The Tufts Daily - February 9, 2023

T HE T UFTS D AILY

Monaco, Genco field questions at deIJ town hall

by Arvind Pillai Staff Writer

The Tufts Community Union Senate held a school-wide town hall regarding the diversity, equity, inclusion and justice efforts at Tufts on Feb. 3. The event featured University President Anthony Monaco, Provost ad interim Caroline Genco and other senior administration members.

A central focus of the town hall was to engage panelists by fielding questions on ways to increase the diversity and inclusion of the student body, staff and leadership.

The first question, directed at Monaco, asked about the university’s progress following its 2020 commitment to become an anti-racist institution. Monaco responded by bringing attention to efforts made by the Office of Admissions.

“The previous dean of admissions and the current dean [JT Duck] have made a lot of efforts to recruit students from areas that we were not traditionally recruiting from,” Monaco said. “[We are] also partnering with organizations that bring students to our attention that Tufts would be a good fit and might not have known about us or we might not have known about them.”

Monaco also cited the university’s undergraduate admissions test-optional pilot, which it recently extended for another three years, as an example of progress.

“In admissions, [we are] keeping a focus on our holistic approach, not relying on test scores and GPAs so much as the entire picture,” Monaco said. “Particularly, focusing on the particular context and nuance

of the challenges that those students overcame or put forward for themselves as an academic challenge and how they did in that area.”

“We’re always making absolutely sure we have good balance in our search committees,” Monaco said. “We’ve been tracking the applicant pool diversity and comparing that to the diversity of the employees we have and then saying, well, what is that gap? Of course we want the applicant pool to continue to get more diverse, but we really want to close the gap.”

The university originally allocated $25 million to support DEIJ efforts last year, in accordance with the July 2020 commitment to anti-racism. Monaco said that the resource allocation for the initiative was recently doubled from $25 million to $50 million.

dr. Cornel West, faculty, students speak at ‘dystopia Now!’ symposium

by Aaron Gruen Executive News Editor

The Department of International Literary and Cultural Studies hosted the “Dystopia Now!” symposium, focused on representations of dystopia in media and popular culture, on Friday. Dr. Cornel West opened the event with a keynote address.

In his wide-ranging speech, West discussed how studying dystopia can provide insight into our modern condition and what it means to be human.

“We always want to connect the utopian with the dystopian; it goes hand in hand,” West said. “This [ILCS] department has the audacity to say, ‘Come with us as we wrestle with … forms of death: physical death, social death, psychic death, spiritual death.’”

West ended his keynote by asking attendees to immerse themselves in literature from all eras, not just contemporary work.

“Don’t get socialized into one paradigm or one way of looking at the world or one school of thought; be improvisational enough to have confidence in yourself,” West said.

“Don’t participate in the oligarchy of the quick and read only the people who are alive and breathing. … [Read] the great voices of the dead, those that wrestled with the same kinds of challenges of what it means to be human.”

Following West’s speech, faculty and students presented on different interpretations of dystopia, from video games to film.

Salomé Albright, a junior, spoke on a dystopian depiction of adolescence in the graphic novel “Black Hole” (1995).

“It had this beautiful blend of existentialism and intimacy that I thought really captured the essence of adolescence,”

Albright said in an interview with the Daily.

After focusing on femme theory and anti-colonial work in her studies, Albright decided she wanted “an opportunity to talk about something that was really just a fun read for me.”

During her speech, Albright drew parallels between adolescence and dystopian tropes, including “transition, sexual desire, fear, peer and parental isolation, shame and displacement.”

Milo Shields, a senior, explored dystopian video games, arguing that they are uniquely suited to present surreal stories.

“I would argue we can’t afford not to do this,” Monaco said.

“Having the variation in your faculty, students and staff really brings to bear the perspectives,

the different challenges that people overcame to get here and also the variety of approaches they

3 students announced as winners of MLK student Voices award

by Katie Spiropoulos Assistant News Editor

Three Tufts students were presented with the MLK Student Voices Award at this year’s annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. Andrew Harris, who submitted photography; Marsha Germain, who submitted poetry; and Ayomide Oloyede, who submitted a spoken poem, received this year’s award.

Applicants were asked to respond to the question, “What does love and creativity look like for you in the service of action for love and justice?” Winners were chosen based on their piece’s organization, originality, creativity, clarity and connection to this year’s theme.

The award committee sought to lift up student voices through works including essays, poems, songs, art, spoken word and other kinds of performances. University Chaplain Rev. Elyse Nelson Winger described the composition of the selection committee.

“Members of the MLK Day of Celebration committee, composed of staff from the University

Chaplaincy, the Africana Center, Tisch College for Civic Life, and the GLADC, were on the selection committee,” Nelson Winger wrote in an email to the Daily.

Nelson Winger explained that the prompt for this year’s student voices award was inspired by the MLK Day of Celebration theme, “We Don’t Have Much Time: Raising Consciousness and Building the Future Now.”

Nelson Winger wrote that the theme originated from an excerpt from King’s book “The Trumpet of Conscience,” which stated, “But we do not have much time. The revolutionary spirit is already world-wide. If the anger of the peoples of the world at the injustice of things is to be channeled into a revolution of love and creativity, we must begin now to work, urgently, with all peoples to shape a new world.”

She added that this year’s winners stood out for their compelling creative work.

“Each winner submitted beautiful and powerful work as a response to our prompt,” Nelson

TCU members welcome guests to the town hall on Feb. 3.

THE TUFTS DAILY

Monaco says Tufts has allocated $50 million to DEIJ

TOWN HALL

continued from page 1

bring from their own cultural experiences.”

Asked how he feels about the university’s progress towards becoming an anti-racist institution, Monaco expressed his gratitude at what’s been accomplished thus far but emphasized that there is still work to be done.

“When I started in 2011, I spent a lot of time talking to students and really got a sense of frustration [from] diverse students who felt, ‘Yeah, it’s great to be here, but I don’t feel included,’” Monaco said. “We set out a diversity council focused on that and compositional diversity … which has gotten us to where we are now, with one of the most diverse applicant pools and diverse student bodies we’ve ever experienced.”

Monaco also shared the strategy behind the work that has been done and the intent behind it.

“This anti-racism work is different. … It’s not just about increasing the number of faculty or the number of students and

making them feel better about being here,” Monaco said. “It really is thinking about all the structures and policies … and trying to eliminate biases where they exist — and they do exist, and we found many of them, and I’m sure there’s many others to be uncovered.”

Another question, directed at Genco, asked about the steps the administration is taking to ensure that faculty diversity represents the diversity of the student body.

“We have to be quite strategic about how we recruit faculty, and it can’t be one at a time,” Genco said. “It’s got to be these cluster hires so that we can create these communities that once we recruit these faculties, they feel like they have a sense of belonging and support.”

Genco also said the university expects future hires to hold values related to DEIJ.

“One of the things that will be critical to these faculty that we recruit is that DEIJ is critical to their educational and research mission,” Genco said. “We will then make sure that tenure and promotion of these faculty relies

on their ability to really expand the work that they do in DEIJ in education and research.”

Genco noted the importance of selecting leadership that will continue to pursue these goals.

“It’s really important that we not only bring in a diverse faculty, but that we also have a diverse administration,” Genco said. “It’s not only about mentoring them, but it’s also about creating leaders so that they can then go on and continue to mentor the next generation of diverse faculty.”

As the panel joined the discussion, a question was asked regarding the importance of transparency to students regarding public safety, equity and anti-racism efforts on campus. Yolanda Smith, executive director of public safety at Tufts, discussed the university’s response to the numerous bomb threats which rattled campus late last semester and early this semester.

“I have conferred with experts in bomb threats to understand how we can better put forth communication that’s helpful for a community that’s scared and frightened,” Smith said. “And not only are you all scared and fright-

ened, we are too, but we know that we have to rely on our training and our expertise to make the best call for the threat.”Smith added that the university collaborates with government agencies in responding to threats.

“We are not working alone when we decide what is the best method to address a threat,” Smith said. “We work with our federal, our local, our state municipal partners. … We determined a lot of things in a fast amount of time just so that we know what is the best and safest strategy for the community.”

In answering a question related to the campus’ role in promoting DEIJ among students, Camille Lizarribar, the dean of student affairs, emphasized the importance of each individual’s choices.

“Inclusivity and belonging is a shared responsibility. It’s all of us,” Lizarribar said. “We can come up with all kinds of programs and trainings and workshops, but at the end of the day, we are all individuals making choices and making decisions about how [we are] relating to each other.”

International Literary and Cultural Studies symposium explores dystopia

DYSTOPIA continued from page 1

Brendan Hartnett

Makenna Law

Elena Lowinger

Faye Thijssen

Editorial Editor Editorialists

Odessa Gaines Ryan Sorbi Intentionality & Inclusivity Committee Chairs

Mark Choi Education Committee Chair

Delaney Clarke Charlene Tsai Social Committee Chairs

“When it comes to film … you are limited somewhat to your budget,” Shields said in his presentation. “It costs a lot of money to do CGI, and it costs a lot of money to create surreal worlds. With video games, it is just as expensive to create a surreal world as it is to create a world that looks exactly like ours, so developers are given this crazy incentive and freedom to … create things that look nothing like the way our real world does today.”

For Shields, dystopian video games are a form of escapism.

