The Tufts Daily - Wednesday, October 7, 2020

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Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Too early to determine compliance with state flu shot requirement, university officials say

Congressman Joe Kennedy III speaks about MA primary, presidential election

by Alejandra Carrillo Executive News Editor

NICOLE GARAY / THE TUFTS DAILY

The Tufts Health Service building is pictured on Sept. 24.

by Anton Shenk News Editor

After the state of Massachusetts announced on Aug. 19 that influenza immunization will be required for all students attending colleges or universities in the state, Tufts health officials have yet to determine students’ compliance with the order.

The state-issued regulation hopes to reduce flu-related and respiratory illness during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a press release. Public health officials are particularly concerned about overwhelming health care resources and are cautious of the similarity between flu and COVID-19 symptoms.

Michael Jordan, the university infection control health director, described the urgency of a flu vaccination this season.

“Getting the flu vaccine will prevent cases of flu, help save lives and preserve healthcare capacity and resources that can be deployed elsewhere, particularly against the spread of [SARSCoV-2], the virus which causes COVID-19,” he wrote in an email to the Daily.

The order may also lead to a reduction in the number of COVID-19 tests needed, and inform health officials of the consequences of a simultaneous COVID-19 and flu infection.

“By reducing cases of the flu, our health care systems should be able to reduce the number of COVID-19 tests that would be

needed, as symptoms are mostly the same. Moreover, we don’t yet know the health outcomes of COVID-19 and flu co-infection, which could present a more severe course of illness,” Jordan said.

Although university health officials have not shared the Tufts community’s current compliance rates, Medical Director of Health Service Marie Caggiano remains hopeful students will comply with the order.

“Typically, flu shots are given in late September through the month of November,” she wrote in an email to the Daily. “We are confident that students will comply – Tufts students have demonstrated their commitment to doing what’s right and taking care of each other.”

Michelle Bowdler, executive director of health and wellness services, echoed Caggiano’s statements by noting the university’s high rates of compliance for other required vaccines.

“Historically, Tufts has had very high compliance rates for the other vaccines required of students, and we would expect the same compliance with the flu shot requirement,” Bowdler wrote in an email to the Daily.

Although the Massachusetts order permits medical or religious exemptions, Caggiano suggested Tufts’ strict health policies will make it difficult for the university to approve such exemptions.

“We are very strict about exemptions, which are granted in

only limited circumstances … if a student requests an exemption for medical or religious reasons, they will have to provide documentation that we will review,” she said. “Requests will not be granted automatically.”

Tufts has traditionally offered free flu shots to students through Health Service. However, this may not be possible this year, as a result of COVID-19-related guidelines.

“We’ve always taken pride in offering very robust flu shot clinics, providing vaccinations to more than 2,000 community members in any given year … Needless to say, that won’t be possible this year due to social distancing requirements,” Bowdler said.

Caggiano indicated that the university is continuing to explore different options to make the flu shot clinics available to students.

Dean of Student Affairs and Chief Student Affairs Officer Camille Lizarríbar made clear the disciplinary consequences for failing to receive a flu shot, which includes placing registration holds on students.

“We give people a range of time to [get vaccinated] … we provide ample warning that we will be placing a registration health hold on the accounts of students who don’t comply with the immunization requirement,” Lizarríbar wrote in an email to the Daily. see FLU, page 2

U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III spoke to the Tufts community in a webinar on Tuesday, Oct. 6, as part of the Tisch College Distinguished Speaker Series.

The event was moderated by Alan Solomont, dean of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life.

Solomont opened the discussion by asking Kennedy about his recent loss to incumbent Sen. Ed Markey in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts last month.

Kennedy assured Solomont that he entered the race committed to addressing several issues, including those related to the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted that, if he were asked to run again, he would do so in an instant.

“Am I glad I ran? Yes, and I would do it again in a heartbeat,” he said. “Politics is a tough business and you realize certainly as an elected official … there’s very little of this that you control, and so you do your best to navigate through it.”

Kennedy said he is proud of his campaign and noted that they won 16 out of 21 working-class cities and towns, and the Black and Hispanic vote.

During the conversation, he voiced his support for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his vice presidential running mate Kamala Harris. “[I am] looking forward to hitting the road both virtually and physically a bit for Vice President Biden and Kamala Harris,” Kennedy said.

Solomont then asked Kennedy about the challenges he faced launching a campaign in these atypical circumstances.

“What COVID did is limit our ability to [engage with people] …

I think in a challenging position we’ve seen incumbents actually do pretty well across the board,” Kennedy said.

He added that, as the COVID19 pandemic intensified, his campaign’s pollsters saw a substantial point bump for incumbents. Kennedy attributed this result to people searching for a sense of stability amid a public health crisis.

