the string section was tuning (and not in a good way). It got better as see BSO, page 7

THE TUFTS DAILY

Thursday, February 1, 2024

Arts & Pop Culture

Keep your eyes on TWS Odessa Gaines Arts Editor

TWS, the South Korean boy band, recently made their debut on Jan. 22 with their mini-album “Sparkling Blue,” following the pre-release of their single “Oh Mymy : 7s” on Jan. 2. The PLEDIS Entertainment-backed group is comprised of six members: Dohoon, Shinyu, Youngjae, Kyungmin, Jihoon and Hanjin.

The members were officially announced a month before their debut in a series of videos and shorts on the YouTube channel of HYBE LABELS, PLEDIS entertainment’s parent company.

We first meet the members in the video “Prologue ‘Oh Mymy : 7s.’” Here, we get a glimpse into the work and effort the team has put into their debut. For a pre-debut, “Oh Mymy : 7s” is an impressive song. Its lyrics focus on success and getting ready to achieve it, and with the members’ passionate dancing and magnetic personalities accompanying this track, it seems they will one day reach their goals.

In the weeks following the pre-release drop, HYBE uploaded six one-minute member profiles, a highlight melody and the longer “Prologue The Full Story” on their channel. These videos showcased TWS’ passion for the arts and becoming idols, their connection as a group and the work they’ve put into making their debut album. Each video features a picture of the group that reveals itself more clearly each time. Each video adds on top of the last as new details of the group are revealed, highlighting their collective love of dance, rap and song.

The album itself consists of five songs: “plot twist,” “unplugged boy,” “first hooky,” “BFF” and “Oh Mymy : 7s.” The

first track, “plot twist,” is the album’s lead single. The music video is goofy in the best and most charismatic way.

The song’s lyrics describe the awkwardness and stumbles of first encounters and building the foundation of a strong and lasting relationship. “plot twist” is a truly smart first single for this debut album, as it’s the group’s official greeting to the world. If the members’ charisma shines through in the music video, then their joy practically jumps through the screen during their live performances.

The video’s choreography is also a great metaphor for finally making it to the first date after all the nervous butterflies. The song also sets up the expectations we, as listeners, have for TWS. Will they stumble and make it awkward, or will we see the charm in TWS that leads us to stick by their side 24/7?

The second track, “unplugged boy,” builds on the theme of forming a connection with someone after the first introduction. In this song, the boys invite listeners to follow their journey and together help create and amplify the music they are creating. “first hooky” continues the overall storyline as a cute song about wanting to spend more time with another person. The members sing “I really wanna kick it with ya,” implying they want that “thrilling feeling” that comes from being around someone and strengthening a relationship with someone you cherish. “first hooky” is one of TWS’ grooviest songs, and perhaps the best song on this album. The next track, “BFF,” is about reaching the point in a relationship where you know you will be together forever. It’s not the end of the story but rather the height of a relationship, and TWS is inviting the listeners to join them.

“Oh Mymy : 7s” works great as a final track on the album, as it does not reduce the energy created and sustained in the previous songs. Not only does this track stick with the bouncy and fun rhythm found in the others, but the choreography also shows off TWS’ amazing dance skills.

The KBS World TV live performance of “Oh Mymy : 7s” clearly shows that the members are not only talented dancers and singers, but also engaging performers.

Overall, the album has a refreshing vibe. Each track is energetic, and it’s all music that makes you smile and want to dance. Not only are the members insanely talented at translating their personalities on the stage and through their dance in music videos, but they also make you feel their intentions and joy through the music itself, a feat many in the K-pop industry simply cannot do.

Similar to BoyNextDoor’s 2023 debut album, “Sparkling Blue” has a youthful and new energy, yet TWS stands apart from others with a charm not very common in the industry.

TWS is a breath of fresh air. Each member stands out from others and they all feel unconstrained and driven. In a recent video for HYBE, Kyungmin stated, “I hope we can show people something that only we can do.”

If TWS’ debut is a greeting to the world, then their name itself is a promise to those who choose to stick by them.

TWS stands for “Twenty-Four Seven With Us,” meaning this group promises to be with their fans as much as possible and for as long as possible. And honestly, after “Sparkling Blue,” this commitment seems to be all the more promising.

You can stream TWS’ debut album, “Sparkling Blue” on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube.

The PLEDIS Entertainment-backed group released a mini-album “Sparkling Blue” on Jan. 22.

VIA RAWPIXEL

BSO delivers stellar rendition of Stravinsky classic BSO continued from page 6 it went along, and I especially enjoyed the trumpets.

However, I don’t think it was a good choice to pair with “The Rite of Spring” given that there was no intermission at this performance. “Stride” ended up feeling like a watered-down version of Stravinsky — all the chaos, without the intensity and dread. It’s ridiculous to compare the two pieces because they’re different compositions from different backgrounds with

different goals, but when placed side by side, comparison is inevitable. It’s just too similar in style to Stravinsky. “Stride” can and should stand alone and should not be forced to be the lesser of the two.