“There is this catharsis that we get from either watching or playing in dystopian environments that makes our day to

day worries and anxieties fade away in comparison,” he told the Daily.

Other presentations focused prominently on Russian literature and culture. Sarah Corrigan, who also helped organize the event, discussed the 1972 Russian film “Solaris.” Corrigan, a professor in the ILCS department, said Andrei Tarkovsky’s film “reverses the traditional dystopian approach to distorting and controlling human memory.”

“Instead of the human memory being a subject for authoritarian control, a vital human entity that we must protect against external contamination, Tarkovsky explores what we would call inner dystopia,” Corrigan said. “He’s more interested in how repressed memo-

ries haunt us and yet connect us to questions of immortality.”

Gregory Carleton, also a professor in the ILCS department, discussed how Russian attempts to create utopia have resulted in dystopia.

“Russia is one of the few countries where utopian ideas — and, therefore, their dystopian realizations — spill outside of literature,” Carleton said. “They become cultural practices and then national policy.”

Two lectures focused primarily on dystopian literature; J. Brandon Pelcher, an ILCS lecturer, talked about “eco-dystopia” and the reemergence of waste. John Lehman, who received his MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts in 2020, discussed Haruki

Murakami’s “My Wind Up Bird” (1994) and his analysis of the text through illustration.

Alexandra Chreiteh, an ILCS assistant professor, discussed North African indigeneity in relation to Soviet internationalism and vampirism as an allegory for colonialism. Malcolm Turvey, the founding director of Tufts’ Film and Media Studies Program and a professor of art history and architecture, engaged with dystopian films such as “Nosferatu” (1922), “Alphaville” (1965) and “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015). Albright encouraged students to take ILCS classes.

“Looking at storytelling through multimedia lines is really a special thing that you get to do in this particular department,” she said.

Tufts to close COVId -19 testing centers

by Aaron Gruen Executive News Editor

Merry Jiao Marlee Stout

Megan Amero

Aedan Brown

Sophie Dorf-Kamienny

Lindsay Garfinkel

Lucy Belknap

Julieta Grané

George McGurkin

Isabel Overby Eden Sekwat

Sorbi

Isabel Francis

Urvija Mafatlal

Alison Guo

Erika Kim

Elizabeth Foster

Executive Copy Editors

Deputy Copy Editor Copy Editors

Assistant Copy Editors

Originally published Feb. 7

Assistant Business Directors

Ad Managers

Receivables Managers

Kate Seklir Alumni Liaisons

Tufts will close its testing centers at the Medford/Somerville and SMFA campuses on March 17, it announced on Feb. 6. In a school-wide email, Marie Caggiano, medical director of the Tufts Health Service, said COVID-19 care and testing will still be available on a caseby-case basis at 124 Professors Row on the Medford/Somerville campus.

Students must schedule an appointment to be seen by the Health Service. Those who wish to do so can visit this link.

The university has slowly been easing its COVID-19 mea-

sures over the last few months. For the first time since the onset of the pandemic, students returning to campus in fall 2022 were not mandated to wear masks in indoor spaces on campus.

On Jan. 5, Tufts also announced that it would no longer require university personnel or students to receive the bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccine after mandating the booster months before.

“Continuing to mandate the bivalent booster was not having the effect we had hoped it would and, as a result, it increasingly became apparent that fully enforcing a mandate would be impractical,” Patrick Collins, executive director of media relations at Tufts, told the Daily at the time.

are still urged to stay home if they are feeling ill. If they have

further questions, Tufts community members can email covidtesting@tufts.edu.

The COVID-19 testing center is pictured.

Student voices, artwork recognized in annual MLK Day celebration

Winger wrote. “The selection committee felt that each winner offered a compelling student voice through their spoken word poetry or photography. We also believed that their performances and artwork would deeply enhance our Celebration, which all certainly did! I can’t imagine this Celebration without their voices – spoken and visual!”

Germain, a sophomore, stated that she has been trying to connect to the Tufts community more through her poetry.

“I wanted to apply because I have obviously loved being a poet since high school when I started, and I was adamant this year that I would help promote poetry and creative expression to the Tufts black community through S.W.A.T, open mics, and my own work,” Germain wrote in an email to the Daily. “Furthermore, being part of the black community here at Tufts has helped me to understand my value as a black woman as well as my struggles as a black woman in America.”

Germain explained the meaning behind the poem she submitted, “Little Black Woman,” which she performed at the Day of Celebration.

“I intended for my piece to be a sort of homage to black women everywhere, almost like a love letter for all the black women who never got the thank yous and the honor and respect they deserved,” Germain wrote. “Winning this award was honestly such an honor. … I think it was especially validating both on a personal level to see that there are people who see value in my work and symbolically because I got to see the impact of my words on a real audience.”

Sophomore Oloyede also discussed the message behind his work.

“The message behind my submission is primarily about refusing placation by way of success stories,” Oloyede wrote in an email to the Daily. “We often hear, even on campus, ‘person made it out of unlivable conditions, grossly unfunded public school system, but they made it to Tufts.’ … That’s amazing that they made it to Tufts, but let’s not skip over everything else before that. Why did they come from unlivable conditions, and how do we ensure that someone else doesn’t have to follow that path?”

Oloyede believes that individual successes cannot justify racist systems.

“It’s about refusing to allow these successes of ‘making it out’ to become a justification for keeping things as they are,” Oloyede wrote. “If your dryer only dries your clothes 1 out of 5 times, you’re going to be like ‘What the hell is wrong with this dryer’ not, ‘Wow, I’m glad it got it right one time!’ That’s how we should look at larger systems. We should celebrate success, but quick -

ly after, we should examine the failures and see why they failed.”

Oloyede wrote that he is excited to perform his work for others at the MLK Day of Celebration.

“This award means that someone listened to my work. I was elated to have the chance to perform it for people even though mine is not a particularly ‘bright work.’ It’s scath -

ing and belligerent, but someone heard what I had to say,” Oloyede wrote.

Listening to student voices is not enough, according to Oloyede.

“If you’re going to center my voice and the voices of other artists, you should be prepared to make real changes because these voices aren’t just loud; they are intentional and informed,” he wrote.

Visiting Professor dubovyk highlights war’s impact on academia in ukraine

by Aditya Acharya News Editor

Originally published Feb. 8

Volodymyr Dubovyk, visiting professor at The Fletcher School, spoke about academia in war-stricken Ukraine in a conversation titled “Ukrainian Scholarship in Times of War.” Dubovyk is an associate professor of international relations and director of the Center for International Studies at the Odesa I. Mechnikov National University in Ukraine.

Dubovyk discussed the effects of war on scholarship, displacement, access to resources and the country’s future with Arik Burakovsky, assistant director of Fletcher’s Russia and Eurasia Program. Dubovyk explained that he is part of Scholars at Risk, an international network that protects researchers and scholars from violence.

“In terms of becoming a scholar at risk … Ukrainian scholars, we are all at risk right now,” Dubovyk said. “At risk of physical annihilation, at risk of losing our jobs, at risk of losing members of [our families].”

Dubovyk teaches virtually to students back home in Odesa, and also teaches Fletcher students about Black Sea regional security and Ukrainian foreign and security policy. Dubovyk explained the necessity of remote learning due to safety concerns with in-person instruction in Odesa.

“[When] Russian air jets are in the air and we expect them to strike the territory, you don’t

know right away where they are going to strike,” Dubovyk said. “They would announce an air raid alert … technically professors and students have to go to the basement and wait until it’s over. So when you have several of those every day, and sometimes each one of those is an hour and a half [or] two hours, then [in-person learning is] already not an option.”

In the midst of this virtual learning environment, Dubovyk cites internet and electricity outages as significant obstacles to digital instruction.

“The city of Odesa, where I’m from … is one of the worst situations in terms of power supply in the entire Ukraine,” Dubovyk said. “Quite often, people would go without any electricity for days. … There’s no internet, often there’s no cellular connection too, there’s no water supply, no heating — there’s nothing.”

Dubovyk described the difficulty for students to stay in school and for their parents to continue paying for their education, attributing these factors to a decline in enrollment.

“A lot of students have left,” Dubovyk said. “[For] a lot of people, their parents, who have been paying for their education, don’t have any money,” Dubovyk said. “So we have a major drop in the numbers in terms of those who stay, in terms of those who are entering university.”

In addition to the financial burden experienced by students and their families, Dubovyk explained that an inevitable increase in the Ukrainian defense budget is shift-

ing government funds away from educational and social resources.

“About half of the Ukrainian budget is spent on defense, military things, which means things like education, libraries, museums, culture, healthcare, everything within the social sphere … they’re going to be underfunded,” Dubovyk said.

Ukraine is currently under martial law, limiting the ability for Ukrainians to travel. Since positions at international universities for Ukrainian scholars at risk are limited, yet growing, Dubovyk conveyed that non-resident positions and fellowships are essential opportunities for scholars who are unable to leave the country, especially those who are internally displaced.

“People want to survive, somehow, and do their job, and they will be relying on [these] kinds of non-resident positions,” Dubovyk said. “And that’s important because you have a lot of people who are not just refugees, but also internally displaced persons … it’s at least one-third of the nation.”

Dubovyk also discussed the economic harm that inflation inflicts upon scholars’ decreasing salaries, emphasizing the importance of outside funding for Ukrainian scholars.

