The Tufts Daily - Wednesday, May 5, 2021 (Commencement)

THE

INDEPENDENT

STUDENT

N E W S PA P E R

OF

TUFTS

UNIVERSITY

E S T. 1 9 8 0

T HE T UFTS DAILY

VOLUME LXXXI, ISSUE 53

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS.

Wednesday, May 5, 2021

tuftsdaily.com

COMMENCEMENT 2021

2

THE TUFTS DAILY | INSIDE THIS ISSUE | Wednesday, May 5, 2021

tuftsdaily.com

NEWS page 5

February, summer and remote graduates join departmental ceremonies following weeks of uncertainty

FEATURES page 5

page 16

Monaco looks back on academic year, discussing everything from COVID-19 to pet fish

Kawashima-Ginsberg says Class of 2021 ‘helped to save democracy’

page 10

page 16

Recapping the spikes, slumps and stats of Tufts’ spring 2021 COVID-19 response

Roommates reminisce, express gratitude for 4 years of friendship

page 11

Green Line Extension on track for staggered end-of-year launch

ARTS & POP CULTURE page 25

SMFA community addresses intersection of art and anti-racism page 25

Grrl Haus presents “Let’s Have a Party!,” its first virtual program, at The Brattle Theatre EDITORIAL page 31

page 32

Tufts must do more to accommodate, support graduating seniors in coming weeks

Though Tufts’ decision to build a new dorm is a necessary first step, there is more to be done

SPORTS page 36

page 36

Women’s lacrosse ends undefeated, unconventional season with 14–3 route in championship match

Baseball caps dominant regular season with wins over Trinity

page 37

page 40

Softball set to face Williams in NESCAC Championship next weekend

Tufts Class of 2025 recruits reflect on athletic roots, futures at Tufts

INVESTIGATIVE

3

NEWS

5

PHOTOS

ARTS & POP CULTURE

25

FUN & GAMES

29

OPINION

31

SPORTS

36

15, 21, 30

FEATURES

16

GRAPHICS

22

FRONT PHOTO CREDIT: EMMA BOERSMA

BACK PHOTO CREDIT: LYDIA RICHARDSON

tuftsdaily.com

INVESTIGATIVE

3

Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Sexual harassment, domestic violence increased at Tufts during pandemic

by Jessica Blough

they managed this year, despite their different roles.

Content warning: This article discusses sexual assault and other forms of sexual misconduct.

Rises and falls in reporting, seeking support Both CARE and OEO saw a slight decrease in sexual assault complaints this year, but they expected that complaints might increase by the end of the semester to reflect the levels of a normal academic year.

Alexandra Donovan, the director of the CARE office, said that CARE saw very few students reach out for support for new sexual assault cases at the beginning of the academic year, an alarming shift from previous years.

“In a normal year, we get cases before the academic year has actually started, so for us to see very few, if any at all, until beginning to mid-October is alarming,” Donovan said. “And that was not because it wasn’t happening; it’s because no one was reporting, and no one was reaching out for services.”

Simultaneously, the number of incidents of sexual harassment reported to OEO increased during the pandemic, which subverted expectations, according to Jill Zellmer, executive director of OEO. Most sexual harassment cases that made it to OEO took place online, including cases of cyberstalking. And most of the respondents that OEO addressed

Investigative Editor

In a year of COVID-19 restrictions and mandatory social distancing, reports of sexual misconduct at Tufts increased, with students seeking support for more cases of sexual harassment, cyberstalking and domestic violence than previous years. Cases of sexual assault remained slightly below average, though administrators predicted that reported sexual assault incidents would rise in the coming months as campus reopens.

Students who experience sexual misconduct, which includes both sexual harassment and sexual assault, can find resources at Tufts primarily through the Office of Equal Opportunity and the Center for Awareness, Resources, and Education. OEO works with students who seek to report sexual misconduct at Tufts through a Title IX complaint or through the Sexual Misconduct Policy. CARE, a separate entity, is confidential and supports students impacted by sexual violence through counseling and connecting them with other resources.

Both offices reported similar patterns and changes in the students they supported and cases

were not Tufts affiliates, leading OEO to collaborate more with TUPD when cases extended outside of OEO jurisdiction.

Additionally, both CARE and OEO said that cases of domestic violence skyrocketed after students were sent home in March 2020.

Domestic violence cases have increased nationally under COVID19 stay-at-home orders, but the increase in Tufts students experiencing domestic violence is much greater than the national average.

Donovan said the CARE office has seen a 300% increase in cases of domestic violence and abuse since the pandemic reached Tufts.

She attributes this increase to the university’s abrupt closure last spring, which left many students desperate for housing options.

Some moved home to dangerous family situations, while others, hoping to stay near campus, moved in with friends or partners, into situations that became abusive.

“Over the summer we had a lot of students who had to move back to campus just because their home lives were so dangerous,” Donovan said. “So that’s a huge change and something that — I’ve been at Tufts, I guess, I’m finishing my seventh year — and I’ve never had something like that before this past summer.”

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and Zellmer and Donovan expected that they would see an

increase in reporting and students seeking support during that month, bringing the total cases of sexual assault reported in the 2020– 21 academic year to levels comparable to previous years. As vaccines become accessible and the Tufts community prepares for the university to lift some COVID-19 restrictions in the fall, OEO predicts that sexual misconduct reporting will increase.

“We do believe we will see an increase in delayed reporting in the coming months (after most students are vaccinated) and we may also see an increase in same-semester reporting in the Fall,” Zellmer wrote in an email to the Daily. “Thus, we expect Fall 2021 will be a busy semester for sexual misconduct reporting with an increase in both delayed and same-semester reporting.”

Donovan also said that she’s seen more students revisiting CARE years after the event of an assault to process resurfacing trauma.

“I think that just speaks to the environment that we’re in,” Donovan said. “We have a lot more time to be aware of the calendar and the world, and fewer things to distract ourselves.”

Confusion around COVID-19 rules One potential cause of the decrease in sexual assault reporting is confusion about what many students called “COVID amnes-

ty”: how students who report sexual misconduct might be treated under university COVID-19 policy, which includes strict adherence to social distancing. Tufts’ COVID19 policy includes the Pandemic Amnesty Policy, which excuses students from disciplinary action if they have safety concerns and cooperate with the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs and medical staff.

According to Zellmer, OEO provides amnesty for students who disobeyed COVID-19 policy and report, or who were involved in, sexual misconduct. CARE, as an anonymous service, also will not report students who break COVID-19 policy.

However, students still expressed confusion regarding how the amnesty policy was communicated in the first place, and whether it was made clear that it applied to situations of sexual misconduct.

Lee Romaker, who was a resident assistant in the fall semester, said that the Office of Residential Life and Learning explained the Pandemic Amnesty Policy to RAs as it applied to parties and contact tracing, but not sexual misconduct.

“I don’t know if there’s a similar policy for sexual assault; we didn’t learn about that as RA,” Romaker, an incoming Sex Health Representatives coordinator and see MISCONDUCT, page 4

AVA IANNUCCILLO / THE TUFTS DAILY

Tufts students and the cannon, painted by Green Dot, are pictured.

4

THE TUFTS DAILY | INVESTIGATIVE | Wednesday, May 5, 2021

THE TUFTS DAILY Megan Szostak Editor in Chief

— EDITORIAL — ETHAN STEINBERG Managing Editor

LIZ SHELBRED COLTON WOLK Associate Editors Madeleine Aitken Executive News Editor Sarah Crawford Executive Features Editor Tuna Margalit Executive Arts Editor Priya Padhye Executive Opinion Editor Julian Perry Editorial Editor Juanita Asapokhai Amulya Mutnuri Caroline Wolinsky Editorialists Alex Sharp Executive Sports Editor Jessica Blough Investigative Editor Hannah Harris Executive Audio Producer Sophie Dolan Executive Photo Editor Austen Money Executive Video Editor

— PRODUCTION — YANQING HUANG Production Director Campbell Devlin Elizabeth Foster Kendall Roberts Executive Layout Editors Annabel Nied Calisa Sana Executive Graphics Editors Mariel Priven Kate Seklir Executive Copy Editors Michelle Li Tiffany Namkoong Executive Social Media Editors

— BUSINESS — EVELYN MCCLURE Business Director

tuftsdaily.com

Students report confusion surrounding intersection of COVID-19 amnesty and incident reporting

MISCONDUCT

continued from page 3 rising junior, said. “That was not communicated to us.”

Paige Duff, the other incoming Sex Health Representatives coordinator, said that if the amnesty policy and how it applies to sexual misconduct was included in the mandatory first-year orientation, which she completed, it was only briefly mentioned.

“They put so much time into social media stuff about COVID, social media stuff about contact tracing, and I didn’t see a single thing that was like, ’If you are at a party and something horrible happens to you, you will not be in trouble if you talk to someone about it,’” Duff, a rising sophomore, said. “I don’t know if the implication was that people should have understood that, but I promise you that they didn’t. That’s not something that’s intuitive for a [first-year] who’s never been to this college campus before.”

Duff also said that the possibility of having to meet with administrators, as the amnesty policy outlines, could be a deterrent for reporting.

Elizabeth Cucuzzella, another rising sophomore and an incoming Green Dot coordinator, confirmed a sense of hesitancy to report sexual misconduct, especially among first-years. She said that the amnesty policy as it applies to sexual misconduct was not stressed to firstyears until the spring semester.

“Most people that I’ve talked to don’t even feel comfortable going to their RA with the issue, because they’re like, ‘Oh no, I was breaking COVID rules,‘” Cucuzzella said.

Under the COVID-19 policy, RAs were required to report their residents to the university if they broke social distancing rules, including inviting an intimate partner into their dorm room.

Josh Hartman, senior director of Residential Life and Learning, said that the COVID-19 amnesty policy was reiterated “clearly and at multiple points during training and throughout the semester” by RAs and the Office of Residential Life and Learning.

“Supervisors have continually reiterated that amnesty applies in several circumstances, and that concern about conduct action should not be a barrier to reporting,” he wrote in an email to the Daily.

But Donovan said that even if the COVID-19 amnesty policy as it applies to sexual misconduct was better communicated in the spring semester, deterrents to reporting earlier in the year still put students in danger.

“When you forget that saying this to keep public health safe puts these people in jeopardy, when those two hands aren’t sort of working together, there’s a real danger to that,” Donovan said. “And unfortunately that’s what we saw in the beginning of the year.”

Further confusion around federal laws Amid the confusion of COVID19 amnesty laws, students who chose to report sexual misconduct faced another potential barrier.

In May 2020, the United States Department of Education revised federal Title IX policy to narrow the definition of sexual harassment and limit universities’ ability to address misconduct that occurs off campus, outside the United

States. and involving non-university affiliates.

“After an initial review, we are deeply disappointed and concerned; the regulations create new definitions, processes, and procedures that could reverse years of progress in addressing and preventing sexual misconduct on college campuses,” University President Anthony Monaco wrote in a statement to students after the policy was released.

In response, Tufts revised its Sexual Misconduct Policy over the summer to cover the gaps that the new Title IX policy left.

In a year when sexual harassment has increased and many students were studying away from campus, OEO relied more on the Sexual Misconduct Policy, which, Zellmer said, has successfully maintained OEO’s jurisdiction.

“OEO has been able to maintain the levels of conduct our communities expect and we have been able to investigate matters that the new Title IX Policy does not require us to—by using our Sexual Misconduct Policy instead,” Zellmer said.

At the same time, Zellmer said that conducting formal investigations over Zoom rather than in person greatly increases the time and effort needed for each investigation, making the investigations “extremely difficult and elongated.”

Rethinking programming around prevention The combination of the abrupt end of last spring semester, COVID19 policies and the new Title IX policy left groups committed to preventing sexual misconduct

Rebecca Barker Jilly Rolnick Sam Russo Outreach Coordinators Etai Barash Web Manager Contact Us P.O. Box 53018, Medford, MA 02155 daily@tuftsdaily.com thetuftsdaily tuftsdaily tuftsdaily

Please rec ycle this newspaper!

The Tufts Daily is a nonprofit, independent newspaper, published Monday through Friday during the academic year, and distributed free to the Tufts community.

The content of letters, advertisements, signed columns, cartoons and graphics does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Tufts Daily editorial board.

EDITORIALS Editorials represent the position of The Tufts Daily. Individual editors are not necessarily responsible for, or in agreement with, the policies and editorials of The Tufts Daily.

OP-EDS The Op-Ed section of The Tufts Daily, an open forum for campus editorial commentary, is printed Monday through Thursday. The Daily welcomes submissions from all members of the Tufts community; the opinions expressed in the Op-Ed section do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Daily itself.

Opinion articles on campus, national and international issues should be 600 to 1,200 words in length and submitted to opinion@tuftsdaily.com. The editors reserve the right to edit letters for clarity, space and length. All material is subject to editorial discretion and is not guaranteed to appear in the Daily. Authors must submit their telephone numbers and day-of availability for editing questions.

ADVERTISING All advertising copy is subject to the approval of the Editor in Chief, Executive Board and Business Director.

VIA TUFTS CARE FACEBOOK

The Tufts Center for Awareness, Resources, and Education is a confidential resource for students who have been directly or indirectly affected by sexual violence. Students are able to make reports to the center through several avenues. Students who make a report are never required to take disciplinary action against their perpetrator, according to the CARE website.

scrambling to rewrite a year’s worth of programming in a precarious time. Groups like Green Dot and the Sex Health Representatives, both of which operate out of the CARE office, design their curricula around bystander intervention training and encouraging healthy sexual practices. In a year of unique social situations, both groups had to reinvision what sexual violence prevention looked like during a pandemic.

Green Dot, which normally focuses its student education around bystander intervention and sexual assault prevention at parties or large social gatherings, has shifted its focus to address the rise in domestic violence in the Tufts community. The organization’s trainings now address recognizing controlling behaviors that a friend or partner may be displaying, or recognizing if a friend or partner might be in an abusive relationship.

“The pieces that we felt were the most important for programming were relationships and pressure as one of our subtopics, and toxicity that we might not realize with those controlling behaviors, how people might be disrespecting boundaries,” Emma Seymour, an outgoing Green Dot coordinator, said.

The Sex Health Representatives are normally fixtures at orientation week in the fall, handing out condoms to incoming first-years.

They moved their events to Zoom, but they said they had issues with consistent attendance and promoting candid conversations about sex in video-call format.

And, with strict social distancing and mask rules in place, they were unsure if they could advocate for any kind of sexual contact between students without contradicting Tufts policy. “[The university] didn’t really acknowledge that it’s college students — they’re going to be having sex and you can’t not talk about it because that doesn’t help anything,” Brian Felton, an outgoing Sex Health Representatives coordinator, said. “Abstinenceonly education doesn’t work; it doesn’t work during COVID, it doesn’t work among high school students, it’s just not an effective strategy.”

“It was difficult to find a balance this year, because our entire group is supposed to be advocating for sexual wellness in a time where the university was basically like, ’None of that is okay right now,’” Duff said.

Next semester, as the university lifts COVID-19 restrictions, prevention groups like Green Dot and the Sex Health Representatives will be challenged with educating a student body eager to resume social life as in a normal year, even as many underclassmen missed out on their typical first-year programming.

“A lot of these underclassmen haven’t even heard of Green Dot or they’ve never been to a real college party,” Malcolm Herbert, an incoming Green Dot coordinator, said. “These first-years and second-years have had such a strange and abnormal college life so far.”

tuftsdaily.com

News

5 Wednesday, May 5, 2021

In abrupt reversal, Tufts will allow February, summer, remote graduates to walk in departmental ceremonies

by Jessica Blough Investigative Editor

After several weeks of inconsistent messaging, Tufts University announced in an email on April 8 that it will allow February, summer and remote graduating students to participate in the in-person ceremonies for their departments.

Students who are not currently enrolled in surveillance testing are able to request free tests from the university to be eligible for these ceremonies.

The April 8 email, signed

by Jo Ann Jack, associate dean of student services, gave students just over a day’s notice to register their intent to join in-person departmental ceremonies, should they want to.

Ceremonies began on Friday, April 16.

“We apologize for the short notice, but this plan has just become possible and we wanted to give you this opportunity,” Jack wrote in the email.

The email outlines the requirements for those who want to return to campus for the ceremony. Students must arrive two days in advance of their departmental ceremonies to be tested for COVID-19 by Tufts, regardless of vaccination status. Students who receive a test result other than negative will be barred from the ceremonies, although they may request a second test and can isolate in the Mods. Tufts will

not provide housing to anyone traveling to campus for graduation ceremonies.

Dean of Student Affairs Camille Lizarríbar said the university has been working throughout the semester to develop a safe graduation plan.

“We were able to develop a testing process that complied with the university’s COVID safety protocols, and that allowed us to increase the number of students we could safely include in the ceremonies who are not currently in person,” Lizarríbar wrote in an email to the Daily.

Previously, the university had sent contradicting messages to February graduates, confusing and frustrating parents and students. An email to all graduates on March 8 implied that February 2021 graduates might be invited to in-person ceremonies on a school-byschool basis. Later that day, the School of Arts and Sciences and School of Engineering sent an email inviting their in-person graduates to small ceremonies in April and May that would be recorded.

However, this email specified that remote students would not be allowed to come to campus for graduation ceremonies due to COVID-19 protocols. The following day, the university told February graduates that they would not be permitted to attend graduation ceremonies in person, without exception.

“We cannot make any exceptions to the policy because doing so would be unfair and inequitable to the other students and would also jeopardize our compliance with the COVID-19 safety protocols,” the email sent to February graduates read.

The Massachusetts COVID-19 Safety Standards for Commencement and Graduation Ceremonies require social distancing and adherence to strict capacity limits but do not address traveling or testing protocols in preparation for graduation ceremonies.

Nathan Mitchell, who is one of 129 students who graduated from a Tufts undergraduate program in February, will attend the Tufts University School of Medicine in the fall.

Before the April 8 announcement, Mitchell would have been prohibited from attending in-person department ceremonies, despite his being vaccinated, getting tested regularly for COVID-19 through Tufts and working for TEMS. Mitchell said that not getting to walk in a graduation ceremony with his peers from the Class of 2021 would change the way he viewed his time at Tufts.

“To me, it seems like I worked very hard to go through these four years,” he said in an interview the day before Tufts alerted February graduates of the new policy. “And they’re literally kicking you out the door, or it’s

SOPHIE DOLAN / THE TUFTS DAILY

The university-wide Commencement ceremony typically takes place in-person in May, but will be held virtually this year. as if I just didn’t pay enough money to be able to graduate because I didn’t give them the money for this last semester.”

With the policy changed, Mitchell was able to walk in the Department of Biology ceremony with his peers on April 19.

“I am very happy with the university for changing its earlier decision,” Laurie Mitchell, his mother, wrote to the Daily just after the policy change was announced. “This has restored my belief in Tufts University.”

Q&A: President Monaco addresses anti-racism initiatives, COVID-19 response, retirement from position

by Megan Szostak and Madeleine Aitken Editor in Chief and Executive News Editor

The Tufts Daily sat down with University President Anthony Monaco to discuss the events of the past year.

The Tufts Daily (TD): What have been the greatest challenges and accomplishments of this school year amid the pandemic?

Anthony Monaco (AM): It’s been an unprecedented year full of challenges, some which we never could have anticipated. I think we’ve weathered the storm and pulled together to come up with solutions, and I couldn’t be prouder of the community as a result. As you know, we have a number of challenges, and also a number of wonderful accomplishments.

Let’s start with the pandemic itself, clearly the biggest challenge of the year. Despite the countless challenges, we were able to bring back most of our students for an in-person experience and education. Although we had moments where the number of infected persons on campus

grew, we were able to continue holding in-person classes, and we never had to shut down the campus as we saw elsewhere. I think the response by the university community has simply been extraordinary. Students, faculty and staff have been exceptionally resilient. They’ve shown great creativity and flexibility in dealing with the many uncertainties and changes we experienced since last spring. I know it hasn’t been easy; it has required sacrifice, it has been disappointing, particularly for our graduating seniors. But people, for the most part, have met every challenge with great commitment and understanding. I am also very proud that we have made our facilities, resources and expertise available to help our community partners in the fight against COVID-19.

So in many ways, Tufts was a model for other universities and colleges, and we generously shared guidance and tools in a way that we should all be proud of.

The pandemic also created additional challenges. It has been

a different year to be on campus, and we have been unable to gather or interact socially at the normal levels, and coming together and being in person is really part of the Tufts experience and the strength of our community. This hasn’t been available to us this year. The isolation of all members of our community from each other has really posed many mental health challenges.

It has limited the way in which we can respond, in addition, to certain incidents, both here at Tufts — such as the Jumbo mask incident, for example — and beyond, nationally, with some of the very upsetting events that we have seen occur elsewhere in the country. And we’ve tried to adopt innovative ways to come together, and I think we all agree that Zoom has its advantages, but also its limitations, and a lot goes missing when you can’t assemble in person. Even with Zoom, there are challenges. We had Zoom bombings, which we experienced and about which we felt very badly for those affected, but we learned some very hard lessons from those events.

I think we are very aware of the sense of loneliness and isolation that many members of our community are feeling, and we worked hard and continue to work hard to provide the support to our students, faculty and staff during this year. Personally, just this past weekend, I was really heartened to hear the cheers coming up from the athletic fields, as our athletic teams resumed play. To me, that was a sign of hope that we really are starting to return to some semblance of normalcy.

Another big topic for this year, and challenge as well as accomplishment, was our anti-racism work. It brought a reckoning on issues of racial justice for our country, and Tufts took major steps towards becoming an anti-racist institution. We established workstream groups to make suggestions in several areas, and are now implementing those steps. This is important work and it will unfold over time.

We are committed to it, and it will make Tufts a better, more welcoming, more accessible and more just place.

While we are doing that work towards the future, we need to make sure we are also addressing those issues on campus today, and we have to make sure that we don’t let the racism and polarization that exists across the country and throughout the world have a place at Tufts. We’ve seen a rise in antisemitism throughout the world and on college campuses. We’ve seen a spike across the country in verbal and physical attacks on members of the Asian community. We continue to see hateful acts of racism against Blacks. Working to fight these incidents and to make sure that everyone at Tufts feels safe and is respected for who they are will be an ongoing challenge here and on campuses throughout the country for years to come.

TD: Do you have a sense of what the fall semester will look like in terms of normalcy and in-person classes, programs, events, etc.?

AM: Our hope is that we’ll be able to get back to as close to normal as possible in the fall, see MONACO, page 7

6

THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Wednesday, May 5, 2021

tuftsdaily.com

Amma Agyei elected TCU Senate president, makes history as first Black woman to hold position

by Jack Adgate Staff Writer

Amma Agyei was named the winner of the Tufts Community Union Senate presidential election by the Tufts Elections Commission (ECOM) on April 24.

She will serve as the TCU Senate president for the 2021–22 academic year.

The runner-up in the election, Tim Leong, will serve as TCU Senate vice president during the 2021–22 academic year.

Voting for the presidential election took place from April 22 at noon until April 23 at midnight, with the winner announced just after midnight on April 24. Both candidates ran successful campaigns for Class of 2022 TCU Senate seats and were then nominated by the TCU Senate for their presidential bids on April 15.

According to ECOM Chair Mark Lannigan, Agyei won 70.97% of the votes cast. A total of 1,977 votes were cast by Tufts students in the election, equating to a turnout rate of 33.96%.

Agyei is a pre-med student studying biomedical engineering and is the president of the Black Student Union, secretary of the Roti and Rum Dance Team, Africana Center Peer Leader and formerly the Africana Community Senator in TCU Senate.

According to her campaign Instagram account, Agyei was endorsed by several student organizations on campus, including the Tufts Labor Coalition, Tufts African Students Organization and the Black Student Union.

Born in Ghana, Agyei is the first Black woman to be elected

TCU president in university history. Agyei moved to the United States during her junior year of high school and campaigned on her desire to bring students of color more representation in the university.

“It’s really exciting to make history,” Agyei said. “[I want to] pave the way for other Black women to be TCU president.”

Passionate about advocating for students of color and their increased representation in campus organizations, Agyei hopes her election victory can inspire other students of color to pursue TCU positions.

“I think [being the first Black woman to be TCU president] goes to show that the Senate environment is not conducive to persons of color,” Agyei said.

“The Black student body is just 4% [of the whole] … how many of that 4% are interested in student government, and how many of those interested … are a woman like me?”

Not only is she passionate about Black student involvement in more campus organizations, but Agyei also hopes to make Tufts a more welcoming environment for prospective Black students. She referenced a movement among colleges and universities in the greater Boston area to increase the percentage of Black students on campuses in 2015, and how Tufts has stalled on this promise.

“The demand [of the movement] was to increase the percentage of Black students to 13% … we’re still at 4% and it’s been six years,” Agyei said. “Tufts is not putting in enough effort to make [Black] students who are

admitted feel welcome enough to enroll here.”

In terms of future policy, Agyei hopes to initiate reform in the Tufts University Police Department, specifically by disarming officers and helping students feel more comfortable with officers on campus.

“A couple of ideas I had include changing the name from TUPD to Tufts campus safety … and changing uniforms because honestly, the police uniform is intimidating,” Agyei said.

Agyei also hopes to improve conditions at Tufts for low-income students. She found that the transition to virtual learning last spring and the COVID-19 response by the university disproportionately affected low-income students. “[Tufts] did not think ‘Okay, all classes are online, and some students may not have access to a personal laptop,'” Agyei said. “How do you expect them to be going to their classes? Not everyone has reliable internet connection; did you factor that in?”

Both Agyei and Leong were in communication before the election, and they will both work hand-in-hand to run TCU Senate.

“We talked before, when we both found out the other was running … we talked about our visions and plans for the campaign and the presidency,” Leong said.

Leong said he believes TCU Senate is in good hands with Agyei at the helm.

“It [was] nice running against somebody who I like,” Leong said. “I think she [will] also do a good job as president.”

Alumni Association honors 12 graduating seniors in annual awards ceremony

by Marianna Schantz Assistant News Editor

The Tufts University Alumni Association held the 2021 Senior Awards ceremony on April 10, virtually honoring 12 graduating seniors from the Schools of Arts and Sciences and Engineering and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts for their academic achievement, leadership and participation in campus and community activities.

Joda Glossner, associate director of council management and awards for the Office of Alumni Engagement, and Jennifer Covell, TUAA president, explained the history of the awards and what they stand for.

“Each year since 1955, the Tufts University Alumni Association … has sponsored the Senior Awards Ceremony,” they wrote. “The TUAA recognizes six to 12 members of the

Senior Class for outstanding academic achievement (3.0+ GPA), campus and community participation, and leadership.

This event is one of the highlights of the year for the TUAA, as it provides an opportunity for us to celebrate the accomplishments of the award recipients, who inspire us with their stories.”

Prior to the pandemic, the Senior Awards ceremony was held at the Gifford House and followed by a catered reception, but this year it took a virtual format.

This year’s ceremony was conducted via YouTube Live.

University President Anthony Monaco spoke briefly and the chairs of the Awards Committee presented each nominee, according to Covell. Each nominee provided brief remarks after being awarded.

Peter Bronk, co-chair of the Awards Committee for the

Alumni Council, explained how the awardees are selected each year.

“The biographic material and recommendations for every candidate are circulated to all members of the Awards Committee,” Bronk wrote in an email to the Daily. “Each member evaluates the nominees for the awards criteria … and generates a limited list of highly qualified nominees. When the Committee meets, we compare our lists, discuss the attributes of candidates, and create the final list of award recipients.”

Peter Brodeur, co-chair alongside Bronk, expanded on this. He said there were 67 nominees for the awards this year.

“This is a labor-intensive process because all 15 committee members carefully read and consider all nominees,” Brodeur wrote in an email to the Daily. see AWARDS, page 12

COURTESY AMMA AGYEI

Amma Agyei, TCU president-elect for the 2021–22 academic year, is pictured.

Dental school professor sues Tufts, alleges gender discrimination and retaliation

by Mariel Priven

Executive Copy Editor

Melissa Ing (D’89), an associate professor at the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, filed a lawsuit earlier this year accusing the university of gender discrimination and retaliation for complaining of alleged sexual harassment. Ing is currently awaiting trial by jury.

The lawsuit claims that Ing, who began working for Tufts in 2011, received inappropriate and uncomfortable comments and gestures from her former colleague, Roland Vanaria, who is 16 years her senior.

Patrick Collins, executive director of media relations at Tufts, confirmed the university is aware of the lawsuit and reinforced Tufts’ condemnation of discrimination.

“Tufts University prohibits discrimination, including sexual misconduct and retaliation for engaging in any protected activity, against any member of its community,” Collins wrote in an email to the Daily. “The University is fully committed to the equitable treatment of all employees.”

According to the lawsuit, the inappropriate behavior escalated in early 2017, when Vanaria “entered Dr. Ing’s office uninvited, and propositioned her, asking her to ‘have monkey business’ with him.” The lawsuit says Vanaria proceeded to approach Ing after her clinical duties finished in the evening, and, “state things to her such as ‘come on, lift up your lab coat,’ … and he would slap his thigh and say ‘come on Hon, why don’t you sit on my lap?’” As this continued, Ing complained to her supervisor, requesting that Vanaria be removed from her office premises.