During its original premiere at BSO in 1924, “The Rite of Spring” was paired with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F Major, “Pastoral” (1808), among other more conventional selections. The other recent performances of “The Rite of Spring” at the BSO also included Maurice Ravel’s “Piano Concerto for the Left Hand” (1930),

which is a better choice, especially given the format of “Stride.” León and Ravel’s pieces made up the first half, followed by an intermission before Stravinsky. I think it’s always better to draw contrast than to draw comparison.

Overall, and I don’t say this lightly, the BSO’s “The Rite of Spring” was the best musical performance I have ever attended at Symphony Hall. My only regret is that I did not attend the BSO’s earlier performances in January — then, I could have gone to see it again!

7

Elizabeth Foster Confessions of a Cooking Fanatic

Pistachio pinwheels

Originally published Jan. 30.

W

ednesday, 3:43 p.m., CS111: Operating Systems Amelia Cook is handing out Vaughn Vreeland’s Mexican hot chocolate cookies to friends and fellow TAs. I am inspired to do the same next week. I hunt for a recipe to veganize and bake.

Wednesday, 4:58 p.m., Mac Lab I float several recipe ideas to friends.

Among the options: Erin Jeanne McDowell’s vegan chocolate chip cookies (too safe of an option) and Sue Li’s orange, pistachio and chocolate shortbread (I read too many comments saying that people didn’t like candied orange peels). Claire Saffitz’s pistachio pinwheels are selected. I consider substitutions for the butter and egg yolk.

I decide that the egg yolk in this recipe is primarily for flavor and fat. If egg whites had been included, the egg white would have served as a binding agent, in which case aquafaba or a flax egg substitute would be more appropriate. I opt for the coconut creamer in my fridge to replace the two egg yolks.

Friday, 4:35 p.m., my bed I settle in for a Friday afternoon nap (and confirm my alarm is set for 6 p.m.).

I watch the December 2020 video of Claire Saffitz making the pistachio pinwheels and observe her techniques: the consistency of the dough at each stage, how she rolls up the log, how she cuts the near-perfect circles. I dream of these cookies (though not literally).

Saturday, 10:11 a.m., Wegmans I successfully take the bus to Wegmans. I select Earth Balance’s Vegan Buttery Sticks. I cringe at the cost of unroasted pistachios. I Uber home.

Saturday, 12:32 p.m., my kitchen I begin making the dough with my blender. This is difficult because my blender, among the bounty of an Allston Christmas haul, is not a very good blender. I chill the dough.

Saturday, 7:20 p.m., my kitchen I remove the log of dough from the refrigerator. The oven preheats while I cut the rounds of dough into cookies, following the recommended techniques.

I assure a friend that I am, in fact, having a great time despite my visible stress.

Two trays of cookies bake. I tie a green ribbon into a bow around a Tupperware.

Saturday, 8:39 p.m., outside of a friend’s house I deliver the birthday gift of cookies to a friend and receive compliments that the cookies are so buttery and crispy, as a shortbread should be.

Sunday, 2:12 p.m., my kitchen I make a second batch of dough.

Learning from my mistake with the blender, I compose the dough in my roommate’s NutriBullet. This is successful. I let the dough chill.

Sunday, 5:01 p.m., my kitchen Feeling emboldened, I slice the chilled dough into thinner rounds (I will always choose more cookies over thicker cookies). I fail to adjust the cooking time accordingly. A quarter of the batch burns in the oven, but they are still delicious.

Elizabeth Foster is a fifth-year master’s student studying computer science.

She can be reached at elizabeth.foster635086@tufts.edu.

8

F&G

THE TUFTS DAILY

Thursday, February 1, 2024

Fun & Games

Late Night At The Daily Fun & Games

Julieta: “Have you guys met the rats that live outside the office?”

SUDOKU

CROSSWORD

Difficulty Level: Eating soggy bread.

Puzzle by Ezra Holzapfel Interested in submitting a puzzle? Reach out to production@tuftsdaily.com

LAST PRINT’S SOLUTIONS: CROSSWORD

SUDOKU

THE TUFTS DAILY

Opinion

Thursday, February 1, 2024

9

Opinion VIEWPOINT

Sustainability is more than a buzzword — it’s our only option Reya Kumar

Deputy Opinion Editor

Last year, $13 billion was pulled from Environmental, Social and Governance funds, marking a significant downturn in contributions to these ‘sustainable’ investment options. ESG investing targets companies that value environmental awareness, social impact and effective governance. They rely on the idea that these companies involve less long-term risk than companies deemed most profitable by traditional investment analysis.

Part of this backlash against ESG has been political, as high-profile Republicans continue to deny the realities of climate change. Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., has called ESG investing a “cancer in our capital markets” that is “politicizing capital allocation and actively discriminating against fossil energy,” while government officials in Florida, Louisiana and Missouri have divested over $3 billion from ESGfocused investment management giant BlackRock.

