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Thursday, February 25, 2016

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$100 million microfinance fund established by eBay founder helps small businesses worldwide see FEATURES / PAGE 4

A capella group Enchanted breaks into crowded campus scene

Men’s squash end their season as Chaffee Cup champions see SPORTS / PAGE 10

SEE WEEKENDER / PAGE 6

THE

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T HE T UFTS DAILY

VOLUME LXXI, NUMBER 22

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Thursday, February 25, 2016

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS.

Faculty passes resolution instituting Indigenous People’s Day by Emma Steiner and Vibhav Prakasam News Editor and Assistant News Editor

The Arts and Sciences and Engineering (AS&E) faculty voted yesterday afternoon in favor of replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day in the university’s academic calendars. The vote, which passed with one objection and two abstentions among approximately 60 faculty members, took place during yesterday’s AS&E faculty meeting from 12:00 p.m. to 1:20 p.m. in the Coolidge Room of Ballou Hall. This faculty vote, based on the Dec. 6 Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate resolution that promotes the recognition of Indigenous People’s Day, means that all Tufts AS&E academic calendars will now list Indigenous People’s Day in place of Columbus Day on the second Monday of October each year. While the vote does not affect the calendars of Tufts schools such as the School of Medicine and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Benya Kraus, chair of TCU Student Outreach Committee, said that the Indigenous People’s Day at Tufts coalition may be pursuing further efforts to institute this change. The Senate resolution also calls for special events to be held on Indigenous People’s Day in order to acknowledge indigenous communities and raise awareness. The specific nature of the events is intentionally not specified in the resolution to allow room for discussion of what indigenous communities or peoples want and need, Kraus, a sophomore, said. Any programming would focus on centering indigenous voices at Tufts and in the surrounding communities, she said. As faculty entered Ballou Hall for the meeting, about 20 students stood silently nearby holding signs reading “#IPDatTufts.” Students continued to stand outside the building throughout the duration of the meeting as a symbol of solidarity in the movement to promote Indigenous People’s Day, according to the Facebook event, “Show of Solidarity for Indigenous Peoples’ Day.” The faculty vote was preceded by a brief presentation by Kraus and TCU Senate’s LGBT Community Representative Parker Breza, both of whom co-authored the Indigenous

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Annual ‘It Happens Here’ event discusses student experiences with sexual assault by Ariel Barbieri-Aghib Assistant News Editor

movement, referencing a letter of support circulated among faculty expressing solidarity and alliance with the student coalition. A total of 61 faculty members from a diverse range of departments signed on in support of Indigenous People’s Day. Visiting Assistant Professor of Native American and Critical Indigenous Studies Matt Hooley, author of the faculty letter of support, told the Daily that changing the name of the holiday would allow the university to acknowledge and discuss how it is implicated in the oppression of indigenous peoples and to start creating more space for indigenous communities both on the Medford/Somerville campus and outside the university. Kraus and Breza said that it is particularly important that Tufts has taken this first step in acknowledging indigenous people’s history, as the university’s Medford/Somerville campus sits on the land that once belonged to the Wampanoag Tribe. According to the tribe’s website, the tribe once populated the entire area from present day Provincetown, Mass. to Narragansett Bay. Kraus noted that the date of the meeting had been scheduled during Majors Week, a time when many faculty members may have been impeded from attending due to the majors-related events. Specifically, the vote was on

Students packed Cohen Auditorium for the third annual “It Happens Here” event last night, where students gathered to listen to the personal stories of their peers with sexual violence on campus. The program, which was organized by the Consent Culture Network (CCN) at Tufts, began at Middlebury College in 2011, and was first presented at Tufts in April 2014. The event focused on highlighting the anonymous experiences of survivors of sexual assault through the Middlebury-initiated forum, which allows students who have experienced sexual violence to submit their personal accounts for another student to read on stage. Last night’s event opened with the CCN providing a list of on-campus and off-campus resources for dealing with sexual harassment and assault. A screen inside Cohen listed three different specialists stationed in the Aidekman Arts Center and the Remis Sculpture Court throughout the duration of the event. Nandi Bynoe, sexual misconduct resource specialist, Alexandra Donovan, sexual misconduct prevention specialist, and Humanist-in-Residence Walker Bristol were all available to speak to students. During the event, which lasted around two hours, students of various genders read aloud 34 stories that had been submitted anonymously to the CCN. Audience members had varied reactions to hearing submitted stories, sharing hugs, tears and affectionate gestures throughout the event, and reminding one another about the developing support network for survivors of sexual assault at Tufts. The third iteration of “It Happens Here” provided an outlet for people to discuss their personal experienc-

see INDIGENOUS PEOPLE'S DAY, page 2

see IT HAPPENS HERE, page 2

ALEX KNAPP / THE TUFTS DAILY

Students in support of Indigenous People’s Day gathered outside of Ballou Hall Feb. 24 while faculty voted on proposed change. People’s Day resolution, along with TCU Vice President junior Gauri Seth and Diversity & Community Affairs Officer sophomore Anna Del Castillo. TCU Senate has twice passed resolutions in support of Indigenous People’s Day, reaching the faculty voting body once before in 2014 — only to be voted down. The current resolution, which was unanimously passed by Senate on Dec. 6, 2015, was a slightly edited version of the original resolution written by Andrew Nuñez (LA ’15) and Genesis Garcia (LA ’15). The reworking of the resolution called not only for a name change in the holiday, but also for programming in recognition of indigenous communities to be held on Indigenous People’s Day. Kraus and Breza, a first-year, discussed the importance of the movement and the significant amount of support the resolution has received from the Tufts community. The resolution had received widespread support from both students and faculty, Kraus said. She noted that at least 50 student groups had signed on to support the resolution, and that the online petition in support of the resolution had over 1,200 student signatures when it was delivered to the faculty committee yesterday before the vote, surpassing a similar Feb. 2 petition at Brown University by about 100 signatures. Kraus also noted the significant amount of faculty support for the

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NEWS............................................1 FEATURES.................................4 ARTS & LIVING.......................5 WEEKENDER...........................6

COMICS....................................... 7 OPINION.....................................8 SPORTS.....................................10


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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Thursday, February 25, 2016

T HE T UFTS D AILY Sarah Zheng Editor-in-Chief

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‘Indigenous People’s Day’ to replace ‘Columbus Day’ in all AS&E calendars INDIGENOUS PEOPLE'S DAY

continued from page 1 the same day as Majors Week events of the History department, Anthropology department and the Consortium of Studies in Race, Colonialism and Diaspora (RCD), whose faculty members had shown particular support for the resolution, she explained. Kraus said that this scheduling of the vote and the potential absence of faculty from those departments could have significantly affected turnout of supportive faculty. Regardless, the vote was passed successfully. Kim Thurler, the executive director of public relations, congratulated the

success of the student group in securing a positive faculty vote and acknowledged the importance of yesterday’s discussion on this issue. “This is a matter on which it is important to hear from the university-wide community,” Thurler told the Daily in a statement. “We understand that AS&E students have already begun reaching out to students on our Boston and Grafton campuses. The history of the proposal and the recent positive vote by the AS&E faculty will also be shared with the university’s academic and administrative leadership councils. Each school will need to consider how best to engage their respective faculty

members on this question. The central administration will continue to stay apprised of these discussions and consider additional steps as appropriate.” Tufts now joins universities such as Brown, Cornell University and the University of California, Berkeley in celebrating Indigenous People’s Day instead of Columbus Day. Kraus added that the Indigenous People’s Day at Tufts coalition plans to organize a rally of support in the future, which would bring indigenous speakers, artists, performers and food as a celebration of indigenous communities and history.

