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(05/18/24 4:01am)
My journey at Tufts these past four years has had an outstanding impact on my life: I met people in Miller Hall on day one who I know will be my lifelong friends; I took unique and insightful courses with amazing professors whom I can confidently call mentors; and I was able to study two vastly different academic subjects — economics and Latin. Now that four years have passed, it is time to say goodbye. I’d like to offer some final thoughts to close this chapter of my life.
(04/19/24 4:03am)
National Public Radio, previously one of America’s most trustworthy news sources, had a major lapse in judgment. Uri Berliner, formerly an NPR senior business editor, recently authored an eloquent piece in The Free Press, where he detailed his career at NPR and the media outlet’s prolonged ideological decline. He discussed how NPR gradually became more liberal throughout his 25-year-long career at the business desk. For instance, according to Berliner, between 2011 and 2023, the percentage of conservative listeners decreased from 26% to 11%, while the percentage of liberal-leaning listeners went from 37% to 67%. Berliner further feels that “an open-minded spirit no longer exists within NPR,” and that it doesn’t “have an audience that reflects America.” I find this admission quite sad: I’ve always thought of NPR as a veteran and mostly centrist news source, but Berliner’s article contradicts this. I believe that Berliner’s viewpoint offers insights into the broader journalism landscape and should teach us about the dangers of the media devolving into pure partisanship.
(04/17/24 4:01am)
Last week, the Labor Department reported that the Consumer Price Index, a common measure for inflation, rose 3.5% in March compared to last year. This comes as traders have grown more conservative about how many interest rate cuts they anticipate for fiscal year 2024. When the Federal Reserve raises interest rates, many forms of debt, including student loans and mortgages, become more costly for consumers. For context, inflation for February was 3.2%. The 0.3% increase has called into question whether the Federal Reserve is in a position to cut interest rates at all, especially since doing so could cause an economic slowdown if inflation were to rise. Furthermore, this inflation report marks the third straight month of hotter-than-expected inflation rates, which erodes any chance of the Fed cutting rates in the near term. Regarding the economy, the Fed appears just as confused as consumers.
(04/11/24 6:03am)
Congratulations on your acceptance to Tufts! I will always remember the feeling of joy I experienced when I opened my Tufts acceptance letter. Getting into Tufts is an amazing achievement, and you should be extremely proud.
(04/08/24 4:01am)
My grandfather was a proud alumnus of Harvard University. Upon graduating, he went to medical school and subsequently entered military service in World War II, serving in India as a captain in the Medical Corps. He went on to have a distinguished career in medicine and a lengthy retirement in South Florida before passing away in January 2020 at the age of 102. My grandfather was a constant mentor: He inspired me to pursue classics in college and instilled in me core values that I will hold for the rest of my life.
(04/05/24 4:03am)
Tufts’ dining establishments are an integral part of the university. Students rely on them for meals primarily because Tufts’ location is suburban enough that walking elsewhere is not always a viable option. These establishments are most important for first-year students, who are mandated to enroll in the Tufts Premium Meal Plan despite its absurdly unrealistic expectation that students will actually use anywhere near 400 swipes. This is especially true since Tufts no longer allows students to “double swipe” at retail locations within the same meal period. While the flaws of the meal plan are certainly an issue, I want to highlight another important topic related to Tufts Dining: dining hall hours of operation.
(03/29/24 4:05am)
The U.S. is no stranger to political polarization. Polarization has grown over the last several decades and shows no signs of stopping. Though much of this polarization is fueled by divided opinions on recent presidents, I believe there is another major culprit: diversity, equity and inclusion. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the job market, corporate DEI positions increased by 123% between May and September 2020, seemingly in response to the tragic death of George Floyd. Since then, DEI has been injected into many facets of life, from medicine to artificial intelligence.
(03/13/24 4:01am)
In part 1, I outlined the Tufts Community Union Senate’s poor handling of the hearing. In part 2, I explain the takeaways from the hearing and what it means for the greater Tufts community.
(03/12/24 4:03am)
On March 3, I watched in horror as students packed into the Joyce Cummings Center ballrooms to support the vehemently antisemitic resolutions proposed by the Coalition for Palestinian Liberation at Tufts before the Tufts Community Union Senate. Several of the resolutions were directly inspired by the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. The resolutions called on Tufts to “divest from Israeli Companies [and] to divest from companies invested in Israeli Apartheid and with ties to Israel” and “[urged] the Tufts Dining office to stop selling any Israeli products immediately and indefinitely.” BDS has been called antisemitic because it questions Israel’s right to exist and singles out Israel for its treatment of its Arab citizens, when minorities in some countries suffer far more. Furthermore, BDS has member groups including Hamas, the U.S-designated terrorist organization that slaughtered, kidnapped and reportedly raped numerous women and children on Oct. 7.
(02/29/24 7:07am)
Voters in America are complacent. For years, we have elected and reelected politicians who, despite their supposed experience, are far too old to be serving at the highest levels of politics. Senior politicians have devolved into senior citizens. The current president is certainly not the only one with lapses in mental processing: Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., 83, misspoke when referring to President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump; Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., 82, has frozen multiple times during press conferences and Trump’s mental fitness has been questioned by fellow Republican candidate Nikki Haley. Prior to her death at age 90, Senator Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., had been absent from panels and hearings for more than two months due to shingles, an age-associated illness. Several politicians over the age of 80 have indicated their intentions to pursue reelection — most notably, Biden and Trump — even as some members of Congress receive prescriptions for Alzheimer’s medications. Given all these examples, we might have to add nurses, aides and attendants to the 2024 election ballots.
