The Tufts Daily - Wednesday, March 24, 2021

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VOLUME LXXXI, ISSUE 31

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Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Educating for American Democracy initiative releases roadmap to strengthen civic education

by Ria Agarwal

Assistant News Editor

A team of 300 civic leaders and scholars involved in the Educating for American Democracy initiative, an unprecedented effort to improve and advise history and civics classes at all grade levels nationwide, recently released a roadmap and report of their findings. The materials aim to strengthen the nation’s civic education and create civically-engaged citizens during this period of heightened political polarization and inequality.

The EAD project report was authored by the initiative’s executive committee, which includes scholars from various universities and organizations, including Kei KawashimaGinsberg and Peter Levine of Tufts. Kawashima-Ginsberg is the director of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life and Levine is the associate dean of academic affairs and the Lincoln Filene professor of citizenship and public affairs at Tisch College.

Tr u m b u l l Pr o f e s s o r of American History and Pforzheimer Foundation Director at Harvard University Jane Kamensky, who is also on the executive committee with Kawashima-Ginsberg and Levine, outlined multiple indications of the United States’ failing civic education standards in a livestreamed EAD national forum.

“One indicator is that the 2018 Napes civics exam shows that less than a quarter of eighth-graders scored proficient or above in civics and that the

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West Hall is pictured reflected on the door to Tisch College at Barnum Hall on Feb. 21, 2020. history results were even worse: only 15% as proficient or above,” Kamensky said.

She added that a further issue with civic education in the United States is the lack of investment.

“We now invest about $50 a student each year in the important STEM fields, yet only five cents per student per year on civics,” Kamensky said.

As a result, Kamensky highlighted how the current citizenry and electorate are poorly prepared to understand, appreciate and effectively engage in the

country’s demanding form of self-government.

In response to these failing standards, the roadmap aims to strengthen the civic education of the United States and offers guidance for educators, scholars and legislators to effectively teach civics.

The roadmap contains seven themes, including “civic participation,” “we the people,” “a new government and constitution” and “a people in the world.”

Each of these themes consists of overarching questions and key concepts divided by grade level.

The roadmap is not a curriculum but an advisory framework with content guidance and educational strategies to help state and city governments improve civic education.

Kawashima-Ginsberg explained how EAD’s work will be beneficial.

“The main purpose of EAD is to envision a more bold and comprehensive civic preparation of all students in the United States, so that they have all the knowledge skills and disposition necessary to effectively participate in a democratic society,”

Kawashima-Ginsberg wrote in an email to the Daily.

Louise Dubé, the executive director of iCivics and another member of the executive committee, echoed KawashimaGinsberg in the national forum.

“We want 60 million students to have access to high quality history and civic learning opportunities, a million educators to be EAD ready and 100,000 schools to be civic ready by 2030,” Dubé said.

Levine emphasized that, due to the decentralized nature of see DEMOCRACY, page 2

Somerville Human Rights Commission to spotlight immigrant restaurant owners in new project

by Jack Maniaci

Assistant News Editor

The Somerville Human Rights Commission is planning the production of a video documenting the experiences of the city’s immigrant restaurant owners. Work on the project, which is called the “Immigrant Stories Project,” began at the commission’s supplemental meeting on March 3. Members of the commission delivered an update during a regularly scheduled meeting on March 17.

“[The project] would like to celebrate the enrichments given to the community, from the diversity brought from immigrants … to highlight their own stories, their backgrounds, but also in order to achieve a better understanding of how we as a community, and especially specifically from the Human Rights Commission, can be supportive of their needs and their challenges,” Human Rights Commission commissioner Lara Versari said at the March 17 meeting.

Much of the project’s work so far has focused on composing letters to the immigrant business owners. Sidd Pattanayak, the member of the commission who ideated the project, has written a preliminary draft that includes questions for restaurant owners as well as directions for how to contribute to the project. The draft of the letter that will be sent to restaurant owners reflects the Commission’s commitment to sharing the stories of immigrant business owners.

“The Commission’s purpose is to work towards achieving mutual respect and understanding among all individuals and groups in the City of Somerville, including the improvement of quality of public discourse,” the draft reads.

Versari explained why this project is important to her.

“I am mostly interested in inclusion and protection of the rights of immigrants and other minority communities,” Versari said.

FEATURES / page 3

ARTS / page 4

OPINION / page 7

An abbreviated history of Carmichael Hall: Tufts’ beacon on the Hill

Lana Del Rey’s new album has charm but lacks charisma

Space travel to perpetuate inequities, if we aren’t careful

Michael Henson, one of the commissioners of the Human Rights Commission, echoed Versari and reaffirmed his dedication to supporting the immigrant communities.

The planned letter to immigrant business owners also reflects this passion, highlighting the Commission’s appreciation of Somerville’s diverse immigrant community.

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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Wednesday, March 24, 2021

THE TUFTS DAILY Megan Szostak Editor in Chief

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EAD roadmap caters to nationwide variations in civic education DEMOCRACY

continued from page 1 the American governments, it is difficult to come up with a onesize-fits-all approach to reach these goals.

“If you try to come up with one model, or one policy, it’s just not going to be adopted,” Levine said.

