Issue 1 Fall 2024

Tufts

staff

Editor-in-Chief

Veronica Habashy

Editor Emeritus

Emara Saez

Co-Managing Editors

Ashlie Doucette

Miles Kendrick

Creative Directors

Angela Jang

Unmani Tewari

Feature Editors

Ruby Goodman

Sophie Fishman

News Editors

Lucy Belknap

Anna Farrell

Arts & Culture Editors

Kerrera Jackson

Sofia Valdebenito

Opinion Editors

Megan Reimer

Mia Ivatury

Campus Editors

Chloe Thurmgreene

Rohith Raman

Poetry & Prose Editor

Ivi Fung

Voices Editors

Emma Castro

Max Greenstein

Art Directors

Ella Hubbard

Erin Gobry

Staff Writers

Billy Zeng

Joyce Fang

James Urquhart

Kate Weyant

Danielle Campbell

Connor Howe

Neya Krishnan

Ela Nalbantoglu

Alec Rosenthal

Siena Cohen

Amon Gray

Claire Stromseth

Oliver El Hadj

Peaches Wright

Ishana Dasgupta

Devon Chang

Demilade Ajibola

Designers

Emma Selesnick

Rachel Li

Ruby Offer

Anya Glass

Madison Clowes

Dana Jeong

Ahmed Fouad

Joey Marmo

Felix Yu

Lead Copy Editors

Caroline Lloyd-Jones

Talia Tepper

Copy Editors

Wellesley Papagni

Henry Estes

Alison Tsai

Oyinkansola Akin-Olugbade

Lucie Babcock

Isabella Tepper

Amena Weiffenbach

Publicity Directors

Francesca Gasasira

Mia Ivatury

Publicity Team

Madison Clowes

Sophie Littman

Emilia Ferreira

Carson Komishane

Staff Artists

Isabel Mahoney

Amanda Chen

Phoebe McMahon

Avril Lynch

Ruby Luband

Jaylin Cho

Cherry Chen

Ella Hubbard

Elika Wilson

Yayla Tur

Felix Yu

Maria Sokolowski

Leila Toubia

Website Managers

Dylan Perkins

Andie Cabochan

Treasurer

Andrea Li

Crossword Editor

Max Greenstein

AmurmuredconversationintheshadowsofBarnumHall.Anexchangeof glancesdownMemorialSteps.AllacrossTufts,whispersspreadlikewildfire.To hearthem,onemustknowwheretolook.DeepinthepagesoftheO,perhaps?

Dear Reader,

If we don’t know each other already, it might surprise you when I say that I really struggle with lies—not for some moral high horse that I spend all my time on (how would I get anything done in that position?), but because I am simply inept at being anyone but myself. Imagine the nerves that have swallowed me over the past few months of leading the Observer as someone who not only doesn’t know what “fake it ‘till you make it” really means, but also can’t.

Basically what I’m trying to say is that I’m so nervous about all of this, and I am in no way qualified to pretend that I know what’s going on. In a lot of ways, being the editor-in-chief of my school’s literary magazine is exactly what I have wanted since applying to college. Two semesters ago I played make-believe as editor-in-chief in the position of Poetry and Prose section editor in charge of the literary issue. I chose “mimesis” as the theme in an attempt at creating something that had no choice but to be expressively, egregiously honest. I couldn’t think of any other way to ask for writing—naked and unfailingly reflective mirror that it is.

When brainstorming with Miles and Ashlie about what we wanted for the Observer this semester, I said that I wanted it to be more joyful. I also said that at times I found the O to be melancholic, maudlin even. (I am wont to critiquing those who take themselves too seriously. Sue me.) However what I have been so delighted to learn this time around, from conception through gestation through the (painless, I promise) birth of this stack of glossy paper in your hands is that I was wrong all along. It’s not melancholia at all, but the earnest expression of an individual who has finally been told that what they really have to say is worth hearing.

Symptomatic of my allergy to secrets, I am also terrible at whispering. I’d rather not speak in the first place. Basically, why do anything if you’re not going to mean it? I’m unlearning a lot of things here at the Observer. Namely, pushing my limits and speaking softly for the sake of others (see page 9). It is now that I say confidently, at a volume nowhere near a whisper, that this issue is unabashed and tells no lies (what can I say, it just can’t).

I am so proud of this thing that we made, of the stories that we tell every single time we make it, of the joy that it brings me (and always has) and all of those involved in it; for their default frankness, for whispering when necessary, and for always taking themselves completely and utterly, disgustingly seriously (how else would we get anything done?).

Yours, V

the from from from from the the the

the from from from from the the the

In sitting down to write this letter to you, dear reader, we began to reflect on the progression of our friendship and the moments that brought us here. We identified three embraces that, though seemingly inconsequential in the moment, now seem to tell the story of our friendship. Here, we recount these hugs to you, the first taking place in the fall of 2023 and the last in the spring of 2024.

Hug One. It is the Observer end-of-semester formal and we are in a dark basement, red solo cups in hand. Gathered in a tight-knit dance circle of copy editors, a brief lull in the music suddenly disrupts our mindless bopping. With nothing to fill the silence, we awkwardly exchange glances. Both of us feel that something needs to be said. “I feel like we never got the chance to talk,” Miles says. Ashlie responds, but her voice is drowned out by the start of the next song on the speakers. “WHAT?” Miles screams back. Ashlie laughs and cups her hand to whisper, “I said I know! Let’s hang out sometime, please.” “I would love that,” Miles answers as we lean into a hug.

Hug Two. Squeezed in the corner of a brown sectional in Juanita’s living room, we are about to learn our positions for the upcoming semester. In the build-up to the announcement of the future Feature Section Editors (try saying that ten times fast), we and all our fellow Observers initiate a drumroll. As our names appear on the screen, we turn to each other in unison, a mix of surprise and excitement on our faces. To the sound of claps around us, we contort our bodies, still squeezed together in the corner of the couch, into something resembling an embrace.

Hug Three. We’re walking down opposite sides of Professors Row. As evidenced by the bags under our eyes, layout had gone late the night before. Ashlie, without her glasses, and Miles, in a world of his own, we don’t notice each other until we’re about 10 feet apart. Upon recognizing the other, life returns to our eyes, and we simultaneously have the urge to shout: “ASHLIE!” “MILES!” We run toward each other with disregard to our surroundings, bumping into some freshmen on the way, into the other’s outstretched arms. “Where are you headed?” Miles asks. “To Dewick. Wanna come with?”

Since then, our friendship has continued to evolve; we’ve become neighbors, pickleball partners, (almost) coworkers, each others’ confidants, and now co-Managing Editors. So, reader, we leave you with this: sometimes it is the quiet and fleeting thing that becomes what you most know to be true. In every whisper, there is the possibility of a shout. In every stranger, there is the possibility of a future co-conspirator and dear friend. Tune in to the voices, the confessions, the calls to adventure—no matter how small or distant—and give them permission to develop into something real. Also, hug your friends.

yOurs in friendship, Ashlie and Miles

LETTERS

guys… this is my 3rd (& last) year on the O… it’s been bittersweet seeing how much the observer has changed over the years, but also extremely rewarding to be a part of it. now that i’m a senior nearing the dreadful post-grad life, i’ve been reflecting a lot on my tufts experience and i can confidently say that the observer has become one of my safe spaces.

i’ve met so many amazing people, had lots of laughs, and made so many unforgettable memories through the O. regardless of the countless sleepless nights we’ve gone through in the mlab, seeing people pick up and read the physical magazines is what makes it so worth it. so if you’re reading this and you just picked this up somewhere on campus, thank you for taking the time to read!

i’m super excited to see what this semester has in store for us, and i hope you guys can see how much work & love is put into this amazing community. cheers to a wonderful semester, see you later :) love, angela!!

(p.s. a quick shoutout to all of the friendships i’ve made at tufts, especially at the O—i love you guys very dearly <3)

ear readers,

As the leaves begin to change and the crisp autumn air fills our campus, I find myself reflecting on the incredible journey that has been my time at the Tufts Observer. This semester marks my third, and I’m filled with a renewed sense of excitement and gratitude for the opportunity to continue contributing to this vibrant community.

From the late-night layouts to the moment I pick up a copy at the CC, there’s nothing quite like the energy and camaraderie that defines our team. The Observer’s passion, creativity, and dedication inspire me every day.

This semester, I’m excited to delve deeper into design and explore how we can elevate our storytelling through layouts. From hushed conversations to hidden messages, design can really whisper to us a world of secrets and intrigue.

Whether you’re a seasoned Observer reader or joining us for the first time, I hope you find this issue thought-provoking, engaging, and perhaps even a little bit scandalous, worthy of gossip.

Here’s to a semester filled with unforgettable experiences, laughter, and a whole lot of Observer magic.

XOXO, Unmani Tewari

FROM EDITORS

Beyond the Bench

The Aftermath of the Supreme Court’s Affirmative Action Ruling

By Eden Weissman

While a new school year typically brings with it a bright optimism for the months ahead, the start of this semester was dampened with news many had hoped would be averted: the number of newly admitted Tufts students of color dropped by nearly 6 percent compared to last year, mirroring similar demographic drops in other schools in the Boston area and broader Northeast. At Tufts, the percentage of Black students fell from 7.3 percent in the Class of 2027 to 4.7 percent in the Class of 2028. Similarly, the number of multiracial students, Asian American, and Indigenous students dropped compared to last year.

This sharp shift in racial demographics comes after the June Supreme Court decision in the Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions v. UNC cases, which dealt a cutting blow to the use of affirmative action in US college admissions. With a 6-3 decision, the court’s conservative majority declared race-conscious admissions practices a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. In the majority opinion, Chief Justice Roberts noted that the schools being sued by Students for Fair Admissions had used “racial stereotyping” and were employing “race in a negative manner” in their admissions decisions. The ruling stood in stark contrast to past decisions made by the Supreme Court, which upheld that race could be considered as one factor out of many in holistic admissions decisions.

“I was shocked when the US Supreme Court took [the 2023 cases],” said Natasha Warikoo, a professor of Sociology at Tufts who specializes in higher education admissions and affirmative action. “The court is very conservative right now, but I didn't think there would be any reason for the court to take this case. I thought it was settled law.”

Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), the nonprofit that sued Harvard and UNC, argued that these schools’ admissions processes “intentionally discriminated against Asian American applicants based on their race and ethnicity.” SFFA was founded in 2014 by conservative activist and litigator Edward Blum, who was the architect of the Fisher v. University of Texas case that ulti-

mately failed to get rid of race-consciousness in college admissions.

Both the political makeup of the court and Blum’s specific way of framing his Harvard and UNC cases allowed for their success. “I think the way [for Blum] to get his foot in the door [of the Supreme Court] was to say that there is racial discrimination towards Asian Americans,” Warikoo said. “I think it was a clever kind of pivot, because now you had a racial minority group that you could say was experiencing racial discrimination, and that perhaps was a little more palatable than saying that whites experience racial discrimination.”

