The Tufts Daily - Thursday, September 28, 2023

T he T uf T s D aily

RA union ratifies first contract with university

Matthew Sage Deputy News Editor

Originally published Sept. 27.

The United Labor of Tufts Resident Assistants voted to sign a union contract in agreement with Tufts University on Sept. 25. The contract signing ends a sevenmonth-long effort that incluwded an organized strike to earn benefits and union representation for the university’s 141 RAs.

On Sunday and Monday, 99 RAs, represented by the Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 153, cast their ballots. 95 RAs voted in favor, while four voted against signing the contract.

Under their inaugural contract, RAs will receive 80 meal swipes and a $1,425 stipend per semester worked. RAs are also no longer considered at-will employees,

meaning they now require just cause to be fired by the university.

“We’re pleased to have reached agreement on a three-

year contract with the RAs,” Patrick Collins, executive director of public relations at Tufts University, said. “Our

Harvard prof. Serhii Plokhii traces historical path to Ukraine War

Arvind Pillai Assistant News Editor

Serhii Plokhii, the Mykhailo S. Hrushevs’kyi professor of Ukrainian history and director of the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University, spoke at the Fletcher School about his new book, “The Russo-Ukrainian War: The Return of History” on Sept. 19. Plokhii discussed the chronology of the war and his process writing the book.

“It’s quite clear already … that this is the largest industrial military conflict in Europe since World War II,” Plokhii said. “It’s also the largest in terms of the armies involved, the destruction that is happening as a result of the war, the number of refugees, the number suffering — there is nothing in Europe since 1945 to compare it to but to World War II.”

Plokhii explained that he initially had doubts about whether to write a book about history as it was unfolding.

“When I was approached by my publisher on [whether or not] I would want to write a book on the war, and that was very early on, it was March, and I said ‘Definitely not’ … for two reasons,” Plokhii

said. “The first one was just emotional. You can’t comprehend what is going on. The only way I could describe what was going on is criminality. … Another reason why I said ‘no’ was that, as a historian, we are trained to deal with the issues of change and continuity.”

Plokhii originally saw the work of a historian as incompatible with reviewing contemporary events, because in his line of work, “wisdom comes from the fact that we already know the results of the game.”

see UKRAINE, page 3

provision of free housing, an annual stipend of $2,850, and 160 free meals a year, as well as other meaningful measures,

is generous and fair. With the union’s ratification of the contract complete, we’re looking forward to working productively with the union as we move ahead implementing the new contract terms.”

Senior David Whittingham, an RA for two consecutive years, has worked on the union’s bargaining committee since their first negotiation meeting with the university in February 2023. He voted to accept the contract.

“I think we did what we needed to do and we were successful,” Whittingham said. “You never get everything you ask for, but I think that in the end … we won.”

According to Whittingham, 70% of Tufts RAs are on financial aid and 70% have to work one or more additional jobs during the academic year.

see UNION, page 3

UNIVERSITY

Tufts stresses COVID-19 policies amid rise in cases

Estelle Anderson Deputy News Editor

Originally published Sept. 26.

This September saw an increase in local COVID-19 cases, according to Tufts medical personnel. Students are highly encouraged to visit the on-campus vaccination clinics that will be offered this fall, in addition to following the university’s COVID19 guidelines.

“Cases of COVID-19 are increasing across the US and Massachusetts and our local communities are no exception,”

Dr. Michael Jordan, university infection control health director, wrote in an email to the Daily. According to Jordan, while Tufts is no longer reporting the number of COVID-19 cases across its campuses, they are monitoring cases that are self-reported by students, faculty and staff.

The United States experienced a slight increase in COVID-19 cases this past summer, which health experts say could signal a potential fall and winter wave. Massachusetts was no exception: in August, the rate of people testing pos -

itive for COVID-19 in the state was 9%, the highest it had been in six months. However, experts emphasize that this uptick remains far below previous resurgences of COVID19, with numbers unlikely to reach the highs of past fall and winter seasons.

“The predominant strain E.G.5 … is fairly contagious. It doesn’t seem to be very potent though and since most people are either vaccinated and/or have had COVID, the cases seem to be mostly mild with cold-like symptoms,” Amy Lischko, professor in the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, wrote in an email to the Daily.

While there are concerns about the spread of new variants of COVID-19, Lischko added that, based on her knowledge, “the new strains do not seem to be as dangerous … [they are] likely only a problem for people who are immunocompromised.”

An email sent to the school community on Sept. 19 announced that Tufts will offer flu and COVID19 vaccination clinics at each one of its Massachusetts campuses,

see COVID, page 2

AARON GRUEN / THE TUFTS DAILY

Resident assistants picket in front of the Joyce Cummings Center on Aug. 29.

VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Serhii Plokhii is pictured in 2015.

Multimedia Committees

Audrey Petty speaks on public housing at Cities@Tufts’ first event of the semester

Cities@Tufts kicked off its first digital colloquium of the fall semester with writer Audrey Petty on Sept. 20. Petty authored “High Rise Stories: Voices from Chicago Public Housing,” a collection of narratives from individuals who lived in now-demolished public housing high rises in Chicago.

The Cities@Tufts initiative seeks to highlight Tufts’ contributions to community strategy, civic democracy, ethnographic research and other topics in urban and environmental policy.

Justin Hollander, a professor of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts, introduced Petty and praised “High Rise Stories” as “an important book.”

“When I first picked up this book, I said ‘I want my students to read this book,’” Hollander said. “It brings these voices into our policy and planning conversations that are not always there.”

Petty focused on the context and history of Chicago’s black communities, which public housing has largely shaped.

“Chicago’s black belt took shape at the turn of the 20th century,” Petty said. “As a result of the Great Migration, the city’s black population increased eightfold from 1910 through the 1940s, and this growing population was relegated to a space that didn’t expand to accommodate the newcomers.”

She later underscored the importance of public housing for those communities.

“The black belt was dangerously overcrowded, so there was a great deal of optimism when the [Chicago Housing Authority] opened a 1600-unit complex consisting of two, three and four story apartment buildings. Indeed, the Ida b. Wells homes formed a highly coveted address for African Americans; more than 18,000 families filed applications to live there,” she said.

now-demolished Cabrini Green building for 53 years. Petty highlighted the emotional impacts on Wilson.

Production

Petty began by dedicating her talk to the memory of Yusufu Mosley, one of the twelve narrators of “High Rise Stories,” who passed away in 2022. She then recited an excerpt from the introduction of the book, highlighting the demolition of the public housing buildings.

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“What was afoot was the plan for transformation, a $1.6 billion project and the largest public housing redevelopment venture in the United States,” Petty said. “Announced in 1999, the ambitious plan reflected and reinforced national trends. Many municipal governments in major cities like New Orleans and Atlanta demolished swaths of public housing structures, replacing them with voucher distribution programs and limited access to mixed income developments.”

Petty expanded upon Chicago’s transformation plan that displaced those living in the original high-rises.

“Rebuilding has not kept pace with demolition, and a great number of displaced families have found themselves — and find themselves — in poor and underserved neighborhoods,” she said, adding that those displaced have had complex emotions around the transformation. “Some expressed their relief at having moved away. Others describe their fear of what comes next.”

The bulk of Petty’s talk, and of “High Rise Stories,” was focused on the tales of individuals experiencing displacement due to Chicago’s transformation. Petty began with the narrative from Dolores Wilson, a resident of the

“Her building was on the cusp of demolition, and she was clearly distraught about her building … And she said ‘So many of my treasures are still there,’ and she went on to catalog some of the valuables: family photos, trophies, clothing, books, that she had to leave behind during the hasty relocation process,” Petty said.

Petty interspersed these personal narratives with broader trends of defunding public infrastructure. She called special attention to former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s choice to close 50 public schools in 2013.

“Learning about this decision, I felt a deep sense of dread,” Petty said. “In terms of scale alone, [it was] the most closures at any one time in any school system in the nation. It reminded me of the plan for transformation. The closures would disproportionately affect black and brown communities.”

Her final narrative discussed during the talk was from Pete Haywood, a resident of the Stateway Gardens building that was demolished in 2007, who emphasized the community and neighborly feeling surrounding these public high rises.

“There was a lady, Ms Meeks; if I was hungry I could go over to her house and eat breakfast, or I could go to this building, to Ms. Wells’ house, to eat lunch, and really, that’s how a lot of us were living. People were taking care of each other,” Petty said, quoting Haywood.

During audience questions, when asked about her choice to talk about public housing through individual narratives, Petty discussed her background as a creative writer, wanting to explore the impacts of condemned public housing on those living in it.

“I’ve always been really interested in stories as a human currency, something we all share, something that helps us define ourselves, define our lives,” she said.

University advises professors to remain flexible on attendance amid Covid-19 uptick

COVID continued from page 1

which students can make appointments for online. These clinics will be available from September to October, with additional COVID19 clinics in November.

Story tips? Questions? Concerns?

Let us know!

