President Vladimir Putin of Russia reportedly ordered troops to be deployed into the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine on Monday, a move that will likely further escalate the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
With this being a brand-new column, I thought I’d take this week to offer some insight into the wonderful resources you have as a Tufts student. If I did my job right, my first article has left you thoroughly inspired to make something — a new side table, plate-ware or a cutting board, perhaps. But you’re stumped! You don’t have the tools or the space to get crazy and creative! Luckily for Tufts students looking to make, there are several free-to-use places on campus.
Barnum Hall is known for its status as the only nice building available to humanities students, but lesser known are its anomalous bathrooms. Renovated from 2018–19, Barnum’s visionaries seem to have had a more naive view of what a bathroom could be than the rigid designers of newer buildings like the Cummings Center did. Instead of being designed for efficiency, Barnum’s bathrooms are an ode to idiosyncrasy.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most classes at Tufts were conducted in a virtual or hybrid format from March 2020 to the end of the 2020–2021 school year. However, thanks in large part to the widespread distribution of vaccines throughout last spring and summer, the fall 2021 semester saw life at Tufts begin to slowly return to normal. While we were still required to wear masks indoors and frequently test for COVID-19, we saw the return of in-person club meetings and activities, as well as mostly in-person classes.
I’m writing this column on a Sunday, and I’d like you to guess how much it would cost me to park on the street in downtown Boston, or Davis or Harvard Square.
When you open the door to Lyndell’s, you’re walking into more than just a bakery. You’re taking a bite of local history.
Sophia Grekin: I'm going to start you off ... tough. Can you tell me about the saddest moment of your life?
Pini’s Pizzeria is new to Boston Avenue, having recently moved into the location that previously housed the beloved Espresso Pizza. Espresso Pizza’sowner, Patty Moore, announced she was retiring in December 2021. Moore had taken over Espresso after the passing of the pizzeria's previous owner, her brother,Anthony Salvato Jr. in 2010. Luckily for all pizza lovers in the area, Pini’s hopes to bring the same good food and sense of community that was previously offered by Espresso.
Moving somewhere new is always a challenge. During my time at Tufts, I’ve moved both into — and then prematurely out of — the classic freshman double in Bush Hall, into and out of a cozy single in a suite in Haskell Hall and then into and partially out of my own off-campus house shared with friends. I say “partially” because in December 2021, I packed up about half of my things and trekked home to New York, a trip that was the first step in the much larger and more daunting move that I would make in the coming weeks.
Many members of the Tufts community call Somerville home, but that is becoming a reality increasingly out of reach for some within and beyond our community. With the inequities in Greater Boston’s housing supply exacerbated by the pandemic, the Somerville Community Land Trust is doing its part to strengthen housing affordability in the city, moving towards community ownership of land and housing.
The 31st of January is a special day for people whose cultures adopted the Lunar Calendar — a full lunar Year of the Ox has ended.
For many young children, visits to the doctor can inspire feelings of fear and confusion. These feelings are coupled with the fact that many conversations at the pediatrician’s office leave out children, as they are between doctor and parent, rather than doctor and patient.
Last semester, I wrote this column with my friend Sam, and we aimed chiefly to provide entertainment. This semester, Sam has sought greener pastures and is looking to pursue “academics” with an eye on securing a “real job someday.” I, on the other hand, am loyal.
Calling all Tufts foodies! A new food-themed special interest house called the Foodie House is coming to Tufts.
Political change rarely comes quickly, as much as we would all like it to. There will always be singular dramatic events that inspire hope, but generally, real change comes slowly and is rarely linear. Oftentimes, it’s difficult to even notice when big changes are occurring. But it's important for Tufts students, as residents of Greater Boston, to realize the potential of what is happening here. It’s a movement percolating out from the city, with its new political order, onto its neighbors. And it has the potential to revolutionize transportation across the country.
In the final weeks of each semester, Tufts students expect a familiar email in their inboxes, urgently inviting them to click on a link and complete their course evaluations. In return for completing the evaluation, students receive early access to their unofficial transcripts, allowing them to see their grades prior to the grading deadline. For most, however, the process that occurs after submitting their course evaluations remains largely unknown, along with the evaluations' impact on faculty.
A few years ago my girlfriend needed a coffee table. It needed to be low enough to the ground that she could sit on the floor (I thought it was weird too) and still eat at it. We could have found one online, exchanged money for it and brought it home. She might’ve taken it when she moved, or sold it or threw it away if that was easier — she could always buy another coffee table. But we didn’t do that. Instead, I took the leap and decided to build her one.
Walking through campus, students, faculty, staff and visitors can find art in unexpected public places. This art is not randomly placed but rather is connected to the space it occupies.
I’ve gotten really into those ramen cups they have at Hodge lately. They're so simple — open the cup up halfway, pour in the dried vegetables and flavor packet, add water to the line, let it sit for four minutes. It’s salty and slightly spicy — the absolute perfect vehicle for a perfectly cooked soft-boiled egg.
Many Tufts students celebrated the start of the Lunar New Year on Feb. 1, alongside many other Asian countries and cultures around the world.