This framing of Asian American discrimination draws on the idea that colleges try to fill a specific quota of certain races during their admissions decisions, which is illegal. This misconception often arises due to a lack of understanding about the differences between affirmative action in the workplace versus in higher education. “In the early 1960s, [affirmative action] meant non-discrimination. [Employers] have to take affirmative action to make sure [they] are not discriminating on the basis of race if [they] want to have a government contract,” Warikoo explained. “In higher education, [affirmative action] is race-conscious admissions, where you are taking race into account in addition to a whole host of factors.”

The 2023 ruling by the Supreme Court has already appeared to have deeply affected the demographics of the Class of 2028 for numerous colleges. When asked about the drop in students of color at Tufts, Tufts Community Union (TCU) and Student Body President Joel Omolade said, “I knew it was going to happen [but] I was surprised it happened so quickly. I guess the dialogue [we’d] been hearing from administration was like, ‘We're gonna do our best to still try to be focusing on [students of color] in applications.’ And then hearing and seeing the drop was crazy.”

JT Duck, the Dean of Admissions at Tufts, said in a written statement that he “was disappointed in the decline in the percentage of the incoming class that identified as students of color. [While the department] had hoped that the Supreme Court would… continue to uphold raceconscious admissions practices as it had done for decades, we were not optimistic.

As such, we began preparing well in advance of the Court’s ruling.” He explained that the department trained admissions readers on how to comply with the new Supreme Court guidelines after the decision was announced.

Some students expressed similar feelings to Omolade and Duck when they heard about the drop in students of color. Mofe Akinyanmi, a fourth year student in the Tufts-NEC dual degree program, said, “I was honestly really disappointed. I just feel like [the drop] is proof of how people who have been historically oppressed in this country have struggled getting into schools. It's honestly a very painful thing, because there are so many deserving students who simply don't have access to the same resources to prepare themselves for college admissions and applications.”

Duck noted that Tufts has made and will continue to make efforts to increase diversity in its accepted classes. “These efforts have ranged from expanding outreach to school counselors that work at high schools sending many AfricanAmerican and Hispanic/Latinx students to college, to supporting the work of a greater number of college access organizations. We [spend more time recruiting] in rural and small towns, more time in the US South and Southwest, and more time in metropolitan Boston,” Duck said. Duck noted that the Supreme Court’s decision came at a time when the percentage of US applicants to Tufts who identified as students of color increased from 45 percent to 56 percent between 2018 and 2023, and the percentage of incoming US students who identified as students of color shifted from 38 percent to 50 percent in a span of about 5 years.

“I think there's so many benefits to having a larger representation of [students of color]," Omolade said. For example,“the Africana Center has [had] so many events and just amazing things in the past few years, and I think a lot of that is attributed to the high input of students of color that we've been seeing on our campus. We’ve been seeing more of a focus on cultural events, and cultural organizations. It is a bit nerve-racking to see what the future might look like with a smaller class [of students of color].”

Akinyanmi expressed similar reservations as to what the future of campus life might look like if the decrease in racial diversity continues. “I wouldn't say that [Tufts] did a particularly good job [of recruiting students of color], but there is a Black community here. I'm concerned that with such a drop in enrollment, [students] will get less support and advocacy simply because there's less people,” Akinyanmi said. “Just by having fewer Black people you have less people to advocate for you, and we don't have a lot of Black professors at all. I think that with a huge drop in enrollment, it's definitely going to be a very difficult thing and feel very isolating, especially for students who are coming from schools that are predominantly Black.”

With these concerns in mind, students like Akinyanmi want to know what steps Tufts will take to try and ensure that both existing and future classes at Tufts see a diverse and thriving student body. Omolade said that he and other student senators have been working with the administration to have more student input on faculty hiring decisions so that more faculty of color can be recruited to Tufts. Many students have stressed the importance of having faculty demographics mirror student demographics so that students of color can feel adequately supported in their academic pursuits. He emphasized that TCU would work to make students of color on campus feel welcome through initiatives like granting more funding to cultural organizations, and increasing cultural programming. Duck said that the admissions department will continue to promote programs like Voices of Tufts Diversity Experience, which is designed for high-school seniors from underrepresented backgrounds who are interested in seeing the campus before applying.

“I’m excited to hear about those proposals [to promote diversity on campus],” Akinyanmi expressed. “However, I am a little skeptical, because it still doesn't change the number of students [of color] that there are. And some of the damage has already been done.”

Warikoo expressed a similar sentiment, saying that “the overall trend I see [from 2024 college admissions data], is that, on average, the percentage of Black students has gone down, and that's very

troubling. The other thing is that the percentage of Asian American students also hasn’t gone up across the board. This is what Edward Blum was looking for. He was looking to end a policy that was designed to increase racial equity, particularly for Black Americans.”

Duck emphasized that one point that could be affecting demographic data this year is the number of students who chose not to disclose their race or ethnicity on applications. “We are accustomed to seeing about 3 to 4 percent of our class leave questions [about their race/ethnicity] blank. This year, that number doubled to more than 7 percent, which has the potential to depress any of the other statistics meant to illuminate the racial composition of the first-year class,” he said. It’s not known exactly what accounts for the rise in students who are choosing not to disclose their race or ethnicity; Warikoo noted that it could potentially be from applicants of color who are reluctant to disclose their race on applications after the Court’s decision.

Both Warikoo and Duck noted that Tufts can and should do more to try and retain diversity while working within the law. Even then, it’s unclear how much diversity programs can shift demographics back to where they were before. “Will [these programs] move the needle? Yes. Will it get us back to pre-ban levels? I don't know,” said Warikoo.

While the future remains uncertain, it’s clear that the Supreme Court’s decision has been one of the most consequential events in higher education in recent times. Universities face a bleak legal landscape in which they must work within the constraints the Court has set for them and still try to attract underrepresented students. It remains to be seen what Tufts will continue to do within its legal power to shift future classes' demographics back to their previous upward climb.

“”

By Veronica Habashy

I started sleeping in silence again when I got a roommate. How characteristic of me to concede my deepest fear for the convenience of another person. Before that, it was rain sounds, then it was Spotify’s Bill Evans-charged “Jazz for Sleep” playlist before I got to know all the songs too well, then it was the free library of the Calm app—a picturesque train ride through Ireland crooned by Cillian Murphy, an alpine twilight (with or without the rumbling of an outdoor hot tub), the tedious rules of cricket, or even the shipping forecast.

I was a mouth breather as a child; I honestly still would be if I didn’t develop so much self-control. My older sister, self–proclaimed misophonic, was always upset with me about it. There were rumblings within my family that my snoring was audible from down the hall.

We want to think of sleeping as this ultimate moment of exhale—a culmination of the blaring motions of a day in the life, repose from the constant thrum of electricity of cars of other people asking for something of other people taking up space of ourselves trying to do the same. I have never preferred silence, nor do I seem to ever be able to achieve it. In fact, it makes me uncomfortable to the point of subconscious resistance.

The other day, I realized I was holding my breath in the library, as if the compul-

ite places, in fact. It’s more that I feel something distinctly uncanny about a room full of people who are all bending over backwards for a rule with no true repercussions. I am perplexed, nearly charmed, that we go so far as to bite our tongues for the comfort and expectation of others. Perhaps it is a massive, epidemic conformity that has manifested into collective consciousness. Or maybe it’s the fear of shame—the accusatory librarian’s pointed shush, or the prickling awareness of one’s own voice filling a suddenly silent room. Uncouthness is not just rude but bizarre, humiliating, and vulgar. Nobody would actually yell “fire” in a crowded theater because it would make you a freak. But don’t people choose their words (or lack thereof) out of concern for others rather than in acts of self-preservation?

A nervous child with nervous parents, I was taught to be skeptical of strangers, to assume the worst of everyone’s intentions. At 20 years old, I am learning every day the different ways that people show kindness for the sake of it. Philosophers often pose the question of “to what do we owe each other” in discussions about social contract, of whether we are all in agreement about making sacrifices “for the greater good.” In her essay On Morality, Joan Didion ruminates on an individual who waited with the body of a drunk driving victim in the remote Death Valley twilight so that the coyotes wouldn’t eat

performing the same action (e.g., the escalating joy of a concert). Am I so naïve to learn of these newsworthy actions, salon fixations, and subjects of study and find myself awash with tenderness to the point of reconsidering silence?

Walking, studying, driving in silence is almost always a concession for me, and—to be so frank—it’s always for failure of a Bluetooth function. I used to subscribe to the delusion that I studied better with music on because it occupied the part of my brain prone to wandering.

Just as my fear is not restricted to being awake, neither is it to being alone. Haven’t we all avoided spending time with people we were worried we didn’t have enough to talk with about? It’s the unabashed perception of each other, or the endless possibility of wrong things to say; it’s the sound of other things like your own moist exhalation and it’s knowing that the other person is looking at you in wait. I know that I’m not alone in being unnerved by the vulnerability of silence, but it’s all of the quiet places that we keep sacred for each other that really show the beauty and potential of it. The temple which is kept for those to reflect in company, the peaceful hum of a library which is maintained for the exploration of those things we might not want to traverse alone. Maybe silence needs not to be an oppressive pressure but the most profound expression of affection, revered and

mask i gn tfuT

Tufts Mask Policy Amidst Student Protest

By Joyce Fang

Since last October, protests have swept across college campuses in response to Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza. Near the end of the 20232024 school year, students set up encampments on their campuses to protest against administrations’ refusals to meet their demands. Tufts was one of the first to establish an encampment, demanding university divestment from Israel and the dropping of disciplinary charges against protestors.

Universities’ responses were criticized for violent police intervention used on protestors, creating fears of student surveillance on campuses. At Columbia University, nearly 100 students and community members were arrested by the New York Police Department following the occupation of university buildings. By the end of April, over 800 student protestors had been arrested nationwide during their participation in the encampments. Although no students were arrested at Tufts, the university threatened legal measures against

the encampment leading up to preparations for commencement.

As the school year ended, university encampments wound down, but not without promises to return in full force the next school year. At Tufts, around 100 protestors walked out of commencement in May to reiterate their demands.

Over the summer, university administrators reevaluated their response to the encampments, especially moving into the upcoming school year. A key point of contention was the use of masks and facial coverings on campus, which they view as an obstacle in identifying students involved in these protests.

In a statement to the Tufts Observer, Patrick Collins, director of media relations at Tufts, noted that “Tufts engaged in a holistic review and examined policies at other schools, including but not limited to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Stanford, Dartmouth, Brown, Cornell, Columbia, UPenn, NYU, Northwestern, Wash U, U Chicago,

Duke and Johns Hopkins. What we found was that other schools were grappling with the same challenges we were - how to make sure that academic and research activities continue without interruption and that all students can enjoy equal access to our facilities and programs.”

Leading up to the fall 2024 semester, Tufts communicated the results of these policy reviews. In an email communication on August 22, the Office of the President wrote to students to “reaffirm the mission of our institution,” which included “clarifications” to protest and advocacy policies. These clarifications were published in the email, including restrictions on protest location, timeframes, and level of disturbance, but made no mention of masking.

On September 19, the Tufts Office of Community Standards informed students that policies concerning “gatherings, protests, and demonstrations” were “clarified and revised to align with University guidelines.” These revised policies are found in Tufts University’s Student Code of Conduct, which is published on the Tufts University website.