This explains why the EAD team did not build an in-depth curriculum or syllabus. According to Levine, the ideological, demographic and age diversity within schools

would mitigate the beneficial impacts of the civic education curriculum.

Appropriately, the roadmap consists of numerous ways to implement civic education nationwide.

“The logistics of the implementation include developing and supporting coordinated strategies at the local, state and tribal government levels while the Federal government invests in data infrastructure to make sure that students are getting high-quality civic learning

opportunities,” KawashimaGinsberg said.

She added that the EAD’s immediate goals include curating ready-to-use resources and exploring pilot projects so EAD can be implemented in real classrooms.

The EAD project team has been brainstorming methods to distribute and publicize the roadmap across the United States. Levine, for example, envisions sustained federal funding with select state and school districts as partners and

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textbook resources, but sees everyone working on something different.

“I’ve been working with McGraw Hill, the textbook publisher,” Levine said. “That is one place that I’m putting some of my attention, but not all of us would do the same.”

The EAD team ultimately hopes that teachers, students and government officials can embrace disagreement, inquiry and agency through the implementation of the civic education roadmap.

Subcommittee to be formed from Human Rights Commission to focus on next steps COMMISSION

continued from page 1 the restaurants in our city that offer so many diverse cuisines that originate from Europe to Asia to Africa to South America, and everywhere in between,” the draft reads. “And so many of these restaurants were started by immigrants who brought their native dishes from their home countries to America (and Somerville).”

The letter asks recipients to record footage of the insides and outsides of their restaurants, their favorite dishes being prepared or served and their responses to a series of questions listed. The questions ask owners to focus on the history of their restaurants, the cuisine they serve and the challenges they have faced during the pandemic. The questions also ask owners to reflect on how their businesses might “[contribute] to the diversity of Somerville.”

Aside from the “Immigrant Stories Project,” the commission is currently working to combat hate crimes, specifical-

RACHAEL MEYER / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES

Davis Square is pictured on Oct. 19, 2017. ly by encouraging public discussion and education.

“I like to think that the HRC is able to maneuver when these things come up, you know, to try to address these things, and that’s … why we’re here,” Michael Henson said.

Work on the “Immigrant Stories Project” will continue under a subcommittee organized by the Human Rights Commission. According to Henson, this group will work on fine-tuning the letter before

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sending it out and then compile the video clips from the business owners and edit them into one video, which will be distributed on YouTube and the city’s other social media channels.

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Features

More than meets the eye: Carmichael Hall

by Kayla Butera Features Editor

We’re all familiar with the debate over whether Carmichael Dining Center or Dewick-MacPhie Dining Center is the superior dining location, but what many Tufts students may not be aware of is the story behind this beloved dorm and dining hall.

A year after its authorization, construction of a new men’s dormitory began in 1953. The hall was named Carmichael Hall to honor Tufts trustee and seventh president, Leonard Carmichael (A’21).

Carmichael was appointed president in 1938 and served until 1953 before becoming the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution from 1953 to 1964.

The construction of Carmichael Hall was financed in part by general funds and a federal loan of $1,065,000. The building officially opened its doors in the fall of 1954 and was dedicated to former president Carmichael on Homecoming Day of the same year. In a Tufts Weekly article detailing Homecoming and the dedication ceremony, Carmichael was quoted saying the “real educational purpose of an institution is symbolized by its physical plans” in his address to students.

Carmichael’s family had a deep connection to Tufts; in his dedication address, he referenced his grandfather who was a former member of the Board of Trustees and helped raise money to build the college in the 19th century. He also mentioned that his parents had held their wedding ceremony at Goddard Chapel. Carmichael himself was a Tufts alumnus, who was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in his junior year and graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in 1921.

Carmichael Hall was designed in a Georgian style by Arland A. Dirlam (A’26), another Tufts alumnus, who graduated from Tufts in 1926 with a degree in civil engineering. In addition to Carmichael Hall, Dirlam had also designed many of the other buildings on the Medford/Somerville campus such as Cohen Auditorium, Hodgdon Hall, Bendetson Hall and Jackson Gymnasium.

Carmichael Hall was constructed by John A. Volpe Company on the former site of the Mystic Reservoir — a particularly meaningful place to Leonard Carmichael,

as it was the location of an annual firework display that he enjoyed with his mother every Fourth of July. The Mystic Water Works Reservoir had been built between 1862 and 1864, and according to a Tufts Daily article from 1983, “it became the center of attraction for hundreds of extra-curricular activities held on the grassy fields surrounding it.”

Carmichael hoped the beacon at the top of Carmichael Hall — 75 feet above the ground — would serve as the light on the hill and be seen from the surrounding communities.

At the time, Carmichael Hall was the first men’s dormitory to be constructed at Tufts in 25 years and initially intended to house students in the Navy and Air Force ROTC programs. The original layout included 118 rooms to house 285 students, two faculty residences, a spacious lounge on the first floor and a cafeteria-style dining room that could sit up to 350.

The Carmichael Hall of the 1950s was much different from the residential and dining hall we know today. According to a 1954 Tufts Weekly article, an Inter Dormitory Council committee proposed the rule that “all men eating in Carmichael hall be required to wear coats and ties five nights a week.” At a previous meeting, the Council had also discussed whether or not women should be allowed into the dormitories, and eventually settled on the use of a specific visiting hour schedule and a separate party schedule. This question, in some form, would persist throughout the century. Even as late as 2000, a Tufts-wide coed housing proposal was turned down.