“A very small salary, which is now eaten by inflation even more so, in Ukraine would be, on average, $200, maybe $250 a month — that would be the salary of a Ph.D. or associate professor,” Dubovyk

said. “That’s definitely not something that people can survive on. Therefore, the lifeline, in many ways, becomes these positions, including non-resident positions and grants.”

Since Dubovyk is uncertain about the near future of the war, he suggested that international scholarship networks and contributions to Ukraine are of paramount importance, both in the present and once the war is over.

“There are dark times ahead and we don’t know what is expecting us,” Dubovyk said. “The participation of the international academic community … in helping Ukraine to go through this, and even when the war is over, would be of critical significance.”

COURTESY AYOMIDE OLOYEDE

Ayomide Oloyede (pictured), Andrew Harris and Marsha Germain were recognized for their artwork at the MLK Day of Celebration.

NATALIE BROWNSELL / THE TUFTS DAILY

The Fletcher School sign is pictured on March 15, 2022.

FeaT ures

envision, Tufts’ black theater company, breaks barriers with ‘how We Got On’

by Layla Kennington Assistant Features Editor

The work of Tufts’ groundbreaking Black theater company Envision will grace the stage of Curtis Hall on Feb. 9–11. The troupe, the first of its kind in years, will showcase the play “How We Got On” by Idris Goodwin. The brainchild of sophomore Chance Walker, Envision stands as a revolutionary space for Tufts’ current generation of Black actors and artists.

Walker attributed Envision’s birth to the traditional dearth of spaces dedicated to Black theater at Tufts and beyond.

“I wanted to see myself represented and [wanted] places for myself and my community,” Walker said.

When speaking about the inspiration behind the troupe, Walker highlighted the importance of creating platforms for minority voices.

“When we are discussing Blackness, a lot of the discussions center trauma and [resiliency] in terms of oppression, but I would say Envision … is centering Black joy, and light and creativity,” Walker said. “I feel like that captures a whole other dimension of our experience that I want to nurture and celebrate.”

This idea of representation of Black voices is one that carries throughout the narratives and plays that Envision performs. “How We Got On” tells the story of three suburban teens coming of age during the rise of hip hop in the 1980s.

First-year student and actor Dylan Bell, who stars as Hank, spoke to the way that the upcoming play mirrors his own experiences.

“I think one of the things that drew me to this script was [the fact that] I saw myself in … the story,” Bell said. “My hope for [Envision] is that we continue to tell the stories that reflect Tufts students. … Everyone has their own unique story.”

A common theme among Envision’s cast and crew is a sense of community and belonging exemplified through participation in the group.

Elias Swartz, Envision’s stage manager, recounted his hopes for Envision’s potential as an empowering force.

“Even though [Tufts] has been getting more and more diverse, [Black students] are still the minority and we are still in a white-dominated space so we’re all experiencing that same struggle of having to exist in a space that’s not our own,” Swartz said. “Specifically in higher education and specifically at Tufts, I feel like that’s probably what would define the Black experience, is having to navigate this white space.”

Swartz hopes to strengthen the Black community at Tufts.

“I want to help bridge the gap and help create a more connected Tufts Black community, where we can all sort of also enjoy what it means to be Black,” Swartz said.

Tufts hosts a collection of student organizations dedicated to theater, including Torn Ticket

II, the Bare Bodkin Theater Company, Traveling Treasure Trunk and more. However, Envision currently exists as the only explicitly Black-oriented theater collective. With this speciality in mind, Envision stands on the shoulders of former Tufts Black theater initiatives, including last year’s production of “Almanac.”

Tufts students present in the 2021–22 academic year will remember “Almanac” as the largest attended show in the theater department’s history. Directed by Maurice Parent, professor of the practice in theater, dance and performance studies, “Almanac” was the first student work produced on a large scale and additionally the first Tufts play to feature a predominantly Black cast. Recounting themes of state violence, Black artistic agency in predominantly white spaces and the art of creation itself, “Almanac” was a “first in many ways,” as described by Parent.

Harrison Clark, the co-creator of “Almanac,” paid homage to the work and capacity of the wider community.

“A lot of the research that I was doing pre-‘Almanac’ and why I was inspired to write it was because of how much talent has come through [this] space,” Clark said. It’s really incredible. If you look at it on paper, like, why this school in Medford [and] Somerville, Mass., … a concentration of Black talent [has] just flowed through here for years,” Clark said.

Clark is looking forward to the future projects of Envision.

“I’m really excited about Envision,” Clark said. “A lot of the people that are involved [in Envision have] connections to ‘Almanac’ in some way. It makes me really proud of the work we did last year, and also very hopeful that what we did is just the beginning of something much bigger, like a recurring thing that can happen on campus.”

It is important to note that Envision is not Tufts’ first Black theater collective. In previous years, there was a troupe that “[fell] by the wayside,” according to Professor Parent, once its founders graduated. This phenomenon is prevalent, especially due to the smaller nature of Tufts’

Black demographics. Yet currently, Envision is working towards becoming a TCU-recognized club. Its members and supporters alike aim for the collective to be long lasting, and to grow its reach in coming years.

Parent spoke to both Envision’s significance and enduring potential.

“Theater is for everyone. However, theater does not always feature everyone; it does not always center everyone. So we have to be very intentional about theater that centers stories … from marginalized groups and oppressed groups,” Parent said.

“I hope this is the beginning of more people of various backgrounds and identities coming out to audition for department shows,” Parent wrote in an email to the Daily. “We can’t have diversity onstage if we don’t have diversity in casting calls.”

Although Envision is revolutionizing Tufts’ theater space, it is also a part of a robust collection of Africana-oriented clubs and publications on campus. These clubs and organizations contribute to Tufts’ vibrant art and social scene, and are integral to the wider campus community.

Clark referenced many Black organizations at Tufts such as Essence, S-Factor, BlackOut and ENVY that have been crucial in supporting Black artists.

“I want students and staff to know that there’s a legacy behind [Envision and ‘Almanac’],” Clark said. “They’re built on the back of … decades of phenomenal Black talent. And if you don’t go to support them, if you don’t go to their shows, they will disappear. I just want the community … to go support Black art. If the goal is to build an anti-racist institution, if it’s to build an equitable space, then you need to be consuming Black art. And there’s so much of it on campus. I’d like to see a lot more of everybody at all of those events.”

“How We Got On” will premiere Feb. 9–11 in the Curtis Hall Multipurpose Room.

Tufts’ connection to slavery, Part 1: The Ten hills Farm

by Guillem Colom Staff Writer

Originally published Feb. 6.

The founding of Tufts has been a tale told far and wide. When a friend of Charles Tufts, one of the founders of Tufts, asked him what he intended to do with land including Walnut Hill, the iconic centerpiece of campus, Charles proclaimed that “I will put a light on it.”

This statement has been interpreted by many as a testament to the university’s commitment to excellence and diversity. However, it shines a light on the

institution’s uncomfortable relationship with the generational trauma of slavery.

Walnut Hill was integral to Tufts’ founding in 1852, but it was also critical to the establishment of the Ten Hills Farm. Granted in 1631 to Massachusetts Bay Colony Governor John Winthrop by the General Court, the farm comprised of 600 acres of land that were utilized as a slave plantation. Such acreage encompassed swaths of the western side of the Mystic River, which included land on its northwestern end that is now incorporated into Tufts. The farm’s

name came from the fact that 10 hills influenced the topography of the plantation, including Walnut Hill.

This history has been evaluated by historians in marginalized communities for generations, and Kerri Greenidge, assistant professor of studies in race, colonialism and diaspora, knows this well. She is also the co-director of the Tufts African American Trail Project at the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy, which is an initiative that “aims to develop African American historical memory and intergenerational community,” according to its website.

Greenidge attested to the impact of this scholarship.

“African and Afro-Native communities in New England have been covering this history for a long time,” Greenidge said. “[The Center for the Study of Race and Democracy is] becoming a place … that people can have a paper map … that shows the extents of Afro and Afro-Native communities across Massachusetts and from the 1600s all the way up to the present … [along with] honoring the work that local public history sites have done.”

Associate Professor of History and Studies in Race, Colonialism,

and Diaspora Kendra Field, who is also the director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy, further discussed the scholarship being conducted by those at Tufts on this history.

“There’ve been a few … oral history projects related to these neighboring communities, particularly the West Medford community [that] sent a number of Black students to Tufts,” Field said. “It’s not just [a situation where] it is beyond the walls of Tufts. There were actually active, dynamic relationships between

SLAVERY, page 5

LAUREN ALIOTTA / THE TUFTS DAILY

Envision members Donovan Sanders and Moriah Granger are pictured rehearsing.

Center for the Study of Race and Democracy engages with Tufts’ convoluted connections to slavery

SLAVERY continued from page 4

that community and students and faculty here.”

The presence of the local slave market was palpable. A French visitor, whose observations are preserved by the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Mass., stated that “you may … own Negroes and Negresses. … There is not a house in Boston, however small may be its means, that has not one or two. There are those that have five or six.”

Nowhere was the power of local slavery more evident than in the Royall House and Slave Quarters, a part of the Ten Hills Farm that is just short of a half-mile walk from the Joyce Cummings Center. Greenidge detailed the origins of the House’s founder, Isaac Royall Sr., who bought the house in 1732.