Consent Culture Network strives to improve dialogue surrounding sexual misconduct IT HAPPENS HERE

continued from page 1 es with sexual assault on a campus with a recent history of resisting federal allegations about the adequacy of its support for victims of sexual assault. In 2010, a Tufts student filed a report with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) on the grounds of discrimination by the university in conducting her sexual assault case, according to an August 2014 article in the Daily. Tufts was then found to be in violation of Title IX because of a determined lack of support for complainants in their sexual assault reports. In the summer of 2014, University President Anthony Monaco and students organized a joint

task force to review the university’s policies towards sexual assault. In the wake of this history, the CCN is working to improve the campus atmosphere surrounding sexual assault by trying to foster a more supportive environment on campus, according to Allyson Blackburn, an executive board member of the CCN. Prior to last night’s event, Blackburn explained to the Daily the thought process behind hosting “It Happens Here.” “We wanted to provide a platform for survivors to share their experiences.” Blackburn, a junior, told the Daily in an email. “Survivors have so many obstacles to reporting, reading narratives or talking to their loved ones

about their experiences, so we wanted to allow people to anonymously submit narratives.” Blackburn explained that the CCN was created as a space for survivors to become empowered and have their voices heard through sharing their stories. “Consent Culture Network felt as though while there was a spirit of activism surrounding sexual violence at Tufts, the movements and groups were not trauma-sensitive or survivor-centric,” Blackburn said. The Daily has taken notice of the requests of event organizers not to quote or paraphrase individual stories for the sake of protecting their privacy.

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Thursday, February 25, 2016 | News | THE TUFTS DAILY

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New committee handles orientation following departure of associate dean for orientation by Robert Katz

Assistant News Editor

As the admissions process for the Class of 2020 continues, the Office of Undergraduate Education is gearing up for the next group of Jumbos with the creation of a new committee this spring tasked with handling the management of the Undergraduate Orientation program. The committee first met to discuss orientation programming in January, and will continue to meet every other week throughout the coming months, according to committee member and Director of Campus Life Joe Golia. Committee members, who include Associate Dean Robert Mack and Associate Dean Christopher Rossi, are taking on the role previously held by Laura Doane, associate dean for Orientation and Student Transition. Doane, who had been responsible for the management of new student orientation, left the position in October 2015 to work for Cape Cod Community College, according to her LinkedIn profile. Golia, who serves as the main contact between the rest of the university and the committee, said that he currently works to coordinate logistics, basic planning and social events. Meanwhile, Mack works as the committee’s academic contact, connecting with advising and academic programming. Rossi, who works as a primary contact for first-years, helps connect with the new students even before they arrive on campus for orientation, Golia said. “There’s a time when Admissions turns everything over to us,” he said. “They kind of own the class now, then it gets passed over in May. [Rossi] is coordinating all of that.” Other members of the team include Christa Ricker, assistant director of Campus Life, Outdoor Education and Pre-Orientation Programs, who serves as the contact for all Pre-Orientation programming, and Laura DaRos, associate director of Campus Life and Operations, who focuses on training and leadership.

Golia said that there will also be a graduate student Program Coordinator over the summer, but this role has not yet been filled. However, Golia said there is uncertainty as to whether or not the university will hire a new orientation director specifically tasked with directing and organizing orientation programming for incoming students. “I don’t know if there will be an orientation director [for] some years,” he said. “I don’t know what the plan is, but I think there’s a lot of conversation about possible changes that could happen with orientation. This is how we’re doing it this year, moving forward.” Golia said that a new orientation director would be useful at some point in the future to ensure consistency in and commitment to the orientation program. “I do think a Director of Orientation at Tufts would be an end that would be great someday,” G0lia said. “[The director] would report to Mary Pat [McMahon, Dean of Student Affairs] and work on orientation and all kinds of first-year programs.” He explained that despite Doane’s departure, he still has confidence in the success of orientation programming. “[Committee members have] been heavily involved, and we will still have our three student coordinators,” Golia said. “I’m very confident that it will be a successful orientation program.” In addition to the three student orientation coordinators, Undergraduate Orientation will also still have 150 student orientation leaders to help with creating programming and with the first week of transition, according to the Undergraduate Orientation website. Golia explained that the committee is in the process of hiring new student coordinators, noting that the position is a full-time, intensive job. “That’s a full-time job starting June 1 and going through orientation,” Golia said. “They really plan all of orientation. They report back up to us and they each have a separate role, but really it’s the

ALEX KNAPP / THE TUFTS DAILY

Director of Campus Life Joe Golia is part of the committee that will manage the orientation process for new students, taking on the role previously held by Laura Doane, Associate Dean for Orientation and Student Transition. three of them that spend all summer putting the whole program together.” Grace Buchloh (LA ’15), who served as one of the three coordinators last year, said she hopes that the program will retain its integrity despite the lack of an administrative manager for orientation. “My time as the Orientation Coordinator last summer certainly showed me that Tufts takes new student orientation very seriously,” she said. “I hope that the time, energy and enthusi-

asm that Laura Doane put into orientation is not lost with the administrative changes.” Looking forward, Golia said it is important to have an administrative focus on making the most out of orientation. “We can’t look at orientation as a 5-day, ‘you do it, it’s over’ [process],” he said. “Orientation should be seen as a five-year process. Really having someone concentrating on these things will be great.”

Reason #4: Experience a CUSTOMIZED itinerary for your campus! www.israelwithisraelis.com Sign up today! Sara Legasey | sara.legasey@tufts.edu


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Features

Omidyar-Tufts Microfinance Fund invests in microfinance projects, hopes to increase return rate by Elise Westervelt Contributing Writer