In June 2017, Tufts’ Office of Equal Opportunity launched an investigation, described by the lawsuit as “severely flawed.” Ing

felt her concerns were minimized and says she was accused of complaining solely in light of the #MeToo movement and upon learning that another female faculty member had complained about Vanaria’s behavior and subsequently left the school.

Vanaria did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily.

According to a Boston Globe article published in March, Vanaria “said the accusations against him were ‘all BS’ …

Vanaria had one 20-minute conversation with the Tufts investigator, he said, then never heard anything more.”

During this time, Ing said she was bullied and ostracized by her peers. This persisted even after Vanaria was dismissed from Tufts in July 2018 for reasons unrelated to Ing’s complaints, according to the lawsuit.

That year, Ing was denied promotion to the rank of full professor, and was allegedly met with silence or falsehoods when she requested reasons for the denial.

More than six of her male colleagues were promoted during that year’s cycle, the lawsuit says.

In 2019, Ing was again denied promotion on the basis of a qualification that the lawsuit claims she did meet at the time. A male colleague, who did not meet the qualification, was endorsed for promotion less than four months earlier, according to the lawsuit.

Given her experience as an educator and her winning several leadership and teaching awards, the lawsuit suggests that Ing’s continued denials for promotion were on the basis of retaliation. “[Ing] has been subjected to a hostile work environment due to her gender and due to having complained of sexual harassment,” the lawsuit states. “All of this is retaliation for Dr. Ing’s complaints of sexual harassment. The wrongful failures to see LAWSUIT, page 14

News

Wednesday, May 5, 2021 | News | THE TUFTS DAILY

7

Monaco discusses recent relationship with host communities — and his pet fish MONACO

continued from page 5 we expect to have most students back in person for classes, and we want to return to in-person clubs, organizations and events.

But we are not out of the woods yet. And we won’t be completely out of the woods by the fall either. We’re continuing to see the virus spread throughout the country. And we also must be cautious given the threat of virus variants, which we’re still learning about and which are occurring throughout the globe.

So as a result, some of the measures we’ve had in place this year will be in place in some form next fall. And even with students being vaccinated, we envision that there will be need for some form of testing to monitor the health of our campuses, and to curtail the spread of the virus if it reemerges, especially with variants that may come back, especially next winter from other parts of the world.

So, we’ll expect a continued need for masking and social distancing in some situations, but the social distancing will be the thing we’ll look very hard at, to get us back to some semblance of normalcy.

TD: How has Tufts sought to support its host communities of Medford and Somerville during

this time, and do you think that this has been a successful relationship?

AM: I do think our relationships with Medford, Somerville, Boston and Grafton are exceptionally strong at this time. I’ve said it many times during the year, we have very common goals. And we’re almost always able to find common ground and work out solutions whenever we have differences. One of my priorities during the pandemic was to use the university’s resources to help our host communities as much as possible. When the virus was emerging last summer, I wrote an op-ed in the Boston Globe calling all my fellow presidents to make their facilities and resources available to their communities. We’ve done that in a number of ways.

Firstly, during the summer during the surge, we housed patients, public safety personnel and hospital employees on our campuses to help with that part of the pandemic. We designed and helped implement a pooled testing program for the Medford and Somerville public school systems that has been working extremely well and actually informed a statewide effort. We provided free individual testing for local public school teachers and student-facing personnel in

the schools. We provided food security groups the ability to use our refrigeration facilities so they could meet increased demand for struggling families. We’ve also made emergency grants to many local nonprofits.

We appreciate all our host communities have done for us.

We’ve worked very closely with their public health officials, they’ve allowed flexibility when we needed it, they allowed us to get the Mods, for example, up and running within record time last summer. We really owe them a huge debt of gratitude for moving that along at record pace, so that we would be prepared to keep everyone in our community safe.

TD: Late last summer, there was a lot of backlash from members of the Somerville and Medford communities about the fact that Tufts was reopening and having students on campus. Have you heard anything about people’s opinions changing, or if you have been in communication with any of those people who initially expressed strong doubts about us coming back?

AM: I think the strong doubts were expressed because we were bringing back students who were living both on campus and off campus. And our approach was

KYLE LUI / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES

Tufts University President Anthony Monaco poses for a portrait in front of Ballou Hall on April 30, 2019.

to create the largest bubble we could of testing and protocols so that the students off campus were in the same efforts the university was making to protect not only our Tufts community, but the communities of Medford and Somerville. I think that approach turned out to be the correct approach from a public health perspective. We were able to, by including everyone in our program, keep the rates very low and limit any spread, so that it never really posed risks to the surrounding community members. I think that was where they were concerned.

It turned out that our approach was very effective in doing what we had hoped. I think the mayors in particular appreciated that. When they saw how effective this was, they asked us to help them do the same for their K–12 schools. And that’s where the pooled testing was born. And that’s really allowed them to open safely, particularly this semester, and keep the education of a whole generation of students going during this pandemic year.

TD: How do you think the workstreams, which were launched back in July, have influenced and affected the Tufts anti-racist efforts? How do you see major changes coming as a result of the reports that were released in the near future?

AM: The reports from the work streams were very encouraging. We made 180 recommendations and we committed, as a university, a minimum of $25 million over five years to make sure as many of the recommendations as possible can get enacted. Some of the changes have already been made or are in the process of being made, and others will be longer term.

For example, the admitted undergraduate Class of 2025 is the most diverse in our history. The majority of the admitted students, domestic students in particular, are students of color, and the percentage of admitted Black students grew significantly this year. Those results are because we were very intentional about reaching out to new demographics of students and populations across the country and places where we might not be as familiar or seen as accessible.

We’ve also backed up that work by increasing the financial aid, making it possible for students to come to Tufts, despite their limited resources. That’s been a priority for me throughout my presidency, and it continues to be a focus.

We’re also focused on the faculty. We in the Tufts Medical Center have jointly applied for an NIH grant to increase recruitment and retention of faculty in the STEM fields, with increasing the diversity of those individuals.

Longer term, here are other areas that we’re trying to follow up on recommendations, for example in public safety, which includes the formation of a working group charged with making further recommenda-

tions related to the arming status of campus police officers. We also are going to be increasing the use of non sworn personnel for routine services that do not require a uniformed officer, and increasing the use of mental health professionals or highly trained staff to respond to calls related to mental health matters. We’re also currently in the middle of a national search for a new Executive Director of Public Safety.

TD: Historically, we’ve seen Tufts presidents turn over about every 10 years. You’ve been here since 2011. When do you see yourself moving on? And do you know what direction we’ll be going in?

AM: I planned with the Board of Trustees that I would remain in my position as president through the end of the Brighter World Campaign, which is currently expected to wrap up in 2023. Sometime within that frame, I anticipate the Board will begin a new search for the next president. I will continue to lead the university in tackling important challenges ahead, such as our anti-racism work.

It’s been a great honor to be the president and serve in this role.

I’m grateful for every moment, and I look forward to continuing that work until I depart the university. But for now, it’s at least another year or so, and then the trustees will make an announcement about another search.

TD: Another question that has been bouncing around the student body is related to your fish tank, which we are seeing a fish in today, but which often looks empty. We’d love to hear about this fish.

AM: Well, it’s never empty.

Dottie is the name of the fish.

She’s a koi fish. But she’s a known mutant called ‘mirror scales.’ I had seen in an article I read about mirror fish as being a variant in koi fish and I spotted her in a tank at Petco out of about 100 other koi fish, and as a geneticist, I guess I could pick out the mutant. She’s got no scales on her body, except very dramatic, shiny scales at particular points. She is alone.

And the tank doesn’t have much in it, but that’s because she’s extremely disabled and can’t swim properly. She has a spinal deformity, she kind of rotates to turn and her tail is not at a normal angle to her body, so I’ve decided to keep the tank as a limited environment because I worry if I put things in it — and I had this fear when she did have things in the tank — she could tear a fin or damage her body by any sudden movement. But despite those issues, she’s a very happy and healthy fish. I also have four other koi fish in a very large 400-gallon tank in the basement of Gifford House, but Dottie has to be in a special tank because of her disability. But we enjoy each other’s company.

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

8

THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Wednesday, May 5, 2021

tuftsdaily.com

Cover to cover: Class of 2021’s 4 years reviewed

KYLE LUI / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES

Rep. Ayanna Pressley, the first Mass. Black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, spoke as part of the Tisch College Distinguished Speaker Series on April 22, 2019

NICOLE GARAY / THE TUFTS DAILY

The cannon was painted with a message encouraging people to vote in the 2020 presidential election.

RAY BERNOFF / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES

ALONSO NICHOLS / TUFTS UNIVERSITY

Mauri Trimmer (left) and Ben Kesslen (center) lead a protest march to Kappa Alpha Theta during sorority recruitment events on March 30, 2017.

Eitan Hersh, associate professor of political science, is pictured teaching class in Cohen Auditorium. Behind him is a section of the class attending via Zoom.

by Rebecca Barker

Center and Asian American identity-based housing to improve accessibility to the center.

The Division of Student Diversity and Inclusion centers, known formerly as the Group of Six, saw major changes. Hope Freeman, Julián Cancino and K. Martinez were hired as center directors for the LGBT, Latino and Women’s Centers, respectively. In February 2018, the university announced the creation of a first-generation student center, the FIRST Resource Center, and in April, Martinez stepped down as Women’s Center director, citing hostility at Tufts on and off campus.

The year saw another victory for labor activists, with Tufts Dining workers voting overwhelmingly to unionize in April 2018.

The end of the year was tinged with mild controversy, however, with some students expressing disappointment over the choice of former DuPont CEO and Tufts alumna Ellen J. Kullman (E’78) to deliver the 2018 commencement address. Kullman faced criticisms

Outreach Coordinator

The Class of 2021’s time at Tufts was one marked by historic events and systemic changes. From student activism to an overhaul of Greek life to a pandemic that changed the way students learn and live on campus, the Daily has documented some of the most memorable moments in the past four years.

As the Class of 2021 looks forward to graduation, the Daily is reviewing the history it leaves behind at Tufts.

2017–18 The Class of 2021 saw Tufts make national news on account of a widely publicized resignation from The Fletcher School’s Board of Advisors, a conclusion to the previous year’s Greek life investigations and new directors at half of the Division of Student Diversity and Inclusion centers during its first year.

Second-year Master of Arts in law and diplomacy candidate

Camilo Caballero published op-eds in the Daily supporting a petition to remove Anthony Scaramucci (LA’86), former White House communications director, from The Fletcher School’s Board of Advisors in November 2017. Scaramucci sent a letter threatening a defamation lawsuit and demanding a public apology as well as the retraction of both op-eds. Scaramucci resigned the next morning.

The fall also saw an end to the Greek life investigations that started the previous year.

One fraternity, Pi Delta, chose to dissolve rather than resolve allegations of misconduct. Two fraternities, Delta Upsilon and Zeta Psi, were suspended until September 2018. One fraternity, Theta Delta Chi, was found responsible for multiple violations of university policy and had its recognition revoked without room for appeal until 2027.

Three fraternities — Pi Rho, Delta Tau Delta and Theta Chi — were placed on disciplinary probation.

One sorority, Chi Omega, was

placed on disciplinary probation until December 2018, and the other fraternities and sororities were found to be in good standing with the university.

In another attempt to address the ongoing housing shortage, the university made progress on the Community Housing project, known on campus as CoHo, which was first suggested by the residential strategies working group. The project, originally named Capen Village, was approved by the Medford Zoning Board of Appeals on Jan. 11, 2018 and opened to juniors and seniors in fall 2018.

Rising senior Jacqueline Chen won the election for TCU president against rising senior Adam Rapfogel.

TCU Senate passed a number of resolutions. One called for the pass/fail deadline to be extended to 10 weeks into the semester for all students and was affirmed by a faculty vote on Feb. 7, 2018. The Senate also unanimously passed a resolution calling for the separation of the Asian American

over violations of environmental regulations that occurred during her tenure as CEO of DuPont.

2018–19 The year began with the initial rollout of CoHo, bringing in 45 new beds to campus for juniors and seniors. By the second semester, 39 more beds were added as the second phase rolled out, with the final phase set for the following fall.

The political climate on campus was tense leading up to the midterm elections. On Nov. 1, 2018, less than a week before the midterms, reporters at the Daily discovered posters reading, “It’s ok to be white” around campus, covering get-out-the-vote signs placed by JumboVote. The posters have been linked to white nationalists, including David Duke, former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard.

The ballot questions for that year’s midterm elections were equally important to Tufts, see REVIEW, page 9

News

Wednesday, May 5, 2021 | News | THE TUFTS DAILY

9

2017–21: 4 years in review REVIEW

continued from page 8 particularly Question 3, which threatened to exclude gender identity from a list of state-held protections. The statewide Yes on 3 campaign, which upheld transgender rights, was campaigned for aggressively on Tufts’ campus, and Question 3 passed in favor of retaining protections based on gender identity.

During the midterm elections, Ayanna Pressley was elected to represent Massachusetts’ 7th District in Congress. Pressley is the first African American woman to represent Massachusetts on the national stage.

During the spring semester, Julián Cancino, the former director of the Latino Center, left Tufts, leaving three of the Division of Student Diversity and Inclusion centers without permanent directors. The FIRST Resource Center, aiming to serve first-generation students, opened for its first academic year.

Housing in areas other than CoHo also saw major changes throughout the year. In February, the Office of Residential Life and Learning announced that the SMFA Beacon Street dorms would house only first-years in the coming academic year due to historically large class sizes.

Carmichael Hall would house only first-years in the coming year; Harleston Hall would house only sophomores.

In February, Rabbi Naftali Brawer found posters containing anti-Israel messages defacing the Granoff Family Hillel Center. The act was decried as antisemitic and as holding the whole of the Jewish diaspora responsible for the acts of the state of Israel.

Identity-based tensions on campus continued as a message supporting survivors of sexual assault on the cannon was painted over with “Trump 2020” and eggings on campus occurred. One of the victims cited “transmisogyny” as the reason for the egging.

The year also saw rising tensions between dining workers and Tufts, as UNITE HERE Local 26 continued to negotiate for a fair contract. In particular, students and workers held a picket outside of Carmichael Hall with an attendance of over 800 as students shouted slogans in support of the dining workers. Shortly afterward, the dining workers voted to authorize a strike, which was narrowly avoided when Tufts and the workers reached an agreement on April 29.

2019–20 The Class of 2021’s third year at Tufts was shaken by a series of developments that again made Tufts the focus of national news, before being cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic in March.

Former Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, U.S. Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey and Karl Rove, a former special advisor to U.S. President George W. Bush, were some of the many guests who visited Tufts as part of the Jonathan M. Tisch College

of Civic Life’s Distinguished Speaker Series.

While impeachment proceedings of U.S. President Donald Trump prevented then-Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bennett from visiting, fellow candidate Marianne Williamson met with Tufts Democrats in October.

Margot Cardamone became the FIRST Resource Center director after the Office of Student Success and Advising was dissolved in September and Marvin Casasola was hired as the next Latino Center director.

Early in the fall, the Tufts campus was struck by three consecutive incidents of hate within one month.

First, a Jewish student returned to their residence hall on Sept. 15 to discover a swastika affixed to their door; second, a different student found a homophobic slur carved into their door on Oct. 2; third, a sign was defaced at the African American Trail Project exhibit in the Aidekman Arts Center. After the final incident, Monaco announced the formation of two bias response teams to focus on supporting the Tufts community.

The Tufts community also learned in September that Monaco attended a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman the previous year, though the university did not disclose it at the time.

Tufts again made headlines in December by deciding to remove the Sackler name from its health sciences campus and programs and establishing a $3 million endowment focused on substance abuse and addiction prevention and treatment. The university made the decision following the completion of an independent review of its relationship with the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma by former U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts David Stern and Attorney Sandy Remz.

Tufts announced on Jan. 2 that for $2 million over 10 years, “Medford/Tufts” would be the name of the new Green Line Extension station under construction at the intersection of Boston Avenue and College Avenue. When completed, the station will be directly adjacent to the Joyce Cummings Center, a new academic building under construction since June 2019 and in planning since 2015.

Spring semester began with Tisch College’s historic move to Barnum Hall from Lincoln-Filene Hall, which also coincided with the beginning of its 20th anniversary celebrations. Barnum Hall had been closed for about a year since extensive renovations began in May 2018 and finished the following summer.

Divestment lobbying made headway in February when the administration appointed members to the Responsible Investment Advisory Group for a review of Tufts’ investments in the fossil fuel industry. The Board of Trustees established the advisory committee four months prior, after nearly seven years of student activism on the issue.

The semester was upended, however, when Monaco

announced on March 10 the closure of campus and shift to online classes due to the escalating COVID-19 pandemic. Tufts confirmed its first positive case days later while students spontaneously organized financial and material support through Tufts Mutual Aid. Although classes resumed remotely on March 25, campus buildings were shuttered as many students were forced to return home, some petitioned to remain and others still were quarantined on campus. Students studying abroad as well as exchange students at Tufts all returned home, though some faced great difficulty as travel bans were implemented worldwide.

Dining workers’ hours were cut with most dining locations closed, but they secured an agreement to extend benefits through the end of the semester.

Among other academic policy modifications, faculty approved a new and temporary Exceptional Pass/Fail grading system, which was opt-in and would satisfy all academic requirements.

The administration reaffirmed its commitment to meeting full demonstrated need in financial aid, despite an expected $15 million budget deficit in the current fiscal year and an estimated $50 million shortfall in the next.

Having initially canceled ceremonies entirely, the administration responded to outrage from many members of the Class of 2020 by promising to hold in-person Commencement when it would again be safe to do so. On May 17, Tufts instead held a virtual all-university degree conferral ceremony.

2020–21 The class of 2021’s final year began unconventionally, as Tufts’ academics and activities adapted to a hybrid model in adherence with COVID-19 public health guidelines. While Tufts welcomed students back to campus, some opted to either attend classes remotely or take a leave of absence.

Tufts implemented a number of measures to ensure the safety of community members, including routine testing for students, pooled testing that extended to Somerville and Medford residents and the implementation of the Mods, which facilitated the ability to quarantine students who tested positive for COVID-19 and their close contacts.

Online programming allowed for a robust lineup of speakers through Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life’s Distinguished Speaker Series. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Dr. Anthony Fauci, voting rights activist and former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams and author Ijeoma Oluo were only a few of the speakers to visit Tufts virtually this year.

The Division of Student Diversity and Inclusion was renamed as part of a larger restructuring effort. This change additionally welcomed three new full-time staffing positions.

The year was also marked by student activism and political

engagement. Members of the Tufts community marched in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, formed new campus organizations focused on anti-racism and reevaluated the lack of representation in departmental curricula. This came after a summer of protests and a national reckoning with police brutality and white supremacy in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in May 2020. Student organizations also phone-banked, assisted with voter registration and worked at the polls leading up to the presidential election in November.

Shortly after Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election was announced, Tufts faced challenges within its own student government when the Tufts Community Union Judiciary suspended the Senate Executive Board and Elections Commission (ECOM) in November. The Judiciary believed that the Senate Executive Board and ECOM were planning to appoint students to vacant Senate seats — a violation of the TCU Constitution. The Judiciary then revoked its suspension after less than 24 hours, having resolved what had been a miscommunication between the three branches.

TCU also held a special election at the end of November, which included referenda by Tufts Students for Justice in Palestine and Tufts for a Racially Equitable Endowment. Although 42% of the student body voted — the highest turnout for a special election in Tufts’ history — the university announced that it had no plans to take action on either referendum.

Many students left campus early this fall, with Tufts asking those who traveled for Thanksgiving to remain home and complete classes virtually.

Students did not return to campus until late January for the spring semester, which began Feb. 1. Most study abroad programs remained suspended and spring break was condensed into a three day weekend, in part due to traveling risks posed by COVID-19.

Tufts and its surrounding communities were affected by multiple acts of hate early in 2021. Many reacted to the insurrection at the Capitol that took place on Jan. 6, as well as the involvement of Jessica Turner, a member of the Somerville Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

The university shared the results of an investigation in February regarding a September incident involving Tufts University Police Department’s response to three women of color hanging a mask on the Jumbo statue as part of a university-sponsored effort to promote JumboVote and Healthy@Tufts.

The investigation concluded that discrimination did not factor into the incident.

This announcement came only days before two Zoom bombing incidents — one at a diversity, equity and inclusion event — occurred back to back.

President Monaco subsequent-

ly announced the creation of Bias Education Response Teams in March, which are designed to address the impact of hateful and discriminatory acts as well as provide support to the community.

The Board of Trustees voted to ban direct investments in 120 coal and tar sands companies, which was announced in a Feb. 10 email to the community.

However, many environmental organizations on campus remain unsatisfied with the decision, citing a lack of change in current investments.

President Monaco also shared the recommendations of five workstreams created in July 2020 as part of the university’s commitment to becoming an anti-racist institution in a Feb. 17 email. The workstreams — Institutional Audit and Targeted Action, Campus Safety and Policing, Public Art, Compositional Diversity, and Equity and Inclusion — were composed of faculty, staff and students. Recommendations are currently being considered for or are in the process of implementation.

The Class of 2021 played a key role in reforming and restructuring Greek life on campus during its final year. Following discussions prompted by the online account “Abolish Greek Life at Tufts” over the summer, all members of Alpha Phi and the majority of members in Chi Omega disaffiliated from their national chapters, creating local sororities The Ivy and Thalia, respectively. New members were welcomed through virtual recruitment this spring.

The university announced that it would close the Confucius Institute in March. The decision came after months of weekly protests from the local Tibetan, Uighur and Hong Kong communities.

A record-low 11% of students were offered admission to the Class of 2025, and the accepted students comprise the most ethnically and racially diverse undergraduate class in Tufts history and are part of the first class that applied under the university’s new test-optional policy.

TCU President-elect and rising senior Amma Agyei made history this year as the first Black woman elected to the TCU presidency. Agyei won over rising senior Tim Leong, who will serve as TCU vice president.

For the second year in a row, the university has planned a virtual Senior Week and Commencement, despite concerns voiced by the senior class. Tufts will welcome civil rights lawyer and author Bryan Stevenson to deliver the 2021 Commencement address on May 23.

Rebecca Barker, Robert Kaplan, Austin Clementi and Zachary Hertz contributed reporting to this article.

Editor’s note: The 2017–18, 2018–19 and 2019–20 recaps in this article are reprinted from the 2019–20 Commencement issue of the Daily.

10

THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Wednesday, May 5, 2021

tuftsdaily.com

Tufts reports 348 COVID-19 cases in spring semester

by Alexander Janoff and Alex Viveros

Deputy News Editor and News Editor

Medford/Somerville campus A total of 348 positive COVID19 cases were reported on the Medford/Somerville campus since the Daily started tracking the number of positive cases on Jan. 16.

The number represents an increase in new COVID-19 cases reported this semester than in the fall. Prior to Jan. 16, a total of 202 cases were reported on the Medford/Somerville campus.

Students accounted for 88% of the COVID-19 cases reported since Jan. 16; 306 students were recorded as testing positive for COVID-19, while 42 members of the University’s staff, faculty and affiliates were reported as testing positive for the virus.

early February and late March.

The highest number of positive COVID-19 cases recorded in one day was 21, which occurred on Jan. 21. The highest seven-day average number of cases reported per day was 9.71, which occurred on Jan. 31.

The University entered the semester — which began on Feb. 1, following a late January arrival quarantine period — with similar restrictions to those that were initially placed in response to a November increase in positive COVID-19 cases. These November adjustments included an increase in COVID-19 testing from twice a week to once every two days.

Many on-campus restrictions were relaxed in mid-February in response to a decreasing number of COVID-19 cases following the arrival quarantine uptick. The

7.43 cases reported per day on Mar. 25. The University issued a warning to the Tufts community on Mar. 26, reminding students to follow COVID-19 guidelines in order to avoid another tightening of restrictions.

The number of new cases reported per day saw a decrease in early April. The seven-day average number of new cases reported per day reached a semester low of 0.14 on April 21.

Twenty positive COVID-19 cases on the Medford/Somerville campus were retroactively deemed to be inconclusive on Feb. 10, a finding identified by the Daily. The adjustment was made after the Broad Institute — which supplies rapid COVID-19 tests to Tufts and other Universities in the Boston area — made changes to their procedures for analyzing submitted COVID-19 test samples.

AVA IANNUCCILLO / THE TUFTS DAILY

Students are pictured walking into the COVID-19 testing center.

An average of 3.35 cases per day and 23.42 cases per week were reported on the Medford/ Somerville campus this semester.

The biggest spikes in new COVID-19 cases recorded on campus occurred in late January,

university returned the testing frequency from once every two days to twice a week on March 1.

The second increase in positive COVID-19 cases, which happened in late March, culminated in a seven-day average high of

According to Tufts’ COVID-19 dashboard, a total of 526 members of the Medford/Somerville campus have tested positive for the virus since Aug. 3, 2020. This number was adjusted to account for 24 cases that were retroactive-

Medford/Somerville

CASES OF STUDENTS, FACULTY AND STAFF

12.07%

61.54% 43.33%

87.93%

Twenty-nine cases were reported on the Grafton campus from Aug. 3, 2020 to Jan. 16, meaning 59 individuals tested positive for the virus on the Grafton campus since testing began.

In total, 4.67% of students and 5.56% of faculty, staff, affiliates tested positive for COVID-19 this academic year.

No cases on the Grafton campus were retroactively deemed to be inconclusive, according to the Daily’s reporting.

Boston campus Fifty-two individuals tested positive for COVID-19 on the Boston campus since Jan. 16.

Thirty-two of the individuals who tested positive were students and 20 were faculty, staff or affiliates. Two cases were retroactively deemed inconclusive, one on Jan. 23 and the other on Feb. 10.

Students made up for 61.54% of positive cases on the Boston campus since Jan. 16. The campus averaged 0.5 positive cases per day and 3.5 positive cases per week since then.

The largest spike in new COVID-19 cases on the Boston campus occurred on Feb. 8 when the school reported 13 new COVID-19 cases in a single week.

The Boston campus recorded 73 days with zero new COVID-19 cases since Jan. 16. This meant that the campus recorded no new cases for 70.19% of the days this semester.

One hundred and ten cases were reported on the Boston campus from Aug. 3, 2020 to Jan. 16. According to the university’s COVID-19 dashboard, 160 individuals have tested positive for the virus since testing began. By far, the majority of the cases on the Boston campus were reported last fall.

In total, 5.07% of students and 3.97% of faculty, staff and affiliates tested positive for COVID-19 this academic year.

CASES BY MONTH

AVERAGE CASES PER DAY

56.67%

ly deemed to be inconclusive. The Daily was unable to determine when 4 of these cases were found to be retroactively inconclusive.

Four hundred and thirty-five students and 91 faculty/staff/ affiliates have tested positive for COVID-19 since Aug. 3, 2020, according to the university’s COVID-19 dashboard.

This data suggests that 5.68% of students and 4.62% of workers on the Medford/Somerville campus have contracted COVID-19 since testing began.

On April 25, in an email to the Tufts community, University Infection Control Health Director Michael Jordan announced that the university had acquired doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. They administered the doses to students, faculty, staff and affiliates in a Gantcher Center clinic on April 28, 29 and 30.

Grafton campus Grafton — which is the smallest Tufts campus — reported the lowest number of COVID-19 cases out of the three campuses this semester. Thirty individuals tested positive since Jan. 16, 13 of whom were students and 17 of whom were faculty, staff and affiliates.

Students made up for 43.33% of cases on the Grafton campus since Jan. 16. This was the lowest recorded proportion of studentto-staff infections out of any of Tufts’ campuses.

The Grafton campus averaged 0.29 positive cases per day and 2.02 positive cases per week since Jan. 16.

The largest spike in new COVID19 cases on the Grafton campus occurred in mid-April when the school reported eight new COVID19 cases in a single week.

Since Jan. 16, the campus also recorded 85 days with zero new COVID-19 cases, a record among any of Tufts’ campuses. This meant that the campus recorded no new cases for 81.73% of the days this semester.

38.46%

News

Wednesday, May 5, 2021 | News | THE TUFTS DAILY

11

City of Somerville pilots Mass. contact tracing software

by Alexander Janoff Deputy News Editor

The City of Somerville is one of two Massachusetts cities engaged in a pilot program of MassNotify, Massachusetts’ implementation of smartphone exposure notification software, which began on April 5. Methuen is the other city participating in MassNotify’s pilot.

The technology, developed by Apple and Google in April 2020 as the Exposure Notifications System, utilizes Bluetooth technology to determine if an individual has been in close physical proximity for more than 15 minutes to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

If participating users test positive for COVID-19, they can choose to share that information with the application, which will then notify any other participating individual who has been in close contact with the user who tested positive.

According to the Massachusetts state website, no location data or personal information is ever shared with Google, Apple, Massachusetts or any other users. The system protects user privacy by exchanging random codes between participating devices via Bluetooth. These codes change every 15 minutes and are stored securely by the operating system.