Solomont also asked the congressman how candidates and campaigns should engage youth voters in the days leading up to the election.

“For most 18, 19, 20 year olds, this country, this world is see ELECTION, page 2

FRANMARIE METZLER / U.S. HOUSE OFFICE OF PHOTOGRAPHY

U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III is pictured.

FEATURES / page 4

ARTS / page 5

SPORTS / back

CARE prioritizes sexual health, education in time of pandemic

Virtual Creative Careers Trek will provide accessible opportunity to discover artistic careers

With NFL reunion coming Sunday night, a Big Ten look back at history of Wilson-Cousins rivalry

NEWS

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FEATURES

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ARTS & POP CULTURE

4

FUN & GAMES

6

OPINION

7

SPORTS

BACK

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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Wednesday, October 7, 2020

THE TUFTS DAILY Alex Viveros Editor in Chief

EDITORIAL Managing Editors Jake Freudberg Associate Editors Jilly Rolnick Alejandra Carrillo Maddie Aitken Jessica Blough Tom Guan Liza Harris Alex Janoff Matt McGovern Sara Renkert Sarah Sandlow Anton Shenk Carolina Espinal Sam Klugherz Alexander Thompson Alicia Zou

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University officials look for ways to hold flu shot clinics in light of COVID-19 guidelines FLU

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continued from page 1 Caggiano suggested students get their flu vaccination between September and November. She briefly discussed the process that occurs when a student begins reporting flu-like symptoms, which are nearly indistinguishable from COVID-19.

“Anyone who presents with flu-like symptoms should be evaluated by medical providers.

Health Service is prepared to provide rapid on-site flu testing, and we’ll handle each person’s case individually,” Caggiano said.

While it is premature to determine the level of compliance among Tufts students, university officials are hopeful that students

will take the urgency of vaccination seriously.

Jordan emphasized the importance of getting vaccinated.

“Protecting against the flu is critical, which is why the vaccine this year takes on added importance.

And just as with COVID-19, to avoid the flu we all must be vigilant about wearing masks, physical distancing, and hand hygiene,” he said.

The university’s early success in limiting COVID-19 cases on campus has increased officials’ faith in students’ commitment to protecting themselves and others.

“I anticipate that students will make sure they have been vaccinated, both for their own safety and for the safety of their friends,” Lizarríbar said.

Kennedy calls on youth to vote in November election ELECTION

continued from page 1 going to be yours far longer than the people that are running it,” Kennedy said. “Why would you settle for letting the choices of somebody that isn’t going to be here for all that long? Why would you cede your voice?”

Solomont cited a recent poll from the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement that found that 83% of young people between 18 and 24 years of age believe their generation can change the course of the U.S. Solomont later asked Kennedy about his main concerns as the November election looms near. Kennedy expressed discontent with President Trump’s leadership, especially during the pandemic.

“I don’t have a lot of confidence in the character, integrity

of the president,” Kennedy said.

“After getting the best health care anyone could get in possibly the world … to come back and minimize the impacts of a virus.”

Kennedy explained that one of his main concerns is Trump’s intention to discredit the results of the election.

“We need people to have to go out and vote and have confidence in that [election system],” he said.

Solomont then asked Kennedy about the best ways to support small businesses and individuals affected by the pandemic.

“People need a lot of help … they’re going to need help for a long time. I think what many of us have found out … is just how vicious this pandemic has been,” Kennedy said.

After Solomont inquired about bipartisanship in Washington D.C., Kennedy

made it clear that it still survives today, despite ongoing partisan rancor on the hill.

“I don’t think bipartisanship is dead,” Kennedy said. “[My job] is also to try to find, with my Republican colleagues, any opportunity of where our interests overlap.”

Solomont also asked Kennedy about his support for rankedchoice voting, which will appear on the November ballot in Massachusetts.

“I support it because it’s a great strength in the democratic process,” he said.

Kennedy added that rankedchoice voting could have led to a completely different outcome in the 2016 presidential election; he argued that Hillary Clinton could have won were it not for votes cast in support of Jill Stein.

Solomont later referenced the Supreme Court Term Limits Act,

which was recently introduced

by Kennedy and, if implemented, would establish an 18-year term limit for Supreme Court justices. “[The Act] lowers the temperature of these confirmation fights, it means it regularizes that process,” he said.

The conversation then opened to questions from the audience.

First-year Arnav Patra asked Kennedy how young progressives can make their goals more appealing to traditional Democratic politicians.

Kennedy underlined that it is important to engage in dialogue and contact local representatives.

“Engage with your local elected officials and whether that’s here at Tufts or back home … write them a letter, request a meeting and talk to them about what it is you’re seeking,” he said.