At the intersection of finance and social consciousness at Tufts is the Omidyar-Tufts Microfinance Fund (OTMF), which gains profits from investing in small businesses and uses the money it earns to help Tufts offer endowments for various initiatives such as support for university faculty, financial aid and scholarships. The fund, which was established in November 2005, was made possible by a $100 million gift for microfinancing projects from eBay founder and Tufts alumnus Pierre Omidyar (LA ’88) and his wife Pamela (LA ’89), according to Kim Thurler, executive director of public relations. Edward Kutsoati, associate professor of economics, said that microfinance organizations loan money to small businesses and entrepreneurs around the world. “To a large extent, it’s not much different from the traditional, formal loan-making process,” he said. “What makes microfinance different is that the loans are smaller. The average is about $200 to $500.” According to Kutsoati, some microfinance organizations are non-profit, while others are run as businesses with a high return rate, the amount of money the organization gains through its investment. “That’s one of the big questions of the industry,” Kutsoati said. “There is the one side that believes that this should be a means to lift masses out of poverty and empower them. And there are those who see it as a standard type of market… Then there are folks in the middle, like Omidyar, like Google, like Facebook, that are not so into the profit making, but do believe that this can only be sustained if it’s run as an enterprise.” The OTMF Director Tryfan Evans explained that the fund has not run into much trouble when it comes to balancing the charitable, socially-conscious side of microfinancing with making money. “We haven’t found much tension between our long-term goals,” Evans, who is also the director of investments at Tufts, said. “What we’ve found is that the best returns are going to come from really great businesses that have the products and services customers need. Companies that are worse for customers tend to be short-term investments because the business doesn’t perform as well, so the credit quality is lower.” Kutsoati explained that the investments made by microfinance organizations are often given to a group of people, rather than just one person. “If the loan were given out purely randomly, you can imagine folks that haven’t had any business experience, don’t have any business plan, have no discipline, taking out the loan, and they would do badly,” Kutsoati said. “This is one of the reasons why a lot of loans are given out as a group liability, because then the institution, which is not really located in the community and cannot do the day-to-day enforcement, [is able to use the] group liability…to delegate that enforcement.” Rather than directly loaning money to entrepreneurs and small businesses, the OTMF primarily invests in smaller microfinance institutions around the world, which provide loans and support to entrepreneurs and small businesses, according to Thurler. “We have a wide range of investors in capital, managed by a management team that sets out to invest with specific strategies in mind,” Evans said.

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Kinsey Drake Channeling Ina

Boston and Camberville’s Best Bakeries

A

little known (or well known, depending on how well you know me) fact about me is that my internal compass (due North? Is that what the rest of you use?) points to gluten. This special talent has made me privy to the very best places to buy your breads, pastries and other baked goods in the Boston and Camberville area. Camberville, for those of you out of the loop, is the hip, trendy, up-and-coming area of Somerville and Cambridge where millennials “go get coffee” or “head out on a quick jaunt to buy an antique coffee table.” Think more Union and Porter Squares, less Teele and Ball. In no particular order, these are the places in which to break your bread:

Flour Bakery, multiple locations: You have probably tried the sticky bun, but the real draw is the twice-baked brioche — sliced brioche topped with rich pastry cream and crunchy topping, then baked until an almost spun-sugar crust crackles over the top. Pair it with a whole milk latte and The New York Times for a perfect morning.

Tatte Bakery, multiple locations:

BELINDA XIAN / THE TUFTS DAILY

Thurler explained that the OTMF has investments around the world. “The OTMF is currently directly and indirectly invested in over 50 developing countries in East Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa, Central America and South America and over 70 underlying operating businesses promoting financial inclusion,” Thurler told the Daily in an email. Evans was not able to disclose specific information about the OTMF’s investments, but he did explain the general kinds of investments that the OTMF looks for. “Our investments support a wide range of business models that are involved in promoting financial inclusion,” he said. “Overall, what we’re looking at is, is the investment going to help the microfinance industry and support the university?” Sally Dungan, Tufts’s chief investment officer, said that when the fund was started 10 years ago, it hoped to achieve an eventual return rate of around eight percent. According to Evans, the current average annual return for the OTMF is about 2.07 percent. “The university’s target rate of return on long-term investment assets is constructed based on inflation…and the contribution of the university’s budget,” Evans said. “In any given period, the target rate of return can fluctuate, but we generally use the eight percent figure as our long-term target.” According to the IRS 990 Filings of the OTMF published by ProPublica, in 2013, while the fund’s net income was -$797,503, investment income made up 81 percent of the total revenue of $1,558,995, whereas in 2012, it was over 100% of the total revenue of that year. He said that many of the businesses that the OTMF chooses to invest in are still working on building themselves up to

achieve a high return rate. According to Evans, the OTMF hopes to increase their return rates and to make money once these businesses have had time to establish themselves and grow. “Part of it is the nature of the investments,” he said. “We are a long-term investor, looking to build for the long term. When we invest in a company that is building a bank in Africa, it has been from the ground up. We invest quite a bit in front end and get returns on the back end.” Evans explained that the nature of microfinance itself is a reason for the low return rate. “It’s a low interest environment, which has also had an impact [on the return rate],” Evans said. According to Evans, the OTMF hopes to eventually reach its long-term goal of an eight percent annual return rate, increasing it by six percent. “There is a lot of turmoil in emerging markets around the world,” he said. “We’re conscious about raising expectations, but we have hopes for our current investments. We are hopeful that we can get back up to the target return rate.” According to Evans, part of the money earned from investments is reinvested in additional microfinance programs, while the other part is given to the university. Evans said he remains hopeful that the return rate of the OTMF will eventually reach that of the Tufts endowment as a whole, thanks to the investments the OTMF has made and will continue to make. According to Laurie Gabriel (J ’76), Board of Trustees investment committee chair, Tufts endowment has had a return rate of 5.8 percent per year for the last 10 years, she said in a Jan. 28, 2015 Daily story. “We invest in businesses that are built to last,” Evans said.

This French-Israeli bakery and café is a thing of beauty. Every storefront features a generous display of French pastries piled on top of each other, from almond croissants to savory palmier. The vegetable tarte tatin varies seasonally and makes for the perfect lunch with a chilled Orangina. Cute, cozy, and charming, Tatte is the closest you will get to a true Parisian experience west of Charles de Gaulle.

Bricco, North End: Tucked down a small alleyway in the North End, this place sure is not easy to find or fancy to look at, but the breads more than make up for the aesthetics. Walk down the stairs and you will walk straight into a traditional panificio. Grab a loaf of semolina bread and spread it with a thick layer of olive tapenade from the shop next door.

Pepe Bocca, Davis Square: If Dave’s is the Mario Batali of Davis Square with its trendy sandwiches and bearded staff, then Pepe Bocca is Dave’s grandmother. It’s where you can buy your Bialetti espresso pots, sample fresh mozzarella and eat some wood-fired focaccia all in one place. If you get overwhelmed, buy a loaf of the walnut bread, rip into it with your bare hands and never look back.

Bagelsaurus, Porter Square: Okay, this is a bagel shop, not a bakery, but hear me out. There is no better place to get bagels in all of Metro Boston. The line is long, the prices are steep and the place is small. But just one bite of the classic jumbo sandwich with an over-medium egg, sharp cheddar and Dijon butter and you’ll forget the whole ordeal. If you prefer a sweeter breakfast, try the T-rex: bananas, almond butter and honey with a sprinkle of bacon. Kinsey Drake is a sophomore who is majoring in biochemistry. She can be reached at kinsey.drake@tufts.edu.