According to Doug Kress, Somerville’s director of health and human services, the tech-

nology has already been implemented in many places across the world. The United States has only recently begun to see some adoption of the Exposure Notifications System.

Kress believes a potential reason for the gap between Apple and Google’s release of the Exposure Notifications Technology and Massachusetts’ implementation of it comes from a lack of knowledge about the technology.

“I think the biggest setback was we didn’t understand the technology,” Kress said. “I think a lot of people were concerned about the potential privacy [issues].”

According to Kress, Somerville and Methuen residents are currently the only groups whose COVID-19positive status can be confidentially shared with close contacts. However, anyone in Massachusetts can enable the MassNotify technology on their smartphone and receive notification of their exposure. Kress anticipates statewide rollout in the near future.

“If you don’t live in Somerville, but you were exposed to someone who tested positive in Somerville, you would still get that … notification that you were in exposure,” Kress said.

Tufts University is currently engaged in a review of the usefulness of MassNotify to its testing and tracing system.

“We are looking at MassNotify as a promising tool

that might fit within our overall program along with other measures, such as masking, social distancing, testing and our current tracing program,” Dr. Michael Jordan, university infection control health director, and Chris Sedore, vice president and chief information officer, wrote in an email to the Daily.

Jordan and Sedore are currently looking at potential complications with the technology that could arise in a college campus setting, where many students live in close proximity to one another in residence halls.

This raises the concern that the technology may have difficulty differentiating between these close contacts.

“We will continue to look at these questions to determine if, how and when MassNotify might fit within Tufts’ testing and tracing program, which will continue in some fashion in the fall,” Jordan and Sedore said.

All residents of Massachusetts who are 16 years or older became eligible for COVID-19 vaccination on April 19. Despite this development, which may signal a nearing end to the COVID19 pandemic, Kress emphasized that it is still crucial to use all available tools, including MassNotify, to decrease infection and transmission rates across the Commonwealth.

“I think that because more and more people are intermingling, and we see more and more people who are letting some of

SOPHIE DOLAN / THE TUFTS DAILY

SOPHIE DOLAN / THE TUFTS DAILY

An iPhone shows exposure notifications set for the Massachusetts region.

MassNotify, a COVID-19 exposure notification system, is enabled on an iPhone.

their guards down … there’s a higher risk of potential exposures,” Kress said.

Kress sees MassNotify not only as a beneficial tool in battling COVID-19 infection and transmission rates, but also as a healthy reminder to users who may have become more relaxed after over a year’s worth of restrictions.

“This is something that’s going to help us be able to inform people that they may have been exposed,” Kress said.

“It’s also a slight reminder for everybody to say, ‘Wow, I get this pandemic is still here and I need to be careful.’”

Residents of Massachusetts with devices running either Apple’s iOS or Google’s Android operating systems can activate the system, which will only become fully active in all locations once the pilot program

ends. IOS users can activate MassNotify in their iPhone’s settings app under “Exposure Notifications.” Android users must download additional software from the Google Play Store.

Kress believes that since smartphones are widely used, MassNotify’s ease of access and utilization of widespread technology may be extremely beneficial to Massachusetts government officials and residents throughout the rest of the coronavirus pandemic.

“This is a very simple tool … this is a simple thing,” Kress said. “Everybody can [opt in] to help slow the spread of this virus, where they only have to do it once, and they don’t have to think about it again … It’s a simple way to get that reminder to help get that message out to get people to test, isolate and slow the spread of this virus.”

Green Line Extension Medford branch testing to begin this summer, Medford/Tufts station to open in December

by Jack Hirsch

Assistant News Editor

The Medford branch of the Green Line Extension, which will include the Medford/Tufts stop on College Ave, remains on track to be operational by December.

The Union Square branch, terminating in Union Square, will begin service this October, according to a March 29 presentation by MBTA General Manager Steven Poftak.

The branches’ staggered openings aim to optimize the allocation of MBTA staff for the testing and commissioning phases that come before revenue service, MBTA Deputy Press Secretary Lisa Battiston explained to the Daily in an email.

“The project team continues to target the end of the year for the start of passenger service on both branches,” Battiston said.

The $2.3 billion project was contracted in 2017 and will extend the Green Line from its current northern terminus at Lechmere to College Avenue in Medford and Union Square in Somerville.

The Medford/Tufts stop will be the new northern terminus of the Green Line’s E branch, which carries trains through Downtown Boston and the Back Bay before terminating at Heath Street.

The Union Square station will be the northern terminus of the D branch, which carries trains through downtown Boston and Newton before terminating at Riverside.

EVAN SLACK / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES

A sign promoting the MBTA Green Line Extension project is pictured on April 17, 2018.

According to the “Notice of Project Change,” a document detailing the Green Line Extension, “The project includes the relocation of the existing commuter rail tracks, the construction of 4.3 miles of new Green Line tracks and systems, one relocated station and six new stations, construction of multi-span viaducts and reconstruction of bridge structures, and a new vehicle maintenance facility.”

Five of the new stations will be on the Medford branch, and the Union Square stop will be the one new station on the Union Square branch. The Lechmere station will be relocated and reconstructed.

As of Feb. 22, 40% of the Green Line track had been placed, and 1.1 miles of new concrete viaduct construction had been completed, according to a construction update by John Dalton, the program manager.

The timeline for the Medford/ Tufts stop is in line with the university’s expectations.

“The Green Line Extension team has kept Tufts University apprised of their timeline throughout the construction project,” Rocco DiRico, director of government and community relations, wrote to the Daily in an email. “We look forward to both the Joyce Cummings Center and

the Green Line Extension projects to be completed by the end of this year.”

Residents can expect to see Green Line trolleys operating on the Green Line Extension while the tracks are being tested.

“The Testing & Commissioning effort is already underway on the Union Branch and will commence this summer on the Medford Branch,” Battiston said.

“In the coming months, Green Line vehicles will be operating on the new tracks to support the testing and commissioning effort.”

According to the “Notice of Project Change” document, the Green Line Extension is also expected to have a significant positive effect on the communities it is about to serve. It explained that the Green Line Extension would reduce vehicle trips and air pollution, provide service in areas that historically have been without reliable public transit and support over 50,000 trips per day.

“The project represents a major investment by the Commonwealth in urban mass transit in an effort to provide critical transportation, air quality, greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and urban redevelopment benefits along the project corridor,” the document said.

DiRico explained how those benefits would extend to the Tufts community.

“The Medford/Tufts Green Line Station will have a tremendously positive impact on Tufts University,” DiRico said.

“It will make it easier for our students, faculty, staff, and visitors to come to campus using mass transportation. It will reduce the number of vehicles on local roads, which will have both traffic and environmental benefits. Finally, the new station will connect our Medford/ Somerville campus with our Mission Hill/Fenway campus at the SMFA, which is also on the E line, and to our Chinatown campus.”

DiRico said he is grateful for the collaboration of all parties on this project, and he looks forward to the completion of both the Green Line Extension and Cummings Center projects.

“There has been a great deal of collaboration between the MBTA, the City of Medford, the City of Somerville, and Tufts University on the Green Line Extension project,” he said. “We are fortunate that this new MBTA station will be located next to the Joyce Cummings Center.

Together, the two projects will create a new gateway to our Medford/Somerville campus.”

12

THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Wednesday, May 5, 2021

tuftsdaily.com

Awardees reflect on meaningfulness of award AWARDS

continued from page 6 “The work is really measured in days for each committee member to learn about each student and to be prepared for the committee’s discussions during the selection process. In the end, we can select up to 12 nominees from an amazing pool of accomplished and inspiring students.”

The 2021 Senior Awards honorees were Mateo Gomez, Subin Jeong, Isabella Kiser, Alex Lein, Daniel Ndirangu, Vy Bao Ngetich, Maame OpareAddo, Thomas Risoleo, Ivette Rodriguez Borja, Saherish Surani, Emily Taketa and Sarah Wiener.

Mateo Gomez studied environmental engineering and engineering management. He was a part of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Indigenous Peoples’ Day Planning Committee, and was a peer leader for the Leadership for Social Change pre-college program and the 1+4 Bridge Year program. Gomez co-taught a Civic Pathways first-year course through Tisch College, and he has researched extensively throughout his time at Tufts, most recently exploring the intersection between environmental health and COVID-19.

Subin Jeong majored in community health and Spanish culture. She conducted biomedical engineering research in the Kaplan Lab and is the head captain of the varsity women’s fencing team. She also volunteered at Y2Y Youth Homeless Shelter and worked with Newton Neighbors Helping Neighbors and ACTION Dental Clinic. She will be attending the Harvard School of Dental Medicine after graduation.

Isabella Kiser is graduating with a combined degree from Tufts and the SMFA majoring in environmental studies and studio art. She founded Teen Artists’ Creative Oasis, took part in a think tank for the National Youth Art Movement Against Gun Violence and

worked for the Massachusetts Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. She also worked for the Office of Sustainability at Tufts and hopes to design sustainable cities in the future to combine her interests in environmental studies, urban studies and art.

Alex Lein created his own interdisciplinary major that combines education, sociology and psychology. He was also an English minor. Lein has volunteered with Let’s Get Ready in Somerville High School as well as served in various roles on the Tufts Community Union Senate.

He has also been the president of the Leonard Carmichael Society and a student coordinator of the Tufts University Prison Initiative of Tisch College and the Tufts Educational Re-Entry Network, and he worked with Tisch College to create The Tisch Student COVID Response Summer Fellowship amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lein reflected on his on-campus involvement.

“So much of what I have learned here has come from all of you and has taught me to learn beyond here – it’s about focusing on the missions, rather than just the jobs, putting words into action, and seeing the importance of showing up – for each other and other members of our community,” Lein wrote in an email to the Daily.

Daniel Ndirangu studied economics and international relations. At Tufts, Ndirangu was a Synaptic Scholar and was on the executive boards of the Middle East Research Group and African Students’ Organization, as well as a member of TAMID Group. He was a research assistant to associate professor of political science Pearl Robinson beginning his first year and was working on a senior honors thesis on the permanence of the idea of integration in East Africa.

He explained what receiving this award means to him.

“Receiving this award is deeply humbling to me,” Ndirangu wrote in an email to

the Daily. “I felt empowered and seen more than anything else.

That a kid from Kenya could come to this institution and have the honor to receive this award is a huge testament to what underrepresented minorities could achieve if given the opportunity, here at Tufts, and out there in the world.”

After graduation, he will pursue a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy at The Fletcher School.

Vy Bao Ngetich studied economics and is focused on working to improve minority representation in finance and business. Ngetich participated in the Tufts Cheerleading Club and the Tufts Financial Group, and she interned at Wells Fargo on the equities trading floor and represented Tufts in the Boston Federal Reserve Challenge in 2019 and 2020.

Ngetich spoke to the significance of the award.

“Honestly, receiving the 2021 Senior Award means the world to me and my family,” Ngetich wrote in an email to the Daily.

“My mom and I came to the US in 2013 with literally nothing.

We have been through homelessness, food insecurity and racial discrimination along this journey as poor immigrants.

My mom never went to college or high school and she doesn’t even speak English. So me being the first in my family to attend and graduate college in the US is our American Dream coming true.”

Maame Opare-Addo studied biopsychology on the premed track. She co-coordinated Students’ Quest for Unity in the African Diaspora, a pre-orientation program, and worked with the FIRST Resource Center to organize virtual study groups for the spring 2020 finals season. She was a mentor for Strong Women, Strong Girls, co-president of the Minority Association of Pre-Health Students and a chemistry tutor for the Student Accessibility and Academic Resources Center.

Opare-Addo spoke about the difficulty around lack of repre-

sentation and her ambitions for the future.

“As a black woman in science with dreams to enter a career field (medicine) in which women like me are underrepresented, I’ve suffered my fair share of self-doubt,” she wrote in an email to the Daily.

“However, my family, mentors, and friends at Tufts were always there to remind me to keep my chin up even in the most difficult times. They encouraged me to step out of Imposter Syndrome and into community, and they helped me recognize my value as a member of the Tufts body.”

After graduation, OpareAddo plans to be a clinical research assistant at Brigham and Women’s Hospital before applying to medical school.

Thomas Risoleo was a biomedical engineering major on the pre-med track with a minor in music. He was a member of Tufts Emergency Medical Services, won the 2019 Tufts Symphony Orchestra concerto competition and was a member of the Tufts Amalgamates a cappella group. He is currently working at Lawrence General Hospital as an EMT. Risoleo described his experience teaching an Experimental College class in spring 2020.

“The transition to teaching online notwithstanding, I think it was the most fun single experience I had at Tufts,” Risoleo wrote in an email to the Daily. “I got a chance to teach a course on Marvel movies with one of my best friends to a full class of 20 students. It gave me a break from school, TEMS, and work, but most of all was something I’d wanted to do since I learned about the program during my 1st year of college.”

He plans to pursue a master of science in biomedical engineering at Tufts before attending the Tufts University School of Medicine.

Ivette Rodriguez Borja studied community health and minored in English. Rodriguez Borja was involved with the

COURTESY MARK DALY

The 2021 Senior Award honorees are pictured in a collage.

First-Generation Collective and Tufts United for Immigrant Justice and was a peer leader for the FIRST Resource Center.

She researched with assistant professor of community health Andrea Acevedo beginning her sophomore year. She began her own research project with Summer Scholars.

Saherish Surani was a psychology major and political science minor. She is a co-founder of a nonprofit, Project iConquer, which raises awareness about diabetes and childhood obesity. She published an Amazon No. 1 bestseller and No. new release, “The Stories of U.S.” (2019), was an executive coordinator for the Tufts University Social Collective and an executive organizer of TEDxTufts. Surani also pursued an honors thesis in psychology as a research assistant in the Tufts Racial Equity & Diversity Lab. She reflected on the people she has crossed paths with at Tufts.

“From packing thanksgiving bags at 2 AM with TUSC to setting up the Cohen stage the night before TEDxTufts to teaching an ExCollege course to first-year students with my best friend in the basement of Eaton, I have found pockets of home in the people of Tufts,” she wrote in an email to the Daily.

Emily Taketa was a biology and child study and human development double major. She was a StAAR Center tutor for American Sign Language and biology, a physics department grader and a peer mentor for the Korean Students Association and Japanese Culture Club. She currently interns at Boston Children’s Hospital researching pediatric hearing loss and creating a neurodiverse and racially diverse library for therapeutic use.

Taketa spoke to her beginnings at Tufts.

“The reason why I came here was because of the people,” Taketa said. “It feels really nice to organize for my contributions on campus over the past four years. So that’s been really a huge honor and I was so grateful.”

Sarah Wiener was a philosophy and political science double major, minoring in colonialism studies. Wiener served as the administration and policy committee chair on TCU Senate before becoming Senate president. She also co-taught a course on responsible community membership to first-year students. She hopes to work in public policy in the future.

Bronk spoke to the quality of this year’s nominees.

“This year in particular, we were struck by the number of highly accomplished students nominated, which made the final selection both gratifying and time consuming. There was great diversity in the academic programs and the personal backgrounds of the applicants, and this diversity is reflected in the final award recipients,” Bronk said.

News

Wednesday, May 5, 2021 | News | THE TUFTS DAILY

13

Proposed legislation would require Tufts to pay more to host communities

by Emily Thompson Staff Writer

A recent bill, H.3080, filed in the Massachusetts State House

by State Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven, a Democrat representing the parts of Somerville in which Tufts’ Medford/Somerville campus is located, would require Tufts University and other nonprofits with property valued over $15 million to pay 25% of the tax amount that would be paid if they were not exempt from taxation.

The bill aims to reform the Payments in Lieu of Taxation (PILOT) program, in which nonprofits voluntarily give funds to the city instead of paying taxes.

According to Rocco DiRico, Tufts’ director of government and community relations, Tufts currently meets 87% of the payments requested by the Boston PILOT program, which he said is the highest percentage for a university other than Boston University.

DiRico explained what the current community support from Tufts looks like.

“Tufts provides more than $1,415,000 in PILOT payments to our host communities,” DiRico wrote in an email to the Daily.

“The university pays more than $1,100,000 each year in property taxes.”

The proposed legislation would increase Tufts’ payments to around $2 million per year, according to Medford City Councilor Zac Bears.

In a town hall meeting hosted by Massachusetts Action for PILOT (MAP), a newly formed state-wide coalition of elected leaders and activists organized

to support strong PILOT legislation, Bears spoke on why he believes this increase in tax payments would benefit the city.

“Even at 25% [of the property tax payments], Tufts will be paying $2 million to the city, and in a city like Medford, that would go so far,” Bears said. “We want these institutions to be good neighbors, we want them and the projects that they have to work with the community.”

In a description of its goal, MAP emphasized the gap between payments from these targeted institutions and the services they receive from their host communities. “[Due to the COVID-19 pandemic,] towns and cities have been on the front line of providing essential services, but must rely on property taxes,” MAP said in a statement. “We believe large nonprofit hospitals, universities and other institutions have an important responsibility to fairly contribute to the communities.”

Tufts pays more than $16 million worth of community benefits to host communities each year, including free facilities space, need-based financial aid, monetary contributions to community organizations, donated supplies and dental care, according to DiRico.

“Tufts University has always considered itself fortunate to be part of Boston, Grafton, Medford, and Somerville,” DiRico said.

“For years, we have prided ourselves on our engagement with our host communities.”

However, Tufts’ provided benefits to the community have been

PATRICK MILEWSKI / THE TUFTS DAILY

Houses on Packard Avenue are pictured on Oct. 12, 2020. debated due to specificity concerns; what the university considers a benefit is not always considered by residents and leaders of host communities as substantial enough to supplement tax revenue.

“The definition of community benefits, which universities can offer in lieu of a financial contribution, is too nebulous,” Cambridge City Councilor Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler wrote in an email to the Daily. “Making sure our universities with multi-billion dollar endowments pay their fair share has been a goal of myself and others on the City Council.”

Uyterhoeven also pointed out that if Tufts paid the same rate of property taxes that the residents of Somerville pay, which is more than her proposed legislation requires, it would contribute around $4 million, equating to

2% of total property taxes collected in the city.

“That gives you a sense of how we are subsidizing these institutions,” Uyterhoeven said in the town hall hosted by MAP. During the question and answer portion of the town hall, legislators were asked about concerns that the bill could harm smaller nonprofits who might be disproportionately affected by a 25% requirement.

In response, Uyterhoeven explained that the $15 million property tax threshold would ensure that smaller institutions are not impacted. She also touched on a part of the bill that gives each municipality the flexibility to decide if they want to levy the tax every year.

Another community member asked about the challenges in passing the bill through the legislature.

“I think it’s pretty clear with any right attempts to raise progressive revenue like this,” Uyterhoeven said. “The institutions, I think, are largely the big ones to oppose [the legislation].”

Local community members have taken action to garner support for this policy change.

“We have been able to put some direct public pressure through public forums, going to campus directly and delivering petitions and traditional direct action, showing that residents are paying attention,” Bears said.

He emphasized the importance of continually pressuring the local institutions.

“This is about publicity and these institutions don’t want to be seen as bad neighbors,” Bears said. “They still have to deal with the community … people are watching them.”

Tufts names Craig Smith university CIO, TCA and TREE discuss university investments

by Liz Shelbred and Sarah Sandlow Associate Editor and Deputy News Editor

Craig Smith, the co-chief investment officer ad interim since March 2020, was named the chief investment officer of Tufts University, overseeing the university’s $2 billion endowment. The appointment became effective on April 16.

Smith said his responsibilities as CIO will be identical to those he held in his interim position.

As CIO, he will lead Tufts’ investment office and collaborate with the investment sub-committee of the Board of Trustees as well as with senior leadership. He will be working to implement this investment strategy for the endowment.

“The time spent as interim Co-CIO was very valuable and afforded time to gain greater knowledge of the broader university’s financial position,” Smith wrote in an email to the Daily. “This serves as a base from which to set our long-term objectives which align with the university’s needs.”

Executive Vice President Mike Howard said that Smith was chosen from a pool of highly-qualified candidates following a national search to fill the position. “[Smith] exhibited great leadership and expertise in leading the office as co-CIO ad interim,” Howard wrote in an email to the Daily. “His deep understanding of Tufts’ financial objectives and culture and the breadth of his prior investment experience uniquely position him to lead Tufts’ Investment Office forward as we continue to strengthen the university in a context of significant change across higher education.”

Smith explained that he has many long-term and short-term priorities in the investment office. Among these goals, he plans to continue to enhance the integration between the investment office and university constituents, expand the office’s capabilities to allow for growth of the endowment and increase Tufts’ presence in the investment world. see SMITH, page 14

COURTESY PATRICK COLLINS

Craig Smith, the new Tufts chief investment officer, is pictured.

14

THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Wednesday, May 5, 2021

tuftsdaily.com

Smith says RIAG was ‘highly effective’ in prompting change to endowment SMITH

continued from page 13 Student groups such as Tufts Climate Action and Tufts for a Racially Equitable Endowment are pushing the university to make changes to its endowment in various areas — in this case, climate change and private prisons, respectively — and will interact with Smith as a result.

Temple Miller-Hodgkin, a co-leader of TCA, said he had interacted with Smith during conversations surrounding the Tufts Responsible Investment Advisory Group (RIAG) in fall 2020. The RIAG, formed in November 2019, is a group of students, faculty, administrative staff and trustees that performs case-by-case reviews of the university’s investment activities with “negative social impact” at the request of members of the Tufts community.

The RIAG met last year to recommend a policy on divestment from fossil fuels, which is one of TCA’s main goals. The

group recommended divestment from the university’s direct holdings in 120 coal and tar sands companies with the largest reserves.

“We believe that the recommendations by the RIAG didn’t go far enough in asking more from those third-party managers,” Miller-Hodgkin, a rising senior, said.

Miller-Hodgkin expressed TCA’s dissatisfaction with the RIAG’s resolution, but he thinks it is beneficial that TCA has already interacted with Smith and formed connections through RIAG discussion.

“We obviously come at [issues] from very different angles. I do not expect him to necessarily have the same viewpoint as activists within TCA,” MillerHodgkin said. “But I think he did have a genuine interest in wanting people to have a clear understanding of how the endowment works, what it’s there for. And he was pretty amenable to whatever recommendations he ended up getting from the administration

on how to enact the fossil fuel divestment.”

Smith noted that the former CIO played a significant role in developing the RIAG in order to establish a process to consider proposals that suggested different ways endowment assets could be invested. He also acknowledged the dissatisfaction that some Tufts community members expressed with the RIAG’s recommendation, but remained optimistic about the role of the advisory group.

“While I acknowledge that not everyone was satisfied with the outcome, I do believe it was a highly effective process and led to concrete outcomes,” Smith said.

“This RIAG structure will remain a central piece to how the university considers future proposals and determines what actions should be taken within the endowment.”

Molly Gould, a member of TREE, noted that although she has not gotten to work with Smith, she hopes that TREE can work with him to create transparency around the endowment.

“As we get to know Craig Smith, we can work with him to create … more communication between the students and the [members of the] administration that make these huge financial decisions that impact all of us, and we don’t even know their names or where they are most of the time,” Gould, a rising senior, said.

In addition to transparency, Gould elaborated on the shortterm and long-term goals that TREE aims to bring to the administration in the future.

“The more short-term [goal] is getting a commitment to not acquire any investments in the future in prisons and the prison industrial complex, and then also withdrawing the investments that we already have,” Gould said.

“Long term, we want to … establish a process for ethical investment, which I can see is something down the line that we would want to work with Craig Smith on.”

Gould suggested setting up a social repair fund at Tufts, which would implement ethical standards for investments and put

money into businesses owned by people of color.

“I think [a social repair fund] could show a more active role in social justice causes, if we were to not just divest from things that are actively causing harm but invest in positive, socially transformative things,” Gould said.

Smith emphasized the importance of the endowment and how its assets are essential to the university’s financial health and its long-term plans. He referenced the RIAG report from earlier this year in explaining the endowment’s purpose.

“The endowment is a force for good, made possible by the generosity of many thousands of alumni, faculty, staff, students, parents, and friends, and by the appreciation of investments over time,” Smith said, citing the RIAG report. “One hundred percent of funds from the endowment work to support the university’s good works and its mission of being a student-centered research university dedicated to the creation and application of knowledge.”

Ing alleges she was denied promotion for reporting sexual harassment LAWSUIT

continued from page 6 promote Dr. Ing or to enable or allow her compliants to apply for promotions when multiple male colleagues were receiving promotions, also constitutes gender discrimination.”

Ing, who is currently on medical leave due to the stress and anxiety caused by her work environment, said that her dedication to Tufts and to dentistry, and specifically her work to improve the lives and health of those with preexisting conditions, made the discrimination she experienced all the more difficult to withstand.

“That is just one reason why the retaliation and discrimination that I have faced at Tufts has been so difficult to endure — but also why I feel compelled to speak out and to speak up,” Ing wrote in an email to the Daily.

She said that she is suing Tufts because she believes there are others in her field and at Tufts enduring similar unfair treatment.

“I know I am not alone in experiencing these forms of retaliation and discrimination within Tufts as an institution or within the dental field, in general,” Ing said. “My lived experience is similar to those endured by countless other women in my field and beyond. We all need to stand together and not let powerful institutions like Tufts silence us.”

Collins explained that the university is unable to comment on cases that are in litigation, but added that the lawsuit was shared with the media before Tufts was served.

“It is unfortunate that this case has been presented to the media—and the public—with inaccurate and incomplete facts,” Collins said. “We intend to respond to the suit in the normal course of the litigation, and we ask that our community withhold judgment until all the facts are known.”

VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The Tufts University School of Dental Medicine building is pictured.

News

Wednesday, May 5, 2021 | News | THE TUFTS DAILY

15

In Photos: Throwback to 2017

ANNA MILLER / TUFTS UNIVERSITY

Abby Raymond gets a helping hand from Tufts students to move in on matriculation day.

ALONSO NICHOLS / TUFTS UNIVERSITY

Members of the Class of 2021 take their seats for their matriculation ceremony.

ALONSO NICHOLS / TUFTS UNIVERSITY

Conversation Action Faith and Education pre-orientation students get to know each other on the Academic Quad in 2017.

ANNA MILLER / TUFTS UNIVERSITY

Students in the FIT pre-orientation program have a swim-off at the docks at the Bacow Pavilion in 2017.

ALONSO NICHOLS / TUFTS UNIVERSITY

Members of the Class of 2021 are pictured as first-years during their candle lighting ceremony in 2017.

COURTESY BLAIR NODELMAN

Cast members of 3Ps production of the play “After the Revolution” is pictured. They performed at the orientation show on Aug. 30, 2017.

Left: Global Orientation participants run up the Rainbow Steps to start the Amazing Race scavenger hunt in 2017.

(Alonso Nichols / Tufts University) Right: Students hang out during Homecoming 2017.

(Nicholas Pfosi / Tufts University)

GRAPHIC CREDIT: JACKIE MCCARTHY

COURTESY JEOPARDY PRODUCTIONS, INC.

Tufts student William Scott poses for a picture with Alex Trebek on the set for the Jeopardy College Championship.

16 Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Features

tuftsdaily.com

CIRCLE’s Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg reflects on civic education this year

by Katie Furey Features Editor

The historic events of the past academic year have left many people seriously reflecting on the health of American democracy. Among these events were the continuation of a pandemic that has taken the lives of over half a million Americans and millions more around the world, a polarizing presidential election, a domestic attack on the Capitol and a rare guilty verdict for a police officer whose murder of George Floyd sparked a renewed movement for racial justice.

Such happenings have spurred political theorists, educators and students alike to ponder what can be done to address issues regarding the strength of American democracy. For Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, director of Tufts’ Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life, the answer — or at least an important part of it — is strengthening civic education for young people across communities and identities.

Kawashima-Ginsberg is currently working on an initiative called Educating for American Democracy to improve K-12 civic education.

“Six years ago, [CIRCLE] really shifted to focus on … both racial and economic equity,” Kawashima-Ginsberg said. “We think about how do we make sure the electorate is representative of our country, but also how do we not just repeat the mistake of talking to just college students or just talking to people that are living in swing states?’ So

K-12 civic education becomes a really important means to that end.”

Kawashima-Ginsberg emphasized that starting the program in kindergarten is crucial to laying the foundation for children’s understanding and practicing of democracy. “[Children have] an opportunity to ask questions like, ‘Who are we as a community, who am I and what should we do together?’” Kawashima-Ginsberg said. “Those are the fundamental questions of democracy.”

A goal of Educating for American Democracy is to make students feel empowered to be active participants in democracy when they grow older.

According to Kawashima-Ginsberg, civic education and culture at the college level are a vital next step in the process of fostering democratic ideas among young people. She noted that, at Tufts, a culture of civic engagement already exists but can be improved upon.

“I think, especially here at Tufts, there’s already great ethos of service and giving back to the community,” Kawashima-Ginsberg said. “Hopefully Tisch [College] will really support this more and more. We’re trying hard … and really thinking about how the students and institutions begin to be partners in having us all do better.”