In terms of Carmichael’s dining hall, every Tuesday and Thursday, students wishing to bring a faculty member to dinner could purchase a $1 ticket to do so, which would later be reimbursed, according to a Tufts Weekly article from 1967. The purpose of this was to foster deeper connections between faculty and students and continue conversations outside the walls of the classroom. In the late 60s, Carmichael Dining Hall underwent a “major face-lifting” in which the “aesthetic character of the room” was changed, the seven-day line relocated and the kitchens renovated.

Tufts intended to build additions to Carmichael Hall between 1982 and 1983, but was delayed due to funding issues. The

dining area was located on the previously “grassy plot in back of Carmichael, extending as far as the parking lot,” and upon completion, it would add 150 extra seats. At the time, students were concerned about the long lines to eat there. In a letter to the editor published in the Daily in 1982, three students wrote, “While the student population continues to increase, the size of the dining halls has remained the same. The result of this has been CHAOS AT CARMICHAEL!” But students would have to wait at least two more years until the renovations were completed to accommodate the growing student body.

The beginning of the 21st century has proven to be a time of major changes for Carmichael, which slowly started to become the building we know today. The year 2000 brought about the “Premium Plan” providing students with unlimited access to dining at the Carmichael and Dewick MacPhie Dining Centers.

“With this plan, a student can come into Carmichael in the early morning for a cup of coffee, come back after class for breakfast, come at 11:20 to grab something else, come later for lunch,” former Director of Dining Services Patti Lee said in 2000. “You can just swipe your ID and come in.”

In 2001, Carmichael hall offered “late lunch” for the first time, staying open from 7:15 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. It previously would close after 3 p.m. and reopen for dinner at 5 p.m.

By 2005, Carmichael started making an effort to serve locally grown produce.

To reduce food and energy waste, both Carmichael and Dewick-MacPhie Dining Centers stopped using trays in fall 2010, following a trial period at Carmichael Dining Center. More recently, 2016 marked the beginning of the infamous “late night dining” at Carmichael, open on Fridays and Saturdays from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Although some things, such as the hall’s iconic beacon and role as a gathering spot on campus have stayed the same, Carmichael has undergone many changes. The next time you’re enjoying a meal with your friends, you can think about the building’s roots and be glad that you’re not required to wear a coat and tie to enter.

VIA EDWIN B. ROLLINS / TUFTS DIGITAL LIBRARY

A photo of Carmichael Hall shot in 1955.

3 Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Casey Cummings Coffee Talk

The Scoop N Scootery

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hat do I miss the most about pre-COVID-19 campus life?

Easy: Sundae Sunday. Firstyears cannot understand the pain I have every Sunday night when I leave Dewick-MacPhie Dining Center without a fat bowl of ice cream. So once I found out about the Scoop N Scootery, which delivers massive ice cream sundaes to your door until 2 a.m., I was immediately a fan.

When I say these sundaes are massive, I mean it. The smallest size on their menu is deceivingly labeled the “mini.” To put this into perspective, picture those white, round containers that Dewick uses to pack fruits in. Now, imagine that container filled to the top with ice cream and then topped with an insane amount of whipped cream and toppings. According to the Scoop N Scootery, that’s a “mini.”

Besides being huge, these sundaes are so much fun. Like any good ice cream shop, you can build your own sundae by choosing from a list of ice creams and frozen yogurts.

However, what sets Scoop apart from any other ice cream shop I’ve been to is their toppings; you can add classic toppings to your sundae like strawberries, Nutella and marshmallows, or you can spice it up with something crazy like blueberry muffin crumble, cinnamon Pop-Tarts or even cannoli cream! To make this even better, you can choose to add a “core,” meaning that they will stuff a thick slice of red velvet cake or a brownie in the middle of the sundae. To finish, you can choose one from their classic, Nutella or cinnamon-flavored homemade whipped creams.

If you are like me and easily overwhelmed by too many choices, the Scoop N Scootery does the hard work of sorting through their toppings for you and offering pre-selected sundaes. For chocolate and peanut butter lovers, Scoop has a sundae called the “4 Horsemen” that has peanut butter and Oreo ice cream packed with a brownie core and then topped with sugar cookie bites, chocolate chip cookie bites, Oreos and fudge. If you’re a fan of Dewick’s rice crispy treats, “The Garland” is a sundae with s’mores ice cream topped with marshmallow fluff, frosted rice crispy treats, doughy sugar cookie bites, fudge, graham crackers and whipped cream.

What do I order?

The best sundae: the “Red Riding Hood,” which is cookie dough frozen yogurt with a fat slice of red velvet cake, all topped with homemade whipped cream. I add “doughy bites” which are just pieces of sugar cookies packed on top. 12/10.

Another one of my favorites: the “A La Mode.” Vanilla ice cream and freshly baked apple pie topped with a caramel drizzle and their homemade whipped cream!

What I want to try next: the “Havana Banana.” Moose tracks frozen yogurt topped with cannoli cream, bananas, pie crust and tons of Nutella!

