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Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Tufts sees decrease in mental health-related calls during COVID-19 pandemic
ANN MARIE BURKE / THE TUFTS DAILY
Tufts Counseling and Mental Health Services is pictured on Aug. 28. by Jack Maniaci
Contributing writer
Counseling and Mental Health Services has seen a decrease in mental health-related calls from on-campus students, despite the COVID19 pandemic and restrictions imposed to ensure the health and safety of students.
Julie Ross, director of Counseling and Mental Health Services, described how the decrease in calls differed from CMHS’ expectations. “Nationally, we are seeing reports of increased mental health-related distress and somewhat decreased use of campus mental health services since the start of the pandemic,”
Ross wrote in an email to the Daily. “Although the phones are busy and we are working with many students, we had expected a significant uptick in calls but have seen a slight decrease instead.” This trend is associated with the fewer number of students residing on campus, according to Ross.
“The decrease correlates with the lower percentage of students on campus, as remote learning makes it possible for students living at home to continue with their care providers there rather than transitioning to on-campus care,” Ross said. Despite the decrease in calls to CMHS, the pandemic has still affected students’ mental
health. Michelle Bowdler, executive director of health and wellness services, explained some of the ways in which the COVID19 pandemic has impacted students’ lives. “This pandemic has led to fewer traditional social options and many clubs and activities see DECREASE, page 2
Harvard Professor Benjamin Wilson discusses elite scientists, nuclear weapons by Michael Weiskopf Contributing Writer
Tufts’ Science, Technology and Society program hosted Benjamin Wilson, assistant professor of the history of science at Harvard University, on Dec. 4 as part of its Lunch Seminar Series. Wilson’s lecture, “The Scientific Power Elite in the Age of Nuclear Weapons,” focused on the relationship between anti-nuclear scientists and the military-industrial complex during the Cold War. Wilson began the event by discussing C. Wright Mills’ 1956 book “The Power Elite,”
which includes an analysis of the military-industrial complex and network of military, corporate and political interests that have a strong influence on U.S. policy, at the expense of American citizens. He said that the notion of nuclear stability during the Cold War was shaped not by science or by theories of international relations, but rather by the interests of the military-industrial complex. Wilson also discussed a case study involving Hans Bethe, a German American physicist who worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II and
later became an anti-nuclear voice during the Cold War. He said that unknown to many Americans at the time, Bethe served as a science adviser to the federal government while also working as a private consultant for the Avco Corporation, which sought to deploy anti-ballistic missile systems in suburbs of major U.S. cities. Wilson said Bethe’s story is representative of the relationship between the scientific elite and the military-industrial complex. “[The elite] is a closed group that protects itself from outside accountability,” Wilson said.
Wilson later discussed how scientists who were a part of what Mills called the “power elite” influenced nuclear policy in favor of the military-industrial complex, despite publicly opposing it. “Stability tells us more about the lives and social positions of the people who formulate it than it does about a world with nuclear weapons,” Wilson said. He expanded on these ideas in a later email to the Daily. “It suggest[s] that our understanding of the structures that drove the nuclear arms race, and our narratives about scientists in the nuclear
ARTS / page 4
FEATURES / page 3
SPORTS / back
Bad Bunny’s new album isn’t his best of the year, but still impresses
First-years discuss highs, lows of adjusting to campus during COVID-19
Postponed games leave some teams better off in the NFL
age, had been far too simple,” Wilson wrote. He added that scientific elites’ conflicts of interest led to distractions from the greater, underlying issues at play. “Of course, they did criticize nuclear policy and the arms race. But what they tended not to criticize were the powerful set of social and economic relations that made continuous weapons development possible,” Wilson said. “This turned the Cold War nuclear debate, at times, into a kind of political theater.” see NUCLEAR , page 2 NEWS
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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Tuesday, December 8, 2020
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continued from page 1 Wilson also noted after the lecture that conflicts of interest among scientists are as widespread as they were during the Cold War. “It seems like every other day you hear about a new case of medical research where ties to the pharmaceutical industry haven’t been fully disclosed, for example,” he said. “The conflicts I uncovered in my research were hidden by design … So it could be that in critical areas of science and
technology policy today, some publicly visible and vocal scientists are involved in behindthe-scenes relationships that would surprise us if we knew all the details.” Samantha Fried, program manager of STS and civic studies, explained how Wilson was selected to speak as part of the STS Lunch Seminar. “When we plan our roster of speakers, we look for folks who are working on topics that we think will be interesting and meaningful to students,” Fried wrote in an email to the Daily.