“We know that the Royall family … was part of this Atlantic world [of slavery],” Greenidge said. “[Isaac Royall Sr.] migrated from Antigua, where he was a slave holder, and he moved to the area of what is now the Royall House and Slave Quarters. … The building that [currently exists] is probably … one-eight of the actual size of the Royall plantation.”

Greenidge further discussed the Royall family and the questions that are remaining regarding the slaves that resided at the Royall House.

“The Royalls were loyalists, so they actually ended up fleeing at the end of the Revolutionary War,” Greenidge said. “We know that formerly enslaved … African American people lived in the area that we now think of as West Medford and Tufts after slavery formally ended. One potential … project on the relationship between Tufts and slavery … would [focus on] what happened to those people. Did they own land? Where did they live? And how does that relate to … Tufts’ commitment to, or not, to educating that very vibrant com -

Simon’s Coffee Shop

Originally published Feb. 7

If you’re a Tufts student, you may not know about Simon’s Coffee Shop (located at 1736 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge). It’s a bit of a hike from campus (about a 40 minute walk or a 20 minute T ride), but it’s worth venturing to because the cozy vibes are off the charts.

Simon’s has the best latte art of any coffee shops I’ve seen in the area so far (and I’ve seen a lot of

munity of color that lived in the area?”

The Ten Hills Farm was influential in the founding of Tufts. As the farm was still operating, a man named Peter Tufts, who immigrated to the United States from Malden, England in 1638, purchased 3.5 acres from another man named John Cary in 1696. These acres constituted Walnut Hill, which surrounded the farm due to a 1685 deal that established land boundaries for individual proprietors.

Charles Tufts, a descendant of Peter who was a farmer and brickmaker, owned 20 acres of farmland that included the Somerville side of Walnut Hill. These acres would ultimately be the basis of College Hill, which is now the location of Ballou Hall. Although the farm ceased activities after Massachusetts abolished slavery in 1783, the land boundaries it formed allowed for large land parcels to become available, which enabled Charles Tufts to dedicate his acreage to the university.

This history of Tufts’ connections to slavery is convoluted, and there are clear historical gaps that need to be filled. However, that does not mean that this history has not impacted Tufts students.

Zoe Schoen (LA’19), a project administrator for the African American Trail Project, attested to how important this history is to her as a member of the Tufts community and resident of the area.

“I feel like, as a former student who now has been involved with the [Center for the Study of Race and Democracy] as an alum, … I wish that I had been more plugged into the work as a student,” Schoen said. “It has really oriented me towards living here and feeling more of a sense of where I am and what this institution is.”

Schoen also detailed how other universities are handling their connections to

coffee shops, hence the column).

Aesthetic rating: 10/10. The environment is homey, housed in a small space with 12 tables inside (seating two people each) and two tables outside. My favorite spot is at the window table, ideal for people-watching.

A huge win for Simon’s is their Post-it note wall. This little space is covered in notes, and there’s a shelf containing every color of pens and Post-its so you can add your own (I’ve added a few now, so I feel a special attachment to the wall).

Some of my favorite notes read: “you should get a dog,” “go to therapy” and “Happy New Year” with a drawing of two snails in love.

The music choice is really funny because they’re blasting early 2000s pop music at all times, but somehow it compliments the vibes. It’s a lively spot in the mornings, but tends to be quiet-

slavery. Harvard University, for instance, released its “Report of the Committee on Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery” in April 2022.

“I think it’s interesting that we are in a moment where these kinds of official reports from universities have become more popular in recent years,” Schoen said. “I think we are thinking about how … important it is that a more formal project would need to recognize the work that has always been going on.”

As the long tradition of scholarship on this connection between Tufts and slavery continues, the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy is reflecting on the work that has already been done and looking toward future opportunities to further examine this history.

Schoen reflected on the importance of the Center’s

er in the afternoons. The workers are personable and fun to chat with, and sometimes I catch them dancing or singing along to the blasting music (think: Bruno Mars and Kesha — like I said, a funny mix).

Overall, the environment gets a 8/10, but unfortunately, the coffee is only a 4/10 for me. I wish I liked the coffee more, because the environment is so cute and welcoming that I could stay here — and have stayed here — for hours. The latte I tried just isn’t anything special, to be honest. Simon’s chai, however, is a solid 7/10. And the prices are much lower than other cafes I’ve visited nearby; my chai latte was around $5 for a small, but it came in a mug that could’ve been a large.

I was so excited to try one of their poppy-seed muffins, but the ratio of muffin to poppy seed

work on making students feel grounded.

“I think that ideally, every student who comes [to the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy] … feels a grounding in the place that they are in, regardless of whether you study history or engineering,” Schoen. “[Ideally] it would enhance [one’s] experience here and enhance [one’s] sense of purpose … at Tufts.”

Field discussed initiatives the center operates, which include a first-year orientation program that allows Tufts students to take a bus tour featuring African American Trail Project sites such as the Royall House and Slave Quarters.

“During first-year orientation, there [was] an optional part of the orientation in which Dr. Greenidge and I would take students to the Royall House and immerse them in that,

wasn’t great. I love poppy-seed muffins, but eating this one felt like taking bites of pure poppy seed. I had my friend try it, and she agreed that it was simply too much poppy seed.

Simon’s gives big “regular customer” energy; I’ve recognized some customers who are here every time. I asked two of the regulars to share their thoughts and they raved about Simon’s, saying that they’ve “been coming every day for six years.” When I asked them to rate Simon’s on a scale of one to 10, they quickly answered “10.”

On Facebook, Simon’s boasts an impressive 4.9/5, which is interesting compared to Diesel (the coffee shop I reviewed last week), which has a 4.4/5 rating. While I gave Diesel an 8/10, I think Simon’s earns a 7/10 from me, simply because I wish the coffee

and orientation is a perfect time to do that,” Field said. “It is really powerful, and we have had such amazing students … who were protesting, for instance in 2015 and 2016, police violence following the murder of Michael Brown. … [Orientation] shaped how they engaged with our current historical moment.”

Field also talked about what the future holds for the Center in examining this integral part of Tufts’ history.

“We are part of a larger group of faculty and others across campus who are working with the University to drill down … on the historical chronology and details related to the history of slavery and colonialism … in this place, prior to and including the establishment of Tufts,” Field said. “That project has been ongoing, but it is gaining a larger audience.”

was better. However, I still come here often to hang out in the warm atmosphere.

When you google “Simon’s Coffee Shop,” a description pops up which reads, “Coffee shop is a warm space for artfully presented lattes, plus cider, sandwiches, tea & tunes.”

I completely agree with this description; the environment is warm, the lattes “artfully presented,” and the “tunes” complete the vibe. I’ll skip the coffee and muffins, but will happily sip on a chai latte, enjoy the cozy energy and leave some ost-its on the wall.

See you next week for more “Caffeinated Commentary!”

Natalie Bricker

Caffeinated

Commentary

GRAPHIC BY CARMEN SMOAK

A map depicts Ten Hills in red highlight (published in Alexandra Chan’s “Slavery in the Age of Reason,” Figure 12, 1637, page 32) overlaid with Tufts locations in blue highlight.

Natalie Bricker is a sophomore studying English. Natalie can be reached at natalie.bricker@ tufts.edu.

Wee K e N der

The Painters s ociety’s gallery night helps heal the artist community after COVId -19 isolation

by Saba S. Assistant Arts Editor

On Jan. 28, The Painters Society held a gallery night, showcasing Tufts artists’ visual work alongside performances from student-formed bands. The event was an extraordinary circumstance for student artists who were able to keep 100% of the profits gained from selling their art. This is rare, which makes it difficult for students to sell their work or pay for supplies to continue practicing their art forms. The event was held at a student’s off-campus home and was filled wall-to-wall with beautiful art, jewelry, prints and encouraging students. This was The Painters Society’s second event, and as a club with only six members, the visible turnout was astounding.

The space featured a combination of both a creative and nurturing energy brimming through each artist and student present. The walls of the house were covered in student work covering various mediums of art, from oils to paint. Students were walking around viewing

jewelry and buying printed tote bags and crocheted beanies. The space was filled with chatter about prices of handmade earrings and how each artwork was made, along with the inspiration behind each piece. One room was dedicated as a makeshift stage for bands to set up and perform covers and original pieces, and there was a congregation of students which had squeezed together to cheer on their peers who were singing and playing various instruments. Performances included cover bands and soloists. Regardless of what was played, the audience was always left wanting more. The energy was alive and well, and the support for Tufts’ artists was clearly flourishing.

Marisa McCarthy is a fourthyear student in Tufts’ SMFA combined degree program majoring in environmental studies and studio art, and the founder and president of The Painters Society. McCarthy found that the COVID-19 pandemic left the art community at Tufts disconnected and left a distance between student and faculty, along with

lower- and upperclassmen. She established The Painters Society with Quinn Hoerner, a thirdyear BFA student at the SMFA after discussing some of these concerns.

The landscape of art education nationally has also been widely impacted by the COVID19 pandemic. Educators needed to adapt and learn how to teach online, but the traditional learning of visual art has been limited with a lack of materials and the inability to socially distance. Across the country, schools strangled by budget cuts dismantled their arts departments while emphasizing their core subjects.