How I finesse the menu: Order with a friend! Besides being more fun, if you order a “mini combo” and order two sundaes, you will save a few dollars from your sundae and can split the delivery fee!

Casey Cummings is a sophomore studying international relations. Casey can be reached at casey.cummings@tufts.edu.

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Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Lana Del Rey doesn’t capture brilliance in ‘Chemtrails Over the Country Club’

by Maeve Hagerty Assistant Arts Editor

With her voice softer and instrumentation simpler than ever, Lana Del Rey has returned.

On March 19, the Los Angeles indie rock singer cast off the weight of numerous controversies before and after the making of her Grammy-nominated album “Norman F***ing Rockwell!” (2019) and released “Chemtrails Over the Country Club” (2021).

Prior to “Norman F***ing Rockwell!,” Del Rey’s albums had always been characterized by her distinct fusion of glamour and melancholy — and sometimes even irony and humor — over piano, guitar, strings and drums. However, with the release of “Norman F***ing Rockwell!,” Lana Del Rey began to shift to a less complicated version of her earlier style to focus more on the lyrics and sentimental quality of her music.

“Chemtrails Over the Country Club” goes a step beyond “Norman F***ing Rockwell!” to focus almost solely on Del Rey’s lilting voice and clear tonality.

Beginning with “White Dress” — which is likely the best song on the album — the central theme of nostalgia and Del Rey’s desire to escape the limelight are exposed. Crooning “When I was a waitress wearing a tight dress handling the heat/ I wasn’t famous, just listening to Kings of Leon to the beat,” Del Rey begins to delicately paint the image of a woman at the height of her fame who has become tired of its accompanying complications, wishing to retreat to the time in her life when she was free of the paparazzi. “It kinda

VIA INTERSCOPE RECORDS / POLYDOR RECORDS

Lana Del Rey’s album cover for “Chemtrails Over the Country Club” is pictured. makes me feel, like maybe I was better off,” she sings.

Continuing with this idea on the love ballad “Let Me Love You Like A Woman,” Del Rey says

she is “from a small town,”clarifying “I only mention it ‘cause I’m ready to leave L.A.” And most of the rest of the songs on the album follow a

similar narrative: They either reminisce on Del Rey’s simpler past or express a desire to escape from her current reality.

While songs like the title track “Chemtrails Over the Country Club” and “Wild At Heart” seem to build more on the album’s central themes in a unique manner, the album is a little too modest. Whether it’s a reflection of the monotonous subject matter or the generally uneventful instrumentation, “Chemtrails Over the Country Club” is a shadow of the ingenuity of “Norman F***ing Rockwell!”

It isn’t lacking in charm or beauty — it is a beautiful experience to listen through the whole thing. However, it is underwhelming in the wake of the charisma that has characterized much of Del Rey’s best music. Past songs like “Brooklyn Baby” (2014), “Florida Kilos” (2014) and “Hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have – but I have it” (2019) showcase her personality and talent for storytelling, and also prove that even in uncomplicated, slow songs, Del Rey can truly create magic. Sometimes painfully honest and other times melo-

dramatic and mocking, her music is special because of its variety.

On “Chemtrails Over the Country Club,” Del Rey’s lyrics are as strong as always, proving that her unique talent for writing and spinning phrases has not faded, but the narrative is too cohesive so that the lack of deviation makes much of the musical content feel repetitive. Lines like “I’m in the wind, I’m in the water/ Nobody’s son, nobody’s daughter/ Watching the chemtrails over the country club” from the title track make the album truly special to listen to, and yet cannot save it from the lingering success and versatility of “Norman F***ing Rockwell!” that overshadow the excessive simplicity of the new album.

“Chemtrails Over the Country Club” lacks much of the character which emboldened her past works but still has its own charm and is embellished with Del Rey’s resonating voice in ways never seen before. “Chemtrails Over The Country Club” isn’t Del Rey’s best album, but it proves that she may not be capable of a worst.

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Wednesday, March 24, 2021 | Arts & Pop Culture | THE TUFTS DAILY

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Keanu Reeves’ ‘Brzrkr’ #1 is more boring than it ought to be

by Drew Weisberg Arts Editor

The first issue of “Brzrkr” (2021–) is the comic book equivalent of a Rorschach test.

To some, the Keanu Reevespenned book (yes, that Keanu Reeves) will read as a charming attempt by a celebrity to break into a new medium. Others will see the Kickstarter-funded venture as Sal of comic review channel “ComicPop” put it on his Instagram, “the most blatant movie series pitch in comic book form I’ve ever seen.”

Featuring co-writing from Matt Kindt, pencils by Ron Garney, and colors by Bill Crabtree, the book follows an immortal named “Berzerker,” drawn to resemble Reeves, who works for a secret branch of the U.S. government as a hired gun for black ops missions. The twist? He’s a partial amnesiac and, say it with me, he wants the U.S. government to help him remember and perhaps end his long existence. The story, while unoriginal, could have been good if it were not for Berzerker being so unfathomably grim. I can’t imagine him being at all likable, save for the fact that he is wearing the face of the internet’s current favorite celebrity.

I think what’s most disappointing is that Reeves has had a fairly diverse career — he’s done comedy, drama and action — and yet the character he clearly wants to portray is a gritty Wolverine knockoff.