Companies that score poorly on environmental measures generally have higher projected returns than ESG-friendly ones. But continuing to invest in them creates a vicious cycle: Without robust investment, how can climate-conscious companies evolve to outpace the fossil fuel giants that have long cornered the market? ‘Sustainability’ may have become a politicized buzzword, but it really shouldn’t be. Sustainability goals aren’t inherently ‘capital D’ Democratic, but attempts to create a world that can be sustained for future generations,

VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Without robust investment, how can climate conscious companies evolve to outpace the fossil fuel giants that have long cornered the market? regardless of political party. Are higher profits worth escalating the collapse of our species?

Looking at this issue based purely on profits also ignores the crucial economic consideration of increased climate change’s monetary impact. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration put the cost of U.S. climate disasters at $92.9 billion last year. The average cost per year has increased each decade since the 1980s, concurrent with the rising average global temperature. This economic crisis (along with its social, political and environmental aspects) will only worsen as extreme weather events increase unless we make immediate and significant changes to our reliance on fossil fuels.

Of course, ESG scores are an imperfect solution and may not accurately reflect a company’s risk.

They are not standardized, with various rating agencies using their own criteria and the potentially limited data companies choose to share.

Some ESG indexes, like the S&P 500 ESG, include the least reprehensible

companies within each particular industry, so it could even include energy companies that actively extract and burn fossil fuels. In addition, many ESG scores may be artificially improved through rater bias from third-party rating organizations or by measures taken by companies themselves, such as failing to provide certain data.

Furthermore, many fossil fuel-dependent companies increase their ESG scores by offsetting carbon emissions: reducing their carbon footprint with actions that reduce emissions elsewhere, whether that is by planting trees or providing clean energy technology in developing countries. For example, natural gas producer BVK has been attempting to provide “guilt-free” gas by offsetting its emissions through carbon capture.

However, being “carbon neutral” is not enough considering the levels of climate change already present.

While offsetting carbon emissions is better than doing nothing, carbon capture and other carbon-negative initiatives should be imple-

mented in conjunction with greener forms of energy — without being used to ‘balance out’ still-harmful fossil fuel usage.

Our decisions on climate investing have the power to echo through generations to come. We need to actively choose to invest in funds and companies that are working towards positive environmental incomes, regardless of the ESG label.

One option is activist investing which includes buying a significant minority stake in a company in order to influence the company’s trajectory. This strategy is used by investment firms such as Arjuna Capital and Follow This, which are currently being sued

by Exxon Mobil because Exxon felt that they were attempting to “diminish the company’s existing business.” While activist investing may be out of reach for most Tufts students, there are many people in the greater Tufts community that should consider the power their money and influence can have in efforts to halt and reverse climate change.

Impact investing, on the other hand, can be achieved with even a very small amount of capital. It refers to investing money in companies with specific intended environmental (or social or political) effects.

While this form of investment may take a bit more time and research than throwing your money into the S&P 500 or an ESG fund where environmental results are difficult to quantify, it means putting your money towards a sustainable (and livable) future.

Still, investors with varying agendas can only do so much.

Government policy is the only way to force immediate change. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ran on a “Green New Deal for Boston,” and has since divested $65 million in city investments from fossil fuel companies, while President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, which included the largest climate action investment in history. In fact, this bill included far less to combat climate change than the Build Back Better bill he championed, which would have cut U.S. emissions in half by 2030 but could not pass in Congress. Invest in the future with your votes for candidates up and down the ballot that have demonstrated their commitment to climate action.

ESG funds may not be the answer, but their deficiency does not mean we should stop finding ways to invest sustainably. Activist and impact investing are possible ways forward. Unless you are a 90-year-old oil and gas CEO with nothing to lose, it’s not only environmentally responsible but also the most economically prudent choice.

Letter to the Editor Dear Editor, Maya Roman’s “Critical Conversation” on Jan. 24 was incredibly meaningful and powerful. The Tufts community must know the full extent of her dialogue, much of which was omitted from the Daily’s coverage.

Especially in the international, national and campus-wide moment we are in, a voice that is reasonable and humane should be amplified, not suppressed. It is incumbent upon the University’s paper of record to properly and fully report the language people use and the sentiments they express, not just arbitrarily report certain words and ideas.

As reported in this paper, Roman did indeed tell her family’s horrifying story. But, her talk did not end there.

When I reached out to Roman to invite her to speak to the Tufts community, I was struck by how reasonable and humane her perspective is even through her unimaginable pain. Her optimism during such horrible days is remarkable. No doubt, her conversation with the Tufts community conveyed that sentiment.

Roman introduced herself by saying she had two hats: “One is really my family’s story, and the other is the fact that I’m a political activist back home.”

She continued, “Since long before Oct. 7, I ran a feminist organization and worked a lot with civil liberties.” As her talk progressed, she wore both hats in a deep and constructive way.