Kawashima-Ginsberg highlighted that many staff members are actively civically engaged, and she hopes others will become more civically minded in the future.

“Our dining service, for example, are really civically engaged. I’m very proud that we have that department,” she said. “But I think every institution has

pockets to address … It also supports initiatives around making sure the faculty has opportunity to learn about, for example, social emotional learning and mindfulness … so that students in the classroom, in the moment, experience that positive engagement rather than feeling like, ‘Oh I have to be somebody else to be in this class.’”

Kawashima-Ginsberg emphasized that, at the college level, one of many key goals of civic education is getting all young people to engage with democracy by voting.

“I think it’s really important that institutions of higher ed, like Tufts, really make that expectation for students … and really galvanize in this identity, both as a Jumbo and as a private citizen, to think of voting as something that you always do,” Kawashima-Ginsberg said.

Kawashima-Ginsberg added that civic engagement at the college level has already made an impact on elections, comparing the relatively low voter turnout among young people in the 2016 presidential election with the record high turnout among young voters in 2020.

“Data continue to show that … young people really struggled [during the pandemic] … especially young people of color, who are really affected by COVID and economic downturn,” KawashimaGinsberg said. And yet, she said, “we’ve seen record high voter turnout, and we really think that did happen partly because of this commitment to social justice.”

She also highlighted that voting is just one of many ways people can be civically engaged.

COURTESY ALONSO NICHOLS / TUFTS UNIVERSITY

Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, director of the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tisch College, is pictured.

“I consider calling a friend who’s struggling civic engagement just as much as voting and organizing,” Kawashima-Ginsberg said.

Kawashima-Ginsberg hopes that Tufts seniors graduating under these historic circumstances recognize the importance of their contributions to American democracy in all forms throughout their lives, but especially during these past four years.

“My hope is that there is at least a recognition that they helped to save the democracy,” KawashimaGinsberg said.

From roommates to best friends: Stories of seniors who lived with their first-year roommates throughout college

COURTESY ANNA JOSEPH AND RUBY BELLE BOOTH

by Jillian Collins Features Editor

As the school year comes to a close, many goodbyes are in order. For a lucky few seniors, changing roommates was never necessary. Now they are facing the hard reality of saying goodbye to the only roommate they’ve ever known.

Here are the stories of Anna Joseph and Ruby Belle Booth, Cole Taylor and Harsh Prajapati, Zoish Dubash and Elizabeth Corn, Carrie Haynes and Rebecka Henrikson, and Himay Dharani and Michael Eve.

Anna Joseph and Ruby Belle Booth Booth recalled being overwhelmed by Joseph’s ability to be herself when they first met at Tufts.

Joseph had participated in a pre-orientation program and had had time to settle in and make a few friends, while Booth was just arriving. By the end of their first September at Tufts, the two were very close.

“With your roommate, you are sort of forced to spend time together, but then I feel like we actually enjoyed it,” Booth said.

Over the past four years, the pair has shared many parts of their college experience. Joseph and Booth even chose the same major. Booth was always going to study history, but Joseph decided to tag along as well.

“I’m pre-med, so I went in thinking I’d be a biology major, but we both loved history, and then I was like, ‘You know what, I’m just going to be a history major,’” Joseph said.

As an ode to their love of history and dressing up, they’ve thrown a President’s Day party together every year. This past year, while hanging out with their housemates, they dressed up as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

“We always go really hard on the invitation — we would create poems about the history of America,” Booth said.

Obsessing over niche interests is a core part of their friendship. One of their favorite topics is rats and other critters, and to celebrate this, they dressed up as Alfredo Linguini and Remi the rat from the movie “Ratatouille” for Halloween during their sophomore year.

In addition to dressing up, the pair spends time researching random topics.

“We once during junior year scheduled a date to sit down and read the Wikipedia page for Scientology,” Joseph said. “That’s something I would do on my own time, but it’s so wonderful to have someone to share those really random things.”

For Joseph and Booth, these shared experiences have meant everything to them these past four years. What has also brought them closer is their shared love for daily journaling. Booth has a five-year journal in which she writes about her daily activities, and Joseph has a similar picture diary.

Now their journals are filled with shared memories, so they can reminisce together. see ROOMMATES, page 17

COURTESY COLE TAYLOR AND HARSH PRAJAPATI

F e a tu r e s

Wednesday, May 5, 2021 | Features | THE TUFTS DAILY

17

4-year roommates describe highlights of their friendships ROOMMATES

continued from page 16 “We would be lying in our beds doing our thing, and I would be reading about the year before. I’m like ‘Oh, today is the day that we put extra cinnamon on the snickerdoodles in Carm for the first time,’” Booth said. “I just think college is a really weird and hard time … We’ve both grown a lot. I feel like having someone who’s been there the whole time and knows every intricate embarrassing step of becoming real humans is very reassuring.”

If they end up in the same place, they said they would continue living together. Either way, they are planning on being in each other’s lives forever.

“We always talked about literally the rest of our lives [and] how my kids will come visit [Booth],” Joseph said. “We’ve already established our roles … in our weddings.”

There is no stopping the connection between these four-year roommates and lifelong friends.

“I think [we are] definitely in it for the long haul,” Booth said.

Cole Taylor and Harsh Prajapati When Taylor and Prajapati both showed up on move-in day with ironing boards, they knew they had met their match. Despite being randomly assigned roommates, their lifestyles, hobbies and academic pursuits coincided perfectly.

Their first double was in Tilton Hall, where they shared the same definition of a nice living space. Both made their beds every morning and generally kept the room clean and organized.

In Tilton, Taylor and Prajapati also developed a close group of mutual friends. Before they moved into a house with their friends during junior and senior year, their double was a social hub. You could catch them playing Super Smash Smash Bros., setting up a projector to watch Marvel movies or blasting a variety of music for pregames.

Along with sharing a room, they shared many classes. Both studying engineering, they would work on physics homework sets together. Prajapati shared that Taylor taught him how to look at problems differently. Whereas Prajapati worked through problems quickly, Taylor took his time.

“In physics, for instance, Cole would think through a problem 10 times longer than I would, and I would jump to an answer. Seventy-five percent of the time, I would be wrong and Cole would be right,” Prajapati said. “I think that just encouraged me to think through things more often than not in whatever I’m doing.”

While Taylor taught Prajapati how to think more critically, Prajapati brought Taylor a different side to the friendship.

“I think I was always blown away at how much [Harsh] would communicate and care, because I feel like I hadn’t experienced that with a lot of guy friends,” Taylor said.

Having each other as roommates from the start made the adjustment to college much easier, Taylor explained.

“A lot of people felt pretty lonely in their first semester,” Taylor said. “I think we were unique in the sense that, because … we were friends instantly … It was pretty fun [and] there was no loneliness ever.”

Unfortunately, their streak of living together ends this month. However, they said they could envision themselves living across the street from each other one day.

Zoish Dubash and Elizabeth Corn While Dubash and Corn see themselves as an unlikely pairing, they have

“I just feel very safe with [Dubash] in every way,” Corn said. “When we’re in the stage of life that’s constantly changing and we’re trying to figure things out, having that one constant has been really nice.”

COURTESY ZOISH DUBASH AND ELIZABETH CORN

nonetheless remained roommates since day one. Both decided not to do pre-orientation programs, leaving them disoriented for the first few weeks of college.

“We arrived on scene being like, ‘How does everyone know each other already?’” Dubash said.

In lieu of pre-orientation friends, they had each other. Their first point of connection was a shared love of food. They would often go into Boston to try out new places or go on North End dinner dates. Their most infamous year together was sophomore year, when they were randomly assigned to live in a Latin Way suite with half of the football team.

“It was so filthy. I’ve never experienced dirt like that,” Dubash said. “I was taking showers with the beer bottles they were leaving in there. It [was] repulsive.”

On top of the mess that accumulated, Corn and Dubash had very different living styles from the football boys.

“We were very friendly with them, but I think I wanted to kill them all, at a certain point, because I just wanted to sleep and study and there were 50 people in our common room at all times right outside screaming and partying,” Corn said.

The pair said that ultimately, living in that environment together made them closer friends and even better roommates.

“We survived so many stressful, distressing, anger-inducing, just difficult situations. I think it definitely made us closer roommates,” Corn said.

During that same year, they visited each other in their hometowns. Corn went to visit Dubash in Singapore and Dubash visited Corn in Tampa several times.

Since Dubash is an international student, the pandemic has been especially stressful because there were many times when the pair didn’t know when they would next see each other; they worried that Dubash would not be able to return to Tufts in the fall. One of the most poignant memories was when Corn dropped Dubash off at the airport at the start of the pandemic when she was returning to Singapore.

“We get to the gate and the security guy goes, ‘You better hug her for a long time because you’re not going to see her for ages,’” Dubash said. “I started bawling and I would not stop until the flight took off.”

Through all the ups and downs of college, Corn and Dubash have always supported each other. Having the same roommate for four years has brought them the ultimate sense of security.

Carrie Haynes and Rebecka Henrikson Although roommates Carrie Haynes and Rebecka Henrikson initially had two very different definitions of home, they were able to create a new sense of the word at Tufts.

Haynes, from Nashville, was at first nervous to meet her roommate Henrikson, from London.

“I thought she was very cosmopolitan and cool. And I was this little smalltown girl,” Haynes said.

They both claimed that they weren’t the best of friends right away but after living together for a few months, that changed. And when they left for winter break, both realized how close they had become.

“I remember Christmas break [our first year], I had one of those horrible last exam days, so I was alone for three days. I remember the moment [Rebecka] left I was so sad — I sobbed and sobbed,”

COURTESY CARRIE HAYNES AND REBECKA HENRIKSON

Haynes said. “Rebecka had written me a little note and left candy on my bed.

I remember finding it [and thinking to myself ], ‘This is a real friendship.’”

From then on, small gestures became a very large part of their friendship. “[Our first year], one of my dogs unexpectedly died, and it was very sad for me. Carrie sent me a book that was about grieving a dog’s death,” Henrikson said. “[Carrie is] very good at those little acts of love.”

As first-years, they enjoyed quiet meals together in Carmichael Dining Center, and now they love running errands together. They also frequently converse about their favorite books and podcasts.

Not only have they shared their time together, but they have shared their family. Henrikson has routinely gone home with Haynes to her family’s home in Nashville on Thanksgiving, sometimes even accompanied by her brother, who also goes to school in the United States.

During the pandemic, despite their six-hour time difference, they still found ways to connect. When the time difference was too inconvenient, they would send each voice memos to listen to when the other one woke up.

“I have so many memories from being in lockdown in London and going on walks [and] just talking to Carrie on the phone,” Henrikson said.

Their time apart during the pandemic was a test of their friendship, but it

showed them they can stay close no matter the distance. However, they are both sad about their future without each other as their plans will force them to live in different cities after graduation.

“I think the idea that we won’t be part of the fabric of each other’s daily lives in that way [is hard],” Haynes said. “I’m just going to miss the casual encounters of our relationship.”

Having the same roommate all four years made them both feel closer to home, because they had each other.

“I think it comes back to that growing with one person over the course of the four years,” Henrikson said. “A close female friendship is just a very unique thing.”

Himay Dharani and Michael Eve When looking for a first-year roommate, Himay Dharani filled out a pairing system and was matched with a “Michael.”

However, he was not given a last name, so he searched “Michael” and “Tufts” on Facebook. One of the firswt names to pop up was Michael Eve, who ended up being Dharani’s roommate for the next four years.

While their roommate pairing had nothing to do with listed preferences, by chance they had many of the same interests, which included engineering and Marvel. Their dorm for their first year was the hangout space for them and their friends. At one point, they even brought the common room’s couch into their room. Inside, they would have friends over to listen to music and play videogames.

“We’re big into playing music,” Eve said. “I love blasting music and I had just gotten my first speaker that I had ever really purchased for myself, so that was a big thing.”

Over their four years together, they have gotten to know each other on an emotional level. They both noted that their friendship is brotherly. Dharani said Eve is like the older brother, whereas he is like the younger brother.

“We balance each other out,” Eve said.

One summer, Dharani had an internship in Eve’s neighborhood, Brooklyn, and Eve let Dharani stay at his house.

Since Eve was gone, Dharani stayed in Eve’s childhood room and became best friends with Eve’s mom.

After graduation, the two are not saying goodbye. They are signed up for a fifth year of living together in Boston.

Neither of them has the exact words to describe their friendship, but they both found it to be impactful.

“We’ve met so many people together and made many friends together … I am definitely very thankful for having Michael around,” Dharani said.

In response, Eve reiterated these sentiments. “[Himay] has just been my dude,” Eve said.

COURTESY HIMAY DHARANI AND MICHAEL EVE

18

THE TUFTS DAILY | Features | Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Marco Sheng Transferable Skills

Audience of one

T

hey call it Commencement instead of graduation. I guess it’s based on this idea that the transition from college bubble to adult stratosphere is full of amazing possibilities.

I guess it is. I wanted to write a doozy of a column, extolling some lesson about transition and reminiscing about the journey we are about to take with the skills and experiences we have acquired at Tufts.

But part of me is angry. And sad. And unfeeling. And scared. Because it’s all ending. I don’t know how to feel about it. I didn’t come in with grandiose beliefs and expectations of what the college years would be. Or at least I didn’t think I did…

But of course I also didn’t think I’d come into it — this great (“prestigious”) American tradition — expecting to take part in some of the darkest moments of my life. The shame and sickness, the castigation and claustrophobia of a room not filled with string lights and Solo Cups but of empty pizza boxes and tattered sheets was not what I wanted in memory.

Sadly, I spent much of my college career in my head, drowning.

I promised I would steer away from negative self-pity, but was the last few years nothing more than the time I weakly resisted the waves and exhaustedly coughed up water so that I could finally feel the sun? I’m at a place where I don’t envy the lives my peers seemed to thrive in as much as I used to. Still, how can I reflect on, process and reckon with four years that were, in many ways, excruciating and stagnant? How can I forgive myself, grieve my foibles and sins and mourn the person I thought I could be but never was?

Perhaps COVID-19 took away a lot of the anticipated joys from my senior year. Perhaps it took away relationships that would have flourished, adventures that would have revealed growth. But what it actually did for me was strip away life to its purest. Because outside of roommate drama, hastily-written 2 a.m. essays, upperclassmen crushes and intimidating career fairs, college (Zoom University or not) reveals you. For the first time, you’re away from your parents, your hometown and your rules, notions and safeguards. You must learn to love yourself because at the end of the day, your relationship to yourself matters more than anything else.

Hold on to your Tufts failures just as much as your successes because they taught you more. Remember your Medford heartbreaks because they are a reminder that you cared. Keep SEC sadness around because it’ll make you a little wiser, a little kinder and a little more grateful.

Of course, I’m proud of my accomplishments and appreciative of what Tufts has given me in knowledge and people. But I’ve also learned to be grateful for my struggles and my suffering because they gave me a unique perspective and capacity for empathy, and led me to write these words of reflection for this audience of one — me.

Here’s to the blood, sweat, tears and sanitizer of the COVID Class of 2021.

Much love, Marco

Marco Sheng is a graduating senior who studied psychology. Marco can be reached at marco.sheng@tufts.edu.

tuftsdaily.com

Senior Profile: Wiener soars during time at Tufts

by Kayla Butera Features Editor

To say that Sarah Wiener was busy during her time at Tufts would be an understatement. Throughout her four years here, Wiener has become the Tufts Community Union president and a Tufts Wilderness Orientation leader, started a swim group, given campus tours, taught an Experimental College class and double majored in philosophy and political science, with a minor in colonial studies.

Before juggling all those activities, the Denver native had to choose a school. As a tour guide, Wiener has her “Why Tufts?” story down pat. Her story begins at a Tufts information session, where a speaker told the story of two Tufts computer science majors with odd minors who became millionaires overnight.

“They designed an app and sold it in a short amount of time their senior year, and they didn’t tell any of their professors or friends because they were all so stressed about the future and their jobs, and they told some of their friends after graduation,” Wiener said. “I remember thinking that I want to grow up being as kind and considerate as that.”

Ultimately, her reason for coming to Tufts was part a gut decision and realization that its students were genuinely kind and humble.

On campus, Wiener is most prominently known as the president of the TCU Senate, an organization she became involved with during her first year at Tufts. During her sophomore year, she was the chair of the Administration and Policy Committee, organizing town halls between the student body and Tufts administration leaders, such as President Anthony Monaco and the Vice President of Finance and Treasurer James Hurley. This gave students the opportunity to ask budgetary questions. By senior year, she decided to run for president.

“I like to think of [being president] as being a basket under Senate and there are a million balls in the air, and whenever someone drops it, you’re there to catch it,” Wiener said.

Outside of TCU Senate, Wiener has been on a three-year journey to get her swim group approved as an official club sport. Having walked onto the varsity swim team during her freshman year and having been promptly cut by sophomore season, Wiener and her friend developed a club out of their hour-long self-run swim practices. Despite the group being denied official recognition, she and her friend continue to organize practices and socially-distanced exercises through a group chat.

The convergence of all her interests manifests themselves physically at the Mayer Campus Center.

“I’m getting teary-eyed,” Wiener said. “Anyone who knows me knows that I spend all my time in the Campus Center; whenever I’m not home, that’s where I am.”

According to Wiener, it’s where she sees her friends and acquaintances — from her swimming group, Senate or classes.

“I love seeing people do the things that they’re passionate about,” Wiener said. “I love walking by the info booth and speaking to my friends there and just feeling immersed in the community.”

Just like in her extracurriculars, Wiener has a full academic plate. Wiener said that one of the biggest impacts from her childhood was switching from her small, private middle school to her district high school.

COURTESY SARAH WIENER

Sarah Wiener, president of TCU Senate for the 2020–21 academic year, is pictured. “[I saw] the disparity of going to middle school where everyone looked and talked like me and then going to high school and understanding the privilege … [and] that people come from different socioeconomic racial-ethnic backgrounds,” Wiener said.

To narrow her courses down to a favorite one would be a difficult feat for Wiener. However, one of her favorite classes was Race and America with professor Jean Wu. “That was the first time I was academically exposed to critical race theory, but also given the space to think critically about the institutions that I am complacent in, active in or just involved in,” Wiener said. “It was the first time I looked around Tufts and thought what are the things we do here just because they’re comfortable and normal and institutionalized but are still unjust?”

The class also taught her words such as “microaggression” and “power asymmetry” to identify unjust behavior, and promoted her interest in the colonial studies minor and becoming a leader in the community.

Another class that had a profound impact on her was Political Philosophy of Martin Luther King Junior with professor Erin Kelly, a professor who she admires: “I want my brain to work like hers.”

The course prompted Wiener to pose thought-provoking questions.

“Everything is about in my view our relationship with law, government and institutions, and when that’s unjust … how do you make sense of it?” Wiener said. “How is there ever a just law? Is hope ever rational?”

With these questions in mind, Weiner has also taught an ExCollege class called “The Elephant in the Room: Situating Ourselves at Tufts and in Higher Education” with Jill Impastato, about responsible community membership for first-years through critically studying historical and modern patterns of admissions, finances, pedagogy, curricula and student activism at Tufts and in higher education.

In the longer run, Wiener said that she is interested in working in public policy. Last year, she was studying for her LSATs, but her plans for law school were interrupted when she was hit by a car and got concussed.

“Obviously there are many bad things about a car accident, but it really made me reassess what I wanted to do next and give myself more options than I had considered,” she said.

Weiner is currently exploring opportunities with NGOs, think tanks and congressional offices.

When it comes to describing her experience at Tufts, Wiener narrows it down to five words: “Resilience. Community.

Humility. Shakers. Laughing.”

F e a tu r e s

Wednesday, May 5, 2021 | Features | THE TUFTS DAILY

Senior Profile: Abraha rises to challenges, advocates for marginalized students

COURTESY EVE ABRAHA

Eve Abraha, who has spent much of her time at Tufts giving back to communities in need, is pictured.

by Sam Russo

Outreach Coordinator

Many seniors are excited to enter the workforce when they graduate from Tufts. They have interesting new roles, are moving to new places or are looking forward to being financially independent.

Graduating senior Eve Abraha is anticipating her next steps after graduating for a different reason, though.

“I’m so excited to have a full-time job next year … I was just telling one of my friends, ‘I’m so excited to Venmo you $1,000 because it’ll make me happy, and you’ll be able to pay for your books,’” Abraha said. “[My friend], she’s super low-income and she knows she’s going to be struggling to pay for her textbooks next year. I can’t wait to start my job. I’m just going to send her money, and it’ll be so helpful, redistributing my resources, because I’ll have it, and it’ll be so easy for me to share.”

Abraha, who is low-income herself, carries this kindness and passion for helping others in everything she does.

When Abraha first arrived at Tufts and was planning to become a doctor, she found herself struggling to keep up in many of her classes and considered leaving Tufts.

After hours of meetings and self-reflection, she realized that she simply hadn’t been taught the problem solving and analytic tools she needed to succeed prior to coming to Tufts as a Black student from the Memphis, Tenn. public school system.

Looking around, Abraha saw others from similar marginalized backgrounds — Black, Latinx, low-income and first-generation students — facing the same problems as they adjusted to life at Tufts. They had received lower quality primary and secondary education than many of their peers and were struggling when instructors at Tufts didn’t acknowledge this.

These realizations drove Abraha to study education.

“Now, I want to pursue education policy,” Abraha said. “I want to be a decision-maker. I want to work in a state Department of Education …

[Teachers] need to learn about ethical practices and racial literacy and restorative justice practices. All of those things will help [them] work with …

Black, Latinx, low-income kids who are not getting great education … I want to do prevention work so that other kids don’t have to go through what I had to go through.”

Rather than directly providing medical care for communities in need, Abraha hopes to enable thousands of students from marginalized backgrounds to become scientists, doctors and other professionals, which will ultimately help society as a whole.

“We want more diverse scientists because they have different experiences that can change science so much and make science more intentional and work more efficiently,” Abraha said.

For the past two semesters, Abraha has been putting these ideas into action through Tufts’ Pedagogical Partnership Program (P3) for Inclusive, Learner-Centered Teaching.

As a student partner, she works with one course each semester to critically assess its structure and make recommendations for improvement. She also collaborates with the professor teaching the course to reach out to struggling students. Last semester, Abraha worked with professor Lauren Crowe to improve outcomes for underrepresented students in Cells and Organisms (Bio 13). Abraha said her work in the program is one of the accomplishments she’s most proud of at Tufts.

“Students are performing way better than they have in the past few years, and specifically underrepresented students have been dropping out at a significantly lower rate,” Abraha said. “The dropout rate [about] six years ago was 54% of underrepresented students and now it’s down to below 5%, which is really awesome. [Introductory biology and chemistry] courses are [usually] the classes that show us that we’re not meant for science.”

Since the start of the pandemic, Abraha has worked for a nonprofit called Building Audacity, coordinating food distribution to over 500 families each week. Even while doing this work, Abraha searched for a way to contribute more personally.

“The area on [Massachusetts Avenue] near Boston Medical Center … is one of the major epicenters of homelessness here in Boston, and a lot of folks there are also dealing with drug addiction,” Abraha said.

“I felt really weird that I was driving by these people knowing that I was going home to a fridge full of food … I decided to start making meals because I know a lot of people pass out snacks, but being a person who’s experienced a lot of food insecurity in my life, snacks are cool, but they will never make you full. You’re never focused when you’re that hungry; you’re just not happy. Understanding that snacks aren’t enough, I was like, ‘I have to make meals.’”

Since this realization, Abraha, along with a team of about 10 other volunteers, has been using her own money, supplemented with donations, to donate between 60 and 100 meals — packaged in biodegradable containers — each week to individuals in need. When delivering food, Abraha prioritizes building human connections too, taking time to speak with those she’s helping and get to know them as people. She’s working on formalizing her efforts and creating a nonprofit called Igniting Change through Compassion.

In addition to her work mentioned so far, she’s supported marginalized communities as a member of TCU Senate, drafted legislation that’s been reviewed by the Massachusetts Statehouse and done research on antibiotic use and prostate cancer. Next year, Abraha will continue her efforts to promote equity in the classroom through the New York City Teaching Fellows program, where she’ll work with systematically oppressed students as a teacher in a New York City public school and earn her master’s degree in teaching.

Despite her substantial contributions to Tufts and beyond, Abraha is consistently humble. She credits her mentors for her successes, especially Jared Smith, the director of Tufts’ FIRST Center — Abraha described Smith as “literally the biggest game changer of my Tufts career” — and Margot Cardamone, the former director of the FIRST Center. In an era defined by social and physical isolation and looking inward, Abraha draws strength from her own struggles to open herself up and give deeply to others.

19

Kevin Zhang Tales from the T

I

New train just dropped

think by now it’s time to address the elephant in the station — and I don’t mean Jumbo’s flattened corpse. Let’s talk about the Green Line Extension, or GLX: What is its history, what will it bring, why did we spend $2 million to name one station, I mean seriously, who on Earth thought that was a good idea?

Anyways, calls for the GLX — a subway line following the Lowell commuter rail line through central Somerville — have been made as early as 1922 — and again in 1926, 1947 and 1990. In the end, other subway extensions (including the Red Line to Alewife) received higher priority, and it wasn’t until 2005 that planning officially began.

Sixteen years later, it’s nearing completion. The Union Square branch will open in October, carrying “D” branch trains from Union Square to Riverside.

The Medford branch will open in December, carrying “E” branch trains from Medford/Tufts to Heath Street via the School of the Museum of Fine Arts.

In total, there will be seven new stations (including a rebuilt Lechmere) and a new storage yard to support a new fleet of modern trains.

The GLX, now in its fourth reboot, has unsurprisingly diverged significantly from the source material. Original plans called for service from Tufts all the way to Woburn, but track upgrades in the 1950s precluded any extension north of West Medford. Service between West Medford and Tufts was dropped after enough bureaucratic bickering to fill a TCU Senate meeting.

Central to the debate has been the question of how the GLX will affect affordability and gentrification within Somerville, a highly complex topic on which the Daily has published an excellent podcast episode. And of course, the project’s no stranger to cost and schedule overruns, like the Big Dig for which it was coincidentally designed to help offset pollution.

The GLX has seen its fair share of rightful criticism, and its true effects perhaps won’t be known for several decades (at which point it’ll be really clear what we should’ve done instead!)

But we do know that today, Somerville is the densest city in New England, and it’s only growing. It’s built by design to be walkable and transit-oriented, a boon to low-income and immigrant residents.

Despite this, it’s only served by two “T” stops at its periphery, and huge swathes of the city depend on buses for transit, with their delays and unreliability.

There’s no question that Somerville, and communities like it all over Boston, deserves reliable, efficient transit like the GLX — the question is if we’re up for it. It’ll mean confrontations and compromise. It’ll also mean catching up, at rates only seen in a student four weeks behind on lectures during finals month.

But in the end, it’ll mean taking the steps toward making our cities truly inclusive, sustainable and livable places to reside.

The GLX is not perfect — far from it — and there are surely lessons to be learned. But if nothing else, it’s a bold step forward, and it’s up to us to keep that momentum.

Kevin Zhang is a rising junior studying civil engineering. Kevin can be reached at kevin.zhang7@tufts.edu.

20

THE TUFTS DAILY | Features | Wednesday, May 5, 2021

tuftsdaily.com

Senior Profile: Atrey Bhargava conducts international research with focus on economics, human rights

COURTESY ATREY BHARGAVA

Atrey Bhargava, the Wendell Philips Speaker of the 2021 Baccalaureate Ceremony at Tufts, is pictured.

by Kevin Du

Assistant Features Editor

After four demanding yet rewarding years, graduating senior Atrey Bhargava is ending his undergraduate career as the Wendell Philips Speaker of the 2021 Baccalaureate Ceremony at Tufts. Every year, this honor is awarded to one senior who demonstrates “both marked ability as a speaker and a high sense of public responsibility,” according to the University Chaplaincy.

Bhargava, who grew up in Lucknow, India, spent seven years at a prestigious, rural boarding school. He said there was a strong sense of competition and conformity among students as everyone

had to wear the same uniform and adhere to the same rules.

Wanting to seek more diverse educational resources and international learning opportunities, Bhargava applied Early Decision to Tufts and was admitted.

“Coming here, I realized that competition is not necessary for success. Competition is not necessary for doing well,” Bhargava said.

During his four years at Tufts, Bhargava, who studied economics and has a passion for government policy, was involved in extensive research, internships and volunteering focused on nonviolence and human rights issues.

Bhargava’s interest in the role of nonviolent activism started when he read Nelson Mandela’s autobi-

ography “Long Walk to Freedom” (1994). He was intrigued by Mandela’s promotion of nonviolent protest tactics against apartheid in South Africa.

“I wanted to be able to understand the use of violence within nonviolence … I wanted to understand how nonviolence works on a day-to-day [basis]. Is it even useful?” Bhargava said.