Normally this writer wouldn’t comment on the comic writer’s personal life or other career ventures at all, but with Reeves being who he is, I find it appropriate and necessary. I would have liked a bit more “Bill & Ted Face the Music” (2020) style comedy, a little of the wide-eyed awe of Neo discovering the Matrix, anything to break out of the hyper-edgy

Chris Panella Comfort Cartoons

Campy classic ‘Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!’

T

he “Scooby-Doo” franchise is possibly the prime example of an intergenerational cultural touchstone. The Mystery Gang, their iconic outfits and their groovy Mystery Machine have remained something most audiences can connect with in some way. That’s partially thanks to the various installations of “Scooby-Doo,” which have spanned a handful of animated films, video games, television shows, merchandise and live-action movies.

But this column sadly isn’t focusing on The Hex Girls or Linda Cardellini in a red cat-

characterization. What does Berzerker like? What does he do in his time off? These may seem like silly questions to ask, seeing as around half of the issue is taken up by admittedly very cool fight scenes, but taking even a page or two to humanize the character would have gone a long way toward boosting his relatability.

On the flip side, the art by Garney and Crabtree is fantastic with heavy shadows and a gritty color palette that evokes heavy metal album covers and quick-and-dirty sketchbook work. At times, the art ventures into territory akin to a horror comic, with one particularly striking visual of Berzerker emerging from an explosion actually managing to be quite frightening. The art captures movement well, which helps keep up with the frantic pace of the issue, but they also manage to include plenty of detail so that the reader can appreciate some creative violence, like Berzerker’s using a victim’s rib as an improvised knife. The art of “Brzrkr” is unique and the colors are vibrant, but despite its most valiant effort, it just isn’t enough to justify the price of admission.

If any lessons are to be learned from “Brzrkr” #1, they must begin with the fact that a movie pitch in comic form featuring an A-list celebrity is not an inherently flawed idea.

In fact, I’d be thrilled if this became a mainstream way for actors and actresses to pitch their ideas to the public in hopes of selling to a major studio. The second, and more important, lesson lies in the fact that these stories need to be engaging, or people will see these experiments not as experiments, but as dumping half-baked scripts to comic publishers with big names attached in order to make a quick buck.

The cover of the comic book ‘BRZRKR Vol. 1’ is pictured.

suit — both iconic and formative moments for all viewers.

Rather, I wanted to discuss where “Scooby-Doo” all started.

The original series, “ScoobyDoo, Where Are You!” (1969–70, 1978), aired its first and second seasons (25 episodes in total) from 1969 to 1970, but a third season under a different title was released nearly a decade later. The first two seasons are cartoon dynamite, with fun plots and wild scares that make them some of the most influential television out there.

Most episodes of “ScoobyDoo, Where Are You!” follow the same storytelling concepts, with similar gags, plot points and phrases. This makes the viewing experience immediately familiar, regardless of whatever monster or supernatural being the Mystery Gang is dealing with. The same applies to the characters themselves: Shaggy and Scooby-Doo are often the audience’s main perspective, with Fred’s leadership, Velma’s intelligence and Daphne’s style rounding out the gang.

But while the plot and characters’ roles are consistent throughout the show, most episodes are still an exciting watch.

That often comes with aesthetics and settings. “Mine Your Own Business” features an interesting exploration of an old mining town and a ghost miner who’s still looking for gold. “Bedlam in the Big Top” has a hypnotist clown who’s bothering a circus.

“Spooky Space Kook” takes the gang to an abandoned airfield for some extraterrestrial wackiness. Each villain has some scheme to hide, and most of them involve money. As a kid, the plans seemed pretty incredible. Now, well, it’s theatrical fun.

Part of the success of “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” is its dedication to those bits.

It’ll always get the vibe right. But we can’t just thank the animation for that. What makes episodes like “Hassle in The Castle” and “A Clue For Scooby-Doo” iconic are their practically earworm sounds. “Hassle in The Castle” features a ghost whose

VIA MATT KINDT, KEANU REEVES & RON GARNEY

screech is absolutely terrifying and now activates my fight-orflight response. And “A Clue For Scooby-Doo” has a pretty weird otherworldly sound for its glowing seaweed.

These are specific details, but they all add up to a crucial point: “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” always develops the perfectly mysterious and satisfying experience. This is just as true in adulthood as it was during childhood (even if watching episodes now reveals just how bonkers every premise is).

I remember watching the “Scooby-Doo’s Greatest

Mysteries” (1999) VHS as a kid, which featured my favorite episode, “The Backstage Rage.” It follows the gang’s discovery of a counterfeiting operation in an abandoned puppet theater.

Even on rewatch, that’s a creepy setting, and the puppets are genuinely frightening. And the organ! Ahh! It’s all camp and it’s absolutely perfect.

“Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” is streaming on HBO Max. Chris Panella is a senior studying film and media studies. Chris can be reached at christopher.panella@tufts.edu.