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Features

3 Wednesday, October 7, 2020

CARE continues to provide sexual misconduct support, sex education during pandemic

by Eileen Ong

Contributing Writer

The Tufts Center for Awareness, Resources, and Education (CARE) has adapted to the new normal with different approaches to engage with the community.

The role of CARE is to serve as a resource for those who have been affected by sexual misconduct, as well as to offer prevention programming. It also oversees two student-facilitated groups, Sex Health Reps (SHR) and Green Dot. SHR focuses on sex positivity and sexual health, and Green Dot promotes sexual misconduct prevention and bystander intervention.

According to CARE Director Alexandra Donovan, CARE’s biggest concern is that people will not reach out for medical or sexual assault related services out of fear of consequences.

Multiple students have asked her if the center has “COVID sex amnesty” when approaching her about an assault. She also said students are hesitant to disclose whether they are sexually active when seeking medical services.

Donovan emphasized that CARE is a confidential resource and will not disclose students’ personal information.

“Sex is happening, sexual assaults are happening — any barriers we put in front of students to get information, safety or help is a disservice to our whole community,” Donovan said.

According to Donovan, students still have the option for in-person services if they follow the university’s COVID-19 protocols.

CARE has several events planned for the semester, including with residential assistants who reached out to the center for workshops. In addition, the center will host a “grab-and-go fair” where students can get a package of condoms, lube and stickers, and talk to a sex health representative in a phsycially distanced manner.

With the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life and the School of Arts and Sciences, the center is also co-sponsoring a virtual author conversation with Executive Director of Health & Wellness Services Michelle Bowdler on her book “Is Rape a Crime? A Memoir, an Investigation, and a Manifesto” (2020) on Oct. 26.

To ensure the safety of the students and event attendees, CARE has turned

Owen Bonk Since You Last Saw Me

I

The perfect queer movie

t’s a Friday afternoon, and my Zoom classes have just wrapped up for the week. I could be thinking about what I have to look forward to (another weekend alone) or what I’m missing out on (a fulfilling college experience), but instead I look out the window to see if I’ll need a raincoat for my walk. This is the routine I’ve developed: school until noon, then walk, then tea and finally, a queer movie.

You’re probably wondering why I’ve added “queer” as a qualifier. While most people have turned to gardening, baking or biking, my isolation projects have been

VIA FACEBOOK

The profile photo for CARE’s Facebook page is pictured. to online platforms to offer their services there as well. The center is exploring options besides Zoom and is looking into Remo, an online event and networking space where attendees can sit at virtual tables to interact, and Mentimeter, a live polling platform.

“We’re honestly trying to find a way that feels a little less pressure than Zoom and feels a little less like school,” Donovan said. “However, Zoom is always a fallback because we know everyone has access to it and people know how to use it.”

Social media — Instagram in particular — has provided an avenue for the center to engage with students and the community. SHR is beginning a weekly Hump Day Q&A where the reps will answer submitted questions about sex.

Green Dot Ambassador Coordinator John LaLime said the online presence is the focus of their efforts right now, especially with the uncertainty of the ever-changing circumstances of the pandemic. LaLime said that Green Dot is looking to host virtual office hours and movie

nights on top of producing content to go in trainings with student groups.

“Our goal is to further institutionalize the Green Dot message of consent, of bystander intervention, of having healthy relationships, of having conversations about these issues. All of that can still happen with this dynamic,” LaLime said.

Donovan said that since March, there has not only been a change of what CARE does and how it does it, but also who comes in through the door. According to a New York Times article, reports of domestic violence in households have surged since the start of lockdown. Donovan emphasized how sexual misconduct looks very different in a pandemic. Whether it is because someone is in an uncomfortable housing situation or an unhealthy relationship, people are stuck because the pandemic makes it difficult and unsafe to go elsewhere.

“Our numbers are so much higher for students looking for help around relationships: toxic, unhealthy, abusive, whatever language they’re using- relationships.”

Donovan said.

more abstract. One of them is, in essence, an investigation that revolves around a single question: Is there such thing as the perfect queer film?

No is the easy answer. I recognize that one film can’t capture every variant of queerness, because our community’s experiences are so disparate. I’m not suggesting that there should be one film to serve as a font of wisdom and strength for all; it’s actually the particularity that often makes queer films resonate with the identity groups they portray. Nonetheless, the inquiry is useful, because during my so-called investigation, I’ve found many cinematic interpretations of queerness to be inaccurate, disparaging or inauthentic.

Ironically, the most troubling thing about a large portion of queer representation is that it is not really about queer people. “Disclosure” (2020), a documentary I watched this summer about trans

representation, compiles a laundry list of films that perpetuate transphobic ideas and tropes. Included in this list was the 1994 comedy “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,” which struck me as particularly heinous.