“We invited Professor Wilson because we think his research is thought-provoking and represents one of many important corners of the STS field.” Moon Duchin, associate professor of mathematics and director of the STS program, said that the military-industrial complex and idea of scientific elites are both frequent themes in STS courses at Tufts. “We actually ran a whole class on Physics and Society in the 20th Century a few years ago, and we have ‘reading labs’ that touch on these themes
every year,” Duchin wrote in an email to the Daily. “We’re all about using tools from humanities and social science to put STEM topics in social context.” Fried echoed Duchin’s sentiments regarding the relevance of Wilson’s lecture to Tufts’ STS program. “In general, histories of defense-funded science tend to pop up here and there in many STS readings and discussions, because so much of the science we have today derived from those projects,” she said.
Counseling and Mental Health Services works to accommodate students in quarantine, isolation DECREASE
continued from page 1 of great importance to students have been curtailed,” Bowdler wrote in an email to the Daily. “As well, some students have experienced loss in their families and other families have experienced job loss or are in jobs as first responders, which could add to a student’s stress.” Outside of these factors, many courses this semester have been taught in a virtual format, which has also affected students’ mental health. “While Tufts has done its best to do creative programming, some students report zoom fatigue and the colder weather and earlier sunset time can also impact mental health,” Bowdler said. According to Ross, CMHS has noticed in its data that students are also troubled by the inability of their peers to follow health restrictions and guidelines on campus. “Interestingly, we also see significant distress in students due to anxiety and interpersonal con-
flict related to interacting with others who are not adhering to the restrictions, so it seems to cut both ways,” Ross said. CMHS has remained available to accommodate students quarantining or isolating, should they come into contact with COVID-19. “We are offering drop-in support meetings twice weekly for students in [quarantine] and [isolation]. One meets on Tuesdays around dinnertime, so students can come together over a meal if they like,” Ross said. “The second meeting is held on Friday afternoons, and … also offers students the opportunity to … work on planning for the relatively unstructured time of the weekend.” While the pandemic has forced some university services to make changes, mental health resources remain largely the same as they were before the pandemic. “CMHS continues to provide the full range of services that were in place prior to the pandemic,” Ross said. “All ser-
vices are offered remotely at this time.” However, CMHS has also developed new ways to offer support to students. “We have expanded our workshop/support meeting offerings in efforts to facilitate peer connection and conversation as well as to offer skills for coping with uncertainty and stress,” Ross said. “This summer we also started a CMHS [Instagram] account, which is very active and offers information and resources on a wide variety of topics.” Beyond CMHS resources, students can turn to Ears for Peers, a confidential student-run helpline that gives students a space to discuss any difficulties they are facing, according to its website. Casey Chiang, a member of Ears for Peers, described how the organization differs from CMHS. “All Ears members get trained in communication, empathy, and the like as well as basic mental health information but in the end, we are just students,” Chiang, a senior, wrote in an email to the
Daily. “And the dynamic of talking to another college student anonymously helps some people feel more comfortable than talking to an adult, professional, or friend in person.” Sohenee Banerjee, a junior and another member of Ears for Peers, explained how the organization has made adjustments due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Our line is now open from 7pm-2am, and we have social distancing measures in place between Ears … We are very grateful for the chance to be operating despite all the changes,” Banerjee wrote in an email to the Daily. Banerjee added that Ears for Peers is always available and can also connect callers to other resources. “It is important for students to know that Ears for Peers is a safe space to talk about whatever is on their mind,” Banerjee said. “We are here to listen, and any Tufts student can call or text this hotline when they have something that they would like to talk about.”