Investigation into the revised university policy at the time found that these “clarified” guidelines now include restrictions on masking at university events. It stated that “wearing masks, bandanas, or other material to cover a person’s face in order to conceal their identity is prohibited, unless there is a declared public health emergency which requires the wearing of masks to prevent the spread of disease.” Citing concerns about “ensuring safety,” the new policy applies to “any campus event with over 25 attendees.”

When the Observer reached out for comments, Collins responded on October 1st that the policy change on masking was an “administrative error:” “We need to clarify something upfront. Tufts has not changed its approach to masking this year. There was an error in the language that was uploaded to the Student Code of Conduct website, which has now been corrected.”

He further clarified that the correct policy was “For public safety considerations, wearing masks, bandanas, or other material to cover a person’s face or identity, other than masks or coverings for health or religious observance reasons, is strongly discouraged.” The revised policy is now pub-

lished on the website of the Office of Community Standards. It still applies to “any event with over 25 attendees” rather than being limited to protest actions.

“This was the policy that was in place last year, and it is the policy that remains in place this year. We apologize for any confusion that this administrative error may have caused,” Collins wrote.

Despite the clarification, students expressed concerns about the initial policy, perceived by some to be a “mask ban.” Emily, a senior at Tufts who asked to remain anonymous under a pseudonym, masks regularly, and has attended protest actions over the previous year. She explained that this lack of distinction would put all masking students at risk. “This policy makes me worried because there’s already hostile behavior expressed towards people who wear masks, both for health and political reasons. [It’s] difficult for people to distinguish between the two, and adding in a mask ban will only incite further aggression.”

Isaac Chomsky, a member of Students for Justice in Palestine, commented that these policies were part of a pattern of Tufts’ strategy to suppress protest. “Instead of coming to the negotiating table, Tufts administrators have gone to great lengths to suppress free speech on campus. Last spring, President Kumar’s false dilemma between ending the encampment or ending commencement pitted the student body against one another. By preventing certain people from protesting, this new mask ban is a continuation of their strategy,” Chomsky said.

Collins expressed skepticism about students’ decisions to mask on campus. “We cannot help but note that we do not see students wearing as many masks at other outdoor events, such as Spring Fling, Matriculation, and Homecoming. Nor do we see students wearing as many masks indoors where transmission is ostensibly of greater concern, such as in class, libraries, dining halls, and dorms.”

Emily elaborated on her reasoning for masking on campus. “I wear a mask because I believe in making spaces inclusive and accessible, and wearing a mask is a way to do so for disabled and/or immunocompromised people. Also, after my last

round of COVID I ended up with some long-term effects that I don’t want to get worse by getting COVID again.”

Despite masking being discouraged when students are seeking to “conceal their identity,” students find themselves in murky territory regarding this distinction.

Chomsky noted that at protests hosted by Students for Justice in Palestine, the purpose of masking was twofold. “We ask students to mask at protests to protect our community - from both health risks and surveillance. The two cannot be separated, which this policy fails to recognize,” he wrote.

These policies come on the heels of the largest spike in summer COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began in March 2020. With cities no longer tracking individual case counts, COVID prevalence rates are now monitored by wastewater data which measures the concentration of COVID-19 in wastewater treatment plants. Data for the region covering Medford and Somerville shows a sharp spike in COVID concentration in mid-September, jumping from 739,587 copies per li-

ter to 4,654,230 copies per liter between September 12 and 16. Levels have remained in this range since September 16.

In recognition of this ongoing spike in cases, Tufts University Health Services “suggests wearing KN95 masks indoors” to prevent the “spread of respiratory illnesses, including COVID.”

Several schools across the country have enacted similar restrictions on masking, notably the University of California and the California State University systems. In a letter to the chancellors of each University of California school, President Michael Drake outlined policies to be enacted throughout the UC system. The letter states that “Policies must clarify that no person shall wear a mask or personal disguise or otherwise conceal their identity with the intent of intimidating any person or group, or for the purpose of evading or escaping discovery, recognition, or identification in the commission of violations of law or policy.”

The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, based in California, notes that the UC policies “target student protestors and unfairly harm students with disabilities who use masks for their health

and safety,” further citing that “disabled people are at higher risk of violence when interacting with law enforcement.”

Chomsky echoes these concerns. “Even if this policy focuses on an ‘intent to hide identity,’ it creates an atmosphere where simply following your religion or accommodating your disability arouses suspicion,” he stated.

He also expressed concern for the implications of the Tufts policy for the student body as a whole: “I don’t just see this mask policy as a problem for organizing, I see it as a problem for the entire student body. Notice that this policy applies to any campus event with over 25 people. People with a religious obligation are asked to refer to the Religious Accommodation Policy for approval to wear their face covering.”

Tufts remains one of few schools in the Greater Boston area to enact masking-specific restrictions that apply beyond protest, despite an overall pattern of more stringent protest restrictions. The Massachusetts Institute of Technol -

ogy’s updated protest guidelines make no mention of masks or other facial coverings. Emerson College, the site of 118 arrests amid escalated police response to the college’s encampment last April, still holds the policy that “anyone who wishes to wear a mask should feel free to do so in any setting.” The School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University has not publicly updated its protest guidelines since January, which does not refer to a specific policy on masking. However, Harvard Business School has stated that masking during a demonstration is not permissible “other than for health reasons.”

In light of returning to campus this semester under these conditions, Emily remains concerned about being able to protect herself by masking on campus. “There are very few people who mask in the first place, and I already feel out of place when I wear one around campus. I don’t want to be harassed for masking, but it’s something I’m nervous about. This policy makes me worried about trust for students who mask on campus.”

The Lost Feminist Origins of Gossip ‘Idle Talk’ As Vital Talk

Few things in life make me as giddy as when I look at my phone and see a text from a friend saying, “You’ll never guess what ___ just told me…” The seconds drag on as I fixate on the gray ellipsis dancing in the bubble at the left of my screen. Suddenly, I am a dog begging for a treat after successfully rolling over. Every moment feels like an eternity. I think: am I seriously drooling over my

phone right now? Sometimes, the answer is yes; I am guilty of the occasional salivation while waiting for someone to dish it out, as they say.

Throughout my life, I’ve been told by teachers, family members, and most often adult men that gossiping is frivolous, pointless, and absolutely immoral. I always feel heavy with guilt when I give in to the allure of gossip. This dissonance

By Siena Cohen

likely comes from the large population of men on X who openly discuss how women who gossip “[have] too much time to waste” and for that reason, gossip is “one of the main issues in our society.” These same men rarely oppose male gossip, even though men and women actually gossip the same amount. And that amount is a lot. According to a 2019 study, most individuals gossip for an average of about one

hour every day. For women to feel less guilty about this universally shared pleasure, we must first understand why society has conditioned us to correlate gossip with immorality.

While the highly gendered way we think about who is allowed to gossip was popularized only within the last 400 years or so, gossip as a concept has been around for much longer. Our interest and participation in this form of oral storytelling dates back to our prehistoric ancestors who lived in relatively small communities with high levels of interaction and familiarity. These primal communities facedmany challenges, such as navigating the division of limited resources and protecting their groups from outsiders. People also had to figure out who was a reliable trade partner, a good hunter, and an ideal mate within this environment. These individuals used communication—such as gossip—to spread this vital information to those they trusted. Socially intelligent individuals with the ability to predict and influence the behavior of others would have been favored by natural selection. This process of evolutionary psychology has allowed the genes of these historic gabbers to be passed down through time.

If we are genetically predisposed to be fascinated by the prospect of engagement in gossip, when and how did it become distasteful in society to participate in such exchanges? There’s nothing worse than trying to tell a friend about your co-worker’s exboyfriend’s monstrosity of a post-breakup mullet and having them decline because it “feels wrong to gossip.” I’m immediately guilt-ridden, and confused. I can’t help but think about how people intrinsically want to engage in these conversations but resist the

urge due to negative and sexist connotations that come with being labeled a “gossip.”

These connotations have roots in Medieval Europe. During this era, women would admirably call their relatives and close friends and chat with their “gossips” in public. However, during this time, the church, law, and public rule were all strongly encouraging patriarchal authority within family and social life. As a result, gossip as a tool of communication was forbidden by law. In 1547, England issued “a proclamation was issued forbidding women to meet together to babble and talk’ and ordering husbands to ‘keep their wives in their houses” as a result of increasing pressure by the Church to make domestic duties the center of women’s attention. Women who disobeyed this authority and continued to gossip in public were accused of committing a crime.

The action of gossip was under extreme scrutiny because, previously, gossiping had created solidarity among women, serving as a shared language they could use to safely exchange information outside of men’s influence or control. The stigmatization of gossip that prevails today is a long-lasting symptom of this Medieval Christian culture that sought to limit women’s free speech and ability to create historical records.

To further repress the voices of these women, suspects of gossip in English towns were often forced by the Church and the law to wear “branks,” iron frames that enclosed a woman’s head and would tear her tongue if she attempted to speak. This torture method was so widespread during the sixteenth century that it came to be known as the “gossip bridle.” It was within this increasingly patriarchal time that the idea of gossip evolved from its original affectionate connotation into the denigrated and ridiculed practice we know today. While gossip bridles don’t exist anymore, modern antigossip sentiment is still packed with misogyny aimed at discouraging women from sharing their miseries, organizing, and rebelling

malize, it is not necessarily the content being discussed during gossip sessions that have the most value in the exchange. The con tent being exchanged during gossip is often neg ligible. It’s not about who dish about, it’s about the people you dish it out to. The power exists the bonds between women created to disrupt the very systems that seek to limit their speech. Deciding to share gossip with another person is the ultimate demonstration of closeness, of solidarity; I wouldn’t want to tell just anybody about the frat bro who broke up with his girlfriend to hook up with his fellow frat bro, or about the insensitive way he dumped her.

While making baseless claims about another person is not something that we should nor-

Oral storytelling, including gossip, is a valid means of communication, despite what the dominant culture wants us to believe. The negative connotations that surround gossip are a maneuver to further silence marginalized people’s voices. For example, the #MeToo movement and the momentous change it sparked could have been dismissed as mere gossip if this sexist stigma continued to persist surrounding alternative methods of exchanging information. Sharing stories that are considered taboo or immoral is a way for women to communicate danger, connect with others, and heal from their own experiences. Gossip, at its core, is an act of communication that we must seize as a means to give voice to women and to organize and disperse information outside of the systems of oppression. We must gab unapologetically, chit-chat like there’s no tomorrow, and dish without guilt. In doing so, we become empowered to enrich our own lives by challenging the forces that have attempted to silence women for so long.

DESIGN BY DADA JEONG, ART BY AMANDA CHEN

Ask the

By Emma Castro, Max Greenstein, and Miles Kendrick

Where are the lesbians? Sincerely, a freshman

YOU ASKED...

Lesbians abound at Tufts University! Stand in The Sink, close your eyes, spin in a circle, and point. Chances are, Sapphic First-Year, you will be pointing at a lesbian. Also: see the Observer masthead.