(02/27/24 5:00am)
(02/26/24 5:03am)
The frustration associated with the Student Information System is universal for Tufts students. Students wanting to update personal information or modify their course enrollment are likely to encounter numerous technological issues. I myself have to use Safari to access SIS since Chrome hasn’t allowed access for several months for me. I have also heard horror stories of students not being able to register for classes because SIS would not open on any browser. The problems associated with SIS can prevent many students from getting into classes they need for their major or distribution requirements. Given that SIS is such an integral part of the academic experience at Tufts, it is completely unacceptable that its numerous faults have gone unaddressed for years.
(02/22/24 7:03am)
I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in the Daily Opinion section. I have learned a great deal about journalism, made great friends and written timely articles that have resonated with many members of the Tufts community. A large part of my Daily experience has also included butting heads on various issues with my fellow section members.
(02/13/24 5:01am)
In recent years, the “Marriage Capital of the World” has managed to divorce itself from excessive water use. Las Vegas, the Nevada city known globally for opulent casinos, luxurious hotels and superb restaurants, has championed water conservation as a major item on its agenda. Despite its desert geography, Las Vegas has stood out for recycling water since the early 2000s. John Entsminger, the general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, told CBS that all water in the city that’s used indoors is recycled. Furthermore, he declared “you could literally leave every faucet, every shower running in every hotel room, and it won’t consume any more water.” Between 2002 and 2022, in response to the “megadrought” affecting nearby Lake Mead, southern Nevada reduced its overall water use by 26% even as the population grew by 750,000 people. Innovations and programs by the government of Nevada need to be exported to mitigate water loss in both rural and urban regions globally.
(02/08/24 7:01am)
Jannik Sinner conquered all at the Australian Open last month. The 22-year-old Italian dominated the lower-ranked players and overcame challenges in the later rounds to win the title, his first Grand Slam. With this crowning achievement, Sinner moved closer to the coveted title of world No. 1 — currently held by Novak Djokovic — and cemented his reputation in the tennis world. Still, tennis commentators have not given him the respect he deserves in comparison to Djokovic. He is far from done, and every player should be worried about facing him.
(01/24/24 5:01am)
COVID-19 has forever changed the world. Many people have fallen victim to the virus, with many of them dying as a result. Children were sent home from school and didn’t return for many months. Former President Donald Trump’s initial response to the virus was certainly not adequate, yet there were a couple of bright spots, namely Operation Warp Speed. The products of this crucial initiative, Moderna's and Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccines, were handed to President Joe Biden when he was inaugurated in January 2021. However, most COVID-related deaths have occurred under Biden’s presidency. This was due to the Biden administration abandoning many COVID-19 protocols and the mainstream media pushing for a ‘return to normal.’ Biden further failed to provide resources like masks and tests. Biden had all the tools but still couldn’t act in the best interests of the country.
(01/19/24 5:01am)
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., is not as progressive as many would assume. Recently, he has been outspoken about his unwavering support for Israel, the need for a border wall and tougher immigration laws. Many have attacked Fetterman, calling his behavior out of character for someone who is supposed to be a Democrat. However, I believe that Fetterman has finally realized that his fellow Democrats are lost at sea.
(01/17/24 7:05am)
If the past several months have shown anything, it is the shocking extent to which antisemitism has revealed itself on college campuses throughout the country. Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have been the most visible, opting to accommodate — and thus tacitly endorse — antisemitic behaviors. Despite receiving less attention regarding antisemitism, Tufts is sadly no better. In the immediate wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Tufts Students for Justice in Palestine released a statement to its e-list praising Hamas’ “creativity” and signed off their Instagram post with “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” These actions transcended political demonstrations and were indefensible endorsements of evil. During this period that necessitated strong leadership, Tufts’ Office of the President offered the student body an ineffectual, milquetoast statement that failed to appropriately condemn Hamas’ barbaric acts and merely reiterated the “resources and support” of the University. A second statement, which acknowledged Hamas as a “terrorist organization,” attempted to more enthusiastically condemn the actions of Hamas. However, I’d argue the damage was already done. It could easily be seen as Tufts trying to recover its image after an indecisive first message, something that can seem disingenuous. Despite these two statements, too many Tufts students did not digest the message: Students called President Kumar a “genocide enabler” at his event with the Tufts Community Union and staged a sit-in and walkout in and around the Mayer Campus Center while some called for “intifada revolution.”
(12/05/23 5:03am)
U.S. automakers have faced significant challenges in recent months. Meanwhile, consumers still feel squeezed even though inflation and gas prices have gone down in recent months. These factors have disrupted the electric vehicle market where sales have slowed despite price cuts.
(11/29/23 5:01am)
Joe Biden just turned 81 years old. He has served as U.S. President for three turbulent years, in which he has disastrously withdrawn from Afghanistan, ignored the people of East Palestine, Ohio and presided over a truly shocking crisis at the southern border. Despite these undeniable failures, Biden is still running for reelection, though he has hardly spent any time campaigning compared to his Republican counterparts. While Biden’s old age and mental acuity continue to concern voters, Karine Jean-Pierre, White House press secretary, nevertheless proclaimed during a press briefing that “eighty is the new forty.” This raises the question of why Biden needs to use the lower stairs of Air Force One, which allow him to enter the plane on a shorter staircase out of view from the media. Denial is rampant in the Biden administration, and the country is screaming for Biden to move aside for a younger, more able candidate to lead the country. Yet Biden refuses to back down, despite numerous gaffes and his frequent trips to the beach.