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Features
3 Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Reflections on first semester: First-years talk about college experience
Jenny Lu Tuff Talks
Moving forward with new friends
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COURTESY KAMI LOU HARRIS
First-year Kami Lou Harris is pictured. by Emily Afriyie
Contributing Writer
This year has presented a number of challenges for everyone, as students and faculty adjust to the experience of college education amid a pandemic. This job has proven to be a special challenge for firstyear students, who are not only adjusting to college in a pandemic, but college in general. Kami Lou Harris, a first-year, said things have been going well so far. “To me, it hasn’t been that rough a transition since I’ve been here,” Harris said. Luke Petrosky, another firstyear, has been using meditation to stay calm and maintain a sense of normalcy during this difficult time. “I like to meditate, and I meditate daily, and I think that just helps me ground myself and embrace gratitude and just be thankful for those around me,” Petrosky said. Kiana Vallo, also a first-year, spoke to some of the struggles of making friends during the pandemic. “I’ve relied a lot on my residence hall and the people that are in close proximity to me because that tends to be the safest option, as opposed to gathering with people that are in other residence halls, because then you have a lot of cross-gathering,” Vallo said. Harris said being around people is important. Getting to see people more often makes Harris feel better about the situation. “The more that we’re alone and not hanging out with people, the harder it’s going to be to make it feel like it’s normal … The more I see people in the halls and say ‘hi,’ and the more
people I know, the more normal it is,” Harris said. Vallo said it is difficult to get to know people when you also want to stay safe. “I feel like right now, the best thing to do is to be around people that are near you anyway,” Vallo said. Vallo has met more people through one of her classes. “It’s refreshing to have at least one experience where I get to be in person and I’ve met some people in that class,” Vallo said. The in-person class meets once a week. Even though it is
better than nothing, it’s Vallo’s only in-person class. Vallo would have liked to see more Tuftsorganized ways for first-years to get to know each other. “It would have been nice to have more things that were facilitated … It’s hard to break into these groups and stuff,” Vallo said. Petrosky recognized that some students struggle with mental health issues. He acknowledged the organizations and systems Tufts has in place to support students’ mental health, like Counseling
COURTESY LUKE PETROSKY
First-year Luke Petrosky is pictured.
and Mental Health Services, but also spoke to the issue of privacy in dorms. “There’s always just a chance of someone hearing and that prevents people from being fully transparent about what they’re doing,” Petrosky said. Harris is happy with how college is going so far, because college hasn’t been any other way for Harris. “I feel like I have met so many people … This is how it is and I have nothing to compare it to,” Harris said. Beyond just trying to get to know people and make friends, first-years, like everyone, are worried about the pandemic. Vallo thinks Tufts is doing a good job of responding to COVID-19, but there is still an existing worry. “Almost everyone I know has had … some anxiety or [knows] people that have been testing positive,” Vallo said. Overall, Vallo, Petrosky and Harris are all enjoying being on campus and having the experience they are having, despite the differences from a normal college life. Petrosky spoke to the privilege of education. “I’ve really been trying to remember how privileged I am to be in this space and to pursue higher education,” Petrosky said. Vallo expressed her appreciation for the ways Tufts is handling the pandemic. “There’s still a lot of ways that I feel like it’s been normal or at least enjoyable,” Vallo said. “Overall, we still have a lot of the experiences that make college college, it’s just very much adapted.” Harris echoed Vallo’s sentiments. “I think it’s great here,” Harris said.
ear J: How can I deepen my communication with new friends without being weird? J: When we make new friends, there will always be that “acquaintances” period that can’t be avoided. The only way you can really become closer friends is with patience and time. Spend time together doing things you both enjoy, try new things, and just have fun learning about each other and having shared experiences. Being an engaged listener and asking questions to get to know your friend better are all crucial in developing a strong friendship, but deepening connections can’t be one-sided. If your friends aren’t reciprocating your type of energy or putting in as much effort as you, it’ll never happen. Although friendships do require some kind of work, it should come rather naturally, and if not, then it’s okay just to be surface level friends. Dear J: How do you know when it’s the right time to let people in regarding secrets and trust? J: Usually if they’re telling you things and trusting you, you can trust them as well. It’s all about gauging how comfortable you feel around each other and the types of conversations that you’re already having. If I’m quoting “SpiderMan: Into the Spider-Verse” (2018), then you never really know — it’s just a leap of faith. You don’t know if you can trust them until you make the conscious decision to trust them and hope they don’t betray you. If you’re relaying a sensitive piece of information, you could always preface it with “Can I tell you something?” or “Can I let you in on a secret?” to casually let them know that this is for their ears only. Don’t be afraid to be the first to take the leap because chances are, they will be relieved and happy that you’re confiding in them and they will do the same for you. Other little things you could take note of is just how reliable they are in general and as a friend to you. Do they flake on your plans and claim that they’re too busy but they’re always hanging out with someone else, or are they excited to see you and always looking for things to do with you? Jenny Lu is a first-year who has not yet declared a major. Jenny can be reached at jen.lu@tufts.edu