I’m a guy and I have been in a friend group with a few other people for about two years now. We have a larger circle of friends but four of us have always been super close. We do most of our activities together and hang out almost every day. However, I realized after I got back to school this fall that I have serious feelings for one of them. I don’t think I’ve ever truly been in love before, but I started to realize that I have a crush like I’ve never felt before. I don’t think he knows or if he even feels the same, and I’m worried that making a move would disrupt our friendship and friend group, with all of us being so close platonically until now. However, it’s hard to ignore my feelings at the same time. What should I do?

HellO, Hopeful Romantic. This is a doozy, but we have some ideas for you. Friend group romances are usually messy, but what’s life if not a little bit of a mess?

Path A: Definitely start by testing the waters. This is how we picture it: Friday night, three shots in, someone suggests a round of hotseat. If you don’t know his sexuality, start with a lowball: “What’s your celebrity crush?” (feeling bold? “What is your sexuality?”) If they say something like Prince Eric or Jack Schlossberg, then you’re in. From there, you can initiate subtle flirtatious vibes, but if he’s not into it, immediately abort mission.

Path B: Do you have another friend in the group that you could confide in? Maybe they can try to get some intel for you. Also, starting friend group romances out of the blue can sometimes rub the other friends the wrong way and it might be good to have someone in on it. If the friend expresses concern, maybe reconsider and reflect on the friend group and your feelings for him. Would you rather have a lifelong friend or a thrilling, potentially

short-lived relationship? Something to think about. The heart wants what the heart wants, even if it makes you an asshole.

How do I know if I’m ready to start dating again?

A first date is not a declaration of love, it’s just something to try! Listen, O Apprehensive One: you’re never going to feel 100 percent ready for anything. There’s no harm in casually testing the waters. If you start to feel uncomfortable, you can always stop. A good way to try this is through a dating app, so you can try talking to people and assess how you feel.

I worry that I have a lot of friends around campus, but no set friend group. As a sophomore I’m apprehensive that most other folks do have set friend groups and aren’t really in the market for starting another one. Does my failure to build a strong basis of a steady group reflect on me or the people around me? Am I doing college wrong? Am I doomed to have no group chat to debrief with, no set of folks to go out with every single weekend? Send help, O. I’m lost and incredibly anxious about this whole ordeal of “the friend group.”

First of all, Anxious Advice-Seeker, not having a “set” friend group is NOT a failure in any way, on you or others around you. You are NOT doing college wrong. Sure, it can be nice to have a group of friends to consistently fall back on. But it can also be limiting. We know it feels like everyone else has a set friend group, but you’ll find that as time passes in college, those lines become much more fluid. Joining different clubs on campus can be a great way to meet people (join the O!). While it can be intimidating to text people asking to make plans, sometimes that’s all anyone is waiting for. It’s also important to remember that you might not meet your best friends right away! You only just started your sophomore year, there’s SO much time left for you to meet people.

I cheated on my DTD situationship with my “straight” girl best friend and now I'm hooking up with them both. Who should I break it off with? Should I tell him?

OOOOOO THIS IS JUICY. We think you might already know the answer in your heart, dear Double Dipper. Think: why did you hook up with your best friend in the first place? Did you already have feelings for her? Was the situationship unsatisfying? Would you really have pursued things with her if DTD man was what you wanted? This is what we think: break it off with DTD man, regardless of what happens with your friend. You wouldn’t be entertaining this decision if you really wanted to commit to him. We know, not many frat men can check all the boxes (or even half of them, for that matter). With that being said…

Given that she is “straight” it might be worth having a conversation with her about what the hook-up meant to her and if that aligns with what it meant to you.

Also, it’s important that frat boys are humbled every once and a while. It’s a natural check, an evolutionary adaptation that ensures the safety of the school’s most vulnerable by reminding the brothers of Delta Tau Delta that they, too, are mere mortal beings.

How do I stop falling fast? (I’ve already fallen and he’s waved to me twice, complimented my shirt, and I’ve stalked him on LinkedIn. In my delusions he and I are married)

Well, Naughty Networker, as a group of people who also suffer from severe hyper-fixations, we understand that this can be a gigantic hurdle to jump over. Part of us is like—two waves? And ALSO a shirt compliment? He is planning the honeymoon. The other part of us, though, agrees that you may be moving a little too fast. Internet stalking, whether that be LinkedIn or Instagram (or Spotify for those really in the trenches) will never grant you the emotional solace you are seeking. It will just create more of a mystique around the person, building them up into this mythical being absent of flaws. Instead, we encourage you to only anchor your opinions of them in your face-to-face encounters. Did they

ask about your day? How kind! Were they nice to their mom on the phone? What a gem. Are they happy to announce that they are starting a new position as a teaching assistant for Data Structures (C++)? LINKEDIN! NO! BAD! It’s easy to get caught up in the fantasy of it all. Going forward, try to keep it in the present and offline.

Give us advice on how to make it happen with your class crush

Given that one of us has been dating their former class crush for almost a year now, we feel qualified to impart our wisdom upon you for this one.

We’ll admit this is a precarious situation, especially if you didn’t know them at all before class. You’re entering an unknown realm here—who is this person, really? Could they be in a relationship? Will they be interested in you (or do they have poor taste)? Here’s our play by play:

1. Sit next to them in class, if you aren’t already. If you’re on a tight schedule, we’ll concede, you may have to book it across campus in sub-fifteen minutes to get to your class before all the seats fill up.

2. When you’re with them in class, TALK TO THEM! We don’t care how shy or awkward you consider yourself to be— ANYONE can ask another human being where they’re from, what their weekend plans are, etc. Baby steps.

3. Then, wait until you get an assignment. This one is important: ask them for their number (NO INSTAGRAM OR SNAPCHAT—WE ARE ADULTS).

4. Once the digits are secured, conveniently text them questions you already know the answers to (i.e. a simple “Do we have class today?” Yeah, no shit, but it’s a solid way to get the conversation flowing).

5. Gradually extend the scope of your texting conversations beyond class content. Keep it smooth. Find a way to introduce information about yourself and learn more about them.

6. If the vibes seem right, ask them to study together before an upcoming exam. Or, if you’re feeling particularly bold, chat them up during the exodus out of the classroom and ask them where they’re headed next.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Be sure to consider what’s at stake. If you guys have mutual friends, or you know you’ll be seeing each other in many classes to come, you need to weigh the pros and cons of pursuing anything romantic. If everything goes to shit (not that we’re saying that’s likely), will you be able to handle seeing them around? Proceed with caution, Pining Pupil.

EVEN MORE IMPORTANT NOTE: If you find yourself proceeding through these steps and your class crush seems disinterested, let it go. They could be your future spouse, or they could just be a mediocre classmate that you’ve glorified in your mind. There are many fish in the Medford/Somerville sea (again, see the Observer masthead).

So beware dear readers, and keep your voices low. For secrets have a shelf life, and whispers only grow.

ELIKA WILSON

OTipping The Vote

By Amon Gray

n the 2024 ballot, Massachusetts voters will be asked to respond to an initiative petition for tipped workers to be paid state minimum wage. Tipped employees, including waitstaff, bartenders, and baristas, can be paid as low as $6.25 under current Massachusetts law, as long as the difference between their rate and minimum wage is made up in tips. The initiative, which will be question five on the ballot, would grant tipped employees the full state minimum wage of $15 along with tips.

Evan Horowitz, Executive Director of the Center for State Policy Analysis at Tisch College, authored a report on each of the Massachusetts ballot questions using a combination of original research and existing literature as well as statements from both advocates and opponents of each issue. The report is nonpartisan and meant to inform voters on each initiative.

One of the most contentious questions among supporters and opponents of the initiative is whether total earnings for tipped workers will increase or decrease. In his findings, Horowitz predicted that earnings would likely increase for tipped workers, based on studies of changes to tipped minimum wage in other states. “The impact is not life-changing, in most cases, but nearly all studies find durably higher earnings,” Horowitz stated in his report.

Despite this prediction, opponents of the initiative, led by the Committee to Protect Tips and supported by organizations like The Massachusetts Restaurant Association, claim that Massachusetts servers and bartenders overwhelm-

Massachusetts Ballot Proposes Tipped Workers to Make State Minimum Wage

ingly oppose the initiative, particularly because it disincentivizes tipping and includes policies like tip pooling. The Committee to Protect Tips cited its own online survey of 351 tipped employees, in which they found that 90 percent believe they would earn less if tipped wages were eliminated.

“I think that there are challenges to the industry that are beyond just the pay structure that we have to look at holistically to see how we can add more value to the employees who work in the service industry.”

The ballot question was initially filed by Mana Javadi, the Development Director at One Fair Wage in August 2023. One Fair Wage, a nationwide organization supporting fair wages for service workers, has led the campaign in support of Question 5. They argue that most small businesses in Massachusetts already pay minimum

wage and large corporations are lagging behind on giving their fair share.

Diesel Cafe, Bloc Cafe, and Forge Baking Company in Somerville, for instance, have been paying employees the state minimum wage with tips throughout their 25 years of business. They also already choose to pool tips: section 6 of the initiative states that employers can require employees to pool tips with non-customer-facing workers including kitchen staff and clerks.

Jennifer Park, a co-owner of these three businesses, explained that this was because of the disparity in the amount of tips employees who work different hours or roles receive. “Most cafe establishments in the area that I am aware of do build into their business model paying tipped workers the minimum state wage, if not more,” Park said.

The Danish Pastry House, where sophomore Lula Duda has worked as a barista over the past two semesters, does not pay state minimum wage but does pool tips. “Every time someone comes in, we divide [the tips earned] between the people working, just because then it wouldn’t be fair to the kitchen staff,” Duda said. “They do earn the tips because they’re making the food. They’re doing labor that they are earning tips for. So I think that it is fair to pool the tips.”

If passed, this initiative would have the largest effect on costs for businesses and customers, not wages for employees. Horowitz explained that this ballot question is less about raising wages and more about who is responsible for paying the wage the employees are entitled to. “The

terminology that we use makes it seem like this is a minimum wage increase question, and it really is something different,” Horowitz said.

The difference could be made up by raising prices or adding a service fee as a percentage of the bill. However, there are significantly fewer regulations on businesses’ use of service fees than on their use of tips, and Question 5 does not require them to disclose how service fees are distributed.

Duda said that she agrees with service fees being used to make up the difference in wages. “I just think paying your [full-time] employees a livable wage is very important. And I understand that that’s difficult, obviously, for business owners, because everything’s getting more expensive,” Duda said. “You can’t just pull money out of nowhere when it doesn’t exist, but I would say that that’s

probably more important, as opposed to having to live off of tips.”

Currently, many employees working at cafes, especially in the Boston area, are students or recent graduates who work part-time and are preparing to transition to jobs outside the service industry. Because of this, the major concern for business owners like Park is employee retention. “Having been in the perspective of having paid employees the minimum wage and paying tips on top of that, I can speak fairly confidently that it doesn’t change the retention,” Park said. “I think that there are challenges to the industry that are beyond just the pay structure that we have to look at holistically to see how we can add more value to the employees who work in the service industry.”

Regardless, some employees simply prefer working for tips over a more consistent payment structure. “There’s some substantial portion of people in those

jobs who got into those jobs because of the appeal of tips,” Horowitz said. “They think it fits them. They like the structure where they can work hard or use their skills in human interaction to increase their tips.”