“COVID-19 is now an endemic disease, and there are effective preventive strategies as well as treatments available for individuals at increased risk for complications. We encourage all Tufts community members to stay up to date with vaccination,” Marie Caggiano, medical director of Health Service, wrote in an email to the Daily.

Tufts’ general policies regarding COVID-19 have largely remained the same since the end of the last school year. Those who test positive with COVID-19 should follow public health guidance to isolate for a minimum of five days, counting the day they tested positive as Day Zero.

Infected students are expected to isolate themselves in their dorm rooms, with the university recom-

mending that they wear masks around their roommates. For community members who are exposed to COVID-19, Tufts asks that they follow the CDC guideline of wearing a mask for at least 10 full days after their exposure.

The university has also offered guidance to professors, Caggiano explained, encouraging them to remain flexible and be transparent with their students about their illness policies.

“At the beginning of the semester, faculty were reminded that students may miss class due to illness, including COVID-19, and that public health guidance continues to be that individuals isolate for a minimum of five days if they become infected with COVID-19,” Caggiano wrote.

“We’re at a stage in the virus where most everyone is either vaccinated, has immunity from a case or cases of Covid, or both. Understandably, the guidance has gotten a little less rigid. For example, I’m not required to have virtual options for students to Zoom

into class or recordings of class made available to students who are sick,” Lischko added. “In that sense it feels like we are back to normal — albeit a new-normal.”

Lischko, Jordan and Caggiano all stressed that reducing the uptick of cases on campus is largely dependent on students’ efforts to help contain the virus.

“Since [COVID-19] is mostly a cold if you are vaccinated – you should do what has always been

recommended to avoid colds and flu – that is get vaccinated, wash your hands frequently with soap and water, avoid touching your nose and mouth,” Lischko wrote. “I would also add that students should be respectful of others who are wearing a mask as they may be immunocompromised or have relatives at home who are. From my perspective, students seem to be handling this stage relatively well.”

The former COVID-19 testing center is pictured on Sept. 19, 2022.

NATALIE BROWNSELL / THE TUFTS DAILY

The Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning building is pictured on Jan. 31, 2022.

Reece Christian Contributing Writer

Tufts Arab Student Association calls for relief funds after fatal Moroccan earthquake

Akisha Tokwe Assistant News Editor

Thousands of people perished from an 6.8 magnitude earthquake that hit the Atlas region of Morocco on the night of Sept. 8. The Tufts Arab Student Association responded by starting relief initiatives, calling for donations and raising awareness of the tragedy.

The earthquake reached as far as Marrakech city, which was 40 miles southwest from the epicenter, but most of the destruction was experienced by the small rural communities of the High Atlas mountain range.

Ali Slimi, co-president of the Arab Student Association, provided more context about the state of Morocco after the earthquake.

“These villages are quite hard to get to even when the roads are in good condition,” Slimi wrote in an email to the Daily. “And now that the earthquake has destroyed much of the transport infrastructure, relief services are having to resort to packing supplies on mules and donkeys and walking them across the mountains to get to these populations up in the mountains. … Morocco as a developing nation already experiences a much higher rate of poverty than we regularly come into contact with here in the US and that poverty has been severely exacerbated.”

Sophomore Iman boulouah, who grew up in Morocco and has family members who live in Agadir, one of the impacted cities, described how the community was affected.

“I got [the news] Saturday morning,” boulouah said. “My mom called me that day, and she told me about what happened and how bad the situation actually was. At that time, she still wasn’t able to get in contact with my family, just because of the earthquake. A lot of the power was lost, so it was hard to connect.”

Many people in Morocco were displaced into the streets for nights and some were left homeless.

Dylan Vasey, assistant professor in the Tufts Department of Earth and Climate Sciences, explained that the Atlas Mountains formed millions of years ago from the collision of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates. Massive rock movements have been ongoing since then along the faults, making earthquakes likely.

“Wherever you see mountains, that’s a record of past earthquakes,” Vasey explained. “The Atlas mountains are an area that are actively forming their faults throughout them, so it’s very normal in a sense to expect that earthquakes would happen in this region.”

According to Vasey, the Moroccan earthquake is about the same magnitude as California’s Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989, which caused the double-decked Cypress Freeway to collapse.

boulouah confirmed that the majority of the population was unprepared when the earthquake struck.

“A lot of people don’t really know the procedures to take during an earthquake,” boulouah said. “Some actually don’t even know what it is, and

so I don’t think the cities were prepared for it. People as well were not prepared.”

Vasey also stressed the need for preparation and improved infrastructure to protect against future natural disasters.

“Governments and individuals and organizations need to prepare for that possibility,” Vasey explained. “They need to mitigate risks, build buildings up to codes that can resist earthquakes, do whatever they can

New RA contract includes stipend, meal swipes

UNION

continued from page 1

“This sort of payment will allow people, if they want, to hopefully cut back on the work that they have to do and be able to spend more time on their academics or on other things in their lives,” Whittingham said. “So to me, that’s the biggest thing that I’m happy we got.”

The contract also limits an RA’s number of residents on their floor to 50, including a maximum of 30 first-years. RAs will also not have

to move into campus more than eight days prior to when first-year students move in.

“We’re important mentors to our students,” Whittingham said. “We’re there to help guide them, especially for the first-years, through their first year of college … Having the extra compensation will allow people to not have other commitments; I think that makes people be able to be more available to the residents.”

During contract negotiations, ULTRA organized and executed

a workers’ strike during first-year student move-in day on Aug. 29.

“I think it made a difference,” Whittingham said. “[Tufts] had been refusing since May to put the stipend into the compensation package, and then they were willing to move on that afterwards.”

Senior Daphne Garcia is excited about the new contract. She is serving as a first-year RA for the third time and attended two bargaining sessions.

“I was never really expecting much,” Garcia said. “I was expect-

ing maybe around $1000 … Once they were able to offer us more than $1300, I was happy with that. I mean, these are going to go directly to my [student] loans.”

ULTRA’s contract is set to expire in Aug. 2026.

“I think it’s a good amount to receive now,” Garcia said. “I hope that future [RAs] can definitely ask for more money.”

Garcia said that she has saved almost $30,000 in housing costs by becoming an RA. She says this money “is huge

Plockhii discusses writing history as it unfolds

UKRAINE

continued from page 1

As the war progressed over the last year, however, Plokhii’s stance on writing about it gradually changed.

“I can’t bring [up] an example of another war that starts with a historical essay being published a few months before the start of the all-out war, and I refer, of course, to Vladimir Putin’s ‘On The Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians,’” he said. “There was a narrative that was presented that was justifying, from a histori-

cal point of view, the formation of national identities, [which]

I certainly considered to be a crime and still consider to be a crime … [this] was basically asking for a response, asking for a historical perspective.”

Following the release of President Putin’s essay, academics in Ukrainian and Russian studies received a sudden rush of attention.

“To my surprise, people actually kept coming back to me, and I thought, ‘Maybe there is something in historical perspective that is important,’” he said.

The media attention prompted Plokhii to investigate how historical events have culminated in the war.

“I rephrased Winston Churchill, who said that democracy was the worst form of government — except every other.

I turned it into ‘Historians are the worst commentators on contemporary developments, except everybody else,’” Plokhii said. “That’s what gave me some confidence in doing what I was doing.”

Plokhii argued that there is a substantial historical context

beyond Putin’s misrepresentation of events. He believes that the conflict did not truly commence on Feb. 24, 2022, but rather in late February 2014, when Russia invaded Crimea. Plokhii traced the origins of the war to the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s.

“The Soviet Union fell apart without global war,” Plokhii said. “It looked like the history didn’t really matter anymore … There was that feeling that Russia, as well as other republics, [could] be turned overnight into democracies …

so that when something like this does happen, they’re prepared to respond to it.”

The Tufts Arab Student Association called for donations to help stranded families.

“If you claim to care about these parts of the world, show it by helping,” Slimi wrote. “Contribute to our fundraiser, or any organization that is putting resources towards relief efforts. … Actions speak louder than words. Contribute.”

for her family,” and that, while she receives financial aid, the stipend “is not enough.”

“There’ll always be a certain degree of tension or opposition,” Whittingham said. “They spoke at the bargaining table about how they want a positive relationship, they want there to be trust, things like that. but I think my only thing would be that trust has to be earned. And so if they hold up their end of the bargain, so to speak, I think we’re happy to as well.”

What we now know is that that didn’t happen … This war is a classic war of the disintegration of an empire.”

Despite the war, Plokhii expressed hope for the future of Ukrainian democracy.

“I’m optimistic because of European integration. I’m also optimistic because of Ukrainian history,” Plokhii said. “If some form of modern authoritarian regime emerges, that would be a break with centuries of history, and that’s certainly not what people on the frontlines want to do.”

COURTESY OMAYMA DALAL

A mosque damaged by the recent earthquake in Morocco is pictured.

COURTESY OMAYMA DALAL

Damage caused by the recent earthquake in Morocco is pictured.

F EATURES

SHAPE pre-orientation program promotes civic engagement, community involvement

Isabelle Kaminsky Deputy Features Editor

What would Tufts be without pre-orientation programs? The experiences and memories shared seem to last throughout the entirety of a student’s Tufts experience.