At the end of the movie, the titular character realizes that a woman he has kissed is trans, and his reaction is comically outsized: he retches into the toilet, viciously scrubs his tongue with a toothbrush and burns a bucket filled with his clothing.

This is an extreme example, but the scene is in keeping with a strong tradition of centering queer representations around the reactions and lives of straight and cisgender people. Whether it be the trope of the gay best friend (“Mean Girls” (2004) and “Clueless” (1995)) or the affair/ home wrecker (“Free Fall” (2013), “Giant Little Ones” (2018) and “Alex Strangelove” (2018)), queer people’s cinematic lives are measured by the convenience of their gender or orientation in the rhythms of

Emma Seymour, a Green Dot ambassador coordinator, said the party culture and social dynamic on campus has changed drastically. “[We will be] able to provide resources for people who want to learn more about it, or might be in a situation where their roommate is around them all the time and they might actually notice that their roommate has a partner that could potentially be emotionally abusive,” Seymour said. “Like what do you do at that point?

So we are working on creating materials to help people out with that.”

Seymour said Green Dot is trying to “reframe the conversation” with COVID19-friendly and cohort-friendly language, especially to cultivate healthy relationships outside of the party scene and within cohorts.

Similarly, SHR believes sex education is about giving everyone all the information they need and supporting safer practices.

“In a pandemic, behaviors become more risky and choices are more complex.

Our goal is to help you navigate and make the most informed decisions,” SHR said in an Instagram post.

Donovan has noticed that during this time, people are more comfortable asking a potential new sexual partner if they have been tested for COVID-19, whom they have been hanging out with and if they are hooking up with multiple people.

“Those are questions I would love for us to still ask outside of a pandemic. I would love for people to still have the conversation of like ‘Any STIs I should know about? Are we going to use a condom or any barrier method here?’” Donovan said.

“We are so bad at that kind of thing and yet we are so eager and okay with asking about COVID. I would love for those skills to translate moving forward.”

Although the pandemic has brought challenges, Seymour is excited to work with a group of ambassadors who “show up consistently ready to go, determined, motivated to basically do this work.” She believes that is why they have been able to effectively spread awareness in the past years.

“Despite the fact that circumstances have changed, the core values of respect, of decency, of intervening in situations that we know are inappropriate still matter. They’re still critically important.”

LaLime said. “And we all have a duty … to do what we can to make this a safer place.” straight cisgender society. We don’t often get to watch them live their lives because they aren’t allowed to exist beyond conflicts relating directly to their sexuality.

As I continued my weekly screenings, I found a few notable exceptions. “The Way He Looks” (2014) is a film about a blind boy searching for independence from his parents while also pursuing a relationship with a male classmate. “Paris is Burning” (1991) is a documentary about ballroom culture, which expands upon the lives of queer people of color beyond that which directly threatens them by showcasing their creativity. These films aren’t perfect, but they are authentically queer. Finding them, and the reasons that they feel so right, has been an unexpected silver lining of my isolation.

Owen Bonk is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. Owen can be reached at owen.bonk@tufts.edu.

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Arts & POP ARTS Pop CULTURE Culture

tuftsdaily.com

Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Meditation, mindfulness, reconstructing reality with Deepak Chopra

DEVINA BHALLA / THE TUFTS DAILY

A screenshot from Deepak Chopra’s virtual talk about her book ‘Total Meditation: Practices in Living the Awakened Life’ (2020) is pictured.

Arts Editor

Deepak Chopra, a prominent doctor, author and figure in alternative medicine, ‘Zoomed’ to Boston on Oct. 1 to talk about alternative medicine and his new book “Total Meditation: Practices in Living the Awakened Life” (2020). The event was sponsored by Harvard Bookstore, RJ Julia Booksellers and Northshire Bookstore.

Chopra has authored more than 90 books and has had numerous best-sellers throughout the past 30 years, including “Ageless Body, Timeless Mind” (1993) and “Metahuman: Unleashing Your Infinite Potential” (2019).

“Total Meditation” takes readers through the exploration of the body, mind and spirit, the reinterpretation of those realms and the transformative process

brought by this exploration, which ultimately results in an awakened body.

He began his talk by placing his book within this current moment and the landscape of grief people are experiencing because of COVID-19. From losing loved ones to losing our way of life, people are in all different phases of grief, Chopra commented.

Chopra discussed how meditation and mindfulness can also decrease the activity of internal dialogue and go to the source of thought. He said that we can manage the bodily effects of our internal dialogue because the body is a reflection of that dialogue.

“Therefore,” Chopra continued, “we should think of mind-body as a single entity.”

According to him, by going to the source of thought through meditation, you are able to change

your inner dialogue to be positive and removed from negative cycles of thought.