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THE TUFTS DAILY | FUN & GAMES | Wednesday, March 24, 2021

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Difficulty Level: The line to get TUSC Staycation gear

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7 Wednesday, March 24, 2021

VIEWPOINTS

The changing landscape of space travel invites excitement, complex ethical questions

by Reya Kumar Staff Writer

As Caroline DePalma highlighted last week, our human spirit has pushed space travel forward for generations. Space inspires wonder in us the way few things do. Only 12 people have ever walked on the moon, and fewer than 600 have been to space. From “The Martian” (2015) to “Star Wars,” our fascination is clear in pop culture; we continually imagine what the vast universe contains and what it would be like to leave the only home we’ve ever known.

NASA’s next manned space program to the moon is the Artemis program, named for the Greek goddess of the moon, who is also the sister of the sun god, Apollo. This program will endeavor to take the first woman to the moon by 2024, and eventually, using lessons learned on the moon, send a manned mission to Mars. This mission has been a long time coming, considering that the last time an astronaut left Earth’s orbit was the final moon landing mission in 1972. Now, nearly 50 years later, we are again attempting to voyage beyond our home planet.

However, the Artemis program is a resurgence of the old order in a changing landscape of space exploration. After the end of the space race in the 1970s, diminishing political support led to a dramatic reduction of NASA’s budget. NASA’s research is invaluable, as it has informed our ideas about the universe and has led to inventions such as the CAT scan and baby formula — but it is not necessarily profitable.

In recent years, space travel and exploration has become increasingly privatized with the rise of companies such as Elon

Eli Striker The Strike Zone

Vaccine nationalism

I

n recent weeks, disparities in vaccine distribution between various nations have begun to manifest.

Countries such as the United S. and United KingdomBritain have succeeded relative to other first world nations from an inoculation standpoint; other wealthy countries, such as those in the European Union, have failed to vaccinate their populations to a comparable extent. At this point in time, it makes sense that countries best equipped to vaccinate would prioritize vaccinating their own citizens over those in other countries. Opting to give

ASLI KOCAK / THE TUFTS DAILY

Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. NASA has been working with private contractors, such as aerospace giants Lockheed Martin and Boeing, to build spacecrafts for years. During these projects, however, NASA was still actively involved and ultimately maintained ownership of the spacecraft. Last summer, SpaceX made history when it launched the first manned mission to space on a privately owned spacecraft, the Crew Dragon. What does this mean for the future of space travel? Private companies have more capital to work with, and often more ambitious ideas. One of SpaceX’s current projects is Starship, a massive reusable spacecraft, which Musk has claimed is intended to aid in the human settlement of Mars — a much more ambitious goal than that of NASA’s Artemis program.

With private companies at the helm, the cost of space travel will be driven down dramatically,

meaning that space tourism may soon be within reach. However, even with competition and privatization reducing costs, space travel is still wildly expensive.

This means that the indescribable view of the curvature of Earth will only be open to the richest of the rich. Andy Weir, known for his fact-based science fiction, imagines a tourism-fueled lunar colony in his novel “Artemis” (2017).

A two-week stay in a few decades may cost $70,000, according to Weir. Once, space was only accessible to the most courageous and determined, who were willing to risk their lives to further the journey of humanity out to the planets and stars. Now, if only the rich can ascend into space, have we tarnished the blank slate of space with the same inequities that plague the Earth?

This is only one of the possible inequities that will emerge as we continue to reach out beyond our blue planet in new and dif-

ferent ways. Both Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk have expressed their intention to use their respective companies to pursue human settlement of the solar system.

This popular idea in the scientific community was examined in Episode 2 of “Cosmos: Possible Worlds” (2020) as a way to save the human race if climate change makes Earth uninhabitable, or even as a way to outlive the death of our sun, if we survive that long.

An important question that arises, however, is how this settlement will occur. The Outer Space Treaty of 1967 prevents countries from claiming any moon or planet as their territory, but this was enacted before the rise of private companies in space exploration. The potential for monopoly is clear as private companies expand their reach in space. What would a settlement on the moon or Mars owned by a company look like, with everything the settlers need to survive owned and

vaccinations to other nations, even those that are struggling, would likely be a disastrous political gambit. This strategy also makes sense from an international relations perspective; realist thinkers, who believe that individual states must protect their own citizens over those in other countries, would applaud countries who prioritize domestic vaccinations over foreign ones.

This phenomenon, often dubbed “vaccine nationalism,” is politically advantageous, but proponents of vaccine nationalism are lacking in moral and epidemiological merit.

Whereas wealthy countries are vaccinating their citizens at a rate of one vaccination per second, as of mid-February, there were still over 130 countries that had yet to receive a single COVID-19 vaccine. Although it theoretically makes sense for

countries to vaccinate their own citizens before helping others, this action unfairly exacerbates socioeconomic disparities between wealthy and developing countries, and opens the door for vaccine-resistant COVID-19 variations to emerge.

Over the course of the pandemic, a variety of new coronavirus variants have spread around the world. Although vaccines appear to offer protection against many present variants of COVID-19, including the new B.117 variant that is currently plaguing the United States, there is no guarantee that these vaccines will protect against future variants.

Although programs exist to address inequities, they are limited in scope. COVAX, which seeks to distribute vaccines to the Global South, aims to vaccinate 2 billion people over the

next year, which means that it could take multiple years for all human beings to get vaccinated. This issue is due, in no small part, to the privatization of vaccine research; large corporations that produce vaccines, such as Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, are able to set prices for vaccines that are often only affordable for wealthy countries. However, if vaccines remain inaccessible to countries in the Global South and the virus continues to rage on, new vaccine-proof variants will likely emerge that will erase humanity’s progress in combating the virus.