The new pre-orientation program SHAPE, short for Students Heightening Actionable Political Engagement, gives incoming firstyears the opportunity to interact with the surrounding Tufts and boston communities and truly make a difference within its short duration.

The pre-orientation program consisted of 37 participants, seven peer leaders and two coordinators.

SHAPE partnered with many city organizations, ranging from the City of Somerville and the City of boston to the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and local nonprofits including TEK Collaborative.

Sophia Chung, a junior and SHAPE co-coordinator, shared how the idea for the program came about.

“It started with this general goal of introducing students to resources for civic engagement because it is such a strong interest here at Tufts, and engaging in impactful activities throughout the five days,” Chung said. “Then using this time also as an activation period for students to start getting involved in the community at Tufts.”

Naheim Washington, a junior and fellow SHAPE co-coordinator, described what SHAPE aims to do for the participants and the community members that it serves.

“The goal of SHAPE is to give students the opportunity and the

access to materials and other people to be civically engaged and be an active student while in this community,” Washington said.

In traditional pre-orientation fashion, each day of SHAPE was action-packed with a busy schedule that allowed students to familiarize themselves with Tufts, take part in meaningful activities and socialize with their peers.

Kevin Kraft, associate dean of student life and one of the SHAPE program advisers, described what a typical day in SHAPE looked like in an email to the Daily.

“After our morning meetup at HQ, we would engage in either a group activity or head out to conduct surveys for Somerville’s digital equity project,” Kraft wrote. “Following this, we had ‘social time,’ during which we participated in socialbased activities to strengthen the bonds among SHAPE participants. Later, we’d welcome a guest speaker or embark on

a field trip to learn about the issues we could contribute to addressing.”

Carly Rothschild, a sophomore and a SHAPE peer leader, explained the role of “surveying” during SHAPE. The participants would split up in various places and ask nearby members of the community to fill out their surveys. She added that one of the main issues SHAPE worked to address was digital equity.

“The surveys were about gathering data about who in the Somerville area has access to internet [and] Wi-Fi … Also what that bill looks like and if they’re able to pay it [and] what their salary looks like in relation to that,” Rothschild said. “The last day [we were] trying to sign up as many people [as possible] for the [Affordable Connectivity Program] and Link Health, which is the program that we were with.”

In addition to increasing outreach for these programs,

SHAPE, in collaboration with TEK Collaborative, gave out a free computer to each community member who signed up at the site where SHAPE was working.

Sanya Desai, a sophomore and SHAPE peer leader, shared one of her favorite memories from the program. She described an interaction that she had while signing people up to receive computers for the Affordable Connectivity Program at the East boston Community Health Center.

"[I] met one man who wanted a computer because he was getting a degree in business management, and at the moment, he had to go to the library every night to do all his work to get his degree,” Desai said. “He was going to use his computer to do his work at home so that he could take care of his kids more so his wife could get a job, which I thought was so powerful to hear that our work was helping people in our own community.”

Although the program focused on political and civic engagement, the participants did not have to be particularly knowledgeable in those topics.

“You didn’t have to come in here with a background … especially since it was the first year, we wanted to see how successful we were to give people without backgrounds the resources they needed to be engaged and be an active student citizen in the community,” Washington said.

While there are clubs on campus that work to engage Tufts students with the surrounding communities, Chung shared why having a pre-orientation in this setting was a unique and necessary addition.

“Civic engagement is something that has been really core to my experience here at Tufts,” Chung said. “Some of the activities that I get most excited about, and am most proud of, involve going out into the community and engaging with community partners. So, I think that having a pre-orientation for [civic engagement] would help build that community so that students feel connected to other people who are also interested in that.”

Washington also noted that by making SHAPE a pre-orientation program rather than a club, the program was able to focus on the first-years and their experiences, while providing helpful resources.

“After the program ended, and hearing all the bonds they created and the memories they created, I’m very happy that we did the program,” Washington said. “[It] gave the resources the first years needed to be successful in a civic engagement way but also be successful in a social way.”

The joy and growing pains of American Sign Language at Tufts

Summer Maxwell Assistant Features Editor

Originally published Sept. 27.

The Tufts American Sign Language program, housed under the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study & Human Development, fosters a tight-knit community of students who are passionate to learn and eager to take courses.

For some students, having an ASL program was a deciding factor in their choosing Tufts. This was the case for junior brooke Hart.

“[ASL] was one of the reasons that I picked Tufts,” Hart said.

Hart is not the only student who is eager to take ASL courses; the program fills up its three course offerings so quickly that students have to fill out an application before being allowed to enroll in ASL classes. but for those who get in, their efforts more than pay off.

“because of the teaching style, you really end up building a community as a class in a way that I have never had in any other class,” Hart said.

The program encourages a collaborative immersive environment from the beginning. After the first day of class, there is no interpreter present, which means that students must use ASL to communicate. While it may seem intimidating, the challenge serves to help students pick up the language quickly.

According to junior Kinsey Ellis, who has completed all of the ASL courses, ASL also offers students practical skills they can take beyond the classroom.

“ASL makes me a better listener. You wouldn’t think that obviously, but having to be observant of everyone around you … it’s something that I’ve taken with me,” Ellis said. “There’s a whole different side

COURTESY NAHEIM WASHINGTON

SHAPE pre-orientation program participants in the community.

Students find community through sign language

of communication that I hadn’t previously even considered.”

Yet despite being beloved by its students, the ASL program falls short of what it could offer; Tufts does not offer as many ASL courses as other languages, nor is there the option for students to pursue a major or minor in the discipline.

“I knew that [ASL] was something that I wanted to continue with,” Ellis said. “I would have loved to continue after [ASL 3]. but with only three classes, it is what it is.”

At the end of the Fall 2022 semester, the Tufts Community Union Senate unanimously passed a resolution that called for the expansion of the ASL program to include two more language classes, a culture class and offer a minor.

However, the Tufts administration has made little progress towards actualizing the resolution’s goals. For junior ben Sagerian, who helped spearhead

the resolution, Tufts’ lack of action has proved to be a point of frustration.

“Every other language has at least five or six courses, plus culture courses, plus a minor,” Sagerian said. “People who take ASL can’t fulfill both parts of their language requirement … After ASL 3, where do we go?”

After the resolution passed, Sagerian said he met with members of the Tufts administration, including James Glaser, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, to discuss the next steps for the program. However, Sagerian was not satisfied with the meeting’s outcome.

“It was clear that our resolution, as it stands, is not something that the university can do now,” Sagerian said. “When you hear that more academic courses can’t be funded, especially when it’s something you care about, emotionally that’s difficult.”

Sagerian said the administration proposed testing out a new ASL curriculum through the Experimental College, and

an ASL 4 course could potentially be available in Spring 2025. However, for some students, this change will come too late.

“That’s not soon enough for me. I’ll be graduated by that point,” Hart said.

Students aren’t alone in dreaming of a bigger future for the program; this hope extends to the ASL faculty members.

The Daily interviewed ASL professors Jim Lipsky and Crystal Eusebio through interpreters.

Lipsky, who has been teaching ASL at Tufts for 32 years, finds students motivated and passionate about the language.

“It’s just a booming field. We can’t even keep up with the demand,” he said.

Another obstacle that the program faces is that ASL teachers are hired by Tufts as part-time lecturers. Consequently, some prospective students may perceive Tufts as less attractive compared to other boston-area universities that offer more robust ASL and Deaf Studies departments, including boston University and Northeastern University.

“We’re so far behind, I feel like we need to catch up,” Lipsky said. “There’s so many things that we want to be able to teach that we just don’t have the ability [to]. If we had it as a minor, we could add so much more.”

Not only would adding a minor mean creating extra courses for students to further develop their signing skills, but it would also mean the addition of a culture course to the program.

“ASL is a language, yes. but there’s also accessibility to the deaf culture and the community,” Eusebio said. “[Students] need to learn about deaf culture because it’s what makes us who we are, it makes up our community, it’s the things that we value and everything that we hold dear.”

Eusebio also believes it is important for students to see deaf culture outside of Tufts.

“[The deaf community is] more than just me and Jim,” she said. “It’s more than just us signing and deaf people in the classroom. Getting that expo -

sure to the community and to our culture is very important.”

In the meantime, students are finding other ways to maintain their ASL proficiency. The Tufts ASL Society, co-founded by Sagerian, has been key to students’ staying engaged with the language and the deaf community; in fact, it may be the only option for students who have completed all of Tufts’ ASL courses.

Despite the roadblocks, students still reflect on their experience with the program with nothing but joy.

“The professors are incredible and they deserve the world,” Sagerian said. “I think if anyone can get the chance to take ASL, even if it’s one semester while they’re here, just do it. It’s so worth it.”

There is also optimism about the program’s future and hope it will get more recognition.

“People are always fighting for [the ASL program] and always emailing,” Sagerian said. “And hopefully, one day it will happen.”