“The real point of meditation is to get us to know ourselves,” Chopra said.

“Total Meditation” is connected to his previous book “Metahuman,” which is about waking the deepest self up in order to free yourself from anxiety, tension and conditioning. This enables you to reach, as the subtitle suggests, your infinite potential. “Metahuman” includes a 31-day guide to get to that space. “Total Meditation” is a continuation of this, and discusses how to stay in that place and make your infinite potential your reality.

Chopra discussed the seven pillars of well-being: sleep, meditation and mindfulness, movement, emotional regulation, nutrition, relationships and laughter.

“Total Meditation,” according to Chopra, is intended to guide your biology in the direction of healing to a place of mental stability and lightness of being.

“The real purpose of meditation in the great spiritual vision is to wake up from what we call everyday reality, which is a lucid dream in a vivid now,” Chopra said.

In his talk, Chopra spoke about how he believes that reality is really a dream, yesterday and tomorrow are dreams and the moment we are in now, by the time we understand it, is a dream. In turn, meditation can help us wake up from this dream, he believes.

“All our experience is a construction,” Chopra said.

Through “Total Meditation,” Chopra says we are able to construct our reality. You are able to reconstruct it, projecting meaning into lived experiences and stop recycling old stories, as he puts it.

In addition to talking about his book, Chopra put it into practice by leading attendees through a 10-minute meditation. Asking them to close their eyes and put their hands, palms up, on their knees, he began guiding them through the exercise.

The exercise itself was all about being aware and still.

Some comments he made during the meditation were “just be present in your own presence” and “this presence is pure consciousness.”

I have never meditated myself and definitely have not meditated at an author talk before.

However, Chopra’s soothing voice and oozing expertise made me comfortable embracing the exercise. It was quite lovely to sit and enjoy being present in myself instead of being lost in all of the chaos and stress that has encompassed this period in all of our lives.

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Wednesday, October 7, 2020 | Arts & Pop Culture | THE TUFTS DAILY

Ryan Smith discusses Virtual Creative Careers Trek, new additions to program

by Christopher Panella Arts Editor

The Tufts Career Center will host the Tufts Virtual Creative Careers Trek on Friday, Oct. 16. The program, now a few years old (and renamed from the NYC Arts and Entertainment Trek), gives Tufts undergraduate students the opportunity to engage and connect with professionals in a variety of arts, media and entertainment careers.

In the past, that manifested into a jam-packed day trip to New York City.

Of course, it goes without saying that this year’s programming will be entirely virtual. But according to Ryan Smith, assistant director of the Career Center and career advisor for the arts, that has opened many doors for new and exciting programs.

“We wanted to create an opportunity for more students to engage with more alums and employers nationally, and possibly even internationally,” Smith said, detailing that the program will run from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with a makers’ panel and smaller events following.

The panel will feature Victor Quiñonez, a School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) alum and co-founder and creative director of Street Theory, Ken Diaz, another SMFA alum and product specialist at Formlabs, Lisa Granshaw, a Tufts alumna and associate editor for Backstage magazine, Greg Gorman, the senior managing photo art director for LL Bean, Chika Offurum, the director of audience development for

“American Experience” on WGBH and Roman Molino Dunn, a music composer for film, television commercials and producers at Mirrortone Studios.

The panel offers a wide variety of creatives from interesting backgrounds and fresh perspectives. “This panel is to talk about how we’re being creative and why it’s important now,” Smith explained.

It is a new addition to the program and allows Tufts students to learn more about their career paths and meet professionals.

The panel is also a way to remind students that despite COVID-19, careers still exist and will continue to. “A lot of students are thinking about the arts and seeing what they think are shortages in production in the entertainment sector,” he said. “They’re kind of second-guessing if there’s a need to be creative and artistic.”

Smith sees this panel as a way to remind students of just how important artistic and creative work is, especially now more than ever. “We all have the opportunity to use our creativity to get out there and make messages and keep people thinking and engaged.”

After the makers’ panel, a speed networking event will follow from 1–2:30 p.m., which will include both employers and alumni. Those conversations are more focused on, as Smith explained, “how to engage and network with professionals who are doing the type of work that students want to do.” The speed networking event is the most similar to previous Trek in-person programming.

Whereas previous years had limited attendance and requirements to apply for the Trek, this year’s programming is more inclusive. “It’s open to undergraduates, graduate students and Class of 2020 graduates, from any major, they just have to be interested in a career in arts, communications or media entertainment.” This makes the program more engaging for students who have varied and interdisciplinary interests.

The difference in format didn’t just come out of necessity, but rather a desire to provide Tufts students with unique opportunities to connect with arts and entertainment industries. “The Trek is always on my radar because I am continually working to build more relationships with alums in the creative sector so that students have more opportunities,” Smith explained.