ARTS&LIVING

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Parker Selman Style Spotlight

Coming Up This Week Trying to shirk from the responsibility of your midterms? Check out what’s happening on campus this week:

Audre Lorde Exhibit Opening: The Tufts LGBT Center will host the final showcase of the Lesbian Herstory Archives’ “Audre Lorde Traveling Exhibit” before it is permanently archived. (Thursday at 5 p.m. at the Tufts LGBT Center. Admission is free. No tickets required.)

The Amalgamates Present — Make America ‘Mate Again: Tufts oldest co-ed a cappella group is back with their election-themed winter show, “Make America ‘Mate Again.” (Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Crane Room. Admission is free. No tickets required.)

Tufts Association of South Asians Presents — TASA Culture Show 2016: TASA is presenting their annual culture show for two nights this weekend. Themed “Bollywood, Kabhi Sexy, Kabhi Sanskari” for 2016, the show will fea-

Sophie Shen

ture dance performances and samosas. (Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m. in Cohen Auditorium. Two free tickets per Tufts ID, $5 for more. Tickets available at Cohen box office.)

S

ophie Shen is a first-year from Shanghai, China. Sophie has a passion for traveling and a personal flair for fashion. Sophie and I sat down to talk about how her origins shape her style and her favorite stores.

Tufts Chinese Students Association Presents — New Year Gala: CSA is hosting their annual Chinese New Year Gala to celebrate the Year of the Monkey. The gala will feature a variety of foods, performances and games. (Saturday at 7 p.m. in Sophia Gordon Hall. Admission is free. No tickets required).

Tufts Film Series Presents — 2016 Oscars Party: Wondering if Leonardo DiCaprio will finally take home a statue at this year’s Academy Awards? Tufts Film Series and Another Option will be hosting an Oscars viewing party with popcorn and other food, as well as prizes for winning ballot predictions. (Sunday at 7 p.m. in the Mayer Campus Center’s second floor lounge. Admission is free. No tickets required.)

Parker Selman: How would you describe your personal style? Sophie Shen: I would say it’s pretty casual. I just wake up and throw on whatever is in my closet that I feel like wearing. PS: How do you get the energy to put effort into your everyday outfits? SS: I guess it’s just a habit of mine. I grew up in a big city, and I feel like in big cities people follow up with fashion information. Just from seeing what people were wearing on the streets would give me inspiration of what to wear. I don’t know, I just don’t feel comfortable if I’m not put together. PS: Which city are you from and how does that city inform your fashion? SS: I’m from Shanghai. I don’t think so because Shanghai is such an international city. It’s very cultured and you see everything. Maybe it does, but from my perspective it’s very hard for me to tell if I am influenced by Chinese style, but I think Shanghai’s fashion is probably pretty similar to any large American city.

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PS: Has your fashion changed since you got to college? SS: Not really. I think I’ve kept my personal style. A lot of people have told me that I’m not going to want to dress up anymore because everyone wears T-shirts around, but it doesn’t bother me to spend ten extra minutes every morning to put effort into what I’m wearing. So I’m still keeping up with what I normally do at home. PS: What are your fashion inspirations? SS: I read Vogue and Bazaar when I’m traveling and I follow fashion bloggers on Instagram. Sincerely, Jules is the best; she has the best style and she travels all over the place. She’s my favorite blogger. PS: What’s your favorite brand? SS: I’ve been really into Rag & Bone recently. Also Acne Studios — you just find beauty in the simplest things at Acne. PS: Are there any stores you think Boston is missing? SS: In New York City they have a lot of collection stores like Opening Ceremony. Stores that have Acne Studios, Jacquemus, Rag & Bone and more avant-garde brands so you can browse and get stuff there. I’ve seen a couple stores like this in Beacon Hill, but not as many as there are in New York City. PS: What’s your favorite piece of clothing? SS: My Acne Studios black jeans. I actually ripped them recently but I’m still wearing them now. I’ve been wearing them so often that I accidentally ripped them one morning, but I need them so I’m just going to keep wearing them. Also my Stan Smith shoes I’ve been wearing so much; they’re very useful. Parker Selman is a first-year. She can be reached at Parker.Selman@tufts.edu.

FEBRUARY 22—26 Thursday, February 25 Biology: Informal information reception for students considering Biology, Biopsychology or Biochemistry-4pm-5pm, Barnum 104 Lobby

Friday, February 26 Earth and Ocean Sciences: Come hear from current majors and faculty about majors in Geology and Geological Sciences and minors in Geology and Geosciences. Lunch will be served-12pm-1pm, Lane Hall Room 007


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WEEKENDER

Thursday, February 25, 2016

COURTESY NICK CHEN

Some of the members of the Tufts a capella group Enchanted.

Enchanted a capella group defies the odds by Jonah Allon

Assitant Arts Editor

Imagine starting a business in a field that’s already crowded with well-known names. You lack the name recognition of the other brands, which makes it hard to attract new recruits. You can’t match the institutional resources of your competitors. And on top of all that, you have virtually no experience in the industry. It would be fair to assume most people would immediately write you off. But that is essentially the gamble that the founders of the fledgling a capella group Enchanted took when they formed the ensemble in the fall of 2013. And despite the long odds, the group has managed to rapidly establish itself as a force to be reckoned with on the Tufts a capella scene, with a core of devoted members working tirelessly to build the group from the ground up. Getting to where they are today wasn’t easy, according to Orlando Economos, who co-founded Enchanted along with juniors Praz Perkasa and Edward Fultz. The co-founders were disappointed by the limited offerings of the Tufts a capella scene, and tried to find a persuasive rationale to justify starting an entirely new group on campus. They ultimately presented their reasoning to the Tufts Community Union ( TCU) Judiciary in order to become recognized as a student group. “When I walked in to the [ Judiciary Committee] meeting, there was a great deal of skepticism in the room. Why do we need a ninth a cappella group? What makes us different?” Economos, a junior, said. “The answer was that music was a way for us to bond and cherish childhood.”

Once Enchanted had been given the green light, however, the founders faced another challenge: how to assemble a troupe with the semester already in full swing. Here again, they were able to turn an apparent liability into an asset. “I think that by holding auditions mid-semester, we benefited from the availability of people in the same boat as us,” Economos said. “They wanted to sing, but they had either been rejected, or felt that there wasn’t a group out there for them.” Clearly, this was a sizable enough contingent of students — 32 people auditioned for 13 spots, an impressive turnout for a group in its infancy. Enchanted also benefited from the esoteric appeal of what has become its defining trait: a musical repertoire comprised exclusively of Disneythemed songs. As the years go on, this has upped their profile at Tufts, to the point where they are now mentioned frequently on admissions tours as an example of Tufts’ culture of quirk, according to Economos. “In a totally unexpected way, we’ve become the poster-children for quirkiness and the ability of students to pursue whatever they want outside of the classroom,” he said. Still, poster-children status aside, the club’s members stress that Enchanted is much more than just a Disney-themed a capella group. “Enchanted was founded on the platform of being a nostalgia-themed, family-themed group more than anything else,” sophomore Alex Cohen, president of Enchanted this year, said. Rachel Sheldon, music director for the group, agreed with Cohen’s assessment. “People associate our music with the Disney movies they watched as