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Arts & POP ARTS Pop CULTURE Culture
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Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Bad Bunny’s ‘EL ÚLTIMO’ does not disappoint
VIA STEREOGUM
The cover of Bad Bunny’s album “EL ÚLTIMO TOUR DEL MUNDO” (2020) is pictured. by Maeve Hagerty Staff Writer
The moment has arrived for the girl within the top 0.05% of Bad Bunny’s over 51 million monthly Spotify listeners to write obsessively about her love for his music and especially for his most recent Nov. 27 album, “EL ÚLTIMO TOUR DEL MUNDO.” For those unfamiliar with Bad Bunny, he is the Latin trap superstar who has taken the world by storm. Since his debut in 2016, he has risen meteorically. Responsible for American chart-toppers like “MIA (feat. Drake)” (2018) and “DÁKITI (feat. Jhay Cortez)” (2020) among countless others, he has made a name for himself in American music that only a few
Latin American performers can parallel. His first album “X 100PRE” was released in 2018, though much of his career has been defined by his monumental 2020 album “YHLQMDLG.” When he is not challenging gender roles, performing impromptu “Toy Story” skits on Instagram or earning exclusive collaborations with Adidas, he is writing incredible music. With a rumbling voice and a distinct flow, each of his albums to date has been impressive and addictive. I came into “EL ÚLTIMO TOUR DEL MUNDO,” or “The Last Tour of the World,” with high hopes and was not disappointed. In the wake of rumors of his retirement and the earth-shat-
tering success of his February “YHLQMDLG,” many feel that “EL ÚLTIMO TOUR DEL MUNDO” doesn’t measure up to the sheer brilliance of “YHLQMDLG,” and I would agree, but I would argue that it was never supposed to. Spotify’s most-streamed artist of 2020 takes us in an entirely different direction with “EL ÚLTIMO TOUR DEL MUNDO” and proves that he is as versatile as he is talented. From the opening trap track, “EL MUNDO ES MÍO,” it is yet unclear the surprises in store on the rest of the album. Maintaining much of his familiar reggaeton style through the second track, “TE MUDASTE,” and returning to another trap song on the third, “HOY COBRÉ,” we finally hit my tentative favorite
song from the album, “MALDITA POBREZA.” Part emo rock, part trap and focusing at once sarcastically and truthfully on the desire for more money — one lyric translates to, “To buy you all that Gucci and a house in front of the sea / So that you teach me to swim,” — its unique guitar features, heavy bass and hi-hat patterns all meld seamlessly into a song that I could dance to for hours. Immediately following is a long-awaited reggaeton collaboration with Spanish singer ROSALÍA “LA NOCHE DE ANOCHE.” This track is followed by a warbling guitar intro for the at once fast-moving and melancholy “TE DESEO LO MEJOR,” which signifies that this album is officially one char-
acterized by rock — the electric guitar, specifically. Next is one of the two songs from the album that currently has an official music video, characterized by appearances from the likes of Ricky Martin, Ryan García and Sofia Vergara. “YO VISTO ASÍ” is another rock-trap fusion with all of Bad Bunny’s traditional charisma and talent for forceful one-liners like one that translates to “I dress like this, I’m not going to change / If you don’t like it, you don’t have to look.” The repetitive guitar riff has become the background noise to my morning routine, and I am obsessed with the video and the song itself. “YO VISTO ASÍ” leads to a low-key electric guitar-guided “HACIENDO QUE ME AMAS,” but the next song, “BOOKER T,” named for the WWE wrestler, is quickly becoming a cult-classic ripe with the sports and gaming references that have characterized many of Bad Bunny’s past songs. Then there is another one of my favorites, “LA DROGA,” the already chart-topping “DÁKITI (feat. Jhay Cortez),” the emotional guitar ballad “TRELLAS,” a pop song in “SORRY PAPI (feat. ABRA)” and the short trap track “120.” Penultimately, there is “ANTES QUE SE ACABE”: a love letter to a career that might be put to rest with this album. Crooning about enjoying life and dying happy, Bad Bunny reminds us of this importance through a lyric that translates to “Hug your brother and don’t look at color, here we’re all equals / How much you love, that’s what you’re worth.” A heartfelt exit, and yet it is not the final track. Closing the album is “CANTARES DE NAVIDAD,” an early 1950s Christmas song by Bolero group Trio Vegabajeño, which, like Bad Bunny, comes from Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. The song is somehow more wholesome than anything Bad Bunny himself could have written. “EL ÚLTIMO TOUR DEL MUNDO” saw tears (mine, at least), rock-trap bangers and numerous surprises. Maybe it wasn’t his best album. Maybe there wasn’t a classic reggaeton track like “Safaera” from “YHLQMDLG,” but it will still be at the top of my Spotify Wrapped next year because Bad Bunny has proven once again that there is nothing more remarkable, nothing more intriguing or impressive, than making good music and staying true to your artistic vision.