After last semester’s shutdown, Smith and the Career Center immediately began thinking about connecting with employers and making sure programs like the Trek worked. The result is an accessible opportunity for students to connect with professionals, regardless of whether students are near Tufts’ campus or attending the semester remotely. And while Smith acknowledges the desire for in-person networking, virtual isn’t so bad right now. “Nothing replaces that in-person connection that we all miss, but this is definitely a next-best alternative.”

Students can sign up for the Tufts Virtual Creative Careers Trek on Handshake.

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Julian Levy Keep the Cameras Rolling

The distribution dilemma

W

hat happens when an immovable object meets an unstoppable force? Thus is the state of movies in 2020. It’s difficult to understate how profound an effect COVID-19 has had on the film industry; after a historic year in 2019, with Disney alone producing several movies that made billions of dollars, major theater chains are now struggling just to stay in business.

There have been numerous reports of AMC, the largest theater chain in the world, planning to file for bankruptcy, and Cineworld just announced that it would once again be closing many locations temporarily after almost every tentpole film slated to release this year had been delayed.

This closure has been taken especially hard as it seems emblematic of many of the issues plaguing the industry right now. For one thing, the thousands of people employed by these chains have felt betrayed by the unstable nature of the openings and closings of their places of employment. Variety reports that many of the employees who lost their jobs at Cineworld only found out by watching the news. It also says that they feel that Cineworld “has kept them largely in the dark about the situation.” In the U.K. alone, 5,500 people work for Cineworld, so the effects of the film industry’s troubles stretch far beyond that of padding the pockets of studio executives. The cause of this closure is multifaceted.

Box office revenue is increasingly concentrated in major blockbuster releases.

Financially successful films not based on previously established intellectual property are becoming rarer every year, with movies by directors Quentin Tarantino and Christopher Nolan being notable exceptions. The latter is seeing the diminishing returns of name recognition just this past month. If studios are afraid and unwilling to put their bankable properties back into the proverbial wild that is the COVID-19-era movie theater, there’s little else to rely on.

Releases with lower budgets might have been able to bring in healthy if not somewhat reduced box office totals this year, but for $200 million movies, there are simply not enough people willing to go to the theater. Conversely, consumers aren’t always willing to pay enough for these releases through on-demand streaming services. This creates a vicious cycle; the movies that have historically brought in more revenue are delayed, so theaters remain mostly closed or have modified, reduced schedules. Because theaters are closed, those movies are pushed back even further. If each film wasn’t as much of a financial gamble, with many costing hundreds of millions to make, there would be a greater willingness to test giving them a theatrical release, and a more consistent stream of them as well. Instead, these lower-budget films have been relegated to streaming releases in a desperate attempt to at least break-even.

Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” (2020) was supposed to be the savior of the box office, but its $45 million domestic gross so far says otherwise. The film industry can no longer count on a few movies to bear the burden of what should be a wider range of mid-budget and lower-budget releases.

This will promote riskier, more inventive filmmaking, giving unproven voices a chance to shine.

Julian Levy is a first-year who has not yet declared a major. Julian can be reached at Julian.Levy@tufts.edu.

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THE TUFTS DAILY | Fun & Games | Wednesday, October 7, 2020

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Libra (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Expand your territory. Stick to practical options, and avoid empty fantasies. Prepare for unexpected road conditions. Watch for hidden agendas. Investigate and explore.

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Difficulty Level: Taking an orgo test while listening to the relaxing sound of jackhammers down the block

Monday’s Solution

Monday’s Solution

CROSSWORD

tuftsdaily.com

Elizabeth Buehl Sobremesa

Falling through the cracks of COVID-19

W

e build snow days and national holidays into our academic calendars, but certainly not pandemics. In March of this year, public schools were forced to grapple with what learning in the age of a pandemic was going to look like. Now, in a school year completely changed by COVID-19, many have accepted our current situation as the new educational norm. It is time we take a stand and challenge this norm as unacceptable.

Opinion The United States Department of Education (USDE) usually has accountability standards that require each state to meet certain public school standardized testing requirements. Rather than devising creative ways to uphold these standards, the USDE decided to relax their requirements — allowing for lower scores and less standardized testing during the pandemic. Some people may argue that standardized testing is inherently flawed; while I agree to some extent, it is currently the backbone of public education.

Standardized testing is our nation’s only measure of determining where students stand in their progression through the system. They help answer questions like: Are students ready to move to the next grade?

Is the curriculum structured properly?

The effectiveness of an American education doesn’t start or stop with children; adults are very much intertwined in this

system. “Essential worker” became a buzzword this past spring when our society realized the importance of people like cashiers, bus drivers and prep cooks. Some members of this over 55 million person sector earn disproportionately less money than workers considered to be “nonessential.” While still working long hours for low wages, some essential workers had to leave their children home without the parental guidance or financial resources necessary to ensure remote academic success.