kids, and it kind of takes them back to that carefree time of their lives,” Sheldon, a junior, said. This holds doubly true for the group’s members whose love of Disney music, and the deep nostalgia it evokes is palpable. The group votes on its set list for each of the shows it puts on in the winter and the spring. “Not once has a Disney song played and every member of Enchanted didn’t shout ‘I love that song!’ and immediately start singing along,” Cohen said. But as anyone involved in the world of a capella knows, the road between singing along to a song you like with friends and presenting a finished product to an audience is arduous and demanding. The formidable task of channeling everyone’s raw enthusiasm into a well-arranged set mostly falls to juniors Isaac Brown and Merilla Michael, who were initially the group’s only arrangers. Economos credits Brown and Michael with piquing a wider interest in a capella arrangement among the other members of Enchanted. “Not only did they arrange our first few songs, but they inspired others to try their hand at composition, and now half the group arranges their own music,ww” Economos said. Now the pool of potential arrangers in the group grown, and the type of arrangements they rehearse has expanded to include more difficult compositions. “We shake things up a bit by trying to mash up Disney songs with more modern stuff,” Brown, who has stayed on as one of the group’s primary arrangers, said. The pieces all seem to be falling into place for Enchanted. Since none of its members are graduating this year, the group has an exciting opportunity to

build on the successes they’ve enjoyed so far. Cohen believes that confidence has been crucial to the group’s rise. “Over time we’ve developed confidence in ourselves as individual singers, we’ve developed confidence in ourselves as a group and we’ve developed a sense of confidence in Enchanted in people outside of the group,” she said. Sheldon, who is responsible for running the group’s rehearsals, agreed. “In general, we’ve become a lot more organized and efficient at learning new music, and our confidence while performing has increased exponentially,” she said. With this confidence growing stronger every day, Enchanted is looking to broaden its horizons. Though most of the shows it puts on have remained on campus, the group did score a gig last semester at the Mystic Learning Center, a recreational center for low-income youth. Cohen said the group hopes to coordinate more off-campus performances in the future. “We really enjoyed that; I’m hoping we can do more of that,” she said. In the long run, Enchanted has its sights set on more ambitious appearances. “Our long-term goal is to go to Disney World and perform there, which will hopefully happen next spring before a lot of us graduate,” Sheldon said. Economos, who is studying abroad this semester, rattled off a few things he’d like to see the group accomplish before he graduates: “We want to record our first album, we want to sing at matriculation or graduation and we want to go to Disney World.” He paused, as if reflecting on how far the group he co-founded has come in such a short time. Then: “Disney World for sure. The other two are up in the air.”


Thursday, February 25, 2016 | Comics | THE TUFTS DAILY

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Opinion EDITORIAL

Delay of Scalia replacement threatens civic culture Following the recent passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Senate Republicans have made the decision to preemptively reject any presidential nomination of a replacement justice, a choice that crosses a legal and moral line. In an election cycle that has already been more vulgar than any in recent memory thanks to the ugly rhetoric of certain presidential candidates, the strain on our political and civic culture appears to be growing worse every day. More concretely, this decision by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and the rest of the GOP caucus would mean that the Supreme Court’s decision-making would be hamstrung for 330 days — the amount of time until the inauguration of the next President — in a crucial Supreme Court term. This is one of the busiest and most monumental Supreme Court seasons in our country’s history. The Friedrichs vs. California Teachers Association case addresses whether a teacher’s union act of collecting dues for purposes of political speech is against the First Amendment. The Evenwel vs. Abbott case tackles whether states should apportion state legislative districts based on total population or registered voters — a policy that disproportionately hurts people of color, the poor

and the young. On top of this, cases on abortion, contraception and the death penalty will be heard. If a replacement is not found and these hearings go to an even vote of four versus four, the Supreme Court’s verdict is nulled and the decision reached by the lower courts holds. With an empty justice seat on the highest court in the country, it is as though an entire branch of government has been taken out of our system of checks and balances. The Constitution’s rules concerning judicial succession are clear, so the argument should be about who gets appointed — not about when and by whom. As Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) wrote in a recent Facebook post, Senate Republicans should abide by their loyalty to the Constitution not solely when it is in their political benefit and “abandoning the duties they swore to uphold would threaten both the Constitution and our democracy itself.” When President Reagan had to fill the vacancy in the Supreme Court in November 1987, a Democratic Senate confirmed Justice Anthony Kennedy to the Court by a vote of ninety-seven to zero within 65 days. The reason why the vote was swift and unanimous was because President Reagan had fulfilled his constitutional duty and he selected a qualified person. Despite the fact that the nomination

took place less than a year before a presidential election and the Democrats may have disagreed with the appointment of a conservative nominee, a vote was held because the constitutional processes upon which the nation’s civic and political culture have been built were respected. The same cannot be said of those engaging in bald-faced politicking on Capitol Hill currently. Both parties have stretched the rules to their advantage in the past, whether in gerrymandering state congressional districts every ten years or in more subtle ways. Would Democrats take advantage of a similar scenario? Republican stalwarts may point to Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV ) using the “nuclear option” in the Senate to push bills through unlimited filibustering, a rule once held sacred but thrown away to benefit the Democrats, then in power. Damaging the whole judicial system, however, is of another order, and should be treated as such. American civic culture has fluctuated in strength at different times in our history, but the hyper-polarization on the Hill in the last few years has now morphed into blatant disregard for the law. Senate Republicans need to put aside their political differences with the Democrats, and allow the highest court to function as intended.

EDITORIAL CARTOON BY STEPHEN DENNISON

The Tufts Daily is a nonprofit, independent newspaper, published Monday through Friday during the academic year, and distributed free to the Tufts community. The content of letters, advertisements, signed columns, cartoons and graphics does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Tufts Daily editorial board. EDITORIALS Editorials represent the position of The Tufts Daily. Individual editors are not necessarily responsible for, or in agreement with, the policies and editorials of The Tufts Daily. OP-EDS The Op-Ed section of The Tufts Daily, an open forum for campus editorial commentary, is printed Monday through Thursday. The Daily welcomes submissions from all members of the Tufts community; the opinions expressed in the Op-Ed section do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Daily itself. Opinion articles on campus, national and international issues should be 600 to 1,200 words in length and submitted to oped@tuftsdaily.com. The editors reserve the right to edit letters for clarity, space and length. All material is subject to editorial discretion and is not guaranteed to appear in the Daily. Authors must submit their telephone numbers and day-of availability for editing questions. ADVERTISING All advertising copy is subject to the approval of the Editor-in-Chief, Executive Board and Executive Business Director.