Roman’s years of activism and her continued belief in her val-

ues despite her family’s suffering are especially worth listening to when unreasonable and inhumane voices can dominate the conversation.

She mentioned that she works with I’Lam, a Palestinian advocacy organization based in Israel, saying, “We’ve had Palestinian writers write on our website how what happened on Oct. 7 should not be associated with the Palestinian movement for liberation. [These articles] could only happen because of the trust that was built.” This trust is essential to understanding new perspectives and developing new ideas when discussing such a sensitive topic.

Moreover, Roman talked about how she views both the goal of improving Palestinian

human rights and the goal of bringing the hostages home as humanitarian issues. She stated, “For us, we feel that the goal of getting the hostages out and the Palestinian goal of ending the hostility are connected. We think that only by getting the hostages out will we see some deescalation in our region. We feel it’s also extremely important to remember that while we are for a ceasefire … it has to include as a condition giving back the hostages.” When speaking of her preferred deal, she said the proposed deal that involved normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia, securing a defense agreement with the U.S. and having Egypt and Jordan support a Palestinian state to end the war “seemed amazing.”

That she views the return of hostages, an end to violence and the recognition of a Palestinian state as priorities is something all should hear.

I am glad that the Daily told Yarden Roman-Gat and Carmel Gat’s stories. It is incredibly important that the humanitarian hostage issue be kept in the public consciousness. In Roman’s talk, she conveyed ideas and emotions that all Tufts community members — regardless of what position one takes on the issue — would benefit from. From reading the Daily’s coverage, you would not know that Roman is the pinnacle of the reasonable, humane majority. I hope this letter corrects the record.

Asaf Grofman Class of 2026

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10 Opinion

THE TUFTS DAILY

Thursday, February 1, 2024

Mariia Kudina Ukraine at War

Visiting ‘Flying Trajectories’ exhibition in Kyiv

A

ttention! Attention! An air raid alert has been announced in the city!

Please proceed to the nearest shelter! We heard as we entered the PinchukArtCentre exhibition hall in Kyiv. In the middle of the room, there was an installation by contemporary Ukrainian artist Zhanna Kadyrova. The piece was a part of the “Flying Trajectories” exhibition which features numerous pieces about the invasion of Ukraine. Confused, we contemplated whether the announcement was a part of the art piece. The anxiety-provoking recording could easily be an audio component of a map of Ukraine made from broken, fractured brick with the occupied regions crushed to the floor.

Artem and I checked our phones and realized that the air raid was indeed announced in Kyiv — we had to leave the gallery immediately. As with all public spaces, it temporarily closes whenever there is a risk of Russian attack by missile or drone. A few days later we returned to obtain a better sense of the exhibition and had the luck of being able to explore it without such a frightening interruption. Zhanna Kadyrova is among the few Ukrainian artists whose war-themed work effectively speaks to international audiences while remaining relatable and moving to Ukrainians. Many of her recent pieces have put Russia’s war in Ukraine into perspective and served as a reminder of the proximity of the conflict.

For example, a series of videos titled “Russian Rocket” features a missile, the kind that is used by Russians in deadly attacks in Ukraine, flying over the landscapes of peaceful countries. In the piece, the rocket is just a sticker put by Kadyrova on a window of a train or bus, yet it successfully conveys the feelings of fear and absurdity — how can such a violent conflict be happening in 21st-century Europe? As explained on the gallery website, she “brought the feeling of danger and imagination of danger with her to every country that hosted her.” Within the “Flying Trajectories” exhibition, the piece was also turned into a creative way to both raise donations and empathy for the Ukrainian plight, as the visitors could purchase the stickers of the same Russian rocket with 100% of the proceeds being donated to the Angels of Kyiv fund for the needs of the Ukrainian army.

My favorite part of the exhibit was the “House of Culture” installation, a steel barn pockmarked by enemy bullets, which houses an intricate chandelier. Its light shines through the bullet holes, softly illuminating the hall.

Prior to the full-scale Russian invasion, the chandelier belonged to a cultural center in Beryslav, a region that was occupied by Russia and still endures heavy Russian shelling to this day. The installation serves as another piece of evidence of Russia’s attempts to erase Ukrainian culture. Directly after the barn, we saw a wall-sized list of cultural objects that have suffered from Russian aggression.

In my own art practice, I often turn to the topic of the war in my home country, as visual art is one of the most effective tools for bringing attention to any kind of issue. To understand or dive deeper into the historical and cultural context of another country, we should explore the work of its artists. This is particularly important for countries such as Ukraine, whose art is under siege.

Mariia Kudina is a junior studying studio art. Mariia can be reached at mariia.kudina@tufts.edu.

GRAPHIC BY BEX POVILL

The war profiteers in Cambridge need to go Ben Choucroun Staff Writer

An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle hovers several thousand feet in the air. It readies a missile. The drone’s operator taps his keyboard, and a missile is released. The missile rockets towards the ground and explodes, killing civilians.