Creating art is a highly interactive process, and we can’t look past the negative impact imposed by the virtual format of classes. Additionally, safely maneuvering in a studio is an important skill in the world of visual art; this practice was lost during the pandemic. Tufts’ initial COVID-19 restrictions also forced campus musical groups to find new methods of performance, or to stop performing altogether.

Even though The Painters Society is a visual art club, the intention behind the group is to amplify and connect student voices, according to McCarthy. The group reached out to multiple Tufts student bands to showcase their work.

In a message to the Daily, McCarthy reflected on this decision, writing about the importance of intersecting “their interests and talents” in the event. McCarthy exemplifies this in her studies at the SMFA, where she incorporates her interests in environmental studies and environmental justice into her artwork. This highlights the integrative and collaborative approach that McCarthy feels the art space at Tufts spotlights.

McCarthy also talked about the positive effect including student bands in the event had, noting how they “drew in a lot of people who might not have otherwise come to a gallery show,” and how it was an exciting way to expose both musicians and artists to the others’ work, truly making this a multidisciplinary event.

COURTESY MARISA MCCARTHY

One band featured at the gallery night was Shooting Blanks, a cover band at Tufts that consists of sophomore Vince Kihaa on guitar and seniors Henry Kates on the drums, John Pender on guitar, Zach Lowenstein on cello and bass, and Mitch Brown as the lead vocalist. The band formed in the beginning of the fall 2022 semester, and — as a newly formed group — have found it difficult to find gigs. The Painters Society event was a great way to continue putting their name out there and express themselves through music.

The Painters Society is a club that truly wants to bridge the lack of community between student artists at Tufts. McCarthy remarked that her goal for the group was to create a community and space on campus where “students can share their work and collaborate freely.”

The group hopes to build on this momentum, with the end goal of hosting regularly occurring art sales and gallery nights around campus as well as branching out to collaborate with other student groups.

Several of the artistic offerings at The Painters Society’s gallery night are pictured.

Whale’ and the brendan Fraser

by Andrés F. Arévalo

Contributing Writer

Content warning: This article contains frequent references to suicide and eating disorders.

Despite its overwhelming praise and it being almost two months after its original release date, there is absolutely no platform to stream “The Whale” (2022). Trust me, I’ve looked for it. If you search for it, you’ll only find sketchy websites with popup ads and hyperlinks that’ll send you to “how to be a billionaire in a week” videos. But I really wanted to see what all the talk was about — the six-minute standing ovation at Venice International Film Festival, the many nominations and awards, as well as the social media trend: “Brendan Fraser Renaissance” — so I caved in and bought the viciously overpriced ticket to watch it at the closest AMC.

“The Whale” is an A24 film about the last days of Charlie (Brendan Fraser), an online college professor who is obese. Almost 17 years before the time setting of the film, Charlie married Mary (Samantha Morton) and they had a daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink). However, Charlie was gay, and when Ellie was 8 years old, he left his family to be with Alan, one of his students and a member of a Catholic religious group. When Alan gets kicked out of the group and disowned by his family due to his sexuality, he falls into depression that results in him taking his own life. Charlie then puts upon himself not being able to save Alan and abandoning his family, especially since Mary won’t ever let him see or talk to Ellie. Charlie falls into a vicious cycle of guilt and depression, and develops an eating disorder to cope with his suffering.

“The Whale” is a portrait of pain. The viewer is shown the many facets of affliction that the overwhelming pressure of guilt and regret create. Throughout the film, Charlie’s health affects every part of his daily life, from walking to going to the bathroom. The film portrays what it’s like to live with an eating disorder, and the imbalance that it brings. Charlie’s struggles reflect the truth of living with an illness: There is no straight line to recovery. He continually relapses into overeating throughout the film, not magically getting better. We see him cry, joke, smile and against all odds, stay positive and try to make a good impact on his students and his estranged daughter.

Part of the great success of this film comes from the impeccable writing of Samuel D. Hunter. The structure of the plot is clean and coherent, allowing strong characters with meaningful backgrounds to develop. The dialogue is simple but impactful, which makes the scenes build up tension towards

resolutions and advancements of the plot. The screenplay uses literary devices, like several callbacks and metaphors to add layers to the story. Hunter manages to excel in written techniques that are often difficult, like using flashbacks and including contemporary technological elements like online learning in an artistic style.

It is also imperative to mention the great work of director Darren Aronofsky and the film’s design team. From its color scheme to the use of symmetrical shots, the visual aspects of this film can not only be considered beautiful, but also work as a whole towards the tone and impression of the movie as a piece of art. The team also did an extraordinary job of turning a single-set picture into a dynamic and shifting scenery that never bores. Finally, it would be ridiculous to not note the brilliance of the prosthetic team, which worked arduously with the latest technology to create a depiction of an obese man that stays true to reality. While the use of prosthesis has been culturally questioned (why cast a skinny actor in the first place?), the design talent cannot be debated.

Nonetheless, what brings the movie together is the supreme acting of Brendan Fraser. Unless you’re a “The Mummy” (1999) fan, you probably have not heard that name for a long time. However, he has broken back onto the scene after several years of diminished celebrity status by taking complete advantage of the role he landed with this film. Fraser demonstrated his acting range with an extreme portrayal of feelings, especially through his facial movements. The dialogue came naturally to him, and with his delivery the true beauty of Hunter’s writing grew. Fraser’s representation of this illness and vicious suffering is exceptionally believable, immersing the viewer completely into the story. His acting makes the audience care. At times, he would be carrying hundreds of pounds of prosthetics, so his ability to deliver that performance speaks to his capacity as an actor and an artist. Brendan Fraser has shown his timeless talent, and makes us all hope to keep seeing him on the big screen.

Needless to say, the overpriced movie ticket was certainly worth it.

Queeries Saba S. and Jack Clohisy

Presence vs. representation

Hello to all our queers, peers, queer peers, etc. Queeries is coming right back at you again for the spring 2023 semester. Similarly to last fall, we’ll be discussing anything and everything queer. We’re here, we’re queer and we’re here to spread all the love and joy. Please enjoy our iterations this semester.

In the past decade, the media portrayal of the queer community has redirected from negative characterization, which reflected the societal intolerance of LGBTQ+ individuals, to mass representation and advocacy for queer individuals. Media exposure has also boomed, with higher levels of media holding productive conversations surrounding LGBTQ+ individuals and shutting down the negative stereotypes we’ve been exposed to for so long.

David Dobkin’s film “Wedding Crashers” (2005) depicts gay men as predatory and creepy as they try to exploit Vince Vaughn’s character, a straight, white, cisgender man. While this film can be described as a tender comedy, this singular scene of ‘entertaining’ homophobia breaks it for us. This scene would have immediately been vetoed in 2022. Not only does this perpetuate the harmful stereotype that gay men are sexually promiscuous, but it creates a damaging effect on the idea of queerness in society. It helps stop LGBTQ+ progress and helps promote the idea that gay men can not help themselves. These are the stereotypes that formed a conflict between homosexuals and heterosexuals during the AIDS epidemic, and promote division, not acceptance.

We even see instances of homophobia in Roger Kumble’s “Cruel Intentions” (1999). This movie encapsulates the life of pretentious, rich American teenagers in New York City. Sebastian (Ryan Phillippe) needs information from closeted football player Greg (Eric Mabius). Sebastian convinces his gay friend Blaine (Joshua Jackson) to let him take a picture of the two in a promiscuous position and uses it to manipulate Greg to help him ‘get the girl.’ This scene promotes and normalizes the internalized homophobia and shame that comes with being queer. Though subtle, it is quite traumatizing to young minds who are starting to question who they might be and view it as wrong.

As a society, we have grown so far from this form of damaging representation and have created a more cultivating form of media for queer individuals. There is still much improvement to be had, and while representation in the queer community is built on intersecting identities, the vilification of queer people in movies like “Wedding Crashers” and “Cruel Intentions” detracts from and dehumanizes queer people. Richer narratives that breathe life into queer stories of love, joy and celebration can reclaim queer narratives and introduce heterosexual audiences to a broader taste of all the emotions and experiences queer people have to offer.

‘The

‘renaissance’

VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Brendan Fraser, star of “The Whale” (2022), is pictured.

Saba S. is a columnist at the Daily. Jack Clohisy is a senior studying computer science and cognitive and brain science. Jack can be reached at jack.clohisy@ tufts.edu.

Fun & Games

Last Week’s Solutions

KILLER SUDOKU

CREATED BY ANUSHKA SINGH

LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY

Meghna: “We’re playing against a team called Balls Deep on Friday.” Alex: “Bro what.”

MISSED CONNECTIONS

You: a Tufts football player Me: the person right in front of you, wondering if you’re doing okay. When: Wednesday February 1, 2023. Where: Core Power Yoga on Mystic Ave.

You: Giving off body odor while lifting. Me: Suffering next to you but glad that no one will be able to tell if I sweat. When: Peak hours Where: The gym.

Difficulty Level: Truth tables

CROSSWORD - CREATED BY LUCAS CHUA

Rules: In addition to normal sudoku rules, the numbers in each group must add up to the number in the upper-left corner

by Talia Wilcox Staff Writer

Content warning: This article briefly mentions gun violence.