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Aren Torikian The Arena

Bush league

Raise your hand if you had Donald Trump and John Kasich lasting longer than Jeb Bush in this campaign. Nobody? Didn’t think so. Jeb Bush was by no means a shoo-in to win his nomination, but the manner in which he lost was shocking. Political science departments across the country will start including his failed run for the presidency as part of their curricula. Bush capped off an extremely disappointing campaign with a bland performance in South Carolina. Despite the best efforts of his brother George, as well as South Carolina Senator Lindsay Graham, Bush pulled in less than 8 percent of the votes and soon dropped out. Donald Trump built off of his impressive performance in New Hampshire with a 32.5 percentage win in South Carolina and then another win in Nevada. Marco Rubio, armed with the endorsement of South Carolina Governor (future Vice President?) Nikki Haley, took 2nd and Ted Cruz 3rd. This is more proof of something I’ve said all along: the establishment of the Republican Party will get Rubio through these primaries. I have a tough time believing Rubio beats Cruz for 2nd (just under 1,000 votes separated the two) without Haley’s endorsement. Rubio’s preempted 3-2-1 strategy of 3rd in Iowa, 2nd in New Hampshire and 1st in South Carolina, unexpectedly devolved into a 3-5-2 strategy. Regardless, he is on good footing ahead of Super Tuesday next week when 10 states will vote. Coming endorsements from previous general election nominees Bob Dole and (potentially) Mitt Romney will only help. Now imagine if Rubio had done better in New Hampshire, instead of 5th. John Kasich, who finished 2nd, surely would not have been emboldened to go on through Super Tuesday. Those Kasich votes would probably have trickled through to Rubio. Thankfully for the Rubio campaign, the electorate quickly moved past the Senator’s awful debate performance. The sooner the GOP crystallizes around Rubio, the sooner it can take down Trump, who just took 45.9 percent of the vote in Nevada. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton is moving closer to the nomination with a solid victory over Bernie Sanders in Nevada, and what will probably be a blowout in South Carolina this weekend. While the Sanders campaign is not particularly challenging in the latter, they might just be a bit disappointed about their performance in the former. Clinton looks just about set. Across the aisle, Marco Rubio is by no means the perfect nominee. His oratory skills are shoddy at best, and his level of political experience is closer to that of an orange than that of Clinton. But he is the best shot the Republicans have of taking back the White House. Unfortunately for the GOP, according to exit polls, a statistically even amount of South Carolinian Republicans noted “tells it like it is” as the most important quality in a candidate as noted, “can win in November.” Rubio won almost half of the latter vote, compared to just about 24 percent statewide. I’ll leave it to the reader to determine who won 78 percent of the “tells it like it is” vote. Aren Torikian is a sophomore who has yet to declare a major. Aren can be reached at Aren.Torikian@tufts.edu.


Thursday, February 25, 2016 | Opinion | THE TUFTS DAILY

Opinion

9

OP-ED

Can friendship help resolve America’s fractured political climate? by Eriko Koide On the morning of Feb. 13, the United States was shocked with the news of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s death. Immediately following the news, a barrage of reactions concerning President Obama’s potential appointment of Justice Scalia’s successor began pouring from both political parties. Perhaps greater than this initial politicizing of Scalia’s death, however, was the outpouring of criticism for how political figures were treating Scalia’s death. These critics argued that Justice Scalia’s legacy exceeded his admittedly brilliant work for the Supreme Court; one major legacy he left behind was his long friendship with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and his willingness to hold friendships across party lines. Justice Ginsburg wrote of their friendship, “we were best buddies.” They spent New Year’s Eve together and went on joint vacations. Their relationship was touted by many as exemplary behavior for two political figures of opposing parties. In the days following Justice Scalia’s death, my Facebook newsfeed was covered with articles people shared touting

Justice Scalia as a model figure for his job; his legacy of friendship with Justice Ginsburg and Justice Kagan remains an impressive display of his maturity. Actions by Republicans attempting to block President Obama’s nomination of a Supreme Court Justice were criticized as resistance simply for the purpose of resistance. In this current political climate, where any action taken by President Obama is followed by a vow from all Republican political candidates to repeal that action (including Obamacare, proposed actions on gun control and now a Supreme Court nominee), it is difficult to determine when exactly actions by political figures are provoked by genuine policy differences, personal differences in beliefs or spite. Though it is easy to proclaim that we as a country should strive towards the sort of cross-party friendships that Scalia managed to maintain, this ability should not be considered a defining characteristic of a “good” political figure. It only makes sense, when the beliefs and policies discussed in politics are so personal, that people would have difficulty keeping their personal opinions of

people of the opposing party separate from their political opinions. Just think about the reason why people join politics — at least in an idealistic sense, people join politics to fight for opinions they believe in. When the people of the opposing party literally believe in different rights than you, any attempt to block their objectives serves as a benefit to what you believe in. Some may say that Republican attempts to block President Obama’s appointment of Scalia’s successor are coming from a place of spite and are blocking Obama’s presidential right. However, looking back in time to 2006 when Obama was a senator, he too tried to block Supreme Court Justice Alito’s nomination through a filibuster. Neither party, in 2006 or now, is partaking in illegal actions to try to obstruct presidential rights. It is incorrect to state that Republican efforts to block Obama’s Supreme Court appointment are just a reflection of how recently Democrats and Republicans lack the willingness to try to cooperate, regardless of the individual motives of politicians of either party. Supreme Court justices, especially the one who will fill the shoes of Justice

Scalia, have a massive impact on which party legal policies favor. I think it’s incorrect to point to Justices Scalia and Ginsburg’s friendship as a model for all political figures to follow. Certainly, it would help ease the tension between the parties on a personal level, but it would not have a tangible effect on the political climate. Regardless of Justices Ginsburg and Scalia’s friendship, it had no effect on how they judged cases — they stuck to the policies they themselves believed in. So, while it would be nice to be able to point to more cross-party friendships as moral examples, the lack of these friendships cannot be considered a reason for why the current American political climate is so frosty. At the end of the day, politics is an unfriendly profession because of the inherent contradiction of core values between parties. Not even a friendship as long-lasting and personal as Scalia and Ginsburgs’ can change that. Eriko Koide is a first-year in the College of Liberal Arts at Tufts. Eriko can be reached at Eriko.Koide@tufts.edu.

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Sports MEN'S SQUASH

Men’s squash wins Chaffee Cup to end their season by Isabel Banta Staff Writer

Men’s squash capped off their 2015-2016 team season by winning the Chaffee Cup at the CSA Team Championships this past weekend. The final two weeks of the season saw Tufts put together an impressive comeback series after a dismal showing at the NESCAC Championships on Feb. 5 to 6. The Jumbos exited the tournament without a win, suffering a string of losses that dealt their confidence a serious blow. Tufts suffered a blowout 9-0 loss to Amherst in the opening round of the tournament and then fell in close matches to Conn. College and Hamilton — both teams they could and probably should have beaten — in the consolation rounds. The Jumbos kicked off their comeback run just a few days later on Feb. 9 with a much-needed 9-0 statement win over the Brandeis Judges at the Belmont Hill courts to regain their confidence, and then followed it up with an 8-1 win at Boston University two days later. The following Saturday, Feb. 13, Tufts topped both Vassar College and Bard College in back-to-back wins but fell to Wesleyan as the team went 2-1 in a three-match series in Middletown. The No. 19 Cardinals presented the biggest challenge for the Jumbos since the NESCAC tournament, and the Jumbos’ run was unceremoniously interrupted by the 9-0 loss in their first game of the day. Later that day, the Jumbos returned to the form they had shown the previous week to restart their run. Bouncing back with a resounding 9-0 win over the Vassar Brewers, eight out of nine Jumbos won their match-ups in three games. Sophomore Braden Chiulli and firstyears Aidan Porges and Imran Trehan all