This drone is one of many that are manufactured by Elbit Systems, a large weapons manufacturer. While Elbit Systems is an Israeli company, the scene described above could have happened anywhere: in occupied Palestine, where Elbit drones identify children as targets to be murdered, in Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara or in Nagorno-Karabakh, where civilians are regularly slaughtered

by UAVs sent by governments that buy Elbit drones in bulk. But luckily for us, we have an opportunity to prevent Elbit from arming these regimes by shutting down a key Elbit facility in Cambridge.

Elbit’s horrible human rights record demonstrates the need to shut the company down. The genocidal Israeli government is a major recipient of Elbit’s technology. Elbit’s technology is used in Israel’s apartheid wall in the occupied West Bank. Elbit manufactures tanks that Israel uses to patrol occupied Palestinian territory and drones that are used to bomb Palestinian civilians by the thousands. Elbit provides 85% of all of Israel’s land-based vehicles and drones.

Morocco and Azerbaijan also employ Elbit technologies. Morocco, a major recipient of Elbit drones, uses drones to bomb resistance fighters and civilians alike in Western Sahara, a territory mostly under Moroccan military occupation. Azerbaijan has also employed Elbit technology to fight Armenian separatists in NagornoKarabakh. In 2023, the region was ethnically cleansed by Azerbaijan after a series of Azerbaijani victories that were

largely reliant on their overwhelming technological superiority.

Miles away from the harsh sands of the Sahara desert and the rocky slopes of the Caucasus mountains, Elbit drones are used more by Western powers as a dystopian new form of border control. In the Mediterranean Sea, the European Union uses Elbit drones to monitor migrant boats, many of which are returned to deadly Libyan detention facilities or are sabotaged by EU authorities. It’s no coincidence that the Mediterranean is considered “the world’s deadliest migration route.”

Like in Palestine, Elbit equipment is used in the Americas to repress indigenous populations. The Chilean government operates Elbit drones while surveilling and harassing the country’s indigenous populations. The U.S. government has used Elbit technology to put reservations under constant surveillance and Elbit drones and surveillance towers have been used to patrol the U.S.Mexico border, a site of constant human rights violations by US authorities.

I do not have time to discuss every brutal regime armed by Elbit systems in detail, but here are a few more. Elbit vehicles and munitions have been used by the Philippine government in a violent “war on drugs,” that targets civilians and in a brutal counterinsurgency campaign to repress political dissidents. The government of Myanmar has purchased Elbit technology while ethnically cleansing the country’s Rohingya Muslim population.

Elbit drones were used extensively by the British military during their illegal invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. Finally, Elbit military systems are used by the government of the United Arab Emirates, whose government supports the brutal Rapid Support Forces in Sudan.

Elbit’s vast ties to human rights violations represent the interconnectedness of oppression around the world. The fact

that the same company produces drones used to bomb civilians in Gaza, Iraq and Nagorno-Karabakh as well as the drones that patrol the Mediterranean is not a coincidence. In capitalist countries like the United States, where weapons companies can use their considerable wealth to influence foreign policy, the nihilistic profit-centered desires of defense corporations are intimately linked to foreign policy. The U.S. government also gives Israel military aid to occupy Palestine, and Israeli companies provide technology to surveil the US-Mexico border. Moreover, in 2020, Morocco agreed to recognize Israel in exchange for American recognition of the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara.

However, Elbit is not an incorporeal entity. In fact, Boston-area residents have an opportunity to push back against these war crimes. Elbit Systems runs an “innovation center” in Cambridge, where Elbit aims to recruit Boston-area college graduates to research new technologies. While Tufts students should refuse to work for Elbit, we also have the opportunity to force Elbit to close down its Cambridge location. Currently, a Cambridge-based movement is actively trying to force Elbit out of the area and make it harder for the company to arm genocide.

Groups like BDS Boston, which is devoted to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, take inspiration from their British colleagues. After months of factory occupation, Elbit was forced to close one of its manufacturing facilities there. We can replicate that sort of material victory in Cambridge, too. Pushing Elbit out of Cambridge won’t end the occupation of Palestine, or Western Sahara, or settler-colonialism in the Americas. But it can make it a little easier for colonized people to resist their oppression.

THE TUFTS DAILY

SPORTS 11

Thursday, February 1, 2024

Owen Short Moments ‘Til Madness

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Khai Champion is pictured in the Jan. 26 game against Williams College.

COURTESY TUFTS ATHLETICS

Tufts men’s basketball takes a hard-fought win against Williams College Nick Dohr

Staff Writer

With a win at home against Bates College the weekend prior, the Tufts men’s basketball team was ready to take on Williams College and Middlebury College over the weekend. Both games had important implications for the NESCAC, especially for the Jumbos as their conference record sat at 1–3. In the last seven years, no team has won the NESCAC with a conference record worse than 7–3, making losing more than three games extremely detrimental to championship hopes.