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Tuesday, December 8, 2020 | Arts & Pop Culture | THE TUFTS DAILY
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‘Possessor’ welcomes new, bright age of Cronenberg horror by Miranda Feinberg Staff Writer
“Possessor” (2020), the new psychological horror film from legacy filmmaker Brandon Cronenberg, is an overwhelming maelstrom of color and sound that excites and intrigues as much as it horrifies. The film, which debuted in theaters in October, has recently, at long last for horror and film lovers, become available to rent and buy at home. Cronenberg, whose father has long reigned as the bloody king of horror, shines as director with this likewise bloody, visceral, high-concept science fiction story. Andrea Riseborough stars in “Possessor” as Tasya Vos: a corporate assassin who uses a hightech contraption to implant her consciousness in others in order to kill through them, hiding the ghost corporation she works for and its clients from suspicion and creating perfect scapegoats. The film is an hour and 42 minute-long trip, filled with deep visuals, disorienting edits, unsettling performances and gore galore. A highlight of “Possessor” is certainly its cinematography. The film is saturated in vivid colors and filled with scenes washed in pink and blue lights, projector images of vibrant reds and oranges and bright wine-colored pools of blood. Though conceptual and ambitious in premise, the story grapples in real-world technological and capitalistic terrors such as data mining; the colors visually mimic this dynamic of hyperenhanced reality. The camerawork also augments the film in gripping and enticing ways. The scenes will often waver between hazy, blurred images to intensely high-definition ones, which often brings the audience and the characters together into shared, overwhelming feelings of confusion and apprehension. The blending and blurring of
faces, close details and surroundings together bend the onscreen world’s reality. The framing often focuses on faces and building facades, or will frame a figure in the center of the screen. Every detail, frame, shot and sequence is intentional and so full of meaning. The film’s story is warped, tunneling through plot points and characters in burrowing and dizzying fashions. It is simultaneously unsettling and captivating, full of intrigue and dread. The characters are able to play with the threads of reality, and the result is a dizzying account of murder and corporate power plays. There are focuses left on the back burner throughout the movie, simmering in the background until each storyline boils over into the chaos that the film so elegantly portrays. The characters, particularly Vos, grapple with relationships and obligations in a way that humanizes the utter inhumanity and immorality that lies within. Each individual performance is stellar. Christopher Abbott, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Sean Bean, Tuppence Middleton and Rossif Sutherland electrify the screen as they portray believable and genuine characters. Abbott and Leigh, alongside Riseborough, shine as the three leads. They are magnetic, pulling the audience ever-in throughout the movie’s run. Furthermore, the writing creates such a dramatic and tragic cast of characters. Though the visuals often speak for themselves, the dialogue saturates each scene in the very human tragedies that the horror film creates. The special effects and the gore are amazing — Cronenberg lives up to, and even surpasses, his father’s legacy. The many (often horribly beautiful) sequences of bloody destruction and terrifying insanity seep the story in intense action. No matter how horrible and how awful the film becomes, it is impossible to look away.
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A promotional poster for “Possessor” (2020) is pictured.
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THE TUFTS DAILY | Fun & Games | Tuesday, December 8, 2020
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Opinion
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OP-ED
Crisis at Tufts University and The Fletcher School: Lessons learned from the U.S. Marine Corps TIMOTHY OTTEN When entering the Tufts campus from College Avenue along the Memorial Steps, it is easy to recognize the strong bond the university has with the U.S. Military. The Fletcher School’s International Security Studies program has multiple faculty members who have contributed a large part of their career to not just studying but advising the military on their crisis management and counterinsurgency operations. Multiple active-duty service members join Fletcher each year as part of the Military Fellows program. Additionally, The Fletcher School has hosted Boston native, Fletcher alumnus and retired Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford (F’92), the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for numerous engagements. Thus, it is fitting that we can examine a recent leadership crisis in the Marine Corps, how it was resolved and how it will likely forecast the process Tufts’ leadership will take in leading The Fletcher School out of its current crisis. Maj. Gen. Stephen Neary took command of U.S. Marine Corps Forces in Europe and Africa in July. Shortly after taking command, he was walking past a group of young Marines conducting physical training and listening to music that incorporated the racial slur commonly referred to as the “n-word.” Neary proceeded to counsel the Marines on the inappropriateness of the word; however, during his counseling, he did not replace the word with a pronoun or use the term “n-word.” He used the actual word, according to a Marine pres-
Elizabeth Buehl Sobremesa
The importance of equitable vaccination distribution
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he New York Times recently released a quiz that allows Americans to calculate their approximate position in line to access the coronavirus vaccine. While it’s exciting to think about a possible end to this pandemic, we must dig deeper into the nuances of equity in vaccination distribution.
