Opinion | Editorial

Keep sexual orientation off the Common App

Better than service cuts

Free speech on the Hill

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) yesterday published its second annual list of the "Twelve Worst Colleges for Free Speech." Tufts University was featured once again, this year coming in 10th. Two other Boston-area universities also made the list: Harvard in fourth place and Brandeis in 12th. The mission of FIRE is to "defend and sustain individual rights at America's colleges and universities." FIRE brings attention to free speech violations at colleges around the country and occasionally even uses its own legal resources to help students whose rights it believes are being violated.

TCU Senate shouldn't fund discrimination

On Sunday night, the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate rejected a resolution that would have encouraged the TCU Judiciary and other on?campus organizations to interpret the university's non?discrimination policy in a way that gives groups leeway when selecting their leaders. Critics of the resolution on the Senate argued that the resolution was a reactionary measure prompted by the controversial complaint filed against the Tufts Christian Fellowship (TCF) in November alleging that the group discriminated against LGBT?affiliated candidates for TCF leadership.

'Hacktivists' had it coming

The MBTA on life support

Winter this year, for all intents and purposes, never came.  Massachusetts has seen minimal snowfall this year — including only 7.8 inches in Boston, a record-setting low — and, as a result, $40 million of the $50 million in state funds earmarked for snow removal remains unspent. Rather than adding the surplus onto next year's snow removal budget, Governor Deval Patrick has suggested that the extra money be given to the MBTA to help offset their $161 million deficit. 

Too cool for school

Right idea, wrong execution

The Obama administration recently unveiled tweaks to rules for health insurance that would have compelled church−affiliated organizations to cover contraceptives for female employees under the insurance progams they provide. These provisions enraged many Catholics. The updated rule would not have applied to people who work directly for the Catholic Church, but it would have extended to affiliated organizations owned by the Church, such as Catholic hospitals and universities. Due to the extensive uproar that this policy provoked, the administration has since backtracked, instead placing the burden of financing contraception on insurance companies.

Foxconn audits only a start

Apple shares climbed above $500 on Monday, clearly to the delight of shareholders and the Apple faithful. The company, valued at more than $460 billion, is the most valuable in the world and worth more than rivals Google and Microsoft combined. While this is good news for Apple, it's unlikely that this news will mean much to many individuals whose hard work contributes to the success of Apple products — the Chinese factory workers assembling the gadgets "Designed by Apple in California."

Separate and Unequal

MegaUpload shutdown is justified

Worse than Piracy

Letter from the editor

At the start of my freshman year, I attended the Daily general interest meeting. While looking at the — somewhat intimidating — upperclassmen leaders of the paper at the front of the room, I wondered: Why on earth would anyone in their right mind want to run a daily college newspaper? I had a busy enough time at my high school newspaper, which only put out an issue every two weeks.

Precautions needed to prevent disruptions in Trunk availability

Beginning at around noon on Monday, students across campus attempted to log onto their courses' Trunk sites, only to find the entire system inaccessible. They were met with a link that notified students of technical problems and service wasn't restored until 1:30 a.m. the next day.

Production of Tufts statue should include students

Last Sunday, the TCU Senate approved 11 out of 12 proposals for surplus grants, with a total of $167,900 distributed to various student groups and causes. The surplus grants came out of unspent Student Activity Fee funds, with the remnants being rolled over into next year's surplus.

A lukewarm WinterFest

When former University President Lawrence Bacow announced last March that the Naked Quad Run (NQR) would not continue, a committee of Programming Board members and Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senators set to work selecting an event to celebrate the end of fall semester classes. The event decided upon, WinterFest, was to feature a tubing course, a snow sculpture competition, a smores station and a heated tent featuring a DJ.

A good allocation

The upcoming Spring Fling stands to be a more star-studded affair than in years past. The Tufts Community Union ( TCU) Senate Allocations Board allocated $65,000 in buffer funds to Programming Board for the Spring Fling budget last Sunday. The amount is up from the $25,000 the Programming Board requested and is an addition to the annual $85,000 reserved for Spring Fling. Therefore, the budget for Spring Fling this year has jumped to $150,000, up from the usual $110,000.

Transgender rights bill should have gone further

Earlier this month, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick signed into law the Transgender Equal Rights Bill, which outlaws discrimination against transgender individuals in education, housing, employment and credit. The law also updates the language of the state's hate crime laws to protect transgender individuals.

UC Davis police acted improperly

Responses to the Occupy movement have varied from community to community, with some protesters facing harsher crackdowns than others. One college campus that witnessed one such crackdown is the University of California (UC), Davis.

Parental email reflects lack of trust

Many students' cell phones were abuzz yesterday afternoon with calls from their parents or guardians. Other Jumbos checked their inboxes and were greeted by not just an email from Dean of Student Affairs Bruce Reitman but also one sent by a concerned — or in some cases, amused — parent or guardian.