Mixed reviews on Hodgdon Food-On-The-Run’s long-awaited return

Sophie Axelrod Assistant Features Editor

Originally published Sept. 26.

When Hodgdon Food-onthe-Run closed on March 10 for remodeling, many Tufts students were upset with the lack of dining options on campus and the temporary shutdown. Hodgdon Food-on-theRun, affectionately nicknamed “Hodge,” serves as a staple for grab-and-go snacks or quick takeout meals. This semester it reopened after closing for the remainder of the 2022–23 school year.

When students returned to campus this fall, they were greeted with a renovated Hodgdon Food-on-the-Run. However, Hodgdon not only looks different, but its policies have changed. Students are now only able to use one swipe per meal period at the location. The change to the swipe policy is not new, but rather a reversion back to what the system was before COVID-19.

Patti Klos, Tufts University director of dining and business services, explained that the rationale for the one-swipe policy was to help production run more smoothly at retail locations including Pax et Lox Kosher Deli, SMFA Café and Hodgdon.

“The practice of one swipe per meal period in retail was a long standing practice that was suspended during COVID, and it was important to be able to return to that … There’s an imbalance in the ability to support demand relative to the way that program was designed with one swipe per meal period in those retails,” Klos said.

Klos shared that snacks and other auxiliary purchases could be made using JumboCash, not

a meal swipe. The meal deals at Hodgdon are designed to equate to a meal swipe, with JumboCash used for extra goods like drinks and sides. While students are frustrated with the adjustment in policy, Klos explained that Hodgdon was created to augment the experience of all-you-can-eat dining centers, not match it.

Additionally, if students are ordering Hodgdon online, they can not combine their meal swipe and Jumbocash if they go over the meal price equivalency. Students must use Jumbocash if they exceed the value of one meal swipe.

Katie McConnell, a sophomore, expressed her frustration regarding the limitations.

“It feels inconsiderate when you have 400 swipes, and they’re limiting when you can use them because no one’s going to the dining hall 10 times a day,” she said.

In addition to changes made to meal swipe policies, multiple on-campus dining locations have been under renovation in the last year. Klos explained that these changes are part of a larger dining hall improvement initiative.

“Hodgdon and Kindlevan are actually part of a longer term commitment the university has made to improving and enhancing the current dining program,” Klos said. “Part of how the decision was made is the size and scope of the work that needed to be done.”

With the renovations, Hodgdon has seen improvements in kitchen equipment and better services, and the staff has been able to work more efficiently.

“The way that [Hodgdon] was laid out … no longer supported a great experience. We had the means, we had the time frame and made the com -

mitment … to invest in that facility to be able to improve its throughput, make it easier to navigate for the students, and to be able to use the existing square footage more effectively,” Klos said.

However, students do not think all the changes in the renovation have been for the best.

“The food definitely is an easier flow, but the line for checkout still doesn’t work very well,” McConnell said. “I respect the workers so much, they are always there with a good morning and a smile. but there’s just a flaw to the system.”

In contrast, Hodgdon Food-on-the-Run employees are hopeful about the renovation’s success. Jason Lee, a sophomore student worker and manager at Hodgdon, explained that when the dining location closed down, students had high expectations for improvements.

“I think there was also a ton of hype with closing Hodge down. They made a big deal about the closing and renovating, but I think it is a better system and it will just take time for staff and customers to get used to it,” Lee said.

Lee added that he thinks there is still room for improvement. He thinks the bigger issue is the lack of student workers who are needed to efficiently run Hodgdon.

Hodgdon relies on its student workers to keep it running and to open as many stations as possible. Tufts Dining, which has job applications open year round, has not hired a full capacity staff yet due to the recent start of the academic year.

While students want to see Hodgdon back to its full capacity, they have complaints about the current variety of meal options available.

“I’ve had some late nights where the dining hall has been closed and all they have is [burritos] which is good but definitely missing the variety,” McConell said.

Klos emphasized that the dining service is attempting to explore more variety in their supply of items at Hodgdon as well throughout this year.

“You can expect to see some adaptations of menu items over the course of the semester and into the spring semester as we are able to test the ability of the equipment,” Klos said.

Now, Klos is focusing on making sure the setbacks are resolved in a timely manner.

“We strive to provide great service and we’re human. We’re working through major changes to two beloved facilities [Hodgdon and Kindlevan] … we appreciate the investments the university has made, but we’re all making an adjustment together.”

YENA RYOO / THE TUFTS DAILY

Hodgdon Food-on-the-Run is pictured on Sept. 19.

Reflections on the return of Mitski

This month, Mitski, the 33 year old singer and songwriter, released her seventh studio album, “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We” (2023). Met with critical acclaim, the intensity and intimacy of her lyricism reminds us of her incredible artistry, the path she has taken to get here and who we think she is.

Mitski Miyawaki, originally Mitsuki Laycock, was born in Japan’s Mie Prefecture, but moved constantly as a young girl because of her father’s career in the U.S. Department of State, spending parts of her childhood in Turkey, China, Malaysia, the Czech Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Throughout her peripatetic childhood, it was music that remained a constant presence in her life, and while she initially entered Hunter College to study film, she eventually returned to her first love and transferred to SUNY Purchase to study studio composition and arranging.

Mitski garnered acclaim early on for her profound and sensitive writing, which has touched on feelings of jilted love, rage, isolation, racial identity and longing. “Reach out the car window, trying to hold the wind / You tell me you love her, I give you a grin,” she sings in “Strawberry blond” from her album “Retired from Sad, New Career in business” (2013). “Oh, all I ever wanted was a life in your shape / So, I follow the white lines, follow the white lines / Keep my eyes on the road as I ache.” The raw energy of her following album, “bury Me at Makeout Creek” (2014), a grunge-guitar shredding record, also received praise from listeners and critics.

Mitski’s tender and emotionally raw music has garnered her a deeply devoted fanbase. Still, she is acutely aware of the unique relationship that has formed between herself, her fans, her art and how her fans have come to see her as a conduit for their own hopes and sorrows. Mitski has expressed discomfort at the realization that in order to make the music she loves, she must, to some degree, submit to being consumed. In an interview with The Guardian, Mitski recalled an incident after a performance at a small venue where she needed to navigate through a crowd in order to reach her dressing room. “People were unrelenting. Everyone needed a piece of me, whether it was a photo, or my autograph, and then I was so overwhelmed being surrounded by hands grabbing at me that I was crying, but they still didn’t seem to see my crying face. People started to grab at my shirt and, by the time I got out, my shirt was basically off. It was an emblematic moment –that has been happening to me in different ways.”

Mitski’s most recent tour was in 2022 for her sixth album, “Laurel Hell” (2022), which I had the opportunity to see at Radio City Music Hall in May that year. Mitski had previously announced an indefinite hiatus in 2019, and rumors swirled that “Laurel Hell” was merely the fulfillment of a contractual obligation. I remember urgently booking the tickets to the concert with a friend after we had heard the first few tracks of the album. The title itself references an Appalachian nickname for the mountain laurel where wanderers, drawn by the plants’ natural beauty, would die after getting stuck. The lyrics of the album, filled with hope, resentment and desperation revolving around her complicated relationship with music and fame, seemed to spell the end. “If I keep myself at home / I won’t make the same mistake / That I made for fifteen years,” she sings in “Love Me More.” “I could be a new girl / I will be a new girl.”

While perhaps the urgency is more pronounced in “Laurel Hell,” the album was not the first time that Mitski has written of her complicated relationship with music. “You’re my number one, you’re the one I want / And you’ve turned down every hand / That has beckoned me to come,” she sings in the track “Geyser” on her critically acclaimed fifth

album “be the Cowboy” (2018). In much of Mitski’s work, music is an entity, a looming figure in her life that she paints as the thing she cannot live without, which has given so much, yet has also taken everything away from her.

This also extends to her performances themselves. Over the years, Mitski has begun to incorporate dance into her performance, working with the choreographer Jas Lin to develop butoh-inspired choreography, which is a rigid and hyper-controlled style of dance theater that emerged in post-World War II Japan. Simultaneously, Mitski’s performances have taken on the flavor of art pop, her movements animating the archetypes of the coquette, the tortured artist and the seductress. In her performances of “Working for the Knife” (2022), Mitski points her microphone out towards the crowd, gripping it tightly in her fist as she lifts it up to her neck and pulls, mimicking the motion of severing an artery, before dropping the microphone between her thighs and lifting it up sensually, as if pleasuring herself with the tool she had just wielded as a knife.

Part of the allure of Mitski is the belief that her music pours out of her in pure and feverish confession, but Mitski herself

erwise barren landscape: “Now I bend like a willow / Thinkin’ of you / Like a murmurin’ brook / Curvin’ about you,” she sings in “Heaven.” She has accomplished a great feat: mesmerizing us with her artistry and vulnerability, rounding out certain corners of herself, yet leaving these vignettes unconnected, so we are left still knowing so little about her.