Vaccine nationalism has furthered disparities that have long existed between wealthy and lower-income countries.

These disparities stem from the legacy of colonialism. As colonialist countries in the Global North have continually exploit-

controlled by one corporation?

The goal of business is profit, and without a governing body to protect settlers, it is likely that deep inequities would emerge between those who controlled the means of production and those who performed the work, as occurred during the rise of industrialization in the 19th century.

And what if we stumble upon life in the polar ice caps of Mars or the underground seas of Saturn’s moon Europa? Would it be ethical to intrude on their environment and possibly damage their delicate ecosystems? We have already irreparably damaged the ecosystem of our own planet and caused the extinction of many species. Would we become the worst sort of colonizers — moving through the universe, using up the resources of world after world, draining them dry? Though the idea of human settlements in space is exciting, these and other ethical questions must be central to the discussion as we move toward these possible futures.

The work of brilliant scientists at private companies and government organizations alike provides reassurance that humanity has an incredible future in space exploration and travel. We will discover extraordinary things and move ever closer to understanding the universe we inhabit.

However, we must avoid replicating the inequities and injustices that have permeated our relations with each other, other species and our planet — and be careful to maintain the wonder and human excellence that have powered our previous explorative forays away from our little blue planet.

Reya Kumar is a firstyear studying psychology. Reya can be reached at reya.kumar@tufts.edu.

ed the Global South, these lower-income countries have had their economies crippled, and they are unable to participate in the neoliberal vaccine market in which medicine is sold to countries with greater bargaining power. Because colonialist countries in the Global North have perpetuated a system which prevents lower-income countries from vaccinating their populations, they have a moral imperative to ensure that all human beings have access to COVID-19 vaccines.

Therefore, it is essential that wealthy countries participate in vaccine distribution programs such as COVAX, both for moral and epidemiological reasons.

Eli Striker is a sophomore studying international relations. Eli can be reached at eli.striker@tufts.edu.

8 Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Sports

tuftsdaily.com

Highlights from the first weekend of March Madness

by Matt Chen

Contributing Writer

The NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments tipped off this weekend in Indiana and Texas, respectively. While the women’s bracket saw top seeds dominate across the board, the men’s bracket saw some of the biggest upsets in recent history, shredding brackets across the country (including mine). Let’s run down some of the highlights from each tournament.

Men’s: Oral Roberts takes down two giants On Sunday, 15th-seeded Oral Roberts University became just the second No. 15 seed in history to reach the Sweet 16, defeating Florida 81–78, led by a combined 54 points from Max Abmas and Kevin Obanor. The Golden Eagles first made headlines last Friday when they took down No. 2 seed Ohio State 75–72, once again led by a combined 59 points from Abmas and Obanor. It remains to be seen whether Oral Roberts can continue its historic run in the tournament, but one thing’s for sure: You can’t count this team out. Oral Roberts will face the No. 3 seed University of Arkansas on March 27.

Women’s: Top seeds dominate With the women’s tournament tipping off on Sunday, viewers got to see some exciting basketball from some of the nation’s top women’s programs, including traditional powers University of Connecticut, Baylor University, University

Henry Gorelik Off the Gridiron

Winners of NFL free agency Washington Football Team This past season, the Washington Football Team’s potent pass rush allowed the team to emerge from NFC East and challenge the eventual Super Bowl-champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers during Wild Card Weekend. Boasting one of the most productive defenses in the league, Washington was held back largely by subpar quarterback play and a lack of a dynamic receiving threat outside of Terry McLaurin.

To address the question marks at the quarterback position, the Football Team turned to Ryan Fitzpatrick, inking the journeyman to a one-year, $10 million contract. While Fitzpatrick is certainly not the quarterback of the future in D.C., he will serve as an

of South Carolina, Stanford University and University of Louisville. All five of these powers steamrolled their firstround opponents to move into the round of 32. Those hoping for an upset-heavy tournament were left disappointed, as the round of 64 saw only three upsets. No. 13 seed Wright State University defeated No. 4 seed Arkansas 66–62, No. 11 seed Brigham Young University took down No. 6 seed Rutgers 69-66 and No. 12 seed Belmont University moved past No. 5 seed Gonzaga University 64-59.

Men’s: Two No. 13 seeds upset traditional powers The round of 64 also saw two 13-seeded teams advance to the round of 32, with the University of North Texas defeating Purdue University 78–69 and Ohio University defeating the defending champions, the University of Virginia, 62–58. While it’s always fun to see big upsets like these, both teams’ celebrations were short-lived, as they fell in the second round, with North Texas losing to Villanova University 84–61 and Ohio falling to Creighton University 72–58.