ent at the scene. At that moment, Marine Corps Forces in Europe and Africa suffered what one could call an open, bleeding wound. The Marines were shocked and upset that this word with such a history of hate and violence could come out the mouth of a white general officer, regardless of context. Neary quickly found his command to be in crisis and he entered crisis management mode. He held meetings with small unit leaders to explain his context and the inappropriateness of the word, but the wound did not heal. The bleeding slowed and opposition quieted, but then infection set in. Those most hurt simply could not accept him as their leader and wanted accountability. They engaged alternate lines of communication through media and top-level Marine Corps channels to heal the infected command. Ultimately, in October, the commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. David Berger, recalled Neary to the Pentagon and, without delay, relieved him of command for the loss of trust and confidence. Neary’s stellar record was irrelevant. His passion, superior intellect, vision and inspiring engagement with European allies were moot. Ultimately, Berger must have realized that he had no other choice. Neary would never be able to regain the full trust and confidence of all those under his command. The only way to stop the infection at the Marine Corps Forces in Europe and Africa from spreading was to remove its source. Upon Neary’s removal, an interim commander was put in command. Less than three weeks later, Maj. Gen. Michael Langley
assumed permanent command and released a command climate survey to assist in identifying and remedying any other potential lingering wounds, and the troops began to heal. This was an example of Marine Corps leadership management 101. Rachel Kyte (F’02) took over as dean of The Fletcher School in October 2019. On Nov. 16, under Kyte’s leadership and guidance, The Fletcher school released a complete rebrand. The school would have a new name, “Fletcher,” and a new slogan. It would also ditch the orange Fletcher flag and now be referred to as a school of global affairs, rather than international affairs. Along with this came a revision of degree offerings. This event was the catalyst of the current crisis at The Fletcher School. Hundreds of negative social media responses have circulated across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Reddit in public protest for the rest of the world to see. At least three petitions are circulating with over 1,300 combined signatures. It seems as if the rebrand is nearly universally hated, by both students and alumni. The crisis is a firestorm that is beginning to reveal an even deeper wound than originally imagined. One Reddit user claiming to be a staff member wrote that to their disappointment, the staff was not consulted during the planning and designing phase of the rebrand. The user further alleges that when given a presentation on the rebrand just before launch, the staff provided constructive criticism and feedback that seemed not to be incorporated.
One petition argues that there has been an abnormally high amount of staff and faculty turnover within the school since Kyte’s arrival. It additionally argues there was a “lack of transparent, consistent communication” where town hall events for students “are more akin to ‘listening sessions.’” More recently, alumna Aziza Mohammed (F’12), the writer of another respectfully written petition, revealed that after she shared the petition on LinkedIn, a member of the Fletcher Board of Advisors replied, accusing her of “behaving like a terrorist” and demanding the post be taken down. This particular board member, Liz Musch, was brought onto the board this year during Kyte’s tenure. The Fletcher School is in crisis management mode. Kyte as well as a small handful of associate deans and directors have personally reached out to some of the more vocal opponents to the rebrand in an attempt to slow the bleeding. On Nov. 30, Kyte announced that due to feedback, the school would revert to the previous branding. However, the school’s Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn pages all still refer to “Fletcher, The Graduate School of Global Affairs at Tufts University,” and the media posts of the failed rebrand have yet to be removed. Additionally, the school’s website still references “Fletcher” and “global affairs.” As a school that teaches crisis management, it may have short term success with its decision to revert some of the changes; however, using the Marine Corps Forces in Europe and Africa as an example, the wound will not heal and infection at The Fletcher School
will set in. Dissatisfaction will simmer. Recommendations to attend the school will slow and donors will spend their money elsewhere. Top competitors such as Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies and Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service will continue to gain market share at The Fletcher School’s expense. Enrollment for the fall 2021 semester has already begun. Understandably, prospective students will not want to apply to a school experiencing a public crisis. It is because of this that I believe within the next few weeks, Tufts’ leadership will reach the same conclusion that Berger reached — that the source of the infection must be removed. I believe this because there is not another choice if The Fletcher School is to heal. The more difficult shortterm decision will be who to select as interim dean if Tufts’ leadership asks Kyte to step down, or if she decides to resign. Who can facilitate healing and properly lead and manage the school while giving Tufts adequate time to find a permanent replacement? I wish Tufts’ leadership the best in selecting the right person to help get The Fletcher School back on track. As for who should be the new permanent dean, maybe there is still more we can learn from the Marine Corps. After all, our beloved Fletcher School alumnus Dunford is now retired and likely available.