Mitski accepts interviews and maintains social media profiles (mostly run by her management team), but she has established tight boundaries regarding what she is willing and unwilling to share — a rather uncommon phenomenon for many in her line of work. She is largely removed from the public spotlight when off the stage and often refuses questions that pry into her personal life. She declines to speak on her father’s work, even when describing the nomadic nature of her early years. She does not discuss her love life. “My mom used to sing me a lullaby,” Mitski said in an interview with Dazed when recalling her early memories of music, before slightly shaking her head, “I’m not going to sing it for you, cause that’s just for me.”

has articulated her devotion to craft and technique. “Maybe it just boils down to: I’m a woman who’s really into her career, so I’m obsessed with the craft of my work … There’s a romance in that for me,” Mitski stated in an interview with The New Yorker. The truth of her emotion is in the music. It is genuine and authentic, but it is the craft that comes first.

“The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We” sonically diverges from the synth-pop rock-forward sound of its predecessor, “Laurel Hell.” It has a type of surreal, absurd, almost biblical writing, haunting and vivid as a barren westerly landscape: “Your pain is eased but you’ll never be free,” she sings in “The Deal.” “You believe me like a god / I destroy you like I am,” she sings in “I’m Your Man,” which closes with the sound of yelping hounds and a shrieking toad. Many of the lyrics are of intensely private, grotesque, and absurd vignettes: gorging herself on cake until she’s sick in “I Don’t Like My Mind”; a bird perched on a streetlight at midnight, turning to speak to her in “The Deal”; the sound of hands clapping for her in the dark in “When Memories Snow.” but she also shares moments of ordinary, domestic bliss, instances of divinity in an oth-

There is one particular moment that astounded me when I saw her at Radio City Music Hall. During her sets, she seldom paused to speak to the audience, her gaze often aimed towards the horizon, at some larger crowd beyond, although one stood right before her. Her set was focused, the vast duration of the show dedicated solely to performance, confirming the invisible separation between herself and the crowd. but towards the end, right before her last song, “A Pearl” (2018), she took a few moments to speak to the crowd. “I love you,” she said, her palm over her chest. “And I don’t care if it’s cheesy. Thank you for being here.”

The crowd went wild. The two young girls sitting in front of me waved their hands and wept. A sea of hands raised and reached for her. “Marry me!” someone shouted.

Mitski’s interior life is obscured by meticulously crafted writing and performance and assertive privacy. Ironically, her efforts to protect herself have only made what she protects become all the more sacred and sought. The Mitski who we imagine hidden in a dark bedroom spinning confession into melody, who we reach for and grab at because we wish to take a part of her pain for ourselves, the vessel for our sorrow and hope and longing, exists, but is not for us. Her music at times feels like a can on a string, or song drifting from a room next door. If we bring our ears to the wall, we may listen. but never can we truly see her.

VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Mitski is pictured performing at Paradise Rock Club in 2016.

Erin Zhu Arts Editor

Emma Seligman’s ‘Bottoms’ charms its way to the very bottom

Emma Seligman’s new satirical, teen, lesbian comedy film “b ottoms” (2023), which hit screens on Aug. 25, might just be the most stereotypically basic feature of 2023. After the release of the two Oscar-worthy films of the summer “ b arbie” (2023) and “Oppenheimer” (2023), Seligman’s motion picture comes up short. Although the film certainly elicits laughter and tackles numerous issues around the LG bTQ+ community in a very witty manner, it does not quite break free from the conventional mold. Whether intentional or not, the directors’ attempt to mock the entertainment industry for the unrealistic representations of the queer community in contemporary films brings up some concerns around its plot choices.

“b ottoms” follows two lesbian high school students, PJ (Rachel Sennott) and Josie (Ayo Edebiri), on their mission to win over their crushes by establishing a fictitious self-defense club within their high-school, prompted by a rumor that they had spent their summer in juvie. In this attempt to enchant Isabel (Havana Rose Liu) and b rittany (Kaia Gerber), who take on the roles of two absurdly popular cheerleaders, PJ and Josie get caught up in a storm of complications, as one would expect. Yet in their attempts

to keep the popular quarterback Jeff (Nicholas Galitzine) — who happens to be Isabel’s boyfriend — out of their way, and in their efforts to break free from their role as the “ugly, untalented gays,” the film loses all focus and delves into a realm of absurdity.

Although Seligman’s movie does have its share of hilarity, it often overexerts itself in attempting to inject humor into situations of profound seriousness. This issue is made exceedingly evident during a later scene when one of the girls from the fight club bravely opens up about her trauma with an abusive stepfather, and is completely disregarded by the rest. It’s a common case of the “tryhard.” The basic building blocks of teen movies serve as the foundation, but the over-exaggeration and lack of character development builds an artificial cinematic piece that lacks genuine insight. The characters are reduced to a collection of peculiar quirks who fit into labels: the dumb jock, the popular cheerleader, and the lesbian outcasts, all of whom have no personality whatsoever.

Yet, box-office results of the film should be noted. The success of “bottoms” in theaters has undeniably made it the movie of the moment. Combined with the recent attention from Rachel Sennott’s appearance in HbO’s “The Idol” (2023) and the indisputable allure of the film’s cast featuring the names of top model Kaia Gerber, along-

side the british star Nicholas Galitzine, the “bottoms” audience is undoubtedly in for a treat. While it has admittedly led to some unexpected disappointment, its box-office accomplishment unequivocally validates the importance of telling queer female stories. The limited representation of lesbians in cinema underscores the significance of this achievement, and continues to show beyond a doubt that there is an incredibly large audience advocating for this genre to be a mainstay in the film industry. While requesting major studios to produce films centered on women is already a challenge, the hurdles of those centered on queer women is even greater, and even more so for queer women of color.

While “bottoms” has undeniably succeeded in fostering queer female representation in a comedic manner — one that has certainly allured a broad spectrum of viewers — Seligman’s latest release falls short in character development and relies heavily in overly stereotypical roles and labels. These elements contradict the film’s intended mission of challenging the conventional norms of coming-of-age high school films. Particularly in the 21st century, a movie like “bottoms,” with such a formidable cast and production, should ideally offer fresh perspectives and narratives that provide a more authentic, less exaggerated and absurd portrayal of queer female characters tackling the harshness of high school with humor.

Odessa

Gaines The Power of the Pen

The strike comes to an end

As of Wednesday, Sept. 27, the Writers Guild of America has officially ended their nearly five-month strike against big studios. Most employed writers returned to work later that day.

The decision to end the strike came from an agreement made between the union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. This agreement includes negotiations about payments, staffing, streaming terms and AI use for the next three years — until May 1, 2026. Final negotiations took place over five days with the CEOs of Disney, Warner b ros. and Netflix all in attendance.

Streaming terms included increasing residual payments to 76% and a bonus from the streaming services determined by viewership levels. Staffing terms laid out a minimum amount of writers on staff for a typical season of a show, ensuring work is properly split up amongst the staff.

One of the biggest points of concern in the world of entertainment, AI, was also discussed during these negotiations. Studios will not be allowed to use AI to change a writer’s material, allowing them to reign over their creative ideas and credits. Additionally, writers will not be forced to use AI as a writing tool by studios — but the use of AI by a writer will be permitted in the development of material.

However, studios will be allowed to use AI-written material they legally own. With this, studios inform writers if they are given material created by AI, and in the event studios would like a writer to rewrite AI content, the writer must be paid the same minimum wage as written projects.

The negotiations over AI use by studios is a significant win for the writers. The use of AI in entertainment was one of the biggest motivating factors the WGA had to strike.

An important thing to note is that, while the WGA has ended their strike, the actors are still currently on strike. b ecause of this, many currently paused TV and film productions will not come back right away. However, late night television and talk shows are expected to bounce back quickly. Even so, writers have been encouraged to stand with the SAG-AFTRA picket lines until they return to work.

As the writers return to their work and scripts, it’s important to remember why the strike began in the first place. The new age of entertainment and technology has brought with it new creative avenues, but also gray areas in credits and workers’ rights. Will studios respond to this achievement for said rights with price increases for streaming or other measures? It will be interesting to see what happens now that the strike has ended.

The 2023 writers strike, the second longest WGA strike by just five days, shows us that as times change, the rules of the world must be negotiated and broken down in order to move forward.

COURTESY EPK.TV

Ayo Edebiri and Rachel Sennott are pictured in “Bottoms.”

Isabella Teubal

Contributing Writer

Odessa Gaines is a junior studying cognitive and brain science. She can be reached at kgaine01@tufts.edu.

Editorial: An open letter to University President Sunil Kumar

by The Editorial Board

Americans increasingly doubt the value of a college education, according to recent reporting by The New York Times. The data show about a 40% decline in American parents who expect their children to attend college over the past decade, with undergraduate enrollment across the country dropping by about 2.5 million young people in the same time frame. As students at one of the most expensive universities in the United States (No. 5, to be exact), this question — “Is college worth it?” — emboldens the Daily to outline our shortand long-term priorities prior to President Sunil Kumar’s Oct. 6 inauguration. Our list is neither extensive nor prescriptive, but we hope it can serve as a guidepost to President Kumar as he envisions the legacy of his light on the Hill.