If the initiative passes, it will be phased in over the next five years on January 1 of each year with employees receiving 100 percent percent of the state minimum wage by 2029.

As of now, while Washington, DC, has passed a law to phase out its tipped wage, no state has completely abandoned the tipped minimum wage, so Massachusetts would set a precedent if the initiative passes. The question remains whether this is a trend that will con tinue or if the United States will ever reconsider the role of tipping in its service industry.

DESIGN BY JOEY MARMO, ART BY MARIA SOKOLOWSKI

article

By Alec Rosenthal

On July 21, 2024, three simple words merged the current US political and cultural spheres and launched the internet into an endless vortex of bright, suffocating green: “kamala IS brat.” Recently thrust into the mainstream, Charli xcx—a dominant force of pop music’s more electronic and experimental undercurrents—posted the phrase on X in response to Vice President Kamala Harris’ declaration that she would embark on her presidential campaign. The comedic idea tethers an already charismatic political figure to Brat—an album recognized repeatedly for its authentic balance of intense confidence with insecure introspection. The message positively impacted the

and it’s the same but it’s the intersection between art, capital, and politics.

fervor surrounding the election and significantly fueled the youth vote, with 18 to 34-year-olds composing 84 percent of 100,000 voter registrations recorded after Harris’ Brat-themed campaign launched. Beyond politics, Brat more broadly represents a significant crosspoint between art and capital.

Despite its existence as an album, Brat’s grip on the mainstream manifests itself moreso in a visual context, adopted by the Harris campaign and beyond. Jarring in its brash aesthetic simplicity, the record’s artwork merely consists of the word “brat” in blurred black Arial font on a chartreuse background. Its bare-boned nature is its strongest attribute, allowing for widespread

and easy replication. Hence, the image became one of the most iconic symbols of the summer, mimetically claimed by fans, politicians, and corporations alike, which was even facilitated by Charli xcx and her team via the equally savvy and intuitive ‘Brat Generator’ website.

Within this marketing move lies the inherent contradiction of Brat, split between its supposed authentic ethos and its capitalist function, reflected by how quickly the corporate world replicated the album’s imagery within its own marketing campaigns. Plant-based food company Field Roast notably modified the artwork to promote their bratwurst, reinforcing Brat’s cultural importance through a capi-

talist affirmation of its value. Other brands such as Kate Spade, ColourPop, and H&M continued this trend, placing their product alongside Brat to both capitalize off its popularity and reinforce the album’s commodification. In this sense, the record becomes torn between its role as a work of art and medium of expression in contrast to its alignment with the commercial realm.

However, junior Alex Herz finds that an artwork’s commercial existence does not negate its creative integrity, asking “If you are producing art in a capitalist society, in which you have that art as your means of survival, what is authenticity? Is it not authentic to make art for money? If that is the driving force of art, who is the pariah? Who is to say art has to be made for a love of connection or creation?”

Interim Chair of the Tufts International Literary and Cultural Studies Department Susan Napier furthered this sentiment, citing the entertainment value of certain artistic yet capitalist ventures as important. Instead of outright condemning the attachment of monetary value to art or the mere act of creating art to gain capital, Napier cited the recent film Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice as an example of media that is enjoyable in spite of its capitalist roots. “It was clever and funny and pleasurable, and these are things that I think ought to be allowed, and not always in superhero movie context,” Napier said. “We ought to have more room for pleasurable, entertaining forms of art that just are, I don’t want to say escapist, but a little bit compensating for the difficulties of the complexities of our contemporary world.”

Brat’s conscious usage of reproducibility as a tool for financial success plays into German philosopher Walter Benjamin’s understanding of art and capital in the modern age, with his text “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” (1935). Benjamin writes that technological advancements allow for largescale replications of artwork that destroy former connotations of uniqueness. As a result, society’s cultural understanding of art transforms to that which can be reproduced on a wide scale, losing its inherent value through an excess of consumption.

Paul Fauller, a junior at the Tufts School of the Museum of Fine Arts, finds Benjamin’s theory increasingly relevant to modern everyday life, with mass repro-

duction significantly decreasing art’s value. “I think that numbness towards art, especially popular art, is at an all-time high, simply because we are consuming media in every aspect of our lives,” Fauller said. “There’s no separation of church and state in that matter—I feel like we are always consuming, and we have algorithms that feed us this product, and this art is now a product and is capital for corporations, for individuals. We get numb and jaded, and I feel like it removes a lot of the significant meaning behind a lot of the art.”

Caught between existing as an artistic statement and a vehicle for capitalist and political incentive, “Brat-mania” demonstrates a larger issue of art’s cultural value being taken advantage of for profit, policy, and power. While art exists hand-in-hand with politics more often than not, there is a difference between inherently political art and art repurposed for a cause beyond itself.

While the corporate utilization of Brat acts merely as the latest example of art exploited for capitalist gain, the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon last summer followed a similar trajectory as a work popularized by natural fervor before being repurposed as a financial crutch. The day before Barbie and Oppenheimer released in theaters, Lionsgate and Paramount attempted to reignite the cultural craze through the pale imitation of “Saw Patrol”, rescheduling the release dates of Saw X and Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie to create another unorthodox (and considerably less successful) double feature. This comedic failure further demonstrates the perilous task of standing out in a saturated market, while making it clear that simply imitating what has been previously popular cannot hold its own.

Returning to Benjamin’s essay, he further explains that film, a highly reproducible medium meant for mass consumption, allows for the creation of a subsphere of entertainment surrounding the actors, a relatively new phenomenon that took the world by storm when his work was written in 1935. With celebrity culture as a secondary level to the entertainment business, German philosophers Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer identify the inextricable link between fame and capital in their idea of the culture industry. Given the growth of influencer culture in recent years, authenticity in marketing

has become especially important, blurring the line between the celebrity as a force of constant labor and the branded authentic.

Just as Brat quickly became commercialized and the industry scrambled to relive the glory of “Barbenheimer,” authenticity fizzles out in accordance with the nature of marketing and publicity. This more interpersonal layer of the entertainment world takes greater precedence, especially as the industry struggles to put forth scripted content. Strikes in Hollywood and decreased content spending reduced scripted series output 24 percent in 2023, creating a content seesaw that pushed forth the celebrity spectacle in its place. In the same vein, Ice Spice and Central Cee released a single this summer entitled “Did It First,” which features both artists nonchalantly explaining their sides of an affair they had with each other. Publicizing the song’s events as if they had transpired in real life, both artists engaged in a PR stunt that reinforced the celebrity’s role as a commodified individual.

This artistic transformation of person to product continues within the documentarian sphere according to Anevay Ybàñez, a senior majoring in Film and Media Studies with a focus in ethnography. “It’s really about the process in it, and how you treat the people or community that you are focusing on and having to remember that they are people and not subjects,” Ybàñez said. “It isn’t like a narrative that you can just construct. This is something that exists, and as a documentarian, you are just a vessel.”

PR stunts and the exploitation of real-world individuals within the entertainment sphere demonstrate the corporate commercialization of the authentic, playing on the public’s enjoyment of subtextuality and a desire to resonate with the person behind the art rather than simply the work itself. Brat itself exists within this dichotomy—brash yet introspective, earnest yet superficial, bold yet self-conscious. The modern entertainment industry structures itself on this haze, begging the question of when the authentic ends and the product starts, if their relationship can ever be untangled.

Rush or Hush?

Greek Recruitment On Campus

We’re Not Like Other Frats…

Boys, booze, and bible. These are the forbidden subjects of conversation during sorority rush at a traditional Southern university. The recruitment period for fraternities and sororities, popularly known as rush, has been the subject of recent scrutiny, notably through the Bama Rush documentary released by Max in March 2023. Bama Rush pledged to scratch the public itch to know what unfolds beyond the grand columns of the Greek revival houses on sorority row at the University of Alabama, the epicenter of Greek Life in North America. Though the documentary did not trigger “the end of Greek Life as we know it,” as prophesied by the trailer, it did spark conversation about a culture that historically thrives on secrecy and exclusivity.

Tufts claims to do Greek Life differently. The Tufts Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) Policies state that the Greek community on campus strives “to be a leader in the national landscape of the fraternity and sorority movement” through their commitment to diversity, inclusion, and transparency, among other values.

ByElizabethMerryweather

(note:theauthorisamember of the Ivy)

What immediately distinguishes rush at Tufts from the conventional Greek Life experience is its unique combination of national and local organizations. Of the nine sororities and fraternities on campus, six organizations are nationally affiliated, meaning that they belong to either the National Panhellenic Conference or the Interfraternity Conference. However, the remaining three organizations are local and distinctive to Tufts, with no connections to a national Greek system.

ATO of Massachusetts lost its national affiliation with Alpha Tau Omega in 1974, partly due to conflicts over its philosophy as a “Christian fraternity for white males,” as noted in Brown and Blue and Greek, a history of early Greek Life at Tufts. As part of their reinvention, ATO welcomed women into the fraternity, making it the only all-gender Greek organization on campus today.

Silas Summers, a sophomore who participated in ATO recruitment this fall, expressed their belief that inclusivity and diversity are intrinsic to ATO’s “brand.” It is “literally plastered over the walls of the house,” Summers said. “We don’t tolerate racism, homophobia, [or] bigotry. And if you see it, report it.”

In 2020, members of national sororities Alpha Phi and Chi Omega broke away to establish new local sororities Ivy and Thalia. The founders of Ivy and Thalia sought to reclaim autonomy from the strict regulatory power of the national system, in order to “start from scratch” and “cultivate a more inclusive experience,” as written on the Ivy website.

Thalia and Ivy avoid using the term “rush” due to its connotations as a highly exclusive and often discriminatory process. Instead, both sororities refer to recruitment as MAP or the Member Application Process. Appearances “have been taken out of the equation,” said Thalia MAP Chair Sofia Rothenberg. “You can come from practice, you can come from the gym, you can wear whatever you want.”

Anvitha Paruchuri, who was previously a member of a national sorority at Wake Forest University, participated in the sorority recruitment process at Tufts this fall. Paruchuri enjoyed the laid-back atmosphere of MAP. “There aren’t really rules in terms of what I can wear, or what I can talk about, or how I can express myself.”

In comparison, Paruchuri described her rush experience at Wake Forest as rigid. Being raised by immigrant parents, Paruchuri was not educated in the traditions of Greek Life from a young age like many of her Southern peers. “I didn’t really understand why it was important to wear a dress and heels versus just like, jeans and a T-shirt.” Paruchuri shared that at Wake Forest a candidate could be dropped for not wearing the right shoes, revealing the biases of the decision-making process. Laughing, she questioned, “I could have worn different shoes and gotten in?”

In contrast, Rothenberg embraces the casual and intimate nature of Tufts recruitment. “I think of [Thalia] as a social group or club and not as much a sorority.” At the time when Thalia and Ivy were founded, many Tufts Greek organizations faced allegations of sexual misconduct and hazing. For this reason, many felt that creating local sororities would be an adequate response to the cultural issues of Greek Life and this history of abuse and discrimination. However, others expressed concern about such a change, such as the Instagram account “Abolish Greek Life at Tufts” (@abolishtuftsifcandpanhellenic). In an email correspondence with The Tufts

Daily, they explained that they “[were] wary of the current system of Greek Life [being replaced by] social organizations or social spaces that will have many of the same features of Greek Life under a new name.” As local organizations continue to evolve, these concerns remain relevant.