A new year often brings good things — Beyoncé kicked off her world tour, “Wednesday” got renewed on Netflix — but 2023 has also brought the most mass shootings to date of any year. Three of these deadly shootings occurred in California within 44 hours. Opponents of legislation aimed at preventing gun violence characterize mass shootings as carried out by young, often white, mentally ill men. Conservative media outlets like Fox News continuously highlight the prominent role of mental illness as a causative factor in mass shootings, even when experts have determined that theory false; when a community is in crisis, it feels good to unite against a common enemy which, at times, is not present or does not even exist. Yet perhaps that focus is misleading. The common

VIEWPOINT

Gun control: Are we making progress?

denominator in mass shootings is the prevalence of guns and scarcity of laws supporting gun control. We must advocate in all 50 states for stricter gun laws in order to overcome this epidemic of gun violence.

California has the strictest gun laws in the country. California’s lower rate of mass shootings and first place ranking for gun safety in 2021 are admirable compared to other states. Yet, clearly, it is not enough.

In a press conference on Feb. 1, Gov. Gavin Newsom said, “In California, we’ve passed common sense gun safety laws and they work: we have a 37% lower gun death rate than the national average. We’re doubling down on gun safety and strengthening our public carry law to protect it from radical Republican attacks.”

These discussions of concealed carry regulations have come to the forefront after the Supreme Court struck down

New York’s strict concealed carry laws in 2022. Gov. Newsom, along with Attorney General Rob Bonta and state Sen. Anthony Portantino have sponsored legislation further restricting gun laws in California. Currently known as Senate Bill 2, this legislation moves to update the existing concealed carry licensing law, set the minimum licensing age to 21, mandate stricter gun storage and training requirements and prohibit concealed carry in certain public areas. While this action is commendable and necessary, the ability to buy guns in nearby states will limit the scope of its effectiveness if we cannot strengthen gun laws in the other 49 states.

At the federal level, President Joe Biden has taken the first major steps to prevent gun violence since the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban, which expired in 2004. In addition to the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, Biden has enacted multiple executive

VIEWPOINT

actions, including regulating production of ghost guns, educational campaigns about the safety of gun locks and closing loopholes that allow the sale of pistols with stabilizing braces. However, Congress has yet to make any real progress on passing federal gun control. Republicans’ refusal to compromise on gun legislation further politicizes this issue; partisan news sources have spouted disinformation on gun laws and portrayed them as a means for Democrats to take away all guns. This dangerous rhetoric perpetuates voting against gun safety legislation. Furthermore, the filibuster is creating a space for Republicans to again prevent progress on gun violence prevention bills brought to the floor of the chamber. In order to enact stronger gun laws in states beyond California, activists and nonactivists alike need to separate party politics from an issue that is at its center a health and violence crisis.

As we continue to see communities of all ethnicities ravaged by gun violence, it is clear that the issue is guns. While the mental health crisis is real and deserving of attention, in order to combat the epidemic of gun violence, we must address the clear problem: High numbers of guns are easily accessible. All 50 states need to pass and enforce strict gun laws if we are going to see any change in the violence laid out in our daily news.

As a college student and a new voter, I recognize that voting is the primary tool of advocacy. With the 2024 presidential election coming up, now is the time to become politically active and ensure we endorse candidates who support gun violence prevention legislation, both in Massachusetts and across the country. The tightening of already strict gun regulations in California is a model starting point. Advocating for tighter federal gun regulations needs to be the next step in our journey to stop gun violence.

Post-‘zero-COVID’ economic recovery and the problems facing China

by Linda Huang Staff Writer

Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, China’s economy incurred consistent downward economic trends as a result of President Xi Jinping’s stringent “zero-COVID” policy. Many foreign firms considered leaving China, factory activities were severely reduced, workers were laid off and the entire economy only saw a mere 3% growth during the entire year of 2022 — the second slowest growth rate since 1976. However, with the abandonment of the “zeroCOVID” policy and the recent reopening of the country in the final months of 2022, China has made various attempts to revitalize its lackluster economy and return to its pre-pandemic economy.

The People’s Bank of China has adjusted many aspects of its expansionary monetary policy in the hopes of injecting more money into the economy through boosting consumption. For instance, China announced

a cut in its reserve ratio last November, which allowed more funds to be loaned out and in turn increased the money in circulation and lowered the interest rate for loans, thereby incentivizing more firms to invest and increasing production. This is especially beneficial in China’s situation; amid stringent COVID-19 regulations that forced many firms to shut down, this increase in production will reinstall a certain level of nominal output. Moreover, the reduced costs of borrowing as a result of an increase in money supply may stimulate consumption among households. This would incentivize those in the ailing sectors to take out more loans, such as mortgages to purchase new housing, thus revitalizing economic activities. Traditional economics would suggest that this is particularly beneficial during times of economic downturn like what China is experiencing right now, where credit markets are tight and businesses and households struggle to access loans.

While Xi expressed in his New Year’s address in December 2022 that China’s economy exhibits “strong resilience, tremendous potential and great vitality,” pragmatic concerns facing China suggest that recovery may not come as easily as expected by Chinese economic analysts. While monetary measures that boost consumption would be efficacious in theory, they may not necessarily lead to sustained economic growth. It will be difficult to bring up consumption after the general public was forced into three years of tight savings due to sluggish economic growth caused by the “zeroCOVID” policy. Consecutive years of lowered income have made consumers more riskaverse; they are highly skeptical with their purchases and less inclined to buy at a pre-pandemic rate. Moreover, the years-long “zero-COVID” policy caused tremendous harm to the factors of production needed for real economic growth. Due to forced lockdowns, many supply chains were disrupted,

thus reducing the efficiency of the manufacturing sector and in turn reducing production capacity — a crucial variable that represents the economy’s highest potential output. To fully increase real gross domestic product and restore China’s pre-COVID-19 output levels, the Chinese government must go beyond implementing expansionary monetary policies such as reserve ratio cuts and switch gears to focusing on the enhancement of factors of production, such as labor, human and physical capital and technology. This will bring out long-term growth and truly allow the Chinese economy to recover.

The most arduous task, however, is rebounding back to pre-pandemic foreign investment levels and restoring high levels of external demand, both of which fell short during the pandemic. Facing temporary shutdowns, which the local government often imposed as a “zero-COVID” protocol, foreign firms suffered detrimental loss-

es and thus eventually shifted investment focus to Southeast Asia. While it is relatively easier to implement efforts to stimulate internal demand and domestic consumption, China needs to cultivate high levels of confidence and increase expectations in order to re-attract foreign investors to the market. Nevertheless, the recent opening still marks a hopeful start for economic recovery. With the removal of its draconian travel restrictions for international travelers, which required a week of hotel quarantine followed by three more days of home quarantine, China expects its airlines’ profitability to soar. This is also a positive sign for the Chinese tourism industry, which constituted a huge portion of China’s service sector revenue prior to 2020. Although rapid economic growth may not occur in the immediate aftermath of the reopening, China has been taking important preliminary steps that are necessary for it to eventually bounce back to its pre-pandemic economy.

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

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Daniel Chung

The end of the World Has Just Begun

From fistfights to more?

In the waning weeks of 2022, a video circulated online of Chinese and Indian troops stationed in the Himalayas engaging one another with sticks as weapons. The clash happened near the Line of Actual Control in Arunachal Pradesh, part of the disputed territory between the two states. Although this belligerent behavior seems par for the course, combined with other recent foreign policy moves by the Chinese government, the clashes in the Himalayas actually highlight a potential new or refocused strategy for China.

The recent spy balloon incident, along with the increased U.S. military presence in the Philippines, demonstrate tension between the United States and China, but prior to this, the Chinese government had pivoted to a new posture indicating a potential thaw in relations. Specifically, after President Biden signed an executive order that “kneecapped” China’s semiconductor industry, the Chinese government seemed to shift to a charm offensive involving cordial meetings with foreign political and business leaders, signaling the prioritization of pragmatic self-preservation over ambitious foreign policy.

As part of Beijing’s foreign policy reset, China seems — or seemed — more set on obtaining security without causing an international crisis, which would almost certainly have happened if it had kept up its behavior vis-a-vis the United States and Taiwan. Upping tensions with India may prove to serve more obtainable and important shortterm Chinese objectives compared to seizing Taiwan. With Chinese rivers drying up, there are substantial strategic reasons to seize control of the Himalayas’ water basin, which is home to vital rivers. There are also broader security concerns — the Himalayas lie in the Chinese trade route to South Asia and the Middle East, while India has been concerned about Chinese encirclement ever since Belt and Road Initiative infrastructure projects came to the center stage of Chinese foreign policy.

As China already had territorial claims to parts of the region that conflict with Indian claims, and a victory over India in a military contest would cement its regional status further, there is reason to fear that China will go to war over the Himalayas, taking on a military enemy more on their level than the United States. China has not fought a major war since the 1970s, and as they ease their pressure on Taiwan, this would be a chance to shore up nationalism at home. The United States, in addition, would be far less likely to come to India’s aid than Taiwan’s, given their historically undeveloped strategic partnership, which makes the Himalayas a more enticing target for China in the near term.