Housing:

It should come as no surprise that housing is top of mind for residents of Somerville, New England’s most densely populated city. Though Tufts boasts about its 734 beds added since fall 2016, the university is less keen to recognize the 1,307 additional undergraduates — 1,942, counting graduate students — who require a place to sleep. The 398 beds from the new residence hall planned for boston Ave., while a partial solution, will still not be enough to catch up to Tufts’ rate of over-enrollment. Meanwhile, Medford and Somerville were among the top three Massachusetts communities with the fastest rising rents in 2022.

We commend President Kumar’s promise that Tufts’ expansion of the undergraduate program is done; Tufts is just 101 students shy of its initial 6,600 enrollment growth plan, which was set to conclude in 2026. Our ask now is twofold: first, that this promise is kept, and second, that the university ensures clear lines of communication with Tufts’ host communities while taking advantage of opportunities for collaboration.

Historically, elected officials from Medford and Somerville have voiced their concerns over Tufts’ lack of long-term housing plans. The absence of information provided to Somerville in particular compelled then-City Councilor Katjana ballantyne to propose an ordinance in 2014 that would require all major nonprofits in the city to submit

an Institutional Master Plan to the council. An act proposed by Somerville Representatives

Christine barber, Patricia Jehlen and Erika Uyterhoeven would have authorized Somerville to make this requirement, overriding the Dover Amendment that exempts educational institutions from certain development restrictions, but the bill died in committee this session.

Tufts can still voluntarily submit this information and work with both Medford and Somerville to ensure it does not repeat past faux pas. If you’re looking to get really civically engaged, it’s worth circling back to this Daily editorial from 2017, which advocates for reforms to local zoning ordinances. Most of the Medford/Somerville campus is still zoned with a 100–125 foot height cap. We recognize there is very little room ‘out’ to go when it comes to expanding housing without displacing local residents, so the most obvious solution is building ‘up.’

Dining:

Tufts Dining has recently reverted back to a former meal plan policy which limits students to one meal swipe per retail dining location during a given meal period. With required meal plans that cost first- and second-year AS&E undergraduate students upward of $4,000, a reconsideration of the current operations would align with President Kumar’s stated desire to improve student experience.

While the policy claims to combat infrastructure challenges that high-volume ordering at

retail locations like Pax et Lox cannot handle, the persistent lengthy lines that form outside Dewick Mac-Phie Dining Center during the lunch rush around 12 p.m. seem to have been overlooked. In fall 2021, Tufts Dining sent an email addressing student concerns over long lines at its various dining locations. As the problems persist two years later, more tangible solutions to these challenges must be brought to the table.

Although the Tufts Premium Plan provides 400 swipes per semester and an ability to use “up to 10 swipes” per day, we expect most students enrolled in the meal plan on the Medford/ Somerville campus are realistically using one-third of that number. Students have reported having hundreds of swipes left over, yet are unable to donate more than six swipes to the Swipe It Forward meal bank program.

Inconvenience is perhaps students’ biggest concern with the reversion of the dining policy. Students are often rushing in between classes to purchase food to last them through backto-back class schedules. Left with 15-minute periods to get from one part of campus to another, sitting down with a knife and fork at Carmichael Dining Center then heading to class is impossible to fit into these short windows of time. As its title suggests, Hodgdon’s ‘on-the-Run’ model should be kept in mind when thinking about the applicability of the policy change.

Limiting students’ ability to take advantage of their dining

plan in the way that is most practical for them leaves us with concerns about high costs, inconvenience and waste. We hope that President Kumar, in collaboration with Tufts Dining, revisits these policies and calls for changes that satisfy students’ dining needs.

Accessibility:

While the placement of our campus atop a hill was certainly not designed for people living with disabilities, that should not stop Tufts from working to make this campus more accessible now.

People with disabilities often struggle to take their seat at the table, as many residential and academic buildings at Tufts lack multiple accessible entrances. Though the presence (or absence) of handicap push buttons may go unnoticed by the average Tufts student, we must remember that every issue is a disability issue, and we never know when accessibility issues may become personal. Additionally, students are often the University’s first line of defense against malfunctioning accessibility systems, which is not a sustainable solution to ensuring their reliability.

To address this, President Kumar should maintain a system in which the accessibility of campus buildings is regularly evaluated. beyond the physical barriers that accompany disabilities, an additional burden is placed on these students: navigating on-campus dining. Tufts Dining has created a system in which students can both formally and

informally pick up meals for their friends who use a meal swipe, either in the form of the “Send a Friend” dining hall process or by ordering a meal on the Tufts Dining app to a retail location (which is only an option during the week, as retail locations are closed on the weekends). However, this creates situations in which students are forced to rely on their relationships for access to food when they do not feel well, placing more burden on the students by locating a “friend” who is willing and able to fetch their food for them.

Thus, we believe that President Kumar should seek a solution to expand accessible food options.

With all of this taken into consideration, President Kumar should also support the creation of a Disability Community Center in order to designate a welcoming and accessible place for people with disabilities and their friends to gather, besides the established administrative resources like the StAAR Center and student-run clubs.

Accessibility (the other kind):

Leadership at the top is supported by a strong connection to the base. We have a long history of student activism, and with Tufts claiming to support civic engagement, it’s important that our student body feels heard. We hope that President Kumar will build a relationship with Tufts students that cultivates trust and understanding.

As of now, most of the methods that can be found online for contacting the university president are for former President Tony Monaco, other than the emails of the office staff and the email for the office itself. Of course, the websites will be updated, and we expect to have a personal email for President Kumar, but we also ask that President Kumar try to create more innovative, informal opportunities for in-person contact with students.

All community members will feel more empowered if they see that their leader cares about what they have to say. There could be office hours in ballou, or even a weekly or bi-weekly coffee hour at one of the campus cafes. We think that consistent availability in a casual environment is the key to establishing comfort and familiarity. However he thinks it would be done best, we simply ask that President Kumar make it a priority to be accessible to and hear directly from students.

The Tufts Daily is a nonprofit, independent newspaper, published Monday through Friday during the academic year, and distributed free of charge 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 Editorial board. Individual editorialists are not necessarily responsible for, or in agreement with, the policies and editorials of The Editorial board. Editorials are submitted for review to The Tufts Daily Executive board before publication.

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OP-EDS: Op-Eds provide an open forum for campus editorial commentary and are 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.

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University President Sunil Kumar is pictured in his office on Aug. 30.

Reya Kumar Opinion Editor

Last week, reporter Clare Malone published a New Yorker article that exposed the lies that litter comedian Hasan Minhaj’s popular Netflix specials. At first glance, this appears to be a nonissue. Why should we expect truth from comedians? In fact, comedy idol Jerry Seinfeld has said that all his jokes are made up. Comedians are not journalists, activists or educators. And yet, Minhaj has fashioned himself as all three.

On his Netflix show, “Patriot Act” (2018–20), Minhaj was a revelation — a Muslim IndianAmerican man taking on the establishment and speaking truth to power. With a mix of comedy and journalism, he tackled issues such as immigration, the NRA and Saudi Arabia over 40 powerful episodes. In his Netflix stand-up specials, he tells more personal stories, peppering lighthearted jokes between deeply emotional punchlines about his purported experiences, often involving racism or Islamophobia. He maintains some of the styling of “Patriot Act,” using news clips and photos

Why do a comedian’s lies feel like a betrayal?

to support his words, creating an aura of journalistic integrity.

In his first special, “Homecoming King” (2017), Minhaj describes asking a white friend to prom, only to find out that she is going with someone else when her mom turns him away at the door and says that, on a night when they’ll be taking photos, he won’t “be a good fit.” This poignant story of experiencing casual racism from people you thought you could trust speaks to the experiences of many black and brown Americans. Yet the story is a lie.

As Minhaj has admitted, the woman he is talking about actually turned him down days before the dance because she only saw him as a friend. She and her family have since faced online threats due to Minhaj’s failure to thoroughly conceal her identity.

This anecdote is only the tip of the iceberg. Malone combed through both his specials, finding that story after story was built on lies. He never met the FbI informant, Craig Monteilh, who he claims ate at his house in his second special, “The King’s Jester” (2022). Monteilh, to whom Minhaj says he owes nothing because he informed on

the Muslim community, is one of the only FbI informants who has publicly spoken against the FbI’s program. Another story that didn’t happen? The emotional turning point of “The King’s Jester” occurs when Minhaj is eagerly opening a piece of fan mail and white powder falls onto his young daughter, which elicits a gasp followed by dead silence from the audience. He has spoken about this incident in interviews, yet never admits that it did not happen. Even the tweets he projects behind him, as evidence of the threats he received on social media, were heightened.