…Or Are We?

At Tufts, Potential New Members (PNMs) of sororities must choose the national or local application track. The national sororities are the only organizations on campus which “generally assure bids” to PNMs, according to Tufts FSL Advisor Mary Kate Kelley. In contrast, Tufts fraternities and local sororities do not assure bids to their candidates, which poses a potential problem for more competitive recruitment periods.

Paruchuri’s only option at Tufts was to “go local,” due to Panhellenic regulations that prevent a student who has been initiated into a national sorority from joining another. She was left with the potential to not receive a bid from any sorority, subjecting her to possible rejection and the culture of exclusivity.

Paruchuri did not anticipate Greek recruitment to be competitive at Tufts, having heard that only a small percentage of students participated in Greek Life. In contrast, over 80 percent of female-identifying students in her freshman class at Wake Forest registered for sorority recruitment. “I was not expecting to be nervous about the process… because I wasn’t expecting not getting a bid to be such a possible outcome,” she said.

Rothenberg noticed an increased interest in local sororities this semester compared to previous recruitment periods. She theorized that students’ awareness of Thalia and Ivy is only now beginning to grow, as both organizations were founded during the pandemic when Greek Life was limited. Increased interest has lent itself to a somewhat selective recruitment process.

This fall, 241 PNMs participated in Tufts sorority recruitment, of which 117 received and accepted a bid from one of the four sororities, reported Kelley. Thalia Director of Public Relations Anya

Kalucki lamented how many PNMs were “dropped” from recruitment: “In Thalia, one of our values is inclusivity… how do you do that when you have so many people that want to join?”

The history of identity-based inclusion within Greek Life precedes itself. Though Paruchuri appreciated Ivy and Thalia’s “explicit efforts” to discuss their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) values during MAP, she believes there is “always room for improvement” in Greek Life diversity. Paruchuri was intrigued by the possibility of Ivy and Thalia forming affinity groups within their organizations to provide supportive environments for people of color.

Summers echoed Paruchuri, describing ATO as diverse in terms of gender but not race. “As an African American I feel I do tend to see different races more. I just saw more white people than people of color,” he said. However, lack of racial representation did not deter Summers from participating in recruitment and connecting with ATO members. “After each event my throat was sore because I just talked too much,” he said.

ATO New Member Educator Erin Guy explained that ATO’s foremost goal is to break down barriers to entry. They’ve started doing open houses to hopefully attract as diverse and interesting an array of candidates as possible.

However, those experiencing the actual recruitment process don’t necessarily feel the same. “With ATO specifically, I think they pride themselves on being alternative from the other sororities and fraternities by the fact that they’re coed and have more of, like, an artsy [vibe]…” said an anonymous source who participated in ATO recruitment.“But I guess I am unconvinced by how alternative it really is when… it’s impossible to not make fraternity or sorority life about… being in an ingroup or being in an out-group when that is at its core what it is.”

Though the majority of recruitment revolves around casual conversation, the process concludes with select candidates invited to a final round of formal interviews. ATO famously piles 50 – 60 members into one room to face a single PNM. Summers’ anxiety escalated in the moments before his interview. “The whole time at the door, my heart’s pounding. I’m already sweating through my shirt, and

I’m watching, like, dumb Instagram reels to just get my mind off of it.”

Guy explained that, unlike a job interview, ATO members ask some fun questions to grasp the candidate’s sense of humor. However, that may be even more intimidating for a PNM. It felt like “putting a microscope on my personality,” said the anonymous source.

Anxiety is heightened by the fact that PNMs do not know what metrics are used to make decisions behind the scenes. “For one [sorority], they sent out their rejections in less than two hours after the event had ended, and that’s a really fast decision,” said Paruchuri, who experienced rejection firsthand. “What did I say wrong? Or what did I do wrong?… It’s hard to not think about what I could’ve done differently.”

Paruchuri also pointed to the paradoxical nature of Tufts’ attempts to promote a Greek culture based on inclusivity. “The rush process requires some form of rejection… but there’s also really no way to take the emotion out of it either,” she said.

The end of fall recruitment leaves some with the disappointment of rejection and others with the thrill of acceptance. Summers could hardly contain his emotion when four ATO members burst into his Latin Way suite to offer him a bid. “I screamed so loud because I was so, so excited. I texted my mom.”

Some members of Tufts’ fraternities and sororities take on the hopeful viewpoint that inclusion is vital to sowing the seeds for the future culture of Greek Life. Guy looked forward to onboarding new members, describing how each rush class has its own personality. The “new members are the life of ATO.” Likewise, it is the new members who hold the power to shape what lies ahead.

Circles

She hurried, tightening her arms around herself despite the blinding August sun beating down on her. Down the stairs, past the trees, follow Google Maps to the tube station. There were suitcases to pack, errands to run, places to be. And yet, as she stepped onto the street, her heart began to race. There was something familiar about this bend, this double-laned road, this brick wall, this…

There. She faltered, hesitating, then crossed the street, striding briskly across the lanes with blatant disregard for the oncoming traffic. She reached the other side, slowing as she approached the low wall that overlooked the Thames, vision overlaid with a night from many months ago. The water was its dependable murky brown, but this particular stretch—with the view of Westminster across it, the London Eye rising tall, tourists pouring across the massive structure of London Bridge—was still breathtaking. London had a special way of making even the most mundane things seem beautiful. She leaned against the wall, arms splayed, breathing, bracing, and tilted her head to the sky, trying to soak some sun into her dry skin. Awash with the scenery, she barely noticed the sound of footsteps approaching.

“Hey, stranger. Didn’t think I’d see you here again.”

She barely caught herself flinching, struggling to keep her features neutral and her eyes trained on the water below. Her reverie shattered and she gripped the wall, the rough stone carving indents into her palms. Ignoring the voice, she continued watching the river, her gaze catching on a duck swimming peacefully below.

“The last time we were here we saw one too,” the voice behind her poked again. “What did we name him, Bob? Henry?”

She heaved a sigh but remained stubbornly in her position, eyes glued to the

By Demilade Ajibola

duck who had now found itself a friend. The silence between them stretched, taut as a rubber band. “V, you can’t keep doing this, you know,” she finally responded. “It’s not exactly fair.”

A laugh—gentle, and teasing. Something inside her thawed slightly, and the sunlight filtering through the trees above seemed to shine a little brighter.

She turned her back on the river to look at her. Hands in the pocket of her green charity shop jacket, V tilted her head in her particular mischievous way, sending her shaggy auburn hair over her eyes, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. The look on her face was patient, expecting. She knew what would happen next.

“Come on,” V said, removing a hand from the shabby jacket and offering it. V smirked as she reluctantly took it, intertwining their fingers like they had done a thousand times before.

As they walked wordlessly beside the wall, she looked down at their fingers, admiring the contrast of their skin tones. She looked up just as they passed a lamp post with a very familiar dent, waiting for V to say it first.

on the map. If she closed her eyes, she could still hear their raucous laughter as they raced down the street and through the turnstiles, running for the last train of the night after a conversation gone far too long. Opening them, she was brought back to the station’s reality instead— Temple Station on a weekday afternoon, run down and deserted, save for some sweaty, confused American tourists and the bald man selling overpriced drinks in the corner. Briefly letting go of her companion’s hand, she mechanically tapped her phone at the turnstile, only then re-

“Look—this was where we talked and talked, but you were too scared to kiss me.” The first girl smiled, despite herself. She did remember, of course. Their date, the walk afterward, this spot where they had stood and talked about nothing and everything—the musician they saw, whether there was an afterlife, the stupid ducks swimming away. Henry And his friend, George—the girls had concluded they must be on a date too. Even so, she remained silent, musing as they kept walking.

V led her to the tube station, the one she really should have recognized

membering that she didn’t know where they were going.

“Where to?” she asked, as they descended the steps. V smiled again, the way people do at babies saying their r’s like w’s, like she had made an adorable mistake. “To yours, of course,” V said, pulling her into the train car that had slid to a stop in front of them.

Entering, she sighed, sinking into a seat. She knew she wasn’t supposed to, but she couldn’t help leaning against V’s shoulder, nestling into her smaller frame. The past few months had been so cold, so empty. She winced at the sight of her reflection in the window across from them.

When had her eyes become so sunken? And her face so gaunt, her blonde braids so outgrown? And there was something else wrong too, something she couldn’t quite place her finger on. The hairs on her arms started to stand up.

V got up suddenly, interrupting her train of thought. She watched as V clasped the pole in front of them, spinning round and round, Doc Martens squeaking on the floor like a grungy version of the fairies from the fantasy books they used to read together. But even the familiar sight wasn’t enough to distract her completely. The memories hit her like a slap in the face. She fixed the twirling girl with a glare as she spoke.

“You shouldn’t be here. I’ve told you you need to leave me alone.” Even to herself, her voice sounded weak, the statement coming out as more of a suggestion.

“Don’t be silly,” V replied absently, still spinning, slowly, hypnotically. “You always want me here.” She smiled, giggling to herself. “Relax. We’re going to have so much fun tonight.”

Her nonchalance just angered her further. When had V gotten so disdainful? She stood, emboldened. “No… no,” she started. “No. We talked about this— no contact. No nothing. We’re done. You said we were done.”

Struggling to control herself, she took a deep breath, regaining her composure, trying desperately to look V in the eye. “I did all the things I was supposed to do, okay? I wrote you a letter, I said goodbye to your dog, and I gave you back your fucking hoodies. We’re done!” V kept on spinning and spinning, winding up her temper with each turn. “Violet, can you at least look at me? Why the fuck are you still here?”

She was shouting now, choking back tears as the emotions she had been holding back for so long battered her. She distantly registered the car doors opening, a couple entering hand in hand. The doors closed again as she stood there, shaking, waiting for an answer.

V let out an exasperated sigh as she finally deigned to stop spinning, pinning her with a withering look that crushed her with its weight. “I’ve told you. The only reason I’m here is because you want me here. All these months I spent with you, when did you ever tell me to go away? You’ve taken me to museums, lunches, on midnight wine runs, fucked me in half the bathrooms in this city— and I’m supposed to believe you want me to leave?” She snorted, incredulous.

“But—”

“But what?” V walked up to her slowly, stopping just in front of her. They locked eyes as she ran a single finger, slowly, down her chest, a cruel smirk pulling on her lips.

The first girl closed her eyes, shaking with rage, misery, fear, desire. “V, that’s not—”

“Fair? The only thing unfair is what you’re putting us through, babe.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Come on. You know you want to—”

“I’m leaving!” she blurted out, stumbling back, almost colliding with the chairs behind her. “I’m moving. Tomorrow. So you can stop now, okay?” The fight went out of her voice just as quickly as it had entered. “Please.”

V just laughed, again, infuriatingly, tilting her head again and pouting, somehow still excruciatingly gorgeous. V looked deep into her eyes once more and tried to hold her gaze, failing as her blue—no, brown?—eyes pierced straight through her, forcing her to turn away. She looked down, ashamed, staring at the hole she knew she would find in the toe of V’s boot. It was gone. Had she patched it?