ALEX KNAPP / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVE

Tufts Men’s Squash faced off against MIT on Jan. 27 at the Zesiger Squash Courts. impressed in quick three game matches, with Trehan only allowing his opponent seven points out of the 40 played. Adding to the first-years’ contributions, Brett Raskopf also won his match in three games after a hard-fought and grueling first game that ended 16-14. The team’s captain and lone upperclassman in the lineup, junior Danny Fischer, took his match to five games but ultimately claimed a victory for the Jumbos in the eighth position. The resounding win against Vassar allowed Tufts to move into its third match against Bard with renewed confidence, although the match proved somewhat more challenging. Though the Jumbos were able to secure the 8-1 win, many players were forced into arduous four or five game matches. First-year Matt Memmo played five games against Bard’s Vikramaditya Joshi before securing a win, 11-13, 11-9, 11-13, 12-10, 11-9. Porges and Chiulli were both forced into four-

game matches, though were both able to defeat their opponents and avoid playing a fifth game. Trehan, Raskopf and Fischer, meanwhile, had much smoother straightgames wins in the third, fourth and eighth positions. Playing in the No. 5 position, sophomore Alec Goodrich played a difficult five-set match against Abe Etkin, ultimately losing 12-14, 11-9, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9. The loss did not change the result though, as the Jumbos downed the Bard Raptors 8-1. The wins gave the Jumbos some momentum as they headed into the final team competition with the CSA Team Nationals this past weekend. Hosted by Yale University, the Team Nationals was the team’s most anticipated event all season. The Jumbos entered at a fortuitous time having gone 4-1 in the week and a half leading up to it. Ranked No. 33 in the latest poll, Tufts competed for the Chaffee see MEN'S SQUASH, page 11

Women’s squash upsets Wellesley, but falls to higher-ranked Amherst and Hamilton Assistant Sports Editor

At the College Squash Association (CSA) Team Nationals over the weekend, No. 24 Tufts stumbled early and could not overcome strong opposition from Amherst and Hamilton on Friday and Saturday. It did, however, take down No. 23 Wellesley College on Sunday to end the weekend, ending the season on a positive note. The Jumbos had an impressive stretch of performances leading up to the CSA Team Championships, winning five matches in a row to move up in the rankings. This allowed Tufts to play in the the C Division in the Team Championships for the Walker Cup, which features the No. 17 through No. 24 teams. This was a step-up from the D Division Epps Cup that the Jumbos won last year. Unfortunately for the team, with its No. 24 ranking, Tufts opened the tournament with the lowest seed in their Division. On Friday, Tufts was beaten 8-1 by top-seeded No. 17 Amherst at Yale University in the opening round, with senior captain Paget Stanco the only player to record a victory for the team. This came after

Ryan Schneiderman Outside of the Boot

FA Cup roundup: Manchester City teens and the future of the competition

L

WOMEN'S SQUASH

by Yuan Jun Chee

Thursday, February 25, 2016

she clawed back from two games down against Amherst first-year Rachael Ang to win the next three and took the first position for the Jumbos. Ang had taken the first two-games 11-7, 14-12, before Stanco rallied to take the next three 11-6, 11-4, 11-3 to secure the comeback. The rest of the afternoon did not go as smoothly for the Jumbos, though. First-year Hannah Burns lost in five against Amherst first-year Haley McAtee in the third position. She had led 2-1 with 11-9 and 11-8 wins in the second and third games respectively, but McAtee took the final two games 11-5 and 11-7 to claim victory. In the second position, first-year Zarena Jafry lost to Amherst sophomore Kim Krayacich 11-7, 11-6, 11-8. This was reflective of the day in general, as Amherst won in three games in six of the matchups. On Saturday, the Hamilton Continentals were able to beat the Jumbos 7-2 in the consolation round. Hamilton, seeded fourth in the Walker Cup bracket and ranked No. 20 overall, was edged by Colby 5-4 earlier on Friday. Stanco led the way again for the Jumbos on Saturday, recovering after the first three games

went against her 11-4, 5-11, 9-11 to defeat Hamilton senior Rachel Newman in the final two games 11-9, 11-5. She was accompanied this time in victory by sophomore Lauren Banner in the fifth position who also took five games to see off the challenge of Hamilton sophomore Grace Munschauer, 3-11, 12-10, 11-8, 6-11, 11-4. Burns was also pushed to five games but was unable to overcome Hamilton sophomore Rafiatou Ouro-Aguy, losing 4-11, 11-7, 11-8, 12-14, 11-9. In the sixth position, sophomore Claudia Udolf took a game off Hamilton first-year Megan Grip, but eventually lost 11-7, 6-11, 11-7, 11-6. “Amherst and Hamilton were ranked higher than us and were stronger teams overall,” Jafry said. “However these losses were still good fights, not blowouts. We played intensely and competitively and showed that we weren’t going to go down easy.” Commenting on the game, Banner was satisfied with the team’s performance. “Overall we were quite happy with our performance against both Amherst and Hamilton; they are both excellent teams, see WOMEN'S SQUASH, page 11

ast weekend saw a break from premier league action, with the FA cup taking its place. The most intriguing matchup from the fifth round draw featured the last two Premier League champions, Chelsea and Manchester City. What promised to be a highly contested match quickly turned into somewhat of a farce when Manuel Pellegrini, often criticized for being too conservative in team selections, named six teenagers in the starting eleven. Five were making their first team debut. As a City fan myself I had mixed feelings about the line-up. To see talented youth players given the chance to show their talents to the world is exciting for both the fans and other youth players coming through the system. At the same time, the lineup effectively ensured City’s exit from the competition. The youngsters were clearly overmatched, but there were bright spots. Kelechi Iheanacho (19) set up City’s first goal to equalize in the first half and continued to look like a real talent (seven goals, four assists in seven starts in all competitions). Aside from a few errant clearances, 17-year-old Tosin Adarabioyo starred in the defense that held an in-form Chelsea to just one goal in the first half. In the second half, however, the physicality and professionalism of a quality Chelsea side proved to be too strong for the young City side as Chelsea ran out 5-1 winners. After the result, some questioned Pellegrini’s competitive integrity. After all, he no longer has to worry about retaining his job (Pep Guardiola will take over at the end of the season). In context, however, his decision to field such a weak side begins to make some sense. The demand of playing in four competitions has taken a toll on the City squad. Five first team regulars are currently out injured, while club legends Vincent Kompany and David Silva have only recently come back from long injury absences. Additionally, Manchester City plays one of the biggest games of their season on Wednesday when they travel to play Dynamo Kiev in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 fixture. After drawing Barcelona in the round of 16 the past two seasons, City has a real chance to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time in the club’s history. With these factors in mind, Pellegrini requested the FA to reschedule the fixture to a later date, but the FA was unwilling to accommodate. While I don’t blame the FA for not rescheduling the match, they must reconsider their strategy. The FA cup is a historic and prestigious competition, but it is difficult to provide incentive with solely prestige. Whereas the Premier League and Champions League award their winners with £99 million and £43 million, respectively, the FA cup champion reels in just £1.8 million. Awarding a Champions League spot to the winner of the competition has been proposed, but this may cause more problems than it will solve. Regardless, the FA needs to do something to avoid further embarrassments like the one they endured last Sunday if they want to restore the competition to its previous glory. Ryan Schneiderman is a sophomore majoring in Computer Science. He can be reached at ryan.schneiderman@tufts.edu