In his conversation with Malone, Minhaj acknowledged, but never apologized for, his untruths. He highlighted the importance of telling the “emotional truth” and explained that he was using stories that are “grounded in truth” in service of a meaningful argument. However, rewatching “The King’s Jester” with the new context of Minhaj’s falsehoods paints a new picture of this man who has become a paragon of Indian and MuslimAmerican representation. In it, Minhaj humorously emphasizes his obsession with clout, quoting his wife sarcastically say-

ing, “I love how you only care about these issues when there’s a camera on you,” and repeating a bit where he says “Likes, comments, retweets!” like a man possessed. Toward the end, he more seriously considers the importance of trust between a comedian and an audience, saying, “Everything here tonight is built on trust. You trust me, I trust you” and “You can tell the difference between satire and sincerity. You know when I’m joking, you know when I’m being serious.” At first watch, I believed that. Now, I know that the moments he plays as sincere are deceitful. Meanwhile, the funny comments about his craving for Instagram likes seem to be the more honest truth. Minhaj isn’t really interested in taking down the man. Instead, he has used his community’s painful experiences and eagerness for representation to gain the clout he so desires.

Malone’s article also mentions allegations of gender-based discrimination made against the production company of “Patriot Act” by three female employees, all women of color. Other employees claim he was frustrated by the fact-checking pro-

cess interfering with creativity, despite the clear importance of fact in a show tackling such contentious issues, and that he sidelined the contributions of female researchers. Though Minhaj has stated that everything in “Patriot Act” was rigorously fact-checked, these allegations, if true, reveal Minhaj’s dedication to his own vision of bringing the truth to light or directly supporting those he claims to represent.

Ultimately, Minhaj both implicitly and explicitly told his audience they could trust him, as he repeatedly lied, including in ways that implicated real people. He told stories of experiences many brown Americans have had as if he’d experienced them too, painting himself as a fellow victim of discrimination, and building a bond with a whole community that has now been revealed to have a foundation of sand. Even at his most truthful on “Patriot Act,” he failed to support women of color, despite painting himself as a champion for the brown community. Though comedy doesn’t always require truth, Minhaj persuaded us that he was more than the jester he’s turned out to be. That’s why the truth feels like a betrayal.

Is nuclear proliferation back on the negotiating table?

It’s not that hard to build a nuclear bomb. Get your hands on some uranium and materials for enrichment, and you’re golden. While that’s a gross oversimplification, I was able to learn the steps to build a nuclear warhead by spending two hours with a YouTube lecture; and in 1999, two University of Chicago students built a working nuclear reactor in their dorm room. For a weapon with unimaginable consequences, that’s a frightening statement to be able to make. In fact, the U.S. has spent the last 78 years tailoring its international security policy to ensure that other countries can’t take advantage of widely available information on how to construct a nuclear bomb. Specifically, the U.S. has focused on keeping nuclear weapons out of high-tension areas, including the Middle East.

Yet, the U.S. is considering sponsoring nuclear proliferation. In light of heightened tensions surrounding the Iran nuclear deal and the ongoing IsraeliPalestinian conflict, the U.S. has proposed a diplomatic deal to get Saudi Arabia to recognize Israel. In exchange, the Saudi government is requesting that the U.S. help the country build a domestic civilian nuclear program for uranium enrichment. According to the Wall Street Journal, U.S. officials are optimistic, saying that they will be able to finalize the details of “what would be the most momentous Middle East peace deal in a generation” within the next nine to 12 months.

Despite the need to improve diplomatic relations in an area

with which they have historical tensions, the U.S. cannot agree to foster a Saudi civilian nuclear program. When considering a deal between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, it is vital to realize that nuclear energy provides a clear first step toward building a nuclear weapon — a desire Saudi Arabia has expressed for years. Nuclear energy and nuclear weapons are interconnected; their production both involve the same process of uranium enrichment, the foundation for generating clean energy as well as building a working nuclear bomb.

Discovering how to split the atom was the first step toward both nuclear energy and nuclear weapons. The magnitude of this scientific process is highlighted in Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” (2023). Nuclear energy uses low-enriched ura-

nium, while building a bomb requires high-enriched uranium. Natural uranium, mostly found in Kazakhstan, Canada and Australia, requires human intervention to transform the majority of it into usable material.

Natural uranium contains approximately 99.3% of the isotope U-238, and only 0.7% of U-235, which is able to undergo nuclear fission. According to the Nuclear Threat Initiative, “an isotope is considered fissile if it can be split by a slow-moving neutron,” therefore making U-235 the most desirable material. To transform U-235 into this usable state, the concentration of U-235 must be increased by isolating it from the U-238 via a process known as enrichment.

So despite nuclear energy serving a different purpose from nuclear weapons, uranium

enrichment poses a huge proliferation risk because of the similar technologies used in both. Having low-enrichment uranium puts Saudi Arabia in a position to develop nuclear weapons to protect its national security interests. The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons safeguards against non-nuclear states developing nuclear programs. However, as the Nuclear Threat Initiative states, “the NPT does not expressly prohibit non-nuclear weapon states from possessing enrichment facilities, as long as these facilities are used for peaceful purposes, declared, and placed under IAEA safeguards.” If enrichment facilities are concealed and undeclared, they pose a serious proliferation risk and a security risk to surrounding countries.

but we haven’t yet answered why the addition of new nuclear

weapons in this region would be so dangerous. It is because the introduction of nuclear weapons would unlock the potential for an arms race in the Middle East. Israel has not confirmed whether it has nuclear weapons capabilities. Despite the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which placed significant restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanction relief, Iran resumed nuclear activities when the Trump Administration pulled out of this deal in 2018. The Saudi government declared that they will acquire nuclear weapons if Iran does.

Needless to say, having multiple nuclear powers in the Middle East would begin a likely uncontrollable arms race, analogous to the Cold War in the 1980s, when the U.S. and the Soviet Union accumulated over 60,000 nuclear weapons by the end of the decade. This number is staggering — the more weapons, the higher the chance of a nuclear accident, or worse, a targeted attack. Diplomats and leaders need to focus on disarming countries that have nuclear weapons, not politically enabling unstable countries to develop them.

While normalizing relations with the Middle East is important, the U.S. needs to stand its ground on any topic related to nuclear material. Uranium is dangerous and a gateway to a geopolitical event that we can already foresee as devastating. If the U.S. wants to extend an olive branch, we must work within the confines of traditional diplomacy; bargaining with fissile materials is a path we shouldn’t go down with any country, especially Saudi Arabia.

Talia Wilcox Opinion Editor

DEAN CALMA / IAEA

Uranium ore is pictured in barrels.

Women’s soccer breaks even on Homecoming against Hamilton

For a rainy Homecoming 2023 celebration, the Jumbos took to b ello Field to battle it out against the Hamilton Continentals. Much like the storm clouds creeping in, the game had a slow start with the scoreboard remaining blank over 30 minutes into the game.

Tufts was the first to break the scoreless tie with a goal from senior center midfielder Thalia Greenberg, assisted by freshman midfielder Emily Nicholas, coming in the 32nd minute. Greenberg’s score came after an early rush for the goal filled with shots from senior forward Erin Duncan and sophomore midfielder Caroline Kelly. However, all breakaways were saved by the Continentals’ sophomore goalkeeper Nieve Tonna.

Despite only putting one goal in the back of the cage, the Jumbos managed

What we

The 2023 NbA offseason featured many seismic headlines. However, there was perhaps none bigger than the ongoing James Harden-Philadelphia 76ers debacle. Harden, 34, requested a trade in July following a contract dispute with team management. I’m not going to outline the full saga and assume you know what I’m talking about. If you don’t, you can find more information on ESPN.

to get 13 shots and four corner kicks throughout the game. While both teams managed to boast those statistics, the Jumbos reigned supreme with nine shots on goal compared to the Continentals’ six. Additionally, Tufts held its lead strong up until the 81st minute when Hamilton equalized with a header to the right side of the net. Freshman keeper Gigi Edwards continuously fought hard in the net, making five saves on behalf of the Jumbos.

Greenberg explained that although they did not post many points, the first half was the highlight of the game for the Jumbos.

“I think we came out really strong, which is definitely a strength of ours,” Greenberg said.

“It’s really exciting to see everything that we’ve been working on in terms of connecting the ball [and] connecting all the lines, whether that’s the defense, midfield or forward.”

Harden’s latest outburst brings to light a growing NbA culture defined by trade requests. In recent years, players have increasingly deferred to requesting trades in order to publicly voice their contempt over some aspect of the team. Other NbA superstars such as Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy butler and, most recently, Damian Lillard have utilized this “player autonomy” model to force their way out of organizations. Harden may very well be the poster child of this era, with his latest request marking his third in the last four seasons.

Despite multiple successes in the past, Harden has evidently hit a wall on his third attempt. Entering into training camp, Harden remains at an impasse with Philly management. He refuses to play under Sixers general manager Daryl Morey but doesn’t have another viable option. It’s time to dissect the circumstances that led to Harden’s backfired attempt at “player autonomy,” and why players should avoid falling into a situation like Harden’s at all costs.

The crux of Harden’s situation lies in the fact that he and Morey over-relied on infor-

She continued highlighting the team’s tight connection on and off the field.

“Our team chemistry is really, really strong. And I think one of our biggest strengths is the freshmen and how they’ve stepped up so much this season,” Greenberg said. “I’m just so happy with the way the team has been recently. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to just go out there and play with my closest friends, [they’re] my family.”