Not only were many children left home without proper academic resources, but they have also been left without proper nutrition. You’ve probably never considered the link between sandwiches and the effects of COVID-19, but students receive about 20.1 million free school lunches everyday. While several school lunch programs have adjusted to accommodate remote students, many have left members

7 Wednesday, October 7, 2020 of our nation’s youth without the sustenance they need.

We must implement concrete solutions to get American children back on the path toward academic success. Our country’s first step should be increasing training and resources for public school teachers as they navigate the hardships associated with online schooling. This will require researching what the most effective online learning tools are and increasing funding of those programs. Furthermore, our federal and local governments must provide the technology necessary for students to access these resources. The pandemic has left us with cracks in our public educational system, most of which we could have never foreseen; it is time to start patching them.

Elizabeth Buehl is a first-year who has not yet declared their major. Elizabeth can be reached at elizabeth.buehl@tufts.edu.

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8 Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Sports

tuftsdaily.com

Wilson-Cousins matchup dates back to Big Ten battles

by Alex Sharp

Assistant Sports Editor

On Oct. 22, 2011, the undefeated Wisconsin Badgers football team rolled into East Lansing for an 8 p.m. nationally televised matchup against the Michigan State Spartans.

After defeating their first six opponents by an average of 38 points, the Badgers were ranked sixth in the Bowl Championship Series rankings and had legitimate national championship aspirations. Coming off consecutive wins over Big Ten powers Ohio State and Michigan, Michigan State entered the game against Wisconsin as the 16th ranked team in the country.

It was a game of runs from the start.

Wisconsin jumped out to a 14–0 lead before Michigan State scored 23 unanswered points before halftime. With under 10 minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Wisconsin trailed 31–17. The Badgers responded with two quick touchdowns, the second coming with less than 1:30 left on the clock.

Of course the game isn’t remembered because of anything that happened in the first three quarters; it is remembered because of the final play.

With four seconds to play and the score knotted at 31, the Michigan State quarterback snapped the ball from around mid-field. He took a smooth three-step drop before rolling to his right and unleashing the ball towards the end zone. A textbook Hail Mary prayer. A Wisconsin defender jumped in the air and tipped the ball, which flew past him and bounced off the helmet of a Michigan State receiver. Wisconsin fans breathed a half second sigh of relief as the ball ricocheted into the air and out of the front of the end zone.

Their relief was short lived and replaced by a massive punch to the gut as the ball fell right into the hands of Michigan State’s Keith Nichol at the 1-yard line. Madness followed.

Five Badgers swarmed Nichol and did everything they could to prevent him from crossing the goal line. The refs ruled Nichols down at the 1-yard line with no time remaining on the clock but after review, the refs determined the ball did cross the goal line, sending Spartan Stadium into a craze and giving Michigan State a 37–31 win.

The Michigan State quarterback, who threw for 290 yards and three touchdowns, was Kirk Cousins. His counterpart on the Badgers was a 5-foot-11-inch fifth-year transfer from North Carolina State named Russell Wilson. Wilson and Cousins, both now

Jenny Lu In the Paint

Jeremy Lin deserves to play

W

hen we hear the name Jeremy Lin, we think of Linsanity — an unforgettable moment in basketball history where Lin electrified Madison Square Garden and took the Knicks for a 7–0 wild winning ride in the absence of Carmelo Anthony.

Lin averaged 26.8 points in the first six of those games and won seven consecutive games, putting the Knicks back on the map and starting a cultural phenomenon.

ALL-PRO REELS AND KEITH ALLISON / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Kirk Cousins and Russell Wilson are pictured. playing their ninth year in the NFL, will meet again on Sunday night, as Cousins’ Minnesota Vikings are set to play Wilson’s Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field in Seattle.

The Week 7 thriller between Cousins’ Spartans and Wilson’s Badgers was only the first exciting battle between the teams during the 2011 season. Just over a month after the Hail Mary Game, Wisconsin and Michigan State travelled to Lucas Oil stadium in Indianapolis for the inaugural Big Ten Football Championship Game (before 2011, the conference champion was determined by regular season standings).

Wilson and Cousins weren’t the only future pros playing in the 2011 BadgerSpartan rivalry. Wisconsin’s running back room was loaded, led by Montee Ball who rushed for 33 touchdowns in 2011 and would play two seasons for the Denver Broncos. Ball’s backup on the Badgers was James White, the speedy New England Patriot nicknamed “Sweet Feet” who scored three touchdowns in New England’s come-

back Super Bowl 51 victory over the Falcons. Buried deep in the Badgers running back depth chart was freshman Melvin Gordon III, a two-time Pro Bowler currently playing for the Denver Broncos. Michigan State wasn’t too shabby at running back in 2011 either, with two-time first-team AllPro Le’veon Bell manning the backfield for the Spartans. The Spartans 2011 defense also had a couple future pros in William Gholston (defensive end, Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Darqueze Dennard (cornerback, Atlanta Falcons).