During the summer after his first year at Tufts, Bhargava went to Serbia as an Oslo Scholar with the Institute For Global Leadership. He worked at the Centre for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies with Srdja Popovic, a Serbian political activist who helped overthrow the autocracy of Slobodan Milosevic. Bhargava’s job was to help devise strategies for protesters from all over the world and help them interpret the influence of new governmental policies.

During his time in Belgrade, Bhargava lived in a small studio apartment in the center of the city.

He did not speak the local language and was alone for the first time.

However, he still went to restaurants and bars to engage in local culture, explored different Serbian cities and read dense Balkan history while working for the center. “[That was] a pretty fun experience. It [gave] me a regional … knowledge about that area and it also helped me work in a super cool place and live an experience that I [had] not lived before,” Bhargava said.

During the same summer, Bhargava partnered with his friend, Uzair Sattar, another IGL scholar.

Together they traveled to Pakistan

to study water security and India’s role in causing the serious water scarcity in the region. The trip was a new experience for Bhargava.

Living near a military camp, he had to report his daily whereabouts to the ISI, Pakistan’s intelligence service. He had the opportunity to meet with government officials as well as everyday residents in the midst of political instability.

“All of those were experiences that I really treasure, and I remember the 12 days of the trip like it happened yesterday,” Bhargava said.

After conducting 24 interviews, Bhargava and Sattar wrote a 150 page long paper on the unequal distribution of water in Pakistan and published it in the Yale Review of International Studies.

In his next three years at Tufts, Bhargava’s involvement in student organizations and research continued.

Bhargava became an active member of the debate team and 180 Degrees Consulting. He led a research trip to Morocco to analyze the nation’s relationship with trade unions, government and the monarchy. He was an intern at The Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment, where he helped prepare official proclamations for Governor Baker and even drafted an invitation letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Bhargava also studied abroad at the University of Oxford during his junior year. The following summer, Oxford’s economics department sponsored Bhargava’s research in how the pattern of lynchings

affected Mexican migration to the United States from 1849 to 1926. This project allowed him to combine his academic interest in econometrics and his passion for human rights issues.

Thinking back on his four years at Tufts, Bhargava expresses great gratitude to Tufts for the university’s financial support, various opportunities and outstanding professors.

Bhargava specifically mentioned professor Ayesha Jalal, a mother figure to him, who inspires him to reflect critically on his endeavors in the world of academics, activism or life in general. “[Professor Jalal] is special to me,” Bhargava said. “She is trying to make you deconstruct … your thought process.”

Bhargava said that constantly looking out for opportunities and meeting new people was key to his rich college experience.

After graduation, Bhargava will become an analyst at Charles River Associates, where he will examine corporate competitions and antitrust practices in the United States, extending his passion for econometrics.

To the incoming students, especially international students, Bhargava said it is important to “put yourself out there.” This can be achieved by studying outside of the library, looking out for opportunities on bulletin boards and trying out new things even if it might just be “on a whim,” he said.

“Yes, putting yourself out [there] is difficult … A lot of times I was failing everywhere, [but] all of the success is born out of that failure,” Bhargava said.

Senior Profile: Gomez talks engineering, mentorship and everything in between

by Amelia Becker Features Editor

Since high school, graduating senior Mateo Gomez knew that he wanted to study civil engineering in college. He also knew he wanted to move away from his home in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Boston seemed like the perfect place.

Tufts was an easy choice.

“Tufts was the only engineering program I found, at least on the East Coast, that I could be an engineering student, but … my time at college wouldn’t [just] be engineering,” Gomez said. “I wouldn’t only have engineering friends, and I would be working on engineering problems that had a social implication or that were relevant to society.

I feel like Tufts is one of the few schools that makes it a point to use engineering to have an impact on the world.”

Gomez majored in environmental engineering and minored in engineering management. He took a gap year in Nicaragua as part of the Tufts 1+4 Bridge Year Program, and during this time he became more interested in international issues related to engineering.

During his first year at Tufts, Gomez took a course called Engineering in Crisis with Professor Daniele Lantagne, an environmen-

tal engineer, and learned about the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and the country’s subsequent cholera outbreak. He saw connections to his time in Nicaragua, where access to clean drinking water was a common issue.

“Every day I’d have my two-liter Nalgene bottle and I’d add two drops of chlorine to treat my water to make it safe,” he said.

Ultimately, Gomez shifted from civil engineering to environmental engineering.

“I felt like the issues that I cared about aligned more with environmental engineering,” he said.

With his engineering experience, Gomez has accepted a job offer as a water resources engineer at Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc., an engineering design firm in the Boston area known widely as VHB. He’s still figuring out where he’ll be for the next few months, possibly Seattle or Mexico City, as he plans to start work remotely.

Outside of academics, Gomez has been involved in numerous activities across campus.

From being part of Encendido — Tufts’ only Latinx dance team — during his first year, to working at The Sink, Gomez has engaged in many aspects of campus life. He also served as the environmental chair for the Tufts chapter of the

American Society of Civil Engineers during his junior year, and taught a civic pathways course last summer for first-year students.

As a first-year, Gomez was a part of the Tufts Community Union Senate’s Education Committee.

Being a part of the Senate helped Gomez learn to navigate campus. “[This experience] taught me how to interact with administration and where resources were on campus, and I knew how to speak and who to speak to,” Gomez said.

Participating in the Senate also introduced Gomez to the TCU Senate Textbook Exchange, a program that offers students a cheaper option than purchasing textbooks through the bookstore.

Gomez became the assistant director of the program during his sophomore year. He also became part of the Indigenous Peoples’ Day planning committee, which he worked on during his sophomore and junior years.

One of Gomez’s favorite parts of Tufts has been the 1+4 Bridge Year Program, in which he both participated and served as a peer mentor.

“There’s something to be said about shared experience,” he said.

“Even if that experience isn’t exactly the same, just knowing this family of people that, for whatever reason, thought it made sense to just spend

COURTESY MATEO GOMEZ

Mateo Gomez has worn many hats during his time at Tufts, and looks back fondly on his years in the community. our first year of college abroad. I think that attracts a certain type of person, with a certain type of open-mindedness.”

Gomez also loved being a peer mentor and getting to see the students he worked with once they returned to campus after their year abroad.

“My favorite thing in the world is to work with young people and see them grow,” he said.

Gomez had a few pieces of wisdom for underclassmen, even though he didn’t feel qualified to be giving advice.

First off: Go after things you’re interested in.

“Don’t worry if you’re good enough, or if you think you’re qual-

ified or if you think you’ll get it,” he said. “Go after it because you want it … It’s always worth it to go after what you want in life.”

He wanted to remind students to have fun throughout their time at Tufts.

“There’s always time for a dance break or to play good music or to … roll around on grass in the middle of studying,” he said. “There’s always time to have fun and to be goofy and to let your inner child come out.”

Lastly, Gomez encouraged students to find ways to give back to communities they care about.

“Find a way to be involved and it’ll make your time much, much richer,” he said.

P

Wednesday, May 5, 2021 | PHOTOS | THE TUFTS DAILY

s:

o t ho

I

P n

n i s

RD HA RIC FF) A DI STA LY O O, HOT L L CI Y P UC AIL NN S D A I FT VA TU ,A E IN (TH E ST LU LD OG GO RZI E H T RA A SA IN N, D M A OL AN ED D HI MUN P O R : S TE TS RO DI

t f u T P

T HO

O

CR

E

o l b

m o S

, ON

GR

AC

E

21

22

THE TUFTS DAILY | GRAPHICS | Wednesday, May 5, 2021

tuftsdaily.com

G

Wednesday, May 5, 2021 | GRAPHICS | THE TUFTS DAILY

GRAPHIC CREDITS: SAM FARBMAN, ALIZA KIBEL, ASLI KOCAK, JACKIE MCCARTHY, ANNABEL NIED, CECILIA OROZCO, CAMILLA SAMUEL AND DERIN SAVASAN

23

24

THE TUFTS DAILY | ADVERTISEMENTS | Wednesday, May 5, 2021

, s n o i t a l u t a Congr ! s e t a u d a r G

tuftsdaily.com

2021 SENIOR MEMORY BOOK Order Online Now!

Books Ship Directly To You In July!

Features: Senior Portraits & Senior Class Memory Highlights In a Hardcover All Color Book

Class of 2021 Kiarah Hortance Cormac McAdams Addison Ball Krista Taylor Meg Harris Melissa Cepeda

Donovan Brady Alekya Menta Ray Rivers Bella Eisenhart Brendan Foley Jackson Deysine

Annmarie Hoch

ocl.tufts.edu/memorybook On behalf of the Office for Campus Life, we thank you for your commitment and wish you the very best of luck on your next adventure.

Questions? ocl@tufts.edu

ARTS & POP CULTURE

tuftsdaily.com

25

Wednesday, May 5, 2021

SMFA looks back on a year of anti-racism activism

by Colette Smith Arts Editor

“Anti-Racism: A Year of Creative Activism at Tufts” highlighted initiatives that have sprung up across the university over the past year. It was sponsored by the Daynard Microgrant for Collaborations in Racial Justice at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and brought together individuals from all corners of the Tufts community. The event, which took place on April 20 on Zoom, underscored the versatility of the anti-racism initiatives and the power that art has in society to actively fight against racism.

Serge Rosiles (BFA’12), an SMFA alumnus and Daynard Microgrant recipient, began the event by introducing all of the participants. He started the event with a quote from James Baldwin: “I don’t know what most white people in this country feel … I don’t know if the board of education hates Black people, but I know the textbooks they give to my children to read, and the schools that we have to go to.” Rosiles used this powerful quote to show the way that our institutions have perpetuated racism and how reforming them is a critical step to dismantling systemic racism in the United States.

The first speaker in the event was Patte Loper, a professor of the practice at SMFA in the painting and drawing department and a member of the Anti-Racist/ Anti-Bias Coalition (ARBC).

Loper gave an overview of the coalition, which began working over the summer.

“The ARBC is an interracial group using the structure of [the Black Lives Matter movement] to do some deep looking into

the structural racism that exists within the art world and, by extension, our art school and art museum that we are affiliated with,” Loper said.

The ARBC developed working groups targeted at focused initiatives determined by faculty, staff and students. Initiatives include decolonizing curricula at the SMFA and hiring at least four new faculty members to “bring in new aesthetic subject matter, new art histories and help to diversify the faculty,” according to Loper. The ARBC has also created a list of demands, which included creating a dean-level position exclusively dedicated to diversity, equity, inclusion and justice work and developing dynamic and inclusive best practices and classroom conduct. The ARBC also plans to call for events that celebrate non-Western holidays to the SMFA campus. Currently, the ARBC has the primary goal of finding funding sources to accomplish these demands.

The next guest speakers, Henry Wang and Katie Barrett Kramer, were from the Re-Orienting Orientation Team, which has the following goal: “Organizing Student Affairs professionals and students to secure, by May 31st, 2021, a significant portion of President Monaco’s committed $25 million in Anti-Racist Funding initiative to redesign and deliver a first-year student orientation that honors the lived experiences, needs, and aspirations of BIPOC, international, and first-gen students.”

Wang shared a vulnerable story of his undergraduate experience at orientation and Barrett Kramer explained how “orientation can be a statement about what a school is about and who it is for.” Thus, by creating a more

MINA TERZIOGLU / THE TUFTS DAILY

The School of the Museum of Fine Arts is pictured beside an ivy-covered tree on March 21. inclusive orientation environment, Tufts and the SMFA can make the statement that they want their community to celebrate the fact that they have members from many different backgrounds.

Dan Jay, dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and adjunct professor of drawing and painting at the SMFA, was also a member of the discussion. His artistic work is multidisciplinary, and blends art and science. Jay discussed how the determining factor of one’s skin color, whether light or dark, is a very small difference in melanin quantity. Thus, he uses squid ink — the main compound of which is melanin — as a medium to illustrate the absurdity that “something as silly as this chemical could ever be the basis for such hideous crime[s].” One of his squid ink works is a portrait of George Floyd.

“[This portrait is] made with the structure of melanin almost like a death shroud over his face and body,” Jay explained.

Jay has furthered this squid ink concept by working with the Boston Public Library and youth from underserved communities by giving them squid ink so that they can create similar art.

The talk also featured Martina Tan, an undergraduate and vice president of the SMFA Student Government Association, and Flor Delgadillo, a graduate student in museum studies at SMFA and a Daynard Microgrant recipient. Tan discussed how subtle changes could be made to courses to make them more inclusive of all cultures.

“Whatever topic you are teaching, I think there is a way that it intersects with race … art does not exist in a vacuum, it’s not outside of society,” she said.

“As a person of color, art has been really helpful to have as a tool for healing, not just individually, but in communities.”

Beyond her own work, Tan discussed some of the initiatives that the SMFA Student Government Association has developed to create a more inclusive environment for all students.

She explained that it has worked with the ARBC and has started the Black Legacies Initiative, which puts a call out for art from Black student creators.

Rosiles ended the event with a moving performance of “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child,” famously performed by Mahalia Jackson. The event gave a clear message of steps that the Tufts community can take to make the art community on campus more welcoming, with many different groups coming together to initiate this important work.

The Brattle Theatre puts on its 8th Grrl Haus program

by Yas Salon Arts Editor

Despite temporarily closing its physical theater space near Harvard Square due to COVID19, The Brattle Theatre has been keeping film fans entertained for the past year with virtual screenings of movie premieres and old favorites. Most recently, The Brattle offered viewers “Grrl Haus: Let’s Have a Party!,” an eight-day-long program featuring films and videos by female, nonbinary, transgender and genderqueer creators.

This year’s Grrl Haus marks The Brattle’s eighth edition of the program; in 2014, Grrl Haus was founded at The Brattle, and has since gone on to screen short films internationally.

While this is the first year that The Brattle has been forced to host the program virtually, the program still contains the immersive fun and bold experimentation present in past years.

The program is captivating in its constant oscillation; in the span of approximately an hour and a half, viewers experience documentary narratives, experimental animation, music videos and short narrative films.

As long as you like media that is bold, creative and sometimes

just plain weird, there will be something for you in Grrl Haus.

One particular gem from “Let’s Have A Party!” is Heather María Ács’ “Flourish,” a captivating, intimate short following two queer couples as they navigate their respective relationships. The visual universe

VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The Brattle Theatre, a repertory movie theater located in Brattle Hall at 40 Brattle Street near Harvard Square in Cambridge, is pictured.

of the film beautifully frames the narratives. In a party scene, everyone is decked out in flashy, kitschy-glam outfits (an entire paragraph of this review alone could be dedicated to the incredibly stylish, gem-bedecked gown and headpiece worn by Cristal, a drag performer around whom the story is centered). But beyond the stunning sets and costumes lies a masterfully crafted narrative about queer love. While the film doesn’t depict perfect relationships — in fact, much of the film focuses on the relationship struggles experienced by Cristal and their partner — its focus on queer joy, and specifically the joy of queer people of color, is refreshing, especially given that it is woefully underrepresented, even in queer narratives. Additionally, Ács manages to draw the viewer into the world of these couples in just under 15 minutes; despite the film’s brevity, the viewer feels

that they personally know the characters and their relationship histories.

Another narrative piece that stands out is the opening short, the wryly titled “Oh Sh*t!” The short, which follows a woman as she experiences a menstrual mishap in the bathroom of her date’s house, is a bit of a slow burn. While this comedy bursts with energy and comical moments throughout, it is the punchline in the film’s final shot when the rest of the film’s antics pay off. Created by filmmaker Elsa van Damke, the short benefits from a dynamic performance by German actress Jane Chirwa. As the only character in the majority of the film, Chirwa’s lively performance manages to masterfully capture the multiple threads of her character’s inner monologue without any cheesy overacting. see BRATTLE, page 28

26

THE TUFTS DAILY | Arts & Pop Culture | Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Ramona Meng Xi Beyond the Underneath

Starting from an empty dance floor

Y

ou should never arrive at a party on time. But do try once.

When the first DJ was playing some deep house and chill beats, the dance floor was empty.

Other DJs and the VJ were chatting, off to the side. Without the audience, the dance floor seemed really small. It was almost like an empty living room with a family deciding what to do next with the space.

I like to stare at the empty dance floor sometimes. The glittering reflection from the disco ball swirls from the wall to the floor. The music at the start of the party is not intended to make you jump around, but it puts you in the right mood. I did try to dance on the empty dance floor once. I liked the unexpectedly liberating feel.

As the night went on and more people appeared, the music was getting increasingly exciting and intense.

Suddenly, I lost the initial feeling of “homeliness.” It was clamorous and crowded, an atmosphere that people desire and expect. That night I didn’t experience the classic moment of walking into the main room in the middle of the night when the music is already intense. Normally, I would only have a little time to adjust myself when the beat and zeal of the music, as well as the dynamics of the crowd, were persuading me to blend in. But this time, witnessing the flow of people and gradual waves of excitement from music was an experience I’d never had.

A DJ once told me that mixing techno or house during a set is easier than mixing pop or hip-hop songs due to the similarity in beats and repetition, as well as the anti-teleological nature and layering characteristics of house and techno tracks. The difficult part is how to perfectly master the grand rhythm of buildups and drops in order to keep the audience hooked to the evolving repetitions. If the whole night of music is graphed in terms of its excitement, then it should look like a flow of slowly ascending waves. The magic of those ascending waves is very subtle, and there are moments when you suddenly realize how much more exhilarating the music is now compared to that of an hour ago.

During each buildup, you actively start to count the bars and predict the time of the drop. It’s like a mind game between you and the DJ. Sometimes you feel like the buildup is already intense and overwhelming enough with the rolling snares and sound nebula, but the DJ pushes the buildup even more than you could imagine, making you yearn for the drop. Then again, sometimes the buildup and drop are so subtle and smooth that you don’t even realize they happened.

It was a new experience to witness the “start” of the night and go through a more complete version of the wave graph. Along with waves of break, tension and excitement, a holistic journey is created, all starting from an empty dance floor.

Ramona Meng Xi is a rising junior who has not yet declared a major. Ramona can be reached at meng.xi@tufts.edu.

tuftsdaily.com

The Prison Book Program extends support through books, community

by Devina Bhalla Arts Editor

The Prison Book Program has spent amost 50 years with one central mission: providing incarcerated people across the United States with free books from its headquarters in Quincy, Mass.

“This program gives [people in prison] the tools that they need to create the kind of life they want to have after they get out,” Katie Vhay, a volunteer and former board member at the Prison Book Program, said.

Vhay said that her involvement in the program has led her to notice injustices in the American justice system, the underfunding of prison libraries and the long waiting lists for educational programs inside prisons. The program attempts to combat some of these issues and looks to support incarcerated people’s educational, personal, spiritual and vocational development through books. The book packages do not only provide access to educational materials and skills but also provide a form of support and connection.

“We hear from people in prison so often about how meaningful it is for them, not just to get the books but also that the book packages represent a supportive community on the outside of people who are caring about them and thinking about them,” Vhay said.

The Prison Book Program sends packages to incarcerated people in 44 states.

In the last five years, the program has expanded its reach, sending around 12,000 packages in 2020 compared to about 6,000 five years before. Though there are certain prisons where the program is more established, Vhay said that the Prison Book Program gets requests from incarcerated people all over the country, with information about the program spreading primarily through word of mouth.

Working out of United First Parish Church in Quincy Center, the program provides donated books to incarcerated people for free and also takes special requests, attempting to give each person that writes to them the specific books they are looking for.

Vhay handles a lot of the special requests, managing its wish lists on Amazon and at two independent bookstores: Porter Square Books and Wellesley Books. When someone asks for a book that isn’t in the program’s book room, Vhay puts that book on the wishlist or reaches out to local community groups that support the program in order to acquire it.

Buying from wish lists at independent bookstores also provides a way to support small businesses in the community in addition to supporting incarcerated people across the country. Vhay commented that the fact that people can support people in prison and local bookstores means a lot to the program.

Moreover, each book often passes through many hands.

“We know that once we send books it goes to the whole community,” Vhay said.

A single donation, therefore, has a great impact on prison communities. Vhay told a story about one man she corresponded with who asked for a book to help him improve his writing to his wife in Spanish.

After receiving the book, he wrote back to the program.

COURTESY PRISON BOOK PROGRAM

A drawing sent to members of the Prison Book Program by an incarcerated person is pictured.

“He said that he was studying from the book every single day and that it meant so much,” Vhay said. “It meant so much to him to know that we were supporting him in this way. [He wrote to us saying,] ‘books open doors to a better world. You and your supporters are the key. Thank you again for the undeserved kindness you have demonstrated to me over the years. You’ve helped me to see and know the good in the world and understand that there is the inside of me and that I have value. I am not worthless.’”

This note, Vhay reflected, showed her a dehumanizing and isolating reality of prisons and how receiving books from the program can at the very least help remind incarcerated people of their humanity and worthiness as a human being and that they’re not alone.

The program has had to make many adjustments during the pandemic. For a while, it could not accept any used book donations, which forced it to rely more on the wish lists. Without being able to have volunteers in the building, it also had to change its process. For instance, one volunteer wraps up the package themself instead of an assembly line-like process.

“I’ve personally wrapped up and sent more than a thousand packages to people this past year,” Vhay said.

However, even with COVID-19 restrictions, the program has still been able to maintain operation, continuing to send book packages across the country.

Vhay commented on how she believes COVID-19 has made the work even more important.

“It’s been so isolating,” Vhay said.

“People haven’t been able to have visits,

haven’t been able to see their families and a lot of programs have had to shut down during this time. And we [also] had to cut back … but people were so moved to get the books especially during this time when they weren’t expecting to hear from us.”

Moreover, the pandemic has not stopped the program from receiving support nationally and even internationally.

The program used to be entirely volunteer-run, but in the past year it was also able to hire staff through recent donations; the program recently hired an administrator and is currently searching for a managing director.

“We’re definitely in a time of transition and that’s partly because of COVID and partly because of where we are as an organization,” Vhay said. “But we’re really excited for the future and we’re so excited to be able to serve the people that we currently serve better and also be able to reach more people.”

Once COVID-19 concerns lessen, the Prison Book Program is looking forward to bringing the core of the program — the volunteers — back into the building.

Vhay said the program looks to continue increasing the number of people it can serve while also potentially adding pen pals or group programming.

With its wide reach and continued programming, the Prison Book Program represents one organization aimed at providing incarcerated people with care and emotional and educational support.

“People in prison know that they can count on the program to be there,” Vhay said. “It’s really meaningful for everyone who is involved.”

A&P

Wednesday, May 5, 2021 | Arts & Pop Culture | THE TUFTS DAILY

27

Senior profile: Panella reminisces Senior profile: Ayyappan dances through her time at Tufts on a fulfilling 4 years at Tufts

by Tuna Margalit

Executive Arts Editor

Disclaimer: Chris Panella is an arts editor and a columnist at The Tufts Daily. The Daily’s editorial department acknowledges that this article is premised on a conflict of interest. This article is a special feature for Commencement 2021 that does not represent the Daily’s standard journalistic practices. Chris was not involved in the writing or the editing of this article.

For four years, Chris Panella has been a jack of all trades at Tufts.

As a teaching assistant, resident assistant, tour guide, board member and teacher for the Experimental College, and writer for Jumbo Magazine and the Daily, Panella has done just about all that is possible on campus.

Panella has worked extensively for the Daily, with many of their 111 bylines falling under the Arts section. They spoke about their journey through the Daily.

“I joined the Daily actually as an opinion writer, my [first-year] fall,” Panella said. “I was writing opinion pieces, but they were all arts-related. I wrote one about why Rihanna is the most profitable person in the music industry.”

Though a core member of the Arts section since their first-year spring, Panella’s fondest memory at the Daily came during their stint as executive social media editor.

“That [memory is] my favorite because that … was when I was executive social media editor with Sean Ong,” they said.

“And Sean and I won the section of the semester, which was insane because we were just ... social media. But we had worked really hard to revamp social media, so we were really proud of that win.”

Two of Panella’s other main involvements, the aforementioned roles of board member and teacher for the ExCollege, will undoubtedly have a hole to fill with his departure.

This semester, Panella taught their third ExCollege course — a semester-long analysis of the villains in Batman stories.

The other two courses he taught in the past focused on female characters in “Star Wars” and love in modern film.

A cinephile at heart, Panella has also devoted much of their Tufts academic career to studying the development side of moviemaking. In fact, for his thesis, he took on the task of writing a screenplay.

Panella cited “Moonlight” (2016), “Little Women” (2019), “anything Greta Gerwing has worked on,” “The Way Way Back” (2013) and “The Florida Project” (2017) as sources of inspiration for “Grasswater,” which is a feature-length screenplay they are currently writing.

Panella said the screenplay focuses on an 18-year-old man who is exploring his sexuality and preparing to enter college over the course of the summer in South Florida. He has a conflict with his single father and is hesitant to attend the prestigious art institution he was accepted to in New York.

Asked whether he drew on experiences from his own life for the script, Panella referenced a Greta Gerwig quote when she was asked a similar question about her film, “Lady Bird” (2017): “It’s not true, but it rhymes with the truth.”

With the end of his undergraduate years in sight, Panella says that what he’ll miss most are his friends and professors. “[I’ll miss] the feeling of walking into a space and knowing everyone [and] the feeling of ... going through four years at an institution with people who you met on day one, and now you know until the end,” he said. “That kind of community, I’ll really miss. But I’m hopeful that I can replicate that community or a sense of that community in a job.”

After graduation, Panella is moving to Los Angeles. They plan to work on the development side of visual media.

COURTESY CHRIS PANELLA

As a film and media studies major and a writer for the Daily and Jumbo Magazine, graduating senior Chris Panella was heavily engaged in the arts on campus.

COURTESY SOWNTHARYA AYYAPPAN

Sowntharya Ayyappan, a former co-captain of Tufts Pulse, an Indian classical dance team at Tufts, is pictured.

by Devina Bhalla Arts Editor

Sowntharya Ayyappan started dancing at age six when her parents took her to learn Bharatanatyam, a classical style of Indian dance, from a teacher 30 minutes away from her home.

Ayyappan has been dancing since, spending time doing so every weekend throughout high school. So when she got to Tufts, it was only natural that she’d join Tufts Pulse, Tufts’ Indian classical dance team.

“I always knew I wanted to join just because dance was such an important part of my life throughout high school, so I knew I really would miss it if I didn’t join in college,” Ayyappan said.

Ayyappan has been a key member of Tufts Pulse throughout her time at Tufts, becoming a captain in her junior year.

Though Tufts Pulse was small during her first year, only consisting of about six members, it has almost doubled in size since then. It’s still a small team, but Ayyappan credited its size with their close-knit, great dynamic.

“We’ve all gotten to know each other so it’s not just like we dance together,” she said, “We bond over that dance but we’re also friends.”

Bharatanatyam is a type of dance that takes years to learn. Ayyappan said that it can take almost 20 years to gain enough experience to do a solo performance, so many of her team members, like her, also spent years learning from a teacher.

“In college, most of us come out of doing that solo performance, and we just kind of bond together in the dance team with this one art form,” Ayyappan said.

One of her favorite memories as a Tufts Pulse member were the culture show weekends, when all of the South Asian dance teams and TASA, the student association for South Asians,

would come together and dance for hours in a weekend full of shows.

However, dancing at Tufts was also distinct from the dancing Ayyappan did before in that it allowed for more freedom. Rather than following what her teacher did, Tufts Pulse has allowed Ayyappan to explore.

“In college, it’s like you’re kind of in charge, so you find your own style,” she said. “And I think over the last four years, I’ve definitely found what I like to do, my style of dancing.”

Furthermore, she, along with her two other co-captains, chose the music, created the choreography and then taught it to the rest of the group. This leadership position and learning how to teach others, along with working as a group, has translated into skills that she can use outside of dance, both in the classroom and in her future career.

“It’s made me a more strong, confident person because just being a leader and putting a lot of effort into something, you’re pushing yourself to your own capabilities so all of that stamina that I build and all that hard work I put into Pulse also kind of help with STEM [classes],” she said.

Outside of Tufts Pulse, Ayyappan is a biochemistry major and a science, technology, and society minor. She also volunteers for Sharewood, helping to provide healthcare to uninsured patients, and is a mentor at ENROOT, a program that works with immigrant students on achieving academic, personal and career goals.

After graduation, she will be a research assistant at Boston Children’s Hospital for a year while she applies to medical school. However, dance will continue to be a big part of her life.

“I want to go back to my dance teacher,” Ayyappan said. “There’s just so much more to learn … I really just want to keep pursuing [Bharatanatyam] and getting better at it.”

28

THE TUFTS DAILY | Arts & Pop Culture | Wednesday, May 5, 2021

tuftsdaily.com

Senior profile: Eliopoulos reflects on musical journey at Tufts

by Ethan Steinberg Managing Editor

For graduating senior Iverson Eliopoulos, Commencement marks the culmination of almost 10 years worth of involvement with music at Tufts. Eliopoulos, a Medford native, joined the Tufts music community in middle school when he participated in the Department of Music’s Community Music Program and attended weekly Saturday morning classes in the Granoff Music Center. He continued in high school playing cello with the Tufts Youth Philharmonic, and he even squeezed his way into the back of the undergraduate orchestra for a performance during his senior year. Today, Eliopoulos is the principal cellist of the Tufts Symphony Orchestra and a household name around much of the Granoff Music Center.