Thursday, February 25, 2016 | Sports | THE TUFTS DAILY

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Sports

11

Sports

Chaffee Cup caps off Jumbos’ dominant late-season run MEN'S SQUASH

continued from page 10 Cup in the tournament’s E Division, reserved for the teams ranked No. 33 through No. 40 nationally. In the opening match against No. 40 Lehigh University on Friday, Tufts finished strong with a 9-0 win. Though hard-fought, the match against Lehigh allowed Tufts to stretch their muscles in the beginning of the tournament. Chiulli and Memmo were standouts, with Chiulli overwhelming his Lehigh opponent Max Liu 11-3, 11-2, 11-5. Memmo played a tough third game against Lehigh’s Alec Shimell but ultimately clinched the win without too much difficulty, 11-5, 11-6, 12-10.

On Saturday, Tufts took on No. 36 NYU in a more competitive match but came out on top 7-2. The first-years were integral to the win, with first-years Cameron Ewan, Porges, and Trehan defeating their opponents in the third, fourth, and fifth positions, respectively. In the number one position, Chiulli fell to NYU’s Max McCafferty in three games, 13-11, 11-2, 11-3 after a difficult and hardfought first game. Meanwhile, teammate and first-year Alan Litman also lost as No. 2, bested by Gabriel Bassil, 17-15, 13-11, 3-11, 12-10. But wins in positions three through nine allowed the Jumbos to move on to the championship match of the Chaffee Cup on Sunday. In a fitting championship matchup, Tufts had the opportunity for some revenge against Conn. College, the team that had

beaten Tufts exactly two weeks prior in the NESCAC tournament consolation round. This time, though, the stakes were raised with the Chaffee Cup on the line. In a reversal of the NESCAC match, the Jumbos battled the Conn. College Camels through a tight contest, but ended up on top with 5-4 to take the cup. The Jumbos were aided by a series of three-game victories, including Chiulli in the first position, winning 11-7, 11-4, 12-10, Litman in the second position, Ewan in the third, Raskopf in the sixth and sophomore Sandeep Rishi in the seventh. Though the match against Conn. College was close, Tufts channeled the competitive drive that defined their late-season run into victory.

The team declined to comment on its performance in the past two weeks. Finishing its season with a 14-9 record, the team made history with the highest season win total in team history, dating back to the program’s inception in 1999. Most of that has come just this month, as the Jumbos’ comeback run over the final two weeks saw them win seven of their final eight matches across all competitions, winning 55 of the 72 points in those matches. With the CSA Championships over, the team portion of the season has concluded. Now, some of the Jumbos look forward to their final competition of the season — the CSA Individual Championships at Chelsea Piers in Stamford, Connecticut from March 4 to 6.

Tufts makes C Division at Nationals in step up from previous seasons WOMEN'S SQUASH

continued from page 10 but we were able to challenge them, with our captain and No. 1 [Stanco] winning both against Amherst and Hamilton, and that was very satisfying for the team,” Banner said. “It was a great experience to play higher-ranked teams and feel that we were so close in ability to them.” Sunday was a better day for Tufts as it got its consolation victory and beat Wellesley 6-3. Earlier in the season, the Jumbos had fallen 8-1 to the Blue, with first-year Sahana Karthik the only player to win when the two teams met at MIT in the previous matchup. She faced a different opponent this time around in the form of Wellesley senior Gabriella Wynne, who beat Karthik 11-9, 11-7, 11-6. Stanco was also pushed all the way against Wellesley sophomore Sarah Zhang but was unable to overcome her younger opponent and lost 11-6, 9-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-5. But the rest of the team rallied to make up for those losses. Jafry beat Wellesley junior Meera Nayar 11-6, 11-9, 11-7, while Burns was rewarded for her solid effort over the previous two days with a victory over Wellesley junior Rhea Advani 11-7, 11-7, 11-5. This was followed up with Udolf’s thrilling and protracted five-game victory over Wellesley junior Navisha Gupta 12-14, 11-7, 17-15, 9-11, 11-5. First-year Sinclair Meggitt then beat senior Wellesley Kate Loftus in four games in the seventh position 7-11, 12-10, 11-5, 11-6, before first-year Chista Irani

and sophomore Gabi Salomon won in straight games against Wellesley junior Ruby Feng and sophomore Meredith Curry, respectively. For Jafry, this victory is clear evidence of progress. “Of course it shows progress,” she said. “We are all very happy about that, as we played at such a more competitive level this time around with Wellesley – everyone wanted the win so badly.” This concludes the season for the team as a whole, with the CSA Individual Nationals — the only event left for the Jumbos this season — to be held on March 4-6 in Stamford, Conn. The team ends the season with a 13-9 record, a four-win improvement over the previous season. With only five returning players on this season’s roster from last year, this season has undoubtedly been a success. “I think our team has made tremendous progress this year, mentally and physically, with the victory against Wellesley definitely [being] an indicator of the strides we’ve taken as a program this season,” Banner said. “We came into the season not knowing what to expect as we didn’t know if the [first-years] could step up their games to play at a college level, or have any idea what the team dynamic would be like.” Banner attributes part of the reason for success to improving team dynamics that fostered a more competitive spirit. “Despite losing one of our starters to an injury mid-season, everything about the team exceeded our expectations: our games improved drastical-

ly throughout the season, we became deeper as a team and were able to push each other at practice,” she said. “Along with our squash games, our team dynamic just kept getting stronger. Some of the motivation to work hard came from wanting to give our all for the team. The fact that our ranking jumped is a tremendous source of pride for us. We are all really happy with the season and our accomplishments this year.”

Jafry reflected similar sentiments, while paying tribute to Stanco, the team’s captain and lone senior who has now finished her final season. “This is a great time to be a [first-year] in the program and we’re only going up from here,” Jafry said. “This season we made so much progress as a team and as individuals. I’m proud of my teammates, and I can’t wait to play with them again next season. And, of course, Paget [Stanco] will be sorely missed. She was an amazing captain.”

ALEX KNAPP / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVE

Tufts’ first-year Isabella Libassi serves in a match against Wellesley on Jan. 27.


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THE TUFTS DAILY | Sports | Thursday, February 25, 2016

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