V closed the distance between them in two steps, arms extending to reach through her braids, cupping her face in the way she used to find so endearing, tilting it upwards to meet her eyes again. She spoke, softly:

“Oh, sweet girl. You’re never getting rid of me.” V kissed her then, gently, slowly, like she knew they had all the time

in the world. The first girl choked on the sobs clawing up her throat, but kissed her back anyway, arms drawing around her as tears flowed down her face, filling her mouth with the taste of salt, and underneath, the hint of raspberry chapstick… No… salt, and… vanilla— No. Salt, and… Salt?

Her eyes flew open. She stood alone. Her arms hung frozen in the air, mouth hanging open, feeling nothing except the gentle rock of the train. Somewhere in her rapidly unfocusing vision, she registered the concerned glances of the couple further down in the car. Throwing her one last pitying glance over their shoulders as they exited, they tutted and shook their heads. A robotic announcement sounded overhead:

“You have now arrived at South Kensington. This is a Circle Line train to Edgware Road.”

Somewhere in her brain, she registered that this was her stop. That she needed to get off, go home, pack.

Yet she stood there, arms stuck raised in a phantom embrace like some crazed ballerina. Stop after stop. 10, then 15, then 50, watching the doors. Open, shut. Open, shut. Notting Hill. Edgware Road. King’s Cross. Liverpool Street. Monument. Temple. South Kensington. Notting Hill. Liverpool Street. South Kensington. South Kensington. South Kensington.

Round and round. And every time the doors opened, her auburn-haired girl was there, standing on the platform, smirk still on her face—watching, waiting, expecting. Over and over, until at last, the doors opened, and there was nothing and no one to greet her except a black sky and the cool London air.

DESIGN BY JOEY MARMO, ART BY LEILA TOUBIA

Let’s

Talk About Sex, Baby

ByCeliaDuhan

When I listen to Dan Savage, I feel like I’m in a secret club. Walking to class, headphones on, no one knows that a 50-year-old man is whispering into my ears about cowboy fetishes. Dan’s podcast, The Savage Lovecast, is centered around sex and relationships. People from all over the country call in and ask for advice on gender, kinks, and sexuality, and he responds with candid humor and earnest advice. As a listener, you become familiar with the characters in Dan’s life, while also listening to people of all different ages and backgrounds discuss in-

timate, even secret details of their lives. I love tuning into a world in which anything and everything is on the table.

Dan Savage is a sex advice columnist, journalist, and LGBTQ+ advocate. On his podcast, you’re likely to hear him discussing his husband, Terry, or Terry’s boyfriend, Tom, or Dan’s own boyfriend —who remains anonymous. You might hear the phrases “cum-guzzling” (September 17, 2024), “brat/dom dynamics” (August 20, 2024), or “collecting orgasms like Pokemon” (September 3, 2024). Dan discusses the importance of safe sex as a gay

man who lived through the AIDS crisis, the catastrophic rollback on comprehensive sex-ed curriculums in Florida, and the setbacks of the 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis Supreme Court case on LGBTQ+ rights.

Dan also often shares anecdotes from his own life. In a recent episode, Dan recounts the following heart-warming story: Terry introduces a new partner into the household. The new boyfriend is very nice, everyone gets along, yada, yada, yada. When the boyfriend starts staying the night, he accidentally uses the “Expo ‘86” mug that Dan has used for the past 20

years. While telling this story, Dan laughs and says, “I’m a little psychotic, I won’t let anybody use my mug.” The new boyfriend, unaware of the rule, innocently pours himself coffee into the cherished mug, and Dan drops this fantastic one-liner: “You can have my husband, you cannot have my mug.” Afterward, the boyfriend was entirely apologetic and from then on regarded the mug with due respect. As small a gesture as this is, it made a great difference. Tom has since moved in with Dan and Terry, who also happen to have a kid together.

Dan and Terry practice kitchen table polyamory, which is, as Clinical Sex and Relationship Psychotherapist Jordan Dixon explains, “a style of polyamorous relationship in which the interrelationship of a network, and the integration of multiple romantic relationships into one life or group, is prioritised.” The name came from the idea that one can get along with their partners and their partners’ partners so well that everyone can sit around a kitchen table and comfortably have a chat together. This is the world that Dan inhabits. A world in which sex, love, and family are intertwined, where everything is on the table. The throughline of Dan’s philosophy and praxis is open and honest communication.

Recently, I attended “Savage Love Live” with about 300 other people from around the country. Hosted on Zoom, Dan answered questions from anyone who unmuted to ask them. Subjects ranged from a woman considering entering an affair with a married man to, “Tips for getting someone all the way down your throat when their dick is curved?”

Maybe it’s just my own nosiness, but I find the questions utterly fascinating. They reveal an undercurrent of sexual, romantic, and at times platonic intimacy that is not often discussed in the public eye. The folks who call in desire honest answers, and that’s what Dan provides them with. In 1991, Dan started his sex advice as a column in the Seattle-based newspaper, The Stranger. Since then, dozens of people have called in every week to ask him questions. This makes me wonder just what exactly has inspired thousands

of people over the last 30 years to seek advice from a mere stranger.

For most, sex is not a dinner table topic; rarely is it discussed in public forums, on the news, in politics, or in history. Even in spaces where sex should be the center of discussions—take sex education—it’s tip-toed around and often swept under the rug. Dan’s podcast offers a unique community in which people can ask questions without shame or judgment.

My experience with sex education was atrocious. In high school, I had half a year of combined sex-ed and gym. My gym teacher was Mrs. Thompson, a butch lesbian who loved volleyball but was unequipped to teach 14-year-olds about sex. In her class, we watched Juno, a movie starring Elliot Paige and Micheal Cera featuring a fictional unplanned teenage pregnancy. It’s a great watch, no question, but, as an educational movie to learn about contraception, I found it severely lacking. There was no discussion of the mechanics of sex, much less consent, contraceptives, safe sex, queer sex, or pleasure.

By the time I left high school, I had a limited sexual vocabulary and felt very uncomfortable talking about sex. Here I am writing an article all about sex and relationships. What changed? I built friendships in which I felt comfortable enough to ask questions. Our relationships cultivated a space of curiosity and non-judgment. We had conversations that were upfront and unabashed about sex, similar to Dan and his callers. Sex was no longer a big question mark, nor was it an obscured secret. After all, sex is ubiquitous.

selling Author Esther Perel about the importance of nuance in relationships. Perel says, “People in unhappy monogamous marriages often don’t have an avenue to express their unhappiness. People in untrusting, secretive relationships aren’t able to discuss the state of sex (or lack thereof) in their marriage.” She clarifies that her view does not justify or promote infidelity. Sweeping sex under the rug hurts all involved. If there was a cultural shift toward open discussions of sex, this foundation could be the starting point for critically assessing monogamy.

Perel also wrote an article in The Atlantic, titled “Why Happy People Cheat,” which explored why people cheat on partners that they have monogamous commitments to, that they don’t want to hurt, don’t want to leave, and do love. According to Perel, the reason for many of these affairs: “I felt alive.” People have the impulse to have an affair for reasons separate from their partner; they want to assert their individuality and to feel alive. The way we’ve structured marriage, relationships, and commitment are in conflict. We need to build a model for marriages and relationships that includes commitment and intimacy while also allowing room for the individuality of those involved.

Asking questions, discussing, and listening to people’s stories is also how I came to learn about consensual non-monogamy (CNM). CNM is the practice of having concurrent sexual or romantic relationships with the full knowledge and consent of all involved. Kitchen table polyamory is a form of CNM.

Monogamy is the standard relationship model in the US. But, is it working? Do people feel content and psychologically fulfilled in their monogamous marriages? According to the Institute for Family Studies, 16 percent of those surveyed reported having sex with someone other than their spouse. In a recent episode, Dan chats with psychotherapist and New York Times Best-

My mind returns to Dan and his mug. What if we built our relationships to encompass the growth, agency, and individuality of the people involved? As an alternative to monogamy, CNM allows us to maintain ourselves as sexually autonomous individuals while also nurturing meaningful, long-lasting, and intimate bonds with others. The two are not incompatible. However, this will require some rewiring of the way we think about monogamy and relationality. If there was less secrecy and reservation around sex, maybe there would be less infidelity. If there was more consideration of alternate ways of being in relationships with others, like consensual non-monogamy, maybe there would be less restlessness, less unhappiness, less cheating. Start with talking to your friends about sex—that’s what I did—and maybe, start tuning into the Savage Lovecast with Dan Savage.

Queer-being, Queerbaiting, Queer-forcing

The Three Qs of Celebrity Identities and Fan Culture

By Ela Nalbantoglu

It’s 2 a.m. on a Wednesday night and you’re back in middle school: your parents think you’re asleep, you’ve lef all of your homework for the next morning, and you’re on your frst ever smartphone traversing the depths of Wattpad. You binge clips of Shawn Mendes and Cameron Dallas at Comic-Con and Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson edits to the song “Night Changes.” Your friends’ group chat is talking about Pretty Little Liars—Emily Fields is a lesbian?!

Flash forward ten years: Musical.ly is TikTok, Matt Damon and Ben Afeck are desperately in love with each other, the girl who sings that one song “Ocean Eyes” came out as bisexual, the red-haired artist who made the album that starts with “ Te Rise and Te Fall of …” (no, not David Bowie) unabashedly sings songs about sapphic love… and, well, #Larry is still perhaps the biggest “ship” of all time.

In a time when queer love is fnally portrayed freely, it’s easy to get swept away by the romance (both literal and fgurative). Yet, despite these positive strides, the reason for the rise of the queer community at the front of mainstream media may not be what we’d hoped. Does the queer love sweeping media intend to showcase its normalcy and humanity? Is it being used to exploit identities through queerbaiting or queer-forcing—projecting queerness onto fgures—for proft? Is queer exposure now a PR move?

Te OED defnes queerbaiting as “the practice of trying to appeal to and capitalize on LGBTQ audiences or customers in a deceptive or superfcial manner.” Queerbaiting refers to the act of externally embodying a queer identity to gain and proft from

audiences within the LGBTQ community without being explicit about the character or person’s sexuality. Tis could look like incorporating a butch female character who “hates men” and exhibits stereotypical expressions without having the show or movie ever confrm her sexual orientation.

Recently, more celebrities have begun appealing to the LGBTQ community by firting with their same-gender costars, dressing in a “certain way,” and making ambiguous statements about their sexuality. While the question of whether speculating on a celebrity’s sexual identity is appropriate is a separate debate, the recent increase in LGBTQ-related content and personalities in mainstream media raises the question of whether this is a PR move or genuine inclusion.

Perhaps one of the most prominent representations of “queerness” in mainstream media is through famous queer “ships” (fandom slang for “relationship”, always in reference to a pairing that has not yet come to fruition). Although these individuals are not in confrmed relationships, their firting and, at times, undeniable chemistry make us wonder: are they just really close friends, dating, or simply posing for the cameras?

A famous current queer ship is Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke, co-stars on the popular HBO show House of the Dragon. Whether it’s their on-screen chemistry, their transition from friends to enemies in the show, or their of-screen connection, the two efortlessly capture attention. In real life, while Cooke’s sexual orientation is unknown and D’Arcy is queer, they are ofen seen firting and joking around dur-

ing interviews, leading fans to speculate on their relationship status.