There may be reason to hope against a potential conflict, however. On top of backing away from the brink with the United States, China has also signed deals with Saudi Arabia and Qatar for oil as U.S. relations with those states sour. In the context of those energy deals, the threat of war with India may simply suffice to buy leverage to prevent the interdiction of Chinese vessels passing into the Middle East. Nonetheless, as top Indian officials issue warnings about the potential for further escalations in the near future, the Himalayas remain a primary spot where geopolitical conflict could erupt within the next few years.

by Justin Hong Staff Writer

Let’s be smart about regulating AI

Massachusetts is a leader in higher education and scientific discovery, as some of the world’s most prestigious universities and research labs are located in Greater Boston. Companies like Boston Dynamics have been on the forefront of artificial intelligence development since its inception and have been continuously pushing the boundaries of science. Boston’s dominance in the technology world must be coupled with a leading role in responsible use and growth of AI.

The AI most people are familiar with may look like a Tesla car or a Boston Dynamics robot, but the reality is far from the futuristic sci-fi world we see on the silver screen. AI algorithms are everywhere and are making important life decisions for people across the country. The use of AI in fintech, for example, has led to discrimination in consumer lending with people of color having significantly higher mortgage rates compared to their white counterparts. This is but one example of the ways that AI algorithms can perpetuate systemic racism. These very same algorithms are used by the police and government institutions at various levels.

This issue is far from new, but legislators are only now taking notice. Rep. Ted

Lieu, D-Calif., introduced the first piece of federal legislation written by AI in late January. His introduction of House Res. 66, which advocates for an increased focus on AI from the U.S. House, was largely symbolic, but it represents a sea change in Congress. Closer to home, Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., gave a speech on the floor of the House written by ChatGPT.

Meanwhile, here in Massachusetts, state Sen. Barry Finegold, D-Second Essex and Middlesex, introduced the first bill written using AI. Clearly, the political will is there. With a Republican-held House and AI proposals being introduced solely by Democrats, there is little chance for substantive policy on AI for now. However, individual states can — and must — step up and act where Congress cannot.

Here in Massachusetts, the election of a new attorney general, Andrea Campbell, presents an opportunity to lead. The adoption of Sen. Finegold’s bill would grant her office extensive regulatory and oversight powers over AI through algorithmic auditing and by implementing the proper enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance. While the bill provides an excellent framework, it fails to regulate most algorithms since it is narrowly focused on only “generative artificial intelligence models.” In other words, it centers on platforms like ChatGPT that produce

s CIeNCe

something when prompted. While legislators are almost exclusively focused on ChatGPT, we must go further to regulate all forms of AI algorithms.

To do this, Massachusetts should establish a new independent agency to regulate technological platforms. The current regulatory framework is far too narrow, and the state legislature is far too clunky and lacking in expertise to successfully regulate AI. A new agency made up of experts will be savvy enough to make recommendations to the legislature and the governor, while also having the appropriate rulemaking ability. While the structure of this agency can and should be debated, the importance of such an agency cannot be understated.

AI technology may explode over the next few years, or it may not. We cannot possibly predict the future, but that is why an independent agency is critically important. Twenty years ago, cell phones were little more than devices that could send and receive messages and calls, but today, they’re pocket-sized supercomputers with enough processing power to send someone to the moon.

No other state is better positioned to address this issue than Massachusetts. It is high time that Massachusetts reclaims its mantel as a “city on a hill,” so Beacon Hill must act when Capitol Hill cannot.

bite- size s cience: First Indigenous woman in space inspires future generations

by Taylor Escudero Contributing Writer

On Oct. 5, 2022, Nicole Mann became the first Native American woman to launch into space. Born in Petaluma, Calif., Mann is a member of the Wailacki of the Round Valley Indian Tribes. Her astronaut career began at the United States Naval Academy where she studied mechanical engineering and went on to earn a master’s degree from Stanford University. In 2013, Mann was selected

for NASA’s 21st astronaut class, where she underwent extensive training in International Space Station Systems, robotics, spacewalks and much more. Last fall, Mann launched from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center in the Dragon Endurance Spacecraft as SpaceX’s first woman commander. This endeavor took her and her crew to the International Space Station, where, on Jan. 20, 2023, Mann became the first Indigenous woman to venture out on a spacewalk to prep the ISS for more solar panels.

Mann hopes her extraordinary accomplishments will encourage today’s young scientists to follow their scientific ambitions with perseverance and tenacity.

“These young women, maybe Natives, maybe people from different backgrounds that realize that they have these opportunities and [that] potentially these barriers that used to be there are starting to be broken down,” she said in an interview with NPR. “And so hopefully that will inspire that younger generation.”

bite- size s cience: New Fda proposal eases blood donation restrictions for gay and bisexual men

by Khushi Jain Contributing Writer

Donating blood — it’s a simple act that can save a life, or several. Yet, current Food and Drug Administration regulations require that gay and bisexual men only donate blood under the condition that they have not engaged in sexual intercourse with another man for the past three months. This restriction, a product of the 1980s AIDS crisis, precedes the widespread research and education regarding the AIDS and HIV now available. This outdated policy has drastically reduced the amount of possible blood donors across the United States, along with the number of possible lives that could be saved.

In January, a series of new draft recommendations released by the FDA proposed a shift from time-based restrictions to alternative donor defer-

ral policies using gender-inclusive, individualized questions to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted HIV. This is a groundbreaking step in the right direction, as these proposals not only aim to foster inclusivity but also address a need for more blood. The United States has been experiencing its worst blood shortage in over a decade, and there are people desperately in need of transfusions to survive.

The FDA has also implemented rules stating that those who are currently on medication to prevent HIV or those who have recently had sex in exchange for money or drugs would be subject to the three-month deferral period. This restriction is in an effort to protect the quality of blood in the United States, regardless of sexual or gender orientation. Still, this new proposal would have a significant impact on the shortages in blood supply in

the United States. Projected statistics show that if the blood donor bans were lifted for gay and bisexual men, the annual blood supply would expand by 345,400–615,300 pints of blood.

The FDA is expected to make their final decision following a 60-day public comment period. Many argue that this new proposal, more than 40 years in the making for LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations and other public health institutions, does not go far enough. Some believe that these restrictions still promote an unnecessary stigma against those taking PrEP medication to prevent HIV and that the blood supply shortage does not stem from HIV-infected blood but rather a lack of donors in the first place. After all, the blood-supply crisis in the United States isn’t about the quality of the blood — it’s the fact that there simply isn’t enough of it.

Daniel Chung is a sophomore studying international relations. Daniel can be reached at daniel.chung@tufts.edu.

Men’s track and field continues success heading into end of indoor season

Timothy Valk

The Wraparound Rebrand needed for NHL All-Star Game

If you didn’t tune into the 2023 NHL All-Star Weekend, hosted Friday and Saturday in Sunrise, Fla., you missed seeing Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner dress up as Miami Vice’s Sonny Crockett on a breakaway challenge, the hard-nosed Tkachuk brothers perform a beach-themed on-ice skit and the “Great 8” Alex Ovechkin’s 4-yearold son, Sergei, offer a glimpse into his hockey future.

Other than that, you did not miss much.

Yes, as the above snapshot depicts, All-Star Weekend — once a fun way to showcase the top athletes on skates to viewers who don’t normally get to watch them play — has turned into a gimmicky weekend of activities with zero buy-in from players. Despite the chance to promote the game on a rare non-football weekend, the NHL failed to captivate a new audience.

Friday’s skills competition was creative but goofy. Meaningful contests like “hardest shot” and “fastest skater” were lost in the shuffle of the breakaway skit circustry and other thematic acts that felt like time fillers. Sponsors and fans left their seats in under an hour.

by Keila McCabe Senior Staff Writer

Men’s track and field took first place out of nine teams at the Tufts Cupid Challenge hosted in Gantcher this past weekend. The team has tallied two other first place finishes in its indoor track season thus far. Coming off a strong 2022 season, junior thrower Petey Lemmon spoke to high standards for Tufts track and field.

“We won NESCAC last year, so we’re trying to keep up that sort of standard of success,” Lemmon said. “So we have a lot of high expectations, but I think we’ve been meeting them pretty well. At least on the thrower side of things, a lot of people have been progressing in the right way. Most of our PRs are better than they were last year.”

Lemmon’s sentiments could be clearly seen this past weekend, with many members of the team grabbing first place finishes and personal bests. Highlights from the Cupid Challenge include firstyear Cullen McCaleb’s personal best of 8:33.37 in the 3,000-meter race. Junior Luke Botsford took first in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.59 and second in the 400 with a time of 50.76. Junior Jackson O’Toole added another victory to the tally for the Jumbos in the 1,000meter race with a personal-best time of

2:32.39. The Tufts “A” team, composed of McCaleb, O’Toole, first-year Will Cusato and junior Ryan Proulx ran a 8:08.47 for a first-place finish in the 4×800 relay. One more top finish came from senior Drew Svoboda, who recorded a season-best 6.92 meters in the long jump. These top finishes, along with a handful of high finishes for the men’s team, earned them 158 total points. Amherst College trailed close behind with 147.50 points, and MIT came in third with 120.

Successes across the board can in part be attributed to the remarkable focus and drive from the entire team, Lemmon shared.

“The track team is, I would say, a very large body of people,” Lemmon said. “And it’s usually pretty hard to have everyone moving toward the same direction with the same sort of vigor. But everyone who you talk to, … almost everyone from top to bottom, they take track as seriously as they can, and they do everything they can to get better [and] do their best.”