“I definitely knew I wanted to study music,” he said, reflecting on his plans entering college. “[But] in what capacity I wanted to do [music] has definitely evolved over my four years at Tufts.

Eliopoulos expressed gratitude for the opportunities he has been able to pursue through Tufts Music. He traveled with the symphony orchestra to Costa Rica in 2018 and to Italy in 2020, and cited those trips as some of the highlights of his college experience. He also performed with the Early Music Ensemble, the Klezmer Ensemble, Tufts

Chamber Music and the Tufts Chamber Orchestra, and he served as music director for two operas and a musical produced

by Torn Ticket II. Reflecting on four years of collegiate experience in the Department of Music, Eliopoulos said his work with the Opera Ensemble stands out most.

“I had never put together anything that large, musically, [by] myself,” he said. After serving as music director for two operas, he was able to arrive at a deep level of understanding for the music, a feeling he described as “extremely rewarding.”

Outside of Tufts, Eliopoulos has performed in Symphony Hall with the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, a prestigious regional ensemble led by renowned educator and conductor Benjamin Zander.

While this experience and others fortified his already-established passion for classical music, Eliopoulos has focused recently on expanding his musical horizons and engaging in a broader range of study.

“In my first few years, I didn’t really venture outside the standard classical fare of classes, but I’m glad that I started to do that,” he said. “There’s so many different types of music you can do at the music department, and it really was an opportunity to open my world musically.”

Eliopoulos currently lives with a group of non-classical musicians, an experience that

Grrl Haus features works of LGBTQ+ creators at The Brattle Theatre BRATTLE

continued from page 25 On the more experimental side, Oona Taper’s “The Sound of Sinking Ships” is a mesmerizing exploration in 16 mm and 8 mm film. While the piece is relatively devoid of any narrative — we see just a woman dancing alone in a room, switching back and forth between live action and animation — it is still a sensory delight. Ambient drone music accompanies the piece, which Taper describes as “clarity and obfuscation, entropy and order- explored through movement, music, video and film.”

A notable feature of this year’s program is its emphasis on music videos. At the intersection of animation and music is “Tequila Acid Party,” an animated music video by Liesbeth Eeckman and Joel Rabijns for a Dutch song of the same title, as well as the playful, minimalist animation piece for Nunofyrbeeswax’s infectious “Tormento.” There is also Guerrilla Davis’ concept music video for Sammay’s “Blood,” which centers around a “young brown girl … [who is] a descendent of balyana (priestesses) … and re-emerges from the shadows to lead her people into the reckoning for collective liberation.” Much like “The

Sound of Sinking Ships,” “Blood” thrives in its immersive visuals.

However, the visual world of the former is far more expressive and colorful than that of the latter.

The program closes with “Appetite” by Xuemeng Li and Katrin Larissa Kasper, a delightfully playful narrative short centering on a serial dine-anddasher. The protagonist is a young woman who delights in ordering expensive and lavish meals while on Tinder dates and with each new partner she adopts a new personality. Beyond the sheer comedy, the elusiveness of the protagonist’s true self makes the film exceptionally fun. Even when at home with her husband, we never see who the real person is behind all the personalities, which gives the audience room to speculate and imagine who the “real” protagonist is at heart.

As a whole, the program is an exhilarating roller coaster ride of fresh, innovative talent.

While the program is no longer streaming through The Brattle, audiences can find many of the featured individual shorts online.

Additionally, Grrl Haus continually hosts virtual events, ranging from animation exhibitions to politically oriented shorts.

he said has shifted the lens through which he views the musical world.

“That’s definitely allowed me to explore music in ways that I didn’t think I would be,” he said. “And I’m definitely glad I did [explore], because it’s totally changed my perspective on what I want to do in the future.”

Eliopoulos also commented on the pandemic’s role in encouraging him to step outside his musical comfort zone.

“I have lost a little bit of interest right now in the classical industry,” he said. “And I think this pandemic has given me the opportunity to take a step back from [classical music] … and come back to it with a fresh take… new ideas, new ways of integrating it into other things that I like.”

As an example of his recently adjusted perspective on classical music, Eliopoulos is in the process of creating a podcast with several other music students in the Boston area. Titled “Classical Declassified,” the podcast will “break down some of what we feel are the problems in the classical industry today, and how they got to be this way, and what people are doing about it,” he said. Eliopoulos plans for the six-episode series to premiere in June, with availability on Spotify and other streaming services.

Post-graduation, Eliopoulos will study conducting in pursuit of a master’s degree at the New England Conservatory. He hopes to use his craft in the future to

Jessica Blough Soundtrack to the end of the world

A world post-pandemic, Part 2

F

or this last column, I asked my friends to share a bit of what they’re looking forward to as a post-pandemic world starts to come into focus. They sent me songs of rumination, rest and, most of all, celebration. This is part 2; part 1 is available at tuftsdaily.com.

As for me, I just celebrated my second (and hopefully last) pandemic birthday, this time with the people I missed so much last year. So I played “22” (2012) by Taylor Swift, of course, “What’s Up?” (1993) by 4 Non Blondes and “Rainbow” (2019) by Kacey Musgraves. Songs for dreaming and singing and smiling really, really big.

Chris Panella: “I Feel for You”

by Prince and Chaka Khan (1979 and 1984) As I finish my senior year and prepare to travel home and see family and friends, I think I’ll be most excited to play Prince and Chaka Khan’s respective versions of “I Feel for You” (1979 and 1984).

Written originally by Prince, the song is a warm, funky and gorgeous love track. Khan’s version

COURTESY IVERSON ELIOPOULOS

After four years of heavy involvement in the Department of Music, Eliopoulos will move on to study conducting at the New England Conservatory. infuse more creativity into the classical music world.

“I used to always want to be a conductor of an orchestra … but I would really like to find a position where I can combine different artistic elements in order

to create some sort of experience for an audience,” he said.

“I want to be a conductor who collaborates with other types of musicians, because I feel like classical music misses out on that a lot.”

features a lively chromatic harmonica played by Stevie Wonder, while Prince keeps to a sultrier vibe on his version. Both feel like perfect songs for the transition from spring semester to summer break — I imagine myself making margaritas with my mom and my boyfriend under the hot sun.

We’re probably celebrating graduation, and I’m wearing some absurd outfit with big sunglasses.

Immaculate vibes all around!

Stephanie Hoechst: “Push Play” by Cheap Talk (2014) My freshman fall friend Rebeca and I were party pals for a long time before the pandemic hit. We’d tie flannels around our waists and step out to parties to dance our faces off, taking breaks by hogging an open window and letting the cool air give us some reprieve from the sweaty dance floor. When we used to get ready together beforehand, I’d always put on my “’80s Jamz” playlist, and we’d dance to Prince, A-ha and Whitney Houston. I haven’t been able to stop listening to “Push Play” since I discovered it a week or two ago — it came out in 2014, but it’s a Taylor-Dayneesque or an “I Think We’re Alone Now”-sounding ‘80s-pop homage, over-the-top synth and all.

It’s totally something I want to put on if Rebeca and I ever get the chance to go out together again, if only to remind us of all those nights going out way back when.

Tuna Margalit: “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree” by Tony Orlando and Dawn (1973)

In high school, I used to look back on my elementary and middle school days and miss the bliss of relative ignorance. Then, once college started, I looked back on my high school days in the same way. Now, I look back at my early college days in this way, too. The last trip I went on was with my family, right after my first year at Tufts. We embarked on a two-week coastal journey up Northern California and southern Oregon. Driving on the light-speckled roads on the bed of a redwood tree sea was where I first heard this song, having succumbed to my dad’s insistence on playing something other than Kanye and then even taking one of his song requests.

This was the one I took, and now I can’t think about the last time I was exploring new places with the people I love without hearing the innocent and blissful instrumental that opens this old gem of a song.

Jessica Blough a graudating senior who studied international relations. Jessica can be reached at jessica.blough@ tufts.edu. Stephanie Hoechst is a graduating senior who studied English and film and media studies. She can be reached at stephanie.hoechst@tufts.edu.

Tuna Margalit is a rising senior studying political science.

Tuna can be reached at yonatan.margalit@tufts.edu. Chris Panella is a graduating senior who studied film and media studies. Chris can be reached at christopher.panella@tufts.edu.

Wednesday, May 5, 2021 | FUN & GAMES | THE TUFTS DAILY

tuftsdaily.com

F& G

29

LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY Yanqing: “Do we have a mop?”

Cole: “No, but we have newspapers.”

FUN & GAMES

SUDOKU

CROSSWORD

Difficulty Level: Producing the Commencement issue before finals

Today’s Solutions

SEARCHING FOR HEADLINES...

LINDA C. BLACK ASTROLOGY

Taurus (Apr. 20–May. 20) Take advantage of a romantic opportunity. Find some fun with someone you love.

Practice artistry and craft. Share dreams, games and diversions. Pack a picnic.

DRIP

MY DOG: GRADUATION

SWIMMING IN THE OCEAN

By Matthew Hixson

By Aidan Chang

By Julia Petrocelli

30

THE TUFTS DAILY | PHOTOS | Wednesday, May 5, 2021

tuftsdaily.com

In Photos: A year in review

AVA IANNUCCILLO / THE TUFTS DAILY

ANN MARIE BURKE / THE TUFTS DAILY

Students and community members come together to sled down Students are pictured studying on President's Lawn on March 22.

President’s Lawn during a snowstorm.

SOPHIE DOLAN / THE TUFTS DAILY

Dr. Anthony Fauci spoke about his journey through medicine, HIV/AIDS activism, the COVID-19 pandemic and the intersections of public health and politics in a Tisch College Distinguished Speaker Series event.

NICOLE GARAY / THE TUFTS DAILY

Tufts students wait in line for the Roxy's Grilled Cheese food truck at an event organized by the Tufts University Social Collective on April 23.

AARON APOSTADERO / THE TUFTS DAILY

Tufts community members are pictured waiting outside the Medford/ Somerville COVID-19 testing center on Nov. 16, 2020.

SOPHIE DOLAN / THE TUFTS DAILY

The Office of Campus Life hosts a “Staycation” event on March 25.

ALEX VIVEROS / THE TUFTS DAILY

Celebration erupts in Davis Square after Joe Biden wins the presidential election on Nov. 7, 2020.

SOPHIE DOLAN / THE TUFTS DAILY

MENGQI IRINA WANG / THE TUFTS DAILY

SOPHIE DOLAN / THE TUFTS DAILY

A screenshot of a ukulele lesson organized by the Tufts University Students painted the Tufts cannon in commemoration of Ruth The Tufts canon is painted with the words Social Collective and led by Rachel Edelstein is pictured on April 8. Bader Ginsburg on Sept. 20, 2020.

“GOODBYE 2020 Hi 2021.”

MINA TERZIOGLU / THE TUFTS DAILY AVA IANNUCCILLO / THE TUFTS DAILY

Following COVID-19 guidelines, a cohort gathers to watch results on election night.

The “Many Voices: A Community Display of Grief, Hope, and Action” art exhibit is pictured on the Academic Quad between Goddard Chapel and Ballou Hall.

Opinion

tuftsdaily.com

31 Wednesday, May 5, 2021

EDITORIAL

Graduating seniors deserve a better send-off As members of the Class of 2021 enter their final days at Tufts, now is an appropriate time to reflect on what its members have accomplished in their time here. Finishing college in circumstances that no one could have even imagined four years ago, Tufts’ graduating seniors have shown respectable resilience in the face of a challenging year. But beyond just doing the bare minimum, this is a class whose members have looked out for others in addition to themselves. In the year since this pandemic first shook the world, members of our student body — led by graduating seniors — have turned outward rather than inward, continuing our community’s commitment to social justice and its tradition of activism. And compared to many of Tufts’ peers, our community has avoided the worst COVID-19 outcomes, owing largely to the behavior of students, including the graduating seniors who have sacrificed traditions enjoyed by previous generations of Tufts graduates.

For their resilience, Tufts’ graduating seniors deserve praise from the entire community, the university administration included. And fortunately, some of the administration’s Commencement decisions do reflect this spirit.

Organizing smaller, department-specific events even when a university-wide

Commencement isn’t possible is a reasonable compromise that creates opportunities to celebrate while also respecting public health. Additionally, the university made an excellent decision choosing Bryan Stevenson as Commencement speaker, such that the official Commencement ceremony will be a memorable one even if students are not there to celebrate in person.

Regardless, the university still has a long way to go in offering graduating seniors the end-of-year experience they deserve. While some of Tufts’ Commencement decisions — not holding a full in-person ceremony, for instance — have obvious public health rationales, the university’s decision to end surveillance testing before Commencement takes place does not. In a survey of graduating seniors conducted by TCU Senate leadership, 95% of respondents said that they planned to remain in the Medford/ Somerville area for Senior Week. Rather than pretend that these students are gone just because there are no official in-person events, the university should take an approach to public health that recognizes this reality and extend surveillance testing for this additional week.

The university’s decision not to extend surveillance testing to Senior Week arrived in tandem with another

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR IN CHIEF

Congratulations, Class of 2021 Dear Class of 2021 and the Tufts community, Since last August, there have been innumerable major events occurring at national and global levels that have had a profound impact on our community. COVID-19 certainly threw a wrench in many plans for the academic year. Tufts responded with an in-depth plan to invite students back to campus, involving a surveillance testing regimen, the construction of isolation housing units and the creation of technological infrastructure to allow us to conduct our academic and personal lives virtually.

Despite several spikes in COVID-19 case numbers across Tufts’ campuses, most students were able to remain on campus for the entire academic year.

The summer before this academic year saw supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement fight for racial justice alongside national calls to defund the police. This sparked action and activism within the Tufts community. Students formed action groups and worked to educate our community about the systemic racism plaguing both the country and our campus. In response to these calls, the administration released a number of workstream reports that outlined ways the university could act upon its commitment to becoming an anti-racist institution. Of course, any change is predicated upon the administration’s and students’ engagement with the initial steps recommended in the reports and our willingness to engage in critical conversations beyond what is prescribed to us; without action and engagement, reports are just words on pages.

While many in our generation jokingly claim on social media that they are “sick of living through major historical events,” we have watched members of the Tufts community rise up in the face of adversity and make posi-

tive impacts on our community during the past academic year. You have campaigned and advocated for causes that you believe in, pressuring authorities both on and off our campus to meet your demands with concrete plans for change. You have given back to our host communities through volunteer work, service and mutual aid — vital action during this time of economic stress. You have pursued your personal and academic goals and contributed to fields from the humanities to the sciences to the fine arts through your research and coursework. And finally, you have made it through an academic year in the most unusual circumstances; this is something for which you should be extremely proud.

To the entire Class of 2021: Congratulations on a year well spent and an undergraduate degree well earned. The legacy you leave will be an overwhelmingly positive one. And I would like to extend a special congratulations to all of the graduating seniors who have made The Tufts Daily a part of their Tufts experience.

In particular, I would like to congratulate and thank Jess Blough, Ryan Shaffer and especially Steph Hoechst, without whom I would have never fallen in love with this paper in the way that I have, nor would I have been able to lead it this semester; your support and guidance has meant the world to me. The impact that you three especially have made on our paper is incomparable; know that you are leaving our institution in a better place than where it was when you entered.

Once again, congratulations to all and best of luck in your future endeavors. You will be missed by all, but proudly remembered.

Pax et Lux, Megan Szostak Editor in chief, spring 2021

unfortunate decision for the Class of 2021: the announcement that graduating seniors living on campus would be forced to move out before the beginning of Senior Week. This does not mean that they will all leave the local area for Senior Week — the 95% of survey respondents who planned to stay almost certainly included some who currently live on campus — but it does mean that those who live on campus will have to find other accommodations, either through crashing with friends or paying for lodging in a hotel. The former option could pose a public health risk, as it may force graduating seniors into close contact with a larger number of people, while the latter option poses a financial burden, something that would cause extra difficulty for the disproportionate number of financial aid recipients living in on-campus housing. It is too late for Tufts to completely rectify this situation, given that many graduating seniors living on campus may have already committed to new accommodations for Senior Week; however, the university should still be generous in making accommodations for graduating seniors who live on campus by permitting graduating seniors who currently live on campus and might not have been able to make alternate plans to stay in

the area to remain in their residences through Senior Week.

A last minute change to the university’s testing or housing policies might seem unusual, but small courtesies like these are owed to the Class of 2021 given the exceptional circumstances in which they are graduating. The final third of their college experience was a mere shell of what they might have hoped for when they matriculated, and now for the sake of public health they cannot have a shared in-person ceremony as they part ways. This is an unfortunate situation, and all members of the Tufts community — the administration included — should do what they can to make this period a happier one for our seniors.

Whether the university administration offers graduating seniors the best experience it is capable of offering, these soonto-be graduates deserve the applause of the entire Tufts community. Through its resilience, its consciousness toward public health and its continued activism, the Class of 2021 has been a model for the rest of our community on the Hill. Now, as graduating seniors move on to new phases of their lives, it is time for the rest of that community to wish the Class of 2021 the best of luck, while also learning from the leadership its members have offered in their time here.

VIEWPOINTS

The hidden antisemitism plaguing college campuses

by Jake Blum

Contributing Writer

Growing up Jewish wasn’t easy.

Honestly, I’ve learned to deal with blatant antisemitism. Coming from a community that was overwhelmingly white with few Jews, actions like penny throwing and distasteful jokes about the history of my people were quite commonplace.

I was never one to hide my identity; even as a progressive Jew, I have always associated myself with my culture and held it quite close to me, oftentimes to my detriment. So, like I said, I got used to it. I became numb. This is not to dismiss the hurtfulness of these actions nor to discount the experiences of any other Jewish-identifying individuals, but for me, the best defense was indifference.

Entering higher education was supposed to be a turning point — a way for me to place all of this behind me and truly embrace my culture and identity.

However, what no one tells you about the real world is that even though blatant discrimination may dwindle, the presence of casual discrimination and microaggressions is all too common.

Even before entering Tufts as a firstyear, I became concerned. On many of the main classes of 2024 social media pages, political debates were extremely frequent. Unfortunately, a favorite topic of conversation was the Israel-Palestine conflict. At times, when discussing the conflict, the legitimacy of Zionism and the existence of a Jewish state came into question, leading many to state their belief that Israel has no right to exist. I often felt targeted, feeling the need to completely disconnect for short periods to process my thoughts.

I should qualify this by saying that I am by no means a supporter of the Israeli government. There is little justification for the horrible conflicts in the area, and many of the actions taken by Prime Minister Netanyahu and other members of the administration are barbaric. However, I will always be pro-Israel. Let me explain.

The opposition to the existence of a Jewish state is inherently antisemitic. Jews, throughout history, have been persecuted wherever they are a minority, from slavery in Egypt to the Spanish Inquisition to the Russian pogroms and the Holocaust. Jews are a universal scapegoat, so the only place we can be safe is a place made for us. The important distinction here is the difference between opposing Israel’s actions and opposing Israel itself; the opposition to Israel’s actions is completely justified and is no different than opposing the actions of any other nation. However, disputing Israel’s legitimacy as a nation essentially questions the legitimacy of the Jewish people, which is completely unacceptable.

Holding the Jewish people accountable for the actions of the Israeli government is not only unreasonable but antisemitic and offensive. Yet, here we are.

Pro-Palestinian sentiments are popular, for good reason, among college students.

However, in some instances, due to a lack of education or, regrettably, an antisemitic bias, they can lead to the development of an anti-Zionist agenda.

This brings us to the referendum proposed by Tufts Students for Justice in Palestine this past fall. The referendum, although well intentioned, brought about questions concerning the legitimacy of Israeli statehood, in addition to associatsee ANTISEMITISM, page 33

32

THE TUFTS DAILY | Opinion | Wednesday, May 5, 2021

tuftsdaily.com

EDITORIAL

Tufts’ housing plan must take into account interests of students, neighbors

CARTOON BY JULIA J. ZWEIFACH Before Tufts even finished making acceptance decisions, the Class of 2025 was already a newsworthy one. This year’s applicant pool was not only the most diverse in the university’s history but also the largest, with a total of 31,190 students applying for admission. It is too early to know how many admitted students will matriculate in the fall, but the ones who do will be joined by another cohort — the roughly 140 students admitted last year who took a gap year. And if campus feels a little more crowded when these Jumbos arrive than it did for the classes before them, that will be no accident. In fall 2018, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences James Glaser explained that the university was engaged in a multi-year effort to expand enrollment. As Tufts admits all these students, however, it must also answer questions about what kind of experience it can provide for them — the most pressing one being what housing options will be available in the years ahead.

Tufts’ shortage of on-campus housing is not new. This year, however, the crisis boiled over when the Office of Residential Life announced that West Hall, formerly a sophomore dorm, will be converted into first-year housing in order to provide enough space for the incoming class. This threw many rising sophomores planning to live in the dorm’s quads back into the lottery system for random selection, splitting friend groups into ad hoc doubles and triples.

The university has put forth nonsolutions to housing scarcity in the past, including the practice of “bed optimization” — a euphemism for squeezing the maximum possible number of students into each room. A few years ago, Tufts also converted many of Medford’s wood-frame houses into what is now known as Community Housing, or CoHo. This did create additional rooms for students, though its most notable impact on the Medford community was not adding to the local housing stock, but rather

displacing longtime residents, some of whom had lived in the same spot for decades.

For 15 years, Tufts avoided the most direct solution to a housing crisis — actually building more dorms on campus — even amid recent years’ increased enrollments. Last week, however, Tufts finally committed to building a new dorm, the first since Sophia Gordon Hall was completed in 2006. After so many years of inaction, we commend the university’s change of course and plan to increase the percentage of students living on campus. However, as Tufts develops its plans for the new dorm, it is critical that it make space for the maximum number of students to comfortably live on campus. Further, while building a dorm is a necessary first step, Tufts must commit to making future planning decisions in conjunction with the cities of Medford and Somerville and avoid further encroachment on their communities.

Building more housing on campus is an issue of economic

justice, as the current shortage leaves few options for low-income students at Tufts and for low-income renters who are being priced out of our surrounding communities. These problems risk getting worse in the years ahead with the Green Line’s imminent arrival to Medford, something that could contribute to further surges in housing prices.

However, the more housing Tufts creates, the more room it creates for local commuters to live near the Medford/Tufts Green Line stop, lessening the community’s car dependency and reducing traffic, pollution and carbon emissions. Owing to this abundance of benefits for local tenants, there is no better gift for Tufts to give to its host communities than a commitment to building more housing on campus. Ergo, the university should adopt a long-term plan to house as many students on campus as it reasonably can.

Though the process of building a new dorm will take place over a longer time frame, this issue is

urgent, and Tufts must also provide short-term remedies for the housing shortage. Until construction is complete, Tufts should make admission decisions keeping in mind the limits posed by the ongoing housing crisis. In addition, Tufts should use its wealth of resources to compensate the community for the harm caused by its ever-increasing enrollment, such as by increasing payments in lieu of taxes to the cities of Medford and Somerville.

Building a residence hall will provide students with a strong sense of community on campus as well as alleviate the burdens imposed by the housing crisis.

Not only will this affect students, but it will also drastically impact the surrounding communities, who bear the burden of this tight housing market, and whose local governments Tufts should cooperate with in any new construction. The sooner that Tufts can guarantee students more on-campus housing, the better it can facilitate the growth of community on and off campus.

O pi n io n

Wednesday, May 5, 2021 | Opinion | THE TUFTS DAILY

VIEWPOINTS

A note to the Class of 2021

by Caroline DePalma Contributing Writer

To the Class of 2021: As we face the arrival of a unique Commencement season at the end of a painfully unique year, it might be difficult to know how to feel about this quiet ending to what has surely been a monumental part of your life.

This past year has affected all of us in ways we never could’ve seen coming and highlighted the grim realities of the world we live in like never before. Our nation has felt great loss, and our inequitable society continues to inflict even greater losses on historically marginalized and underserved communities. Our elections and the health and safety of countless children are under attack, and our leaders often fail to bring about necessary and overdue progress.

But even as we were scattered across time zones, it was never truly quiet on the Hill. It is not our habit to shy away from taking on tough challenges, and it is not in our nature to feel like we have to do it alone. Even in this year of unprecedented challenges, there was a community here at Tufts that was vocal and supportive of positive change in the world.

So while it may feel difficult to muster a positive outlook given the current circumstances — the absence of the usual in-person senior spring activities, a university-wide ceremony and traditional celebratory social gatherings — I hope members of the Class of 2021 know that they have been integral to showing others how to adapt to a changing situation with

grace and cultivating community here on campus.

Personally, I know a little bit about going through momentous occasions in the midst of unprecedented times. I began a speech at my high school graduation almost a year ago with something obvious: “This is not the end we imagined.” Now an ironic understatement, I am reminded of it every time I remember that some of my classmates and TAs were reaching that end themselves. Instead of being bitter about the ending they would not have, they welcomed those of us just beginning our journeys here at Tufts and were happy to make everyone’s experience as fun and rewarding as possible.

A graduation is always a time to reflect on how you have prepared yourself to greet the wider world and how you have grown and changed over the past four years. Even in the best of circumstances, it is hard to feel ready for such a monumental change, whether it is because you don’t exactly know what comes next or because you’re not ready to leave anything behind.

I imagine that this year only intensifies this feeling, but hopefully, it helps to reflect on the reasons you chose to be part of this wonderful community. We come to Tufts knowing that we have a lot to learn about ourselves, our peers and our world. So while it is nearly impossible to avoid thinking about what did not happen this year, I hope you take this graduation as a chance to think about what you still had: a support system that will endure beyond these four years, the opportunity to learn from and with the Tufts community and the time to

figure out how you’d use this knowledge for good.

A year ago, we could never have imagined what the pandemic would do to us, our relationships and our education.

Maybe even more importantly, we had no idea how it would shake the foundations of our worldview and reveal to us how much we are willing to do and sacrifice to protect each other and ourselves. Perhaps, in this moment, you do not know how to describe what it feels like to be venturing into the world in such a historic year, or where to begin envisioning how it will affect your life going forward, but I present to you this perspective: There is a group of students who shared this experience with you. This year, like any other, offered an opportunity for that group of powerful and resolute students to take on the world together, all united by this shared experience even as they stake out their individual paths. This finale to your undergraduate careers may look a little different than in the past, and it certainly involved a lot of Zoom meetings, but the Tufts Class of 2021 is ready to be an impressive force for positive change in any corner of the world. It is my hope that this year’s commencement, while unconventional, conveys to you that we wholeheartedly celebrate you and your remarkable accomplishments. Know that you bring the endurance and compassion of the Tufts community to a world greatly in need of it.

Caroline DePalma is a rising sophomore who studying biomedical engineering Caroline can be reached at caroline.depalma@tufts.edu.

Antisemitism on college campuses

ANTISEMITISM

continued from page 31 ing the Anti-Defamation League, an organization created to combat antisemitism, with harmful militarization. This rhetoric is antisemitic, regardless of whether it was meant to be or not. In fact, the current allegations of discrimination in the TCU Judiciary during the referendum approval process create even more concern that its genesis was antisemitically charged.

In November, the referendum passed with a 68% majority. Let me be clear: I am not calling 68% of the student body antisemitic. However, the lack of explicit bias almost makes the result more concerning, showing a true misunderstanding of what is and isn’t antisemitism.

The main issue is a lack of education regarding modern antisemitism. As I mentioned earlier, and of which I am continuously reminded, the most common discrimination that many minority adults experience is remarkably subtle and oftentimes played off as a “miscommunica-

tion.” Many Jews are told that antisemitism doesn’t exist anymore and that Jews are immune to discrimination, falling under the model minority myth — a harmful narrative leveraged against some minority communities to minimize and invalidate the discrimination they face. This is part of the reason that Jews are often excluded from activism; their proximity to Israel makes them “oppressive” in many undiscerning eyes, and their existence as a “model minority” makes many believe that they do not experience the pain that other groups endure. Sadly, this is far from the reality — in 2019, 62% of religiously motivated hate crimes in the United States were committed against Jews, a figure that has unfortunately continually risen over the past few years. In the current hyperpolarized environment and with the rise in more visible manifestations of white supremacy, hate crimes against Jews have been increasing significantly year after year.

Fortunately, there is a way to combat the antisemitism at Tufts and other universities

and make your Jewish friends feel more comfortable: learn and listen. This process is an essential first step toward addressing implicit biases and discrimination. I implore you to read about Jewish culture, how it connects to Israel and the importance of drawing distinctions between Jews and the Israeli government. And most importantly, if a Jewish person tells you something is antisemitic, just as with any other type of discrimination, listen to them. Don’t make excuses. Be better.

I look forward to the next three years for many reasons, not least of which is the hope that our campus can become a far more inclusive place for people of all backgrounds, and that all forms of discrimination can be called out. A better Tufts, or any college campus, means a place where no one feels under attack, and that includes Jewish students.

Jake Blum is a rising sophomore studying biomedical engineering. Jake can be reached at jacob.blum@tufts.edu.