Greenberg added how a lot of the progress that she and the team are hoping for will come with the application of continued coaching.

“I’m really looking forward to going out there and implementing everything we’ve been working towards, especially with all the feedback from the coach and watching film,” Greenberg said. “I think the biggest takeaway is we got to keep scoring. We got to keep shooting,

mal agreements to drive their professional relationship. Reports indicate that last summer, Harden and Morey had numerous “wink-wink,” under-the-table agreements. This led Harden to take a significant pay cut to make room for “win-now” players like P.J. Tucker, as he believed Morey would give him a max contract the following offseason. When these informal talks didn’t come exactly to fruition, the foundation of Harden and the Sixers’ relationship fell apart.

The first lesson of effective player empowerment: there needs to be a clearly defined level of separation between the ownership and the player. For the business relationship to work, it requires formal agreements between parties. Although Harden and Morey were close from their days in Houston, their camaraderie proved to be their downfall in this instance.

The second and most important takeaway from the Harden situation is that players severely diminish their value when they abuse the power of “player autonomy.” Most other players who’ve requested

also defending in the box has to be tightened up.”

Greenberg noted how some of these changes have already been proven useful, as seen in the team’s most recent road win against Trinity College. Just a day after their draw with the Continentals, the Jumbos emerged victorious in their away match with the bantams 2–1.

Greenberg shared a specific moment from that match demonstrating the team’s bond.

“In our last game against Trinity, we had a goal where three freshmen were involved in the whole play. And they’ve been really, really good strengths, for the team and in team chemistry overall,” Greenberg said.

Fresh off their road win, Tufts women’s soccer looks to take down Colby College on Sept. 30 in their next NESCAC matchup.

trades in NbA history have only done it once. For this reason, Harden is a prime case study of what happens when a player requests a trade too many times, especially over a short period. Evidently, the more times a player requests a trade, the less likely other teams are to trade for that player, as they don’t want to take on the burden of dealing with an easily disgruntled player. When Harden speaks so publicly and candidly about his tarnished relationship with Morey, he builds a persona that’s petty and hot-headed. As the season draws closer, Harden and the Sixers remain in a precarious state. Harden should serve as a cautionary tale — players who push the limits of player autonomy can effectively derail their entire careers. To continue following this story and much more, join me every other week as we take a step back and survey the NbA landscape.

Katie Spiropoulos Deputy News Editor

Thalia Greenberg, Camille Lu and Caroline Kelly celebrate a goal against Hamilton on Sept. 23, 2023.

Sam Dieringer is a junior majoring in Film and Media Studies. He can be reached at samuel.dieringer@tufts.edu.

Tufts cross country finds runaway victory at 55th Codfish Bowl

Madeline Mueller Deputy News Editor

The Tufts cross country program was victorious at the 55th annual Codfish bowl, held Sept. 23 at Franklin Park in boston. both the men’s and women’s teams boasted strong performances to win their respective races and junior team captain Ivan Appleton received the NESCAC Performer of the Week award, finishing second overall in the men’s eight-kilometer race to lead Tufts to a commanding win.

The women’s team began the day with a five-kilometer race, shorter than their typical six-kilometer distance. The shorter race saw strong performances from Tufts, with sophomore Elizabeth Donahue leading the squad with a time of 19:08.9 to finish fourth overall.

Senior captain Rose Kitz was pleased with the win and attributed the success of the women’s team to a race inherently focused on teamwork.

“It was a good chance to practice running in packs … and I think that went pretty well,” Kitz said. “We moved up throughout the race.”

Kitz describes the purpose of these packs, or groups of runners at similar paces, as a strategy focused on “displacing people by running all together and taking up spots close to each other.” The final result, with all five scoring runners in the top 15, serves as a good testament to its efficacy.

In addition to fine-tuning team strategy, the race gave the Jumbos a chance to compete on a course where they will return later in the season. Franklin Park also serves as the site of the NEICAAA

Predicting the unpredictable

Just like in every preseason, the speculation around which team could be raising the trophy in 2024 is non-stop.

The University of Kansas, the consensus pick for the No. 1 team for 2023–24, took advantage of the transfer portal after winning the big 12 title last year. The Jayhawks brought in one of the best centers in college hoops, Hunter Dickinson, and three other important players. After ending the regular season by winning the ACC Tournament, Jon Scheyer and Duke University are looking to win it all with their four leading scorers all staying in school. Michigan State University had a couple surprising wins in March

Championships, where some runners will compete on Oct. 7, as well as the NCAA Division III regional championship on Nov. 11.

While many team goals focused on preparing for future competitions, Tufts’ cross country teams were also excited for a chance to compete locally, especially with the support of the Jumbo community.

“It’s always … fun to run in our boston local meets,” Kitz said. “Our track and field teammates [and] some of our alums came to support us, which is really awesome.”

For the men’s program, Saturday’s performance was also all about teamwork. The Jumbos had all five scoring runners within the top eight, with their

Madness last year, but many believe it was just a preview of what Tom Izzo’s talented and experienced roster can do come November.

b ut with all of these projections, there are bound to be some major misses for anyone filling out their preseason rankings. Purdue is making the top three in almost all of these lists, but do they really have what it takes to make it to Phoenix in March? Zach Edey could win National Player of the Year backto-back, but it’s hard to believe his underwhelming supporting cast won’t disappear again like they did against Fairleigh Dickinson University in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Similarly, another 2023 No. 1 seed in Houston University got knocked out relatively early and also lost their best player, Marcus Sasser and Jarace Walker, then a top N b A prospect. To make matters worse, Houston is making the move from the non-Power Six AAC to what most believe to be the best basketball conference in the big 12. While both

top seven all within the first 11 places for a commanding team performance in the eight-kilometer race. Ivan Appleton’s standout performance was the anchor of this effort, with a time of 25:16.4.

On the men’s side, the win continues a streak from last week where the Jumbos swept the bates Invitational. This week saw Tufts enter a larger field of 20 teams, facing both varsity athletes and club-level athletes. Expecting less heated competition, even considering the 11 varsity teams that were present, the Jumbos approached the race as an opportunity to work on team strategy. Coaches directed the runners to start more conservatively and focus on the last mile of the eight-kilometer race. The team rose to the occasion.

of these teams have enough talent to scrape together decently high seeds in the tournament, I doubt either of them will be able to bring it all together for a championship, or even a respectable run in the tournament.

Not only is there a lot of overrating prior to the first tip-off of the season, but many teams have fallen off the radar to a certain extent. The big East’s Marquette University lost just one of their relevant players and are being led by a sneaky candidate for National Player of the Year, Tyler Kolek. Although their season ended on a bad note, with a loss in the second round as a No. 2 seed, Shaka Smart had his team firing on all cylinders prior to March Madness, winning both their conference season and tournament titles. Still, this team is being projected lower than where they ended the season last year, even though I could make a case for them being No. 2 in the nation. The University of North Carolina, the laughingstock of college basketball last year, could prove every-

“We were told to go out conservative … None of us expected to come out with good times,” Appleton said. “[ b ut] this has to be one of the meets where people really found their [personal records], or at least came close to their PRs.”

Junior Alex Friedman agreed about the team’s performance exceeding their own expectations.

“We just used it to practice running as a group, and kind of just see what would happen,” Friedman said. “We all ran a lot faster than I think we were expecting.”

He added that in addition to the scores achieved by runners, summing to 26 points, the overall strength of the individual times also reflects the team’s depth.

“Our 15th runner was still under 27 [minutes]. Usually that’s our, probably, eighth or ninth runner,” Friedman said. “For this early in the season, that’s really huge.”

Despite receiving NESCAC-wide honors, Appleton isn’t content to simply reflect on the success he found in the Codfish b owl, and is looking to the future.

“I think everyone is pretty focused on [Pre-Nationals], as am I,” Appleton said. “These out of conference meets are really, really important for our nationals push.”

The cross country program hopes to carry the momentum from their dual victories into their next competitions on Oct. 7, with some Jumbos competing at the Pre-Nationals Invitational hosted by Dickinson College in Pennsylvania, and others returning to Franklin Park for the NEICAAA meet.

one wrong in 2024. In my eyes, Caleb Love transferring to Arizona should be looked at as a huge positive. Last year, he was much more of a shot-taker than a shot-maker, leaving UNC’s full roster of talent almost unused. Now, Hubert Davis has given the reins of the backcourt to an experienced R.J. Davis, brought in a few high-ceiling transfers and helped reclass five-star guard Elliot Cadeau. It’s understandable to be hesitant about UNC now, but it seems almost inevitable that they will come back to form this upcoming season. Whether these expectations come to fruition or not, there is absolutely no way to predict any team’s season, especially in college basketball. If I were to put together my own top 25, half of those teams would probably be out of the rankings in a couple of weeks. The best thing we can do is wait for Nov. 6.

Owen Short Moments ‘til Madness

COURTESY TUFTS ATHLETICS

Elizabeth Donahue is pictured at the NESCAC Championship on Oct. 29, 2022.

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