Health care inequities loom within our society in many different contexts. From disproportionate Black maternal mortality rates to unnecessary chemical exposure to rampant obesity among low-income communities and communities of color, the consequences of health care inequality manifest in numerous ways. Amid the COVID19 pandemic, many new health care inequalities have emerged. Many essential workers have been relegated to unsafe workplaces, leaving them at higher risk for COVID-19 exposure. Furthermore, countless individuals are left with unsatisfactory health care, leading to disproportionately high death rates among minority populations. Looking at recent news, it seems that hope is on the horizon: COVID-19 vaccines are close to ready for distribution in the United States. But we must not
get our hopes up too high; like most health care-related matters, this vaccine will likely disproportionately aid those in positions of power, potentially on the basis of race, gender, socioeconomic class or sexual orientation. The question now becomes: Who will get access to the vaccine first? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that all adults should be able to get a vaccine in 2021. But after months of this tumultuous pandemic, many Americans feel as though a year is too long a wait. Our nation has decided to leave distribution practices and decisions up to each respective state. What that will look like in practice has yet to be determined. In New York, for example, Gov. Cuomo created the Vaccine Distribution and Implementation Task Force. Composed of mul-
tidisciplined experts, the task force plans to take a meticulous approach to the vaccination process, ensuring that each step — from determining the safety of the vaccine to its distribution — runs smoothly. But in New York and other states, there are many different interpretations of what it means to ethically distribute the vaccine. As a country, we must ensure that this matter unfolds in the most equitable way possible. In an ideal world, this developed nation would have produced enough vaccinations to provide doses to all Americans as soon as possible. But given our current political climate and the limited number of doses available, one approach that has a fighting chance at providing a standard of health care equity is ensuring not only that the vaccine is financially accessible to all, but that histori-
cally underrepresented voices are included in statewide task forces. By including the opinions of people who may be particularly vulnerable to contracting the virus and encountering health complications, including essential workers, people who live in government-assisted housing and those living in nursing homes, states can add an empathetic and informative layer to the decision-making process. To avoid falling into the unjust medical traps that the U.S. health care system so frequently creates, we must actively engage people from a variety of backgrounds to form collective, collaborative and well-informed decisions about the distribution of the vaccine.
Timothy Otten is a Fletcher alumnus of the Class of 2020. Timothy can be reached at timothy.otten@tufts.edu.
Elizabeth Buehl is a first-year who has not yet declared a major. Elizabeth can be reached at elizabeth.buehl@tufts.edu.
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8 Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Sports
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COVID-19 wreaks havoc in NFL Week 12
ALEXANDER JONESI / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
The San Francisco 49ers are pictured. by Emma Joyce Staff Writer
We knew this NFL season would be one unlike any other, but I’m not sure most fans would have expected all the chaos that occurred Week 12. The Baltimore Ravens headlined news with 20 players placed on the reserve/ COVID-19 list, which included key players like MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson. Their highly anticipated matchup against the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers was originally slated for a Thanksgiving night game but was rescheduled three times and eventually played Wednesday afternoon. This also forced the league to reschedule both teams’ Week 13 matchups. COVID-19 also negatively impacted the Denver Broncos, who had to play against the New Orleans Saints with zero quarterbacks, and the San Francisco 49ers, who have had to move all operations to Arizona for the time being. The setbacks that certain teams have faced raise the question about if the league should
Matt Goguen Keeping up with the 617
Celtics’ first week, analyzed
F
ollowing various negotiations between the National Basketball Players Association and NBA owners, Commissioner Adam Silver officially announced the tentative schedule of the NBA’s “coronavirus season” last month. Although the Dec. 22 start seems early for a handful of NBA veterans, teams have been eager to return to the court after the conclusion of the successful
account for potential competitive advantages when rescheduling games. Commissioner Roger Goodell has insisted that all the decisions the league makes are based on player and staff safety, and are not impacted by business or competitive influences. The Ravens have had the largest outbreak so far this season, which put one of the biggest rivalries in football on hold for almost a week. Baltimore had to play with backup quarterbacks Robert Griffin III and TikTok sensation Trace McSorley, who threw his first touchdown of his professional career Wednesday afternoon. Tight end Mark Andrews as well as running backs J.K. Dobbins and Mark Ingram II were some of the other key players on the reserve/COVID-19 list and were unable to play. Pittsburgh’s poor play and Baltimore’s defense made it a closer game than anticipated, but the Steelers pulled off the win 19–14. The Ravens went 10 straight days with at least one positive test, which is why the league kept pushing the matchup
