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Opinion | Editorial

The Setonian
Editorial

From the Office of the Tufts Daily

October 1

Dear Tina Fey, As you prepare for your highly-anticipated debate with Joe Biden tonight, we at the Daily thought you might appreciate hearing a few pointers:   1) You might want to think about putting a stop to your impersonator, Sarah what's-her-face, who keeps saying things like, "But one in five jobs being created in the trade sector today, we've got to look at that as more opportunity. All those things under the umbrella of job creation. This bailout is a part of that." She's totally stealing your act; the comically ignorant vice presidential candidate is a tough character to master.   2) Brushing up on your foreign policy experience couldn't hurt. Sure, video clips from your "SNL" days have made their way around the world via the Internet and you live in the cosmopolitan city of New York, but it's not real experience until you've met with world leaders. Try speed dating at the U.N.; we hear that's fun.   3) Put all that "Baby Mama" (2008) drama behind you. If there's one thing America hates more than an assault on the traditional ways of baby-making, it's when such actions are promoted via a Lorne Michaels-produced post-"SNL" flop. The world knows you're capable of getting pregnant, as you demonstrated in 2006, so maybe it's time to give that another go. Then give birth two days before the election and nobody would dare vote against (or interview) you. 4) Make sure you channel your mediating skills that worked so well for the high school girls in "Mean Girls" (2004). I mean, it's not like Joe Biden is going to call you a drug pusher (well, maybe), but it's good that you know you can hold your own (confidence is always a plus). Oh, and if you spill coffee on your sweater and need to take it off, make sure you don't take the bottom layer with it. Showing your bra on national TV might be embarrassing… The Arts Department has faith in you and is certain that victory shall be yours. Keep these pointers in mind, good night and have a pleasant tomorrow! Sincerely, The Daily Arts Department

The Setonian
Editorial

Starting a needed dialogue

September 30

    Most Tufts students have their fair share of pet peeves. Some are even quite vocal about them. But even for the most miffed of students, Tufts Community Union (TCU) senators don't usually make it onto the radar. But senators are looking to change that, and we are cautiously optimistic.     The Senate is currently considering a proposal that would give each undergraduate senator a "district" consisting of at least one dorm to represent. This would allow them to further inspect the issues facing individual residential communities and would potentially open new avenues of communication between the Senate and the student body.     As part of the plan, senators would hold at least half of their office hours in dorm common rooms rather than in the campus center. They would be able to collect comment cards, hear student complaints and take those concerns to the Senate as whole. By having a more direct line of communication, they would be able to submit more informed and effective proposals to the Senate floor.     That is, as long as students talk to senators and they, in turn, create concrete policy proposals. There is a largely unnoticed but very real barrier of apathy separating students from their senators. Students care about the issues, but often lack the confidence that expressing opinions to senators can lead to change. Senators, for their part, sometimes get lost in the clouds and forget that it is with the meat and potatoes that they can win respect.     This new proposal has the right ingredients to keep the Senate on exactly that track. Tufts, for example, has numerous dorms that could benefit from an injection of student leadership. The Office of Residential Life and Learning (ORLL) has left many students dissatisfied, and there is certainly no shortage of problems to fix. By getting paired with dorms, the senators could become better advocates for residential issues and strengthen the residential communities.     The challenge ahead is the translation of the idea into a reality. This proposal is certainly not the most important to come out of the Senate recently, but it will serve as a microcosm of the body's interaction with students.     In this effort, perspective is important. In 2007, the Senate formed a liaison program that paired its members with student organizations. As part of the initiative, senators attended several club meetings to gauge how the Senate could better serve student groups. Despite the liaison program's potential, it ultimately did not achieve its goals. Individual senators were often wallflowers at meetings and the program is currently being restructured. The Senate must take great care moving forward with its new system to ensure it does not meet with the same fate. New communication channels must lead to improved student representation and clear action. Otherwise, they are irrelevant.     When Duncan Pickard was running for TCU president, he spoke of the need for a better flow of information between the Senate and the student body. We endorsed Pickard in part for this promise and are happy to see  him and other senators make attempts to follow through.    

