Columns

Column

Rooted Reflections: Not all conservation is equal

By Justin Solis | October 3

In a previous Tufts Daily article, I advocated for summer jobs that are intrinsically linked to the local community and ecosystem. This was not merely out of a desire to create a generation of fishermen and farmers. In isolation, it is too easy to believe idealistic rhetoric that disregards practical solutions to tackling environmental issues. I believe that those emotionally removed from the land around them place undue value on preservation rather than conservation.

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Column

The Death of Education: In defense of the humanities

By Evan Wang | October 2

When I first began to apply to college, one seemingly easy question haunted me for many nights: What do you intend to major in? Even from a young age, I was drawn to the allure of history. From the tales of knights in shining armor to the details of gruesome diseases that ravaged the land hundreds of years before me, history was my passion. But when it came time to pick a major, I was hesitant.

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Columns

Hey Wait Just One Second: Desire paths

By Max Turnacioglu | October 1

“Step outside but not to brawl,” Anthony Kiedis croons in my ear, and I oblige. The midnight wind is cold, not chilling, drifting across the Wren bridge. Light orange, brown leaves pepper the sidewalk, still soft underfoot — “Autumn’s sweet, we call it fall.” I wander in the general direction of Haskell Hall, dodging construction zones — “I’ll make it to the moon if I have to crawl” — with only a gentle glow to guide me. Past Fletcher, I round an arcing stretch of well-trodden grass, fading yellows drowned out by freshly exposed dirt, down the hill towards the Courts. I diverge from the pavement, freeing myself from its rigid hold as I follow in the footsteps of my peers. My path, imprinted in gentle footfalls, overlays hundreds and thousands of others before it, constructing a collective path of passion — otherwise known as a desire path.

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Columns

Minutia Matters: Symbolic connections.

By Leo Deener | September 26

My friend Owen cannot stop talking about “Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid” (2019), a book about logician Kurt Godel, artist M.C. Escher and composer Johann Sebastian Bach. But really, Owen says the book is about the construction of significant context — like a written piece of music built from seemingly meaningless notation marks on paper. 

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Columns

Adventures of an A-Lister: How it all started

By Odessa Gaines | September 26

When I first mentioned to my fellow film peers that I do not catch enough new releases because of the outrageous prices of movie tickets these days (not to mention the sheer number of movies that come out every week), they quickly bullied me into joining the AMC Stubs A-List. 

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Columns

A Jumbo’s Journey: How to jaywalk across the Cummings intersection

By Ben Rachel | September 25

I’m from Chicago — and that is real Chicago. I’m not one of those fools who say they are from Chicago and end up actually being from Glencoe or Evanston. (Just for clarification for all those who just recently left the college application process, Northwestern and UChicago are both NOT in the ‘real’ Chicago.) Also, I know that it’s surprising, but I am not from O-Block; I have not met Chief Keef nor King Von, and I have neither ‘colors’ nor a ‘sign.’With that being said, having lived in the best big city in the United States — voted on by Condé Nast Traveler and many other outlets — I thought I had the necessary knowledge to cross a busy intersection. In fact, Chicago holds the accolade of housing some of the most dangerous intersections. However, I was in no way prepared for the intersection located between the Joyce Cummings Center and the Science and Engineering Complex. The continuous flow of cars, semi-trucks and buses and an overabundance of depressed and anxious students who are looking for any way to not do their next computer science assignment do not make a good combination.

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Columns

Hey Wait Just One Second: Dreams

By Max Turnacioglu | September 24

Every night I dream of Jumbo. The “Everything Dreams Book” tells me that these lurid, pachydermic visions portend “wealth, honor, and a steadfast character.” However, when I bring my good fortunes up in conversation, people seem to look at me strangely. Dreams are uniquely “intimate and decidedly singular,” yet we all inevitably succumb to them. They are an intensely personal experience but simultaneously universal, a form of a sleeping contradiction.

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Columns

Shut Up and Play the Noise: Yo La Tengo’s ‘And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out’

By Ethan Essner | September 24

Rarely does a band manage to write a collection of songs that cohesively exemplify the entire thesis of an album. Hoboken trio Yo La Tengo gracefully accomplished such a feat on a plethora of occasions. But the tangible gloom of the 2000 album “And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out”is perhaps the greatest display within the band’s catalog.

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Columns

Read, Write and Be Merry: 'The Women'

By Merry Jiao | September 19

Welcome! I’m glad you’re here spending a bit of your day with me! This is the first edition of what will prove to be the absolute best, most Earth-shattering book column ever. Because, obviously, it’s being written by the coolest, funniest, most nonchalant managing editor turned study abroad liaison the world has ever seen.