In the Big Ten championship, Wisconsin again jumped out to an early lead. Behind touchdowns from Wilson and Ball, the Badgers led 21–7 after the first quarter. All the momentum shifted to the Spartans in the second quarter, as Michigan State scored 22 unanswered points on a Cousins passing score, a fumble return touchdown, and a Bell rushing touchdown. After the teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter, Wilson led Wisconsin on two scoring drives in the fourth quarter. Ball’s

There are different takes on what led to the end of Linsanity and Lin’s downfall in the NBA. Was Linsanity merely a fluke?

Did his injury ruin him forever? The reality was that even before his season-ending knee injury in 2017, Lin was being traded through teams around the league and wasn’t given a fair shot. Even in the year of Linsanity, Anthony and Lin struggled to play alongside each other upon Anthony’s return, a tense one-sided feud that Lin paid the price for.

Before Lin’s injury with the Nets in 2016, he played good minutes and put up decent numbers on all the teams he played for. He averaged 13 points per game in the two years with the Rockets, 11.2 with the Lakers, 11.7 with the Hornets and 14.6 with the Nets.

Although he wasn’t quite the same after his injury, Lin was still a reliable bench player, averaging 10.7 points per game with the Hawks in 2018.

After a year with the Toronto Raptors, Lin left the NBA last year for the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He didn’t find any offers as a free agent, forcing him to go overseas. Since then, Lin has regained stardom in China playing for the Beijing Ducks. He has averaged 22.3 points, 5.6 assists and 5.7 total rebounds per game with the Ducks, leading the team to the semi-finals of the CBA championship. Lin’s time hasn’t been easy in China: He revealed that he was the focus of every team’s offense and got beat up quite often, including losing his hearing after a game.

fourth touchdown of the game, a 7-yard rush with 3:45 to go, put Wisconsin up for good. The final score in the roller coaster championship was 42–39, with the young quarterbacks Wilson and Cousins playing well and both individually throwing for three touchdowns.

After the 2011 season both Wilson and Cousins declared for the 2012 NFL draft. The 2012 quarterback class was very highly touted, but Wilson and Cousins weren’t the ones receiving the hype. Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck went first overall to the Indianapolis Colts and Baylor’s Robert Griffin III went one pick later to Washington. With the eighth overall pick the Dolphins selected Ryan Tannehill from Texas A&M. Wilson was picked in the third round, 75th overall, by the Seattle Seahawks. He was passed up by the Browns and Broncos who opted instead to pick Brandon Weeden (22nd overall) and Brock Osweiler (57th overall), respectively. Cousins was drafted by Washington one round after Wilson with the 102nd pick.

Since 2012 Wilson has developed into one of the league’s best quarterbacks and players. He won the Super Bowl with the Seahawks in 2014 and led them back to the championship game in 2015 (the Malcolm Butler game).

Cousins’ career has been a bumpier road; he won the starting job in Washington after multiple injuries to second overall pick Robert Griffin III. While Cousins’ teams haven’t always found major success in the win-loss column, he is known around the league for his competitive nature, epitomized by the viral clip of him screaming “You like that?!” to a reporter after Washington overcame a 24–0 deficit to defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2015. In 2018 Cousins signed with the Minnesota Vikings and in 2019 he led the team to a playoff berth.

Heading into Sunday night’s game, the Seahawks are 4–0. Wilson has played MVP-caliber football through the first four weeks, throwing for over 1,200 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Cousins and the Vikings have struggled so far this season and will fly to Seattle with a 1–3 record that puts them at the basement of the NFC North division standings. Nearly a decade has passed since the two quarterbacks’ classic Big Ten battles, and they’re still playing primetime games under the brightest lights football has to offer. When Wilson and Cousins look across the field at one another before kickoff on Sunday night, they’ll know what we know: this isn’t their first rodeo.

Lin is making one last effort with the NBA. His year abroad has shown his resilience and dedication to the game of basketball. The CBA has made him tougher, and although he can’t expect to be a starter in the NBA, he can still be a reliable bench player for teams such the Warriors, Knicks and Rockets.

In a league with nearly no Asian American players, NBA teams should dig deep and ask themselves why they gave up on the only Asian American who was an above-average rotational player that has proven to us all his potential and worth.

Jenny Lu is a first-year who has not yet declared a major. Jenny can be reached at jenny.lu634410@tufts.edu.