For the Jumbos, the focus going into Friday was connecting both halves of the game and making sure they played a good game in its entirety.

“I think our approach has been getting much better and much more consistent in that we just value possessions more,” junior guard Khai Champion said. “We’re fighting harder on the defensive side and securing rebounds and doing all the little things so that we can put ourselves in the best position to be in a good spot [in the] first and second half.”

Walking into the game against the Jumbos, the Williams Ephs were yet to be defeated, sitting at 5–0 in conference play. Williams started off extremely well, and were up by 8 points before a single point was scored for Tufts.

“They came out, and they threw the first punch. They started off hot, and we started off the opposite, a little cold,” Champion said.

With eight minutes left in the first half, thanks to a three from Ephs guard Cole Prowitt-Smith, the Ephs were up 14 points with a game score of 27–13.

The Jumbos were certainly not out of the game yet though, and an 11–0 run led by Champion and senior guard Casey McLaren, who both had 3-pointers, cut down the lead to just 3 points.

The Tufts players were frustrated at the lackluster first half.

“We’ve been a second-half team throughout the year. That’s something we try to grow away from,” sophomore forward Scott Gyimesi said. “What we try to say is let’s string 40 minutes together and no one can stop us. So we were sort of aggravated at ourselves for letting that happen.”

The Jumbos bounced back, making the next 20 minutes of the game much more similar to the end of the first half.

The second half was a far closer ballgame, with the lead swaying between both teams and never going higher than 3 points until the last minute of the half. Champion tied the game with a jumper with just three minutes to go before the Jumbos managed to extend the lead to 5 points thanks to a jumper from senior guard Jay Dieterle, a free throw from Gyimesi and two free throws from first-year guard Jon

Medley. The evening ended 62–57 in favor of the Jumbos.

From a statistics perspective, Champion led the Jumbos with 18 points, shooting 7-for-16 from the field and 3-for-9 from behind the arc.

Sophomore guard James Morakis had 10 points, shooting 4-for-9 from the field, while Gyimesi had 6 points and 14 rebounds. The team as a whole shot 41.4% from the field, going 7-for-24 on 3-point shots. On the Ephs’ side of the ball, guard Noah Dinkins had 15 points, shot 6-for-9 from the field and 3-for-4 from behind the arc, while center Nate Karren and forward Brandon Roughley followed up with 10 points each. The Ephs shot 39% from the field and went 8-for-25 on threes.

The team followed up the hardfought win on Friday night by challenging the Middlebury Panthers on Saturday afternoon. Against the Panthers, the Jumbos never let the lead fall out of their hands. The game ended 82–60 in favor of the Jumbos. Morakis had a stand out game, putting up 24 points, going 2-for-3 from behind the arc and 9-for-14 from the field. The Jumbos shot 55.7% from inside the arc and 30.8% from 3-point range, while the Panthers shot 39.3% from the field and 41.2% from behind the arc. The squad heads away from home for the next two NESCAC battles, taking on Colby College on Friday and Bowdoin College on Saturday.

The seats heating up in college hoops

t’s getting to that time of year when teams either separate themselves as clear tournament teams or fall below expectations. Not only is this a crucial time for teams but also for the people coaching them. We already saw Tony Stubblefield, DePaul University’s head coach, lose his gig two months into the season after what was shaping up to be another terrible year for the Blue Demons.

Whether in the middle of the season or post-March, there’s bound to be a lot of movement on the coaching side of things in college hoops coming up. Here’s who I think could (or should) be at risk.

Kenny Payne, University of Louisville Why not start with the most obvious pick for the hot seat, the head coach of the 6–15 Louisville Cardinals? Prior to his time coaching for the school, Louisville was a powerhouse in the sport, winning three national championships — one in 2013 — and making the tournament with ease year in and year out. While Payne has only had the job since 2022, there’s been only a downtrend in the program since his arrival.

It took him just one season to record the worst win total (four) in Louisville men’s basketball history. This guy could be out of a job tomorrow for all we know.

Chris Holtmann, Ohio State University While Holtmann has made the tournament at Ohio State four times in his six seasons as head coach, it looks like his Buckeyes won’t be playing in March in back-to-back seasons. To make matters worse, last season, they finished secondto-last in the Big Ten and also were under .500. This season has been much of the same for Holtmann’s squad, sitting at thirdto-last in the conference with a three-game losing streak. Although this seems like a much better situation than Payne and others, OSU has a rich basketball history and these recent results won’t cut it. Unless something changes, it looks like Holtmann could be out of a job come the spring.

Kyle Neptune, Villanova University Villanova, like the two schools discussed above, has an extremely strong reputation in college hoops, with some labeling the school as one of the sport’s ‘blue bloods.’

Recently, Villanova has looked far from living up to that name and many critics have placed the blame on Neptune. In the season prior to Jay Wright’s unexpected retirement, ’Nova was in the Final Four.