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Columns

Hey Wait Just One Second: Handshakes

By Max Turnacioglu | September 17

Hey, wait just one second, and observe with me. Beneath all the big things that keep us moving, this world is defined by so many little things: quirks, oddities, patterns and skeins of social fabric. In this column, we’ll observe the absurdities of life while appreciating the beauty and meaning of that absurdity. Humor me as I employ some abstract thought, niche history and due diligence, and let’s unravel what we can this semester. 

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Columns

A Jumbo’s Journey: We are SO Back

By Ben Rachel | September 11

In short, we are SO back. Actually, we have never been more back than we are right now. As a newly christened sophomore, I can officially say that I am back. Whether you are like me and have one year under your belt and are still forced into a meal plan or you just had your last FDOC, we are BACK!! Freshies, you all have a lot to learn.Coming back to campus in late August was surreal. Driving through the Cummings intersection and around Professors Row was a wash of nostalgia. A four-month break from Dewick and overpriced coffee changed me as a person. At least for me, the summer was a refreshing, relaxing and grounding experience — a detox. It was so much so that toward the end of July, Tufts started to feel like a fever dream. All those parties, brutally boring lectures and quirky people seemed like a figment of my imagination. It seemed all too fanciful to be real.

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Columns

GC in DC: Living through (and living up to) the burden of history

By Guillem Colom | September 9

To say that the past 100 days transformed the trajectory of American history would be a gross understatement.Our generation has experienced significant upheavals merely in the past few years: the desolation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing threats against elected officials and the rollback of legal precedents, ranging from abortion rights to long-standing environmental regulations.

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Columns

The Bookmark: ‘Happy Place’ by Emily Henry

By Natalie Bricker | May 16

For my last column, I’m giving the people what they need in their lives right now: a summer romance! My favorite romance writer is Emily Henry. She doesn’t just write average romance novels; her books capture the perfect mix of slow-burn romance, character depth, fresh, summery imagery and enough little plot twists to make it impossible to put down.

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Columns

Moments ‘til Madness: The top teams for the 2024–25 season

By Owen Short | April 29

With it being late April, it’s time for schools to start rebuilding their rosters and preparing for the next season. Teams like the University of Louisville and the University of Southern California already have full rotations of transfers coming in. The portal is still very active, but as teams stand right now, these are my current 2024 preseason rankings.

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Columns

DreamWorks: Jumbo Dreams

By Halia Frishman | April 29

Hello dreamers! This has been an incredible semester of dream searching. From lawyers, journalists and abortion providers to producers and playwrights, I have learned so much and I hope you have too. For this final edition I collected dreams from Tufts students. Some of them have known what they have wanted to do since they were little and others, like so many of us, are in the midst of the search.

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Columns

The Round-off Roundup: Olympic team predictions

By Sarah Firth | April 25

For my last column, I’m going to make the obligatory predictions for the U.S. women’s gymnastics Olympic team later this summer. This year, there will be five spots on the team and no individuals for the U.S. The highest-scoring all-around athlete from the combined two days of the Olympic trials automatically qualifies for the Olympic team. The remaining four athletes are chosen by the Athlete Selection Committee.

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Columns

Ukraine at War: New aid package, myths about Nazism

By Mariia Kudina | April 25

Around the same time as the U.S. House of Representatives approved a $60.8 billion aid package for Ukraine, one representative voiced concerns regarding “Nazi” ideologies in Ukraine.Timothy Snyder, the Richard C. Levin Professor of History and Global Affairs at Yale University, who specializes in the history and politics of Eastern Europe, debunked the myths about Nazism in Ukraine at the hearing.

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Columns

Ruminations from Rabat: Ending on a high note

By Chasya Cohen | April 25

With only a week left in Morocco, my mind is scrambled with a million thoughts and feelings. Though I should be stressing about finals, I can’t help but stress about how to best end this amazing semester.

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Columns

The Bookmark: ‘Girl, Interrupted’ by Susanna Kaysen

By Natalie Bricker | April 25

I’m not sure if I necessarily enjoyed reading this memoir, but it definitely sparked some contemplation and left me thinking about it days later, which is an indication of a good book. In “Girl, Interrupted,” Susanna Kaysen writes about her two year long experience in McLean Hospital’s psychiatric unit, and her story is nothing short of remarkable.

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Columns

Moments ‘til Madness: Best hires from the coaching carousel

By Owen Short | April 25

Now that we are a couple weeks out from the national championship game, the offseason is in full swing and the coaching carousel has almost completed its course. We already had what is most likely the biggest storyline of the summer with the University of Kentucky and John Calipari mutually parting ways, and the program hiring former Brigham Young University head coach Mark Pope to fill the role. We had other big high-major coaching changes like Pat Kelsey to the University of Louisville and Dusty May to the University of Michigan. Here are my favorite moves from the carousel as of now.

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