back. It was the second NFL game on a Wednesday since 1948, which forced Baltimore’s Thursday night Week 13 game against the Dallas Cowboys to the following Tuesday and Pittsburgh’s game versus the Washington Football Team to Monday. It has been difficult to keep track of all these changes, but so far, the NFL has been able to make up all postponed games. When the league postponed the Ravens-Steelers matchup, it only considered whether it was dangerous from a health standpoint to play. Because there was an outbreak with multiple cases within the Ravens organization, it posed a risk to both players and staff to play the game on its original date. For the Denver Broncos, all of their four quarterbacks were ruled out for their game against the New Orleans Saints after failing to wear masks around quarterback Jeff Driskel, who tested positive. Because the exposure was contained to just the quarterbacks, the NFL decided to play the game on its original date, which caused the Broncos to have to call
up Kendall Hinton from the practice squad. A month ago, Hinton was searching for a sales job, and suddenly he became the starting quarterback because of his two years of experience at the position while at Wake Forest University. Hinton threw for 13 yards and had two interceptions, which allowed the Saints to prevail 31–3. The disadvantage that the Broncos faced has led many to question the NFL’s decision to play the game, and if it should consider postponing games to give each team a more equal playing field. Surprisingly, the most underrated piece of news that came out of Week 12 was the 49ers’ being forced to play elsewhere due to Santa Clara County, home of the 49ers’ stadium, outlawing contact sports. The 49ers came to an agreement with the NFL and Arizona Cardinals that allows them to host their Week 13 and 14 home games at the Cardinals’ stadium. The current ban put in place by Santa Clara County is only three weeks long, but if the infection rate continues to worsen, there is a good
chance that their Week 17 game against the Seattle Seahawks will also be played in Arizona. With 2020 being the crazy year it has been, it is no surprise that the NFL would deal with its own uncertainties caused by the pandemic. Teams knew from the beginning that if they wanted to have a season, they would have to adapt and roll with the challenges that were thrown their way. It is already hard enough for the league to deal with addressing outbreaks and rescheduling games to limit the spread, but taking into consideration competitive advantages while also having a complete season would be nearly impossible. For the Broncos, only the quarterbacks were at risk for contracting the virus, which meant that it was safe for the rest of the team to play. Even though it is an unfortunate situation that the team had to deal with, organizations must prepare for situations like these and remind their players to follow public health guidelines in order to be successful on the field this season.
NBA bubble in September. The first half of the 2020–21 schedule was released last week, and the Boston Celtics have an absolute gauntlet for the first three games — no surprise there. Let’s get into breaking down their first week and the possible outcomes: Dec. 23: Milwaukee Bucks The Celtics open up the unusual 2020–21 season in a primetime game against the Milwaukee Bucks, a perennial title contender for the next five to seven years. Luckily for the Celtics, the Bucks found ways to improve this free agency period, even though they have a top-five player in Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Celtics simply do not have an answer for him; even though the Celtics picked up Tristan Thompson in free agency, he doesn’t have the defensive skills to shut down
the “Greek freak.” I’d predict a close game through three quarters until Antetokounmpo goes full “Space Jam” in the fourth quarter. Final: Milwaukee Bucks 117, Boston Celtics 104 Dec. 25: Brooklyn Nets After waiting almost a year for Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant to start, the Brooklyn Nets finally have their coveted tandem this season. However, and I don’t think many basketball pundits are predicting this, I believe that Irving and Durant will not work out in Brooklyn. Both players have a ball-dominant play style, meaning they need to control the play on each possession in order to have success; that will not work in this modern NBA. I’m sure the Nets will still be a solid team, but I would not be surprised if the scrappy Celtics
show up and squeak out a win on Christmas. Final: Boston Celtics 110, Brooklyn Nets 106 Dec. 27: Indiana Pacers The Pacers are a difficult team to analyze; Malcolm Brogdon and Victor Oladipo are a solid one-two punch and Domantas Sabonis is one of the more underrated forwards in the NBA. However, inconsistent play and crushing failures have shadowed the Pacers’ promising future. For the Celtics, they are sans Kemba Walker until at least January after a stem cell injection into his knee. I will not argue that Marcus Smart isn’t a good player, because he is. But is he capable of handling the great depth of guards that the Pacers have? Probably not. Jeff Teague could provide a spark off the bench in this game but every matchup between these two
teams ends up as a weird result. It’ll be a defensive-heavy matchup, but the Pacers will come away with a victory. Final: Indiana Pacers 97, Boston Celtics 90 Although a 1–2 start seems disappointing for this Celtics team, keep in mind that they are without one of their stars for the first few weeks. This is a tough schedule to open up with in such a strange season and coming away with at least one win will give the Celtics some confidence that they desperately need. This season is probably not going to end with a NBA title for the Celtics, but crazier events have happened. Matt Goguen is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. Matt can be reached at matthew.goguen@tufts.edu.