33

Brendan Hartnett Democracy in The Daily

Fighting a nasty hangover

H

ead is pounding, sunlight hurts, body aches and there’s a mysterious bruise. Sitting in bed with a Pedialyte and a treat from Magnificent Muffin won’t fix it — it’s a hangover that can’t be slept off. It’s not going away unless we fight it off. It’s not from The Pub, the Burren or Mike’s; it’s from Belarus, Algeria, India, Hungary, Egypt, China, the United States and even the United Kingdom.

Maybe we should call TEMS? Democracy’s down bad.

These past four years have been depressing — hopefully not for the Class of 2021, but certainly for the status of democracy worldwide. We’ve entered the 15th year of democratic recession, and this past year was the worst year for democracy on record.

Since 2017, there have been 18 coup plots and attempts, six impeachments, four political assassinations and a U.S. insurrection — not to mention the exploitation of the pandemic by illiberal leaders to solidify autocratic power. Competitive authoritarianism has gone from a fringe topic in political science to a common regime type, political violence has become normalized, discriminatory voting laws are being reinstated and disinformation has spread globally.

However, unlike that nasty hangover from Lax House during Orientation Week, which naturally dissipated, this hangover has to be actively fought off. Fighting for democracy has worked in the past. The Velvet Revolution, a peaceful, student protest led by Václav Havel against communist rule, brought about liberal democracy in the Czech Republic. Ukraine removed the fraudulently elected President Viktor Yanukovych in the Orange Revolution as the youth took to the streets in protest. Tunisia emerged with democracy after sparking the Arab Spring. Protests in Austria encouraged a vote of no confidence that removed their far-right chancellor in 2019.

Today, millions around the world are fighting to protect democracy and spark democratization. Women’s rights activists in Poland were joined by thousands as they protested against the autocratic Law and Justice Party whose court packing resulted in a near-total abortion ban.

Russians are taking to the streets to protest the state’s abuse of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Protestors risked imprisonment in Hungary to fight off the nativist and autocratic Fidesz party.

In the United States, protests are continuing for racial justice, and civil society has mobilized to fight for democracy.

Americans have put country over party, with Republican groups such as the Lincoln Project and Republican Voters Against Trump working to combat the illiberalism of Trump-era Republicans.

That’s not to say we will be saved from autocracy. Indeed, many fights for democracy have resulted in a beatdown; autocracy persisted after the Egyptian Arab Spring, and failed states and civil war emerged in Syria and Libya.

Nonetheless, I am confident that we can fix our democracy. We need to wake up. We need to realize that the Jan. 6 insurrection can and most likely will happen again. We need to fight off the next major threat to our democracy through active citizenship, protest and participation.

Will we be the next Rome, or the saviors of democracy? As we’re still in a democracy, we get to choose: To sleep or to fight?

Brendan Hartnett is a rising junior studying political science. Brendan can be reached at brendan.hartnett@tufts.edu.

34

THE TUFTS DAILY | Opinion | Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Elizabeth Buehl Building Blocks

School security Content warning: This column discusses mass shootings and gun violence.

n 2012, 20 students and six adults lost their lives in the tragic Sandy Hook school shooting. Sadly, this event is not an isolated one. In 2018, one of the nation’s deadliest school shootings occurred in Parkland, Fla., leading to the loss of 17 precious lives. From 2009 to 2019, over 180 school shootings occurred across the nation, and with firearm sales at an all time high over the past two years and little to no change in nationwide support systems, this trend shows no sign of slowing.

The second leading cause of death for youth in the United States is firearm-related injuries. Yet, this trend is not consistent across the globe. Firearm-related deaths are 25 times higher in the U.S. than in some other high-income countries, and the U.S. has the highest number of guns per capita.

Following the Parkland school shooting, protesters nationwide vocalized their contempt for the nation’s inadequate safety measures. They advocated for gun control and begged our democratic government to protect the nation’s youth.

These protesters’ pleas did not go entirely unheard. Policymakers like Rep. Ted Deutch from Florida’s 22nd District, home to Parkland, have taken steps in the right direction. For example, just this past week, Deutch introduced a piece of bipartisan legislation in the House aimed at providing funding for tightened school security. While both helpful and necessary, if passed, this bill would function as a BandAid-like approach. It would neither disarm future perpetrators, nor would it provide individuals with the support services necessary to avoid attempting a shooting in the first place.

I feel that the only way that the United States will achieve the bare minimum and lower the number of school shootings to rates comparable to the global averages will be to institute simultaneous gun control measures and mental health infrastructure.

The fastest way to achieve these immense strides would require the Biden administration to stand in solidarity with not just the victims of past shootings and their families, but with each and every student and teacher in classrooms nationwide.

The administration must create comprehensive laws aimed to ensure that firearms wind up only in the hands of those who will handle them safely. In conjunction, the Biden administration should provide ample funding for school counseling services that would support struggling students, providing them the help they need to engage with their school and community in the healthiest, most fulfilling ways possible. Notably, although both of these approaches are necessary, restricting gun access will have a far greater impact and is the most integral step necessary toward creating a safer America.

Gun violence is an issue that does not discriminate. It can and has affected people of a multitude of backgrounds across the country. It is long overdue that we ensure that American classrooms are solely safe havens for learning, rather than potential deadly battlegrounds. We must not wait for the next shots to ring out amid backpacks and textbooks. It is time we hold the current administration to the standards we deserve and demand substantive action.

tuftsdaily.com

VIEWPOINTS

The need for increased resources for students navigating financial aid systems

I

Elizabeth Buehl is a rising sophomore who has not yet declared a major. Elizabeth can be reached at elizabeth.buehl@tufts.edu.

ALIZA KIBEL / THE TUFTS DAILY

by Faye Thijssen Opinion Editor

The financial aid system is notoriously difficult to navigate. At Tufts, a school with one of the wealthiest student bodies in the country, this problem poses a particular threat to the equality of education and opportunities for students across campus.

According to a study published in 2017

by The New York Times, the median family income of a student from Tufts was $224,800, with about 77% of the student body coming from the top 20% and half the student body coming from families in the top 5% of earners in the country. On a campus where the majority of students are from high-income families, the complexities of financial aid systems and regulations have a drastic impact on the accessibility of the educational, personal and career-oriented opportunities offered by Tufts.

Oscar Sullivan, a rising sophomore at Tufts, wrote about his experience filling out forms this year in an email to the Daily.

“Once all my financial information is gathered the profile takes about 3 hours, but gathering … all the documents and information they require is quite a process,” Sullivan said.

If low-income students have to spend so much more time and energy on managing their finances, filling out complex paperwork and trying to find information to guide the process, they are automatically positioned at a disadvantage compared to students who are able to reserve that time and energy for other pursuits.

This issue is further intensified for first-generation students and international

students. Financial aid forms like the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and the CSS Profile are already complex and difficult to understand, but they can be even more confusing when parents or guardians also have no prior experience with these documents. For international students, not only may their parents or guardians have little experience with the FAFSA or CSS Profile, but there are often different and additional forms students must complete due to their non-U.S. status.

In this vein, the sheer number and variety of forms students are required to fill out and submit contributes to the difficulty of the financial aid process. Navigating the complexity of multiple forms can be difficult for students and parents, especially without additional guidance or resources.

According to Sullivan, the university could do a better job of providing guidance for students throughout the process.

“When deadlines for applying are approaching Tufts doesn’t send many reminders,” Sullivan said. “This struck me as somewhat odd because financial aid is hugely important so you would think they’d remind students when their deadlines are.”

Sullivan discussed the lack of clear direction from the administration on how best to navigate financial aid details and resources.

“I’d also like to see the school do more to direct students to the financial aid information or guidance,” Sullivan said.

“Right now, the guidance exists but isn’t actually used by many students because it’s not advertised well.”

Although many of the issues and difficulties surrounding the financial aid system

can be attributed to decisions of the local, state and national governments, Tufts has both the capability and the responsibility to provide its students with the resources to make the process manageable. Financial Services in the past has offered drop-in hours — and they currently offer phone appointments — to help students understand billing and financial aid. While these measures are helpful, they do not fully meet the needs of students on financial aid.

Tufts should offer more assistance like this in addition to more specific guidance for students applying for financial aid. Resources and information for financial aid applicants must also be made accessible and easy to find to avoid a scenario in which students feel the need to email several departments and individuals to find necessary information. For example, the university could list more resources that support students in filling out forms on the official financial aid website.

Another major concern with the financial aid system at Tufts centers on the effects of external scholarships on the amount of aid a student receives. According to the financial aid page of the Tufts admissions website, “If a student receives a scholarship from an outside source, the award will first be applied to reduce or eliminate the student loan and/or work study components of the student’s financial aid package.” The Student Life website elaborates that these reductions are applied to the need-based loan and/or the work study portion of the original financial aid award. Students can see FINANCIAL AID, page 35

O pi n io n

Wednesday, May 5, 2021 | Opinion | THE TUFTS DAILY

35

OP-ED

Tufts needs to do better for its students with chronic illnesses AVANI KABRA AND EMMA ADELSTEIN Can you imagine, for a moment, what it would be like to be invisible? Yes — invisibility is often people’s superpower of choice, but what if it wasn’t a choice? Our names are Emma and Avani and we are two people who know what it’s like to feel invisible. To our friends, professors, coaches, peers and often the administration, we appear to be perfectly able-bodied — from the looks of us, no one would think that we both manage a lifelong chronic disease.

Having a chronic illness is something that impacts each part of your life, every day, without fail. Currently, 7% of college-aged individuals live with a chronic illness. This means there could be over 400 students living with a chronic illness at Tufts, often invisible to the naked eye. In addition to balancing academics, extracurriculars and friends, these students are also balancing disease management. This involves frequent doctors’ appointments, picking up prescriptions, dealing with insurance, coping with chronic pain, handling daily symptoms, self-advocating and managing the constant wear that a chronic illness can have on mental health.

These students are in our classes, on our sports teams, in our clubs and are even some of our friends. These students are us.

We both have Crohn’s disease, a form of irritable bowel disease, which is a chronic illness involving inflammation in the digestive tract. Crohn’s is an autoimmune disease, which means that the immune system attacks the digestive system. There is no cure, and it is a lifelong diagnosis. Living with IBD involves daily symptoms of intense stomach pain, extreme fatigue, joint pain, side effects of heavy medications, depression, weight loss and more. We both were diagnosed with Crohn’s in middle school and now, people

are often shocked to learn we manage something of such magnitude. In all honesty, we were shocked when we met each other and learned that the other had Crohn’s. It was a first for both of us — having another friend with Crohn’s, that is. After being thrown into college with everyone else, we quickly learned what support, or lack thereof, existed on campus and realized there was no way we could be successful without the support of the other.

At the moment for students with chronic diseases, Tufts’ most accessible resource is the Accessibility Services through the StAAR Center. These services are supposed to help students manage illnesses and receive support. According to their website, Tufts “provides reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities … The StAAR Center coordinates academic, housing and other accommodations as needed.” While the intent and spirit of the StAAR Center has merit, it turns out to be more difficult to attain support in reality.

The process of getting accommodations is a long one — perhaps rightfully so if the accommodations were up to par with what students need. To begin with, students are not even guaranteed to receive accommodations from their professors. Academic accommodations can be phrased as recommendations for professors, not requirements. In an accommodation letter that allows for flexibility with absences, the StAAR Center wrote that it “[defers] to the professors as content experts” in deciding the exact number of absences allowed. This implies that professors know how to best meet the needs of each chronic illness in each student — a task impossible for anyone. We can both speak firsthand to how detrimental this type of inflexibility can be. Crohn’s is a condition that can have you smiling in the morning and bedridden with pain by the afternoon. As of now, the StARR Center’s recommendation

Inadequate support to students applying for financial aid exacerbates inequalities FINANCIAL AID

continued from page 34 decide which component of their financial aid is reduced. Then, if the external aid exceeds the amount of their loan and work study award, the student’s Tufts grant will also be reduced.

External scholarships replace other forms of aid, rather than supplementing the university’s aid package and reducing family contributions. This means that students must look to more time-intensive sources of income, such as another job, in order to meet other costs associated with their expected contributions or with college living.

“Any scholarship I get just reduces my aid and doesn’t actually affect how much I have to pay,” Sullivan said. “I’ve come to the point where I don’t even apply for scholarships because I know they won’t help me at all.”

These rules about external scholarships and aid counteract the goal of helping students manage tuition and other expenses.

If receiving external scholarships leads to a reduction in components of the finan-

cial aid package, it makes it exceedingly difficult for students to cover the remainder of their tuition or additional expenses stemming from paying for housing and academic resources.

The complexity and lack of adequate support when it comes to financial aid at Tufts exacerbate the vast inequalities already present between higher and lower income students at this university. Several internal rules and regulations regarding external scholarships and aid make it difficult for students to cover the remaining cost of tuition without seeing a reduction in their financial aid package. As an institution, Tufts must mitigate these disparities by providing more accessible and comprehensive systems of support for students navigating financial aid and offering reasonable pathways for students to cover their remaining costs.

Faye Thijssen is a rising sophomore studying international relations. Faye can be reached at faye.thijssen@tufts.edu.

that professors accommodate their students is not enough. While the StARR Center does what it can, we have identified a gap in Tufts’ institutional support systems. There is a type of support that is missing in the lives of students with chronic illnesses.

Second, once students are given accommodations, they are generally not individually contacted again about ongoing academic, housing and dining accommodations.

Students with chronic illnesses have symptoms and flare-ups that require evolving care over the course of the semester. The burden should not be placed on the student to constantly reach out for extra help, especially during times of illness. To begin with, everything must be student-initiated. If this pandemic has taught us anything, it is that students who are ill deserve flexibility and support. For students with chronic illness, this flexibility and support must be maintained throughout their college experience.

Other universities, such as Tulane University, provide case managers for students with chronic illnesses who support and serve as advocates for them. At Tufts, the burden falls on the students to advocate for themselves.

Lastly, the actual accommodation the StAAR Center provides is simply not enough to meet the needs of some students with chronic illnesses. Speaking from personal experience, we have both requested more accommodations than we currently have and we have been met with resistance — and rejection — when advocating for what we need.

There are some overarching policies, such as the policy that insists accommodations do not include reductions in meal plan requirements, that are thoughtless and unnecessary.

For some students, perhaps a reduction in meal plan so that they can afford to spend money on foods they can actually eat may be beneficial for them. Tufts does not provide this flexibility or nuance in its policy,

ultimately hurting its students. We should all know that Tufts is not a “one size fits all” type of place — nobody wants it to be.

Having overarching, nonnegotiable policies concerning student wellness is a problem.

We have both been frustrated with the lack of institutional support for students with chronic illnesses. This frustration with the administration is compounded by the fact that there is no sense of community for students living with chronic illnesses or a space for students to voice their struggles. After finding support in each other, we questioned why it is such a rarity. This year we began the process of creating an organization called IBD University, a place for shared resources and community for college students with IBD. We want to share our story so that other people do not feel like they have to tackle this isolating disease alone. On our website, we will have a plethora of resources, spanning from nutritional resources that help people develop a diet that works for them to advice about talking to professors about IBD and accommodations. In the future, we hope to include in-person events for students to meet with each other and relate to shared struggles. Ultimately, this is an organization for young people with IBD built by young people with IBD. Check us out at https://www.ibduniversityinc.org/ and spread the word.

Whether you have IBD, a chronic illness or are an ally, we hope you walk away from this article thinking twice before judging someone — you never really know what it’s like to walk a day in their shoes. After all, it’s easier to be invisible than people think.

Avani Kabra is a rising junior studying economics. Avani can be reached at avani. kabra@tufts.edu. Emma Adelstein is a rising junior studying sociology. Emma can be reached at emma.adelstein@tufts.edu.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

A call to action on Puerto Rico’s status As a Puerto Rican who has worked at Tufts for the better part of a decade, I was heartened to read Sara Kessel’s April 22 Opinion article: “The issues of statehood in D.C. and Puerto Rico are not the same. Stop conflating them.”

I commend her for writing about this often ignored topic, and I share her view that D.C. and Puerto Rico should not be thoughtlessly lumped together.

Furthermore, I join the Puerto Rican student quoted in the piece in asserting that independence is the only option that respects Puerto Rican nationhood, and that being absorbed into the country that invaded the island 123 years ago is not a truly decolonial outcome.

I add a challenge to the entire Tufts community, and especially to the many committed and passionate students who care about justice: Think about, talk about and act on the issue of Puerto Rico’s status. For too long, Americans have thought that it’s not their place to do so, but that’s an abdication of a political and moral responsibility. For better or worse, Puerto

Ricans are your fellow citizens, and our future lies squarely in the hands of politicians that, crucially, only you can elect. Moreover, the colonial history between the United States and Puerto Rico is as much your birthright — and your burden — as any other aspect of America’s past that demands your attention in the present.

I expect and welcome disagreement on whether statehood or independence is best for Puerto Rico. But we should no longer accept indifference and inaction on a matter of social and racial justice that remains an enduring stain on American democracy.

Alberto Medina Communications Specialist, Tisch College of Civic Life Alberto Medina has worked as the communications specialist at the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life since 2013.

Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, but now based in the United States, he writes about Puerto Rico’s political status and can be reached at alberto.medina@tufts.edu.

36 Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Sports

tuftsdaily.com

Women’s lacrosse wins first NESCAC Championship in program history

LYDIA RICHARDSON / THE TUFTS DAILY

The Tufts women’s lacrosse team plays Conn. College on April 17.

by Alex Sharp

Executive Sports Editor

The Tufts University women’s lacrosse team won its first NESCAC Championship with a dominant 14–3 victory over Wesleyan this past weekend.

With the win, the Jumbos earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Div. III tournament, which will take place in Salem, Va. on May 22 and May 23.

The Jumbos, currently ranked third in the Intercollegiate

Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association Div. III poll, never trailed in the championship game. They jumped out to a 3–1 lead behind three free position goals. Junior midfielder Kathryn Delaney put the Jumbos on the board just over four minutes into the first half, senior attacker Kirsten Grazewski scored the Jumbos’ second goal and senior attacker Catherine Lawliss punched in the third.

Wesleyan’s Emma Wilson cut Tufts’ lead to 4–2 with 13 min-

utes to go in the first half. From that moment on, it was the Molly Laliberty show. The junior goalkeeper might have well been a brick wall in the net. She saved 13 of the 16 shots she faced, making several spectacular saves. With the defense firing on all cylinders and Laliberty blocking anything that came her way, Tufts held Wesleyan scoreless for more than 40 minutes after Wilson’s goal.

Wesleyan doubled up Tufts on draw controls (12–6) and possession was evenly balanced

throughout the afternoon, but Laliberty and the Jumbo defense proved to be too much for the Cardinals.

The Jumbos were able to turn defense into offense, scoring several times off turnovers and fast break chances. Lawliss finished with four goals for the Jumbos, junior Anna Clarke had three goals, junior Ananda Kao scored two goals, and Delaney, Grazewski, first-year Emma Joyce, junior Colette Smith and senior Emily Games each added a goal.

The Jumbos looked so good on Saturday that Chuck Scott, the Northeast Sports Network commentator broadcasting the game, said on the air: “This Tufts team is almost looking like an old USSR, Soviet-era hockey team: dominant on all fronts.”

The Jumbos now sit at 6–0 for the season and will find out their NCAA tournament seed and matchup on May 3.

An updated version of this article can be found at tuftsdaily.com.

Baseball advances to NESCAC Championship

by Jack Adgate Staff Writer

Despite a season shortened by a pandemic and games canceled due to weather, the Tufts baseball team has made the most of the opportunities it has been given. The team finished the regular season with a 10–3 overall record.

The Jumbos started out the season hot, winning three out of four games in their opening series over the Colby Mules.

Miles Reid started Tufts’ 2021 offensive onslaught with a solo home run, and the Jumbos went on to score 31 total runs in those first four games.

Junior right-hander Michael Volgende earned NESCAC Pitcher of the Week for a

six-inning, eight-strikeout performance on opening day.

Volgende has consistently given the Jumbos lights-out performances, winning all four of his starts with a 0.75 ERA. The Jumbos’ offense was dominant through the first 11 games of the regular season, putting up nine or more runs in more than half of their games played. On April 18 the Jumbos scored 17 runs in just seven innings at Colby.

The junior tandem of outfielder Miles Reid and infielder Nate Bozzella have torn opposing pitching apart, boasting batting averages of at least .285 each as of Saturday. Bozzella and Reid were consecutiveSOPHIE DOLAN / THE TUFTS DAILY

see BASEBALL, page 41

The Tufts baseball team plays Colby on April 10.

S

Wednesday, May 5, 2021 | Sports | THE TUFTS DAILY

37

Softball’s journey to the NESCAC Championship

by Isaac Karp

Assistant Sports Editor

From a canceled season in 2020 to a condensed schedule in 2021, to qualifying for the NESCAC Championship, Tufts softball has endured and finally become the zenith of NESCAC sports. On May 9, Tufts will play Williams College for the NESCAC title. Williams held an undefeated 12–0 record, while Tufts ended at 15–3 with losses to Middlebury, Bowdoin and Brandeis.

The bout will come down to strength against strength.

The Jumbos have an incredible group of pitchers, while Williams excels at the plate.

The Jumbos pitching has been top notch all season, with first-year Sophia DiCocco’s ERA at .88 and senior Kristina Haghdan’s ERA at 1.24. They lead the league in ERA. Haghdan also led the NESCAC in both opposing batting average at .156, and strikeouts with 66. While Williams is not too shabby on that front either, their real strength is hitting, with two players in the top 15 in the NESCAC in batting average as of Saturday.

If Tufts clicks on all cylinders, they’re tough to beat, but slow starts have been common all season and that should worry anyone sporting an elephant on their hat.

The Jumbos have also had some trouble with depth in their pitching rotation. After Haghdan and DiCocco, it’s not clear who can come in and fill the Mariano Rivera bullpen/closing role. Senior Kristi Van Meter has picked up her play in recent weeks, but she still hasn’t reached her usual form. She might be the X-factor. If Tufts has a three deep pitching rotation, it will be difficult for Williams to get on base — especial-

Nicole Setow Wonder Women

Tufts edition: Catherine Lawliss

I

magine a long stretch of sand basking under a bright sun, with picturesque lighthouses dotting the distance.

Whether she’s reading a book on the beach or wading in the water, Tufts graduating senior lacrosse attacker Catherine Lawliss has her happy place in Nantucket, Mass. Perhaps this is where we’ll find Lawliss this summer after she and her senior teammates lead the women’s lacrosse team to what will hopefully be another deep NCAA tournament run.

Lawliss hails from Portland, Ore. — also known as Soccer City, USA. As a Portland Thorns FC season ticket holder, she grew up watching women’s soccer superstars like Tobin Heath score golazos in Providence Park.

ly considering the defensive prowess of players like senior second basemen Emma Della Volpe, the graduate student at first, Casey Maggiorie, and sophomore catcher Josie Steinberg.

Williams, meanwhile, is looking to avenge their 2019 NESCAC Championship loss to Tufts, during which the Jumbos secured their 11th NESCAC title in a 3–2 win. Williams ranks second to Tufts all-time in championships with six.

In such an unusual year, when sports often seemed like the last matter on people’s minds, a winning season for Tufts softball has made up for some of the lost experiences. Over the course of my interviews this season, I asked players about the character of this team that has clearly been through an abnormal amount of uncertainty and adversity. Here are some of their responses: “We all love each other, and I love it. I’m actually really grateful that this team is my senior year team,” Kristina Haghdan said.

“I think that everyone gets along and really loves and supports each other, more so than pretty much any team I’ve ever been on,” Emma Della Volpe said.

“I feel like we’re kind of underdogs,” sophomore Michelle Adelman said. “I also think we’re really gritty, we work really hard and that’s like my favorite part about the team like we just work really well together.”

“Our team has shown a lot of grit and a lot of heart and there’s not much that can happen to bring us down,” Josie Steinberg said.

Finally, I asked a newcomer, first-year Sophia DiCocco, about joining the Tufts softball community and the rela-

tionships she formed along the way.

“Our team is really a community, and everyone gets along and it’s perfect chemistry,” DiCocco said.

Though Lawliss found great community in Portland’s soccer culture –– she even helped lead her high school soccer team to state championships in 2015, 2016 and 2017 –– her passion for soccer didn’t quite compare to the connection she felt to lacrosse.

Considering that her mother played lacrosse for Lehigh University and then started one of the first youth programs in Portland, it’s no surprise that Lawliss grew up playing the sport. Her younger sister joined her shortly after, and Catherine found her game improving as this friendly sibling rivalry pushed her to play her best.

A combination of the sport’s fast pace, a shared bond with her sister and mother, as well as the friendships she made through the sport contributed to Lawliss prioritizing lacrosse over soccer.

Still, like many student-athletes who have balanced demanding academic course loads with evening practices, weekend tournaments and hour-long drives to away games, Lawliss experienced burnout by

the time the college recruiting process began. She wasn’t certain if playing collegiate lacrosse was in her future until she attended a Tufts lacrosse clinic.

“I went, and I immediately loved it. Finding Tufts made me want to play again,” she said.

That experience re-instilled in her a love of the game that she nearly lost.

Considering her impressive debut season­­as a first-year in 2018 — finishing the season with 31 goals and picking up 18 assists — Lawliss certainly made an impact the moment she stepped onto the pitch. She continued adding to her stats as a sophomore, when her field presence helped Tufts make the NCAA Final Four for the first time in program history in 2019.

For Lawliss, this moment set the standard for the remainder of her collegiate career.

“Getting a taste of that [success] as an underclassman … it was like, ‘Okay we were here, [now] we have to stay here,’” she said. Though the Jumbos did not lift the trophy at the conclusion of the 2019 season, Lawliss

On the confidence of the team going into the championship, DiCocco has learned from her elders about what it takes to win.

“I feel like it’s going to be a close game, and everyone is going

to have to bring their all,” DiCocco said. “It can’t be an off day. If it’s an off day we are not winning but I think we really want it and we’ve worked so hard. We didn’t come to this point just to lose.”

SOPHIE DOLAN / THE TUFTS DAILY

The Tufts softball team plays Colby on April 10. asserts that her team “want[s] to be back there –– we want to actually win.”

She started 2020 with this winning mindset, notching 10 goals and five assists in the first three games of the season.

Unfortunately, the team never got a chance at the championship as COVID-19 halted spring sports. Lawliss made the best of the situation while in quarantine, staying active without necessarily maintaining a strict training regimen.

The benefits of that time away from the game were certainly shown this season; Lawliss started the 2021 season almost like she was picking up where she had left off in 2020. After Tufts’ second game this season, she was named NESCAC Player of the Week for her dominant offensive presence.

What makes Lawliss magnetic on the pitch is her explosiveness, her incredible field vision and most of all, her sense of confidence. It’s evident how comfortable she feels on the field.

She exudes fearlessness with every step and shot she takes,

and this allows Lawliss to be a fierce and decisive competitor. Considering how great of an impact the sport has had on shaping her relationships, it’s no wonder that when Lawliss talks about lacrosse, her passion for the sport is undeniable.

So what’s next for Lawliss?

Her post-graduation plans include pursuing a master’s degree in clinical psychology, shortly followed by a doctorate. She’s specifically interested in studying either traumatic brain injuries or nutritional psychiatry. Though she plans on spending some time on the East Coast, she asserts that she’ll return to the West Coast eventually. While this means she may be hanging up her lacrosse stick for good — at least competitively — there’s no doubt that Lawliss’ tenacity, ambition and confidence on the field will translate well in her future endeavors.

Nicole Setow is a rising juniorstudying biopsychology and sociology. Nicole can be reached at nicole.setow@tufts.edu.

38

THE TUFTS DAILY | Sports | Wednesday, May 5, 2021

tuftsdaily.com

Senior Profile: Backup quarterback Drew Gally makes his mark on Tufts football

by Isabel Castro Staff Writer

When high school athletes are recruited, college coaches talk about a scale with which they value recruits. Coaches say they’re looking for kids that will be “impact players” for their program. While graduating senior Drew Gally didn’t play much during his time as a quarterback for the Jumbo football team, he certainly made an impact on the Tufts program.

Gally was on the football, basketball and baseball teams at Marblehead High School, about 45 minutes from Tufts on the north shore. Despite being named Marblehead’s starting quarterback as only a senior, he was the Salem News Offensive Player of the Year, the Daily Item Offensive Player of the Year and a two-time Boston Globe Player of the Week.

Since he didn’t have his breakout year until he was a senior, Gally was late to get recruited and wasn’t sure if he was going to play football in college.

“A lot of the football recruiting is done after your junior year, so I was behind on that,” Gally said.

“I didn’t really know if I was going to play college football.”

After getting a call from Kevin Farr, assistant head coach for Tufts football and the team’s Massachusetts recruiting coordinator, Gally took a visit to Medford.

“Loved the school, loved the guys,” he said. “I was all in on going to Tufts.”

Gally recounted the call he received from head coach Jay Civetti. While he had scheduled to visit another school the following weekend, he immediately canceled the trip and accepted the offer from Tufts.