Now, it seems like the Wildcats will be missing their second straight tournament, with their quick descent to the bottom half of the Big East recently. Even with a strong roster, Neptune hasn’t looked like a competent coach and could definitely be out of a job before next season. At least, that is what most ’Nova fans are praying for.

Owen Short is a sophomore who has yet to declare a major. He can be reached at owen.short@tufts.edu.

12 SPORTS

Thursday, February 1, 2024

THE TUFTS DAILY

SPORTS Zachary Gerson In the Crease

Stanley Cup and Presidents’ Trophy predictions

In the spring edition of “In the Crease,” I will be predicting NHL awards, mostly individual awards.

However, this week, I will focus on team awards: the Stanley Cup champion and the Presidents’ trophy.

Stanley Cup Final Matchup: Colorado Avalanche vs. Florida Panthers Stanley Cup Champion: Colorado Avalanche This NHL season has been one of the most unpredictable seasons in recent memory, and there have been more surprise players and teams than there usually are. Nevertheless, despite the parity seen throughout the league, I continue to hold the belief that the Avalanche are the most complete and well-balanced team in hockey, with the Panthers not far behind.

Playoff hockey is very different from regular-season hockey.

In the playoffs, the game is much more physical and defensive play becomes more important, which is why teams that make deep runs have to be well-balanced on both the blue line and with the forward core, not just being a top-heavy team that lacks depth. That is why the Avalanche and Panthers are poised to make deep runs. A Stanley Cup Final between these two clubs would definitely be a close one, but ultimately, I see the Avalanche pulling it off, simply because their talent would be too overwhelming for the Panthers. Having to stop superstar Nathan MacKinnon is hard enough, but having to do that on top of stopping stars Mikko Rantanen, Cale Makar, Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin is simply too much to ask. I see Colorado taking the series in six games, winning its second Stanley Cup in the past three years.

Presidents’ Trophy: Vancouver Canucks The Presidents’ Trophy is awarded to the team that finishes the regular season with the best overall record.

Since the very beginning of the season, the Canucks have been on an absolute tear. They’ve been dominant. This is primarily due to the club’s great extent of talent among both their forward and defensive cores, as well as phenomenal goaltending by starting goaltender Thatcher Demko. The Canucks’ talent is headlined by superstar forward Elias Pettersson and superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes.

With loaded talent and speed, the Canucks are the ideal regular season team. I see them making a deep playoff run, but not making it to the Stanley Cup for two main reasons. The first is that the roster does not have much, if any playoff experience.

The second is that the Canucks are what I would consider a ‘flashy’ team, and I do not believe this will be enough for them to make a run for the Stanley Cup. Nevertheless, they are poised to be the best regular season team in the NHL, and this is only the beginning for their young core of talented players. They have a very Zachary Gerson is a first-year who has yet to declare a major. He can be reached at zachary.gerson@tufts.edu.

Women’s basketball takes down Williams, narrowly loses to Middlebury in thrilling doubleheader Max Druckman Staff Writer

Typically, a two-game weekend for the Tufts women’s basketball team features 80 minutes of gameplay. However, to the delight of basketball fanatics, the Jumbos’ slate this past weekend lasted 95 minutes, thanks to a triple-overtime thriller against the Middlebury College Panthers and a nailbiter against the Williams College Ephs.

Though the results were mixed, the Jumbos’ weekend was undoubtedly action-packed.

Entering their matchup on Friday, both the Jumbos and the Ephs needed a positive result. The Jumbos had lost three of their previous four games, while the Ephs had picked up just one NESCAC win, 80–73 over Colby on Jan. 12.

The first quarter was evenly matched and concluded with the two sides knotted at 15 points. The Jumbos’ only scorers were senior forward Maggie Russell and sophomore guard Annie Aspesi. The duo also dominated the boards, with Russell garnering five first-quarter rebounds to go along with Aspesi’s four. The Ephs were led by guard Ellie Tounkara, whose teamhigh 6 points were highlighted by a successful 3-pointer.

In the second quarter, the Jumbos began to pull away. In the final eight minutes of the quarter, they outscored the Ephs 11–2, giving them a substantial 31–21 halftime lead. Senior guard Samantha Sousa took charge, leading the Jumbos with 5 points in the period, including a triple that extended their lead to 9. The Ephs were held to a 27.3% field goal percentage in the period, thanks to the Jumbos’ stellar defense that yielded three steals.

Following halftime, the Ephs had the hot hand. They outscored the Jumbos 8–2 through the first four minutes and 10 seconds, spearheaded by 4 points from guard/forward Arianna Gerig, making it a 33–29 contest. 9 points apiece were scored over the final six minutes, capped

by Ephs’ first-year guard/forward Tatum Leuenberger’s 3-pointer, setting up a 42–38 nailbiter. Russell led all scorers in the period with 9 points, while forward Mairi Smith chipped in with 4 points, a block and a steal for the Ephs.