Women’s: Ashley Joens Carries Iowa State in Nail Biter One of the most exciting games in the first round of the women’s tournament was between the No. 10 seed Michigan State Spartans and the No. 7 seed Iowa State Cyclones. The high-scoring affair saw Iowa State leading 45–39 at the half and 63–56 at the end of the third quarter, excellent bridge-player who offers high upside in terms of his veteran leadership and willingness to throw the ball downfield. In addition to Fitzpatrick, Washington reunited head coach Ron Rivera with wide receiver Curtis Samuel, one of the most electrifying hybrid receivers in the league. Samuel’s presence should take some pressure off of McLaurin, his former college teammate, and open up the offense for these two talented receivers and dynamic tight end Logan Thomas. After losing Ronald Darby to the Denver Broncos, the Washington Football Team decided to upgrade and sign William Jackson to a three-year deal worth $42 million. Jackson is one of the most underrated cornerbacks in the league and only adds to the already talented defense.

With this young, talented and ascending nucleus, look for the Washington Football Team to be aggressive in looking to trade up in the NFL draft. One option could be to trade up and select North Dakota State’s Trey Lance to be the franchise’s quarterback of the future. The presence of Fitzpatrick would allow Lance to

VIA NCAA

but the Spartans never went away. In the fourth quarter, Michigan State clawed back with a 7–0 spurt that tied the game at 63, before Iowa State went on a run of their own to close out the game and win 79–75. Ashley Joens starred for the Cyclones, scoring 33 points on 10 for 22 shooting, while also sealing the deal with clutch free throw shooting late in the fourth quarter. Joens and the Cyclones will play 2 seed Texas A&M on Wednesday.

Christian player score over 11 points. Despite what many considered to be a deep Texas team capable of making a potential trip to the Final Four, the Longhorns are going back to Austin early. Abilene Christian’s celebrations were also short-lived, as the team fell to UCLA 67–47 on Monday.

Men’s: Abilene Christian moves past in-state foe In another major upset, 14th-seeded Abilene Christian University defeated third seeded Texas 53-52 in a well-rounded affair that saw no Abilene

Women’s: Will UConn return to the top?

Holding the honor of most women’s basketball championships with 11, the UConn Huskies are looking to win big yet again. With a dominant 102–59 win over High Point University, the No. 1 seed Huskies look primed to contend for their 12th national title. Led by first-year sensation Paige

sit and learn for a year before taking a snap.

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns were a 14-yard run by Chad Henne and a gutsy fourth down call by Andy Reid away from having a shot at playing in the AFC championship game. The Browns are not only back, but their tenacious running game and potent play-action passing have also made them legitimate contenders in the AFC. In order to seriously challenge the Chiefs, Browns general manager Andrew Berry needed to shore up the secondary.

The Browns were able to secure former Rams safety John Johnson III, who had become one of the most coveted players in free agency. Adding Johnson III to a group that features Ronnie Harrison and Grant Delpit gives the Browns an incredibly versatile and productive safety room.

Berry further solidified the secondary when he snagged cornerback Troy Hill, Johnson III’s teammate from Los Angeles.

Along the defensive line, the Browns added reliable defensive linemen Malik Jackson and Takkarist McKinley, who serve

as low risk, high reward options that could potentially take attention away from All-Pro Myles Garrett. With these signings and the retention of Rashard Higgins and Malcolm Smith, the Browns have positioned themselves well to climb into the upper echelon of the AFC. New York Jets All of a sudden, the future is looking bright in East Rutherford.

Replacing Adam Gase with Robert Saleh allowed the Jets to quickly improve their reputation around the league. While this roster had many needs entering the offseason, the Jets were able to bring in a lot of talent without breaking the bank, which is crucial for a team that is rebuilding.

The Jets primarily addressed their defense in the first wave of free agency, which was highlighted by their franchise-tagging of starting safety and team captain Marcus Maye, signing of defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins to a twoyear deal and reeling in coveted former Cincinnati Bengals’ pass rusher Carl Lawson. Inserting Rankins and Lawson next to rising star Quinnen Williams suddenly gives the Jets a menacing

Bueckers, averaging 19.8 points per game, the Huskies are once again a favorite to win it all as they look to end a five-year title drought for number 12.

Men’s: Double-digit seeds make waves across the nation This year’s tournament saw nine double-digit seeds advance to at least the round of 32: Ohio, UCLA, Abilene Christian, the University of Maryland, Rutgers University, Syracuse University, Oregon State University, Oral Roberts and North Texas. Of those teams, four advanced to the Sweet 16 as UCLA, Oral Roberts, Syracuse and Oregon State continue to make deep runs into what has been an incredible tournament so far. defensive line. Coupled with the additions of Lamarcus Joynerand Jarrad Davis, general manager Joe Douglas provided some much-needed juice for head coach Robert Saleh’s defense.

In addition to revamping their defense, the Jets added weapons for Sam Darnold or the rookie quarterback they should select with their second round pick in the 2021 NFL draft. In signing Corey Davis to a three-year contract worth $37.5 million, the Jets are getting a receiver who is just starting to put it together and beginning to develop into a really talented and physical receiver.

The Jets also signed Keelan Cole, one of the most underrated players in the league, to a one-year deal worth $5.5 million. Adding Davis and Cole to a wide receiver room that already features Denzel Mims and Jamison Crowder ensures that whoever is playing quarterback for the Jets will have a plethora of weapons at their disposal.

Henry Gorelik is a sophomore studying international relations. Henry can be reached at henry.gorelik@tufts.edu.