Another highly-discussed queer “couple” right now is Ben Afeck and Matt Damon. Although both actors identify as straight and have married women, fans are captivated by their story: the two Bostonians met around the age of eight, became best friends immediately, discovered a shared interest in acting, and achieved incredible success. Tey’ve made multiple movies together, including the 1997 classic Good Will Hunting. Beyond their success, many viewers (especially the Gen-Z audience) also see a love story: whether it be them having a shared bank account for multiple years, living together, or making jokes about being in love (which could mean nothing), many fans speculate that this is more than just a bromance.

For the Tumblr-dwellers of Gen-Z, one of the most famous queer ships of all time is Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson—to the point that it’s speculated as one of the reasons for the breakup of the boy band One Direction. Afer Zayn Malik, another member of the band, mentioned in a BBC interview that “there [were] obviously underlying issues within our friendships,” fan speculations about the group’s dynamics were, to some extent, validated. Although both Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson have dated women, their chemistry during shows, the way they look at each other when discussing relationships, physical touch, and mutual confdence led fans to make #Larry viral, accumulating almost 1 million posts on TikTok, 7 million on Instagram, and (and the tag #LarryStylinson having 1.2 million posts on TikTok and 7.6 million on Instagram).

Although Styles has mentioned multiple times that he’s uncomfortable with questions about his sexual orientation, some fans have remarked that his way of dressing and performing suggests he’s queer. Reaching this conclusion solely based on his appearance paradoxically reinforces the very issues the LGBTQ community has worked to overcome: stereotypes and homophobia. By ftting him (and any other celebrity facing similar allegations) into these “traditional” perceptions of queer identities, audiences impose labels and try to eliminate any ambiguity. Tis contradicts the idea of “free queer love”—why must we label these people? Do they owe it to us (Gen-Z) to come out and explicitly embody a queer identity? Perhaps Gen-Z expects today’s celebrities to be out because previous generations often couldn’t due to safety concerns and had to hide their identities in various forms such as lavender marriages, yet in knowing the truth comes the risk of invading these celebrities’ privacies.

Despite such contradictions to queer culture, due to his androgynous style and “history” with Louis Tomlinson, fans still attempt to uncover Harry Styles’ identity while simultaneously accusing him of embodying a queer identity for PR. When asked, Styles explained, “Sometimes people say, ‘You’ve only publicly been with women,’ and I don’t think I’ve publicly been with anyone... If someone takes a picture of you with someone, it doesn’t mean you’re choosing to have a public relationship or something.”

Another celebrity accused of queerbaiting for proft was Billie Eilish. Until she came out as bisexual earlier this year, she had been bombarded with questions regarding her sexuality due to her “alternative” look ever since she became famous at ffeen—a particularly difcult age to know who you are. Although she once identifed as “straight as a ruler,” this doesn’t change the fact that discovering your identity is a personal journey many individuals at this age go through.

Tere’s no denying the rise of queer media and queer celebrities, and while some celebrities may truly be queerbaiting for PR, others are simply young adults trying to fgure out their lives. Billie Eilish was seen kissing her friend Odessa A’Zion, and Harry Styles attended Louis Tomlinson’s show. Yes, these are interesting moments, but they don’t give us the right to force an identity and demand explanations, especially afer so many people within the LGBTQ community have struggled to overcome the challenges and speculation imposed on them.

Queerbaiting also poses harm to the LGBTQ community itself. Not only may it look like a mockery of gay culture, but it can also invalidate the identities of people within the community. It can raise hope for representation, and then collapse as simply a phase. Fake representation is just that.

Kit Connor, playing one of the main characters Nick Nelson in the Netfix show Heartstopper, faced extreme levels of online harassment regarding his sexual orientation. Online users accused him of queerbaiting and even attacked him for playing a bisexual teenager in the TV show, even though he had not commented on his identity yet. When the online bullying became overwhelming, this pressure led him to come out on Twitter saying “Back for a minute. I’m bi. Congrats for forcing an 18 year old to out himself. I think some of you missed the point of the show. Bye.”

Even though we will never fully know who’s embodying a queer identity for PR and who’s not, the anonymity of the internet gives audiences the power to assume that these celebrities are just fgures, unreachable and therefore unhurtable. Yet, through examples like Kit Connor and Billie Eilish, we are reminded that they are just humans.

We don’t have the right to judge people on what we don’t know. Even without explicit statements about identities, perhaps we should be grateful to live in a time when it’s safer to be out. It’s empowering to exist in an era when you can listen to Reneé Rapp and Chappell Roan afer your frst queer heartbreak, feel sexier than ever with Billie Eilish’s “Hit Me Hard and Sof,” and dance to disco with Troye Sivan’s “Something to Give Each Other”— so long as we these things while leaving

FAFSA Fallout:

By Sophie Fishman

In August, senior Anevay Ybáñez was in a panic. It was just a few weeks before the start of the semester, and Ybáñez, who typically receives a full ride from Tufs, still had not received any information about her fnancial aid package for the upcoming academic year.

When Ybáñez fnally heard from the fnancial aid ofce in mid-August, from whom she typically hears in late June, she was informed she would not receive the refund she received the year prior, which she uses to pay for her housing and groceries. Due to the delay in communication, she was concerned that she would not have enough time to appeal her decision and that changes in her fnancial aid would come at the expense of her social, physical, and academic well-being.

“I was worried about how I was going to pay for rent. It was such a big point of stress, and that’s when I got a second job, and I was working a ton of hours for fear of [receiving] nothing from them,” she said.

Te delay in Ybáñez’s fnancial aid information was likely a result of national delays in federal fnancial aid rollouts. For the 2024 – 2025 academic year, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, which is typically available to students starting on October 1, only became accessible in December.

For the nearly 52 percent of undergraduate students across the country who receive federal fnancial aid, this year’s delayed FAFSA rollouts led to uncertainty, confusion, and chaos. While universities were told by the Federal Department of Education that FAFSA information would become available in late December, Director of Financial Aid Meaghan Hardy Smith wrote in a written statement to the Tufs Observer that her ofce did not receive FAFSA information until mid-March.

Hardy Smith wrote that delays came as a result of the rollout of a new FAFSA form, based on the FAFSA Simplifcation Act passed by Congress in December 2020 and the Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education (FUTURE) Act passed in December 2019.

Tese acts overhaul the previous FAFSA, which used students’ Estimated Family Contribution to determine aid, and replace it with the Student Aid Index, which calculates aid based on a student’s family’s total fnancial resources afer deducting minimum annual living expenses. Tis change, which will be used to calculate Pell Grants, loan-free aid for low-income students, brings the FAFSA form down from over one hundred questions to just thirty-six.

Although this act was meant to simplify the fnancial aid process, for many families it caused further grievances and stress. Te new FAFSA website was riddled with technical bugs. Many students and families also received incorrect estimates for the amount of aid because the administration failed to implement a promised formula to account for infation.

Afer an extended back and forth with the fnancial aid ofce, Ybáñez’s appeal was ultimately successful. Still, the experience lef her shaken.

“I really wish that they had some sort of deadline for everyone to receive their fnancial aid because it was not fun to be on edge every day wondering if I could aford to go to this school. Afer working so hard for three years, the possibility of not being able to fnish my last year here was really scary,” she said.

For other students, including sophomore Emma Do, delays in FAFSA had dire repercussions. In late July, Do received an email from the Ofce of Financial Aid which informed her that, based on her FAFSA profle, she would be ineligible for aid for the academic year.

Do was confused by the decision. She had received aid the year before and her Estimated Family Contribution as listed on her FAFSA form had not changed since her initial application. Factoring in Tufs’s decision to increase tuition from $66,358 to $68,946, bringing the cost of attendance to a record-breaking $92,167, and her father’s fnancial burden of supporting her grandparents, she and her family decided to appeal the fnancial aid decision in July.

Do only learned her appeal was denied after she had already returned to Tufs from her home in Vietnam.

Afer only a week of living in her Latin Way suite, Do asked Tufs for a oneyear leave of absence. When her request was processed, Residential Life only gave Do three days to move out of her room. “I asked for housing accommodation because I’m an international student—I can’t just go home right away—and they said ‘no,’” Do said. “I didn’t expect this to happen so…I was couch hopping.”

Do blames her delayed fnancial aid decision for her sudden choice to take a yearlong leave of absence. “If they had just told me in June or even May, I would have had enough time to not only appeal but to hear back from my appeal and think about what my next steps were. But they told me days before school started,” she said.

“It was not fun to be on edge every day wondering if I could aford to go to this school.”

Tough Hardy Smith claimed that students were kept informed of fnancial aid timeline changes through email and website updates, Do, like Ybáñez, expected more communication from the fnancial aid ofce. Do did not learn that her appeal had been denied until she took it upon herself to reach out to her fnancial aid ofcer.

For incoming students, delays in fnancial aid information created a sense of confusion and unease about their fnancial and educational future. Some schools, like Tufs, were able to delay enrollment deadlines, as Hardy Smith noted in her statement. Other schools did not have the

resources to do so. With students facing staggered enrollment deadlines, a number of students were asked to enroll in a university before they were able to weigh several admissions ofers. As a result, some elected to take a gap year or enroll in community college.

Coupled with the end of Afrmative Action, many experts feared delays in FAFSA could act as a barrier to entering higher education for low-income and frst-generation students. While Hardy Smith wrote that Tufs saw an overall increase in fnancial aid applicants and no changes to the percentage of students receiving aid, this is an exception to the national trend. Te National College Attainment Network, a non-proft that advocates for low-income students, reported that the number of students who applied for FAFSA decreased by 11.6 percent over the last year, which could indicate that frustrations with FAFSA discouraged students from even attempting to apply for aid.

Educational equity advocates fear that these changes could result in greater wealth disparity and reduced diversity at private universities. Decreases in FAFSA applications primarily afected lower-income communities and Black and Brown students. At Hampshire College and Emerson College, administrators blame FAFSA delays for an overall decrease in enrollment.

With the Federal Department of Education announcement that this year’s FAFSA application will again be delayed until December 1, Hardy Smith wrote that her ofce is trying to implement changes from the lessons of last cycle. In addition to developing a “comprehensive communication strategy,” and staying up to date on FAFSA simplifcation changes, the Ofce of Financial Aid will provide students with preliminary fnancial aid awards based on data outside of FAFSA from the College Board and the previous year’s taxes. “By taking these measures, we are committed to minimizing the impact of the delays and ensuring that students receive the support they need throughout the fnancial aid process,” she wrote.

Troubled by her experience with Tufs, Do is using her leave of absence as an opportunity to apply to other schools. “I’ve made peace with it in terms of, yes, it was a federal delay and it was procedure,” she said. “But they were being really cold about it. My ofcer was being way dismissive, and that made it a lot worse.”

Hardy Smith wrote that her ofce “genuinely regrets” any difculties and stress that FAFSA delays may have caused families. However, only this year’s fnancial aid cycle will reveal the ability of Tufs to mitigate the negative impacts of another delayed FAFSA.

say it louder for the people in the back!