The Setonian
Editorial

Emergency care has no language

September 23

    Among its diverse offerings, the ExCollege introduced a new course this semester entitled "Medical Spanish." The class, which is aimed at students considering careers in medicine, interpretation and social work, focuses on the specific vocabulary and skills necessary to translate between doctors and Spanish-speaking patients in emergency situations. During a time when immigration continues to be a hot political topic, this course acknowledges that, despite policy implications, all people who enter an emergency room, regardless of their native tongue, should receive the appropriate level of treatment.     While many Americans decry the use of bilingual signs and other tactics used to aid non-English speakers, this class has been greeted with enthusiasm from the Tufts community.             And that's a good thing.     Aside from English, Spanish is the most common language in the United States. As part of the 2000 Census, 28.1 million people living in the country indicated they spoke Spanish; just over half of them reported the ability to speak English "very well." The number of Spanish speakers has undoubtedly swelled, as immigrants from Latin American countries continue to settle in the United States. And in the case of medical care, this linguistic barrier can be the difference between life and death.     It is important to remember that this barrier also applies to legal residents and citizens, many of whom speak English well.  When faced with the frightening reality of a medical emergency, most people would feel best expressing themselves in their native language. Especially given the technicalities required for an accurate diagnosis, we should leave open as many options as possible.     Still,  classes like this certainly benefit undocumented immigrants as well. But while many argue that we should not cater to such immigrants — many of whom receive emergency-room care without paying taxes — that does not negate the fact that medical professionals  across the country are obligated to treat all patients equally and often lack the language skills to do so effectively. Something is obviously wrong with this situation, and proactive measures are a must.     Some say that undocumented immigrants take advantage of the medical system, waiting until their situations require emergency treatment that they can get for free. But so  do countless American citizens who cannot afford health insurance. Either way, ignoring the reality of the situation doesn't make it disappear, especially in cities like El Paso, Texas, where 74 percent of the population speaks Spanish at home.     Although most Americans consider English to be their native language, the United States remains without an official language — and for good reason. Throughout its history, the country has been heralded as a melting pot, one in which all people, regardless of their native languages, have been accepted into the population. Courses that focus on medical Spanish reflect the type of cultural fluidity that has come to define our country, while also allowing it to adjust to the times. Isn't that what a Tufts education is all about?

The Setonian
Editorial

What should Wall Street do next?

September 22

Merrill Lynch, Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers are gone off the board. The most dynamic twins since Mary Kate and Ashley, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, have left an enormous crater in the belly of the United States financial landscape. Then the $85 billion bailout deal for the insurance conglomerate American International (AIG) seemed to push the limit. And for the encore, a historical $700 billion federal bailout to get Wall Street back to even blindsides the already overburdened American taxpayer.

The Setonian
Editorial

What a difference two years make

September 3

"The gifts that God has given to Barack Obama are as enormous as his future is unlimited. As his mentor, as his colleague, as his friend, I look forward to helping him reach to the stars and realize not just the dreams he has for himself, but the dreams we all have for him and our blessed country."

The Setonian
Editorial

Students sick of poor health insurance options

May 11

A student fights back and forth with her insurance company over reimbursement for more than a year, with her bills being sent to collection agencies in the meantime. Another eschews health care altogether despite his crippling injury in order to avoid the almost-guaranteed financial battle that visiting a doctor would spark.

The Setonian
Editorial

Hillary should know when to quit

April 22

The Democratic primary began as a spirited, substantive contest between capable candidates. Now, after the conclusion of the Pennsylvania primary, the prolonged process has degenerated into an increasingly bitter, trivial and damaging confrontation between Senators Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

The Setonian
Editorial

Pickard has vision to lead as TCU president

April 21

As Jumbos head to the polls tomorrow to vote for their Tufts Community Union (TCU) president, they'll be faced with the same challenge Democratic voters have faced throughout this primary season: how to choose between a clear vision for the future and a series of concrete plans that perhaps lack vision when no candidate offers both.

The Setonian
Editorial

Carter's Hamas visit is misguided

April 16

Last week, the Arabic-language newspaper Al-Hayat reported that former President Jimmy Carter was planning a trip to Syria for mid-April, during which he would meet with Khaled Meshal, the exiled head of the Palestinian terror group Hamas, on April 18. That is a terrible, terrible idea.

The Setonian
Editorial

Size shouldn't matter

April 14

An overweight but highly qualified woman finds herself consistently denied receptionist jobs for thinner candidates who can barely turn on a computer. A five-foot-tall man is constantly ridiculed in his office, with taller coworkers going so far as to pat him on the head patronizingly at meetings.

The Setonian
Editorial

Harvard's new gym policy an exercise in religious tolerance

April 8

Harvard has started holding female-only gym hours in order to accommodate religious beliefs that prevent women from exercising in the presence of men. The new program has been implemented for a trial run in which its least popular gym is closed for six hours per week.

The Setonian
Editorial

Senate should take lead in protecting student speech

April 7

When Dean of Undergraduate Education James Glaser overturned the Committee on Student Life's decision to force the Primary Source to print bylines on all of its articles last year, he employed administrative power to prevent students from taking their own voices away.

The Setonian
Editorial

Abstinence is a personal choice - not a platform

April 6

Last week's article in the New York Times about the rise of abstinence groups at top universities has garnered much attention - and debate. The controversy is not without cause: While the Daily recognizes the importance of respecting individual decisions about sexual conduct, the attitudes and information that many of these groups espouse is disturbing for several reasons. Respecting individual decisions means respecting those who choose to be abstinent, but it also means respecting those who choose not to be.

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