Given the size of the team, which currently has a roster of 75 for the men, junior mid-distance and distance runner David Manning shared the importance of supporting each other.

“It’s a big team across both the men’s and women’s side, so it’s just important to make sure that we get to know every-

one and that while we’re at the meet, we cheer for all events,” Manning said. “We’re constantly involved in making sure that every event group knows that they play an important part [in] scoring, so we can win every meet.”

As the team reaches the homestretch of the indoor season, eyes are set on the Division III New England Championships and the National Qualifying Meet. Lemmon talked about the steps taken to ready themselves for the upcoming competitions.

“A lot of the event groups right now are in the peak of their lifting or just work schedule,” Lemmon said. “At least for throwers, our lifting program is really heavy this week, and then next week, we start getting lighter. From what I’ve been hearing from a lot of the sprint team, their workouts have been pretty hard during these last two weeks. But I think they’re about to have a lighter load as well in preparation for New Englands.”

Specifically in reference to Division III New Englands, one of the team’s biggest indoor meets of the season, Manning shared the team’s aspirations.

“Hopefully we can show the other New England teams that we’re one of the best, if not the best. [It’s] definitely gonna be tough to beat MIT.”

The team travels a short distance into the city this weekend for a meet full of

Saturday’s All-Star Game consisted of, yes, hockey, but hockey unlike any that’s played in actual NHL games. Whether it was botched 2-on-0s or sloppy passing across the rink, it was blatantly obvious that the players would rather be spending the week off at home with their families rather than traveling to Florida to exert themselves or risk injury.

It doesn’t have to be this way. The AllStar Game used to be fun for fans and players, after all. Could we see a switch back to the “captain” format, where mini all-star teams are drafted? What about something so ludicrous that it’s a laugh, like goaltenders as skaters and skaters in net? If the NHL wants to save the tradition of All-Star Weekend, they must improve the current format.

A few thoughts from around the league as the break comes to a close:

1. Release the Kraken! How about the NHL’s newest franchise? After a disappointing inaugural season (with expectations absurdly high due to the success of the Vegas Golden Knights), Seattle is sitting pretty in second place in the Pacific Division.

2. While most teams were hibernating during the off-week, the New York Islanders and GM Lou Lamiorello were not, executing a trade for Canucks captain Bo Horvat. The Isles needed more scoring, and Horvat — who signed an eight-year extension shortly after the trade — gives them that.

3. The loser’s race for Connor Bedard is on. If Commissioner Gary Bettman claims that teams don’t tank, he must not be watching the Blue Jackets, Blackhawks and Ducks who all have sub-.400 point win percentages. It’s hard to blame them. Bedard is the best prospect since McDavid, and he may be even better.

Enjoy this week’s slate of games!

BOWIE BELLO / THE TUFTS DAILY

Tufts track and field competes in the Tufts Cupid Invitational at Gantcher Center on Feb. 4.

Timothy Valk is a sophomore studying quantitative economics. Timothy can be reached at timothy.valk@tufts.edu.

Bharat Singh

The Final Whistle

A renaissance in Naples

While most will remember Diego Maradona in the iconic sky blue and white of Argentina, some might recall his time in Italy, where the Argentine magician wore a darker shade of blue. A symbol of hope for a suffering city, Maradona brought life to Naples, taking Napoli from near relegation to its first-ever Scudetto in 1987 and adding another in 1990. In the post-Maradona era, however, Italian football slipped back into its usual three-horse race between Juventus and the two great Milan clubs. Since 2002, only these three sides have shared the glory of Italian football, a period which included eight consecutive titles for Juventus. This season, however, the familiar script of Italian football has taken an unexpected twist with the renaissance of Napoli.

Napoli has had one of the best starts to a Serie A campaign in its history, 13 points clear at the top. The title is all but guaranteed; a new Italian champion will be crowned. But how did this team from Naples topple the sporting monopoly of the big three? The answer lies in their recruitment policy, playing style and experienced managerial leadership.

Last summer, many of Napoli’s star players left the club. Veteran wingers Lorenzo Insigne and Dries Mertens, 31 and 35 respectively, were top of this list. The club’s outstanding center back Kalidou Koulibaly followed with a move to Chelsea and 26-year-old Spanish midfielder Fabian Ruiz joined Paris SaintGermain. The squad had lost the core that helped Napoli finish third last season. Their replacements weren’t the stars the fans wanted. Korean defender Kim Min-jae was brought in from Turkish side Fenerbahçe while a young winger named Khvicha Kvaratskheila was bought from Dinamo Batumi. It was clear that manager Luciano Spaletti was focused on the profile of his signings rather than their commercial value, an aspect of modern transfers that is almost never ignored. All in all, the squad’s average age fell and their wage bill was cut by 27%.

At the halfway point of the season, Kvaratskheila has become one of the most effective attackers in world football. His two-footed ability, directness and explosive speed has formed a dangerous strike partnership with Vitkor Osimen; the pair scored 24 goals this season. Osimen’s 16 goals top the Serie A charts while Kvara leads the assist tally with 9. Spaletti’s 4-3-3 system functions less on traditional positioning and more on adaptability. The midfielders, particularly Zielinski and Anguissa, patrol both ends of the field, sometimes helping progress the ball from deep in possession while also penetrating space left in behind Osimen. Kvara’s opposite winger is Hirving Lozano. The Mexican forward lacks consistent finishing but is extremely quick and an important asset despite rotating regularly with Matteo Politano. Kvara has been given the nickname Kvaradona, an homage to Maradona, as many see him as the crux of this young team and perhaps an emerging dynasty. With the league all but wrapped up, Napoli can now focus on the Champions League. Having topped their group, which included Liverpool and Ajax, Spaletti’s side will now face Eintracht Frankfurt in the round of 16 and, in current form, should get past the German side. A deep run in the tournament would cap off the fairytale season in style. As of now, every team in Europe should fear Napoli.

Bharat Singh is a sophomore studying international relations. Bharat can be reached at bharat.singh@tufts.edu.

Women’s basketball freezes opponents, increases win streak to 4

by Keriann Slayton Staff Writer

Despite record-low temperatures outside, Tufts women’s basketball stayed hot on the courts in Maine, securing two road victories over conference opponents Colby and Bowdoin. The Jumbos returned from the trip on a four-game winning streak, building crucial momentum as the end of regular season approaches and they gear up for NESCAC tournament play.

Travel delays on Friday due to extreme cold weather caused the contest against the Mules to start late, and the Jumbos’ offense seemed to be running behind as well. Junior forward Maggie Russell, a key scorer, did not notch a single point for the entire first half, but she broke out in a big way during the final quarter, scoring 14 points after her team entered the period trailing by one.

“The setting was a little different from what we’re used to,” sophomore forward Caitlyn O’Boyle said. “There were not a lot of fans in the gym. It was really cold. … There were a lot of different aspects of that game that just shook us up a bit, … but once we got used to it, we got into a better flow and just went off from there.”

A scrappy defensive showing allowed the Jumbos to remain competitive, forcing

20 turnovers while the offense gradually warmed up. Junior Hannah Kelly and sophomore Sofia Gonzalez both put up 12 points against the Mules, and Russell’s monster fourth quarter propelled the team to its third straight win, with a score of 59–53.

“If we weren’t hitting shots on offense, we knew that we had to make up for it on defense if we wanted to stay in the game, … and that’s what we did,” O’Boyle said.

Tufts hit the icy roadway once again on Saturday, traveling to Bowdoin for an afternoon matchup. The momentum from the win at Colby led to a much more explosive showing on offense against Bowdoin.

“After the game before, we realized that if we want to win games … by larger amounts, then we can’t get ourselves into holes like we did the day before,” O’Boyle said.

The offense effectively executed the adjustments and dominated in the finale of the weekend against the Polar Bears. Gonzales headed the charge with 23 points, and Russell tallied a careerhigh 21 rebounds and an additional 17 points. Tufts led by as many as 12 points throughout the game, ultimately toppling Bowdoin 66–54.

Russell’s late-game fireworks in Maine earned her NESCAC Player of the Week

honors for the third time this season. Her double-double against the Polar Bears solidified her position as the No. 2 player in the conference for rebounds, averaging 10.9 points per game.

Two tough contests stand between the Jumbos and the No. 1 seed in the conference as Tufts prepares to face Wesleyan and Trinity this upcoming weekend. Tufts and Trinity are currently tied at the top of the NESCAC rankings, and the privilege of hosting the conference tournament is on the line.

“We’re focusing on the next step; we’re not looking too far in advance,” said O’Boyle. “We’re not thinking about the championship. … We’re taking it slow, practice by practice, game by game.”

Behind-the-scenes strategies contributed greatly to the Jumbos’ recent string of wins, and the focus on mentality and team chemistry will remain a priority as NESCAC play approaches.

“We always talk about our attitude. … We do quotes before every practice,” O’Boyle said. “If we just keep our spirits and our mentality up, the basketball will just come.”

Tufts takes on Wesleyan on Friday at 7 p.m. and Trinity on Saturday at 3 p.m. in Cousens Gymnasium for the final games of the regular season.

KIANA VALLO / THE TUFTS DAILY

The Tufts women’s basketball team is pictured on Jan. 31, 2022.