Despite little playing time as a Jumbo, Gally established himself as a leader in the locker room. The quarterback has been especially well known for taking younger teammates under his wing and helping them with their transition to college football.

Matt Goguen Keeping up with the 617

Class of 2021’s top 5 Boston sports moments

T

o honor the Class of 2021, I decided to rank the top Boston sports moments from the last four years.

5. Boston-Toronto Part 3, 2019 I honestly have a special place in my heart for Maple Leafs fans.

Every hockey season their team seems to climb their way to a playoff berth, just to be manhandled by the Boston Bruins. In the third episode of this series in six years, the Maple Leafs seemed to have a grasp on the series as they

“Drew’s just a great teammate all around, always looking after the [first-years], making sure that they knew what they were supposed to be doing,” said sophomore quarterback Gunnar Fisher. “When I was coming into camp, I probably had about 80 million questions and Drew sat through and listened to all of them. He answered them, helped me out as best as he could, helped my teammates out as best as he could. He did whatever it took to help the team do better.”

During his time at Tufts, Gally grew to understand the importance of his off-the-field role.

“I think I lead in a different way than a traditional leader does. I wouldn’t say I’m the loudest guy, the star player, the captain or anything [like that],” Gally said. “I try to get people to do the right thing that’s in the best inter-

est of the team. I think that’s a lot through doing it by example.”

In the NFL, it’s common to see backup quarterbacks with headsets on and arms crossed, constantly communicating with the offensive coaches and the starter when he’s not on the field. Some people view backup quarterbacks as an extension of the coaching staff, and there’s a lineage of former backups who became NFL head coaches. Gally embraced all aspects of the prototypical backup quarterback role and did his best to make sure the starting quarterback had everything they needed to be successful.

“If I’m not going to be the one on the field, then [I have] to have that guy who is on the field be successful or have the younger guy who’s next in line be ready to go,” said Gally.

The most important in-game role of the backup quarterbacks

at Tufts is to relay play calling signals from the coaching staff on the sideline to the starting quarterback on the field.

According to junior quarterback Cam Carti, Gally helped him out with the job.

“His off-the-field presence was always felt … Drew was always the guy that I would turn to when I had questions or when I would get yelled at,” Carti said.

“To our team, I think people would agree that it’s almost invaluable because of the role that he plays in relaying the information to the offense and getting the offense, the receivers and all the guys that need to run the routes and run the play ready. Drew was an integral part of that.”

Carti and Gally actually found themselves competing for a spot on the quarterback depth chart during the 2019 season. Carti

won the role but said his older teammate showed him nothing but respect after losing the job.

“His mindset was always in a positive place,” Carti said. “No matter what was happening, whether he wasn’t getting reps or the fact that I kind of beat him out for a spot, he never ever did anything negative towards me or treated me differently. He always treated me as a teammate and as a brother.”

Gally will graduate this spring and will always remember being a member of the Tufts football team. He says he’s specifically thankful for all the off-the-field moments: the bus rides, the times at practice and in the locker room and just hanging out with his teammates.

“It was nothing short of incredible,” he said. “My teammates are going to be lifelong friends.”

COURTESY DREW GALLY

Graduating senior Drew Gally, backup quarterback for the Tufts football team, is pictured. had the momentum heading into Game 6 — but then the Bruins showed life. They squeaked out a 4–2 victory in Toronto then returned home to hammer the Leafs 5–1 at TD Garden, kickstarting a sensational playoff run that would end with a heartbreaking defeat to the Saint Louis Blues in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

4. The birth of playoff Amendola, 2018 Bill Belichick and the rest of the New England coaching staff have a real knack for finding “diamonds in the rough” — take Tom Brady, for example. When the defensive-minded Jacksonville Jaguars marched into Gillette Stadium aiming to upset the Patriots in the AFC championship game, people expected the offense to revolve around Julian Edelman and Brandon Cooks.

However, Danny Amendola stole the show with seven receptions for 84 yards and two huge touchdowns, including the game

winner. This AFC championship game was one of the better playoff games in recent memory as Amendola cemented himself in every Patriots fan’s heart with his incredible performance.

The Patriots went on to lose the Superbowl in a shootout to Nick Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles.

3. Desiree Linden’s rainy day upset, 2018 On a rainy Patriots’ Day in 2018, professional runner Desiree Linden shocked the running community with her upset victory at the Boston Marathon.

With a finishing time of 2 hours, 39 minutes and 54 seconds, she became the first American to win the prestigious race in 33 years. Linden took advantage of the poor running conditions and persevered through the final six miles, upsetting the stacked field.

Although the venue’s atmosphere was tampered due to the inclement weather, Linden’s victory still

meant a great deal to the Boston community.

2. Brady’s curtain call, 2019 Don’t ever count out Tom Brady; he’s proved football pundits wrong for over 20 years and continues to dodge Father Time. In 2019, the New England Patriots scuffled in the final quarter of the regular season; they weren’t playing to their potential and were underdogs heading into the playoffs — cue the Brady playoff hype video. Brady marched down the Los Angeles Chargers’ throats and then led the game-winning overtime drive in an instant classic against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. After an incredible performance by Julian Edelman and the Patriots’ defense in the 2019 Super Bowl, Brady lifted up his sixth Lombardi Trophy, his final as a New England Patriot.

1. The magical 2018 Red Sox I don’t think we Red Sox fans will ever see a team as dominant

as the 2018 Boston Red Sox. They racked up 108 wins during the regular season, which is now a franchise record. Mookie Betts won the MVP trophy handily — as well as a gold glove award — while the rest of the offense ranked first in virtually every other offensive category. In the postseason, the Sox continued their dominance and manhandled both the Yankees and Astros, going 7-– against the AL juggernauts. Facing up against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series, the 2018 Red Sox cemented their place in baseball lore by defeating the NL champion in five games. The 2018 season was nothing short of magical for this Boston team, as they set countless franchise records that will remain untouched for years to come.

Matt Goguen is a rising junior studying biopsychology. Matt can be reached at matthew.goguen@tufts.edu.

S

Wednesday, May 5, 2021 | Sports | THE TUFTS DAILY

39

Senior Profile: Niko Hereford Senior Profile: Briggs leads through energy and competitive looks back on moments and mentors nature

by Steven Landry Contributing Writer

COURTESY EMILY BRIGGS

Graduating senior Emily Briggs, co-captain of the women’s basketball team, is pictured.

by Ananda Kao Sports Editor

Graduating senior co-captain and guard/forward Emily Briggs made an immediate impact on the Tufts women’s basketball team her first year when she was named NESCAC Rookie of the Year at the end of the season. Briggs was the team’s first Rookie of the Year in 10 years, awarded after being part of the team that went 26–5 on the season.

Although her four years at Tufts and on the women’s basketball team were interrupted by the pandemic, Briggs made her mark on the program through her competitive nature, energy and leadership.

“Emily is a phenomenal leader. The first few things that come to my mind is she’s just a competitor — she’s super confident in her abilities and she competes really hard, she hates to lose and I think her teammates really follow that. When she’s on the court, when she’s in practice, she gives 100% at all times,” head coach Jill Pace said. “From a leadership perspective, she has a really great energy about her. It’s a really infectious positive energy that her teammates latch onto and that really makes everyone around her better from a teammate and a basketball perspective.”

Her teammates shared a similar sentiment, noting how Briggs is someone who they look up to both on and off the court.

“I think I can speak for others in that she’s someone I’d definitely go to if I ever needed anything,” junior co-captain and forward Sofia Rosa said. “On the court, her voice is really valued and people have a lot of respect for her. She brings a competitive attitude while at the same time making sure we have fun, which has ultimately brought us closer together as a team.”

With her junior season cut short during playoffs and her senior season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Briggs still made the most of the games in which she got to play. The Jumbos were very successful during her career, boasting a 82–9 record over fewer than three completed seasons.

During her first year at Tufts, Briggs ranked second on the team with 19 blocks, fourth on the team with 113 rebounds and scored a season high of 20 points in a win over Hamilton. As a sophomore, Briggs led the team to a NESCAC Championship in an exciting win over Bowdoin. She was ranked third on the team with 9.4 points

per game, netting double-digit points 15 times during the season. Briggs notes this NESCAC Championship was one of her favorite memories at Tufts.

“Winning the NESCAC Championship sophomore year, being underdogs in the tournament, that was awesome,” Briggs said. “[There were] crucial shots at the end of the game that won it for us, and that was just very exciting.”

During the team’s shortened season her junior year, Briggs once again played an instrumental role in the team’s first ever undefeated regular season. She ranked second on the team with 11.4 points per game and 10th in the NESCAC with a 44.4% shooting percentage. Briggs scored double digits 17 times and scored over 20 points three times. She reached a season high of 23 points in a win over Bowdoin and overall, had a 78.3% free throw percentage.

Throughout her time at Tufts, Briggs learned from past teammates, found her own voice and grew into a bigger leadership role for her team.

“She grew a ton as a player, she really found her role for us, and I think really embraced that role in a nice way,” Pace said. “From a leadership perspective, Emily found her voice for sure — as a leader on the court and off the court as well for her teammates — so it was fun to see her growth, both as a player and a leader.”

In addition to basketball, Briggs participated in Tufts’ Big Brothers Big Sisters program for the majority of her time here. She will be moving to Chicago this summer to begin her career with MoLo Logistics and also plans to run the Chicago Marathon in October. In addition to playing, competing and representing her school, Briggs will miss her teammates the most next year.

“Enjoy it, because it goes by really fast,” she said. “I feel like that was kind of the best piece of advice I received, and I would also say that to people too. You think four years is a long time but it goes by really fast so just enjoy the four years and all the challenges but also all the fun you have while being at Tufts.”

Her teammates and coach emphasized the positive impact Briggs left on the program and how her presence will be missed in the years to come.

“She leaves a legacy of bringing positivity … and understanding how to balance being a really high-level, competitive athlete while also having fun,” Pace said.

Students in the Class of 2021 may find it hard to believe it’s been four years since they arrived in Medford, anxious and exhilarated for what life would look like at Tufts. For graduating senior tennis player Niko Hereford, mentorship on and off the court helped him come into his own as a leader.

As the son of John Hereford, a former baseball pitcher and football player at Amherst, the recruiting process was not the first time the senior was introduced to NESCAC athletics.

During his college search, Hereford was attracted to Tufts’ academic offerings and intended to continue his athletic career in Medford.

“I was being recruited for tennis and I wanted to go somewhere I could play,” he said.

As many first-years learn, the opportunities to showcase their skills in competition can be sparse at first.

A two-time individual state champion at Kent Denver School in Colorado, the lack of regular opportunities in collegiate matches early in his career at Tufts was disheartening at times.

“When I didn’t start it was a tough thing for me to accept … Everyone on our team had played junior tennis and high school tennis, where they were obvious starters,” he said.

Hereford recognized this lack of playing time as a growth opportunity and matured to understand his value in the squad.

“It was the realization that every guy on the team plays an important role in what we’re trying to achieve,” he said.

Hereford has been a leader on the Tufts men’s tennis team and offered guidance to younger players on how to maximize their time in the program, and contribution to the team’s potential.

“If everyone can collectively work together, starters and non-starters alike, that’s my biggest piece of advice — to have everyone bought in,” he said.

With a strong regular season in 2021 now behind them, Hereford and his teammates certainly bought into coach Karl Gregor’s philosophy and formed a winning culture.

“The best part about [Gregor] is how competitive he is,” Hereford said. “It’s refreshing to have a coach who wants to win as badly as all the players.”

A former member of the Air Force, Gregor’s focus on hard work and accountability have paid off, with this year’s roster’s having some of the most talent he has seen during his six-year tenure. Hereford’s classmate and teammate Boris Sorkin, for example, is one of the highest-ranked players in all of Div. III tennis.

Even with the recent surge of talent, Hereford credits Gregor for not losing sight of what got his squad to this point.

“His mindset has been to keep your head down and keep working … that’s the way you build yourself up the NESCAC rankings,”Hereford said.

Hereford views Gregor, who is known to have his players prepared for competition, not just as a skilled coach, but as a mentor and a positive influence on the development of his players.

“He’s dedicated to helping underclassmen, upperclassmen … There’s a good balance between pushing us

COURTESY NIKO HEREFORD

Niko Hereford is pictured playing tennis. hard and enriching the student-athlete experience,“ Hereford said.

Gregor was a significant positive force during Hereford’s four years as a Jumbo, but Hereford also received guidance from within the classroom.

Majoring in economics with a minor in finance, the Colorado native built relationships with a number of his professors within the economics department.

With past experience in private equity and investment analytics, the finance division was of particular interest to the senior.

“That’s been my favorite part, I think there are a lot of good teachers in the finance part of the [economics] department,” the graduating senior said.

One of these professors is David Driscoll. Equipped with a wealth of finance knowledge and past experiences in the field, Driscoll has been known to engage students by incorporating real-world phenomena in his lectures.

He also utilizes a number of learning styles, encouraging group work during class and assigning projects that require collaboration and critical thinking.

“He’s my favorite teacher here … He’s really smart and a good guy to build a relationship with,” Hereford said.

The 2021 graduate hopes to apply this finance acumen alongside his past work experience and knowledge of the athletic landscape in the world of professional sports. A co-founder of the sports business club at Tufts, Hereford’s ultimate goal is to have a front office role in Ball Arena, the stadium that houses his hometown basketball team, the Denver Nuggets.

While he will be walking on the virtual stage with his senior classmates at graduation this year, Hereford plans on returning to Tufts in the spring of 2022 to take a final course while using his extra eligibility to have one last run with his teammates on the courts.

With four years full of mentors and memories, Hereford has plenty of positive experiences to reminisce upon.

As of now, he and his teammates are focused on continuing their stellar form as they push to make another NESCAC title run.

40

THE TUFTS DAILY | Sports | Wednesday, May 5, 2021

tuftsdaily.com

6 Class of 2025 recruits look toward their futures at Tufts

by Brigitte Wilson

Assistant Sports Editor

While COVID-19 posed a significant threat to the Tufts Class of 2025 athletic recruits, six incoming student-athletes were able to make the most of the situation and land with the Jumbos.

These recruits fit the mold of a typical collegiate athlete — organized, passionate and eager — with parents that encouraged them to play whenever possible.

Ella Lesperance, an incoming player on the Tufts women’s lacrosse team, remembers playing sports from a very young age.

“I have been playing sports since I could walk … My parents had me in soccer programs and playing baseball pretty young,” she said. “[I was doing] anything that could get me to move because I was a high-energy kid and sports was a really good outlet for that.”

Lesperance’s passion for athleticism runs in the family.

“I do have athletic genes; my brother’s actually playing baseball in college and my sister is hoping to play lacrosse in college. Both my parents played sports in college and high school and they loved it … so [we’re] a pretty athletic family,” she said.

Since she set her sights on playing sports in college at a young age, she made sure her standardized testing was set prior to junior year and met with many coaches before COVID-19 locked everything down. Even when she lost her high school junior season, she had a lot of her athletic moments recorded to share with recruiting coaches.

“I had all that stuff done … which was really lucky. I think I made the best out of a bad situation, but I had friends that were definitely less fortunate, which is tough,” she said.

Looking toward the fall, Lesperance is excited to be on campus.

“Everyone that I met [at Tufts] is incredible, the community seems incredible. I’m … counting down to move-in day,” she said.

A future teammate of Lesperance and incoming firstyear Genna Gibbons has also been an athlete her whole life.

“I’ve played a lot of different sports … I stumbled onto lacrosse in 6th grade and had no interest in playing it, but my dad kind of forced me into it,” she said. “[I] started taking it seriously and figured out that I wanted to play in college [my first] year of high school.”

Gibbons also got an early start in the recruitment process.

“In California, there’s not a lot of [lacrosse] activity, so I flew east for a month and a half every summer going from camp to tournament and getting as much exposure to schools and coaches as possible.”

While some players had difficulty finding fields to practice on in the throes of the pandem-

ALEXIS SERINO / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES

Jumbo the Elephant mascot poses for a picture at the Jumbo Days activities fair on April 20, 2018. ic, Gibbons, a two-sport athlete, was able to stay in shape thanks to cross country. “[My school] let cross country, which I’ve run since [my first year of high school], practice every single day … I got the opportunity to run cross country from September through February, so I was running a ton,” she said.

When possible, Gibbons would also shoot around with her best friend at a local field.

Due to COVID-19 and canceled tournaments, coaches had more time to spend on the recruit class — though they had to recruit differently. Women’s lacrosse coaches hosted virtual junior days and got to know potential Tufts athletes over the phone, which was something Gibbons appreciated.

“I just kept hearing such great things … getting to know the team was super pivotal because I felt like I vibed with them; they felt like my type of people and who I could connect with, which was super exciting,” she said.

Even though lacrosse was Gibbons’ first attraction to Tufts, she’s excited to join the academic community as well.

“I am excited to be in an environment with intellectually curious people who are super excited about what they’re learning,” she said.

Kerwin Teh, an incoming first-year from Malaysia, is also excited to get on campus and join the Jumbo community.

“I’m most looking forward to the people and the community.

I’ve read a few articles about Tufts saying how diverse the community is and how united the whole college is … and I would love to be a part of the community,” he said.

As an international student, Teh did not always think it would be possible to play squash in college in the United States.

“I only saw the opportunity [to play in college] when I was 16 … I looked up to squash seniors in Malaysia, and I have a few friends that play in the U.S.,” he said. “It’s a dream come true, to be honest, to be able to go to the U.S. and play for a team and to study at the same time, so I’m definitely very excited.”

Though Teh didn’t think about playing in college when he was younger, he did have exposure to a variety of sports.

“I used to play a lot of sports when I was young: soccer, badminton, swimming, more racquet sports I would say,” he said.

“Once I got into squash I really loved the game; I started squash when I was eight years old.”

While Teh is traveling to Tufts from afar, Dana Hall School senior Mia D’Angelo will be coming from around the corner. Another multisport athlete, D’Angelo had a similar experience of trying out different sports in her youth until she settled on field hockey.

“I’ve played all different sports my whole life but [lacrosse and field hockey] became the two front-runners, but then I realized I was better at field hockey than I was at lacrosse,” she said.

Similar to other recruits, D’Angelo’s family has a history of athleticism.

“My cousin played lacrosse at Wesleyan … I looked up to her a lot and realized I also wanted to [play in college],” she said.

Just like others, D’Angelo had to get creative in order to practice while dealing with COVID-19 restrictions.

“We got a little piece of turf and I would go out there or in my basement and practice,” she said. “When fields started to open up, I’d go with one person or my dad and

he’d throw me balls or bring a hockey stick and play to make me move.”

The recruiting process over Zoom was less than smooth sailing, and at times chaotic for some Tufts recruits.

“They did some virtual clinics … For the first one, my laptop was broken, so I had to use my dad’s and it wouldn’t log on, so I was 30 minutes late to the Zoom and my Wi-Fi wasn’t working. I was literally crying,” D’Angelo said.

But, she feels lucky that her placement at Tufts was solidified amid the chaos, and is enthusiastic about the opportunity to further her academic and athletic abilities.

Another New Englander, Tyler Mackowski from Connecticut, always dreamed of playing baseball in college — beginning the sport at the age of four.

“I have played baseball since I was four years old,” he said.

“I started T-ball, then started playing travel at age eight; since then I’ve been playing travel every single year.”

To keep up his training over the course of the pandemic, Mackowski hit the diamond with his dad.

“I’d go to the field every day with my dad, he’d hit my ground balls and threw me batting practice,” he said. “I tried my best to stay positive and know that there was going to be a season eventually.”

Luckily, a brief decline in COVID-19 cases allowed him to play in a showcase in August.

“That was the first time [ Tufts coaches] really took me seriously,” he said. “A few weeks after that, they gave me a call.”

While Mackowski feels COVID-19 certainly limited his options, Tufts was always particularly alluring to him due to its strong focus on academics.

“When I talked to … the coaches, [they recognized] that baseball is important, but my future is also important as well, and academics do come first,” he said.

Jordan Cushner, an incoming member of the Tufts women’s soccer team, had her sights set on Tufts from early on in her high school experience.

“I loved the campus and knew since [ninth grade] that I wanted to go to the East Coast.

Sophomore year I did a bunch of tours and I loved the Tufts atmosphere,” she said.

During the pandemic, Cushner was able to have Zoom fitness and technical trainings, which kept her in shape for soccer. Fortunately, she started the recruitment process early.

“I was really lucky because I started my process strangely early … I went to my first ID camp the summer after [ninth grade] … so the coaching staff got to know me better,” she said. “By the time COVID hit I had gone to two ID camps, and I’d already received super positive feedback … I got fairly lucky on that end.”

At Tufts, Cushner is excited to be a part of the team and to meet new people.

“I love being part of a team atmosphere … it’s great to be a part of a group, especially going in as a [first-year] knowing you’ll have some people looking out,” she said. “I’m just honestly excited to keep playing soccer. I kind of realized over quarantine how important it is in all aspects of my life.”

For these six recruits, the chance to play collegiate sports is a dream come true. Even though COVID-19 interfered with their high school careers and jeopardized their recruiting chances, they are all incredibly enthusiastic about the opportunity to compete and study at Tufts next year.

S

Wednesday, May 5, 2021 | Sports | THE TUFTS DAILY

41

Follies and funnies from a year of practice

by Isabel Castro Staff Writer

The Tufts Daily Sports section typically uses the Commencement issue as an opportunity to reflect on Tufts’ top sports moments of the academic year. This year, most teams had their seasons canceled due to the pandemic but were still able to practice. And practice.

And practice some more. So we’re recapping some of the funniest Tufts athletics practice moments of the 2020–21 academic year — the moments that provided teams and athletes some levity in a year defined by disappointment. As Allen Iverson infamously said, “We talkin’ about practice.”

Peter DeMaria earns ‘player of the game’ Coaches are never too old to get involved in games, regardless of the circumstance. Rising junior Jack Schwartz, a pitcher on the baseball team, described the situation. “[The] funniest moment during practice this year was when Peter DeMaria smoked coach Casey with a line drive in the arm, so coach Clark gave Peter ‘player of the game’ because of it,” Schwartz said.

No pain, no gain, no laughs.

Nolan Ostmo wins best costume This past fall the Tufts football team decided to switch out its classic brown and blue uniforms during its practice on Halloween morning.

“The linebackers all dressed up as the minions from Despicable Me, and had all the suspenders, goggles, everything really — the whole nine yards,” quarterback Drew Gally, a graduating senior, said. “My roommate Nolan Ostmo took my huge green Yoshi costume from high school out of my closet, wore it, and won a sweet pullover for having the best costume. Every time he wears it now, I joke with him that it should be mine.”

Everyone remembers Halloween practice with a chuckle, except Gally, who’s left wondering about the pullover that got away.

Women’s lacrosse player goes viral With TikTok’s surge in popularity, it was only a matter of time until a face or two popped up from Tufts. Sure enough, a little mask maneuvering on the women’s lacrosse team led to a

viral clip. Sasha Bellack, a rising sophomore on the team, said that it started when practice was moved inside due to a thunderstorm and the defenders partnered up for drills.

“One partner would be blindfolded and the other had to direct the other around the gym to find a hidden weight. It was really funny because everyone was running into each other,” Bellack said. “Everyone was wearing their masks over their entire face making them look like one of the Among Us characters. One of our coaches posted a photo on our Instagram of a [first-year] wearing the mask like that and she ended up going viral on TikTok because she made a TikTok about how funny she looked.”

Teammates lead ‘Fun Friday’ roast Every Friday during a normal fall season, the women’s soccer team has a tradition called “Fun Friday,” during which two players lead the team in a bonding activity followed by a speech designed to hype players up for the weekend. Think Herb Brooks “Miracle on Ice”-level speeches, only better. With no competition this past fall, “Fun Friday” was centered around building up the camaraderie of the team.

For graduating senior defender Rachel Brown, one duo’s performance stood above the rest.

“I think I have to go with Kylie Metcalf and Margaux Ameer surprising us in morph suits along with their choreographed dance and team roast speech,” Brown said.

Defensive back dances on sideline Sometimes you just start feeling it and have to dance like nobody’s watching. Some people do it in the kitchen, others in their dorm room or at a party. Cam O’Brien does it at football practice.

“We were watching film on Zoom recently and a teammate of mine, Cam O’Brien, was on the sideline dancing and completely not paying attention, which was hilarious. Our coach was not amused by Cam’s activities,” Jaden Pena, a rising junior on the team, said.

Softball mitts are pictured as the team practices on April 10.

Max Clivio sends it into the streets Giving 110% can be a little too much. In the fall, the Tufts men’s soccer team posted a video on the team’s Instagram

of a player rocketing a shot so far away from the goal it almost hit cars on a nearby road. Rising sophomore Max Clivio, the man behind the shank, gave his side of the story.

SOPHIE DOLAN / THE TUFTS DAILY

“Back in the fall we were doing a competitive finishing drill and the team was split into two separate groups and we were competing against each other,” Clivio said. “I stepped up to take a shot

on the bounce and absolutely launched the ball sideways off of [Bello Field] onto Wellesley Street.

It just so happened that coach EJ was filming and posted my miss on the team’s Instagram story.”

of New York, did not give up an earned run in seven innings pitched during the regular season, winning NESCAC Pitcher of the Week for a lights-out performance against Colby on April 18.

On Sunday, the Jumbos clinched a bid to the NESCAC Championship with a 1–0, complete-game shutout from Brendan McFall. They’ll face the winner of the NESCAC West with a bid to the NCAA Div. III tournament on the line.

DeMaria, the reigning NESCAC Rookie of the Year,

said that the key for the Jumbos going into a crucial weekend is to treat every game the same.

“In the program we preach treating each game the same way every time,” DeMaria said. “We don’t look at one game being more important than the other, so going into this weekend we’re just gonna go out there and stick to our game plan.”

The Jumbos will compete in the NESCAC Championship series on May 8 and May 9.

Jumbos clinch championship berth BASEBALL

continued from page 36 ly named NESCAC Players of the Week, with Bozzella taking home the honor with a torrent weekend against Colby, and Reid blasting two homers in two games over Bates a week later.

Reid was named to D3Baseball.com’s Team of the Week for his onslaught against Bates on April 24. The Silver Spring, Maryland native was 5–8 across two games, with two homers, two doubles, and five RBIs.

Junior infielder Peter DeMaria, another big bat at the heart of the Tufts lineup, says that the Tufts offense needs to keep the same mentality they have the whole season as they near postseason play: Get the bat to the next guy in line.

“The most important thing is to stay within ourselves and try not to do things at the plate or on the field that are out of our control,” said DeMaria. “It’s a team game and trusting the guy behind you in the lineup or next

to you in the field will be key to staying consistent.”

Not to be overlooked are the contributions of right-handers Cameron Mayer and Brendan McFall. Both have been a strong supporting cast to Volgende’s dominance, and they are each putting up numbers that have been crucial to Tufts’ hot start.

Mayer, a sophomore in his first collegiate season, struck out 29 batters in his first 20 innings pitched, boasting a 2.25 ERA and collecting two wins in four starts. McFall, a junior out

42

THE TUFTS DAILY | Sports | Wednesday, May 5, 2021

tuftsdaily.com

In Photos: 4 years in sports

JULIA MCDOWELL / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES COURTESY EVAN SAYLES

The men’s lacrosse team celebrates its win in the NESCAC Championship game against Williams on May 5, 2019.

The women’s volleyball team poses for a picture in celebration of its 3–0 win over Conn. College in the Cousens Gym on Oct. 26, 2018.

NICOLE GARAY / THE TUFTS DAILY

The men’s basketball team celebrates its NESCAC Championship victory after a game against Colby in Cousens Gym on March 1, 2020.

COURTESY TUFTS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM

The women’s basketball team poses for a photo after defeating Bowdoin 75–69 in the NESCAC Championship game on Feb. 24, 2019.

BEN KIM / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVES

Coach Kate Bayard speaks with her team before the women’s tennis team’s game against Williams at the Vouté Tennis Courts on April 28, 2018.

CWPA-CLUB VIA TWITTER COURTESY JORDAN CIUFFETELLI, TUFTS ATHLETICS

The men’s soccer team celebrates its 2019 NCAA Championship win.

The men’s club water polo team, which finished as the runner-up at the College Water Polo Association Club National Championship, poses with its trophy on Oct. 20, 2019.

S

Wednesday, May 5, 2021 | SPORTS Sports | THE TUFTS DAILY

43

SOPHIE DOLAN / THE TUFTS DAILY

The Tufts softball team plays Colby on April 10.

EMMA BOERSMA / THE TUFTS DAILY

Women’s crew competes against Wesleyan on April 10.

SOPHIE DOLAN (LEFT PHOTO) AND LYDIA RICHARDSON (RIGHT PHOTO) / THE TUFTS DAILY

The Tufts men’s lacrosse team plays Colby on April 10.

44

THE TUFTS DAILY | COMMENCEMENT | Wednesday, May 5, 2021

tuftsdaily.com

“Now is the time, if there ever was one, for us to care selflessly about one another.”

– Dr. Anthony Fauci