Senior guard Callie O’Brien began the final frame with a triple for the Jumbos, bringing their lead to 7. Russell deposited the Jumbos’ next 6 points. Halfway through the fourth, the Jumbos led 53–45.

Nonetheless, the Ephs came roaring back, knotting the game at 53–53 with just over three minutes remaining.

From there, the two traded blows, with Sousa and Gerig each scoring to level the bout at 56–56, leading to a timeout.

Following the stoppage, the Jumbos pulled away, with Russell, Sousa and junior guard Annika Decker each scoring to bring the Jumbo lead to 6. The margin held the rest of the way, with the Jumbos finishing 63–57 victors.

Russell commented on the Jumbos’ ability to close out the game.

“Focusing on one play at a time and getting stops immediately will translate into scoring and offense,” Russell said.

“So, staying focused, and not letting a close game really get to us and get us frazzled and just staying focused on executing our offense to score [is crucial in lategame situations].”

Russell tallied a 29-point, 11-board double-double. Sousa also posted dou-

COURTESY TUFTS ATHLETICS

Annika Decker is pictured in the Jan. 12 game against Amherst College. ble-digits, with 15 points. Aspesi also had a game to remember, totaling 7 points to go along with a career-high 10 rebounds.

Smith, Gerig, Leuenberger and Tounkara all put up double-digit performances for the Ephs, with Gerig adding 16 rebounds.

“My teammates did a really good job getting the ball into the post when we needed to score and moving the ball really well on offense and taking advantage of my size in the post,” Russell remarked.

The next day, the Jumbos traveled to Vermont to clash with the Middlebury Panthers. The Panthers were celebrating Senior Day, and the Jumbos looked to crash the party.

From the jump, the game was even.

The first half closed with a 32–32 score, with both teams scoring 16 points in each of the first two quarters. Russell led the Jumbos with 15 points in the half, and Decker chipped in with 9.

Thanks to 7 points each from guards Alexa Mustafaj and Augusta Dixon, the Panthers kept pace with Decker’s 5 points to take a slim 52–51 lead after the third quarter. Three minutes into the fourth quarter, the Jumbos emerged as slight leaders, with Russell’s two free throws giving them a 57–54 advantage. With five minutes to go, Dixon’s jumper gave the Panthers a 1-point lead. For the next two minutes and change, both teams went scoreless, until Sousa’s three put the Jumbos up 62–60.

With 22 seconds remaining, Dixon’s layup marked the end of regulation’s scoring, evening the match at 67.

For the first time since Jan. 21, 2023, the Jumbos were headed to overtime. The first overtime period was as tight as regulation, with both sides scoring 6 points.

With 35 seconds remaining, senior guard/ forward Bethany Lucey made both of her foul shots, bringing the Panthers’ lead to 73–70. Staring defeat in the eyes, Sousa swished a massive 3-pointer, knotting the game at 73–73 and prompting another overtime.

The teams traded blows throughout the second overtime. With 15 seconds to go and the Jumbos down 77–76, Decker stole the ball from Mustafaj, drove down the floor and converted a layup. Decker’s play gave the Jumbos what looked like the final points of the game. However, Lucey was fouled soon after and converted one

of her free throws to even the score at 78.

With under three minutes remaining in the third overtime period, Decker’s two tied the score at 82. From there, though, Mustafaj showed her class, scoring the final 8 points to help Middlebury emerge 90­–82 victors.

While the Jumbos were unable to clinch the victory, the contest was a memorable one. Featuring 19 tie scores and 17 lead changes, it was the Jumbos’ first triple-overtime game since 1981–82.

“It was a really fun game, and these are the games we play basketball for. We just love playing in such highly competitive games that are close and fun and really challenging at the end of the day,” Russell said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t win, but [it’s] a good lesson for us and this can help us in really tough games down the road.”

Decker obliterated the box score, shooting 10-for-19 from the field and 3-for-7 from beyond the 3-point arc. She posted 24 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals, setting a new career high in points.

Russell contributed 25 points, and junior guard Sophia Gonzalez added 15. For the Panthers, Mustafaj posted 31 points, with Dixon adding 35 points and 12 boards.

“We can rely on many different people to score in many different ways. Annika Decker, she’s mainly known for her outstanding and amazing defense, but in the Middlebury game, she really stepped up in scoring,” Russell said. “Being able to rely on her scoring talents as well has really helped the team.”

After the grueling away trip, Tufts will return home to face Colby on Friday. The next day, the team welcomes Bowdoin, who are currently undefeated in the NESCAC. The Bowdoin game will be the Jumbos’ Senior Day, and they will honor their five most experienced players.

“All the five seniors, we’re all really excited to play and we’ve all had such a great experience with this program,” Russell said. “[We’re] excited to stay focused and hopefully get two wins this weekend.”

If there’s one thing the program’s seniors understand, it is how to win. And, with four NESCAC games remaining, the Jumbos hope that the magic of their extraordinary collegiate career does not wear off and that they can make another successful postseason run.